Huskers Close Exhibition Play Against UNK

The Nebraska women’s basketball team will play its final exhibition game of the season when the Huskers play host to the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7:05 p.m.

Nebraska's game with UNK can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network on 1400 KLIN in Lincoln with Matt Coatney handling the play-by-play duties and Jeff Griesch adding color commentary.

The Huskers enter Thursday’s game after a solid all-around effort in the exhibition opener against Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday. Nebraska rolled to a 94-47 victory over the NCAA Division II Mavericks while posting its highest point total since scoring 97 points in the 2002-03 exhibition opener against the West Coast All-Stars.

Five Huskers produced double figures against the Mavs, and all 10 players who saw action scored at least five points in a complete team effort.

Keasha Cannon-Johnson and Katie Morse enjoyed triumphant returns to the court for the Huskers. Cannon-Johnson, a senior guard from Kansas City, Kan., who sat out 2002-03 as a redshirt, erupted for 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in just 23 minutes of work.

Morse, a senior center from Minden, Iowa, who missed Nebraska's final 21 games with a knee injury last season, added 14 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in 26 minutes of action.

Senior forward Alexa Johnson, who earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades as NU's leading scorer and rebounder last season, joined Cannon-Johnson with a double-double by scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 boards.

The UNO game also marked the successful debuts for five Husker freshmen. Chelsea Aubry, a 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Kiera Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., added 11 points and three assists. Andrea Lightfoot added eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Heather Kephart and Jessica Gerhart each contributed five points, as the NU newcomers combined for 40 points and 15 rebounds.

A Quick Look at Nebraska-Kearney
Nebraska-Kearney comes to Lincoln after suffering an 82-75 loss at Creighton in the Lopers' exhibition opener on Sunday. Former Husker Carol Russell, who is in her second season as UNK's head coach, brings a banged up roster to the Devaney Center. Erin Jones, Amber Whitlock and Jenny Brown are injured and Mary Connealy will likely not see action against Nebraska. A fifth player, true freshman Katie O'Grady, suffered a broken wrist a few weeks ago but still saw nine minutes of action at Creighton.

Only eight Lopers played at Creighton, but UNK still battled the Bluejays to the wire. UNK led 31-30 at the half thanks in large part to a big game from Kalee Modlin. The 2003 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, Modlin struck for 24 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field. Junior guard Taryn Ninemire added 13 points and seven assists, while senior forward Heather Steffen contributed 11 points for the Lopers. Allison Kruger, who earned 2003 RMAC Player-of-the-Year honors, added nine points and seven boards against Creighton. UNK won the 2003 RMAC title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the eighth consecutive time last season. The Lopers finished the year with a 25-8 record.

Nebraska’s Starters at a Glance
Alexa Johnson, 6-1, Sr., F, Hacienda Heights, Calif. ? Alexa Johnson produced a solid first game in Nebraska's exhibition opener against Nebraska-Omaha, hitting for a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards in just 20 minutes of work. Last season, Johnson earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors by ranking among the top players in the league in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She scored 415 points and grabbed 189 rebounds in 2002-03, more than doubling her 204 points and 92 rebounds as a sophomore, when she started seven games and averaged 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Johnson produced 24 double-figure scoring efforts as a junior, including 18 games with 15 or more points and six games with 20 or more points. She added a team-high four double-doubles.

In NU’s win over then-No. 25 Cincinnati on Dec. 15, she scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Johnson was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 16. She also earned second-team academic All-Big 12 accolades in 2003, after claiming first-team honors in 2002. She represented Nebraska on the Big 12 All-Star Team that played at the 2003 World University Games in Korea in August.

Margaret Richards, 5-9, Sr., G, Louisville, Ky. ? Margaret Richards is coming off a steady performance in the exhibition win over Nebraska-Omaha, when she scored seven points, dished out five assists and pulled down four rebounds. Last season, Richards ranked among the top 20 players in the league in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2002-03. Richards’ rebounding average was the second-highest average by a Big 12 guard last season.

The Louisville, Ky., native produced a career-high 25 points in a win at Oklahoma State on Feb. 1, which marked one of 19 double-figure efforts last season. She added 20 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds in NU's win at San Diego on Dec. 28. She also hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer to earn a spot on the Surf & Slam Hoop Classic All-Tournament team. She led NU with 38 steals (1.4 spg), while ranking second on the team with 11.4 points and 2.7 assists per game. Richards produced three double-doubles and led NU with 32 three-pointers. She is tied for eighth on the NU charts with 67 career three-pointers.

Richards will play her senior season with her degree in hand after earning a bachelor's degree in communication studies in August of 2003.

