Nebraska Tops Fresno State

After a downward spiral near the end of the season, Nebraska is headed for the National Invitation Tournament semifinals.

Getting 17 points from Erick Strickland and 14 from Mikki Moore, Nebraska added to its turnaround Friday night with an 83-71 victory over Fresno State.

Jaron Boone added 13 points, Venson Hamilton had 12 and Terrance Badgett 11 for Nebraska (19-14), which has rebounded from a nine-game losing streak to win four of the past five, including its first three in the NIT.

Nebraska will meet Tulane on Tuesday in a semifinal match at Madison Square Garden.

“This is one of the biggest wins I can remember at Nebraska, not just having to play at Fresno State but also playing against Jerry Tarkanian, one of the greatest college coaches ever,” Nebraska Coach Danny Nee said. “This is a tough place to play, especially when you fall behind like we did.”

The Cornhuskers overcame an early 13-point deficit and 17 first-half turnovers--they had 19 in the game--to advance to the tournament semifinals for the first time since 1987.

Fresno State hurt its chances at the free-throw line, making only 10 of 26.