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Nuggets Hang on to Beat Clippers 109-106

Denver_NuggetsDENVER (AP) — Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari hit successive 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter and Denver fought back after blowing a 16-point halftime lead to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-106 on Friday night.

Nate Robinson scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Nuggets, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Blake Griffin had his second 30-point performance in a row, finishing with 32 for the Clippers, who have dropped their last three games on the road.

Jamal Crawford added 20 points and Chris Paul had 17 points and 15 assists.

Trailing by 16 points at halftime, the Clippers began the third quarter with a 16-0 run to pull into a 59-all tie on a driving layup by Matt Barnes. Denver missed its first 10 shots of the second half before Gallinari connected on a tiebreaking 3.

Creighton Runs Away from Texas-Pan American, 75-60

Creighton-Jays-BasketballOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Austin Chatman and Toby Hegner combined to score 36 points to lead Creighton to a 75-60 win over Texas-Pan American in the Bluejays’ final nonconference game Friday night.

Creighton (9-3) opened the game on a 7-0 run and had its first double-digit lead seven minutes in. Chatman drilled a jumper at the buzzer to send the Bluejays into the locker room with a 41-27 advantage.

Chatman tossed in 20 points, connecting on 7 of 13 shots from the field and 2 of 6 from distance. Hegner was 6 of 11 from the field, 3 of 8 from beyond the arc, and pulled down six rebounds. Avery Dingman added 11 points.

Creighton shot 50 percent from the floor (30 of 60).

Shaquille Hines scored 16 points and Everett Osborne added another 15 to lead Texas-Pan American (5-6). Janari Joessaar added 12. The Broncs was 20 of 49 from the field.

Huskers Close Non-Conference Play with Big South Champs

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballThe No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home for another clash with postseason-caliber competition when the Huskers play host to High Point on Saturday afternoon.

Tip-off between the Huskers (9-1) and the defending Big South regular-season champion Panthers (6-4) is set for 3 p.m. (central) at Pinnacle Bank Arena and tickets are available now at Huskers.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 93.3 FM in Omaha. Free live audio also will be available on Huskers.com. A live premium video stream will be available to subscribers of BTN Plus.

The Huskers take aim at their 10th win of the year after taking Finals Week off from competition at Nebraska. Commencement exercises will be held at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Fridayafternoon (graduate) and Saturday morning (undergraduate), before the Huskers and Panthers hit the court. 
Nebraska won a pair of close games against traditionally strong mid-major teams Creighton and Bakersfield last week. Senior Emily Cady put up big numbers in the low scoring affairs, averaging 15.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., earned the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career on Dec. 16. Cady was a second-team All-Big Ten selection while helping the Huskers to the Big Ten Tournament title last season.

High Point also features an award-winning forward from the state of Nebraska. Stacia Robertson, a fifth-year senior from Grand Island High School, is the two-time defending Big South Player-of-the-Week (Dec. 8, Dec. 15). The 6-2 forward averaged 15.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.3 blocks, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals over a three-game stretch to claim the awards. Robertson was a first-team All-Big South selection for the Panthers last season. HPU has won four of its last five games.

#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 13.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 11.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 8.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 17.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Off the Bench
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 3.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – High School
Head Coach:
 Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986) 
13th Season at NU (250-143); 25th Season Overall (445-283)

High Point Panthers (6-4, 2-0 Big South)
4 – Stacia Robertson – 6-2 – RSr. – F – 15.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg
22 – Latrice Phelps – 6-0 – Sr. – F – 9.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg
3 – Kaylah Keys – 5-5 – So. – G – 16.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
23 – Teddy Vincent – 5-10 – So. – G – 3.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
10 – Lindsay Puckett – 5-10 – RSr. – G – 6.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Off the Bench
14 – DeAnneisha Jackson – 6-2 – So. – F – 10.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
20 – Ashante Richard – 5-4 – Sr. – G – 4.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg
00 – Kat Harris – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 4.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg
15 – Maja Michalska – 5-7 – So. – G – 2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
5 – Hunter Fleming – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 2.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
33 – Aariel Allen – 5-11 – Jr. – F – 1.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg
40 – Abby Tinsley – 6-0 – Fr. – F – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
44 – Lydia Harvey – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
11 – Katie Vincent – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach:
 DeUnna Hendrix (Richmond, 2007)
3rd Season at HPU (45-28); 3rd Season Overall (45-28)

Huskers Head to Hawaii for Diamond Head Classic

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballAfter a break for final exams, the Nebraska basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of the schedule at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

The Huskers open tournament play against the host Rainbow Warriors on Dec. 22, with tipoff scheduled for just prior to midnight central time. It is the second game of the session, as Loyola Marymount takes on No. 11 Wichita State at 10 p.m. (central). Tipoff is slated for 20 minutes at the conclusion of the the LMU-WSU contest.

