Huskers Head to Islands for Paradise Jam

Lincoln - The Nebraska women’s basketball team will try to build on its 3-1 start to the 2004-05 season when the Huskers travel to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the four-team Paradise Jam following the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Nebraska opens the tournament by taking on 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier North Carolina State on Friday, Nov. 26, at 5 p.m. central time at the University of Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center. The game can be heard live on radio at KOOL 105-FM in Lincoln and on the Internet at Huskers.com. If the Huskers can get past the Wolfpack, they will advance to Saturday’s championship game against the winner of the first-round matchup between 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier Hampton and 2004 WNIT qualifier Louisville, which is set for 5 p.m. central time. The game will be available on radio on 1400 KLIN in Lincoln and on the Pinnacle Sports Network, along with Huskers.com. It will also be televised by Fox Sports College (Time Warner Cable Digital Channel 303 in Lincoln). If Nebraska loses to North Carolina State, the Huskers will play on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. central with no television coverage.

The Huskers, whose only loss came at then-No. 10 Notre Dame in the second round of the Preseason WNIT, have rolled to impressive wins in their last two games. Nebraska is coming off a 78-61 victory over Washington State on Monday night in Lincoln.

Nebraska’s win over WSU followed an 89-46 victory over Northern Colorado at the Devaney Center on Friday. Sophomore forward Jessica Gerhart led the Huskers in scoring in both contests, as the Fenton, Iowa, native hit for 20 points against the Bears, before scoring 19 points against the Cougars. She was a combined 19-of-25 (76 percent) from the field in the Huskers’ two wins. Gerhart is also NU’s leading scorer and rebounder on the year, averaging 17.3 points and 6.5 boards per game.

Nebraska expects a stiff test from North Carolina State (1-1). The Wolfpack finished with a 17-14 overall record last year, and earned a berth in the Big Dance with an 8-8 record and a third-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference race. Hall of Fame Head Coach Kay Yow is closing in on her 600th career victory in her 30th season at the helm of the North Carolina State program. The Wolfpack opened the season with a 67-49 win over UNC Wilmington on Nov. 19 to give Coach Yow victory number 597, and they nearly made it 598 against No. 1 Tennessee in a nationally televised game on ESPN on Nov. 21, leading at the half before losing 64-54 to the Volunteers.

Huskers Battle to 78-61 Win Over Washington State
Sophomore forwards Jessica Gerhart and Chelsea Aubry combined for 35 points and 13 rebounds to lead Nebraska to a 78-61 victory over Washington State in front of 2,471 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Monday night.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 3-1 on the season with its only loss coming to current No. 6 Notre Dame. Washington State slipped to 1-1 on the season.

Gerhart, who entered the game as Nebraska’s leading scorer and rebounder, scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down six boards. After hitting 10-of-12 shots from the field in the win over Northern Colorado on Friday night, Gerhart connected on 9-of-13 shots from the field, including her fourth three-pointer of the season against the Cougars.

Aubry tied her career high for the third time in four games this season by adding 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Huskers. Aubry also enjoyed a strong shooting night by connecting on 6-of-8 shots from the field.

The Huskers, who led 39-38 at the half, came out on fire to start the second half behind the strong play of Aubry and Gerhart. The pair of 6-2 forwards combined to score Nebraska’s first 13 points of the half and helped erase the Huskers’ 14-rebound deficit on the boards from the first half.

Aubry scored NU’s first seven points of the half to provide the inspiration, and Gerhart, who followed with six straight points of her own, helped with the offense and rebounding in NU’s decisive second half.

The Cougars were able to hang with the Huskers in the first half thanks to a strong rebounding effort and the inspired offensive play of sophomore Adriane Ferguson, who struck for career highs of 19 points and five three-pointers in the first half alone. Ferguson, whose previous career bests were 15 points and two three-pointers against Arizona State last season, carried the Cougars in the first half.

Ferguson finished with a game-high 26 points and fell just one three-pointer shy of the Devaney Center record of seven three-pointers. For the game, Ferguson went 8-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-8 from three-point range. However, other than forward Emma Joneby, who produced her second straight double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, Ferguson was WSU’s only consistent threat.

