LINCOLN — The nearly rehabilitated Nebraska women’s basketball team may need some time to get reacquainted on the court once again.

The Huskers held off Pittsburg State 68-54 in its first exhibition game of the season. It served as a not-so-surprising reminder that the NU players are still in a period of adjustment.

The Huskers, devastated by injuries all last season, are nearly healthy now but far from meeting their potential. Tuesday night’s somewhat rocky debut in front of 1,430 at the Devaney Center was proof.

“It just shows, even though we’re experienced, we still have work to do,” said forward Kelsey Griffin, one of six NU seniors. “Just collectively as a group this was an eye-opener that we’ve got to get back in the gym.”

Griffin, who suffered a season-ending injury last year, played in her first game since the 2008 NCAA tournament. She committed four fouls and missed a couple of layups while wearing a plastic face mask to protect a sore nose she injured in practice.

Griffin, an All-Big 12 preseason player, came through when needed, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. Her nine consecutive points midway through the second half helped Nebraska stretch its lead to 58-44 with 7:28 left.

But NU never really made a decisive, game-sealing run against Pittsburg State, which Sunday lost 86-56 to Kansas.

The Gorillas hung around by outrebounding Nebraska and making 39 percent of their shots, two areas that NU coach Connie Yori identified as immediate points of emphasis.

“We just didn’t dictate defensively the way we need to,” she said.

Nebraska didn’t necessarily look fluid on the offensive end, either. The Huskers had just one field goal in the final eight minutes of the first half. They missed all eight of their 3-point attempts and failed to convert on countless open looks in the paint.

Pittsburg State...............24 30—54

At Nebraska.............33 35—68

PSU: Onikute 0-2 0-0 0, Roberts 7-15 0-0 17, Waugh 4-12 0-0 11, Taylor 1-2 0-0 3, McCombs 5-10 2-2 12, Tate 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Orloske 1-2 0-0 2, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Poppe 0-0 0-0 0, Conerly 0-1 0-0 0, Richards 2-5 0-0 4, Glenn 2-7 1-1 5. Totals 22-56 3-3 54.

NU: Moore 1-2 0-0 2, Kuhlmann 3-5 0-1 6, Griffin 8-14 3-4 19, Kelley 4-7 6-7 14, Montgomery 6-13 5-7 17, Neals 0-2 0-0 0, Reeves 0-2 0-0 0, Leick 0-0 0-0 0, Turner 3-8 0-0 6, Periago 0-1 0-0 0, Bober 0-2 2-2 2, Redmon 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 26-58 16-23 68.

3-point goals: PSU 7-23 (Roberts 3-8, Waugh 3-11, Taylor 1-1, Onikute 0-1, Orloske 0-1, Glenn 0-1), NU 0-8 (Kelley 0-1, Montgomery 0-1, Neals 0-1, Reeves 0-1, Turner 0-3). Rebounds: PSU 35 (Glenn 7), NU 34 (Griffin 8). Assists: PSU 13 (Onikute 5), NU 8 (Bober 2). Blocks: PSU 1, NU 4. Turnovers: PSU 25, NU 17. Team fouls: PSU 21, NU 10. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None. A: 1,430.