Huskers Return Home to Battle Wildcats

The Nebraska women's basketball team (13-3, 3-2) returns to the friendly confines of the Bob Devaney Sports Center to put its nine-game home winning streak on the line when the Huskers face the No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats (13-2, 4-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Nebraska's game with Kansas State will be televised live nationally by Fox Sports Net with Kevin Eschenfelder calling the play-by-play and Deb Antonelli adding color commentary in the Huskers' first nationally televised game this season.

The Huskers' game with the Wildcats can also be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network on 1400 KLIN in Lincoln and on the internet at Huskers.com with Matt Coatney handling play-by-play and Jeff Griesch adding color commentary.

Nebraska is coming off a 68-55 loss at No. 3 Texas Tech on Wednesday, while Kansas State did not play during the midweek to give the Wildcats a full week of preparation for the Huskers.

A Husker win over the Wildcats would match the highest-ranked team Nebraska has ever beaten in women's basketball, while also guaranteeing the Huskers a .500 record on the season. Kansas State will be NU's fourth top-25 opponent this season, and the second of five straight games against top-25 teams. The Huskers are 1-2 against ranked opponents this season, including 1-0 at the Devaney Center with a 60-55 win over then-No. 13 Ohio State on Dec. 12.

Although Nebraska was swept in the season series with Kansas State last year, the Huskers have won six of the last nine games against the Wildcats, including seven of the last eight games against KSU at the Devaney Center.

Senior Guards Leading the Charge for the Huskers
Nebraska senior guards Keasha Cannon-Johnson and Margaret Richards have been the Huskers' dynamic backcourt duo throughout the 2003-04 season. Cannon-Johnson, a 5-10 guard from Kansas City, Kan., enters the Kansas State game tied with Richards for the team scoring lead with 11.1 points per game. Cannon-Johnson also leads the Huskers and ranks third in the Big 12 Conference with 8.5 rebounds per contest. She has added 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game to rank second on the team in both categories.

The only Kansas native on Nebraska's roster, Cannon-Johnson produced the best performance of her career in her last meeting in Lincoln against Kansas State. She scored a career-high 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Huskers to a 67-52 win over then-No. 11 Kansas State on Feb. 10, 2002. In her first meeting with the Wildcats, she managed 10 points and six rebounds in a loss at Manhattan on Jan. 12, 2002. Cannon-Johnson is coming off a 17-point effort at No. 3 Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Richards, a 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., has matched Cannon-Johnson in the scoring column while ranking second on the club and among the top 10 players in the Big 12 with 7.4 rebounds per game. She also had a solid game against the Lady Raiders, scoring 13 points for the second straight game after managing just six points in each of her first three Big 12 Conference games this season. Richards produced double figures in both of Nebraska's meetings with Kansas State last season. Along with her solid scoring and rebounding numbers, Richards ranks third on the team with 2.9 assists per game and second on the team with 12 blocked shots.

Scouting the #9 Kansas State Wildcats (13-2, 4-0)
Kansas State entered the week on top of the Big 12 Conference standings with a 4-0 record and did not play during the midweek. The Wildcats, who climbed to No. 9 in this week's Associated Press Top 25, have had a full week to prepare for the Huskers in a nationally televised matchup on Fox Sports Net.

KSU is coming off a 79-50 thumping of Kansas in Manhattan last Saturday, after pounding Oklahoma State, 76-44, in Stillwater on Jan. 13. The Wildcats opened the league schedule with a 95-59 pummeling of Missouri in Manhattan, before winning on the road, 76-69, at Colorado on Jan. 10.

The Wildcats still have a majority of familiar faces in the lineup. Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Nicole Ohlde is averaging 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while junior forward Kendra Wecker is not far behind with 16.0 points and a team-leading 8.4 boards per contest. Junior shooting guard Laurie Koehn continues to rank as one of the top three-point shooters in the country, averaging 14.6 points per game, while knocking down 3.5 three-pointers per contest and shooting 44.5 percent from long range.

