Kelsey Griffin’s career-high 36 points lead No. 3 Nebraska past Kansas State 82-72

Griffin, No. 3 Nebraska remain unbeated

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kelsey Griffin’s career-high 36 points helped spark a second-half rally, and No. 3 Nebraska beat Kansas State 82-72 on Saturday to become the first Big 12 team to roll unbeaten through an entire regular season.

The Huskers (29-0, 16-0) trailed the short-handed Wildcats by as many as 11 points in the first half and faced a surprising 45-38 deficit at intermission.

But with Griffin leading the way, Nebraska unleashed an 18-3 run and seized a 56-48 lead less than 5 minutes into the second half. The Wildcats (13-17, 5-11), with only seven healthy players, never recovered despite 24 points from Ashley Sweat.

Nebraska and No. 1 UConn were the only unbeaten teams in Division I women’s basketball.

Griffin, the No. 2 scorer in the Big 12, was 15 of 19 from the floor and 6 of 8 from the line, finishing the regular-season part of her career with her highest-scoring game on a day her program made school and conference history. The 6-foot-2 senior consistently drove around defenders to bank home short jumpers, and also had seven rebounds.

She eclipsed her previous career-high of 31 points with a three-point play following a steal by Nicole Neals.

After Neals got control of the ball, Griffin drove in and was fouled by Sweat as she put in her jumper. The foul shot made it 74-62.

Cory Montgomery had 13 points for the Huskers, the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament, and Lindsey Moore had 10.

Kansas State canned 8 of their first 11 3-point attempts and had the Huskers back on their heels much of the first half.

Sweat hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then Taelor Karr connected from beyond the arc, prompting Nebraska to call a time out while trailing 24-17.

The Huskers fought back and tied it 29-all with 5:34 left in the half, and Branshea Brown’s bucket triggered an 11-0 run, built on 3-pointers by Karr and Brittany Chambers. The lead reached 45-34 on a 3-pointer by Brittany Chambers.

Kansas State’s hopes for what would have been the biggest upset of the regular season in the Big 12 were quickly dashed. Griffin got the second-half surge off and running with a steal and driving layup, drew a foul, and made the free throw. A few seconds later, Moore stole a Kansas State pass and Yvonne Turner converted the basket.

Griffin made it 56-45 when she stole another pass and drove in for a bucket for the Huskers, who had 24 points off turnovers.

Karr had 16 points for Kansas State and Chambers had 13.