Huskers Hope for Replay at Kansas State

The Nebraska women's basketball team (16-6, 6-5) will be hoping for a repeat result of its first meeting with No. 9 Kansas State (18-3, 9-1), when the Huskers tangle with the Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Huskers ran to an 81-63 win over KSU in Lincoln on Jan. 24 for one of the most significant wins in school history.

Nebraska's rematch with Kansas State 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. Live video can also be seen on a subscription basis at HuskersNside.com.

The Huskers will be shooting for their 17th victory overall and seventh Big 12 Conference win against the Wildcats, who head into Saturday's game on a five-game winning streak after cruising to an 81-51 victory at Kansas on Wednesday.

Since losing to the Huskers, Kansas State has devastated five Big 12 foes, including an 85-65 victory over No. 16 Baylor, a 74-65 win over No. 20 Oklahoma and a 79-53 pounding of No. 11 Colorado.

The Huskers head to Manhattan with a mini-two-game winning streak after a pair of home victories over Kansas (59-48) and Oklahoma State (64-41). NU is 2-3 since beating Kansas State, with consecutive losses to No. 3 Texas, at No. 16 Baylor and at No. 11 Colorado.

Kansas State is a perfect 10-0 at home this season, and the Wildcats have been simply dominant in Bramlage Coliseum, outscoring their opponents by an average of 30.4 points per game (83.0-52.6), including a 24-point edge in Big 12 play (82.4-58.4).

A Nebraska win would give the Huskers their first season sweep of Kansas State since the 2000-01 season, when the Huskers left Manhattan with a 77-69 victory. It would also mark the highest ranked team NU has ever defeated in a true road game. Nebraska is 2-5 against top-16 teams this season.

NU Producing One of Nation's Best Turnarounds
With a 16-6 record, Nebraska has already won eight more games than last season when the Huskers finished with an 8-20 mark. NU's eight-game swing ranks as one of the biggest turnarounds in school history trailing only 12-game improvements from 1974-75 (9-7) to 1975-76 (21-9) and 1977-78 (11-18) to 1978-79 (23-13).

Nebraska's improvement matches Southern Utah for the fourth-best turnaround in the nation this season, while UNC-Asheville is plus-12 in the win column and Hartford and Idaho State are plus-nine. Last season, only 14 NCAA Division I teams produced eight-game improvements from 2001-02 to 2002-03, led by Rutgers' nation-leading 12-game swing. Only eight teams improved by nine or more wins.

Not only have the Huskers produced a solid overall record, Nebraska has had success against some of the nation's top teams. NU owns a 2-5 record against top-16 opponents after playing their seventh top-16 opponent of the year at No. 11 Colorado on Feb. 4. Five of Nebraska's six losses this season have come against top-16 teams, with their only other loss coming early in the season to Mississippi at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn.

Ole Miss owns a 15-9 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The overall combined record of the six opponents the Huskers have suffered losses to this season is 109-29.

Scouting the #9 Kansas State Wildcats (18-3, 9-1)
No. 9 Kansas State heads into Saturday's game on a five-game winning streak since falling to the Huskers in Lincoln on Jan. 24. The Wildcats are coming off an impressive 81-51 win at Kansas on Wednesday, which followed on the heels of a 79-53 pounding of No. 11 Colorado in Manhattan on Sunday.

Lopsided wins are nothing new to Kansas State this season. The Wildcats have won 13 of their 18 games by 20 or more points, including six of their nine Big 12 Conference victories.

Kansas State's only other losses this season came on the road at the hands of top-10 teams from the Big Ten Conference with a 79-69 loss at Purdue to open the season, before losing 69-56 to Penn State at the Junkanoo Tournament in the Bahamas on Nov. 29.

The Wildcats, who have won 16 of their last 17 games, continue to feature an amazingly efficient offense that is averaging 76.5 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from three-point range.

Kansas State is led by a trio of All-America candidates in senior Nicole Ohlde and juniors Kendra Wecker and Laurie Koehn. Ohlde, a 6-4 center, is averaging 17.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Wecker is adding 16.1 points and a team-leading 8.5 boards per contest. Koehn, a 5-8 shooting guard, has contributed 13.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, while knocking down 68 three-pointers at a 43 percent clip.

Along with the play of Kansas State's big three, junior Megan Mahoney has pitched in 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and a team-leading 5.0 assists per game. Senior forward Amy Dutmer, a native of York, Neb., has earned a spot in the starting lineup in recent games and has added 2.6 points and 1.2 boards per game.