Junior guard Megan Mahoney rounds out KSU's standard starting four, averaging 8.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Junior Chelsea Domenico has added eight starts, but is averaging just 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, while Claire Coggins has made seven starts and averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 boards per game. Brie Madden and Twiggy McIntyre have both given the Wildcats solid contributions off the bench.

Coach Deb Patterson is in her eighth season at the helm at Kansas State and has produced a 139-91 record. The Wildcats lead the all-time series with the Huskers, 36-26, including a pair of victories last season with an 88-54 win at the Devaney Center on Jan. 19, 2003. Although Kansas State has won three of the last four meetings, the Huskers have captured six of the last nine contests, including seven of the past eight meetings in Lincoln.

Huskers Off to One of Best Starts in History
Nebraska's 13-3 start to the season is tied for the third-best opening run in school history. The Huskers got off to their best start in school history with 18 victories against just three losses to open the 1987-88 season. That season, Nebraska won the only conference title in school history and advanced to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in the history of the program.

The Huskers opened the 1996-97 season on a 16-3 run, before faltering down the stretch to finish 19-9. This season's NU squad has matched the pace set by the 1991-92 team, which ended the year with a 21-11 record and a 9-5 mark in Big Eight play to advance to the WNIT.

With 13 wins already this season, Nebraska is plus-five in the win column over the entire 2002-03 season. The Huskers' nine home victories are also three more than their season total from last year, while their four wins away from home are two more than their total from a year ago.

Nebraska matched its best 11-game start in school history after closing the non-conference season with a 10-1 record. The Huskers' start matched their 10-1 starts in 1998-99 and 1996-97. The only season in which Nebraska produced a better non-conference record than this season came in 1996-97, when the Huskers were a perfect 10-0 in non-league action.

Huskers Outperforming Opponents from Long Range
The Huskers are outshooting their opponents from three-point range this season, connecting on 75-of-231 three-pointers (32.5 percent), while the opposition has managed to knock down 69-of-218 three-pointers (31.7 percent). While the margins are by no means decisive, they are somewhat historic.

The last season that Nebraska outscored its opponents from three-point range was 1995-96, when the Huskers hit 105-of-298 three-pointers (35.2 percent), while the opposition hit 103-of-373 three-pointers (27.6 percent). The Huskers have been outscored by their opponents from long range in each of the past seven seasons, including 35 more three-pointers by their opposition last season.

A pair of freshmen have given the Huskers a major lift from long range. Heather Kephart, a 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., leads Nebraska with 17 three-pointers (17-46, 37 percent) even though she has missed NU's last eight games with a foot injury. Kiera Hardy has come on to hit 16 three-pointers (16-41, 39 percent) for the Huskers, despite missing three games early in the season with illness. Both of the three-point totals by Kephart and Hardy rank among the top-five freshman seasons in school history for the Huskers.

Junior guard Jina Johansen has added 11 three-pointers on the year, while connecting on 39.3 percent of her attempts, while senior guard Keasha Cannon-Johnson has hit 9-of-20 attempts from three-point range (45 percent). Senior forward Alexa Johnson (8-18, 44.4 percent) and senior center Katie Morse (6-14, 42.9 percent) have given Nebraska added threats from long range. Overall, the Huskers have six players shooting 37 percent or better from beyond the arc.

Poise Counts - Huskers Come Through in Clutch
Nebraska may be providing Husker fans with the most exciting basketball games in the country this season. Ten of the Huskers' 16 games this season have been decided by eight points or less, and Nebraska has found a way to win nine times, with their only narrow loss coming to Mississippi (69-66) in the third game of the season.

Nebraska has certainly given Husker fans their money's worth at the Devaney Center. Five of NU's nine home games have been decided in the final minute, including an eight-point win over in-state rival Creighton, a seven-point win over St. Bonaventure, a pair of five-point victories over No. 13 Ohio State and Iowa State and a two-point nail-biter against Louisiana-Lafayette.

