Huskers To Tangle with Tigers in Columbia Wednesday

The Nebraska women's basketball team (11-2, 1-1) returns to Big 12 Conference road action when the Huskers travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers (9-4, 0-2) at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Huskers' game with the Tigers can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network on Froggy 98.1 KFGE in Lincoln with Matt Coatney handling play-by-play and Jeff Griesch adding color commentary. A live video feed can be found on the official website of Nebraska Athletics - Huskers.com - on a subscription basis on HuskersNside.

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Nebraska is coming off a 62-57 win over Iowa State in Lincoln on Saturday, which helped NU improve to 8-0 at home this season while snapping a 10-game losing streak to the Cyclones.

The Huskers trailed by double digits in the first half to ISU before charging back for their fifth straight home victory by eight points or less. Nebraska has made a living in close games this season, improving to 8-1 on the year in games decided by eight or fewer points with the win over ISU.

Nebraska opened conference play last Wednesday with a 70-51 loss at No. 15 Oklahoma and will be looking for its first road league victory of the season. The Huskers will also be trying to snap Missouri's six-game series winning streak. NU has not defeated MU since an 80-66 victory at the Hearnes Center on March 2, 2000.

Missouri heads into the week still searching for its first Big 12 win of the season. The Tigers, who lost sophomore guard LaToya Bond to an injury just before the conference season began, opened league play with a 95-59 drubbing at the hands of No. 11 Kansas State, before falling at home to Kansas, 55-52, on Saturday. The Tigers' only other losses this season came at Wisconsin-Green Bay (74-66) and in Columbia to Southwest Missouri State (79-70).

Nebraska's veteran lineup continues to play well this season. Senior guard Keasha Cannon-Johnson leads the Huskers in scoring, rebounding and steals with 11.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while adding 3.6 assists per contest. Cannon-Johnson, who sat out last season as a redshirt, is coming off her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Iowa State.

Senior guard Margaret Richards has nearly matched the pace set by Cannon-Johnson, averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Richards has added 3.1 assists and nearly one steal and one block per game to give the Huskers' one of the most dynamic and athletic guard combinations in the Big 12.

Junior guard Jina Johansen gave the Huskers some added firepower in the backcourt with one of the best games of her career against Iowa State. Johansen knocked down a career-high four three-pointers to match her career high with 15 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Cyclones.

The Huskers also feature a solid inside game with senior forward Alexa Johnson averaging 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest, while senior center Katie Morse has contributed 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Nebraska has been receiving a major boost off its bench this season from a group of talented freshmen, including Kansas City, Mo., native Kiera Hardy. The 5-6 guard from O'Hara High School ranks fifth on the team in scoring with 8.5 points per game. She also ranks second on the club with 17 steals. Hardy has scored at least five points in every game and nine or more points in seven contests this season.

Scouting the Missouri Tigers (9-4, 0-2)
The Missouri Tigers head into the week with a strong 9-4 overall mark but have stumbled to an 0-2 start in Big 12 Conference play after back-to-back losses at Kansas State (95-59) and Kansas (55-52).

Along with the losses on the court, the Tigers are suffering from the absence of sophomore guard LaToya Bond, who started each of Missouri's 11 non-conference games before breaking a bone in her left foot. The 5-7 guard from Urbana, Ill., was averaging 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, a team-leading 5.5 assists and a team-best 2.6 steals per game before the injury, which is expected to keep her out of the lineup for four to six weeks.

With Bond in the lineup, the Tigers were 9-2 and averaging 79.2 points per game on offense. Without Bond in the lineup, Missouri is 0-2 and managing just 55.5 points per contest.

Although the Tigers have struggled without Bond in their first two conference contests, Missouri is far from a one-woman show. Senior forward Evan Unrau is one of the most complete all-around players in the Big 12, leading the Tigers with 17.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to rank among the top three in the conference in both categories. Senior forward Stretch James has added 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while leading the Tigers with 33 blocked shots. Senior guard Tracy Lozier has contributed 9.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, while leading the Tigers with 26 three-pointers on the season.

Blair Hardiek has replaced Bond in the starting lineup the past two games and is averaging 2.5 points and 0.9 rebounds per contest on the season. Senior center Melanie Fisher rounds out Missouri's probable starting lineup by averaging 4.8 points and 4.4 boards per game.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Missouri, 30-25, but the Tigers have notched six consecutive victories dating back to an 80-66 Husker win in Columbia on March 2, 2000. Coach Cindy Stein (Illinois, 1984) is in her sixth season at Missouri, where she owns a 93-70 career record.