Monday’s contest will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Dino Gaudio on the call. The contest, along with all of the Diamond Head Classic games, is also available online at WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.

The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The Huskers are 6-3 on the season following a 56-55 double overtime win over Cincinnati on Dec. 13. In that game, Nebraska held the Bearcats to 32 percent shooting and allowed just one field goal in the second overtime to earn a hard-fought victory. Benny Parker was the hero, as his floater with 1:14 left in the second OT gave Nebraska the lead for good.
While All-Big Ten performers Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields have led the Huskers through most of the year, the contributions of Walter Pitchford and Tai Webster carried the Huskers on Saturday. Pitchford played 48 of 50 minutes and finished with a season-high 10 rebounds and nine points, while Webster scored all nine of his points in the final eight minutes of regulation and in the extra sessions, while his offensive rebound with 1:18 left set up Parker’s game-winner.

While the Huskers have been off for finals, Hawaii’s last game before break was a loss at BYU on Dec. 6. The Rainbow Warriors are 7-3 on the year heading into Friday’s game with Chaminade and are led by Aaron Valdes, who averages 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Hawaii’s best win was a 74-70 win over Pittsburgh on Nov. 21.
The winner of Monday’s game will play the Wichita State/Loyola Marymount winner Tuesday at 8 p.m. (central) on ESPN2, while Monday’s losers will play at 10:30 p.m. on ESPNU Tuesday evening.

Harden Scores 41, Rockets beat Nuggets in OT

Denver_NuggetsDENVER (AP) — James Harden scored 41 points, including eight in overtime, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 115-111 on Wednesday night after Arron Afflalo tied the game on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

Patrick Beverley sealed Houston’s seventh win in eight games by hitting four straight free throws in the final 17.8 seconds. Harden had a big game at the line, too, hitting 18 of 21.

Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds despite a strained right knee that had him questionable for the game.

Wilson Chandler had 23 points and Ty Lawson dished out 16 assists for the struggling Nuggets, who’ve dropped seven of their last eight.

Shepard Earns Spot on Girls Naismith Watch List

Jessica Shepard (Photo from ESPN.com)
Jessica Shepard (Photo from ESPN.com)

Lincoln – Nebraska women’s basketball signee Jessica Shepard from Fremont joins the top 20  players in the nation on the Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year Watch List announced Tuesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

The highest ranked recruit in the history of Nebraska women’s basketball and arguably the best high school player the state has ever produced, Shepard will join the Huskers as a true freshman in 2015-16 after signing her National Letter of Intent with Nebraska in November.

Shepard, who competed on the gold-medal winning USA Basketball team at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships, is the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2015, according to ESPN.

The 6-4 forward entered her senior season at Fremont High School as a two-time Nebraska Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2013, 2014) and three-time first-team Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star) and All-Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald).

As a junior in 2013-14, Shepard averaged a Class A state record 30.4 points per game to go along with 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in leading Fremont to a 22-4 record and a state tournament berth for Coach Tony Weinandt. It was just Fremont’s second bid to state since 1985. Her performances included a career-high 43 points against Lincoln East and 40 points against Kansas High School power Bishop Miege and Papillion-LaVista.

The honorary captain of both the Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska teams, Shepard’s junior season scoring average surpassed her 24.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals per game as a sophomore at Lincoln Southeast. She powered the Knights to the 2013 Class A state title, before moving with her family to Fremont in the summer of 2013.

As a freshman, Shepard earned her first Super-State and Class A honors by averaging 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds in leading Lincoln Southeast to a state runner-up finish.

As a member of the USA Basketball U18 Team at the FIBA Americas Championship, Shepard averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while helping the team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal in the summer of 2014. She hit 66.7 percent of her shots from the field in the tournament.

She is also an outstanding student, carrying a 3.90 grade-point average. She has earned academic all-state and all-conference honors, as well as a spot in the National Honor Society. She is a four-year honor roll selection.

Creighton’s Milliken is Suspended for Violating Team Rules

James Milliken Creighton BluejaysOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton guard James Milliken has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules.

Coach Greg McDermott announced Tuesday that Milliken would not practice or travel with the Bluejays during the suspension. A statement from the school said a decision on Milliken’s status in the program would be made in January.

