Huskers Hope to Rebound on Road at Kansas

The Nebraska women's basketball team (16-9, 6-8) will try to snap a three-game losing streak while closing its regular-season road Big 12 Conference schedule by battling Kansas (9-16, 2-12) at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Huskers will try to complete a season series sweep of Kansas while rebounding from a heart-breaking 78-76 loss to Missouri in Lincoln on Wednesday night. Nebraska led by 17 points midway through the second half, before slipping down the stretch against the Tigers. Kansas has lost seven consecutive games, including a 59-48 loss in Lincoln on Feb. 7, and a 75-56 loss at Colorado on Tuesday.

Nebraska's game with Kansas can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network on 98.1 KFGE in Lincoln and on the internet at Huskers.com with Matt Coatney handling play-by-play and Jeff Griesch adding color commentary.

The Huskers will be shooting for their 17th victory overall and seventh Big 12 Conference win against the Jayhawks. Nebraska has dropped five consecutive road games in the league since defeating Missouri, 74-69, on Jan. 14. However, four of those losses were to top-16 opponents, before falling to unranked Iowa State, 77-66, in Ames last Saturday.

Although Nebraska has not had much success in recent road trips in Big 12 play, the Huskers have won three of the last four times they have journeyed to Lawrence to battle the Jayhawks. NU has also won eight of the last 10 games overall in the series with Kansas. Last season at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas made clutch plays down the stretch to produce a 67-64 win on Jan. 29, 2003, before knocking off the Huskers in Lincoln, 62-58, on Feb. 19, 2003. Those KU victories snapped a seven-game Nebraska winning streak in the series. Overall, Kansas leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 43-20.

NU Producing One of Nation's Best Turnarounds
With a 16-9 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 is tied for the fifth-best turnaround in the nation this season, while UNC-Asheville is plus-14 in the win column, Idaho State and Hartford are plus-11, and Idaho is plus-nine. The Huskers are tied with Houston, Illinois State and Southern Utah at plus-eight. 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 2-6 record against top-16 opponents after playing its eighth top-16 opponent of the year at No. 9 Kansas State on Feb. 14. Six of Nebraska's nine losses this season have come against top-16 teams, with its only other losses coming early in the season to Mississippi (15-11) at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn., at Iowa State (13-12) on Feb. 21, and most recently to Missouri (14-11) in Lincoln on Feb. 25.

The overall combined record of the nine opponents the Huskers have suffered losses to this season is 166-61 (.731).

Scouting the Kansas Jayhawks (9-16, 2-12)
Nebraska heads to Kansas trying to snap a three-game losing streak, while the Jayhawks' victory drought has stretched to seven games after a 75-56 loss at No. 14 Colorado on Tuesday in Boulder. KU has not posted a win since defeating Oklahoma State, 74-61, in Lawrence on Jan. 31.

That game marked interim head coach Lynette Woodard's first game at the reins of the Kansas program, after head coach Marian Washington requested a medical leave of absence on Jan. 29. Since defeating the Cowgirls, KU has played only one of its seven opponents within single digits, which came with a 69-63 loss to Texas A&M at Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 21.

The Jayhawks are led on the court by sophomore Crystal Kemp, who is averaging 13.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The 6-2 forward has started all 25 games for KU. Aquanita Burras, a 5-9 junior guard, is the only other Jayhawk to start all 25 games this season. She enters the game averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 boards per contest.

Sophomore forward/center Tamara Ransburg has moved to the bench in recent games, but continues to provide a solid presence by averaging 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on the season. Junior college transfer LaRisha Graves, who struck for a career-high 17 points, including 14 points in the first half in the loss at Nebraska, has made 23 starts and is averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 boards per contest.

Erica Hallman (6.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg) and Nichelle Roberts (0.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg) round out KU's probable starting lineup.

Kansas leads the all-time series with Nebraska 43-20, but the Huskers have been victorious in eight of the last 10 games, including a 59-48 win in Lincoln on Feb. 7. Last season, Kansas edged Nebraska, 67-64 in Lawrence, and 62-58 in Lincoln. Those wins snapped the Huskers' seven-game series winning streak. Nebraska has won three of the past four meetings at Allen Fieldhouse.