The rest of the Cougars hit just 2-of-15 shots from three-point range. While Ferguson and Joneby combined to go 13-of-21 from the field, the other seven Cougars hit just 7-of-34 field goal attempts on the night.

The Huskers on the other hand provided plenty of support behind the stellar nights supplied by Gerhart and Aubry. Jina Johansen scored a season-high nine points with a trio of three-pointers, while matching her season high with seven assists. Jelena Spiric produced her best offensive performance as a Husker with eight points, including a a pair of first-half three-pointers. Kiera Hardy managed eight points, four rebounds and four assists, despite struggling with 3-of-16 shooting from the field, and LaToya Howell played a strong all-around game with seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in her first career start.

Scouting the North Carolina State Wolfpack
The Huskers tip off their first trip to the Paradise Jam by taking on North Carolina State on Friday, Nov. 26, at 5 p.m. central time. North Carolina State comes into the tournament with a 1-1 record after opening the season with a 67-49 win over UNC Wilmington on Nov. 19, before battling No. 1 Tennessee down to the wire in a 64-54 loss to the Volunteers.

Junior Tiffany Stansbury produced double-doubles in each of N.C. State’s first two games. The 6-3 forward/center enters the Nebraska game averaging 12.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. She has added 3.0 blocked shots and 3.0 steals per contest.

Junior guard Billie McDowell leads the Wolfpack in scoring with 13 points per game, including a team-leading six three-pointers on the year. Sophomore guard Key Ashley has added 11 points per game, while sophomore Marquetta Dickens has pitched in 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

As a team, North Carolina State is shooting just 35.7 percent from the field, including just 20 percent (8-40) from three-point range. The Wolfpack has also connected on just 65.7 percent of their free throws. Although they have matched their opponents on the glass, they have excelled at taking caring of the basketball and creating turnovers, producing a plus-7.0 turnover margin through two games.

Last season, North Carolina State earned a spot in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and finished with a 17-15 overall mark that included an 8-8 record and a third-place finish in the ACC. The tournament bid marked N.C. State’s 17th NCAA bid under Hall of Fame Coach Kay Yow.

Kay Yow, who is in her 30th season with the Wolfpack, is approaching win number 600 with the Raleigh, N.C., school. Yow owns a 597-282 record at North Carolina State and a 654-301 career mark in her 34th season as a head coach. North Carolina State has won five ACC titles and produced 19 20-win seasons under Yow. The Wolfpack advanced to the 1998 NCAA Final Four and have made 10 trips to the Sweet 16.

The Huskers lead the all-time series with North Carolina State, 1-0, with a 72-69 win over N.C. State on March 19, 1976.

Nebraska vs. North Carolina State Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with North Carolina State 1-0 with a 72-69 victory over the Wolfpack way back on March 19, 1976. That game was played in the National Women’s Invitation Tournament in Amarillo, Texas.

NU Coach Connie Yori will be facing North Carolina State for the first time. It will also be Coach Yori’s second game on the sideline against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Yori suffered a loss in her only other meeting against an ACC opponent with a 63-60 loss to Virginia on Dec. 29, 1993.

North Carolina State is 5-9 all-time against the Big 12 Conference. The Wolfpack lost their last meeting against a Big 12 foe with a 79-63 setback to Baylor in the 2003 San Juan Shootout.

Scouting the Louisville Cardinals
Louisville, coached by Tom Collen, earned a trip to the WNIT last year and finished with a 20-10 overall record after finishing second in Conference USA with an 11-3 mark. Collen has four returning starters and nine returning letterwinners from last year’s team, including sophomore center Jazz Covington, who averaged 16.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Cardinals a year ago.

Louisville opened the year with a 1-1 mark at the Northbank Classic in Burlington, Vt., last weekend. The Cardinals opened the season with a 59-56 loss to Vermont on Nov. 19, before rebounding for a 76-60 win over Auburn on Nov. 20.

Covington led Louisville in Vermont, averaging 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. She hit nearly 70 percent (16-23) of her shots from the field and all three of her free throw attempts in the tournament. Sophomore Missy Taylor provided the Cardinals with a solid combination inside by averaging 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.