The excitement has followed the Huskers on the road as well, beginning with the three-point loss to Mississippi and a three-point victory over Eastern Kentucky at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic. Nebraska continued its string of thrillers with an eight-point win at Washington State, before escaping with a three-point win at Rice. Most recently, the Huskers notched a five-point win at Missouri.

The Huskers have found ways to win in almost every way imaginable. They have erased double-digit leads, blown double-figure leads, come back in the closing minutes, knocked down game-winning three-pointers, shut out the opponent in the final minutes and staved off countless opponent rallies by hitting free throws in the closing seconds. They also played one stretch of more than 100 minutes in which neither team led by more than two possessions (six points) at any time in a game.

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 16 games, the Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with a 74.8 free throw percentage. Even more impressively, NU has outscored its opponents 243-139 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 107 more free throws than the opposition, has committed 40 fewer fouls than its opponents, and only four Huskers (Margaret Richards vs. Wofford; Heather Kephart vs. Mississippi; Alexa Johnson vs. Oklahoma; Keasha Cannon-Johnson vs. Texas A&M) have fouled out.

Margaret Richards has led Nebraska at the line this season. The 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., is shooting 81.2 percent, while leading the Huskers in both free throws made (69) and attempted (85).

The Huskers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.2-8.7 (+6.5) 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. Six of the 10 Huskers on the roster are shooting 70 percent or better at the free throw line, including Kiera Hardy (81.8 percent), Chelsea Aubry (77.4 percent), Alexa Johnson (77.1 percent), Heather Kephart (75 percent), and Katie Morse (72.4 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 third in the Big 12 by averaging 43.5 rebounds per game, while ranking sixth in the league with a plus-6.8 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 non-conference games this season, but have been outrebounded in three of their five Big 12 games, including Texas Tech's 38-28 edge on Wednesday night.

The Huskers have been at their best on the offensive glass, where they are averaging 14.8 offensive boards per game to rank fourth in the league, but the Huskers were held to just eight offensive rebounds at Texas Tech. NU has pulled down 15 or more offensive rebounds in nine of its first 16 games.

Keasha Cannon-Johnson, who ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding, has been Nebraska's catalyst on the boards. The 5-10 guard is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. Margaret Richards has added 7.4 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the league. 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 43 offensive rebounds, an average of 2.7 offensive boards per game.

Center Katie Morse has added 7.1 rebounds per game to rank 12th in the league in rebounding. Morse ranks second on the club with 37 offensive boards, while Cannon-Johnson ranks third with 35.

Nebraska joins Colorado and Missouri as the only teams in the Big 12 Conference that feature two players who rank among the top 10 in the league in rebounding. The only other teams in the Big 12 with three players who rank among the top 20 individuals in the league in rebounding are Kansas State and Colorado.

Husker Freshmen Making at Impact in Big 12
Nebraska's freshman class has certainly made a positive impact on the Huskers' turnaround this season. Four of NU's youngsters rank among the top-15 freshmen in the Big 12 Conference in scoring, led by Kiera Hardy. The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., ranks seventh among conference freshmen with 8.3 points per game. Heather Kephart, a 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., ranks right behind Hardy in eighth place among league freshmen with 7.8 points per game. Unfortunately for the Huskers, Kephart has missed Nebraska's past eight games with a foot injury.

Chelsea Aubry, a 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, continues to climb the league's scoring ladder among freshmen. Aubry is averaging 6.3 points per game to rank 11th in the league, while fellow forward Jessica Gerhart comes in at 15th with 4.3 points per game. Aubry also ranks seventh among conference freshmen with 3.2 rebounds per game, while Gerhart ranks 14th with 2.6 boards per contest.

Hardy ranks second among Big 12 freshmen in steals with 2.0 per game, trailing only Texas' Tiffany Jackson, and fifth in assists with 1.8 per game. Hardy also ranks ninth among league freshmen with her 39.0 three-point field goal percentage (16-41). Kephart is right behind Hardy by ranking 10th in three-point percentage (17-46, 37.0 percent).