Nebraska vs. Kansas - Game One Recap
Senior forward Alexa Johnson scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead Nebraska to a thrilling 59-48, come-from-behind victory over Kansas in Lincoln on Feb. 7.

Trailing 41-32 with 9:42 remaining in the game, the Huskers outscored KU, 24-2, in a furious eight-minute rally to secure the win and improve to 15-6 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12 Conference.

With the victory, Nebraska earned its highest overall and conference win totals since the 1999-2000 season, when NU finished 18-13 overall and 10-6 in Big 12 play. The Huskers, who snapped a three-game losing streak, also picked up their first win against the Jayhawks since the 2002 season.

Joining Johnson in double figures were senior guard Jina Johansen (11 points, four assists) and freshman guard Kiera Hardy, who scored eight of her 14 points during the critical second-half run. Hardy also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, as the Huskers outrebounded KU, 52-37, and outscored Kansas 19-4 on second-chance points. Senior guard Keasha Cannon-Johnson added a team-high 11 boards.

Junior guard Larisha Graves led Kansas with a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the first half, while adding five rebounds for Kansas, which fell to 9-11 overall and 2-7 in the league.

The Huskers, who led 27-24 at halftime, lost momentum in the opening minutes of the second half after missing 14 of their first 15 shots. Graves sank a pair of free throws to tie the score at 32 with 16:30 remaining. Graves’ charity shots started a 9-0 KU run that gave the Jayhawks their largest lead at 41-32.

Cannon-Johnson finally answered with a lay-up at the 9:34 mark, scoring the Huskers’ first points in over seven minutes and their first field goal in 10 minutes. Katie Morse and Johnson followed with field goals, and Cannon-Johnson tied the game at 41 on a three-pointer. Nebraska then took a 43-41 lead with 6:09 remaining when Johnson scored to cap an 11-point NU run.

Kansas tied it again when Tamara Ransburg scored. But the Huskers again took control with back-to-back three-point shots from Johansen and Hardy, who scored eight points in the final five minutes of the game. By the end of the 13-point run, Nebraska held a commanding 56-43 lead.

Nebraska opened the game with an 8-2 lead after the first three minutes of play, but Kansas answered with a 10-0 run that included eight points from Graves. After a time out, Nebraska, which made just three of its first 16 shots in the game, responded with eight points in less than two minutes and led, 16-12, with 9:00 remaining in the first half. The quick turnaround was sparked by Hardy, who came through with four points and a steal in less than 15 seconds during the stretch.

Nebraska maintained at least a two-point advantage until Erica Hallman scored on a lay-up, tying the game at 22 with 3:14 remaining in the first half. But Johansen responded with her second three-point field goal of the half, as NU outscored the Jayhawks, 5-2, in the final 1:42 of play to take a 27-24 halftime lead.

Johnson Enjoying Offensive Resurgence
Senior Alexa Johnson has cranked up her game on the offensive end over the last nine games and has moved into the team scoring lead at 12.0 points per game, which ranks 19th in the Big 12.

Johnson, a 6-1 forward from Hacienda Heights, Calif., struck for a season-high 21 points in the Huskers' victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 11. She hit a career-high 10 shots from the field on 17 attempts, including 6-of-7 shooting in the second half. She added six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block in her best all-around effort of the season. Johnson added 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including both her three-point attempts against Missouri on Wednesday. She added 6-of-6 shooting at the free throw line.

Johnson, who scored 11 points at Iowa State on Feb. 21, has hit for double figures in nine straight games. She had 12 points and eight rebounds at Kansas State on Feb. 14, and scored 17 points against Kansas on Feb. 7. She had 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.

Through the first seven games this season, 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. She had six double-figure scoring efforts in the first seven games. Johnson fell into a nine-game slump, averaging just 7.9 points per game and shooting just 32.9 percent (25-76) from the field.

Johnson has bounced back to average 14.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest over the past nine games.

Johnson, who led the Huskers in scoring at 14.8 points per game a year ago, has now produced double figures in 17 of 25 games this season, including three 20-point scoring efforts. She has scored in double figures in 41 of 53 games over the past two seasons, including nine 20-point performances in her career.