Senior guard Angel Bradley led Louisville in the backcourt with 11 points and five boards per game, while junior guard Jessica Huggins added nine points, four rebounds and a team-leading 5.5 assists per game. Sophomore swing player Katie Olson rounded out Louisville’s starting five in both tournament games.

The Cardinals enter the Paradise Jam shooting 42.1 percent from the field, but just 20.8 percent from three-point range. Louisville was solid on the boards in Vermont, posting a plus-3.5 rebound margin, while matching its opponents by averaging 12 turnovers per game.

The Huskers and Cardinals are tied in their all-time series, 1-1, with the Huskers winning the first meeting between the two clubs, 62-61, at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii on Nov. 29, 1998. Exactly one month later, the Cardinals evened the series with a 77-66 win in the championship game of the Seelbach Hilton Holiday Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 29, 1998.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori has never faced Louisville, but she does own a 1-0 record against Conference USA opponents with a win over a top-25 Cincinnati club in her first season as NU’s head coach in 2002-03.

Scouting the Hampton Lady Pirates
Hampton claimed a trip to the 2004 NCAA Tournament by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament. The Lady Pirates finished with a 17-13 overall record, including a 14-4 mark in MEAC play last season. First-year coach Walter Mebane has three returning starters and eight returning letterwinners from last year’s club.

The Lady Pirates opened the 2004-05 season with an 82-75 overtime loss to Wake Forest in Hampton, N.C., on Nov. 19. Keisha Beard, a 6-3 senior forward from Missouri City, Texas, led the Lady Pirates with 14 points and 14 rebounds against Wake Forest. The preseason second-team All-MEAC selection added four assists, one block and one steal in a strong all-around effort. Preseason first-team All-MEAC pick Sharema Dean did not start and managed just five points and four rebounds against the Demon Deacons. Dean, a 5-10 sophomore, averaged 12.8 points and 4.4 boards per game a year ago.

Tiffani Williams, a 6-7 senior center from Trinidad & Tobago, helped pick up the scoring production for Dean by pouring in 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Senior guard Brendy Ellis and Rachel Butler each added 13 points to help Hampton force overtime against the Demon Deacons, after trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half.

The Lady Pirates shot a solid 45.6 percent from the field in their season opener and hit 5-of-17 three-point attempts (29.4 percent), but hit just 50 percent (8-16) of their free throws in the loss.

Nebraska has never faced Hampton in women’s basketball, and NU Coach Connie Yori has also never squared off against the Lady Pirates.

Gerhart Sizzling for Super Sophomores
Forward Jessica Gerhart has produced four strong efforts to tip off her sophomore season. She has been Nebraska’s most productive offensive player through the first four games, averaging team highs with 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. The 6-2 native of Fenton, Iowa, hit for a career-high 20 points in the Huskers’ 89-46 victory over Northern Colorado at the Devaney Center on Nov. 19. She followed that effort the next time out with a team-high 19 points in a win over Washington State on Nov. 22.

Nebraska’s most accurate shooter a year ago (56.3 percent; 40-71 FG), Gerhart connected on 10-of-12 shots from the field against UNC and added a 9-for-13 performance against WSU. Over the last two games, Gerhart has hit an amazing 19-of-25 shots from the field (76 percent) to improve her team-leading shooting percentage to 57.4 percent (31-54). Two of Gerhart’s six misses over the past two games have come on three-point attempts.

Gerhart added 13 points in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame in the second round of the Preseason WNIT, which included the first three three-pointers of her career. The Fighting Irish went on to win the tournament and have climbed to No. 6 in the national rankings.

Her performance at Notre Dame followed a then-career high 17-point, nine-rebound effort in the first-round WNIT win over Western Illinois on Nov. 12. Against the Westerwinds, Gerhart also hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to seal NU’s three-point victory.

Gerhart is already more than 75 percent of the way to her season scoring total from her freshman campaign, and exactly halfway to her rebounding total from a year ago. She scored 91 points and grabbed 52 rebounds while playing all 30 games for the Huskers last season (255 minutes). She has churned out 69 points and 26 rebounds in 109 minutes this season.

