Huskers Battle Bluejays Saturday at Civic

The Nebraska women’s basketball team travels to the Omaha Civic Auditorium on Saturday for an intra-state showdown with the Creighton Bluejays.

Tip-off is set for 3:05 p.m. with a live television broadcast provided statewide by Nebraska Educational Television. The game will also be televised on a tape-delayed basis by College Sports Television, and carried live on radio by the Pinnacle Sports Network (1400 KLIN in Lincoln; 1110 KFAB in Omaha). The radio broadcast can also be heard live on the Internet at Huskers.com.

Nebraska enters the game with a 6-3 overall record after suffering an 86-61 setback at No. 10 Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 11. The Bluejays come into the contest with a 4-3 overall record after losing 91-82 in overtime to Iowa, another top-25 team from the Big Ten, on Friday, Dec. 10. Both teams took the week off from competition to complete final exams, and both teams have been challenged by tough tests during the non-conference season.

Two of Nebraska’s three losses have come on the road against top-10 teams, with the loss at Ohio State and a 73-57 setback at then-No. 10 Notre Dame in the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 14. NU’s only other loss came at the Paradise Jam to North Carolina State, which entered the week with a 6-1 record and its only loss to then-No. 1 Tennessee in the opening weekend of the season. The combined record of the three teams the Huskers have suffered losses to is 25-3 entering the week.

All three of Creighton’s losses have come to teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. In addition to its loss to undefeated and No. 24 Iowa, CU suffered a 79-71 setback to then-No. 18 Minnesota on Nov. 28, which is 8-2 and has climbed to No. 13 in the rankings. The Bluejays also suffered an 80-63 loss at Houston, which is undefeated at 8-0 and ranked No. 19 by the AP this week. The combined record of the three teams Creighton has lost to is 24-2.

Although the Bluejays have been hard-luck losers to three top-25 teams, they have also notched impressive road victories at Colorado (84-68) and at Oregon State (76-75), along with home wins over Northwestern (77-65) and UMKC (84-64).

Yori to Face Alma Mater for Third Time
A 1986 graduate of Creighton, Nebraska Coach Connie Yori will take on her alma mater for the third time in her coaching career. A member of Creighton’s Athletic Hall of Fame, Yori ranks third all-time on CU’s all-time scoring list with 2,010 points. She also held the school’s all-time steals record (292) until last weekend when CU senior guard Laura Spanheimer surpassed the mark.

Yori averaged a school-record 20.3 points per game during her playing days at Creighton from 1983 to 1986. She also owns the school single-game scoring record (42 points) and the single-game mark with 20 made field goals.

After her illustrious playing career in Omaha, Yori joined Bruce Rasmussen’s coaching staff as an assistant from 1986-87 through the 1988-89 seasons.

After a one-year stint as the head softball coach at St. Thomas University in Florida, where she earned her master’s degree in sports administration, Yori spent two years as the head coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa (1990-91 to 1991-92). She posted a 25-25 overall record at the NCAA Division III level before returning to her alma mater as the head coach in 1992-93.

Yori spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Creighton and posted a 170-115 mark during her time on the sideline in Omaha. In her final season, she led the Bluejays to a 24-7 overall record, a Missouri Valley Conference title, and a trip to the 2002 NCAA Tournament. She was also named the MVC Coach of the Year.

Yori was named Nebraska’s head coach on June 24, 2002. In her first season at Nebraska, she led a makeshift Husker squad to an 8-20 record, which included a 55-40 loss to Creighton on Dec. 1, 2002, in her first-ever coaching appearance against her former team.

In Yori’s second season at Nebraska, she led one of the nation’s top turnarounds, as the Huskers rolled to an 18-12 overall record and a trip to the Postseason WNIT. She also picked up her first victory against her alma mater with a 70-62 victory over the Bluejays in Lincoln on Dec. 21, 2003.

When Yori departed Creighton for Nebraska, her top assistant coach, Jim Flanery, took the reins of the Bluejay program. Flanery has led CU to a 52-21 record and the 2004 Postseason WNIT title.

More than Yori Add Bluejay Flavor to Nebraska Staff
Nebraska Head Coach Connie Yori has also brought a heavy Creighton flavor with her to the Husker program. Assistant Coach Angela Timmons, who is in her third year with the Huskers, was also an assistant with Yori at Creighton. Timmons, who graduated from Creighton in 2001, also enjoyed a standout career as a player with the Bluejays, scoring more than 1,000 points.