Huskers Off to One of Best Starts in History

Nebraska matched its best 11-game start in school history after closing the non-conference season with a 10-1 record. The Huskers' start matches its 10-1 starts in 1998-99 and 1996-97.

The Huskers improved to 11-2 with Saturday's win over Iowa State to tie for the fourth-most wins against just two losses to start a season in school history. With 11 wins already this season, Nebraska is plus-three in the win column over the entire 2002-03 season. The Huskers' eight home victories are also two more than their season total from last year, while their two road wins match their total from a year ago.

The Huskers went on to a 16-1 mark during the 1996-97 season before finishing the year with a 19-9 record, while NU improved to 11-1 in 1998-99 before finishing the year with a 21-12 overall record.

Nebraska entered Big 12 Conference play on an eight-game winning streak, which was tied for the second-longest winning streak in school history. The Huskers reeled off eight straight wins on four other occasions in history. The 1996-97 Huskers produced the longest winning streak in the school record books with a nine-game streak to open the season before losing to Big 12 rival Colorado, 65-59, on Jan. 4, 1997.

After the loss to the Buffaloes, the 1996-97 Huskers closed their non-conference season with a 68-47 victory over Minnesota to finish with a perfect 10-0 record in non-conference action. That season marks the only year that the Huskers finished with a better non-league mark than this season. NU opened the 1998-99 season with an 11-1 record in non-conference play, but ended its non-league schedule with a 77-66 loss at Louisville to finish with an 11-2 mark.

Huskers' Winning Streak Snapped at Oklahoma
The Huskers had their eight-game winning streak snapped at Oklahoma, after experiencing thrilling finishes and a trio of victories away from the Devaney Center. Nebraska's eight-game streak tied for the second-longest winning streak in school history, trailing only a nine-game stretch in 1996-97.

Nebraska enjoyed the best December in school history by posting a perfect 6-0 record during the month. The only other undefeated December in program history came in 1996-97, when NU went 4-0 for the month.

Entering the Jan. 7 game in Norman, Okla., the Huskers had gone undefeated for 40 days. The only longer unbeaten streak in school history also came in 1996-97, when Nebraska opened the season 9-0 from Nov. 22 to Dec. 21, then took 14 days off before losing to Big 12 foe Colorado in Lincoln on Jan. 4, 1997.

The Huskers' eight-game winning streak this season was filled with close calls. Nebraska won each of its last five games in the streak by eight points or less, including a two-point win over Louisiana-Lafayette (61-59), a three-point victory at Rice (59-56) and a five-point win over No. 13 Ohio State (60-55). Nebraska also opened the winning streak with a three-point win over Eastern Kentucky (78-75), before knocking off Washington State in Pullman (64-56).

Nebraska is 8-1 in games decided by eight points or less this season, and seven of the eight victories came during the Huskers' eight-game winning streak.

Husker Defense Dominating in Late-Game Situations
Nebraska has continued to dominate defensively during crunch time this season. During the Huskers' eight-game winning streak NU outscored the opposition 61-30 in the final four minutes, winning seven of those games by eight points or less. NU trailed with four minutes left in three of those eight contests.

Although the Huskers faltered down the stretch at No. 15 Oklahoma, they rebounded with a stellar defensive effort in the win over Iowa State. Nebraska's defense held the Cyclones without a field goal for more than six minutes from the 6:39 mark to the 0:31 mark to take control of a tie game. The Huskers outscored Iowa State 11-6 over the final five minutes after the Cyclones had tied the score at 51 with a free throw at the 5:28 mark.

During NU's eight-game winning streak earlier this season, the Husker defense was nearly impenetrable in the closing minutes. In the win over Creighton, Nebraska held the Bluejays without a field goal for the final 3:30 to close the game with a 13-1 run. In NU's win over Louisiana-Lafayette, the Huskers trailed 59-55 with 3:20 left before shutting out the Ragin' Cajuns the rest of the way to finish the game on a 6-0 run.