Aubry Gives Huskers’ Solid One-Two Punch Inside
Chelsea Aubry has given the Huskers an impressive inside combination through the first four regular-season games. The 6-2 sophomore forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada ranks second on the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest after tying her career high for the third time in four games this season with 16 points in the win over Washington State. Aubry added a team-high seven rebounds against the Cougars, and led Nebraska’s runaway win in the second half.

With the Huskers leading by one point at halftime, Aubry charged out of the locker room to score Nebraska’s first seven points of the second half. She also pulled down all seven of her rebounds after halftime to help NU erase WSU’s 14-rebound advantage in the first half.

Aubry opened the season with a career-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds in a 74-71 win over Western Illinois in the first round of the Preseason WNIT in Lincoln on Nov. 12. She matched her career high with an even more impressive effort in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame on Nov. 14. She added a solid 11-point, five-board effort in the win over Northern Colorado on Nov 19.

Along with her strong offensive play, Aubry is one of Nebraska’s best defenders and has taken at least one charge in every Husker game this season.

Aubry was one of Nebraska’s top players off the bench during her true freshman campaign, averaging 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. She played in all 30 games last season and averaged 18.4 minutes of action per contest off the bench.

Nebraska’s first-ever Canadian women’s basketball player, Aubry gained international experience this summer by playing with the Canadian Senior National Team. One of the top junior players in Canada, Aubry spent 2003 with the Canadian Under-20 National Team and represented her home country at the World University Games.

Hardy Shooting for Super Sophomore Season
Sophomore Kiera Hardy started the 2004-05 season strong with a scintilating performance in the first round of the Preseason WNIT after a pair of solid efforts in exhibition wins over Nebraska-Kearney and Nebraska-Omaha.

Hardy opened her sophomore season with a career-high 28 points to lead the Huskers to a 74-71 win over Western Illinois on Nov. 12. Hardy scored 14 points in each half, hit 10-of-21 field goal attempts, 3-of-5 three-pointers and 5-of-6 shots at the free throw line. Her trio of three-pointers and her four assists also tied career bests, while she added four rebounds and a pair of steals.

Hardy’s 28 points were the most by a Husker since Nicole Kubik scored 32 points against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament on March 8, 2000. Hardy’s performance surpassed her previous career best of 21 points set against Missouri on Feb. 25, 2004.

After closing 2003-04 by averaging 19 points in NU’s games against Drake and Oregon State in the Postseason WNIT, Hardy averaged 20.5 points per game in the Huskers’ exhibition wins this season.

The 5-6 sophomore guard from Kansas City, Mo., opened 2004-05 with a bang by lighting up the Lopers for a 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. Hardy added four rebounds, four assists and a steal in a solid all-around effort against UNK.

In the win over Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 7, Hardy was handcuffed by foul trouble throughout the game but still managed a solid effort with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. She added five rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Hardy struggled from the field in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame, connecting on just 2-of-16 shots, while going 0-of-7 from three-point range to finish with just four points. She bounced back to score nine points in the win over Northern Colorado, while pulling down five boards. She tied her career best with four assists and snagged a season-high three steals. She added eight points, four rebounds and four more assists in the win over Washington State, despite hitting just 3-of-16 shots from the field.

Although Hardy is shooting just 28.6 percent from the field, she still ranks third on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game. She also ranks second on the team with 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

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

Johansen Keeps Dishing Out Assists for Huskers
Nebraska’s lone returning starter from a year, senior Jina Johansen continues to provide leadership for the young Huskers in 2004-05. The 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., who likes to lead by example, continues to help her teammates by dishing out assist after assist.

In Nebraska’s win over Washington State on Nov. 22, Johansen moved into sole possession of fifth place on the Huskers’ career assist chart. Johansen tied her season high with seven assists against the Cougars to push her career total to 399, surpassing former Husker and current WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge in fifth place.

Johansen had moved into a tie with DeForge (392) by establishing her season-high with seven assists in the win over Northern Colorado on Nov. 19. For the season, Johansen is averaging a team-best 5.8 assists per game and needs just three more assists to catch Stacy Imming (1984-87) in fourth place on the NU charts with 402 assists.