Kansas State leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 36-27, but the Huskers have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two schools. Although NU has lost two straight games at Manhattan, the Huskers are 3-3 against the Wildcats in their last six meetings at Bramlage Coliseum.

Nebraska vs. Kansas State - Game One Recap
Margaret Richards keyed a 36-13 Husker run, as Nebraska put an emphatic end to ninth-ranked Kansas State's 11-game winning streak with an 81-63 win over the Wildcats in front of 5,088 fans at the Devaney Center on Jan. 24.

The Huskers, who lost by 34 points to the Wildcats in the Devaney Center in 2002-03, turned the tables on KSU by placing four players in double figures and shooting 53.8 percent from the field, while holding the Wildcats to just 33.3 percent shooting.

"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 victory today. We could not have followed our game plan any better. Our team did everything. Our kids were tough and showed some guts. This win puts Nebraska women's basketball at least in the vicinity of the national map."

The win over the ninth-ranked Wildcats marked the highest-ranked team that Nebraska has ever knocked off at home, and matched the highest-ranked team the Huskers have ever defeated, joining a win over No. 9 Iowa at the Big Kona Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 8, 1996.

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.

Kiera 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.

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.

Nebraska, which trailed by as many as seven points in the opening half, was 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 baskets 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.

Kendra Wecker led Kansas State with 21 points and seven rebounds to pace three Wildcats in double figures.

Johnson Enjoying Offensive Resurgence
Senior Alexa Johnson has cranked up her game on the offensive end over the last six games and has moved into the team scoring lead at 11.6 points per game, which ranks 20th in the Big 12.

Johnson, a 6-1 forward from Hacienda Heights, Calif., is coming off a season-high 21-point, six-rebound effort in the Huskers' 64-41 victory over Oklahoma State in Lincoln on Wednesday. She knocked down a career-high 10 shots from the field on 17 attempts, including 6-of-7 shooting in the second half, to lead all scorers despite playing just 22 minutes. She added two steals, an assist and a blocked shot in her best all-around effort of the season.

It was Johnson's sixth consecutive game in double figures, after scoring 17 points against Kansas on Feb. 7, 13 points in three straight games against No. 3 Texas, No. 16 Baylor and No. 11 Colorado, and 12 points to start the streak in NU's win over No. 9 Kansas State on Jan. 24. Over the last six games, she is shooting 52.1 percent (37-71), including 57.4 percent (27-47) over the past four games. after shooting just 39.4 percent through the first 16 games this season. Overall, Johnson has improved her season shooting to 43.4 percent from the field.

Through the first seven games, Johnson was averaging 13.7 points per game and hitting 45.5 percent (36-79) of her shots from the field after a 14-point, six-rebound effort in NU's win over No. 13 Ohio State for her sixth double-figure scoring performance in the first seven games. After the win over the Buckeyes, Johnson fell into a nine-game slump where she averaged just 7.9 points per game and shot just 32.9 percent (25-76) from the field.

Johnson, who led the Huskers in scoring at 14.8 points per game a year ago, has now produced double figures in 14 of 22 games for the Huskers this season, including a pair of 20-point scoring efforts. She has scored in double figures in 38 of 50 games over the past two seasons, including eight 20-point performances in her career.

Cannon-Johnson's Return Powering Husker Turnaround
Nebraska senior Keasha Cannon-Johnson has been a major player in the Huskers' dramatic turnaround this season. The 5-10 guard from Kansas City, Kan., who sat out the 2002-03 season as a redshirt, has returned to the court to rank second on the team in scoring, assists and steals, while leading the team and ranking third in the Big 12 in rebounding.

Cannon-Johnson is averaging 11.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, after producing 11 points, eight boards, five assists and a steal in Nebraska's 64-41 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday. She has scored in double figures in six of her last seven games, including a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in the Huskers' win over Kansas State on Jan. 24. She has produced double figures in scoring 14 times this season, while pulling down double-figure rebounds on six occasions. She also owns four double-doubles on the season.

Cannon-Johnson is averaging 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in league play and has increased her scoring average to 13.4 points per game against ranked foes.

One of Nebraska's most consistent shooters, Cannon-Johnson has knocked down 45.5 percent of her three-point attempts on the season. She has hit 15-of-33 three-pointers on the year, including 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) in Big 12 Conference games.

Two seasons ago, Cannon-Johnson earned Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors by leading the Huskers with 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She also earned a spot on the Kansas City Star's Big 12 All-Defense Team.

