Huskers Shoot for Upset Against No. 3 Texas

The No. 25 Nebraska women's basketball team (14-3, 4-2) continues its five-game stretch against top-25 opponents by battling No. 3 Texas (17-2, 5-1) at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. The Huskers will put their perfect 10-0 home record on the line against the Longhorns, who advanced to 2003 NCAA Women's Final Four last season and are the only team to beat No. 1 Tennessee this season.

Nebraska's game with Texas can 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. A live video feed from the game can also be seen on a subscription basis on HuskersNside.

The Huskers, who this week earned their first Associated Press Top 25 ranking since Nov. 15, 1999, are coming off one of the biggest wins in school history with their 81-63 victory over then-No. 9 Kansas State at the Devaney Center on Saturday. The Wildcats were the highest-ranked team the Huskers have ever beaten at the Devaney Center and matched the highest-ranked squad NU has ever defeated.

Nebraska owns only three wins over top-10 opponents in school history, but will be looking for a fourth against the Longhorns, who will be the Huskers' third straight top-10 opponent.

A win over No. 3 Texas would give the Huskers their most wins since posting an 18-13 record in 1999-2000, and their most Big 12 victories since running to a 10-6 league mark that same season.

A victory would also snap the Longhorns' five-game series winning streak against the Huskers. Nebraska has not defeated Texas since a 60-55 win over the Longhorns at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City on March 3, 1999. NU has not beaten Texas in Lincoln since Jan. 28, 1998. Last season, Texas raced to an 86-54 win over Nebraska in Austin, as the Longhorns opened with an 18-0 run in the first 5:25 of the game. Stacy Stephens was the only UT starter to play more than 18 minutes.

Senior Guards Leading the Charge for the Huskers
Nebraska senior guards Margaret Richards and Keasha Cannon-Johnson have been the Huskers' dynamic duo in the backcourt in 2003-04. Richards, a 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., leads the Huskers in scoring with 11.7 points per game, while ranking ninth in the Big 12 with 7.5 rebounds per game. In Nebraska's 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State, Richards played one of the best games of her career with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals. Along with her solid scoring and rebounding numbers, Richards ranks third on the team with 3.0 assists per game and second on the team with 13 blocked shots.

Cannon-Johnson, a 5-10 guard from Kansas City, Kan., enters the Texas game ranked second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game, while leading the club with 8.6 rebounds per contest, which ranks third in the Big 12. She has added 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game to rank second on the team in both categories.

Cannon-Johnson, who sat out last season as a redshirt and did not play against Texas, is coming off her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Kansas State. She added a 17-point effort at No. 3 Texas Tech last Wednesday and is averaging a team-leading 12.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in Big 12 Conference games.

Scouting the #3 Texas Longhorns (17-2, 5-1)
No. 3 Texas enters the week with a 17-2 overall record and a 5-1 Big 12 Conference mark after a narrow 64-62 win at Texas A&M on Sunday. The Longhorns remained at No. 3 in the Associated Press national ranking on Monday after No. 1 Duke was defeated by No. 2 Tennessee, and co-No. 3 Texas Tech lost in double-overtime at Oklahoma State on Saturday. Texas is the only team other than Tennessee to defeat Duke this season, and the only squad to knock off the Lady Vols, posting a 70-60 win at Knoxville on Dec. 28.

The Longhorns come to Lincoln sharing the Big 12 Conference lead with Colorado, as both teams own 5-1 records. Texas' only Big 12 loss came Jan. 14 against Baylor in Waco, where the Lady Bears beat the Longhorns 78-64. UT's only other loss this season came at Penn State (79-59) on Dec. 7.

Texas possesses one of the most explosive lineups in the Big 12, featuring Naismith National Player-of-the-Year candidates Stacy Stephens, Heather Schreiber and Jamie Carey.

All three stars played major roles in UT's 86-54 rout of Nebraska in Austin last season. Carey, a 5-6 junior guard, scored 13 points, hit a trio of three-pointers and distributed six assists in just 16 minutes of action, while Schreiber scored 12 points and hit a pair of three-pointers in just 18 minutes of work. Carey and Schreiber teamed up to score UT's first 16 points of the game as part of an 18-0 Longhorn run in the opening 5:25. Carey did not play in the second half, and Schreiber saw just seven minutes of second-half action. Stephens produced a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while playing a team-high 25 minutes as the only starter to see more than 18 minutes of work.

Texas is outscoring its opponents by an average of 22.8 points per game, while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, including a solid 38.0 percent from three-point range. The Longhorns also rank second in the Big 12 with a plus-11.5 team rebounding margin.

The Longhorns lead the all-time series with Nebraska, 9-3, including five consecutive victories.

Huskers Off to One of Best Starts in History
Nebraska's 14-3 start to the season ranks as 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 surpassed the pace set by the 1991-92 team that ended the year with a 21-11 record and a 9-5 mark in Big Eight play to advance to the WNIT.

