Huskers Travel to No. 10 Ohio State Saturday

The Nebraska women’s basketball team will take on its second Associated Press Top 10 opponent of the season when the Huskers travel to Columbus, Ohio to battle the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Central time at Value City Arena.

Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will call all the action live on Froggy 98-FM KFGE in Lincoln. The game can also be heard on the Internet at Huskers.com.

The Huskers (6-2) head into Saturday’s game riding a three-game winning streak after working their way to a 69-60 victory over Tennessee-Martin in Lincoln on Tuesday night. Sophomore guard Kiera Hardy led the Huskers in scoring for the fourth consecutive game and fifth time in eight games this season by putting up 20 points and pulling down six rebounds. Junior center Bojana Samardziska added the best game of her Nebraska career by striking for 19 points in just 13 minutes off the bench. Samardziska had produced just 21 points in NU’s first seven games this season.

The Buckeyes (7-1) have rolled to four straight victories since losing to No. 10 Notre Dame, 66-62, in the championship game of the Preseason WNIT at South Bend, Ind., on Nov. 20. The Fighting Irish also defeated the Huskers (73-57) in the Preseason WNIT, as NU fell in the second round at the Joyce Center.

Outside of Ohio State’s loss to Notre Dame, the Buckeyes’ results are staggering. All seven of their victory margins have been 27 points or more, including a 70-point win over Ohio, a 48-point win over Bowling Green, a 47-point win over St. Joseph’s, a 34-point win over Bradley, and perhaps most impressively, a 33-point victory over then No. 22 Arizona in the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT.

Along with a deep and talented roster providing firepower for Ohio State, the Buckeyes should have the added motivation of last year’s loss to the Huskers in Lincoln.

The Buckeyes came to the Devaney Center last season with a No. 13 national ranking and a perfect 4-0 record with an average victory margin of 31 points, but the Huskers battled their way to a 60-55 win. Alexa Johnson led the Huskers with 14 points and six rebounds in that contest, while Hardy added 10 points off the bench.

Four of Nebraska’s five starters last year were seniors who started every game for the Huskers in 2003-04. NU’s only returning starter from that game is senior guard Jina Johansen, who enters Saturday’s game averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists per contest. OSU returns four of its five starters from last year’s contest.

Scouting the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 10 Ohio State heads into Saturday’s game against Nebraska with a 7-1 overall record and a four-game winning streak. The Buckeyes’ only loss this season came at the hands of Notre Dame in the championship game of the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 20. The Fighting Irish also handed the Huskers a 73-57 defeat in the second round of the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 14.

Other than the loss at Notre Dame, Ohio State has been truly dominant this season. The Buckeyes’ average margin of victory in their seven wins has been 41.7 points, and all seven of their wins have been by 27 or more points. OSU’s most impressive win came with a 33-point pounding of No. 22 Arizona in the Preseason WNIT semifinals on Nov. 17. The Buckeyes’ most decisive victory came with a 70-point pummeling of Ohio on Dec. 1.

Sophomore Jessica Davenport has helped lead a dominant Buckeye offense. The 6-4 center is averaging a team-high 17.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She also leads the OSU defense with 3.25 blocked shots per game.

Along Davenport’s impressive presence inside, the Buckeyes have received stellar play in the backcourt from senior guard Caity Matter, who is averaging 14.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Sophomore guard Brandie Hoskins has also been solid, averaging 9.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while senior guard Ashley Allen has stepped into the starting lineup recently and averaged 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.

Junior guard Kim Wilburton, has also seen starting time for the Buckeyes, averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds, while leading OSU with 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

Junior forward Michelle Munoz, the daughter of former NFL All-Pro Anthony Munoz, rounds out the Buckeyes’ starting lineup by averaging 6.9 points and 2.9 boards per game.

Ohio State has been one of the nation’s top shooting teams early in the season, connecting on a staggering 54.9 percent of its field goal attempts. The Buckeyes’ shooting from beyond the three-point arc has been even more impressive, as they have connected on 50 percent of their three-point attempts and have knocked down 6.5 three-pointers per game. OSU is also shooting a stellar 80.4 percent. OSU also owns a plus-5.9 rebound margin and a plus 8.0 team turnover margin.

The Buckeyes are coached by Jim Foster, who is in his third season at Ohio State after a legendary career at Vanderbilt. The 1980 graduate of Temple owns a 50-21 record at Ohio State and a 554-246 overall record in his 27th year as a head coach.