Richards Giving the Huskers Solid All-Around Game
Margaret Richards has joined Keasha Cannon-Johnson to give the Huskers a dynamic duo in the backcourt in 2003-04.

Richards, a 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., ranks third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding with 10.1 points and 7.3 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. For her efforts against the Wildcats, Richards earned the first Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award of her career.

Since her scoring eruption against Kansas State and a solid 12-point, five-rebound effort against No. 3 Texas, Richards' has struggled over the last four games for the Huskers. She has hit just four of her last 29 shots from the field. She is 0-for-9 from the field over the last two games and has managed just a pair of free throws in the win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

Despite her recent shooting woes, Richards has produced double-figure point totals 12 times this season, including a season-high 23 points in the win over Eastern Kentucky and 21 points against Kansas State. She has added four double-figure rebound performances, including a career-high 15 boards against Creighton.

Hardy Making Strong Case For All-Freshman Honors
Kiera Hardy has been the Huskers' most exciting freshman, averaging 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-leading 1.6 steals per game.

The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., 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. Against the Wildcats, 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.

A difference-maker who has repeatedly changed the course of games for the Huskers this season, 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 against MU and calmly knocked down a pair of free throws. 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 also played a huge role in Nebraska's win over Kansas on Feb. 7, when she scored 14 points and a grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. She had 10 points and six rebounds in the second half against the Jayhawks to lead the Huskers back from a nine-point deficit with 9:42 to play. She scored eight points in the final five minutes to seal an 11-point victory by helping NU close the game on a 27-7 surge.

Against Iowa State, Hardy had eight points, three steals and one assist in a five-minute stretch in the first half that helped trim a 12-point Iowa State lead to just one. Hardy also played a major role in NU's win at Rice, scoring nine straight points on three straight 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. She 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 win. She energized NU with 10 points and a trio of three-pointers in the win over No. 13 Ohio State.

Hardy has produced seven double-figure scoring efforts and 12 games with eight or more points this season. She missed the Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky and Washington State games because of illness.

Huskers Holding Strong in WBCA RPI Rankings
Nebraska's amazing turnaround on the court this season has helped the Huskers ascend the ladder in the national Ratings Percentage Index rankings. The Huskers are ranked No. 34 in the WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings released Feb. 13. The Huskers have continued to climb the RPI rankings in recent weeks after playing five consecutive top-16 teams, before playing host to Kansas on Feb. 7. NU actually peaked in the rankings at No. 32 before playing the Jayhawks and slipped a spot despite a 59-48 victory over KU.

The Huskers are the seventh-highest ranked Big 12 team in the ratings. Texas leads the Big 12 Conference with a No. 6 rating in the RPI, while Kansas State has climbed to No. 8 and Colorado comes in at No. 9. Baylor has risen to No. 11, while Texas Tech earned a No. 14 spot in the RPI giving the Big 12 five of the nation's top-14 RPI teams. Oklahoma moved in front of the Huskers with a win over Texas Tech on Tuesday, shooting to No. 31. Nebraska is No. 34, while No. 37 Missouri gives the Big 12 eight teams in the top 40.

Nebraska's strength of schedule ranks 70th nationally thanks in part to a strong non-conference schedule that included Mississippi (15-9), Ohio State (14-8), Creighton (14-6), Rice (13-7), Louisiana-Lafayette (11-10) and Texas-Arlington (13-9). Overall, 14 of the 22 teams NU has played own winning records.

Kephart Returns After 13-Game Absence with Injury
Freshman Heather Kephart returned to the court for the Huskers in their 64-41 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday. The 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., made her return against her homestate school after missing Nebraska's last 13 games with a foot injury suffered in practice on Dec. 20.

Kephart played the final minutes against the Cowgirls and connected on her only shot attempt, while adding one rebound and one assist.

Before the injury, Kephart was NU's top contributor off the bench, averaging 7.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game. She was one of the Huskers' top three-point threats, connecting on 17-of-46 (37 percent) of her long range attempts. Despite playing in just nine games,

Kephart has already produced one of the top five freshman three-point shooting seasons in school history. Her 17 three-pointers still rank third on the team for the season, trailing only Kiera Hardy's 21 three-pointers and Jina Johansen's 20.

Kephart opened her Husker career wtih 16 points in the season-opening win over Wofford on Nov. 21, which ranks as the fifth-best opening performance by a freshman in school history. She added a career-high five three-pointers to shoot Nebraska to victory at Washington State on Dec. 4.