Milliken scored a career-high 23 points in a double-overtime win over South Dakota on Dec. 9. He was held out of the first half of Saturday’s overtime loss to Saint Mary’s for showing up late to the morning shoot-around.

Milliken has appeared in all 11 games and averaged 5.7 points and 17 minutes.

Cady Claims Big Ten Honor

Emily Cady
Emily Cady

Senior Emily Cady claimed Nebraska’s first Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Week award of the season when the conference office announced its weekly honors on Tuesday.

Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 13.0 rebounds to lead the No. 12 Huskers to wins over Creighton and Bakersfield last week.

In the 60-57 win at Creighton on Thursday, Cady led the Huskers with 18 points, while adding 11 rebounds, two assists and a season-high three blocked shots. Cady hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 three-pointers.

Less than 48 hours later, Cady notched her fifth double-double of the season and 27th of her career with team highs of 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in Nebraska’s 54-45 victory over preseason Western Athletic Conference favorite Bakersfield.

Cady improved her season averages to 13.8 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds. She has added 3.0 assists per game to help the Huskers open the year with a 9-1 record.

For Cady, who is a three-time All-Big Ten honoree including a second-team selection as a junior in 2013-14, it was her first career Big Ten Player-of-the-Week honor. She claimed a Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Jan. 24, 2012, before earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2011-12.

Cady is approaching career milestones of 1,200 points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocked shots as the Huskers prepare to close non-conference play against High Point on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off between the Big Red and the defending Big South champion Panthers is set for 3 p.m., and tickets are available now at Huskers.com.

Kentucky Still Unanimous No. 1 Team in AP Poll

basketballKentucky is still the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll.

The Wildcats (11-0) got all 65 first-place votes in the new poll Monday. The top seven spots are unchanged from a week ago.

Duke, Arizona, Louisville and Wisconsin round out the top five, followed by Virginia and Villanova. Gonzaga and Texas swapped spots from last week and Kansas is 10th.

Kentucky last week lost forward Alex Poythress for the season after he tore a knee ligament in practice. The Wildcats responded Saturday with an 84-70 win over North Carolina, which is down three spots to 24th in the new rankings.

The only poll newcomer is No. 25 Michigan State, ranked again after a one-week absence.

Northern Iowa dropped out after a double-overtime loss to VCU.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 14, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

Record Pts Prv
1. Kentucky (65) 11-0 1,625 1
2. Duke 8-0 1,545 2
3. Arizona 10-0 1,505 3
4. Louisville 9-0 1,349 4
5. Wisconsin 10-1 1,331 5
6. Virginia 9-0 1,294 6
7. Villanova 10-0 1,215 7
8. Gonzaga 9-1 1,175 9
9. Texas 8-1 1,154 8
10. Kansas 8-1 1,102 10
11. Wichita St. 7-1 959 11
12. Ohio St. 8-1 838 12
13. Iowa St. 8-1 772 14
14. Utah 7-2 670 13
15. Oklahoma 6-2 647 16
16. Washington 8-0 598 17
17. Maryland 10-1 512 19
18. Miami 9-1 426 20
19. San Diego St. 7-2 424 18
20. St. John’s 8-1 353 24
21. Notre Dame 10-1 351 25
22. West Virginia 9-1 333 22
23. Butler 8-2 259 15
24. North Carolina 6-3 122 21
25. Michigan St. 7-3 116

Others receiving votes: Baylor 97, TCU 80, Colorado St. 75, N. Iowa 65, Georgetown 41, California 37, Arkansas 19, Seton Hall 14, VCU 6, LSU 4, Oklahoma St. 4, Old Dominion 4, Penn St. 3, Davidson 1.

Spurs Bounce back for 99-91 Win over Nuggets

Denver_NuggetsDENVER (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points and the San Antonio beat the banged-up Denver Nuggets 99-91 on Sunday night.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili added 15 points apiece for the Spurs, who bounced back from Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers despite the absence of Tony Parker, who was out with an injured hamstring.

Arron Afflalo had a season-high 31 points to lead the Nuggets, who have lost six of their last seven games.

J.J. Hickson started in place of injured Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson left the game with 3:02 remaining in the second quarter after a collision with Ginobili opened a cut above his left eye. The cut was bandaged and he returned early in the third quarter.

Down by 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, the Nuggets pulled to 79-74 on a baseline jumper by Afflalo with 5:42 remaining.

The teams were trading baskets until Ginobili drained a 3-pointer and Cory Joseph drove in for a reverse layup around a Nuggets turnover as San Antonio went in front 94-84 with 2 minutes left to play and Denver couldn’t get back within striking distance.

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