Five Huskers Honored at Spring Banquet

Lincoln, Neb. - The Nebraska women's basketball program honored five players with special awards at its spring banquet at the Memorial Stadium Skyboxes on Monday, March 29.

Senior Alexa Johnson captured the team's Offensive Player-of-the-Year Award, while senior Margaret Richards was honored with the Defensive Player-of-the-Year Award.  Junior Jina Johansen claimed the Husker Award, presented to the player who has shown dedication and commitment to improving herself and her teammates, while senior Katie Morse and junior LaToya Howell shared the Teammate Award, which is given to the NU player that provides an uplifting presence to her teammates.

Johnson, a 6-1 forward from Hacienda Heights, Calif., led the Huskers in scoring for the second consecutive season, averaging 12.8 points per game to rank 16th on the Big 12 Conference scoring charts.  Johnson became the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau and finished her career ranked 20th on the all-time scoring list with 1,035 points. She also finished in a tie for third on Nebraska's career free throw percentage list with her 79.6 percent accuracy from the charity stripe.

Richards, a 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., earned the Defensive Player-of-the-Year Award, by providing stellar defensive play throughout the season.  Nebraska's best on-the-ball defender, Richards was often charged with guarding the opponent's top offensive threat.  Richards ranked among the top 30 players in the Big 12 by averaging 9.7 points per game, while ranking 16th in the conference with 6.5 rebounds per game.  She earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors on Jan. 26 for her scintilating 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals to lead Nebraska to an 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State.

Johansen earned the Husker Award with her amazing work during the offseason to improve her shooting stroke, while also continuing to show her unselfishness by leading the Huskers in assists.  Johansen led the Huskers with 30 three-pointers on the season, while ranking sixth in the Big 12 with her 41.1 percent accuracy from long range.  Entering the season, the 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., had hit just 9-of-36 three-pointers in her career.  She tied Amy Stephens (1987-88) for second on the NU single-season chart with her accuracy from beyond the arc in 2003-04, trailing only Kate Galligan's 45.6 percent shooting season from three-point range in 1995-96.   Johansen also produced the fourth-best single-season assist total in school history with 144, while climbing to sixth on the NU career assist chart with 376.

Morse, a 6-4 center from Minden, Iowa, and Howell, a 5-4 guard from Chicago, Ill., shared the Teammate Award.  Morse provided the Huskers with a major lift by returning from a knee injury that ended her junior season after seven games to average 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  Howell was forced to sit out the 2003-04 season after transferring from Air Force, but showed her dedication to her teammates by pushing them every day in practice.

Along with presenting the four major team awards, Coach Connie Yori spoke about each one of Nebraska's four seniors, including Keasha Cannon-Johnson, and their efforts in creating the Huskers' dramatic turnaround in 2003-04.  Nebraska finished with an 18-12 overall record, which was a 10-game improvement over its 8-20 mark in 2002-03.  The Huskers, who were picked to finish 12th in the preseason Big 12 poll, finished seventh in the Big 12 standings with a 7-9 record.  Nebraska earned its first postseason berth since 1999-2000, with a trip to the 2004 Women's National Invitation Tournament and won its first postseason game since 1998 by defeating Drake, 73-60, in the first round of the WNIT at the Devaney Center.  It was just the second home postseason tournament game for the Huskers in school history.