Morse, Johansen Get It Done in the Classroom
Senior Katie Morse and junior Jina Johansen qualified to be CoSIDA Academic All-America nominees for the Huskers with strong performances in the classroom during their Nebraska careers.

Morse, a 6-4 center from Minden, Iowa, carries a 3.491 grade-point average as a secondary education/social sciences major. She has started all 22 games for the Huskers this season and ranks fourth on the team with 8.9 points per game and third on the squad with 6.5 rebounds per contest. She also leads the club and ranks among Big 12 leaders with 2.0 blocked shots per game.

Johansen, a 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., owns an impressive 3.673 GPA as a nutritional science and dietetics major. She has started all 22 games for the Huskers at point guard and has added 5.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and a team-leading 5.0 assists per game, which ranks among Big 12 leaders.

Seven Huskers Claim Spots on Big 12 Honor Roll
Seven members of the Nebraska women's basketball team, including all five freshmen, earned recognition from the conference for their academic accomplishments by being named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll on Feb. 10.

CoSIDA Academic All-America candidates Katie Morse and Jina Johansen led the way for the Huskers in the classroom during the 2003 fall semester. Johansen, a junior nutrition and dietetics major, posted a 3.856 grade-point average during the fall to improve her cumulative GPA to 3.673. Morse, a senior secondary education/social sciences major, produced a 3.785 fall semester GPA to improve her cumulative GPA to 3.491.

Along with the strong performances from the two NU upperclass players, all five of the Husker freshmen performed well in the classroom. Jessica Gerhart, a 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, posted a 3.8 GPA as a nutrition and dietetics major in the fall to increase her cumulative GPA to 3.778. Heather Kephart, a 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., added a 3.715 grade-point average, while Chelsea Aubry, a 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, produced a 3.585 GPA.

Kiera Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., contributed a 3.145 GPA, while Andrea Lightfoot, a 5-8 guard from Omaha, Neb., rounded out the list of NU freshmen earning recognition with a 3.203 fall grade-point average to raise her cumulative GPA to 3.103.

The Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who earned a 3.0 GPA or higher during the previous semester. Overall, Nebraska had 286 student-athletes named to the fall honor roll, including 26 who produced perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester.

Johansen Coming On Strong in Big 12 Action
Junior Jina Johansen has improved her numbers in nearly every category since the start of Big 12 Conference play to push her season averages to 5.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

The 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., is averaging 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists in Big 12 games, after finishing the non-conference season at just 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Johansen has been even better over the past four games, averaging 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. In Nebraska's win over Kansas on Feb. 7, Johansen produced her second double-figure scoring effort of the season with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. In the Huskers' 64-41 victory over Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Johansen scored nine points, pulled down two boards and dished out seven assists to help the Huskers run past Oklahoma State.

Johansen has gained confidence in her outside shot during the Big 12 season, connecting on 14-of-38 (36.8 percent) of her three-point attempts, after hitting just 6-of-15 (40 percent) in Nebraska's 11 non-conference games this season. She has hit at least one three-pointer in four consecutive games, including three trifectas against Kansas.

Last season, Johansen hit just 9-of-32 (28.1 percent) of her three-point attempts on the year, including 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) in Big 12 Conference action. She nearly matched that total in the Huskers' second game of league action this season, when she knocked down a career-high four three-pointers on eight attempts to tie a career high with 15 points in a win over Iowa State.

A consistent playmaker throughout her career for the Huskers, Johansen has dished out four or more assists in every Big 12 game this season including, a string of 11 consecutive contests. She had season highs of eight assists against Eastern Kentucky and Texas-Arlington, and has dished out seven assists on four occasions in league play (Texas A&M, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma State).

Johansen enters the Kansas State game ranked seventh on Nebraska's all-time list with 341 career assists and needs just one more to catch Ami Beiriger (1979-83) in sixth place. Her 109 assists this season already rank as the fifth-best total by a junior in school history. Last season, she produced the second-best sophomore total in school history with 153 assists.

Morse Blocking Her Way into Husker Record Book
Senior Katie Morse has thrown up a defensive road block for opponents inside this season. The 6-4 center from Minden, Iowa, ranks third in the Big 12 in blocked shots, averaging 2.0 blocks per game, including 2.5 blocks per contest in Big 12 games, which ranks second in the league.

