Stats & coverage � Box score

Dec. 28, 2002
 
Huskers Fall to Arizona State, 75-63, in Title Game of ASU Hoops Classic
 
TEMPE, Ariz. ----- Junior forward Andrew Drevo scored a team-high 21 points to lead three Huskers in double figures, but the Nebraska men’s basketball team still came up short as it fell to Arizona State, 75-63, in the championship game of the azcentral.com/ASU Hoops Classic here Saturday.

Nebraska (5-5) held tight early in the contest, as Drevo, sophomore Jake Muhleisen and junior Nate Johnson combined for 23 of NU’s 25 first-half points. Muhleisen and Drevo were each named to the all-tournament team for helping the Huskers to second place.

ASU (8-3) opened the game on 6-1 run with freshman Ike Diogu scoring three straight baskets in the first two minutes. Diogu, who finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, was named the tournament MVP.

But the Huskers quickly rebounded. Nebraska used an 11-4 run to take a two-point advantage, 12-10, with 14:11 to play in the first period, as Muhleisen scored eight points in the stretch after starting with just two points in the first half of Friday’s contest.

The Sun Devils then pounded the ball inside to Diogu and forward Tommy Smith, as the pair finished with 11 points apiece in the first period. Diogu and Smith helped ASU to a 22-6 run over the next eight minutes, giving ASU a commanding 32-16 lead before heading into the locker room with a 40-25 advantage.

Nebraska saw the deficit extended to 22 points, 54-32, at the 13:33 mark before using a 13-0 run to cut the lead to just nine, 54-45, with 9:18 to play. Muhleisen added five points and Johnson had two baskets in the run. The Huskers cut the lead to nine on two more occasions before ASU extended the lead back to double figures.

Drevo finished with 21 points and six rebounds, snapping a streak of four consecutive double-doubles dating back to the Minnesota contest on Dec. 8. Johnson responded from a subpar contest against UCSB on Friday, when he had just four points, by collecting 18 points and five rebounds while hitting 8-of-13 from the floor. Muhleisen added 15 points, five assists and three rebounds, as the trio combined for 54 of NU’s 63 points.

The Huskers return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 31, when they take on Eastern Washington at the Devaney Center. The game is set to tip off at 2:05 p.m. and will be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network.

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Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.