LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - USF (8-1) paced by 17 points by Ali Thomas and 14 points and 12 rebounds by Russell Hinder, used a stingy defense to beat Nebraska 64-60 and take their eighth straight win.

The Dons defense held Nebraska scoreless for the first 7:05 of the second half and the last 2:26 of the first half to turn a 31-27 lead into a 40-31 lead with 13:10 remaining in the contest. The Dons' eight game winning streak is the longest since winning their first 10 games in 1982.

Nebraska made some late three-pointers to come within 60-58 with 1:18 remaining, but could not climb any closer, as Ali Thomas and Darrell Tucker made late free-throws.

"Both teams played good defensively," said Dons' head coach Phil Mathews, whose teams are 62-16 when holding opponents to 70 points or less.

"It came down to who made the fewest mistakes at the end. We made some that could have cost us the game, but we held on. Any time you can win on the road its a plus for your team."

USF also got 10 points from freshmen Darrell Tucker and Shammell Stallworth, which came in handy because leading scorer Kenyon Jones scored just six points.

Nebraska (4-6) was paced by Danny Walker's 15 points and 12 by Steffon Bradford.

The Dons return home for a game with San Francisco State Thursday, on food drive night. Any fan bringing in a canned good will be admitted free, with the good's going top St. Anthony's food bank.