In her career, Johnson leads the Huskers with 951 career points and needs 49 more points to become Nebraska's 21st 1,000-point scorer in history.

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 11.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Cannon-Johnson has scored in double figures in eight of her last 10 games, including a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in the Huskers' win over Kansas State on Jan. 24. She is coming off a 14-point, nine-rebound effort against Missouri, which followed a 14-point, 11-rebound, seven-assist game at Iowa State on Feb. 24 for her fifth double-double of the season and 11th in her 52-game Nebraska career. She has produced double figures in scoring 16 times this season, while pulling down double-figure rebounds on seven occasions.

Cannon-Johnson is averaging 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in league play and has increased her scoring average to 12.5 points per game against ranked foes. One of Nebraska's most consistent shooters, Cannon-Johnson has knocked down 42.9 percent of her three-point attempts on the season. She has hit 18-of-42 three-pointers on the year, including 13-of-28 (48.1 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 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game after breaking out of her five-game scoring slump with 18 points and three steals at Iowa State on Feb. 21. She added 13 points and seven boards in a solid game against Missouri on Wednesday night.

In Nebraska's 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State on Jan. 24, 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.

After her scoring eruption against Kansas State and a solid 12-point, five-rebound effort against No. 3 Texas, Richards struggled for five games. She hit just 6-of-40 shots from the field, including just 1-for-10 from three-point range, before going 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc at ISU.

Richards has scored in double figures 14 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 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and a team-leading 1.6 steals per game after a career-high 21 points against Missouri on Wednesday.

The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., earned her first Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award on Jan. 26, after scoring 11 points, grabbing three rebounds and snagging three steals in NU's win over No. 9 Kansas State (Jan. 24). Against the Wildcats, Hardy scored nine pointsand added 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 a then-career-high 17 points and a career-best six steals in the win at Missouri on Jan. 14. With NU 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 the win over Kansas on Feb. 7, when she had 14 points and 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.

In the win over Iowa State on Jan. 10, 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 eight double-figure scoring efforts and 14 games with eight or more points this season. She missed the Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky and Washington State games because of illness.

Hardy ranks fourth among league freshmen in scoring and second in steals. She ranks 15th overall in the Big 12 in steals per game, and second among the Huskers with 22 three-pointers on the season.

Huskers Holding Strong in WBCA RPI Rankings
Nebraska's amazing turnaround on the court this season has helped the Huskers climb the ladder in the national Ratings Percentage Index rankings. The Huskers are ranked No. 45 in the WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings released Feb. 27. The Huskers slipped four spots in the rankings after Wednesday night's loss to Missouri, while the Tigers jumped six spots to No. 36. Nebraska actually peaked in the rankings at No. 32 before playing the Jayhawks and slipped a spot despite a 59-48 victory over KU. Nebraska's RPI has dipped with back-to-back losses to unranked opponents, after the Huskers had defeated 12 consecutive unranked teams before a loss at Iowa State on Feb. 21. NU's only other loss to an unranked opponent came with a 69-66 loss to Mississippi Nov. 28.

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. 10. Texas Tech is No. 12, while Baylor is not far behind at No. 16 and Oklahoma comes in at No. 17 to give the Big 12 seven of the nation's top-20 RPI teams. Missouri is No. 35, while NU is No. 45, giving the Big 12 eight teams among the top 45 in the nation. Iowa State has climbed to No. 63, while Texas A&M is No. 93, Oklahoma State No. 116 and Kansas is No. 134.

Nebraska's strength of schedule ranks 64th nationally thanks to a non-conference schedule that included Ohio State (18-8), Creighton (17-7), Rice (17-7), Mississippi (15-12), Texas-Arlington (15-10) and Louisiana-Lafayette (13-13) The Huskers have played 17 of 25 games against teams with .500 or better 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 Feb. 11 The 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., made her return against her homestate school after missing 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. She also saw limited playing time at Kansas State and Iowa State.

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 is one of the Huskers' top three-point threats, connecting on 17-of-49 (34.7 percent) of her long range attempts. Kephart did not play Wednesday against Missouri.