Along with seven assists against Washington State, Johansen established her season scoring high with nine points on a trio of three-pointers in the win over the Cougars. She also helped shut down Cougar star Adriane Ferguson in the second half. Ferguson scored 19 points and hit five three-pointers in the first half, before the Huskers switched Johansen to guard Ferguson. Johansen limited Ferguson to just five points in the second half, before Johansen butted heads with WSU guard Jessica Perry and had to leave the game for the final four minutes with a severely swollen left eye.

Johansen, a preseason honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection by the media, has been a leader both on and off the court in her four seasons at Nebraska. She owns 67 career starts, including all 30 games as a junior and 27 of 28 contests as a sophomore in 2002-03. She has led the Huskers in minutes played in each of the past two seasons and became one of Nebraska’s most dangerous offensive weapons from long range as a junior.

After knocking down just 9-of-36 three-pointers in her first two seasons combined, Johansen tied Kiera Hardy for the team lead with 30 three-pointers in 2003-04, while tying Amy Stephens (1987-88) for the second-best single-season three-point percentage in school history by connecting on 41.1 percent (30-73) of her attempts from beyond the arc.

Along with her increased success from long range, Johansen continued to provide a steady play-making presence for the Huskers by ranking fifth in the Big 12 with 4.8 assists per game. Her 144 assists on the year ranked as the fourth-best total by a junior in school history.

While Johansen helped set the tone for the turnaround of the Nebraska program with her work ethic on the court, she has also established herself as a top performer in the classroom. Johansen is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection and is expected to be a CoSIDA Academic All-America nominee again in 2004-05. She carries a 3.70 grade-point average as a nutrition/dietetics major.

Howell Solidifies Backcourt after Returning from Injury
After spending the entire 2003-04 season as a redshirt and missing Nebraska’s first two regular-season games in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, LaToya Howell finally played her first regular-season game as a Husker in the win over Northern Colorado and made her first start in the win over Washington State.

Despite being limited somewhat while recovering from a severely sprained ankle suffered late in the first half of NU’s exhibition opener against Nebraska-Kearney, Howell scored 10 points, grabbed two rebounds and distributed three assists in her first appearance against the Bears. She added seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win over Washington State.

Howell enters the Paradise Jam ranked fourth on the team with 8.5 points per game, while adding 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest in 25.5 minutes per game.

The 5-5 junior guard from Chicago, Ill., was one of the Huskers’ top players in practice during her redshirt season after transferring from Air Force before the 2003 fall semester, and will be counted on to provide the Huskers with major minutes at the guard spot once she returns to 100 percent.

Howell was one of the best players in the Mountain West Conference as a sophomore, earning a pair of Mountain West Conference Player-of-the-Week awards in 2002-03. She started 17 games and averaged 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Her top performance as a sophomore came with a 38-point outburst against Minnesota on Nov. 30, 2002, which tied the school single-game scoring record. She also set the school single-game steals record with eight steals against the Runnin’ Rebels on Feb. 23, 2002.

Despite playing a shortened sophomore season, Howell still set the Air Force single-season assist mark with 119 assists in 2002-03. She also established the school’s single-season steals record with 90 steals in 2001-02. As a freshman, Howell averaged 10.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.2 steals per game.

Junior College Transfers Finding Ways to Contribute
Nebraska’s group of four junior college transfers has continued to show improvement early in the season while making the transition to the Division I level.

Elena Diaz has provided the Huskers with the biggest contribution from the quartet, averaging 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Diaz struck for a career-high 11 points in the win over Northern Colorado, which included 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. The junior from Medellin, Colombia, by way of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College added three rebounds and an assist in just 15 minutes of work against the Bears.

Diaz opened the season with a seven-point, five-rebound effort in the first-round Preseason WNIT victory over Western Illinois on Nov. 12, before making the first start of her career in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame in the second round of the tournament.