Keasha Cannon-Johnson, 5-10, Sr., G, Kansas City, Kan. ? Keasha Cannon-Johnson enjoyed a stellar return to the court in Nebraska's exhibition-opening win over Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday. Cannon-Johnson, who sat out the 2002-03 season as a redshirt, scored a game-high 14 points and pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, while dishing out three assists in 23 minutes of action.

The 2002 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Cannon-Johnson earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades as a junior in 2001-02. She led the Huskers in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (8.4 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.1 spg) in her first season after transferring from Penn Valley Community College. A two-time NJCAA Division II All-American, Cannon-Johnson was a three-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week and earned a spot on the Kansas City Star Big 12 All-Defense Team in 2002.

Cannon-Johnson ranked 17th in the Big 12 in scoring, fourth in rebounding, 11th in assists and eighth in steals. She scored a career-high 27 points in NU’s win over No. 11 Kansas State on Feb. 10, 2002, while pulling down a career-best 16 boards against the Wildcats. It was one of six double-doubles for Cannon-Johnson in 2001-02.

Katie Morse, 6-4, Sr., C, Minden, Iowa ? Katie Morse also enjoyed a triumphant return to the court against Nebraska-Omaha, matching Keasha Cannon-Johnson's game-high 14 points, while pitching in eight rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocked shots for the Huskers.

Morse had a promising junior season come to an end with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee suffered in the second half of Nebraska’s 65-55 win over No. 25 Cincinnati on Dec. 15. Morse, who started NU’s first seven games, was averaging 12.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game before the injury. She was also coming off the two best games of her career with back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Texas Southern and Cal State Fullerton.

Against Texas Southern on Dec. 9, Morse erupted for a career-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. She followed that performance with 18 points, 10 boards and a career-best five blocks against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 11. She added her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in NU’s season-opening win over Grambling State on Nov. 22.

Despite playing just 25 percent of Nebraska’s scheduled games, Morse still finished the season ranked third on the team with 15 blocked shots.

Jina Johansen, 5-7, Jr., G, Dannebrog, Neb. ? Jina Johansen was solid in her season debut against Nebraska-Omaha, scoring nine points and distributing eight assists while snagging three steals to help lead the Huskers to a lopsided victory. Last season, Johansen tied for second in the Big 12 with 5.5 assists per game, while averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest in 2002-03. She also ranked third on the team with 1.2 steals per contest in 2002-03.

Johansen set a school record by playing 36.7 minutes per game, surpassing the previous school mark of 35.6 minutes per contest established by Amy Stephens in 1988-89. Johansen’s 1,028 minutes played ranked as the fifth-highest total in school history and one of just seven 1,000-minute seasons in school history. Johansen played the full 40 minutes on 10 occasions as a sophomore, while playing nearly 92 percent of NU’s possible minutes.

Johansen’s 153 assists also ranked as the second-best single-season total by a sophomore in school history, while ranking eighth overall on NU’s season assist chart. She scored a career-high 15 points and tied a career best with nine assists in the win over Rice. She set another career high with seven steals against Grambling State. She grabbed a career-high eight rebounds at Iowa State on March 1.

A standout in the classroom, Johansen was a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection in 2003.

Husker Newcomers Make Strong Impression in Debut
Although Nebraska returns five seasoned veterans to its starting lineup for 2003-04, the Huskers will have a distinctly new look this season. Other than the five returning starters, no other active Husker had ever played a game against collegiate competition until Nebraska's exhibition win over Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday.

All five of the freshmen who competed against UNO looked comfortable on Sunday, as the group of newcomers combined for 40 points and 15 rebounds to support the Huskers' starting five. Chelsea Aubry, a 6-2 freshman forward from Kitchener, Ontario, enjoyed a solid opener by scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds to go along with a pair of blocked shots in 22 minutes of work.

Freshman Kiera Hardy may have produced Nebraska's most exciting debut by scoring 11 points, snagging three steals and dishing out two assists in just 15 minutes of action. Along with her point production, the 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., played aggressive defense on and off the ball, but picked up five quick fouls to limit her playing time.

Omaha Marian graduate Andrea Lightfoot provided a spark from long range for the Huskers in a steady all-around performance. The 5-8 freshman guard scored eight points and pulled down three rebounds in 13 minutes. She also connected on 2-of-3 three-point attempts to help the Huskers to an 8-for-19 shooting effort from beyond the arc.

Freshman guard Heather Kephart from Canute, Okla., and freshman forward Jessica Gerhart from Fenton, Iowa, each pitched in five points for the Huskers. Freshman guard Cortney Matthewis did not see action against Nebraska-Omaha.