With 14 wins already this season, Nebraska is plus-six in the win column over the entire 2002-03 season. The Huskers' 10 home victories are also four 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 Earn First Top 25 Ranking Since 1999
Nebraska entered the Associated Press Top 25 this week for the first time since Nov. 15, 1999, as the Huskers cracked the poll at No. 25 on Jan. 26. The last time NU was ranked came in the second week of the 1999-2000 season. The Huskers were ranked 24th in the preseason poll and maintained the ranking in the first regular-season ranking on Nov. 15, before beating Georgia Southern and falling to Wisconsin in overtime in the Time Warner Cable Classic.

Richards, Hardy Capture Big 12 Weekly Honors Nebraska senior Margaret Richards captured the first Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award of her career, while freshman Kiera Hardy added her first Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award of the season when the conference office announced the weekly honor winners on Jan. 26.

Richards played one of the best games of her career with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals in Nebraska's 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State. The 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., added 13 points in the Huskers' loss at No. 3 Texas Tech on Wednesday. Richards joins fellow senior guard Keasha Cannon-Johnson as Huskers honored with the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award this season.

Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., scored 11 points in the win over No. 9 Kansas State, including nine points, one rebound and one steal in a decisive 2:13 span that pushed Nebraska's lead from nine points to 16 points in the second half.

Huskers Outperforming Opponents from Long Range
The Huskers are outshooting their opponents from three-point range this season, connecting on 80-of-239 three-pointers (33.5 percent), while the opposition has managed to knock down 76-of-241 three-pointers (31.5 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 the 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., has hit 17 three-pointers (17-46, 37 percent) even though she has missed NU's last eight games with a foot injury. Kiera Hardy has matched Kephart's production from long range, hitting 17 three-pointers (17-43, 39.5 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 fourth among all freshman seasons in school history for the Huskers.

Junior guard Jina Johansen has added 13 three-pointers on the year, while connecting on 41.9 percent (13-31) 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 (7-15, 46.7 percent) have given Nebraska added threats from long range. Overall, the Huskers have six players shooting 37 percent or better from beyond the arc.

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 17 games, the Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with a 74.3 free throw percentage. Even more impressively, NU has outscored its opponents 249-155 at the stripe. If the season ended today, Nebraska's percentage would rank as the third-best mark in school history, trailing only the 79.0 free throw percentage by the 1981-82 team and the 74.5 percent accuracy produced by the 1988-89 squad.

Nebraska, which has attempted 107 more free throws than the opposition, has committed 36 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 78.0 percent, while leading the Huskers in both free throws made (71) and attempted (91).

The Huskers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 14.6-9.1 (+5.5) 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 (73.3 percent).

Huskers Winning Battle on the Boards
Another key ingredient to Nebraska's success has been the Huskers' aggressiveness on the boards. NU ranks second in the Big 12 by averaging 43.4 rebounds per game, while ranking fifth in the league with a plus-6.9 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 were outrebounded in three of their first five Big 12 games, including Texas Tech's 38-28 edge. NU bounced back with a plus-10 advantage on the boards in its win over No. 9 Kansas State on Saturday.

The Huskers have been at their best on the offensive glass, where they are averaging 14.6 offensive boards per game to rank fourth in the league. NU has pulled down 15 or more offensive rebounds in nine of its first 17 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 8.6 rebounds per game. Margaret Richards has added 7.5 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 48 offensive rebounds, an average of 2.8 offensive boards per game, which ranks seventh in the Big 12.

Center Katie Morse has added 6.9 rebounds per game to rank 11th in the league in rebounding. Morse ranks second on the club with 39 offensive boards, while Cannon-Johnson ranks third with 36.

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 Texas.

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' 17 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 10 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’s Starters at a Glance
Margaret Richards has been Nebraska's leader through 17 games, averaging 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, after producing one of the best games of her career with 21 points eight rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals in the Huskers' 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State. She added 13 points earlier in the week at No. 3 Texas Tech and earned the first Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award of her career on Jan. 26.

Richards is tied for 20th 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 13 blocks.

She produced the second double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Creighton. She has scored in double figures in 11 of NU's 17 games, while adding three double-figure rebounding efforts.

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 and grabbed 10 boards for her fourth career double-double. She also tied a school record with 18 free throw attempts against EKU 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 EKU. 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 73 career three-pointers and needs eight more to catch Brooke Schwartz in sixth place (81). She owns 824 career points, 449 rebounds, 184 assists, 111 steals and 25 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 is coming off one of her best weeks this season. After scoring 17 points at No. 3 Texas Tech on Wednesday, she posted her fourth double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds in NU's 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State to increase her season averages to 11.4 points and a team-leading 8.6 rebounds per game.