In addition, NU Administrative Assistant Steph Clark was a member of the Creighton basketball program and graduated from the school in 1993. Nebraska Graduate Assistant Manager Dayna Finch Weltmer starred for Creighton the past four seasons before graduating from CU in 2004. Finch Weltmer was the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s basketball and owns the MVC record with 294 career three-pointers. She also owns the Creighton career mark with 121 games played.

Nebraska and Creighton Coaching Connections
Perhaps no two programs in the nation are more familiar with each other than Nebraska and Creighton. Along with Creighton Coach Jim Flanery serving under Nebraska Coach Connie Yori at Creighton, CU Assistant Tanya Warren played with Yori as a Bluejay. Warren’s No. 10 jersey joins Yori’s No. 25 jersey as the only numbers retired in Creighton history.

Creighton Assistant Coach Holly Borchers was recruited by Yori to the Bluejay program and played for CU from 1993 to 1997. She joins Yori, Warren, NU Assistant Angela Timmons and NU Graduate Assistant Manager Dayna Finch Weltmer among a group of only 16 Creighton players in history to score more 1,000 career points. In addition, CU Graduate Assistant Manager Jenny Burns was also recruited to Creighton and played for Yori as a Bluejay.

Overall, 10 of the 11 members of the coaching staffs on the sidelines have either played with, played for, or coached with Yori.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays
Creighton heads into Saturday’s game with a 4-3 record against a strong non-conference schedule. All three of Creighton’s losses have come against top-25 teams, with setbacks to Minnesota, Houston and Iowa. The combined record of those three teams heading into the week was 24-1, before Minnesota’s loss to No. 1 LSU Tuesday.

Jim Flanery is in his third season as the coach of the Bluejays after taking the reins from Connie Yori in June of 2002. Flanery has guided Creighton to a 52-21 record, including a 2004 Postseason WNIT championship. Creighton finished with a 24-9 overall record last season, including a 15-3 mark and a second-place regular-season finish in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton returns three starters and 10 letterwinners from last season.

The Bluejays feature three experienced scoring and rebounding options, led by senior Laura Spanheimer. The 5-9 guard is averaging a team-high 18.4 points per game, while ranking second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per contest. She also leads the team with 3.4 steals per game, while ranking second on the club with 3.1 assists per game. Spanheimer is shooting 48 percent from the field, including 37.2 percent (16-43) from three-point range.

One of the top defenders in Creighton history, Spanheimer recorded five steals in CU’s loss to Iowa last Friday to break Yori’s all-time school mark of 292 steals. Spanheimer enters the Nebraska game with 294 career steals. She is the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Junior forward Angie Janis has provided the Bluejays with a solid inside presence by averaging 17.4 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game. Janis is shooting a team-best 52.6 percent from the field, including a solid 42.9 percent from three-point range. Fellow junior Kristi Woodard has added 14.7 points and 5.3 boards per game to rank third on the club in both categories. She also ranks third on the squad with 2.9 assists per game, while ranking second on the team with 1.4 steals per game. Woodard has been CU’s top threat from long range, connecting on 51.4 percent of her three-pointers, while leading CU with 18 made three-pointers.

Codi Walker, a 5-10 senior guard, and Christy Erickson, a 6-1 junior forward, have rounded out Creighton’s starting lineup in each of the first seven games. Walker has contributed 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while Christy Erickson has pitched in 6.4 points and 4.1 boards per contest.

True freshman Ally Thrall (4.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and 6-2 junior center Amy Hoffman (3.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg) have boosted the Bluejays off the bench through the first seven games. Along with her scoring and rebounding averages, Hoffman has added a team-leading 17 blocked shots. True freshman Sara Cain and senior Jen Rochelle have also played in each of Creighton’s first seven contests this season.

As a team, the Bluejays are averaging a solid 76.7 points per game, but have surrendered 74.6 points per contest. Creighton has hit 41.0 percent of its field goal attempts, including a solid 37.4 percent from three-point range. Unfortunately for the Bluejays, opponents have been even better from the field, hitting 46.2 percent of their field goal attempts, including a 38.8 percent success rate from three-point range.

The Bluejays have also been outrebounded, 41.1-38.9, by the opposition. Creighton has taken excellent care of the basketball, committing just 13.9 turnovers per game, while forcing 18.6 turnovers per game by the opposition.

Nebraska vs. Creighton Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton, 20-9, including a 70-62 victory over the Bluejays at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on Dec. 21, 2003. The Huskers have won seven of the last nine meetings in the series, but have dropped two straight games to the Bluejays at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha.