Kephart has already produced one of the top five freshman three-point shooting seasons in school history. Her 17 three-pointers rank fourth among the Huskers, trailing Jina Johansen's 25, Kiera Hardy's 22 and Keasha Cannon-Johnson's 18 three-pointers on the season.

Kephart opened her Husker career with 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 24 games for the Huskers this season and ranks fourth on the team with 8.7 points per game and third on the squad with 6.4 rebounds per contest. She also leads the club and ranks among Big 12 leaders with 1.9 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 24 games for the Huskers at point guard and has added 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and a team-leading 4.7 assists per game, which ranks among Big 12 leaders.

Neither Morse nor Johansen earned spots on the CoSIDA Academic All-District first or second teams.

Seven Huskers Claim Spots on Big 12 Honor Roll
Seven Huskers, 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 overall 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 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

The 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., is averaging 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.9 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 five games, averaging 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Against Iowa State on Feb. 21, Johansen produced her third double-figure scoring effort of the season and second in the last five games with 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers. She produced her second double-figure scoring effort of the season in the win over Kansas on Feb. 7, with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. In the Huskers' 64-41 victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 11, Johansen scored nine points, pulled down two boards and dished out seven assists to help the Huskers run past the Cowgirls. She added eight points at Kansas State on Feb. 14.

Johansen has gained confidence in her outside shot during the Big 12 season, connecting on 19-of-46 (41.3 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 seven consecutive games, including three trifectas against Kansas and at Iowa State.

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 steady playmaker, Johansen owns 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 game ranked sixth on Nebraska's all-time list with 350 career assists. Her 118 assists this season are tied with Ami Beiriger's 118 assists in 1980-81 for the fourth-best total by a junior in school history. Johansen needs 29 more assists to catch Amy Stephens in third place on that list. Nicole Kubik holds the junior single-season mark with 186 assists in 1998-99. Last season, Johansen 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 fifth in the Big 12 in blocked shots, averaging 1.9 blocks per game, including 2.1 blocks per contest in Big 12 games, which ranks fourth 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 47 blocks on the year, Morse ranks sixth on the Huskers' single-season block chart and needs just four 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 94 career blocked shots rank fifth on the Huskers' all-time chart, and she needs 10 more rejections to catch Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-83) in fourth and 12 more to reach Maurtice Ivy (1985-88) in third on the NU career list.

A solid all-around player, Morse is averaging 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has added one assist per game, including career highs with three assists in NU victories over Kansas (Feb. 7) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 11), and the Huskers' loss at Iowa State (Feb. 21).

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 Fall to Missouri, 78-76
Kiera Hardy scored a career-high 21 points to lead four Huskers in double figures as the Nebraska women’s basketball team built a 17-point second-half lead, but could not hold on in a 78-76 loss to Missouri in front of 3,616 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Wednesday night.

With the loss, Nebraska slipped to 16-9 overall and 6-8 in Big 12 play, while Missouri improved to 14-11 overall and 5-9 in the league.

Hardy, a 5-6 freshman guard from Kansas City, Mo., gave NU its biggest lead at 59-42 on a pair of free throws with 14:21 left. She added four straight points nearly six minutes later to keep NU’s lead at 69-55 with 8:37 left in the game. Unfortunately for the Huskers, Hardy’s steal and layup at the 8:37 mark was the last field goal of the night for Nebraska, which managed just seven free throws the rest of the way.

Nebraska’s offensive drought doomed the Huskers down the stretch, while Missouri connected on 9-of-11 field goals and scored on 11 of its last 13 possessions in the final 7:15. EeTisha Riddle tied the score at 74 with her jumper with 1:20 remaining. It marked the first time that Missouri had pulled even since the game was tied at six with 14:42 left in the first half.

Evan Unrau gave Missouri its first lead since leading 6-4, with her jumper with 41 seconds remaining to make it 76-74 MU. Nebraska senior Alexa Johnson, who scored 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point range and 6-for-6 shooting from the free throw line, hit a pair of free throws to tie the score at 76 with 26 seconds left.

Riddle, who finished with just six points, hit the game winner for the Tigers with 11 seconds left. Nebraska sprinted to halfcourt and called timeout with six seconds left. Keasha Cannon-Johnson, who scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds on the night, caught an inbounds pass near the right wing and drove to the middle and down the left side of the lane but lost the ball out of bounds with 0.3 seconds left.