Fellow junior college transfer Jelena Spiric has started all three of NU’s home games this season and is coming off her best effort of the season with eight points, three steals and two assists in the win over Washington State on Nov. 22. A 2004 NJCAA All-American at Colby (Kan.) Community College, Spiric has seen the most time on the court of any of the junior college transfers despite being slowed by a knee injury. Spiric suffered a torn ACL in the final game of her sophomore season and underwent offseason surgery. Her rehabilitation is going well, but she is still far from 100 percent. She is averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Bojana Samardziska has shown improvement in each of the last three games after sitting out the season opener against Western Illinois. The 6-4 center from Colby CC established career highs with six points, three rebounds and three assists in the win over Northern Colorado. She enters the Paradise Jam averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, despite playing just 5.3 minutes per contest.

Ivana Drmanac, a third transfer from Colby CC, played her best game of the season against Northern Colorado as well. The 6-2 forward scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists in 14 minutes.

Freshmen Contributing Early for Huskers
Freshmen Danielle Page and Sarah White have shown promise through the first four games of the season for the Huskers.

Page, a 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., has provided a growing contribution in each of the first four games. After going scoreless in the season-opening win over Western Illinois, Page struck for six points, five rebounds and her second blocked shot of the season in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame.

Page played her most impressive game of the year with six points, a career-high eight rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots and one assist in just 14 minutes in the win over Northern Colorado. She added three points, six rebounds and her team-leading fifth blocked shot of the season in the win over Washington State. Page is averaging 3.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Page leads the team in blocked shots with five and is the only Husker with more than one block. She has blocked at least one shot in each of the first four games of her career. She also ranks third on the team in rebounding despite playing just 14.3 minutes per game.

While Page was expected to contribute early in her career, White’s production has been a pleasant surprise for the Huskers. NU coaches had considered redshirting White this season as she made the transition from high school post player to college wing player, but injuries to Nebraska backcourt players Heather Kephart, LaToya Howell and Jelena Spiric forced White into action earlier than expected.

The 6-0 native of Topeka, Kan., stepped up to the challenge. After going scoreless in eight minutes in the season-opening win over Western Illinois, White struck for six points, including her first career three-pointer, in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame. She added three points on her second career three-pointer and a career-best three rebounds in the win over Northern Colorado. White has added one blocked shot, giving NU’s freshmen six of NU’s eight blocks on the year.

Huskers Take Care of the Rock
Nebraska has shown an uncanny ability to protect the basketball through the first four games this season. The Huskers have committed just 45 turnovers, an average of 11.3 per game, through the first four contests, including a season-low nine turnovers in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame.

NU committed just 10 turnovers in the season-opening win over Western Illinois, despite playing with an injury-depleted backcourt and a roster that included seven newcomers who have seen significant playing time this year. NU added just 11 turnovers in the win over Washington State, after committing a season-high 15 turnovers in the win over Northern Colorado.

The Huskers’ 11.3 turnovers per game are just ahead of school-record pace for the fewest turnovers per game in NU history. Nebraska established that record with 369 turnovers in 32 games in 1991-92, a season that Nebraska finished with a 21-11 record and won the first NCAA Tournament game in school history.

Last season, the Huskers committed just 488 turnovers (16.3 per game), which ranked as the second-lowest total in school history, trailing only the 369 turnovers in 32 games in 1991-92 (11.5 per game).

The Huskers achieved their third-lowest turnover total with 497 total turnovers (17.8 per game) in Coach Connie Yori’s first season at Nebraska in 2002-03. The Huskers have produced two of the top three turnover marks in school history in Yori’s first two seasons at the helm.

NU Owns Strong Tradition of Season-Opening Success
With the win over Western Illinois in the first round of the Preseason WNIT, Nebraska extended its season-opening winning streak to 24 games.

The Huskers’ last season-opening loss came with an 88-56 setback to Kansas on Nov. 21, 1980, at the Devaney Center to open the 1980-81 campaign. Since then, NU has reeled off 24 straight season-opening wins, including a 104-46 pounding of Wofford on Nov. 21, 2003, to open last season.

Nebraska’s win over Western Illinois marked just the third time in the last 24 seasons that an opponent has played the Huskers within single digits in the season opener. Along with the narrow 74-71 win over the Westerwinds, the Huskers escaped with a 75-73 win over Creighton at the Devaney Center on Nov. 22, 1991, the season before Coach Connie Yori took the reins as the Bluejays’ head coach. NU also experienced a close call with a 79-70 win at Illinois State on Nov. 22, 1996, the only time in the history of the streak that NU opened the season on the road.

