Gallegos

Rivers

Talley

*-David Rivers led Nebraska with 13 points, the second time he has led the Huskers in scoring this season (also at MSU). It marked his fourth game in double figures this season.

*-Nebraska held Ohio State to 39.1 percent shooting, the 10th time the Huskers have held an opponent under 40 percent shooting this season

*-Nebraska out-rebounded Ohio State 38-33, marking only the second time in conference play NU has out-rebounded its opponent. The Huskers were out-rebounded by 11 in the first meeting in January.

*-Nebraska has shot under 40 percent in 11 of its 12 losses this season.

*-Andre Almeida set conference highs rebounds (eight), blocked shots (three) and minutes (21)

Nebraska Head Coach Tim Miles

On if he can live with that type of effort "Yeah I thought that our mentality was really good. I thought our effort level was really good. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to come out on top. I thought we had some Jekyll and Hyde out there. David Rivers did not play well in the first half and I thought he was the player of the game in the second half. We had a little lapse where Ray Gallegos got beat for seven straight points in the second half. And he's a good defender for us, you know? Just mental lapses like that and our margin of error is not where you can afford that. We don't score at a high enough rate, we don't create enough turnovers, certainly don't get fouled to make up for some of those things."

On what he said in the timeout with nine minutes left "We were a little tired and wanted to get a different lineup in there. I think we had some subs waiting or we made a sub. I just wanted to encourage them to hang with it, keep playing defense and good things will happen. I thought we had good looks the whole night and I thought our shots were on the rim, right on target. I thought we had a couple shots hit the back of the rim, which the back rim is your target, and went in and out. Just anything to keep the intensity. I used that timeout with nine and then you get the under eight timeout, so you get a couple breaks and you've got a captive audience to talk them up."

On Andre Almeida's impact on the game "He was our savior. It was looking bleak early in the game and it was like a light switch for the entire team and the whole entire momentum changed."

On the free throw discrepancy "Are you trying to get me fined here or what are you trying to do? That was a huge impact on the game. They are a very good team and they are on the attack. They do a great job of not fouling. You have to credit Ohio State."

On the effort on the offensive glass "We lost the paint 40-16 last time we played Ohio State and we won the pain tonight. We were getting just killed on the boards early and then we put Andre in and everything flipped. He was a huge part of that. If you can win the paint, you can play really good basketball usually."

On if he lets the team take any solace in this effort "Certainly. We can play with these guys and we can get to the top. It was close. I think we could've gotten it to three late if we just tip one in. Who knows what can happen with a big crowd? We get another stop and who knows what can happen? It wasn't meant to be, but we know how close we were to maybe making a big play tonight."

On if this was a moral victory "No. What I would call it is a good learning experience to understand the mentality you need to play every night out. If we can capture that energy and capture that lesson, then we can come out and maybe get over the top next time and make it happen the next time."

Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta

On if he thought Ohio State could put it away being up by 15 with ten minutes to go "No. With a team like Nebraska, that can get rolling with a three at any given time then you're in for. We had a couple of careless possessions there that gave them easy baskets and those are things you can't do on the road. We'll take seven points."

On what was different this time from the last game against Nebraska "First, white uniforms as opposed to red. Just watching them here and showing the guys the energy plays that Nebraska was doing and that sort of thing. They changed their lineup a little bit and seemed to put their best scorers on the floor. They've got the capability to get rolling, and you have to be careful with it."

On if Nebraska's second chances were a sign of Ohio State letting their guard down "Yes, but I'd say more so offensively. We weren't clicking the way we needed to. We would come out of a timeout and have a read to make and the read was not there so just pass it, but we didn't do that and we'd turn it over. Next possession we'd get in too deep and turn it over again. Those are things that you can't let come down the other end and affect the way you're defending. When you're giving them easy ones then it's hard."

On winning on the road with low field goal percentages "I think it's how you play in terms of your style. They shot 26 threes, and we only shot 12 so we were playing two different types of basketball."

On what the explanation was on the no call for the aggressive out of bounds call "They said that it was off of Aaron. I thought it was off the other guy, and I wasn't trying to get them to check the monitor. They told me it isn't the NBA. I told them I didn't know that."

On if the problems shooting from the perimeter has led to more free throws and drawing the fouls "It hasn't in terms of getting to the foul line more. We just want more pace with what we're doing and what we're about."

On Amir Williams "I think Amir played well. I think if you look at the second half of the game the other night against Wisconsin, just his effectiveness in terms of what he was able to do. I'm not sure what he was doing in the first half when he tried to tap that rebound and tapped it to a Nebraska player, but we'll get that addressed tomorrow at practice. I think from the standpoint of him coming in and having a better mentality has been good."

On what he said to Ray Gallegos after the game "I just asked where he's from. He told me Salt Lake City. I told him we have a kid coming in next year that I'm hoping is going to be kind of like him. I think he's a terrific player."

Nebraska Forward David Rivers

On if the team had a different sense of urgency tonight "I felt like we were all locked in defensively, and I think we came together and played like a team tonight."

On if playing Ohio State close gives the team a boost going into the final stretch of the season "I think it could give us a boost, but I don't feel like it's anything we aren't capable of. I think we can do what we did every night if we lock in, because I am with these players everyday and it is just a matter of doing it and getting it done."

On the offensive rebounds "Just being aggressive, we were trying to look for plays we could make and offensive rebounds were open and we made it happen."

On the difference of his play from the first half to the second, and why it happened "I was just trying to make plays. The first half for me was really slow and sitting on the bench I was so excited for the team and I was wishing I could be out there making plays. In the second half coach gave me the opportunity and I tried to make it the best I could and make plays."

Nebraska Guard Dylan Talley

On if the team made any progress tonight "We played better than we have, but we know we can play this way, so it's not a surprise. We are upset we didn't win."

On how the second-half comeback "We just stayed aggressive; we need to keep that mindset. They are ranked in the top 10 for a reason so they are going to make runs, so we needed to just stay strong and fight back and we did."

On how the team wanted to defend Deshaun Thomas "We wanted to make him play in a crowd; he is a real good player so he is going to make tough shots, we wanted to make it as tough as possible for him. I think we did a good job."

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                       1st   2nd   Total
Ohio State (11)         32    31      63
Nebraska                23    33      56
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Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.