Nebraska vs. Ohio State Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 2-0, including a 60-55 victory over the then-No. 13 and undefeated Buckeyes on Dec. 12, 2003. OSU came into Lincoln with a 4-0 record and an average winning margin of 31 points last season. The Buckeyes were shooting 55.7 percent from the field and a nation-leading 52.9 percent from three-point range heading into the contest.

Despite Ohio State’s stellar statistics coming into the game, the Buckeyes went cold at the Devaney Center, hitting just 22.2 percent (2-9) of their three-pointers and 42.9 percent (224-56) of their field goal attempts.

Nebraska was victorious despite managing just 36.1 percent (22-61) shooting overall from the field and just 60 percent (6-10) shooting from the free throw line.

The two keys to the win for Nebraska was three-point shooting and rebounding. The Huskers hit a season-high 10 three-pointers (10-27, 37 percent) against the Buckeyes and outrebounded OSU, 42-32, on the day.

Alexa Johnson led the Huskers with 14 points in the win over Ohio State, including a pair of three-pointers. Kiera Hardy was the only other NU player to produce double figures, finishing with 10 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Chelsea Aubry added eight points off the bench for the Huskers.

Nebraska notched its first win in the series with Ohio State on Dec. 2, 1990, when the Huskers battled to a 63-54 win over the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.

Huskers Fly Past Skyhawks, 69-60
Nebraska shot to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes and never looked back as the Huskers battled to a 69-60 victory over Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 6-2 on the season, while Tennessee-Martin slipped to 1-6.

Along with opening the game on an 8-0 run, the Huskers closed the first half on a 10-0 spurt in the final three minutes to carry a 42-27 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Huskers led by as many as 16 points at 32-16 in the first half, before Tennessee-Martin went on an 11-0 run to cut NU’s lead to five points at 32-27 with three minutes left in the half.

Bojana Samardziska sparked the Huskers off the bench by scoring 13 of her career-high 19 points in the first half alone. The 6-4 junior center from Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro had totaled just 21 points through Nebraska’s first seven games on the season before the outburst against the Skyhawks.

Kiera Hardy led the Huskers in scoring for the fourth consecutive contest and the fifth time in eight games this season by putting up 20 points while pulling down six rebounds. She also led the Huskers with three assists.

Hardy and Samardziska were the only Huskers to score in double figures, but all nine of the Huskers who played found the scoring column. Jessica Gerhart finished with nine points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Jelena Spiric contributed six points and four boards. Elena Diaz, Chelsea Aubry and Jina Johansen all pitched in four points, while Johansen matched her season high with eight assists.

Nebraska led by as many as 19 points at 67-48 with 6:16 remaining in the game, but the scrappy Skyhawks refused to give up, whittling NU’s lead back to single digits in the final two minutes.

Tennessee-Martin guard Danielle Page kept the Skyhawks close by scoring 11 points in the first half. Page finished with a team-high 16 points, including four three-pointers. Andreika Jackson added 15 points and a team-high five rebounds, while Jenny Lannom gave UTM three players in double figures by finishing with 10 points.

Nebraska shot 49.2 percent (29-59) from the field, but hit just 3-of-15 three-pointers on the night and connected on just 8-of-14 free throws. UTM finished at 48.1 percent (25-52) from the field, and hit 5-of-15 three-pointers. The Skyhawks also knocked down 5-of-6 free throw attempts.

The Huskers enjoyed a 35-28 advantage on the boards and forced 17 UTM turnovers, while committing just 14 turnovers of their own.

Hardy Leads Huskers’ Super Sophomores
Sophomore Kiera Hardy has provided an explosive offensive presence for the Huskers through eight games in 2004-05. The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., leads the Huskers with 16.3 points per game, while also leading the team with 15 three-pointers and 13 steals. She also ranks second on the team with 23 assists.

Hardy has led Nebraska in scoring in four consecutive games and five of NU’s eight games this season, after hitting for 20 points in NU’s 69-60 win over Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 7. She added 14 points in the win over Southeastern Louisiana, after erupting for a career-high 31 points in the Huskers’ win over Hampton on Nov. 27.

Hardy’s 16-point outing against North Carolina State marked the end of a three-and-a-half game shooting slump. During NU’s second, third and fourth games of the season, Hardy hit just 8-of-41 field goal attempts and went 0-for-4 in the first half against North Carolina State before going off for 16 points in the second half. Hardy’s 31-point effort against Hampton was the first 30-point scoring performance by a Husker since the 1999-2000 season and the most points scored by an NU player since Nicole Kubik struck for 32 points against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament on March 8, 2000.

