MBB Defeated at Nebraska, 68-49

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Javon Coney scored a career-high 15 points and Richard Roby added 12, however the Nebraska Cornhuskers ran to a 68-49 victory over the Buffs to close out the regular season.

"We knew that Nebraska was going to be really fired up because we beat them in Boulder and then couple that with a special day for their great senior," said CU head coach Jeff Bzdelik on the AM-760 post-game show. "We can't turn the ball over and we have to rebound the ball. We had some open shots early in the game. When you can't make shots it really diffuses your energy."

Colorado rallied in the second half, outscoring Nebraska 35-32.

Coney scored all 15 of his points in the second half and made three 3-pointers. He was also 4-for-4 from the field with three offensive rebounds and two steals.

Aleks Maric had 17 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for Nebraska. Paul Velander finished with 16 points and Steve Harley had 14.

Nebraska (18-11, 7-9 Big 12) built a big halftime lead by forcing 12 turnovers and holding the Buffaloes to five field goals.

Roby also grabbed six rebounds and moved into second place on CU's all-time scoring list (1,951 pts.). Marcus Hall managed 11 points and seven rebounds for the Buffs. Hall also moved into fourth place on the school's all-time assists list with 430.

Nebraska opened a 15-2 lead on Maric's free throw with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Colorado (11-19, 3-12) cut the lead to nine twice, but the Huskers closed the half with a 16-3 run. Nebraska opened the second half with a 12-4 run, going up by 30 points on Harley's dunk with 14:28 left. Nebraska's biggest lead was 34.

Colorado, the No. 12 seed in the Phillip 66 Big 12 Basketball Championship will play No. 5 Baylor, Thursday, March 13, 1 p.m. (MDT).

"We know we can compete with Baylor and I think our team will be ready," said Bzdelik.

The CU/BU game at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. will be broadcast on Altitude Sports and Entertainment, ESPNU and ESPN Full Court.