Gerhart is proving that she is one of the most accurate shooters among the Big 12 newcomers, ranking fourth in the league by hitting 60.4 percent (29-48) of her field goal attempts. Gerhart is the only Big 12 freshman with more than 15 field goal attempts who is shooting better than 53 percent from the field. She is also on pace to establish a Nebraska single-season freshman record for field goal percentage.

Nebraska’s Starters at a Glance
Margaret Richards has been Nebraska's leader through 16 games, averaging 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, after scoring 13 points and grabbing four rebounds at Texas Tech.

Richards produced her second double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over Creighton. She has contributed double figures in points in 10 of Nebraska's 16 games, while adding three double-figure rebounding efforts.

Richards is tied for 21st in the Big 12 in scoring and ranks ninth in the league in rebounding. She is the shortest Big 12 player among the top 20 players in the league in rebounding. She also ranks second on the team with 12 blocks.

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 803 career points, 441 rebounds, 179 assists, 106 steals and 24 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-Lafayette 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. She followed those efforts with a season highs of 23 points and four steals to go along with eight rebounds and four assists in the win over Creighton.

Cannon-Johnson is coming off a 17-point, four-rebound effort at Texas Tech, after scoring a season-low four points in the win over Texas A&M. She opened league play with 15 points at No. 15 Oklahoma, before producing 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 43 career games at NU. Cannon-Johnson is tied with Margaret Richards for the team lead with 11.1 points per game, which is tied for 21st in the Big 12, while her 8.5 rebounds per game leads the team and ranks third in the conference. Cannon-Johnson also ranks 14th in the Big 12 and second on the team with 3.4 assists per game, while tying Kiera Hardy for the team lead with 26 total steals.

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 527 career points, 363 rebounds, 163 assists, 82 steals and 24 blocked shots.

Alexa Johnson enters the Kansas State contest averaging 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, after an eight-point, three-rebound effort at Texas Tech. Nebraska's top returning scorer from a year ago, Johnson has produced double figures in eight of the Huskers' 16 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 27th 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 819 points, 366 rebounds, 44 assists, 63 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 hit for a season-high 18 points at Missouri, where she added eight boards and three blocked shots, before producing 10 points, six boards and a school-record seven blocks in the win over Texas A&M. She added eight points, six rebounds and three blocks at Texas Tech to push her season averages to 9.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

Morse, who has helped the Huskers to a 27-8 record as a starter, 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 blocks. She added a pair of double-figure scoring efforts with a 15-point, six-rebound performance in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette, and an 11-point, six-board effort in the win over Creighton.

Morse is tied for second in the Big 12 with 2.1 blocks per game and leads the league with 3.2 blocks per contest in Big 12 games. She ranks sixth on NU's career list with 81 blocked shots.

Over the past two seasons, the Huskers are a combined 18-5 with Morse in the lineup, including a 5-2 record last season and a 13-3 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. 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 346 points, 268 rebounds, 81 blocked shots, 36 assists and 26 steals.

Jina Johansen produced 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 on Jan. 10. She added a season-best six boards in the win at Rice and 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 4.1 points and a team-leading 4.6 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the Big 12. She did not score but did dish out four assists and provided blanket defense on Texas Tech's Natalie Ritchie to hold her to just two points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field.

For the season, Johansen ranks third on the team with 11 made three-pointers, while shooting a solid 39.3 percent (11-28) from long range. Entering this season, Johansen had made just 9-of-36 three-pointers in her career.

Johansen 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 ISU, including a career-high eight three-point attempts. She had not attempted more than four field goals in any game this season.

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 277 points, 156 rebounds, 305 assists, 60 steals and five blocked shots. She ranks in a tie for eighth on Nebraska's career assist chart with 305. 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 eight games. The Canute, Okla., native has missed more than a month since suffering a foot injury in practice on Dec. 20. She has returned to light shooting, but is not expected to play against Kansas State.