However, Missouri turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds pass right in front of the Nebraska bench, giving the Huskers one last desperation shot at the buzzer. NU threw an over-the-top, alley-oop pass to Cannon-Johnson across court, who bobbled the ball initially, forcing her to land. She threw the ball high off the glass and it somehow went in, but the shot came clearly after the buzzer had sounded.

MyEsha Perkins led four Tigers in double figures with 18 points, while Stretch James added 16 points and nine rebounds. Unrau, who scored 40 points and grabbed 15 boards in MU’s previous game against Kansas State, did not score in the first half and played only 6:23 before being whistled for her second personal foul with 13:37 remaining in the opening stanza. Unrau did not score her first point until hitting a free throw with 16:25 remaining in the game, but she scored 11 of the Tigers’ last 36 points in the final 13:48 to lead Missouri all the way back for the victory. Unrau finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals.

While Missouri sizzled from the field in the final eight minutes, Nebraska was 0-for-8 from the field and committed four turnovers. Nebraska did manage to hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch and finished the game 24-of-26 from the free throw line.

Nebraska also shot well from three-point range, connecting on 6-of-9 shots from long range (66.7 percent), but finished the game at just 42.6 percent from the field.

Missouri finished the game at 45.9 percent from the field, including 6-of-13 from three-point range. MU also hit 16-of-21 free throws (76.2 percent). The Tigers outrebounded the Huskers 35-32, including a 20-13 edge on the boards in the second half. Missouri committed 16 turnovers, while NU had 18 miscues.

Hardy and Cannon-Johnson combined for 27 first-half points to power NU to a 42-32 halftime lead. Hardy scored 15 first-half points, just two short of her previous career-high total for a game, while Cannon-Johnson added 12 first-half points. The Huskers connected on 12-of-26 field goals, including 3-of-4 three-point field goal attempts. Nebraska was also a perfect 15-of-15 at the free throw line in the first half.

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-20 freshmen in the Big 12 Conference in scoring, led by Kiera Hardy. The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., ranks fourth among conference freshmen with 8.4 points per game.

Chelsea Aubry, a 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, continues to climb the league's scoring ladder among freshmen. Aubry is averaging 5.9 points per game to rank 11th in the league, while fellow forward Jessica Gerhart comes in at 20th with 3.2 points per game. Aubry also ranks seventh among conference freshmen with 3.5 rebounds per game, while Hardy ranks ninth with 2.7 boards per contest, and Gerhart ranks 17th with 2.0 rebounds per game.

Heather Kephart, a 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., ranks in 12th place among league freshmen with 5.8 points per game. Unfortunately for the Huskers, Kephart missed 13 games with a foot injury, before returning to limited action against Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State.

Hardy ranks second among Big 12 freshmen in steals with 1.6 per game, trailing only Texas' Tiffany Jackson, and seventh in assists with 1.4 per game. Kephart ranks 11th in three-point percentage (17-49, 34.7 percent). Hardy ranks 16th in that category with her 28.9 three-point field goal percentage (22-76). Gerhart is proving that she is one of the most accurate shooters among the Big 12 newcomers, ranking fourth in the league by hitting 56.7 percent (34-60) 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 threatening the 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 third in the Big 12 by averaging 42.1 rebounds per game, while ranking sixth in the league with a plus-5.6 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. The Huskers added a plus-10 margin (44-34) in the loss at No. 9 Kansas State and outrebounded Iowa State, 36-33, on Feb. 21. Overall, NU has produced a double-figure rebounding margin 11 times this season, and the Huskers have outrebounded 17 of their 25 opponents.

The Huskers have been at their best on the offensive glass, where they are averaging 14.2 offensive boards per game to rank third in the league. NU has pulled down 15 or more offensive rebounds in 11 of 25 games this season, including a season-high 21 offensive boards against Wofford, St. Bonaventure and Kansas State (Feb. 14).

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 6.9 rebounds per game to rank 12th 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 62 offensive rebounds, an average of 2.5 offensive boards per game, which ranks 11th in the Big 12.

