Lawrence, Kan. - The Nebraska women's basketball team used one of its best rebounding performances of the season and stellar free throw shooting to post its biggest victory of the year with an 81-69 upset over No. 21 Kansas in front of 1,750 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence on Tuesday.
The Huskers' win was just the second in school history in Lawrence and the first under Coach Paul Sanderford. Nebraska's last win at Allen Fieldhouse came on Jan. 23, 1988. Tonight's win also marked the first win over a ranked opponent on the road in Sanderford's tenure at Nebraska.
Sanderford said the win over the Jayhawks was one of the best of his career.
"Our kids never lost sight of what we were trying to get done," Sanderford said. "We just needed to get it done. That may have been the sweetest win in my career. I'm really proud of our team. We're capable of playing good basketball. Our players have been through a lot the past couple of weeks, and we are starting to come together as a team. You could just see it tonight. They have endured all the negatives, and tonight we found a way to win."
The Huskers, who improved to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 Conference play, outrebounded the 10-4, 1-1 Jayhawks, 48-33, and connected on 28-of-32 free throws (87.5 percent). Kansas entered the game as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, carrying a +9.3 team rebounding margin. Nebraska on the other hand was outrebounded 55-37 by Texas in a 72-68 loss to the Longhorns on Jan. 8. The Huskers also entered the game shooting just 64.2 percent from the free throw line.
Sanderford said the Huskers' strong rebounding was the key to victory.
"We dominated the boards. Kansas is such a strong rebounding team, and we made it our focus coming into the game," Sanderford said. "Our goal was to hold them to 12 offensive rebounds, and they only got 11. That was just a tremendous effort on the boards by our entire basketball team."
Senior forward Charlie Rogers set the rebounding tone for the Huskers early, producing a double-double in the first half with 10 points and 10 rebounds to propel Nebraska to a 34-32 halftime advantage. But Rogers sat out much of the second half in foul trouble and added only one second-half rebound to her totals.
With Rogers sitting, junior center Casey Leonhardt stepped up, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the game to finish with a double-double of her own.
Nebraska's guards were also strong on the boards, as junior guard Melody Peterson finished with 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds and Nicole Kubik added seven rebounds to go along with her team-high 17 points. Brooke Schwartz added 15 points and five rebounds.
The Huskers played their best basketball of the season in the second half, as Kubik and Schwartz each scored 13 points and Peterson and Leonhardt produced 10 and eight points, respectively. The Huskers outscored the Jayhawks 47-37 in the second half, leading by as many as 15 points after Kubik's layup with 6:17 remaining made it 70-55.
The Huskers connected on 22-of-25 free throws in the second half to seal the win. Nebraska also connected on a season-high seven 3-pointers, including two each from Amanda Went and Shahidrah Roberts. The Jayhawks were 0-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Nebraska's clutch free throw shooting, strong rebounding and solid defense allowed the Huskers to overcome just 36.5 percent shooting from the field (23-63).
All-American Lynn Pride led Kansas with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Suzi Raymant added 14 points. Brooke Reves and Jennifer Jackson each scored 12 points for the Jayhawks. Nikki White (5) and Heather Fletcher (1) were the only Jayhawks to contribute points off the bench, as Nebraska's bench outscored the Jayhawks' reserves, 17-6.
Nebraska returns to Big 12 road action by traveling to Ames, Iowa, to take on No. 8 Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. The Huskers' game with the Cyclones will be broadcast live by FOX Sports Net.