Before this season’s win over Western Illinois, Nebraska’s average victory margin during the season-opening streak had been nearly 29 points. The Huskers averaged 88 points per game to open the season over the previous 23 years, while surrendering just 59. 1 points per contest.

Huskers Hope to Continue Program’s Climb
A year after producing one of the top turnarounds in college basketball, the Nebraska women's basketball team will try to produce another surprising season in 2004-05.

The Huskers ran to an 18-12 overall record and a trip to the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament in Coach Connie Yori's second season at the helm.

Nebraska's 10-game improvement from its 8-20 record in Yori's first season ranked as the ninth-best swing in NCAA Division I. It also came as a surprise to coaches and writers around the Big 12 Conference who picked the Huskers to finish last in the preseason polls.

Rather than finishing in the cellar, the Huskers closed the Big 12 season in a tie for seventh with a 7-9 league mark, just missing an NCAA Tournament bid by one win, as the league sent seven teams to the Big Dance.

"We really had a great season based on our perceived potential," Yori said. "As a coach, you want to measure your season based on your potential. We came pretty close to maximizing our potential. Had we won one more game, we would have been in the NCAA Tournament."

After rising to the challenge of proving the pundits wrong last season, the Huskers will face a similar task this season. The Huskers must replace four seniors who joined Jina Johansen in the starting lineup for all 30 games a year ago. Honorable-mention All-Big 12 performers Alexa Johnson and Keasha Cannon-Johnson are gone, along with Margaret Richards and Katie Morse. As a group, those four combined for more than 3,000 points and 1,700 rebounds in their careers at Nebraska.

"We are going to miss our seniors from last season because you can't substitute the experience they gained from four or five years as student-athletes at this level," Yori said. "Our freshmen and junior college transfers will have to start building experiences and learning from them."

Yori Working to Establish Foundation at Nebraska
Now in her third season at Nebraska, Coach Connie Yori has the Husker program moving in the right direction. After the Huskers suffered through four consecutive losing seasons, Yori helped Nebraska turn the corner in 2003-04 by producing one of the nation’s top turnarounds. The Huskers’ 10-game improvement tied for the ninth-best swing in NCAA Division I women’s basketball in 2003-04. More impressively, NU’s 18-12 record came against a powerful schedule that included 19 games against teams that advanced to postseason play.

The Huskers raced to a 10-1 non-conference record that included victories over No. 13 Ohio State and eventual WNIT champion Creighton, before notching one of the biggest wins in school history with an 81-63 victory over No. 9 Kansas State in league play. The Huskers finished with a 7-9 record in the Big 12 to finish in a tie for seventh place. NU was a two-point loss to Missouri or three-point loss to No. 13 Colorado away from earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.

The Huskers made their first postseason appearance since 2000 and played host to a postseason tournament game for the first time since 1993. Nebraska notched just the second home postseason victory in school history with a first-round WNIT win over Drake, before hosting just the third postseason game in school history in the second round against Oregon State.

Along with the success on the court, the Huskers also enjoyed a rejuvenation at the turnstiles, as attendance grew nearly 20 percent from the 2002-03 season. Nearly 450 more fans per game were in attendance at the Devaney Center last year, while 10,000 more total fans came to women’s basketball games than a year earlier. The Huskers averaged nearly 3,100 fans per game in 2003-04.

Although the Huskers struggled to an 8-20 overall record and a 1-15 Big 12 mark in 2002-03, NU players 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 in 2002-03, NU returned five experienced starters for 2003-04. That group of five starters was a model of consistency, starting all 30 games to help fuel Nebraska’s turnaround.

The Huskers also featured some depth in 2003-04, a luxury they lacked in 2002-03. Yori and her staff made up some major ground on the recruiting trail by adding five freshmen to their 2003-04 roster. They continued their recruiting success by adding one Division I transfer, four junior college transfers and a pair of freshmen for the 2004-05 season.

