Lincoln -- Amanda Went's 14 points led eight Huskers in double figures as No. 24 Nebraska rolled to a 113-77 victory over Georgia Southern in the first round of the Time Warner Cable Classic Friday evening at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Huskers (1-0) will advance to meet Wisconsin, a 66-58 victory over Southern Illinois, in Sunday's championship game, beginning at 3:05 on Nebraska Educational Television (NETV).
A 5-9 junior guard from Columbus, Went tied her career high as she connected on 6-of-11 from the floor and added a career-high five assists and four rebounds as Nebraska won its 19th straight season opener dating back to the 1980-81 season. The Huskers' 113 points was the fourth-highest total in school history and the most for NU under third-year Coach Paul Sanderford, topping the 108 against Troy State last season.
The Huskers used a 12-1 run midway through the first half to open up a 15-point lead at 25-10 and were never challenged by the Eagles. Went and freshman Stephanie Jones triggered the run, combining for 10 of NU's 12 points in the spurt. Jones, a freshman from Omaha, recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The Huskers used solid shooting to build a 55-36 halftime lead, as NU was 23-of-38 from the floor (60.5 percent), while the Eagles were held to 32.4 percent in the half. Nebraska controlled the boards, posting a 52-29 advantage, the most since outrebounding Drake by 24 boards in a 75-72 win last season. NU also recorded 34 assists, the third-highest total in school history, as senior All-American point guard Nicole Kubik led all players with 10 assists and added seven points and four steals in the win.
"The thing that jumped out at me was the 34 assists," Sanderford said. "I thought we passed the ball exceptionally well. During the game, I was constantly asking them to move the ball. I didn't want to see it dribbled. I'm sick of seeing dribbling. I want to see the ball moved around the floor. I thought we did a nice job of moving the basketball We played inside out. I thought we were very unselfish, and the 34 assists says a lot."
Nebraska continued to expand the lead in the second half as all 12 played played 10 minutes or more and the Huskers built their biggest lead of the game at 45 points (97-52) with more than nine minutes remaining.
In addition to Went and Jones, Brooke Schwartz added 13 points, while Charlie Rogers and Naciska Gilmore chipped in 12 points apiece, and junior Casey Leonhardt and freshmen reserves Amanda Buchholz and Shahidrah Roberts each finished with 10 points in their first games as Huskers.
Tondra Warren led Georgia Southern with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
In the tournament's first game, Jessie Stomski's 15 points led four Badgers in double figures as Wisconsin erased a 10-point halftime deficit to down Southern Illinois, 66-58.
Trailing 32-22 at halftime, the Badgers (1-0) connected on 17-of-22 shots from the field in the second half to advance to the championship game. Kelly Paulus and Nina Smith combined for 21 second-half points for Wisconsin, which reached the WNIT championship game and finished with an 18-14 record last season
Melaniece Bardley led the Salukis (0-1) with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Molly McDowell also reached double figures with 12 points in a losing effort.