Despite shooting just 17.8 percent over three-and-a-half of NU’s eight games this season, Hardy is shooting 39.2 percent from the field, including 31.3 percent (15-48) from three-point range. She has also hit 87.5 percent (21-24) of her free throw attempts. Hardy’s 21 made free throws also lead the Huskers.

Hardy opened the season with a then-career-high 28-point performance in a 74-71 win over Western Illinois. She added four rebounds, four assists and two steals in a solid all-around effort.

Nebraska’s top returning scorer from a year ago when she averaged 9.1 points per game, Hardy averaged 19 points per game in the Huskers’ Postseason WNIT games to close the 2003-04 season. Hardy also led the Huskers last season with 30 three-pointers (tied Jina Johansen) and 45 steals.

If Hardy is able to maintain her current scoring pace of 16.3 points per game, she would produce NU’s highest individual scoring average since All-American Nicole Kubik averaged 17.4 points per game for the Huskers in 1999-2000. No Husker individual has averaged 15 points per game during the last four seasons.

Gerhart Leading the Huskers on the Glass
Jessica Gerhart has produced solid efforts through the first eight games to tip off her sophomore season, and leads the Huskers’ boardwork with 6.9 rebounds per contest. Gerhart has led the Huskers on the glass in four of eight games this season, including each of the last two contests.

Along with leading the Huskers with 55 rebounds, a total that has already surpassed the 52 boards she grabbed in all 30 games last season, the 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, ranks second on the team with 13.4 points per game. Gerhart’s 52.3 field goal percentage also ranks second on the team, while her three blocked shots are tied for third on the squad.

Gerhart hit for a career-high 20 points in the Huskers’ 89-46 victory over Northern Colorado at the Devaney Center on Nov. 19, and 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 has already surpassed her production from all of last season in just over one-fourth of the games. Through eight games, Gerhart is 46-of-88 from the field (52.3 percent) and has scored 103 points, 12 more points than the 91 points she scored last season. She has also hit six three-pointers this season, after going without a made three-pointer last season.

Gerhart hit the first three three-pointers of her career and finished with 13 points in the second-round Preseason WNIT loss at No. 10 Notre Dame. Her performance against the Fighting Irish 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.

Aubry Getting it Done Inside and Out for the Huskers
Chelsea Aubry has given the Huskers an impressive inside combination through the first eight regular-season games. The 6-2 sophomore forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada ranks third on the team in scoring and second on the club in rebounding, averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. She is also one of Nebraska’s best interior defenders and leads the Huskers in the number of charges drawn this season.

Along with providing the Huskers with a solid interior presence, Aubry has shown her versatility by moving to the wing in Nebraska’s last two games. She is shooting a team-best 54.8 percent from the field for the season, including a solid 45.5 percent (5-11) from three-point range.

Aubry put her versatility on display in Nebraska’s win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1, by just missing her first career double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds against the Lady Lions.

In the Huskers’ home win over Washington State on Nov. 22, Aubry tied her career high with 16 points for the third time this season and powered a strong second-half effort against the Cougars. 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.

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.

Johansen Keeps Dishing Out Assists for Huskers
Nebraska’s lone returning starter from a year ago, 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.

Johansen leads the Huskers with 6.1 assists per game, while adding 5.4 points and 3.0 boards per contest. One of the top passers in Nebraska history, Johansen ranks fourth on the school career chart with 425 assists. She needs just 19 more assists to catch Amy Stephens (1986-89) at No. 3 on NU’s all-time list.

Johansen matched her season high with eight assists in NU’s last win over Tennessee-Marting, after scoring a season-high 10 points in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. She connected on 5-of-7 shots from the field, while dishing out six assists and pulling down four rebounds in a season-low 24 minutes against the Lady Lions.

In the win over Washington State, Johansen scored nine points on a trio of three-pointers to go along with seven assists. 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. Johansen has started all seven games this year and leads the Huskers with 34.3 minutes per game. She owns 71 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.

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.

Samardziska Makes Splash in Win over UT-Martin
Junior college transfer Bojana Samardziska played her best game of the season in Nebraska’s 69-60 win over Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 7. The 6-4 center from Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, erupted for a career-high 19 points against the Skyhawks by knocking down 9-of-12 shots from the field. She also hit her only free throw attempt of the game, while pulling down five rebounds, blocking two shots and snagging one steal. She did all that in just 13 minutes of court time, in an amazingly productive performance.