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 with a season-high 23 points and four steals to go along with eight rebounds and four assists in the win over Creighton. She scored 15 points at No. 15 Oklahoma, before producing her third double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 boards in a win over Iowa State. She owns 10 double-doubles in 44 career games at NU. She ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding and 23rd in scoring. She also ranks 12th in the Big 12 and second on the team with 3.5 assists per game and ranks among the league's top 20 with 1.6 steals per contest.

The 2002 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Cannon-Johnson earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades as a junior. 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 season-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 543 career points, 373 rebounds, 167 assists, 84 steals and 24 blocked shots.

Alexa Johnson enters the Texas contest averaging 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, after a 12-point, five-rebound effort in the win over No. 9 Kansas State. NU's top returning scorer from a year ago, Johnson has produced double figures in nine of the Huskers' 17 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 26th 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 831 points, 371 rebounds, 44 assists, 64 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 nine points, five rebounds and three blocks at Texas Tech to push her season averages to 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

Morse, who has helped the Huskers to a 28-8 career 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 ranks second in the Big 12 with 2.2 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 84 blocked shots.

Over the past two seasons, the Huskers are a combined 19-5 with Morse in the lineup, including a 5-2 record last season and a 14-3 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 355 points, 273 rebounds, 84 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 another strong effort with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, six assists and four rebounds in NU's win over No. 9 Kansas State on Jan. 24.

Johansen added a season-best six boards in the win at Rice and owns season highs of eight assists against Texas-Arlington and Eastern Kentucky. She has provided a steady play-making presence by averaging 4.4 points and a team-leading 4.6 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the Big 12. For the season, Johansen ranks third on the team with 13 three-pointers, while shooting 41.9 percent (13-31) from long range.

Johansen made just six three-pointers in the first 12 games this season before hitting four against Iowa State. She attempted a career-high 12 field goals, including a career-high eight three-point attempts, against ISU. In Big 12 games, Johansen is tied for eighth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (7-16, 43.8 percent).

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 career, Johansen has totaled 285 points, 160 rebounds, 311 assists, 60 steals and five blocked shots. She ranks eighth on Nebraska's career assist chart with 311. 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 nine 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 No. 3 Texas.

Despite missing the last nine games, Kephart is still tied for the team lead with 17 made three-pointers to rank in a tie for 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 also knocked down 17 three-pointers, while shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. Hardy is tied with Kephart for fourth on the freshman single-season three-point chart.

Kiera Hardy has been the Huskers' most exciting freshman, averaging 8.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-leading 2.1 steals per game, which ranks seventh in the Big 12. She earned the first Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award of her career on Jan. 26, after scoring 11 points, grabbing three rebounds and snagging three steals in NU's win over No. 9 Kansas State.

Hardy has helped the Huskers to a 12-2 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 producing six double-figure scoring efforts and nine 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 nine points,while adding a steal and a rebound in a 2:13 span in the second half to push a nine-point NU lead to 16 points. She 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 Iowa State lead to just one point. 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 -- all in 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 12 points and pulled down a career-best six rebounds against Princeton and energized NU with 10 points and a trio of three-pointers in the win over No. 13 Ohio State.

Hardy has become a dangerous weapon from long range, connecting on 17-of-43 three-pointers on the season for 39.5 percent accuracy from beyond the arc, which is on pace to set the NU freshman record and ranks 13th in the Big 12. Her 17 total three-pointers match fellow freshman Heather Kephart in a tie for fourth on the Husker freshman single-season list.

Heather Kephart provided a major contribution through eight games, but has missed more than a month with a foot injury suffered in practice on Dec. 20. She has missed NU's last nine games and is not expected to play against Texas. 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 is tied with teammate Kiera Hardy for 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 Texas game averaging 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She produced 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 against the Lady Raiders. She owns five double-figure scoring performances this season, including three in her last seven 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 Texas game averaging 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in just 9.9 minutes per game. Gerhart's 60.0 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 eight games, Gerhart is shooting a sizzling 71.4 percent (15-21) from the field. She has hit 50 percent of her field goals or better in 12 of 17 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 0.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists while playing 6.4 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 17 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 Run Past No. 9 Kansas State, 81-63
Margaret Richards keyed a 36-13 Husker run, as Nebraska put an emphatic end to ninth-ranked Kansas State’s 11-game winning streak, blowing out the Wildcats, 81-63, in front of a crowd of 5,088 at the Devaney Center and a national television audience Saturday afternoon.

The Huskers, who lost by 34 to the Wildcats in the Devaney Center last season, turned the tables on the Big 12 leading Wildcats on Saturday, placing four players in double figures and shooting 53.8 percent, while holding KSU to just 33.3 percent shooting.

The ease of the 18-point victory was surprising to second-year Nebraska Head Coach Connie Yori, who was winless in three previous meetings against Kansas State before Saturday.