In Nebraska's win over Texas A&M on Jan. 17, Morse set a school record with seven blocked shots against the Aggies. Her effort against the Aggies surpassed her six-block performance earlier in the season against Eastern Kentucky to tie the school record previously held by Janet Smith (vs. Oklahoma State, Jan. 12, 1979) and Jeanne Boller (vs. Wichita State, Feb. 5, 1977).

With 45 blocks on the year, Morse ranks sixth on the Huskers' single-season block chart and needs just six more to catch Casey Leonhart in fifth place with 51. Morse has an excellent chance to crack the top four on NU's single-season list, which would be significant because all four of Nebraska's top single-season efforts were produced by one player - Janet Smith - who owns NU's career block record with 238, which is 112 more than second-place Charlie Rogers.

Morse's 92 career blocked shots rank fifth on the Huskers' all-time chart, and she needs just 12 more rejections to catch Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-83) in fourth and 14 more to reach Maurtice Ivy (1985-88) in third on the NU career list.

A solid all-around player, Morse is averaging 8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has added one assist per game, including a career-high three assists in each of Nebraska's last two games.

Morse missed 21 games for the Huskers a year ago, after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Nebraska's seventh game last season.

Huskers Roll to Win Over Oklahoma State, 64-41
Alexa Johnson continued her six-game scoring spree by pouring in a season-high 21 points, as the Nebraska women's basketball team rolled to a 64-41 win over Oklahoma State in front of 3,276 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Wednesday.

Johnson, a 6-1 senior forward from Hacienda Heights, Calif., hit a career-high 10 field goals, while attempting 17 shots from the field, including 6-of-7 shots in the second half, as Nebraska improved to 16-6 overall and 6-5 in Big 12 play.

Johnson, who scored 23 points in last season's win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater, scored 13 of her points in the second half, as the Huskers broke open a three-point game and cruised to a 23-point win.

"We think now we are a postseason team," Johnson said. "Now it just depends the kind of postseason team we want to be. The next five games will determine that."

Johnson, who eclipsed the 20-point mark for the eighth time in her career, topped her previous season best of 20 points in a loss to Mississippi on Nov. 28.

Johnson and senior guard Keasha Cannon-Johnson, who finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists, were the only Huskers to finish in double figures, but NU received balanced scoring in the triumph.

Jina Johansen scored nine points and dished out a game-high seven assists, while Chelsea Aubry chipped in nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Nine of the 10 Huskers who played broke into the scoring column, as NU shot 54.8 percent from the field in the second half and closed the game on a 16-2 run.

The Huskers, who led by as many as nine points in the first half, saw Oklahoma State (8-14, 3-8 Big 12) whittle NU's advantage to 27-24 early in the second half before the Huskers regained momentum. Nebraska held Oklahoma State without a field goal for a stretch of 5:34, turning a five-point lead into a 46-32 cushion. The Huskers, who held OSU to just 24.2 percent shooting from the field in the second half and 27.6 percent overall, led by double figures the rest of the way.

"I thought we played a very sound second half," Coach Connie Yori said. "We got out and ran, and our kids really did a good job of doing what we asked them to do."

Early on, the Huskers trailed by as many as five points in the opening minutes but seized command of the contest with a 10-2 run, turning a one-point NU lead into a 25-16 advantage after a Johnson basket with 3:33 left in the half. Johansen started the spurt by scoring five consecutive points, while Nebraska held OSU to just one field goal over a stretch of 10:38.

Trisha Skibbe, the Big 12's leading scorer at 19.8 points per game, was the only Cowgirl to finish in double figures by totaling 14 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.

Husker Freshmen Making an 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-17 freshmen in the Big 12 Conference in scoring, led by Kiera Hardy. The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., ranks fifth among conference freshmen with 8.2 points per game. Heather Kephart, a 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., ranks right behind Hardy in 10th place among league freshmen with 7.1 points per game. Unfortunately for the Huskers, Kephart missed 13 games with a foot injury, but she did return to the court in the closing minutes of Nebraska's win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

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 12th in the league, while fellow forward Jessica Gerhart comes in at 19th with 3.4 points per game. Aubry also ranks seventh among conference freshmen with 3.5 rebounds per game, while Hardy ranks 12th with 2.6 board per contest, and Gerhart ranks 18th with 2.1 rebounds per game.

Hardy ranks second among Big 12 freshmen in steals with 1.6 per game, trailing only Texas' Tiffany Jackson, and seventh in assists with 1.6 per game. Kephart ranks ninth in three-point percentage (17-46, 37.0 percent). Hardy also ranks 15th with her 30.0 three-point field goal percentage (21-70).