In the victory over No. 13 Ohio State, NU trailed 55-54 with 2:32 left in the contest, but shut out the Buckeyes the rest of the way and closed the game with another 6-0 run. In Nebraska's win at Washington State, NU trailed 52-51 with 4:39 left but held WSU to just two field goals down the stretch, including an uncontested jumper with three seconds left, as NU outscored the Cougars 13-4 to close the game. Although the Huskers were outscored 6-2 in the final four minutes at Rice, NU shut out the Owls for the final 47 seconds and scored the game's final two points at the free throw line to seal the victory. In the win over St. Bonaventure, NU outscored the Bonnies 9-6 in the final four minutes while hitting 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch.

Even during Nebraska's only lopsided victory during its eight-game streak, an 81-59 win over Texas-Arlington, the Huskers dominated late in the game. Leading 69-55 with 4:50 left, Nebraska shut out the Lady Mavs for the next 4:03 to take a 79-55 lead. NU outscored UTA 12-4 in the final 4:50.

Nebraska Shooters Laying it on the Line
One of the strengths of this year's Nebraska squad has been its ability to score big at the free throw line. Through the first 13 games, the Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with a 74.9 free throw percentage. Even more impressively, NU has outscored its opponents 203-113 at the stripe. If the season ended today, Nebraska's percentage would rank as the second-best mark in school history, trailing only the 79.0 free throw percentage by the 1981-82 team.

Nebraska, which has attempted 91 more free throws than the opposition, has committed 42 fewer fouls than its opponents, and only three Huskers (Margaret Richards vs. Wofford; Heather Kephart vs. Mississippi; Alexa Johnson vs. Oklahoma) have fouled out of games so far this season.

Margaret Richards has led Nebraska at the line this season. The 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., is shooting 80.8 percent, while leading the Huskers in both free throws made (59) and attempted (73).

The Huskers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.6-8.7 (+6.9) per game at the free throw line, compared to a 12.8-12.0 (+0.8) scoring edge at the line last season.

Nebraska's excellent team free throw shooting percentage has definitely been a team effort. Seven of the 10 Huskers on the roster are shooting better than 70 percent from the free throw line, including Andrea Lightfoot (83.3 percent), Alexa Johnson (80.0 percent), Chelsea Aubry (77.8 percent), Katie Morse (75 percent), Heather Kephart (75 percent) and Kiera Hardy (71.4 percent).

Huskers Winning Battle on the Boards
Another key ingredient to Nebraska's early season success has been the Huskers' aggressiveness on the boards. NU ranks second in the Big 12 by averaging 45.1 rebounds per game, while ranking sixth in the league with a plus-8.5 team rebounding margin. The school record for team rebound margin is plus-8.6 boards per game, set in 1997-98.

Nebraska outrebounded each of its first 11 opponents, including a plus-34 rebound margin (60-26) in the season-opening win over Wofford. The Huskers owned a double-figure rebounding edge in seven of their first 11 games this season, but were outrebounded 37-33 in their Big 12-opening loss at No. 15 Oklahoma and beaten on the boards 41-39 by Iowa State. The Huskers did manage 18 offensive boards against the Cyclones, while surrendering just 14 offensive boards to ISU.

The Huskers have been at their best on the offensive glass, where they are averaging 15.8 offensive boards per game. NU has pulled down 15 or more offensive rebounds in nine of its first 13 games.

Keasha Cannon-Johnson, who ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding, has been Nebraska's leader on the boards. The 5-10 guard is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game to tie Oklahoma State's Trisha Skibbe for the Big 12 lead in that category. Margaret Richards has added 7.8 rebounds per game to rank seventh in the league in rebounding. At 5-9, Richards is the shortest player in the conference ranked among the top 20 players in rebounding. She also leads the team with 38 offensive rebounds.

Center Katie Morse has added 7.2 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the league in rebounding. Morse ranks second on the club with 35 offensive rebounds on the season. Nebraska is the only team in the Big 12 Conference that features two or more players who rank among the top 10 in the league in rebounding. In fact, the only other teams in the Big 12 with three players that rank among the top 20 individuals in the league in rebounding are No. 3 Texas (Tiffany Jackson-6th, Stacy Stephens-14th and Heather Schreiber-20th) and No. 11 Kansas State (Kendra Wecker-3rd, Nicole Ohlde-15th and Megan Mahoney-17th).

Nebraska’s Starters at a Glance
Margaret Richards has been Nebraska's leader through 13 games, averaging 11.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Richards led all players with 13 points and eight rebounds at Rice, while scoring the Huskers' final four points, including a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left. She produced her second double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over Creighton. Richards has produced double figures in points in eight of Nebraska's 13 games, while adding three double-figure rebounding efforts.