Aubry Shines for Canada at World University Games
Chelsea Aubry may only be a freshman, but the 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, has already gained worldly experience on the basketball court. Aubry, who is the first Canadian in Nebraska women's basketball history, earned a spot on the Canadian Under-20 National Team and represented her home country at the 2003 World University Games in Korea in August.

Aubry was one of Canada's top players at the tournament, averaging 11.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in nearly 28 minutes per game. Her tournament performance was highlighted by a 16-point, 16-rebound effort against Korea and a 14-point, 17-board outburst against Thailand.

Aubry also played for Canada at the World Under-20 Women's Qualifying Tournament in Brazil in July of 2002. She started Canada's opening game in the tournament and helped Canada to a 2-2 record.

Nebraska senior forward Alexa Johnson also represented the United States at the 2003 World University games as part of the Big 12 All-Star team that played as Team USA in the tournament.

Huskers Face Solid Regular-Season Schedule
The Huskers will face a challenging 2003-04 schedule that features 12 games against nine teams that qualified for postseason play in 2003. Nebraska will play eight games against six teams that advanced to the 2003 NCAA Tournament, and will add four games against three squads that made it to the final eight in the Women's National Invitation Tournament last season.

Nebraska's home schedule at the Bob Devaney Sports Center will feature four NCAA Tournament teams, including Ohio State (Dec. 12), Kansas State (Jan. 24), Texas (Jan. 28) and Colorado (March 3), while adding a pair of WNIT qualifiers in Creighton (Dec. 21) and Missouri (Feb. 25).

The Buckeyes, who advanced to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament after advancing to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament, highlight the Huskers' non-conference schedule. Ohio State finished with a 22-10 overall record and 10-6 mark for a fourth-place finish in Coach Jim Foster's first season at the school.

Along with Ohio State, the Huskers also feature their traditional in-state showdown with Creighton at the Devaney Center. The Bluejays finished with a 24-9 overall record and advanced to the WNIT semifinals in 2003. The Huskers open regular-season play by taking on Wofford on Nov. 21, before closing their opening weekend against Princeton on Sunday, Nov. 23. Nebraska's other non-conference home games will come against Texas-Arlington (Dec. 6), Louisiana-Lafayette (Dec. 14) and St. Bonaventure (Jan. 3).

Nebraska will face tough road tests in non-league play at the Memphis Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 28-29), where the Huskers will face Mississippi and either Memphis or Eastern Kentucky. NU also travels to Washington State (Dec. 4) and Rice (Dec. 30).

The Big 12 Conference could feature the toughest field from top to bottom in the eight-year history of the league. NU opens league play at Oklahoma on Jan. 7. The Sooners, who qualified for the 2003 NCAA Tournament after advancing to the NCAA title game in 2002, will be the Huskers' first of seven conference games against 2003 NCAA qualifiers.

The Huskers open home conference competition against Iowa State on Jan. 10, before traveling to 2003 WNIT quarterfinalist Missouri (Jan. 14). NU returns home to tangle with Texas A&M (Jan. 17), before heading to 2003 NCAA Elite Eight participant Texas Tech to begin a treacherous five-game stretch. The Huskers return to the Devaney Center for back-to-back games against 2003 NCAA second-round participant Kansas State (Jan. 24) and NCAA Final Four participant Texas (Jan. 28). NU then travels to WNIT runner-up Baylor (Jan. 31) and NCAA Sweet 16 qualifier Colorado (Feb. 4).

Nebraska returns to the Devaney Center to take on Kansas (Feb. 7) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 11), before taking the road again for a pair of tests at Kansas State (Feb. 14) and Iowa State (Feb. 21). After playing host to Missouri (Feb. 25) and traveling to Kansas (Feb. 28), the Huskers conclude the regular season at home with Senior Night against Colorado (March 3).

The Huskers travel to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Tournament at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, March 9-13, and the NCAA Tournament begins March 20, concluding with the NCAA Women's Final Four at New Orleans Arena, April 4-6.

Huskers Leading Life Skills Team Competition
Along with showing gains on the court during the 2003-04 season, members of the Nebraska women's basketball team are also focused on improving themselves in the classroom and in the community.

During the 2003-04 academic year, the Nebraska Athletic Department has initiated a new Life Skills Award of Excellence Team Competition, which is designed to promote student-athlete involvement in campus-wide programming, community service and leadership opportunities, while enhancing student-athletes' preparation for life after sports.

The Husker women's basketball team has embraced the new program and made winning the inaugural title one of its goals. As of Oct. 31, the women's basketball team was solidly in first place with 1,266 points and held a 208-point lead over the second-place Nebraska football team (1,058). The volleyball team was in third with 987 points, while the women's track and field team was in fourth with 956 points. The women's gymnastics program rounded out the top five with 869 points.