Gerhart is proving that she is one of the most accurate shooters among the Big 12 newcomers, ranking fourth in the league by hitting 59.3 percent (32-54) 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 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 42.8 rebounds per game, while ranking sixth in the league with a plus-6.0 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 Jan. 24, before being outrebounded in three straight games. NU produced one of its best board efforts of the season by outrebounding Kansas, 52-37, on Feb. 7, and added a plus-10 edge (45-35) in the win over Oklahoma State. Overall, NU has produced a double-figure rebounding margin 10 times this season.

The Huskers have been at their best on the offensive glass, where they are averaging 14.1 offensive boards per game to rank fourth in the league. NU has pulled down 15 or more offensive rebounds in 10 of 22 games this season.

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 8.4 rebounds per game. Margaret Richards has added 7.3 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 57 offensive rebounds, an average of 2.6 offensive boards per game, which ranks seventh in the Big 12.

Center Katie Morse has added 6.5 rebounds per game to rank 16th in the league in rebounding. Morse ranks second on the club with 47 offensive boards, while Cannon-Johnson ranks third with 46 and Alexa Johnson has added 43 offensive boards.

Nebraska joins Colorado and Texas 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 team in the Big 12 with three players who rank among the top 20 individuals in the league in rebounding is Kansas State.

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 22 games, the Huskers rank fourth in the Big 12 with a 73.5 free throw percentage. Even more impressively, NU has outscored its opponents 280-225 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 53 more free throws than the opposition, has committed 14 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 76.5 percent, while leading the Huskers in both free throws made (75) and attempted (98).

The Huskers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 12.7-10.2 (+2.5) 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 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 (79.3 percent), Alexa Johnson (77.8 percent), Chelsea Aubry (76.5 percent), Heather Kephart (75 percent) and Katie Morse (74.2 percent).

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' 22 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 13 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 Notable Numbers
The Huskers rank fourth in the Big 12 with their 73.5 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, 280-225, at the line through 22 games this season (12.7-10.2).

Nebraska's 42.8 rebounds per game rank second in the Big 12 Conference, while the Huskers' +6.0 rebounding margin ranks sixth in the league. NU outrebounded each of its first 11 opponents and 15 of its 22 opponents on the season, including a plus-10 rebound margin in the win over No. 9 Kansas State, a plus-15 in the win over Kansas and a plus-10 margin in the win over Oklahoma State.

NU ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 15.9 assists per game, and sixth in the Big 12 with 4.8 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 Earn First Top 25 Ranking Since 1999
Nebraska entered the Associated Press Top 25 on Jan. 26 for the first time since Nov. 15, 1999, as the Huskers cracked the poll at No. 25. 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.

The Huskers fell out of the top 25 after a pair of losses to top-16 teams the following week. Nebraska did not receive votes in either poll this week.

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 falling to 2003 NCAA Final Four participant and No. 3 Texas, 82-59 (Jan. 28). NU fell to 2003 WNIT runner-up, No. 16 Baylor, 67-57, (Jan. 31), before losing at 2003 NCAA Sweet 16 qualifier, No. 11 Colorado, 78-63 (Feb. 4).

Nebraska rebounded with a 59-48 victory over Kansas (Feb. 7) at the Devaney Center, before defeating Oklahoma State 64-41 at home (Feb. 11). NU hits the road for 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 close 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, Nebraska 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, 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 Feb. 5, the women's basketball team was solidly in first place with 2,082 points to lead the second-place Nebraska women's gymnastics team (1,625) by 457 points. The women's track and field team was in third with 1,374 points, while the softball team was in fourth with 1,295 points and the volleyball team was in fifth with 1,275 points.

All 21 Husker teams are taking part in the program, which assigns points to individual and team efforts in the Life Skills categories of 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 are producing one of the nation's top turnarounds in Yori's second season, running to a 16-6 overall record and a 6-5 Big 12 mark to improve Yori's career record to 219-166 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 doubled their overall win total from a season ago and have produced five more Big 12 Conference victories than 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 Feb. 5, the women's basketball team had earned 2,082 points to lead the women's gymnastics team by 457 points. The Husker women's track and field program was in third with 1,374 points, while the softball team (1,295) and volleyball team (1,275) 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 276-97 (.740) in games played in the arena, including 99-61 (.619) in conference games. Nebraska is 12-1 at home in 2003-04, and has doubled its home victory total from 2002-03. The Huskers are 5-1 at home in the Big 12.

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 3,018 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.