Houston -- Nebraska freshman guard Kiera Hardy connected on three consecutive three-pointers in a 1:10 span midway through the second half to ignite the Huskers to a 59-56 win over Rice at Aubry Court on Tuesday night.
Hardy's offensive eruption turned a tie game into a nine-point Husker lead with 11:42 remaining in the game. Hardy, who scored all of her 11 points during a 3:30 span in the second half, helped Nebraska lead by as many as 11 points on four occasions during the second half before holding on for its seventh consecutive victory.
With the victory, Nebraska improved to 9-1 on the season, while Rice fell to 3-6, despite a 10-0 run by the Owls in the final six minutes to cut the Husker lead to just one point with 47 seconds left. But Margaret Richards nailed a pair of free throws in a one-and-one situation with eight seconds left to seal the win.
Nebraska's win over Rice allowed the Huskers to surpass their victory total for the entire 2002-03 season, whey they finished with an 8-20 record. NU's three victories away from its homecourt at the Bob Devaney Sports Center has already surpassed the Huskers' two road wins last season.
Second-year coach Connie Yori said the Huskers continued to show their determination against the Owls.
"We feel really good about the fact that we came through despite getting down big in the first half," Yori said. "We just have a mentality that we are going to win the game right now. Our players are confident in late-game situations. They don't panic. They just play with the poise we need to win."
Nebraska, which has won four consecutive games by eight points or less during its current seven-game winning streak, struggled early in the first half, falling behind by as many as nine points at 27-18 with 3:49 left in the opening period, before closing the half with a 9-1 run to trail by just one point at the break.
Freshman forward Jessica Gerhart played big minutes for the Huskers during the waning stages of the first half, tying her career high by scoring 10 first-half points. The 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, scored eight straight points for the Huskers during a four-minute stretch to keep NU within striking distance of the Owls.
"Jessica Gerhart gave us some great minutes in the first half," Yori said. "She really came in and took over the game for us in a situation where we didn't have anything going for us on offense."
In the second half, it was Hardy and Richards, who carried the scoring load for Nebraska. With the score tied at 37 with 12:52 remaining in the game, Hardy buried three straight three-pointers in a span of 1:10 to give the Huskers a nine-point cushion with just under 12 minutes remaining. She added a pair of free throws with 9:34 left to build NU's lead back to nine points at 49-40, after the Owls trimmed the lead to six points.
Richards, who finished with game highs of 13 points and eight rebounds, then gave the Huskers their biggest lead at 51-40 with 8:41 remaining. Rice answered with a basket before Richards added another layup to maintain the 11-point lead. The teams traded baskets over the next two minutes before Rice rallied by scoring 10 straight points over the next 4:30 to cut the Husker lead to 57-56 with 47 seconds left. The Owls had several opportunities to score in the final minute, but NU's defense held, and Richards closed the scoring with a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining.
Nebraska shot 40.4 percent (23-57) from the field for the game, including 42.9 percent (3-7) from three-point range, as Hardy tied her career high with a trio of three-pointers. NU also hit 10-of-13 free throws (76.9 percent), including 9-of-11 in the second half. The Huskers outrebounded Rice 45-33, to continue Nebraska's streak of outrebounding each one of its opponents this season.
The 59 points were the fewest scored by the Huskers this season, but Nebraska held its sixth straight opponent to 62 points or less by playing stingy defense throughout the contest. Rice shot just 36.7 percent (22-60) from the field, and just 26.7 percent (3-11) from three-point range. The Owls hit 9-of-12 free throws (75 percent). Rice's 11 blocked shots were just one shy of the Nebraska opponent record of 12 set by Missouri on two occasions.
Nebraska closes its non-conference season by playing host to St. Bonaventure (4-6) on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Devaney Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.