Lincoln - Junior guard Brooke Schwartz paced four Huskers in double figures as No. 19 Nebraska improved to 9-1 on the season with a 78-46 victory over Montana in front of 3,812 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Saturday evening.
The Huskers, who have won five straight contests, used a 15-4 run to break open a 33-27 halftime lead. Junior Monique Whitfield scored five of her seven points as the Huskers extended their lead to 48-33 with 11:15 left. Nebraska outscored Montana, 45-19, in the second half to extend its home winning streak to 21 games dating back to the 1996-97 season.
"We were a little bit tentative in the first half, but we turned it up at halftime and played a much better second half," Sanderford said.
Schwartz was 7-of-10 from the floor and also had seven rebounds, five assists and five steals, while junior guard Nicole Kubik chipped in 14 points and six assists in the win.
One key for Nebraska was the play of its bench, especially in the second half. Freshman guard Jennifer Jaracz finished with a career-high 10 points, including 3-3 from the floor, and added four assists, while sophomore Amanda Went added 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Husker bench outscored Montana, 31-8.
"Jen Jaracz and Amanda Went gave us a big lift," Sanderford said. "I think our overall strength, depth, defense and experience were the difference in tonight's game."
Montana (3-4) was led by Linda Weyler and Megan Harrington with 11 points each. The Lady Griz struggled from the floor, hitting on just 19-61 shots (31.1 percent), including an 8-of-34 performance in the second half. NU forced 20 turnovers and enjoyed a 45-39 rebounding advantage.
The Huskers return to action next Sunday, Dec. 20, when Nebraska plays host to North Texas at the Devaney Center beginning at 1:05 p.m.