Northwestern almost let a sure victory get away from them Thursday night against Nebraska.

A 15-point halftime lead dwindled in the second half and Nebraska nearly drove an already depleted Wildcats team into the ground. But a 9-2 Wildcats run to end the game stopped the Cornhuskers and NU was able to end a three-game losing streak. Prior to Thursday night, the Wildcats hadn't won since upsetting Michigan State on Jan. 14.

"It felt really good to get this win, especially since we had some tough games this season so I thought it was really important to show up," Drew Crawford said. "Hopefully this will get us on a roll."

John Shurna, freshman Dave Sobolewski and Crawford played the bulk of minutes for NU against Nebraska. Shurna logged 40 minutes, while Crawford and Sobolewski played 38 each. Coach Bill Carmody used only six players, with Davide Curletti coming off the bench.

So how does it feel having played so much?

"Good, because we won," Crawford said. "We're hungry. We're excited for Sunday and to get back on the court to practice and win Sunday."

For NU to beat Illinois in Champaign Sunday, those three are going to need to stay fresh and not get gassed after halftime.

"I feel fine, there is no fatigue," Sobolewski said. "We're used to playing the whole game and the practices are starting to get shorter."