Center Katie Morse has added 6.4 rebounds per game to rank 17th in the league in rebounding. Morse ranks third on the club with 53 offensive boards, trailing Cannon-Johnson's 55 offensive boards, which is tied for 15th in the Big 12 at 2.2 offensive rebounds per game. Alexa Johnson has added 48 offensive boards.

Nebraska joins Kansas State and Texas as the only teams in the Big 12 Conference that feature three players who rank among the top 20 in the league in rebounding.

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 25 games, the Huskers rank third in the Big 12 with a 74.1 free throw percentage. Even more impressively, NU has outscored its opponents 334-271 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 61 more free throws than the opposition, has committed 16 fewer fouls than its opponents, and only five Huskers (Margaret Richards vs. Wofford; Heather Kephart vs. Mississippi; Alexa Johnson vs. Oklahoma; Keasha Cannon-Johnson vs. Texas A&M; Kiera Hardy at Iowa State) have fouled out.

Margaret Richards has led Nebraska at the line this season. The 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., is shooting 74.3 percent, while leading the Huskers in both free throws made (81) and attempted (109).

The Huskers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 13.4-10.8 (+2.6) 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. Five of the 10 Huskers on the roster are shooting 70 percent or better at the free throw line, including Kiera Hardy (84.6 percent), Alexa Johnson (80.0 percent), Katie Morse (76.3 percent) and Heather Kephart (75 percent). All of the 10 Huskers are shooting 60 percent or better at the line, including Jessica Gerhart (68.8 percent), Chelsea Aubry (68.3 percent), Keasha Cannon-Johnson (67.9 percent) and Andrea Lightfoot (66.7 percent), and Jina Johansen (60.9 percent).

Poise Counts - Huskers Come Through in Clutch
Nebraska has provided Husker fans with some of the most exciting basketball in the country this season. Eleven of NU's 25 games have been decided by eight points or less, including 10 of the Huskers' first 14 games. Nebraska has found a way to win nine times, with their only losses coming to Mississippi (69-66) on Nov. 28, and Missouri (78-76) on Wednesday night in Lincoln.

Nebraska has given fans their money's worth at the Devaney Center. Six of NU's 14 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, a two-point nail-biter against Louisiana-Lafayette, and a two-point loss to Missouri. The excitement has followed NU on the road, beginning with a three-point loss to Mississippi and a three-point win over Eastern Kentucky at the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic. Nebraska continued its string of thrillers with an eight-point win at Washington State and a three-point win at Rice. NU added 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 third in the Big 12 with their 74.1 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, 334-271, at the line through 25 games this season (13.4-10.8). The Huskers set a season-best by hitting 92.3 percent (24-26) of their free throws in the loss to Missouri on Wednesday, including a perfect 15-for-15 effort in the first half.

Nebraska's 42.1 rebounds per game rank third in the Big 12 Conference, while the Huskers' +5.6 ebounding margin ranks sixth in the league. NU outrebounded each of its first 11 opponents and 17 of its 25 opponents on the season, including a plus-10 rebound margins in both games against No. 9 Kansas State, a plus-15 margin in the win over Kansas and a plus-10 margin in the win over Oklahoma State.

NU ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 15.6 assists per game, and sixth in the Big 12 with 4.9 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 any votes in the Associated Press poll this week. Nebraska has played eight games against teams currently ranked the AP Top 25, including current No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 9 Kansas State (twice), No. 14 Colorado, No. 16 Baylor, No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 25 Ohio State.

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 fell at No. 9 Kansas State 89-69 (Feb. 14), before losing at Iowa State, 77-66 (Feb. 21). After falling to Missouri, 78-76 (Feb. 25), the Huskers travel to Kansas (Feb. 28), and close the regular season with Senior Night against Colorado (March 3). NU travels 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 16-9 overall record and a 6-8 Big 12 mark to improve Yori's career record to 219-169 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 276-98 (.738) in games played in the arena, including 99-62 (.615) in conference games. Nebraska is 12-2 at home in 2003-04, and has doubled its home victory total from 2002-03. The Huskers are 5-2 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, 2003.

So far in 2003-04 attendance is on the rise and the Huskers are averaging 3,061 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.