Creighton cruised to a 55-40 win over the Huskers in the last meeting at the Civic Auditorium on Dec. 1, 2002. That game was Nebraska Coach Connie Yori’s first game facing her alma mater on the sideline. The Bluejays also ran to a 66-57 win over the Huskers on Dec. 3, 2000. In that game, Yori coached the Bluejays to the win over the Huskers.

Creighton’s 2000 victory over Nebraska ended a five-game winning streak overall in the series for the Huskers. That five-game winning streak matched NU’s longest streak in the series, joining NU’s streak from Jan. 31, 1975 through Jan. 21, 1981, which represented the first five games in series history. Creighton has never defeated Nebraska in three consecutive seasons, and has not won back-to-back games against the Huskers since the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, which were Yori’s second and third seasons at the helm for CU.

Huskers Victorious in Last Meeting with Bluejays
Nebraska matched its victory total from the entire 2002-03 season by battling to a 70-62 win over Creighton on Dec. 21, 2003, at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. Nebraska’s win pushed the Huskers to 8-1 on the season, following an 8-20 final record in 2002-03.

The Huskers’ come-from-behind victory marked their sixth consecutive win on the season and helped NU improve to 6-0 at home last season to equal its entire total from 2002-03.

Keasha-Cannon Johnson scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists and snagged four steals to lead the Huskers. Margaret Richards added her second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, including 11 boards in the first half alone.

Richards came up big in the clutch for the Huskers by scoring four of Nebraska’s final seven points in the last 38 seconds to help NU outscore the Bluejays 13-1 during the final 3:30. The Huskers trailed by nine points early in the first half and 50-43 with 13:37 left in the game, but NU held CU to just two field goals in the final 8:26 to secure the win.

Dayna Finch led the Bluejays with 14 points and six rebounds, while Angie Janis added 13 points and 11 boards before fouling out. Laura Spanheimer played all 40 minutes for CU and added 10 points and nine boards. Christy Neneman, who entered the game as the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, played just 11 minutes after sustaining a broken ring finger on her left hand in the first half.

The win marked Nebraska Coach Connie Yori’s first victory over her former team.

Huskers Fall at No. 10 Ohio State, 86-61
Kiera Hardy caught fire in the second half to score a team-high 22 points, but it was not enough to prevent No. 10 Ohio State from posting an 86-61 win over Nebraska at Value City Arena on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Nebraska fell to 6-3 with the loss, while Ohio State improved to 8-1 with its fifth straight win.

Hardy, who managed just three points in the first half, scored 16 points in a seven-minute span in the second half to trim a 20-point Buckeye lead to just nine points with about six minutes left in the game. With the Huskers trailing 50-30, Hardy scored 15 of Nebraska’s next 22 points to trim the OSU lead to 63-52, before firing an assist to Chelsea Aubry to cut the lead to single digits at nine points (63-54).

For the game, Hardy hit 8-of-16 shots from the field, including 4-of-7 three-pointers. Hardy hit 7-of-11 shots in the second half, including 3-of-5 three-pointers to ignite the Huskers. Aubry finished with nine points for the Huskers, while Jessica Gerhart added 13 points in the losing effort.

Unfortunately for the Huskers, Nebraska would get no closer than the nine-point deficit, as OSU sophomore Jessica Davenport produced a game-high 26 points and senior guard Caity Matter added 25 points in a strong effort for the Buckeyes. Brandie Hoskins pitched in 15 points for the Buckeyes, who ran to an opponent season-high 86 points on the afternoon.

Both teams erupted offensively in the second half, as Ohio State outscored NU, 50-42, in the second stanza alone, after the defenses dominated the first half.

Ohio State held a slim 18-13 advantage with just nine minutes left in the first half. The two squads each went nearly five minutes without scoring and forced several shot clock violations late in the half before Ohio State broke through.

In the final six minutes of the half, the Buckeyes outscored Nebraska 18-6 to take control and carry a commanding 36-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Davenport dominated the action for Ohio State by scoring 17 first-half points, while pulling down seven rebounds and notching three blocked shots. Hoskins added a solid half for the Buckeyes by scoring seven points and dishing out four assists to create easy opportunities inside for Davenport.

The Huskers struggled offensively throughout the first half, shooting just 25 percent (7-28) from the field, including just 16.7 percent (1-6) shooting from three-point range. Gerhart led the Huskers with six points in the first half, despite hitting just 1-of-4 field goals.