All 21 of Nebraska's teams are participating in the program, which assigns points to individual and team efforts in a variety of Life Skills categories, including team enhancement, outreach, athletes supporting athletes, personal enhancement, leadership and team GPA. Other points can be earned by going above and beyond the traditional categories and communicating with the Student-Athlete Advisory Board and Husker Outreach Council.

Texas Earns Preseason Picks from Coaches, Media
Texas is the favorite to repeat as Big 12 regular-season champion in 2003-04 in votes by both league coaches and the media during preseason balloting. The Longhorns were nearly a unanimous choice to win the league, earning 10 of 11 first-place votes from the league coaches and 17 of the 18 votes cast by media members from around the Big 12.

Kansas State was the only other school to claim any first-place votes to finish second in the preseason balloting. Texas Tech captured the No. 3 spot, while Oklahoma enters the season picked to finish fourth. Colorado, Baylor, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas and Oklahoma State were picked in descending order to finish in the No. 5 to No. 10 spots, while Nebraska was predicted to finish 11th by the coaches and 12th by the media, while Texas A&M took the No. 11 spot in the media poll and the 12th position in the coaches poll.

Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde (Player of the Year), Oklahoma State's Elizangela Gomes (Newcomer of the Year) and Texas' Tiffany Jackson (Freshman of the Year) were the preseason picks for the league's top three individual honors. Ohlde was joined on the preseason All-Big 12 team by teammate Kendra Wecker, UT's Heather Schreiber and Stacy Stephens and Texas Tech's Jia Perkins.

Yori Working to Establish Foundation at Nebraska
Second-year Nebraska coach Connie Yori spent her first season at Nebraska trying to lay the cornerstones of a successful basketball program.

Although the Huskers struggled to an 8-20 overall record and a 1-15 Big 12 mark last season, the Huskers accepted the principles of hard work and conditioning and showed major strides throughout the season. Despite carrying a roster of just five or six scholarship players throughout last season, Nebraska returns five experienced starters for 2003-04.

The Huskers will also feature some depth this season, a luxury they lacked a year ago. Nebraska has added six freshmen to its roster this season, and all six are expected to see playing time.

Nebraska is also making strides in the classroom and the community. Along with Jina Johansen, Laura Pilakowski, Greichaly Cepero and Alexa Johnson earning academic All-Big 12 honors last season, Margaret Richards earned her degree in August of 2003. The Huskers' cumulative team GPA is also on the rise.

Off the court, the women's basketball team is leading the Athletic Department's Life Skills Award of Excellence Team Competition, which is designed to promote athletic excellence, academic support, personal development, career development and community service. Through Oct. 31, the women's basketball team had earned 1,266 points to lead the football team by 208 points. The Husker volleyball program was in third with 987 points, while the women's track and field team (956) and women's gymnastics teams (869) rounded out the top five in the competition.

The 2002 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Yori led the Bluejays to a 24-7 overall mark and a 16-2 MVC record in 2002-03 to capture the league’s regular-season and tournament titles. Yori’s success at CU in 2002-03 capped a 170-115 career mark at Creighton. Her teams made two trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 2002. Before taking over the top job with the Bluejays, Yori led NCAA Division III Loras College to a 25-25 record in two seasons from 1990 to 1992. She also served as an assistant coach at Creighton from 1986 to 1989.

Yori was one of the top players in Creighton history, and she still owns the school record for career scoring average at 20.3 points per game. She ranks as CU’s No. 3 all-time leading scorer with 2,010 points, and she had her No. 25 jersey retired. She was inducted into the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.

A native of Ankeny, Iowa, the 40-year-old Yori is married to Kirk Helms.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 264-96 (.733) in games played in the arena, including 94-60 (.610) in conference games.

Attendance is a big part of the Huskers’ success. Over the past five seasons, Nebraska has averaged more than 4,200 fans per game and ranked among the top 25 teams nationally in average home attendance each season. The Huskers were 6-10 at home in 2002-03 and averaged 2,625 fans per game in 16 contests. NU drew a season-high 6,077 fans in the loss to No. 4 Kansas State on Jan. 19.

In 2001-02, Nebraska averaged 3,473 fans per game over 14 home contests, including a season-high 6,066 fans at the Devaney Center for the Kansas State game on Feb. 10. The Huskers attracted an average of 4,204 fans per game in 2000-01. NU averaged 4,772 fans per game in 1999-2000 to rank 14th nationally, trailing only the 5,000 fans per game (15th nationally) in 1998-99 for the best average attendance in school history. In 1999-2000, Nebraska set a school record with a crowd of 13,226 in the final home game against Kansas State on Feb. 26.