GAME NOTES: With their five-game slide now behind them, the Minnesota Golden Gophers try to win consecutive games for the first time in several weeks as they clash with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Big Ten Conference play at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Minnesota, which had won eight straight outings before slipping off the tracks, took care of business against Rutgers on Saturday with an 89-80 victory at Williams Arena, but now the team is hitting the road where it is just 1-4 to this point. Unfortunately, the lackluster effort in true road dates is nothing new for the program, having won just three times in 10 similar opportunities in 2013-14.

With a record of only 1-5 in conference play, the Gophers are next-to-last in the Big Ten standings, ahead of only winless Penn State (0-5) entering the week.

As for the Huskers, who are also in the bottom half of the standings with a 2-3 league mark, they have been out of action since last Thursday night when they were defeated by seventh-ranked Wisconsin on the road, 70-55. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the program.

Winning 49 of the previous 62 meetings between the teams, Minnesota owns a considerable advantage in the all-time series with the Huskers. However, Nebraska has won two straight, the latest being an 82-78 verdict last season at home.

The teams are set to meet again at the end of this month in Minneapolis.

Andre Hollins erupted for a season-high 31 points against the Scarlet Knights, hitting seven of his 10 attempts from 3-point range, although that meant the rest of his teammates combined to knock down just 3-of-18 out on the perimeter. Also scoring in double figures for Minnesota were Maurice Walker and Carlos Morris with 16 and 12 points, respectively, the former also being responsible for nine rebounds and four steals. As a unit, the Gophers logged 11 thefts and forced 19 turnovers overall.

Thanks to a couple of triple-digit efforts against weaker, non-conference foes this season, Minnesota is producing an average of 78.9 ppg, thanks to Hollins (13.4 ppg), Morris (13.2 ppg), Walker (12.4 ppg) and Nate Mason (10.2 ppg). However, when it comes to conference play, the offensive production suffers and drops to only 69.8 ppg, based on a mere 64.2 percent shooting at the free- throw line. Morris (13.7 ppg) and Walker (13.5 ppg) are more reliable producers, while Hollins (12.8 ppg) has had trouble finding his shot with only 30.3 percent success from the floor.

Allowing the Badgers to connect on 62.5 percent from the field in the first half, Nebraska dug itself a double-digit hole and never recovered, even though Wisconsin was limited to just six field goals after the break. Terran Petteway finished with a game-high 27 points for Nebraska, hitting 11-of-20 shots from the floor and 4-of-9 behind the 3-point line, while his teammates combined to make only 1-of-8 out on the perimeter in the losing effort.

Petteway, who needs just three points to become the latest Nebraska player to register 1,000 for his career, is generating 19.4 ppg to pace the Huskers, not to mention handing out a team-best 44 assists and blocking 21 shots at the defensive end. Shavon Shields accounts for another 16.5 ppg and is first with 6.6 rpg, which should be more than enough of a reason for him to abandon his efforts from distance where he has knocked down just 24.4 percent of his 3- point tries.

If the Nebraska defense can again step up to the plate and hold Hollins and the rest of the Golden Gophers under wraps, then perhaps Petteway and Shields will be all the hosts need in order to pull off the win between these two slumping programs.