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Wisconsin holds off Nebraska

Feb 11, 2015 - 4:58 AM Lincoln, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - Sam Dekker scored 21 points and No. 5 Wisconsin survived a late push from host Nebraska, edging the Cornhuskers 65-55 to improve to the best start in program history.

Frank Kaminsky and Bronson Koenig netted 13 points apiece for the Badgers (22-2, 10-1 Big Ten), with the National Player of the Year candidate Kaminsky also pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Dekker and Josh Gasser had eight boards apiece.

Wisconsin swept the season series with Nebraska and has won seven straight games overall since a loss at Rutgers on Jan. 15. Kaminsky missed that game with a concussion.

Terran Petteway dropped 21 points and Shavon Shields added 12 for Nebraska (13-11, 5-7), losers in four of five.

Wisconsin jumped all over the hosts, with a pair of alley-oop layups by Dekker from Kaminsky highlighting a 7-0 start. Dekker matched Nebraska's output in the first half with 13 points, and the Badgers led 27-13 at the break.

Koenig opened the second half with a 3 as the lead swelled to 17, but Nebraska made a game of it late. Tarin Smith's free throw at 2:42 made it a nine-point game, and the Cornhuskers were within single digits for the first time since midway through the first half.

Shields' jumper on the next trip made it 52-45, and a Petteway trey a minute later trimmed the gap to five, but that's as close as Nebraska would get.

Dekker, Kaminsky and Gasser all made two from the line in the final 42 seconds to secure the win.

Game Notes

Nebraska had won five straight home games ... Six of Wisconsin's seven wins during its winning streak have been by 10-plus points ... Nebraska has lost 10 of 11 against Top-5 opponents ... Nigel Hayes scored eight points for Wisconsin on 8-of-10 from the foul line.