Huskers Roll in Exhibition Opener – North Platte Post Archive

Andrew White III had 18 points in NU's win over Northern State. (Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications) — Andrew White III had 18 points in NU’s win over Northern State. *(Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications)*

Lincoln – Andrew White III led four Huskers in double figures with 18 points as the Huskers topped Northern State, 95-42, Monday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

White, who sat out last year after spending his first two seasons at Kansas, hit 6 of 10 shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers to lead a balanced attack that saw 12 players break into the scoring column. Shavon Shields and Tai Webster added 14 points and six rebounds apiece, while freshman Jack McVeigh came off the bench and had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Nebraska took control early on, blitzing Northern State with a 20-0 spurt midway through the first half, as NU turned a two-point lead into a 22-point cushion at 32-10 with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. Nebraska’s defense held Northern State, which won 23 games and reached the NCAA Division II regional in 2015, without a field goal for nearly 12 minutes.

While NU’s defense was solid, the Huskers shot 47 percent in the first half, as White, Webster and Shields combined for 31 first-half points in taking a 43-21 lead to the locker room.

Nebraska erased any hopes for a Northern State comeback in the opening six minutes of the second half, outscoring the visitors 18-4 after White’s dunk with 13:55 left made it 61-25.

Nebraska used all of its bench down the stretch as no starter played more than 21 minutes, while 11 of 13 players who saw action played at least 10 minutes.

Justin Decker led Northern State with nine points as the Wolves shot just 22 percent from the field, including 1-of-33 from 3-point range. Nebraska Coach Tim Miles began his coaching career by spending six seasons at Northern State as an assistant.

The Huskers open the regular season against Mississippi Valley State Saturday night at 7 p.m. A limited number of returned tickets are available at Huskers.com/Tickets or by calling the Nebraska Athletics Ticketing and Development Office at 1-800-8-BIGRED. The game will be carried on select Husker Sports Network Stations and Huskers.com. Saturday’s game will also be available online at BTN Plus.