"I would have never guessed in a million years that we would have been able to beat Kansas State by 18 points today," Yori said. "I am so happy for our upperclassmen.

"It was a tremendous team victory today," Yori said. "We could not have followed our game plan any better. Our team did everything. Our kids were tough and showed some guts and this win puts Nebraska women’s basketball at least in the vicinity of the national map."

The win for Nebraska, who improved to 14-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play, was the largest in the series since a 31-point win during the 1997-98 season, while the win over the ninth-ranked Wildcats was the highest-ranked team Nebraska has ever knocked off at home.

Richards played a superb game, scoring a game-high 21 points and pulling down eight rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. The 5-9 senior hit 9-of-16 shots, dished out five assists and had a career-best five steals in the win.

Hardy came off the bench to score nine of her 11 points in the second half, and had three steals, while Keasha Cannon-Johnson recorded her 10th career double-double and fourth of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Alexa Johnson rounded out the quartet with 12 points and five rebounds, helping the Huskers remain undefeated at home (10-0) this season.

The Huskers did a stifling job on the interior, holding Big 12 Player of the Year Nicole Ohlde to 14 points and four rebounds, as the national player of the year candidate scored just two points in the final 26:10, including a stretch of 22 scoreless minutes, as the Huskers seized the momentum in the final stages of the first half.

The Huskers, who trailed by as many as seven in the opening half, were down 28-23 after Ohlde’s eighth point at the 4:10 mark before taking control of the game. NU erupted for nine unanswered points over the next 2:45, as Jina Johansen’s three-pointer tied the game at 28 before baskets by Richards and Hardy gave the Huskers a four-point lead with 1:15 left in the half.

The Huskers took a three-point lead into the locker room, but Richards’ defensive mastery helped Nebraska quickly extend the margin, as the fifth-year senior made consecutive steals on KSU’s first two possessions, leading to easy buckets to give NU a 38-31 lead. The Huskers’ athleticism led to numerous easy buckets in transition, as Nebraska hit 12 of its first 14 shots in the second half to take an 18-point lead.

The Huskers, who outrebounded the Wildcats by a 42-32 margin, dominated inside, outscoring KSU 50-20 on points in the paint and 22-4 on fast break points. Nebraska led by as much as 25 points on three occasions in the second half before settling for the 18-point win.

Wecker led KSU with 21 points and seven rebound to pace three Wildcats in double figures.

Nebraska's Notable Numbers
The Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with their 74.3 free throw percentage, after shooting 68.8 percent from the free throw line last season. NU's percentage ranks third on the Husker single-season charts, trailing only their 79.0 percent accuracy in 1981-82 and 74.5 percent in 1988-89. Nebraska has outscored the opposition, 249-155, at the line through 17 games this season (14.6-9.1).

Nebraska's 43.4 rebounds per game rank second in the Big 12 Conference, while the Huskers' +6.9 rebounding margin ranks fifth in the league. NU outrebounded each of its first 11 opponents and 13 of its 17 opponents on the season, including a plus-10 rebound margin in the win over No. 9 Kansas State.

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.

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 8.5 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 nine 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 6.0 points per game to rank 11th in the league, while fellow forward Jessica Gerhart comes in at 15th with 4.2 points per game. Aubry also ranks seventh among conference freshmen with 3.2 rebounds per game, while Hardy ranks 14th with 2.6 boards per game and Gerhart ranks 17th with 2.5 rebounds per contest.

Hardy ranks second among Big 12 freshmen in steals with 2.1 per game, trailing only Texas' Tiffany Jackson, and sixth in assists with 1.7 per game. Hardy also ranks seventh among league freshmen with her 39.5 three-point field goal percentage (17-41). Kephart ranks 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 60.0 percent (30-50) of her field goal attempts. Gerhart is the only Big 12 freshman with more than 15 field goal attempts who is shooting better than 55 percent from the field. She is also on pace to establish a Nebraska single-season freshman record for field goal percentage.

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 returned to the Devaney Center to post one of the biggest wins in school history with a decisive 81-63 win over then-No. 9 Kansas State (Jan. 24), before battling 2003 NCAA Final Four participant and No. 3 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 14-3 overall record and a 4-2 Big 12 mark to improve Yori's career record to 217-163 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 nearly doubled their overall win total from a season ago and quadrupled their Big 12 Conference victory total from the 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 274-96 (.741) in games played in the arena, including 97-60 (.618) in conference games. Nebraska is 10-0 at home in 2003-04, and has nearly doubled its home victory total from 2002-03. The Huskers are 3-0 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 attendance is on the rise and the Huskers are averaging 2,853 fans per game, including a season-high 5,809 fans at their Big 12 Conference opener against Iowa State on Jan. 10 and 5,088 fans who witnessed the Huskers' 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State on Jan. 24.

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.