Lincoln, Neb. -- Nebraska senior guard Nicole Kubik scored a season-high 24 points, but it wasn't enough to stop the visiting Texas Longhorns from defeating the Nebraska women's basketball team, 72-68, in front of 3,831 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Saturday.
Kubik's 24 points pushed her career total to 1,521 to make her just the eighth player in Husker history to reach the 1,500-point plateau. Senior guard Brooke Schwartz added 10 points and five assists to move her career total to 1,009 points as just the 19th player in school history to join the 1,000-point club. Naciska Gilmore added 11 points to give the Huskers three players in double figures, but Nebraska still fell to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 action.
Texas guard Edwina Brown produced a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the Longhorns, who outrebounded the Huskers, 55-37, on the afternoon. Longhorn center Carla Littleton added a double-double of her own with 10 points and 10 boards, while guard Asha Hill added 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and seven rebounds to help Texas improve to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play.
Along with being outrebounded by the Longhorns, the Huskers struggled from the field, connecting on just 36.4 percent (24-66) of their field goal attempts on the day. Nebraska managed to keep it close by forcing 26 Texas turnovers and holding the Longhorns to just 37.5 percent field goal shooting (24-64).
Nebraska coach Paul Sanderford said Texas' ability to rebound was definitely the difference in the game.
"We've got to do a better job rebounding," Sanderford said. "We gave them too many second shots, and you just can't do that and still beat a good team. I said coming into the game that the game would be won or lost on the boards, and it was. I'm disappointed with the loss, but I thought our kids played hard."
Texas came out strong, opening a 14-3 lead with 12:23 remaining in the first half. The Huskers rallied to take a 28-27 lead at the half on the strength of nine straight points by Gilmore, which turned a 25-17 deficit with 5:19 left in the first half into a 26-25 lead with 3:48 remaining.
The Longhorns stormed out of the blocks again in the second half, opening a 39-30 lead with 14:45 left in the game, but the Huskers battled back to take a 61-60 lead with 4:17 remaining after a pair of Kubik free throws. That would prove to be the Huskers' final lead of the game, as Asha Hill connected on a long 3-pointer with 4:05 left to give Texas the lead for good.
Nebraska returns to action by traveling to Kansas to take on the No. 23 Jayhawks on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. in Lawrence. Kansas defeated Kansas State in Manhattan on Saturday to improve to 10-3 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 action.