For the game, Nebraska shot 38.5 percent (20-52), including a solid 54.2 percent (13-24) in the second half. The Huskers also hit 5-of-8 three-pointers in the second stanza. Ohio State hit a sizzling 78.3 percent (18-23) from the field in the second half and finished with 64.7 percent (33-51) shooting for the game, including 53.8 percent (7-13) from three-point range. OSU was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range in the second half. The Buckeyes also outrebounded NU, 34-21, on the day, while matching the Huskers with 12 turnovers.

Hardy Heating Up Over Last Five Games
Nebraska’s leading scorer on the season averaging 16.9 points per game, Kiera Hardy has been even better over the past five games.

The 5-6 sophomore guard from Kansas City, Mo., has led the Huskers in scoring in each of the last five contests and is averaging 20.6 points per game during that span. She is shooting 50.7 percent (37-73) from the field during that span, including a sizzling 41.2 percent (14-34) from the three-point line and 83.3 percent (15-18) from the free throw line. Hardy’s 14 three-pointers over the past five games represent nearly half her team-leading season total of 30 three-pointers over 27 games last season.

Hardy’s hot shooting in the last five contests followed on the heels of an 8-for-41 (19.5 percent) shooting slump that spanned Nebraska’s second, third and fourth games this season.

Hardy Scoring at NU’s Strongest Rate in Five Seasons
Kiera Hardy enters the Creighton game averaging 16.9 points per game, which leads the Huskers and ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference through nine games.

Hardy’s scoring average represents Nebraska most productive individual scoring mark since the 1999-2000 season when first-team All-Big 12 selection and honorable-mention All-American Nicole Kubik averaged 17.4 points per game as a senior.

Hardy’s scoring average is also just shy of one of the top-five sophomore seasons in school history. All-American Karen Jennings produced the top scoring average by a sophomore by putting up 20.5 points per game in 1990-91, while Maurtice Ivy averaged 19.7 points per game in 1985-86. Amy Stephens hit for 18.8 points per game in 1986-87, after Debra Powell (1982-83) and Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-81) each averaged 17.6 points per game to round the top five efforts by a sophomore.

Hardy has averaged 20.6 points per game over Nebraska’s last five games, including a career-high 31 point effort in a win over Hampton on Nov. 27. No Husker individual has averaged 20 points per game since Nafeesah Brown averaged 20.2 points per contest in 1993-94. No Husker has averaged 15 points per game in the past four seasons.

Hardy enters the Creighton game with 399 career points in 36 career games, including 152 points in nine games this season and 247 points in 27 games as a true freshman last season. NU senior guard Jina Johansen is the Huskers’ active leader in career points with 413 points in 97 career games, including 72 starts.

With 49 three-pointers in her career, Hardy is Nebraska’s active three-point leader, just ahead of Johansen’s 44 career three-pointers. Hardy needs just 17 more three-pointers to crack Nebraska’s all-time top 10 list in that category.

Hardy Sparks Trio of Husker Super Sophomores
Nebraska’s sophomore trio of Kiera Hardy, Jessica Gerhart and Chelsea Aubry have led the Huskers through the first nine games this season.

Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., leads the Huskers with 16.9 points per game, while hitting a team-high 19 three-pointers on the year. She also leads NU with 13 steals, while ranking second on the team with 2.9 assists per game.

Hardy struck for a career-high 31 points in NU’s win over Hampton at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on Nov. 27. She added 16 points against North Carolina State to earn a spot on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament team. Hardy has led the Huskers in scoring in five straight games, including a 22-point effort in the loss at No. 10 Ohio State and a 20-point performance in the win over Tennessee-Martin. She produced the first of four 20-point scoring efforts this season with a then-career-high 28 points in the season-opening victory over Western Illinois on Nov. 12.

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.

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.

Gerhart Leading the Huskers on the Glass
One of three leaders of Nebraska’s solid sophomore class, Jessica Gerhart has produced strong efforts through the first nine games to tip off her second season. The 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, leads the Huskers’ boardwork with 6.6 rebounds per contest. Gerhart has led the Huskers on the glass in five of nine games this season, including each of the last three contests.

Along with leading the Huskers with 59 rebounds, a total that has already surpassed the 52 boards she grabbed in all 30 games last season, Gerhart ranks second on the team with 12.9 points per game. Gerhart’s 52.1 field goal percentage also leads the Huskers, while her four blocked shots rank 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 nine games, Gerhart is 50-of-96 from the field (52.1 percent) and has scored 116 points, 25 more points than the 91 points she scored last season. She has also hit seven 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. She added 13 points at No. 10 Ohio State.

