Daily Nebraskan

Issue date: 12/11/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: FILE PHOTO Nebraska's Sek Henry defends a Creighton player during the Cornhuskers' 74-62 loss to the Bluejays on Nov. 24. Since that loss, the Huskers have held their last four opponents to an average of 57.25 points per game.

Think defense is boring? Don't tell that to Jay-R Strowbridge.

The Nebraska men's basketball team has come away from two recent games with resounding wins over major conference opponents. Facing Rutgers of the Big East Conference on Sunday, the Cornhuskers forced the Scarlet Knights to have a poor shot selection and made their offense look inept for long stretches of the game.

Most fans might think the fun part of basketball is the 3-pointers and slam dunks.

But solid defense is fun enough for the Huskers.

"That is the love of the game," said Strowbridge, a sophomore guard. "After a while, when you start getting stops on defense, you just start loving it."

Nebraska held Rutgers to just 21 points in the first half on 7-for-29 shooting. A week earlier, Arizona State also scored just 21 before halftime.

The difference in the games was where Nebraska dominated. Against Rutgers, Nebraska's defense refused to give up easy looks. Against the Sun Devils, the Huskers won the turnover battle in resounding fashion, forcing 19 while committing only nine of their own.

ASU also failed to have a scorer reach double digits.

That was not the case for the Scarlet Knights. Corey Chandler poured in 25 points and JR Inman added 12. But the rest of the Rutgers squad combined for just 14 points and its bench managed just one point.

Credit a Husker team that is finally fitting the mold of Coach Doc Sadler's defense.

"We are better athletically," Sadler said. "Cookie (Miller) and Jay-R both are doing a really nice job of containing the ball. When everybody else does not have to worry about helping, those two guys understand that all they have to do is put enough pressure on them to contain the ball. It makes you have a better defense."

The Huskers hope to carry the momentum from the weekend created by the defense into today's 7 p.m. game against Savannah State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Prompted to single out a teammate that gave the Husker defense a boost on Sunday, sophomore guard Ryan Anderson took little time to offer teammate Ade Dagunduro's name.

"He just brings a different kind of energy," Anderson said of the junior guard, a transfer from Antelope Valley (Calif.) College.

Mistakes are far from removed from the court, but Nebraska has increased its efficiency. On Sunday, the efficiency met effort, and it translated into an impressive win.

A 24-4 run spanning the end of the first half and beginning of the second created a big lead that Nebraska almost relinquished late in the game, as the Scarlet Knights cut the lead to three.

"Like coach told us in the huddle, it is never over," Anderson said. "We have to keep playing. They just hit shots. … We just have to give them one shot at it, and that is it."

jonathancrowl@dailynebraskan.com

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