The 2002 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Yori led Creighton to a 24-7 overall mark and a 16-2 MVC record in 2001-02 to capture the league’s regular-season and tournament titles. Yori’s success at CU in 2001-02 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 41-year-old Yori is married to Kirk Helms, and the couple had their first child, Lukas, in early July of 2004.

Huskers Expect to Face Another Challenging Schedule
After playing 19 games against teams that advanced to the postseason in 2004, the Huskers will again square off with another loaded schedule in 2004-05.

The Huskers, who will play a minimum of six 2004 postseason qualifiers during the non-conference season, opened the regular season in the 2004 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Preseason WNIT began Nov. 12 with the Huskers’ win over Western Illinois (74-71). NU advanced to the second round to take on 2004 NCAA Sweet 16 qualifier Notre Dame. The Huskers fell to the No. 10 Fighting Irish, 73-57 in South Bend. The Irish went on to win the Preseason WNIT title, and the Huskers rebounded with impressive home victories over Northern Colorado (89-46) on Nov. 19, and Washington State (78-61) on Nov. 22.

Nebraska travels to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam during the Thanksgiving holiday to face North Carolina State on Nov. 26. The Wolfpack earned a bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. NU will face another postseason team in either Louisville or Hampton on Nov. 27.

After home games against Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 1) and Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 7) the Huskers play 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 11. The Huskers then travel to Omaha to take on 2004 WNIT champions Creighton at the Civic Auditorium on Dec. 18.

The Huskers return home to take on Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20, before closing the non-conference season against WNIT qualifier Memphis at the Devaney Center on Dec. 30.

Nebraska will play 12 of its 16 regular-season Big 12 Conference games against teams that qualified for postseason play. The Huskers’ home conference schedule at the Devaney Center will include battles with 2004 NCAA qualifiers Kansas State, Colorado, Missouri, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma, along with WNIT qualifier Iowa State. The Huskers will also take on Kansas at home. NU’s road league slate will include all of the North Division teams, along with confrontations with NCAA qualifier Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

Huskers Claim Inaugural Life Skills Team Award
Along with showing gains on the court during the 2003-04 season, members of the Nebraska women’s basketball team also focused on improving themselves in the classroom and the community.

During the 2003-04 academic year, Nebraska initiated a new Life Skills Award of Excellence team competition, which was 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 embraced the new program and won the inaugural title.

"In my mind it is the most important award you can win as a team on our campus," Coach Connie Yori said. "What we are trying to do in our program is to build quality young women who are not just good athletes, but who are ready to take on the challenge of being good citizens upon graduation."

All 21 Husker teams took part in the program, which assigned 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 were earned by going above and beyond the traditional categories and communicating with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Husker Outreach Council.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 280-100 (.737) in games played in the arena, including 99-63 (.611) in conference games.

The Huskers have opened 2004-05 with a 3-0 home record, after running to a 13-4 home mark in 2003-04. NU’s home victory total last year more than doubled its home victory total from 2002-03. The Huskers were 5-3 at home in the Big 12 and 8-1 against non-conference competition, including 1-1 in postseason WNIT play. Nebraska is 2-1 all-time in postseason play at home, with an 81-58 victory over San Diego on March 17, 1993, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Devaney Center. The Huskers added a 73-60 win over Drake in the first round of the WNIT on March 18, 2004, before losing 75-67 in the second round to Oregon State on March 22, 2004.

Attendance is a big part of the Huskers’ success. Nebraska’s average home attendance increased nearly 20 percent in 2003-04 to 3,074 fans per game. The Huskers averaged 449 more fans per game than the 2,625 fans per contest that NU drew in 2002-03. A season-high 5,809 fans witnessed NU’s 2003-04 Big 12-opening win over Iowa State on Jan. 10, while 5,088 fans were in attendance for an 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State on Jan. 24.

Over the past six seasons, the Huskers have averaged over 3,800 fans per game, attracting 338,535 fans to the Devaney Center for 89 home contests. Nebraska ranked 14th nationally in average home attendance in 1999-2000 after ranking 15th nationally with a school-record average of 5,000 fans per game in 1998-99. The Huskers established a school record with a crowd of 13,226 fans in the final home game of the 1999-2000 season against Kansas State on Feb. 26, 2000.