Samardziska had scored just 21 points in Nebraska’s first seven games before her outburst against Tennessee-Martin. She entered the UT-Martin game averaging 3.3 points per game, but vaulted to fourth on Nebraska’s season scoring list at 5.7 points per game after her breakout performance.

For the season, Samardziska has added 2.6 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with five blocked shots. She is shooting 51.7 percent (15-29) of her shots from the field and has dished out four assists while committing just two turnovers.

In her two-year career at Colby (Kan.) Community College, Samardziska scored 1,038 points and grabbed 601 rebounds. She captured first-team NJCAA Region VI All-Tournament honors by averaging 26 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocked shots per game in 2004. She averaged 17.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game on her way to second-team All-Jayhawk West Conference honors last season.

Husker Individuals among Big 12 Leaders
Three Husker sophomores rank among the top 25 scorers in the Big 12 Conference through the first eight games this season. Kiera Hardy ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring with 16.3 points per game, while Jessica Gerhart sits in a tie for 14th place on the league scoring chart with 12.9 points per game. Gerhart also ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 6.9 rebounds per game. Chelsea Aubry rounds out the NU trio in the top 25 by ranking 24th at 11.3 points per game. Aubry’s 54.8 shooting percentage from the field ranks 10th in the Big 12. Gerhart also ranks eighth in the conference in rebounding.

Jina Johansen is the only Husker to lead the Big 12 in a category, as her 49 total assists lead the league, 11 assists ahead of Missouri’s LaToya Bond (38). Johansen’s 6.13 assists per game rank second in the Big 12, trailing only Texas Tech’s Erin Grant (7.33 apg). Johansen also ranks fourth in the Big 12 with her 3.27 assist-to-turnover ratio (49 assists-to-15 turnovers).

Hardy ranks 11th in the conference with 1.88 made three-pointers per game, while her 15 three-pointers are tied with Texas’ Jamie Carey for first in that category.

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 Ohio State game averaging 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Her 2.8 assists per game and her 17 total assists rank third on the team.

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 4.8 points and 3.5 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. She added the second start of her career in the win over Southeastern Louisiana and her third start in the win over Tennessee-Martin.

Fellow junior college transfer Jelena Spiric has started five of NU’s eight games this season and produced her best efforts of the season in her last two home games at the Devaney Center.

Spiric had an eight-point, four-rebound performance in the win over Southeastern Louiaiana on Dec. 1, after putting up eight points, three steals and two assists in the win over Washington State on Nov. 22. She added six points and four boards in the win over Tennessee-Martin. 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 4.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. She also ranks second on the team with nine steals

Bojana Samardziska has played in seven straight games after sitting out the season opener against Western Illinois. The 6-4 center from Colby CC established career highs with eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1, before shattering her career high with 19 points in the win over Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 7. She is averaging 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with five blocks.

Ivana Drmanac, a third transfer from Colby CC, played her best game of the season against Northern Colorado. The 6-2 forward scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists in 14 minutes. Drmanac is averaging 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

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

Page, a 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., has provided solid contributions, including a career-high seven-point effort in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1. Page also tied her career high with eight rebounds against the Lady Lions.

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 an impressive game 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 fifth blocked shot of the season in the win over Washington State.

Page notched her team-leading sixth block of the season against North Carolina State. She produced at least one block in each of the Huskers’ first five games, but has not notched a block in the last three contests.

Page is averaging 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. She leads the team in blocked shots with six and also ranks third on the team in rebounding despite playing 15.1 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 produced a career-high seven-point performance in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1.

White added three points on her second career three-pointer and a career-best three rebounds in the win over Northern Colorado. White is averaging 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, and is tied with Jessica Gerhart for third on the team with her 53.8 field goal percentage.

Huskers Take Care of the Rock
Nebraska displayed an uncanny ability to protect the basketball through the first four games this season. The Huskers 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 were 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.

However, the Huskers faced a dominant defense from North Carolina State, and the Wolfpack forced a season-high 25 turnovers by NU on Nov. 27. Hampton applied a variety of full-court pressure packages and forced 19 turnovers, giving NU 44 turnovers in two games in the Virgin Islands. Despite the big numbers at the Paradise Jam, the Huskers are still averaging just 14.9 turnovers of per game and are one of just five Big 12 teams averaging 15.0 or fewer turnovers per contest.

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.