When freshman Jerel McNeal went to the free throw line with 11 seconds expired in the second half, the guard's two attempts surpassed the free throw attempts the Golden Eagles had in the entire first half.
The offensive passiveness was just one of the first-half problems plaguing the Golden Eagles against Nebraska. The team had dug such a hole for themselves in the first half that several mini-runs were not enough to earn a victory in the 84-74 loss to the Huskers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Wednesday.
It was a tale of two halves for the Golden Eagles. The first half represented the worst of times with one free throw attempt and low rebounding numbers. The Huskers had 15 offensive rebounds in the first half while the Golden Eagles managed only 13 total rebounds.
The Golden Eagles held their only lead of the night when a lay-up by freshman Wes Matthew gave the Golden Eagles a 7-6 lead, but it was short-lived. Nebraska's Aleks Maric hit a jump shot and the Huskers held the lead for the rest of the game.
"We played two different games tonight," head coach Tom Crean said on the post game radio show. "There was no sense of urgency from the beginning. We got back on our heels right away and it started with the offensive boards."
Going into the second half the Golden Eagles faced a 48-29 deficit and Marquette came out with a previously absent attitude. The new attitude equaled a serious run by the Golden Eagles in the middle of the second half.
The rebounding numbers went up; the free throw attempts ballooned, and the deficit shrunk to as little as six when a pair of free throws by McNeal went in with a 6:08 left to play in the game, finishing off a 6-0 Golden Eagle run.
"We attacked the basket in the second half," Crean said. "We have to learn to come out with that mentality for the whole game because things start to work your way."
The run hit a wall when the Huskers retaliated by going on a 7-0 run and distancing themselves from the Golden Eagles. Marquette's smallest deficit after that point was eight.
Freshman Dominic James led three Golden Eagles in double digits with 22 points while B.J. Walker, Wes Wilkinson, and Maric each finished with 15 for the Huskers. The loss drops Marquette to 4-2, and the Huskers improve to 5-0.