Lincoln - The Nebraska women’s basketball team erupted for 61 second-half points and rolled to a 99-80 victory over Nebraska-Kearney in front of 1,639 fans in the Huskers’ exhibition finale at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday night.
Senior guard Margaret Richards scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in the second half to ignite the Husker rally from a nine-point halftime deficit. Nebraska, which trailed by as many as 14 points with 1:14 remaining in the first half, erased UNK’s lead less than four minutes into the second half by taking a 54-53 lead with 16:19 left in the game.The Huskers never trailed the rest of the way, and won going away to close the exhibition season with a perfect 2-0 record.
Nebraska-Kearney, which is ranked 13th in the NCAA Division II preseason top 25, suffered its second defeat in exhibition play after falling at Creighton, 82-75, on Nov. 9. The Lopers also led the Bluejays at halftime.
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said the key to the Huskers’ offensive production in the second half was NU’s increased pressure on defense.
"Our second half defense was a lot better than the first half," Yori said. "The first half they passed the ball around like there was no defense out there. Our pressure defense bothered them in the second, but we have a lot of work to do, especially on defense."
Yori was also quick to credit Nebraska-Kearney for its intense play throughout the contest.
"Kearney has a very nice team," Yori said. "They’ve got solid players at every position. They’re going to win a lot of games, and they have a very good chance to get to the Elite Eight in Division II."
Along with Richards’ stellar second-half play, senior guard Keasha Cannon-Johnson scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half, while adding six rebounds and four assists on the night.
True freshman Heather Kephart also showed her shooting ability from long range for the first time in a Husker uniform, knocking down four three-pointers, including a buzzer beater to end the first half, to finish with 17 points in just 17 minutes of action.
Senior center Katie Morse added 12 points and eight rebounds, and freshman forward Chelsea Aubry contributed 11 points and eight boards in a strong performance. Freshman forward Jessica Gerhart added 11 points and five boards to give the Huskers six players in double figures. Gerhart scored nine points and grabbed all five of her rebounds in the first half to help keep the Huskers close while Morse sat out with three first-half fouls.
Sophomore center Kalee Modlin, the 2003 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, led the Lopers with 17 points, but was held to just six points in the second half. Anne Manning and Taryn Ninemire each added 15 points, while Nicole Gruntorad pitched in 11 points to give UNK four players in double figures.
Nebraska’s 61-point effort in the second half surpassed their game total for 18 of its 28 games last season, and marked the most points scored by a Husker team since the 2000-01 squad put up 99 points in a win over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Dec. 19, 2000.
The Huskers open their regular season on Friday, Nov. 21, when they play host to Wofford at the Devaney Center at 7:05 p.m. For ticket information, call 1-800-8BIGRED or order tickets on-line at Huskers.com.