Despite missing the last eight 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 16 three-pointers, while shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. Hardy has also cracked Nebraska's top five on the freshman single-season three-point list and needs just one more to catch Kephart in fourth.

Kiera Hardy has been the Huskers' most exciting freshman, averaging 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and a team-leading 2.0 steals per game, which is tied for seventh in the Big 12. She has helped the Huskers to an 11-2 record when she has been in the lineup with NU's only losses coming at No. 3 Texas Tech and at No. 15 Oklahoma. Hardy produced one of the best games of her young career when she struck for career highs with 17 points and six steals in the win at Missouri. With Nebraska clinging to a 69-66 lead with 1:35 left, Hardy snagged her sixth steal of the game against MU and calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to give NU some breathing room. She came through again in the closing seconds, chasing down a defensive rebound with seven seconds left and NU leading 72-69. She was fouled again and hit both free throws to seal the win over the Tigers.

Hardy had provided a consistent offensive threat by scoring at least five points in each of her first 12 games, before being held scoreless at Texas Tech. She owns five double-figure scoring efforts and eight games with nine or more points this season. She missed the Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky and Washington State games because of illness.

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 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 16-of-41 three-pointers on the season for 39.0 percent accuracy from beyond the arc, which is on pace to set the NU freshman record and ranks 13th in the Big 12. Her 16 total three-pointers rank second on the team behind fellow freshman Heather Kephart (17), and tie her for fifth on the Husker freshman single-season list.

Heather Kephart provided a major contribution through eight games, but has missed the past month with a foot injury suffered in practice on Dec. 20. She has missed NU's last eight games and is not expected to play against Kansas State. She is averaging 7.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while leading the Huskers with 17 three-pointers. Kephart, who is shooting 37.0 percent (17-46) from long range, erupted for 16 points in just 18 minutes in the season-opening win over Wofford. She hit 4-of-8 three-pointers against the Lady Terriers, to help the Huskers hit 7-of-17 long-range attempts. Her 16-point outburst against Wofford tied for the fifth-highest 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 Kansas State game averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game after back-to-back double-figure efforts against Texas A&M and No. 3 Texas Tech. She scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win over the Aggies, before adding 10 points and four boards in the loss to the Lady Raiders on Wednesday. She owns five double-figure scoring performances this season, including three in her last six games.

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 has scored eight or more points on eight occasions, including each of NU's last three games.

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 77.4 percent (24-31) 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 Kansas State game averaging 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in just 10.3 minutes per game. Gerhart's 60.4 field goal percentage leads the Huskers and would rank third in the Big 12, but Gerhart has not met the minimum requirement of 3.0 made field goals per game. Gerhart is averaging 1.8 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 seven games, Gerhart is shooting a sizzling 73.7 percent (14-19) from the field. She has hit 50 percent of her field goals or better in 11 of 16 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 0.8 assists while playing 6.7 minutes per contest.

Lightfoot connected on her fourth career field goal while setting her career high with three rebounds in the win over Texas A&M. 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 16 games for the Huskers this season and is 5-for-8 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 Fall at No. 3 Texas Tech, 68-55
No. 3 Texas Tech used an 18-4 run over a seven-minute span from the end of the first half through the start of the second half to battle its way to a 68-55 win over the Nebraska women's basketball team in front of an announced crowd of 12,302 fans at United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday.

With the loss, Nebraska slipped to 13-3 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 Conference play, while the Lady Raiders improved to 17-1 overall and 3-1 in league action.

The Huskers were in control for much of the first half, using a 16-2 surge over a four-and-a-half minute span to take a 20-13 lead, before Texas Tech responded. Nebraska led 26-24 with just over two minutes left in the first half, before the Lady Raiders closed the half on a 6-0 run, including a last-second layup by LaToya Davis off an assist from Erin Grant.