Richards ranks 22nd in the Big 12 in scoring and seventh in the league in rebounding. She is the shortest Big 12 player among the top 20 players in the league in rebounding.

Richards produced a pair of strong performances in two games at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn., where she averaged 21 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. In NU's 78-75 win over Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 29, Richards scored a season-high 23 points while pulling down a season-high 10 boards for her fourth career double-double. She also tied a school record with 18 free throw attempts against Eastern Kentucky and set the NU record for the most free throw attempts in back-to-back games by hitting 25-of-32 shots at the line against Mississippi and Eastern Kentucky at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic. She added a game-high 18 points in Nebraska's win over Texas-Arlington.

Richards has moved into sole possession of seventh on the NU charts with her 72 career three-pointers and needs nine more to catch Brooke Schwartz in sixth place (81). She owns 771 career points, 423 rebounds, 173 assists, 106 steals and 22 blocked shots. Richards is also playing her senior season with her degree in hand after earning a bachelor's degree in communication studies in August of 2003.

Keasha Cannon-Johnson earned the first Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award of her career after scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds in NU's win over Louisiana-Lafaytette on Dec. 14. She added six points, including the game-winning three-pointer, a game-high 11 rebounds, and a career-high tying nine assists in the Huskers' win over No. 13 Ohio State on Dec. 12.

Cannon-Johnson followed those performances with a season-high 23 points to go along with a season-high four steals in the win over Creighton. She added eight rebounds and four assists against the Jays.

After opening league play with a 15-point effort at No. 15 Oklahoma, Cannon-Johnson followed with her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Iowa State. It was her ninth double-double in 40 career games at Nebraska. She is averaging 11.2 points and a Big 12-leading 9.0 rebounds per game.

Cannon-Johnson ranks 13th in the Big 12 and second on the team with 3.6 assists per game, while leading the Huskers with 21 total steals, which is just outside of the top 15 players in the league. She is tied for 22nd in the Big 12 with team co-leader Margaret Richards in scoring.

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 NU in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.1 spg) 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. She 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 a win over No. 11 Kansas State on Feb. 10, 2002, while adding a career-best 16 boards against KSU as one of six double-doubles in 2001-02.

In just her second season on the court at Nebraska, Cannon-Johnson owns 494 career points, 344 rebounds, 155 assists, 77 steals and 23 blocked shots.

Alexa Johnson enters the Missouri contest averaging 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Nebraska's top returning scorer from a year ago, Johnson has produced double figures in seven of the Huskers' first 13 games. She played well in two games at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 28-29, scoring a season-high 20 points in just 21 minutes, while pulling down six rebounds in NU's opening-round loss to Mississippi. She came back for 17 points, including 15 points in the first half, to go along with six rebounds in NU's win over Eastern Kentucky.

In Big 12 statistics, Johnson ranks 25th in the league in scoring average. Last season, she earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors by ranking among the top players in the league in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 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.

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.

In her career, Johnson has totaled 791 points, 351 rebounds, 43 assists, 62 steals and 12 blocked shots.

After missing Nebraska's final 21 games with a knee injury in 2002-03, Katie Morse has returned to provide a solid offensive and defensive presence inside for the Huskers. Morse produced her second double-double of the season and fifth of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win over St. Bonaventure, before adding 13 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks in the loss at No. 15 Oklahoma. She opened the season by scoring 16 points and grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over Wofford. In NU's win over Eastern Kentucky, Morse scored six points, grabbed nine rebounds and tied a school record with six blocked shots. She added a pair of double-figure scoring efforts with a 15-point, six-rebound performance in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 14, and an 11-point, six-board effort in the win over Creighton on Dec. 21.

Morse heads into the Missouri game averaging 9.0 points, while ranking third on the team and ninth in the Big 12 with 7.2 rebounds per game. She also leads the club and is tied for fourth in the conference with 1.6 blocks per game. Morse ranks sixth on Nebraska's career list with 68 blocks and needs 20 more rejections to move into a tie for fifth with Casey Leonhardt (2000-01).

Over the past two seasons, the Huskers are a combined 16-4 with Morse in the lineup, including a 5-2 record last season and an 11-2 start in 2003-04. Morse had a promising junior season come to an end with a knee injury suffered in the second half of Nebraska’s 65-55 win over No. 25 Cincinnati on Dec. 15, 2002. 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. In her career, Morse is 25-7 as a starter.

