LINCOLN, Neb – Bryan Petersen got what he had coming. The problem – what he had coming was the Cornhuskers defense approaching the junior guard during the Cyclones’ 64-56 loss Saturday.

“You can’t go on the road in the Big 12 and turn the ball over 20 times,” guard Petersen said. “We got what we deserved tonight.”

What they also got was an eight point loss that came at the hands of 20 turnovers by Iowa State. The Cyclones, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the Cornhuskers, surrendered that lead with 12:46 remaining in the first half when Nebraska sophomore Ryan Anderson connected on a jump shot from the top of the key.

Cyclones freshman Diante Garrett responded with a field goal to put Iowa State (13-9, 3-4) ahead by one, a lead which would change five times over the course of the game – in large part because of Cyclone turnovers.

“I think we’ve definitely got to take care of the ball,” said center Jiri Hubalek. “When you have 20 turnovers a game, it’s hard to win on the road, especially in the Big 12.”

Making it even more difficult was the run Nebraska used to open the second half. The Cornhuskers began the second half on a 7-0 run, starting with a steal by Ade Dagunduro, who found Steve Harley on the other end for a jump shot to give Nebraska a 32-29 lead.

The finishing touches came on a steal by Aleks Maric, who slam-dunked it in for a six-point Nebraska lead. His steal came courtesy of a turnover by Garrett.

“Some of our young guys are making some turnovers, but some of our veterans melted down at critical times tonight, and that’s something that surprises me because it is something that doesn’t happen very often,” said ISU coach Greg McDermott.

The 20 turnovers were the most given up by the Cyclones since Jan. 5, when they gave up 21 in a game against North Dakota. That day they were able to come through with a 77-51 win. On Saturday, they weren’t as lucky.

Dagunduro finished with 10 points, while Maric added 14, eight of which came in the second half.

“That turned the tide of the whole game,” McDermott said of the second half. “It really swayed the momentum in their favor.”

So did the turnovers. A Petersen turnover with 9:19 remaining in the second half resulted in a Maric lay-up. A Garrett possession was taken by Josh “Cookie” Miller, who found Sek Henry for a jump shot to give Nebraska a nine-point lead.

The Cornhuskers, who shot 42.6 percent from the floor, finished the game with 11 steals.

“We just didn’t come out of the gate with the fire we should, like we usually do when we’re at home and have the fans behind us,” Hubalek said.

They didn’t come out shooting well either. After a Craig Brackins basket with 12:21 to play in the game, the Cyclones did not make another shot from the field until Garrett hit a field goal with 5:20 remaining. Brackins finished with 14 points.

“I really liked our effort the second half,” said Nebraska coach Doc Sadler. “I thought they were most aggressive in the first half. That’s what we talked about at halftime. We didn’t talk about X’s and O’s.”

It’s turnovers that Petersen will be talking about during the Cyclones’ next practice.

“They did well,” Petersen said. “Their guards are athletic, quick, and they did a good job pressuring us, but there’s a lot of them we just did ourselves.”