Clemente's 23 leads No. 10 K-State past Huskers

[February 03, 2010]  LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Denis Clemente scored 23 points, Jamar Samuels added 15 and No. 10 Kansas State bounced back from its overtime loss to archrival Kansas with a 76-57 victory over Nebraska on Tuesday night.

Clemente matched his season high with five 3-pointers, including three straight early in the second half to break open the game.

Kansas State (18-4, 5-3 Big 12), coming off Saturday's 81-79 overtime home loss to a Kansas team that moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in The Associated Press poll, won for the first time in Lincoln since 2006.

The Wildcats had a double-digit lead 9 minutes into the game and never led by fewer than seven points the rest of the way.

Jacob Pullen had 13 points and Curtis Kelly added 12 for the Wildcats.

Jorge Brian Diaz had 13 points and Ryan Anderson 10 for Nebraska (13-9, 1-6).

Lance Jeter's 3-pointer finished a 7-0 spurt to open the second half that pulled Nebraska within 42-35, but Clemente went on his run of 3-pointers to rebuild the Wildcats' lead to 53-37.

Nebraska lost for the 13th time in 18 games against ranked opponents under fourth-year coach Doc Sadler. The Huskers play at No. 1 Kansas on Saturday in the second of five straight games against Top 25 teams.

The Huskers struggled mightily in the first half against the more athletic Wildcats, missing five layups and a dunk and having three other shots blocked.

Anderson shook his right fist in disgust after one of his passes sailed out of bounds untouched because Christian Standhardinger cut the wrong way, one of the Huskers' 16 turnovers.

Nebraska scored just one field goal in the 6 1/2 minutes before halftime, and that appeared to be by accident. Standhardinger was preparing to rebound Brandon Ubel's short shot when the ball glance off his hands and went through the hoop.

Then there was Quincy Hankins-Cole, who committed four fouls in 6 minutes, including an offsetting technical with Dominique Sutton when the two got into a skirmish going for a loose ball.

While Clemente roamed mostly free behind the 3-point line, Samuels and Sutton had their way inside.

They got behind Nebraska's press for a couple of easy baskets, and they outmaneuvered the Huskers' big men for big dunks.

[Asociated Press; By ERIC OLSON]

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