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.

In her career, Morse has totaled 310 points, 248 rebounds, 68 blocked shots, 34 assists and 25 steals.

Jina Johansen is coming off one of the best games of her career by tying a career high with 15 points, including a career-best four three-pointers, to go along with a season-high six rebounds, five assists and two steals in Nebraska's 62-57 win over Iowa State. Johansen's previous season best was seven points against Wofford, Princeton and St. Bonaventure, while she added a season-best six boards in the win at Rice. She owns season highs of eight assists against Texas-Arlington and Eastern Kentucky.

Johansen has provided a steady play-making presence in the backcourt by averaging 4.4 points and a team-leading 4.5 assists per game, which ranks eighth in the Big 12.

For the season, Johansen ranks third on the team with 10 made three-pointers, while shooting a solid 41.7 percent (10-24) from long range. Entering this season, Johansen had made just 9-of-36 three-pointers in her career.

Johansen had made just six three-pointers in 12 games this season before hitting four against Iowa State. She attempted a career-high 12 field goals against the Cyclones, including a career-high eight three-point attempts. She had not attempted more than four field goals in any game this season before the ISU game.

Last season, 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 ranked as the fifth-highest total in school history and one of seven 1,000-minute seasons in NU history. Johansen played 40 minutes 10 times, while playing nearly 92 percent of NU’s possible minutes.
Johansen tied for second in the Big 12 with 5.5 assists per game, while averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 2002-03. Her 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.

During her three-year career, Johansen has totaled 268 points, 153 rebounds, 290 assists, 59 steals and five blocked shots. She needs just nine more assists in her career to crack Nebraska's all-time top 10 list in that category. A standout in the classroom, Johansen was a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection in 2003.

Husker Newcomers Making Solid Contributions
Although Nebraska returns five seasoned veterans to its starting lineup for 2003-04, the Huskers have a distinctly new look this season. Other than the five returning starters, no other active Husker had ever played a regular-season game before Nebraska's season-opening win over Wofford on Nov. 21.

One of Nebraska's top scoring freshmen, Heather Kephart, has not played in Nebraska's last five games (Creighton, Rice, St. Bonaventure, Oklahoma, Iowa State). The Canute, Okla., native is expected to miss four to six weeks after suffering a foot injury in practice on Dec. 20.

Despite missing the last five games, Kephart still leads the Huskers with 17 made three-pointers to rank fourth on Nebraska's single-season three-point chart for freshmen. In her absence, fellow freshman Kiera Hardy has picked up her pace from long range. Hardy has knocked down 15 three-pointers and leads the Huskers by shooting at a 42.9 percent clip from beyond the arc. Hardy needs just one more three-pointer to crack Nebraska's top five on the freshman single-season three-point list.

Kiera Hardy has provided a major spark for NU off the bench. Although she missed three games (Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky, Washington State) because of illness, Hardy has been the Huskers' most exciting freshman, averaging 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. She has helped the Huskers to a 9-1 record when she has been in the lineup with NU's only loss coming at No. 15 Oklahoma. She has provided a consistent offensive threat by scoring at least five points in each one of her 10 games, including four double-figure scoring efforts and seven games with nine or more points, despite averaging just 19.3 minutes per game.

An explosive player who can change the momentum of a game, Hardy scored eight points, snagged three steals and dished out one assist during a five-minute stretch in the first half that helped trim a 12-point ISU lead to just one point. It was not the first time that Hardy had changed the complexion of a game. Hardy also played a major role in NU's win at Rice, scoring nine straight points on three consecutive three-pointers in a 1:10 span to turn a tie game into a 46-37 lead midway through the second half. She finished with 11 points, which she scored during a 3:30 span of the second half.

Hardy scored all nine of her points against St. Bonaventure in the second half, including a pair of three-pointers. She also knocked down 3-of-4 free throws in the final 1:02 to seal the victory. She scored a career-high 12 points and pulled down a career-best six rebounds in the win over Princeton. She added 10 points and three assists in just nine minutes against Texas-Arlington. She energized the Huskers again against No. 13 Ohio State, pouring in 10 points, while establishing her career high with three three-pointers against the Buckeyes, before matching the mark at Rice.