Aubry Provides Skill and Strength for Huskers
Sophomore Chelsea Aubry gives the Huskers a strong No. 3 scoring option in the lineup in her second season. Aubry joins fellow sophomores Kiera Hardy and Jessica Gerhart in a trio of talented second-year players.

A 6-2 sophomore forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Aubry ranks third on the team in scoring and second on the club in rebounding with 11.0 points and 5.1 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 three games. She is shooting 50.7 percent from the field, which ranks second among the Huskers’ regular starters, while connecting on a solid 41.7 percent (5-12) of her three-point attempts.

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 NU’s first seven points of the second half. She also pulled down all seven of her rebounds after halftime to help erase WSU’s 14-rebound edge 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 with 16 points and four boards in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame on Nov. 14.

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 5.1 points and 2.7 boards per contest. One of the top passers in Nebraska history, Johansen ranks fourth on the school career chart with 431 assists. She needs just 13 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 win over Tennessee-Martin, 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 nine games this year and leads the Huskers with 34.8 minutes per game. She owns 72 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.

Diaz Earns Starting Role in Last Three Games
Elena Diaz has provided the Huskers with the biggest contribution from a quartet of junior college transfers. Diaz has made four starts, including each of the last three games, and is averaging 4.4 points and 3.2 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, before getting the nod at No. 10 Ohio State.

Spiric Starting to Increase Production Off Bench
Junior college transfer Jelena Spiric has started five of NU’s nine games this season, but has come off the bench in each of the Huskers’ last three games to produce solid outings.

Spiric had an eight-point, four-rebound performance in the win over Southeastern Louisiana 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, before tying her career high with eight points at No. 10 Ohio State on Dec. 11.

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 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. She is also tied for second on the team with nine steals

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 and is now averaging 5.4 points per game.

For the season, Samardziska has added 2.5 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with five blocked shots. She is shooting 51.6 percent (16-31) from the field and has dished out four assists while committing just two turnovers. She has also contributed five steals.

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 nine games this season. Kiera Hardy ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring with 16.9 points per game, less than one point per game behind Big 12 leader Alesha Robertson from Texas Tech at 17.7 points per game. Hardy also ranks seventh in the conference with 2.11 made three-pointers per game, while her 19 three-pointers lead the Big 12.

Jessica Gerhart sits in a tie for 13th place on the league scoring chart with 12.9 points per game. Gerhart also ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 6.6 rebounds per game. Chelsea Aubry rounds out the NU trio in the top 25 by ranking in a tie for 25th at 11.0 points per game. Gerhart also ranks 12th in the league in field goal percentage (52.1 percent), while Aubry ranks 15th in the league (50.7 percent) in that category.

Jina Johansen leads the Big 12 with 55 total assists, 14 assists ahead of Oklahoma’s Dionnah Jackson (41). Johansen’s 6.11 assists per game rank second in the Big 12, trailing only Texas Tech’s Erin Grant (7.00 apg). Johansen also ranks third in the Big 12 with her 3.24 assist-to-turnover ratio (55 assists-to-17 turnovers).

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 Creighton game averaging 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists 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.

Freshman Page Contributing Early for Huskers
Freshmen Danielle Page has shown promise through the first nine games of her rookie season for the Huskers. The 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 four contests.

Page is averaging 3.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She leads the team in blocked shots with six and also ranks third on the team in rebounding despite playing 14.9 minutes per game.

White, Drmanac Add Depth to Nebraska Roster
Freshman Sarah White’s early production was 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 leads the team with her 53.8 field goal percentage.

Junior college transfer Ivana Drmanac has also added depth to Nebraska’s backcourt. The 6-1 forward has played in seven games and averaged 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has also knocked down three three-pointers for the Huskers, and dished out five assists in just 7.1 minutes per game.

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 14.6 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.

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 traveled to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam during the Thanksgiving holiday and returned with a third-place showing after falling to eventual champion North Carolina State (55-45) on Nov. 26. The Wolfpack earned a bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. NU faced another postseason team and came away with a 72-54 win over 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier Hampton on Nov. 27.

After running past Southeastern Louisiana, 82-35 at home on Dec. 1, the Huskers defeated Tennessee-Martin, 69-60, on Dec. 7. Nebraska suffered its second loss to a top 10 team this season when it fell at No. 10 Ohio State, 86-61, on Dec. 11. The Buckeyes advanced to the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers 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 282-100 (.738) in games played in the arena, including 99-63 (.611) in conference games.

The Huskers have opened 2004-05 with a 5-0 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.