Texas Tech carried the momentum through the start of the second half, outscoring NU 12-4 to take a 42-30 lead. The Lady Raiders then started pounding the ball inside to reserve center Cisti Greenwalt, who scored 10 consecutive points to help Texas Tech push its lead to 15 points at 52-37 win 9:42 left. After NU trimmed the lead back to 11 points with 6:31 remaining, Texas Tech responded with back-to-back layups by Alesha Robertson to take its largest lead at 60-43 with 4:20 left.

The Huskers made one more push, scoring six straight points on a three-point play by Margaret Richards and a three-pointer by Chelsea Aubry to trim the lead back to 11 points with 3:22 to go, but Robertson hit Texas Tech's first two three-pointers of the night in the final two minutes to seal the victory.

Senior guard Keahsa Cannon-Johnson led the Huskers with 17 points, while Richards contributed 13 points and Aubry pitched in 10 points and four boards in a strong effort off the bench.

Robertson led the Lady Raiders with 19 points, including 10 of their last 12 points in the final five minutes. Greenwalt finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, including 14 points and seven boards in the decisive second half.

Nebraska shot just 38.5 percent (20-52) from the field, despite hitting 42.9 percent (3-7) from three-point range. The Huskers hit 80 percent (12-15) of their free throws.

Texas Tech hit 44.3 percent (27-61) of its field goal attempts, including 53.3 percent in the second half. Tech managed a solid shooting percentage despite hitting just 2-of-10 three-pointers. The Lady Raiders missed their first eight three-point attempts of the game and did not knock down a long range attempt until the final two minutes. Texas Tech was nearly perfect at the free throw line, connecting on 12-of-13 free throws. The Lady Raiders outrebounded NU, 38-28, while holding the Huskers to just eight offensive rebounds. Texas Tech pulled down 14 offensive boards and outscored NU, 20-7, on second chance points.

"I told our team before the game that the battle of the boards would be the deciding factor in the game," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "At halftime, they had nine offensive rebounds and 14 second chance points. We knew we had to do a better job in the second half, but Texas Tech hit all of its first shots in the second half so they didn't need any second chance points."

Nebraska's Notable Numbers
The Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with their 74.8 free throw percentage, after shooting 68.8 percent from the free throw line last season. NU's percentage ranks second on the Husker single-season charts, trailing only their 79.0 percent accuracy in 1981-82. Nebraska has outscored the opposition, 243-139, at the line through 16 games this season (15.2-8.7).

Nebraska's 43.5 rebounds per game rank third in the Big 12 Conference, while the Huskers' +6.8 rebounding margin ranks sixth in the league. NU outrebounded each of its first 11 opponents before being outrebounded in three of its first five Big 12 games.

NU ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 15.9 assists per game, and seventh in the Big 12 with 4.7 three-pointers made per game. Last season, the Huskers averaged just 12.5 assists and 3.4 three-pointers.

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 set a Nebraska school record with seven blocked shots in the Huskers' 65-48 win over Texas A&M on Jan. 17. Morse had six blocks against Eastern Kentucky earlier this season.

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 Have Earned Votes in National Polls
After knocking off Iowa State on Jan. 10, the Huskers earned their first vote this season in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Despite two more Big 12 Conference wins last week, the Huskers did not earn any votes in either of the two major national polls this week.

Nebraska had its streak of four consecutive weeks receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 snapped on Jan. 12, when the Huskers did not receive any AP votes. The Huskers 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).

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 and knocking off the Tigers 74-69 in Columbia (Jan. 14). NU returned home to notch a 65-48 win over Texas A&M (Jan. 17), before falling 68-55 at No. 3 Texas Tech (Jan. 21) 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.

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 a 13-3 overall record and a 3-2 Big 12 mark to improve Yori's career record to 216-163 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 overall and Big 12 Conference victory totals 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 273-96 (.740) in games played in the arena, including 96-60 (.615) in conference games. Nebraska is 9-0 at home in 2003-04, and have already surpassed its home victory total from 2002-03. The Huskers are 2-0 in Big 12 Conference games this season.

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.

So far in 2003-04, the Huskers are averaging 2,604 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.