Hardy has become a dangerous weapon from long range, connecting on 15-of-35 three-pointers on the season for a 42.9 percent accuracy from beyond the arc, which is on pace to set the NU freshman record. It also ranks in a tie for seventh in the Big 12, while her 1.5 made three-pointers per game rank 15th in the conference. Her 15 total three-pointers rank second on the team behind fellow freshman Heather Kephart (17), and Hardy needs just one more three-pointer to crack the Husker freshman single-season top five list in that category. If Hardy can stay healthy and continue connecting at her current pace, she may actually have a chance to challenge Anna DeForge's freshman record of 46 made three-pointers set in 1994-95.

Heather Kephart provided a major contribution through eight games, but is expected to miss four to six weeks with a foot injury suffered in practice on Dec. 20. She was averaging 7.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while leading the Huskers with 17 three-pointers before the injury. Kephart, who is shooting 37.0 percent (17-46) from long range, set her scoring standards high by erupting for 16 points in just 18 minutes in the season-opening win over Wofford. She knocked down 4-of-8 three-pointers against the Lady Terriers, to help the Huskers hit 7-of-17 long-range attempts. Kephart's 16-point outburst against Wofford tied for the fifth-highest scoring total by a freshman in a career-opening game in Husker history. Every other former Husker freshman who scored 16 or more points in a career-opening performance went on to score 1,000 or more points in their careers.

Kephart added a sizzling 15-point outburst off the bench in the win over Washington State, including a career-high five three-pointers with four straight trifectas in the second half to turn a four-point NU deficit into a five-point Husker lead. With 17 three-pointers in her first eight games, Kephart already ranks fourth on the Nebraska freshman single-season list, and needs just seven more to climb into a tie for third.

Kephart, who hit at least one three-pointer in seven of the Huskers' first eight games, produced double figures in scoring three times despite averaging just 15.4 minutes per contest.

Chelsea Aubry has been a solid contributor both offensively and defensively for the Huskers in her first season. She enters the Missouri game averaging 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. She produced one of her best performances of the season in the non-conference finale against St. Bonaventure. Aubry notched her third double-figure scoring effort of the season with 10 points, while adding five rebounds, a career-high tying two assists and her first career three-pointer against the Bonnies.

The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, finished the non-conference season on a strong note, averaging 8.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game over the last six games, including a near double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds in a career-high 27 minutes in the win over Texas-Arlington.

In the win over No. 13 Ohio State, Aubry added eight points and three rebounds, including a crucial stretch where she scored six of Nebraska's eight points to close the first half. She pitched in six points, one rebound and one steal in 15 minutes against Louisiana-Lafayette, before closing the home stand with eight points and four rebounds in 22 minutes of work against Creighton.

Aubry, who opened the season with 11 points and five rebounds in the win over Wofford, scored just eight points and pulled down six rebounds combined over the next four games. Nebraska's first-ever Canadian basketball player, Aubry has hit 77.8 percent (21-27) of her free throws this season.

Jessica Gerhart has provided Nebraska with an offensive spark inside off the bench in her first season. In NU's win over Iowa State, Gerhart scored eight points in just nine minutes on 4-of-5 shooting from the field to help the Huskers gain control of the game in the second half.

She had a similar effort in the Huskers' come-from-behind victory at Rice. Gerhart tied her career high with 10 points, all in the first half, to help the Huskers trim a nine-point deficit to just one point at the half against the Owls. Gerhart scored eight straight points for NU to spark the offense, finishing the game by hitting 5-of-6 shots from the field. Gerhart nearly notched a double-double in her debut by scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Huskers' win over Wofford. She got even closer with a career-high 10 points and nine boards against Mississippi.

The 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, added six second-half points on 3-of-5 shooting in the win over St. Bonaventure. Gerhart enters the Missouri game averaging 5.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 11.7 minutes per game. Gerhart's 58.7 field goal percentage leads the Huskers and would rank fourth in the Big 12, but Gerhart has not met the minimum requirement of 3.0 made field goals per game. Gerhart is averaging 2.1 field goals per contest. She is on pace to break the Husker freshman single-season record for field goal percentage set by Charlie Rogers at 58.2 percent (78-134) in 1996-97.

Over the last four games, Gerhart is shooting a sizzling 70.6 percent (12-17) from the field. She has hit 50 percent of her field goals or better in 10 of 13 games this season.

Omaha Marian graduate Andrea Lightfoot has continued to improve in all phases of the game in her first season with the Huskers. The 5-8 guard is averaging 0.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists while playing 7.3 minutes per contest.

