Omaha
Michigan State (Exhib.)
Mavericks Fall to Michigan State in Exhibition, 10
Nov 8, 2010 | General, Men's Basketball
Boxscore -- Michigan State 102, UNO 72
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The UNO men's basketball team opened exhibition play for the 2010-11 season against No. 2 Michigan State on Monday night, falling 102-72 at Breslin Center.
The exhibition marked the first-ever meeting of brothers Torrian Harris (UNO) and Draymond Green (MSU), who both graduated from nearby Saginaw High School in Saginaw, Mich.
Junior guard Mitch Albers led the way offensively for the Mavs with 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Albers was joined in double figures by Harris (13) and senior Jeff Martin (12), who notched a trio of threes. Senior Matt Starks also shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, totaling eight points, and added three rebounds. Nebraska-Omaha shot 43 percent as a team for the night.
Defensively, senior Aaron Terry pulled down a team-leading eight boards, and Harris followed up with five.
Michigan State was topped by All-American Kalin Lucas, who had 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Lucas poured in five triples and went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, adding three rebounds, five assists and a steal against the Mavs.
Five Spartans finished in double figures -- Lucas, Green (16), Keith Appling (15), Durrell Summers (11) and Derrick Nix (10) -- helping MSU to a team shooting percentage of 51 percent. True freshman Adreian Payne had a game-high 13 rebounds.
Michigan State forced 16 turnovers and scored 23 points off them, also shooting 51 percent from the field for the first half.
The Mavericks opened the game with a layup by Starks to take a 2-0 lead. The game stayed close, with a 9-8 tally by the first timeout. Down 14-10, freshman Caleb Steffensmeier hit a three to bring UNO within one, and a jumper by Harris put the Mavs back in the lead. MSU's Green came back with a pair of steals, hitting a shot after each to make it 18-15.
Terry halted an 11-0 Spartan scoring run with a 3-pointer at 8:51, and another by Martin narrowed the margin to five. Korie Lucious pushed the advantage to 10 before Alex Welhouse hit another long shot to make it 31-24, but UNO was held scoreless for nearly four minutes.
Lucas, who finished with 12 points in the first half, hit a long final 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Michigan State a 47-26 lead at the half. Heading into the locker room, UNO was led offensively by Terry and Martin, who each had five points to their credit.
Nebraska-Omaha came out firing in the second half, as Harris worked inside for a quick shot in less than 20 seconds. He also threw down a dunk, but was charged with a technical foul that sent Lucas to the line for two free throws. Harris made the most of his second half, notching 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the floor and making 3-of-4 foul shots.
Albers also came on strong in the second stanza, totaling 10 points and two rebounds. The Mavs established their presence in the paint as well, earning 18 points inside to MSU's 20. As a team, UNO had 46 second-half points, while MSU's Lucas and Appling both contributed 13 second-half points for the Spartans' 55 total.
UNO opens regular-season play on Saturday, Nov. 12, hosting Nebraska Wesleyan at Sapp Fieldhouse at 4 p.m. Saturday also marks Alumni Day for the UNO men's basketball program, with all former players welcome to join in a schedule of pre-game and in-game activities to honor their time as student-athletes at UNO.
