> Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb. - The University of Nebraska, ranked No. 21 in the country, rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to earn an 83-61 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in exhibition men's basketball at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday night in front of 10,314 fans..
 
Nebraska shot 64 percent in the second half and limited Southwest Minnesota State to just 32 percent shooting in the final half.
 
Shavon Shields led the Huskers with 29 points on 10 of 16 shooting with nine rebounds, while Tai Webster added 16 points with three 3-pointers.
 
Cole Martin, a native of Omaha, Neb., led SMSU with 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting, while Joey Bartlett scored 11 points—all in the first half—with three 3-pointers. Mitch Weg led the Mustangs with six rebounds.
 
Nebraska closed the game shooting 48 percent (29 of 60) from the field with five 3-pointers and made 20 of 25 free throws. Southwest Minnesota State shot 39 percent (22 of 57) from the field and made seven of 26 3-pointers. The Huskers held a 46-29 rebound margin and both teams committed 14 turnovers.
 
The Huskers scored the game's first three points, but the Mustangs answered with six straight points and never trailed the remainder of the first half.
 
SMSU limited Nebraska to just five points in the first 11 minutes of the game and took its largest lead of the game at 22-9 with seven minutes and 49 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Bartlett.
 
Nebraska rallied to pull within 24-19 at the 3:57 mark, before a 3-pointer by Bartlett and a 3-pointer by MJ Delmore pushed the lead to 32-23 with 2:32 on the clock.
 
Drew Osmundson connected on a pair of free throws to make the score 34-25 with 1:35 remaining in the half, before the Huskers scored the final five points of the half to trim the deficit to 34-30 at halftime.
 
SMSU shot 45 percent in the first half and limited Nebraska to just 30 percent shooting.
 
Nebraska opened the second half with five straight points and never trailed again, but SMSU wouldn't go away.
 
A 3-pointer by Martin cut the Husker lead to 51-46 with 11:11 left in the game and less than two minutes later a three-point play by Travis Meinders made the score 55-49 with 9:43 remaining in the game.
 
Nebraska answered with the decisive 12-0 run over the next three minutes to push the margin to 67-49 at the 6:50 mark and seal the victory.
 
SMSU closes out the exhibition season on Monday, Nov. 10, hosting St. Olaf College at 6 p.m.