Lightfoot connected on her third career field goal while tying her career high with two rebounds in the win over St. Bonaventure. An excellent ball-handler and decision-maker, she owns a 1.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 12 assists and just eight turnovers on the season.

Lightfoot has played in all 13 games for the Huskers this season and is 5-for-6 from the free throw line. She hit her first career three-pointer to set a career best with three points in NU's win over Washington State. She played a career-high 15 minutes in the Huskers' season-opening victory over Wofford.

Huskers Knock Off Iowa State, 62-57
Junior guard Jina Johansen scored 15 points to tie her career high and lead the Nebraska women’s basketball team to a 62-57 win over Iowa State in front of a season-high 5,809 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday night.

Johansen, who set a career high with four three-pointers, added six rebounds, five assists and two steals, to help the Huskers improve to 11-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference. Nebraska also improved to a perfect 8-0 this season at home, while ending a 10-game losing streak against the Cyclones. 

The win was Nebraska’s first against Iowa State since a 68-67 victory on Feb. 7, 1999 at the Devaney Center. It was NU’s first league win in Lincoln since a 67-52 triumph over Kansas State Feb. 10, 2002. The victory was also the Huskers’ fifth straight win at home by eight points or less, as NU improved to 8-1 on the year in games decided by eight or fewer points.

Like NU’s previous four games at the Devaney Center, Saturday’s contest went down to the wire. Nebraska led, 57-51, with 3:11 remaining in the second half after going on a 6-0 run to snap a 51-51 tie. Iowa State’s Brittany Wilkins connected on a pair of free throws, and Anne O’Neil scored inside the lane to cut Nebraska’s advantage to 57-55 with 0:31 left in the game. Iowa State fouled Keasha Cannon-Johnson in the open court, and she sank both free throws to increase NU’s lead to four. O’Neil came back with a field goal to bring Iowa State within two. But Margaret Richards converted three of her four free throw attempts in the final four seconds of the game to secure the 62-57 victory.

Cannon-Johnson was the only other Husker in double figures, as she produced 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and ninth of her career.

Freshman guard Kiera Hardy added nine points and led the NU defensive effort by tying her career-high with four steals, all of which came in the first half. The Huskers totaled 10 steals and scored 22 points off turnovers.

Iowa State was led by O’Neil, who produced 18 points and had three steals. Junior forward Lisa Kriener chipped in 16 points for the Cyclones, who fell to 7-5 on the year, while losing their Big 12 opener.

The Cyclones jumped to a quick 13-3 lead in the first half, as Kriener recorded eight points in the first five minutes of the game. ISU connected on six of its first nine shots and scored six points in the paint during the stretch. With Iowa State leading, 21-9, Cannon-Johnson sparked an 11-0 Husker run with a three-point field goal. Hardy capped the run with a three-pointer to cut ISU’s lead to 21-20 at the 6:46 mark.

Trailing by five late in the half, NU turned to Johansen, who scored the Huskers’ next nine points, including two three-pointers. She tied the score at 29 with her third three-point field goal of the half, but ISU regained the five-point lead, before NU’s Jessica Gerhart connected on two straight field goals to bring the Huskers within one at the half.

In the second half, it was Nebraska that started quickly. NU scored the first six points of the half ? including four from Johnson ? to take a 40-35 lead. The Cyclones missed their first seven shots of the half before Kriener scored with 14:00 left. The score was tied two more times before the Huskers produced a 6-0 run that included another three-point field goal from Johansen, as NU led, 57-51, with 3:11 left in the game.

Nebraska's Notable Numbers
The Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with their 74.9 free throw percentage, after shooting 68.8 percent from the free throw line last season. NU's percentage currently ranks second on the Husker single-season charts, trailing only their 79.0 percent accuracy in 1981-82. Nebraska has outscored the opposition, 203-113, at the line through 13 games this season (15.6-8.7).

Nebraska's 45.1 rebounds per game rank second in the Big 12 Conference, while the Huskers' +8.5 rebounding margin ranks sixth in the league. NU outrebounded each of its first 11 opponents before being outrebounded 37-33 by Oklahoma and 41-39 by Iowa State.

NU ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 16.6 assists per game, and sixth in the Big 12 with 5.0 three-pointers made per game. Last season, the Huskers averaged just 12.5 assists and 3.4 three-pointers per game.

