Huskers Host UNO in Exhibition Finale

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team concludes its exhibition season by playing host to the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 2:05 p.m.

The Huskers opened exhibition play on Halloween with a solid 82-52 victory over visiting Nebraska-Kearney. Sophomore guard Kiera Hardy provided the fans with plenty of treats by erupting for a game-high 26 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and one steal. Junior forward Elena Diaz, playing in her first game in a Nebraska uniform, also showed the home crowd that she had some tricks up her sleeve. The 6-1 transfer from Medellin, Colombia by way of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College hit for 16 points, while adding four rebounds.

Nebraska also got a strong effort from true freshman Danielle Page, who led all players with 10 rebounds to go along with six points, one blocked shot and a steal.

Although the Huskers put one strong start in the bag with the win over the Lopers, they suffered a minor setback with LaToya Howell’s severely sprained right ankle in the first half. The 5-5 junior transfer from Air Force scored seven points, dished out four assists, notched one steal and grabbed two rebounds in her first 11 minutes in a Husker uniform before the injury. Howell is expected to miss two to four weeks with the injury.

Nebraska will need the rest of its young squad to step up against the Mavericks, who bring an experienced roster but a brand new coaching staff with them to Lincoln.

Coach Patty Patton Shearer enters her first season on the sideline for the Mavericks, who finished with a 5-22 overall record last season. The Mavericks return 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year’s squad that suffered a 94-47 exhibition defeat to the Huskers at the Devaney Center on Nov. 9, 2003.

Patton Shearer will be joined on the sideline this season by one of the greatest women’s basketball players in Nebraska history. Former NU great Maurtice Ivy is in her first season as an assistant coach with UNO. The 1992 Nebraska graduate was the first Big Eight Player of the Year in Husker history, claiming the honor while leading NU to its only conference title in 1988. The Omaha Central graduate closed her Husker career with 2,131 points, which ranks No. 2 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list.

Huskers Open Exhibition Season with Win over UNK
Elena Diaz enjoyed a strong career-opening performance and Kiera Hardy picked up right where she left off last season, as the Huskers cruised to an 82-52 win over Nebraska-Kearney in the Huskers’ exhibition opener in front of 1,756 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday, Oct. 31.

Diaz, a 6-1 junior forward from Medellin, Colombia, scored 12 points and pulled down three rebounds in the first half alone to help the Huskers run to a 43-22 halftime lead. Diaz, a transfer from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, used her speed and athleticism to earn trips to the free throw line throughout the first half, hitting 8-of-9 attempts at the line. Diaz finished with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.

While Diaz was providing plenty of highlights for the Husker newcomers, Hardy dominated the action by scoring a game-high 26 points, including 14 points in the first half. Nebraska’s top returning scorer after averaging 9.1 points per game as a true freshman last season, the sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., hit 10-of-20 field goal attempts on the day, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Hardy, who closed the 2003-04 campaign by averaging 19 points per contest in two games in the WNIT, would have produced a career high with her 26 points against UNK had it been a regular-season contest.

The Husker defense held the Lopers to just 19 first-half field goal attempts, many with time winding down on the shot clock. The Lopers, who finished with a 25-6 overall record and their ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament last season, hit just eight field goals in the first half. They also managed just nine total rebounds in the opening stanza. Nebraska hit 14-of-32 first-half field goal attempts and pulled down 23 rebounds, including 13 offensive boards. NU also snagged nine first-half steals.

In the second half, Nebraska’s lead grew to as many as 34 points on two occasions, but UNK enjoyed more success offensively. The Lopers hit 11-of-35 shots to finish the game 19-of-54 from the field (35.2 percent). Nebraska shot 46.3 percent (31-67) from the field for the game, while hitting 15-of-17 free throws (88.2 percent). NU also enjoyed a 49-28 edge on the boards for the game.

Kalee Modlin led the Lopers with 17 points, while Liz Fischer pitched in 14 points for the Lopers, who dressed only eight players for the contest.

