Updated

Lincoln, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - Terran Petteway scored 23 points and No. 21 Nebraska pulled away for an 82-56 win over Central Arkansas on Tuesday.

Shavon Shields added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tai Webster scored 13 for the Cornhuskers (2-0), who opened the season with an 80-61 win over Northern Kentucky on Sunday.

"I think that our six guys that we have are all improved. They have all gotten better," Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said. "No, they are not perfect. We were not all locked in at the same time tonight and had some real bone-head plays. But we locked in and had a great second half defensively."

Jake Zuilhof scored 12 points to lead Central Arkansas (0-3), which remains winless under first-year head coach Russ Pennell.

"We are not into moral victories, even though we did have a good first half and kind of lost it near the end," Pennell said. "The guys gave great effort. This one feels a little bit different than the other ones because of the effort level and energy they put forth."

The Bears trailed 43-34 at halftime and were still within single digits five minutes into the second half before a 9-0 run gave Nebraska control.

Petteway's layup sparked the flurry and Benny Parker knocked down a 3-pointer to help the Huskers build a 60-42 lead with 11 1/2 minutes remaining.

They led by as many as 29 on a Webster dunk with under three minutes left.

Albert Christensson added 11 points for Central Arkansas and Jordan Howard had 10 for the Bears, who are 0-3 for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

They were outshot 52.9 percent to 32.8 percent.

Game Notes

It was the first-ever meeting between the programs ... The Big Ten Huskers are 7-1 against teams from the Southland Conference ... Nebraska will try to start the season 3-0 for the fourth year in a row when it faces Rhode Island on Saturday ... Central Arkansas' next game is against Southeast Missouri State, also on Saturday.