Nebraska's 10 made three-pointers in the 60-55 win over No. 13 Ohio State tied the school record, set three other times, most recently on Feb. 4, 2001, against Iowa State. The Huskers' 27 three-point attempts against the Buckeyes rank as the third-most attempts in school history.

Katie Morse tied a Nebraska school record with six blocked shots in the Huskers' 78-75 win over Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 29 at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn.

Margaret Richards tied a Nebraska record with 18 free throw attempts in the Huskers' win over Eastern Kentucky. Richards, who hit 14-of-18 attempts from the line against the Colonels, connected on 11-of-14 attempts the previous night against Mississippi. Richards' 32 free throw attempts in consecutive games are the most in school history.

Huskers Receive Votes in Associated Press Poll
Nebraska had its streak of four consecutive weeks receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 snapped this week. The Huskers had earned five votes in the AP poll on Monday, Jan. 5 to sit in a tie for 37th nationally with Florida. The Huskers received a season-high eight votes in the Dec. 29 edition of the poll, which ranked 36th nationally. NU earned seven votes on Dec. 22, after debuting in the Dec. 15 edition of the poll with four votes (40th).

Nebraska earned its spot among the teams receiving votes after back-to-back wins over then-No. 13 Ohio State (Dec. 12) and Louisiana-Lafayette (Dec. 14) at the Devaney Center. That pair of victories helped NU improve to 7-1 on the season, and since then, the Huskers have rolled to a 4-1 record to improve to 11-2 on the season.

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 Devaney Center features four NCAA Tournament teams, including No. 13 Ohio State, which NU defeated, 60-55, on 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 earning a spot in the Big Ten title game, highlighted 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 OSU.

Along with Nebraska's 60-55 win over No. 13 Ohio State, the Huskers' home non-conference schedule also featured a 70-62 win over traditional in-state rival Creighton at the Devaney Center. The Bluejays finished with a 24-9 overall record and advanced to the WNIT semifinals in 2003.

The Huskers opened regular-season play with wins over Wofford (104-46) on Nov. 21, and Princeton (75-61) on Nov. 23. Nebraska defeated Texas-Arlington (81-59) on Dec. 6, and Louisiana-Lafayette (61-59) on Dec. 14, before closing non-league play with a 69-62 win over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 3).

Nebraska faced tough road tests in non-league play at the Memphis Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 28-29), where the Huskers lost to Mississippi and defeated Eastern Kentucky. NU also won at Washington State (Dec. 4) before closing its non-conference road slate with a 59-56 win at 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 opened league play with a 70-51 loss at No. 15 Oklahoma on Jan. 7. The Sooners, who qualified for the 2003 NCAA Tournament after advancing to the NCAA title game in 2002, were the first of seven conference opponents who qualified for the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers opened home conference competition with a 62-57 victory over Iowa State on Jan. 10 to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Cyclones, 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 Dec. 19, the women's basketball team was solidly in first place with 1,982 points to lead the second-place Nebraska women's gymnastics team by 457 points. The women's track and field team was in third with 1,360 points, while the volleyball team was in fourth with 1,261 points and the football team was in fifth with 1,236 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 11th in the media poll and 12th 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. The Huskers have opened the season with an 11-2 record to improve Yori's career record to 214-162 in her 14th season as a collegiate coach. Yori's commitment to building Nebraska on the proper principles is paying off in her second season, as the Huskers have already surpassed their victory total from the entire 2002-03 season.

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 also features some depth this season, a luxury they lacked a year ago. Nebraska has added five freshmen to its roster this season, and all five have seen significant 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, with seven of 10 players on the roster carrying cumulative grade-point averages of 3.0 or better. Seven Huskers earned GPAs of better than 3.0 during the fall semester, including all five of the Husker freshmen.

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 Dec. 19, the women's basketball team had earned 1,982 points to lead the women's gymnastics team by 457 points. The Husker women's track and field program was in third with 1,360 points, while the volleyball team (1,261) and football team (1,236) 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 272-96 (.739) in games played in the arena, including 95-60 (.613) in conference games. Nebraska is 8-0 at home in 2003-04, and have already surpassed its home victory total from 2002-03. The Huskers are 1-0 in Big 12 Conference games this season.

Attendance is a big part of the Huskerss 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.

So far in 2003-04, the Huskers are averaging 2,504 fans per game, including a season-high 5,809 fans at their Big 12 Conference opener against Iowa State on Jan. 10.

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.