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No. 11 Wisconsin spoils Nebraska's Big Ten debut

Dec 28, 2011 - 7:15 AM Lincoln, NE (Sports Network) - Welcome to Big Ten basketball, Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers' first taste of round ball in their new conference came against the No. 11 Badgers, and Wisconsin didn't take it easy on the newcomers in a 64-40 decision.

Ryan Evans scored a career-high 22 points and Jordan Taylor added 15 points to go with five assists for the Badgers (12-2, 1-0 Big Ten), who shot 11-of-21 from three-point range en route to their sixth straight victory.

"We played as well defensively as we have played all season. Offensively, we had guys looking for each other and sharing the ball. I always like to see that," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said.

Toney McCray led Nebraska (8-4, 0-1) with 16 points, but 14 of those came in the first half, including eight in the first four-plus minutes.

McCray's hot start gave the Cornhuskers a 10-5 lead, but Wisconsin scored the next 13 points, including three-pointers on consecutive possessions by Evans, Jared Berggren and Taylor.

The Badgers held a 33-26 edge at the break, and used their proficient long distance shooting to pull away for good.

Taylor, Evans and Josh Gasser each hit from behind the arc to push the margin to 42-28 less than five minutes into the half, and a 10-0 run a little later gave Wisconsin a 52-33 lead that was not challenged over the final 10 minutes.

"I'm really concerned at how we are going to score right now with this basketball team," Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler said. "If we don't get to the free throw line, it is hard for us."

Game Notes

Nebraska entered with a four-game winning streak...Bo Spencer, Nebraska's leading scorer, was held to five points on 2-of-12 shooting...The Cornhuskers shot 31 percent overall and 3-of-13 from three-point range.