Ray Gallegos scored 17 of his career-high 20 points after halftime to help Nebraska beat Wake Forest 79-63 on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Andre Almeida matched his career-high with 20 points to go with a career-best 11 rebounds for the Cornhuskers (5-1), who blew open a close game after halftime. Gallegos went just 1 for 5 in the first half but hit seven straight shots after the break, helping Nebraska blow the game open and turn it into an ugly night for the Demon Deacons (3-3).
After leading just 28-24 at the break, the Huskers scored on 16 of 19 possessions to start the second half and build a 22-point lead with 8:05 left. Gallegos had 12 points during the 20-3 run that turned it into a romp, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Freshman Madison Jones scored 14 to lead Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons came into the season knowing they would have to rely on senior C.J. Harris and junior Travis McKie to lead a team loaded with freshmen. Both came in averaging around 16 points, but they combined for 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting to lead a toothless effort by Wake Forest's offense.
Gallegos was coming off a three-point performance on 1-for-9 shooting in Saturday's 74-60 home loss to Kent State. He had scored at least 11 points in every game before that, then returned to form with a flurry coming out of the break against the Demon Deacons. His third 3-pointer started the breakaway run, then he followed with a transition layup and another 3 before losing Chase Fischer around a screen and knocking down a midrange jumper that pushed the lead to 16.
Dylan Talley (14 points) scored Nebraska's other eight points during that 20-3 run, ending the spurt with two free throws that made it 62-40. Wake Forest got no closer than 13 points again.
The game was a rematch from last year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Wake Forest won that one 55-53 on Harris' layup with 3.4 seconds left.