Hardy Impressive in Exhibition Opener
Sophomore Kiera Hardy started the 2004-05 season with a bang by lighting up the Lopers for a career-high 26 points in the Huskers’ 82-52 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Halloween.

Hardy hit 10-of-20 field goal attempts, including 4-of-7 three-pointers, while adding a pair of free throws in the effort. Her 26 points surpassed the 21 points she scored against Missouri on Feb. 25, 2004, which is her regular-season career best. Hardy added four rebounds, four assists and one steal in a solid all-around effort against UNK.

The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., entered the 2004-05 season as Nebraska’s top returning scorer after averaging 9.1 points per game a year ago. Hardy came on strong at the end of last season, averaging 11.9 points per game over the Huskers’ final seven games, including 19 points per contest in NU’s two postseason games in the WNIT.

Hardy tied Jina Johansen for the team lead with 30 three-pointers last season and also led the Huskers with a team-high 45 steals as a true freshman.

Newcomers Show Potential in Exhibition Win
Nebraska’s class of seven newcomers performed well in the Huskers’ exhibition victory over Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday, Oct. 31. The group combined for 40 points, 30 rebounds, eight assists and six steals on the afternoon, As a team, the Huskers finished with 82 points, 49 rebounds, 18 assists and 12 steals.

Elena Diaz provided the biggest contribution for the Huskers. The junior from Medellin, Colombia, by way of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College scored 16 points and added four rebounds. Jelena Spiric, a junior college All-American from Colby (Kan.) Community College pitched in seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a game-high four steals.

Junior transfer LaToya Howell managed seven points, two rebounds, four assists and one steal in just 11 minutes before suffering a severely sprained ankle in the closing minutes of the first half. True freshman Danielle Page contributed a game-high 10 rebounds, along with six points, one blocked shot and a steal.

Scouting the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks
Nebraska will face a Nebraska-Omaha squad that features a mixture of new and old as the Mavericks open their season on Sunday.

Coach Patty Patton Shearer enters her first season on the sideline for the Mavericks, who finished with a 5-22 overall record last season. The Mavericks return 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year’s squad that suffered a 94-47 exhibition defeat to the Huskers at the Devaney Center on Nov. 9, 2003.

Patton Shearer will be joined on the sideline by one of the greatest women’s basketball players in Nebraska history. Former NU great Maurtice Ivy is in her first season as an assistant coach with UNO. The 1992 Nebraska graduate was the first Big Eight Player of the Year in Husker history, claiming the honor while leading NU to its only conference title in 1988. The Omaha Central graduate closed her Husker career with 2,131 points, which ranks No. 2 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list.

JJ Smith, a junior forward out of Lincoln Southeast High School, leads the Mavericks on the floor. She averaged 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while also leading UNO with 39 steals a year ago. Lindsey Petersen, a senior forward from Missouri Valley, Iowa, added 11.5 points and 4.0 boards per game, while junior forward Sara Myers contributed 6.3 points and 5.0 boards per game.

Andrea Schoepf, a sophomore guard from South Sioux City, Neb., leads the Maverick backcourt with 6.1 points and 0.7 rebounds per game, while junior guard LaCheryl Prince added 2.9 points, 2.9 boards and 2.6 assists per game.

Nebraska vs. Nebraska-Omaha Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time regular-season series with Nebraska-Omaha, 14-9, but the Mavericks captured the last regular-season meeting between the two schools with a 76-74 victory on Dec. 20, 1986.

The Huskers’ most recent matchup against the Mavs came last season in Lincoln, when NU rolled to a 94-47 exhibition win over UNO on Nov. 9, 2003. Five Huskers produced double figures in that victory.

Departed senior Keasha Cannon-Johnson dominated the contest with game highs of 14 points and 15 rebounds, while departed senior Katie Morse added 14 points and eight boards. A third departed senior, Alexa Johnson, added 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Chelsea Aubry enjoyed a strong outing with 11 points and seven rebounds to open her Nebraska career, while Kiera Hardy added 11 points, three steals, two assists and one rebound before fouling out after playing just 15 minutes.