Huskers Tangle with Memphis Thursday

The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to the Bob Devaney Sports Center after a 10-day layoff to close a rigorous non-conference schedule by tangling with the Memphis Lady Tigers on Thursday, Dec. 30, at 7:05 p.m. A live video stream of the game can be viewed at HuskersNside, the premium website of the Nebraska Athletic Department, on a subscription basis with a high-speed Internet connection. A radio broadcast with live statistics is also available on Huskers.com, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action on the Pinnacle Sports Network (98 FM-KFGE in Lincoln only).

The Huskers (7-4) carry a perfect 6-0 home record this season into the game with the Lady Tigers, who own an identical 7-4 overall mark after knocking off Radford 62-37 in Memphis on Dec. 28.

Nebraska’s game with Memphis will be its sixth this season against a 2004 postseason tournament team. The Lady Tigers join Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Hampton and Creighton on that list. The Huskers are 1-4 against 2004 postseason squads, with their lone win coming against Hampton (72-54) at the Paradise Jam on Nov. 27. Although NU has struggled against last year’s postseason qualifiers, the Huskers played 2004 WNIT champion Creighton to within one point on the road and NCAA Tournament qualifier North Carolina State within 10. The Wolfpack currently rank among the top 10 teams nationally in scoring defense.

Memphis has been good at home this season, sporting a solid 6-1 record at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, with the Lady Tigers’ only loss coming in a 59-53 setback at the hands of Arkansas. The Lady Tigers own a 68-59 win over Big 12 Conference representative Oklahoma State on Dec. 11. Memphis has stumbled to a 1-3 mark away from "The Jungle." The Tigers’ only road win came just down the road in Martin, Tenn., when they knocked off Tennessee-Martin, 77-74, on Dec. 4. Three days later, Nebraska defeated the Skyhawks, 69-60, at the Devaney Center.

Nebraska did not play Memphis last season, but did compete in the Tigers’ Thanksgiving tournament, where the Huskers lost to Mississippi, before defeating Eastern Kentucky. Memphis won the tournament in 2003, and added its 13th straight home tournament title this season. Memphis finished the 2003-04 season with a 21-10 overall record after earning a berth in the Postseason WNIT. The Lady Tigers ran to a 9-5 Conference USA record last season to tie for fifth in the league.

Scouting the Memphis Lady Tigers
The Memphis Lady Tigers come to Lincoln for the first time in school history on Thursday night to take on the Huskers. Memphis enters the Devaney Center with a 7-4 overall record after running to a 62-37 victory over Radford on Tuesday night. Radford fell to 1-7 with the loss.

Blair Savage is in her first year as the head coach of the Lady Tigers and has helped Memphis to a solid 6-1 home record at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse to open the season. The Lady Tigers’ only loss came in a 59-53 setback at the hands of Arkansas, Savage’s alma mater. Memphis does own a 68-59 win over Big 12 Conference representative Oklahoma State on Dec. 11.

While the Lady Tigers have found success at home, they have stumbled to a 1-3 mark away from "The Jungle." The Tigers’ only road win came just down the road in Martin, Tenn., when they knocked off Tennessee-Martin, 77-74, on Dec. 4. Three days later, Nebraska defeated the Skyhawks, 69-60, at the Devaney Center.

Along with struggling on the road, the Lady Tigers have also struggled to get their luggage back from a recent trip to Mexico, where they suffered a pair of losses to Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky. Because of the missing baggage, Memphis will likely wear home whites against the Huskers, who will probably sport their regular road red jerseys. A pair of Tigers will also probably have number changes, with Kaneshi Hart likely switching from her normal No. 20, to a No. 35 jersey, while Megan Gooch will move from No. 52 to No. 42.

Victoria Crawford, a 5-10 senior guard, has been the Lady Tigers’ top gun, averaging 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and a team-leading 2.0 steals per game. Fellow senior Raven Rogers, a 5-10 forward, is the only other Memphis player averaging in double figures with 13.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Raven Rogers, a 5-10 senior forward, has contributed 7.7 points and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per game. Rogers is hitting just 33.3 percent of her shots from the field, including just 19.2 percent (5-26) of her three-point attempts. She has also struggled to just 52.2 percent (12-23) shooting from the free throw line.

Kaneshi Hart, the tallest player in the Memphis starting lineup at 6-1, rounds out a quartet of four starting seniors for the Lady Tigers. The center is averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Devin Necaise, a 5-8 sophomore guard completes the Memphis starting lineup by averaging 7.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Tamika Butler, a 5-4 junior guard, has given the Lady Tigers a valuable contribution off the bench, ranking third on the team with 8.1 points per game, while adding 2.1 rebounds per contest. Butler actually averages more than six minutes more playing time than Hart.

As a team, Memphis has been nearly even with the opposition in the rebounding (+0.3) and turnover (-0.5) categories on the year. The Lady Tigers are averaging 64 points per game, while surrendering 63.4 points per contest. Memphis is shooting 42.1 percent from the field, including a solid 32.7 percent from three-point range. The Lady Tigers have struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 60.3 percent of their attempts.

Nebraska did not play Memphis last season, but did compete in the Tigers’ Thanksgiving tournament, where the Huskers lost to Mississippi, before defeating Eastern Kentucky. Memphis won the tournament in 2003, and added its 13th straight home tournament title this season. Memphis finished the 2003-04 season with a 21-10 overall record after earning a berth in the Postseason WNIT. The Lady Tigers ran to a 9-5 Conference USA record last season to tie for fifth in the league.

Nebraska vs. Memphis Series History
Memphis leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 1-0, but the two teams have not met on the court in 26 seasons. The Lady Tigers cruised to an 82-55 victory over the Huskers on Jan. 14, 1978, at the Jenney’s Classic in Warrensburg, Mo.

Nebraska carries just a 2-6 all-time record against teams from the state of Tennessee, but the Huskers are 1-0 against teams from Tennessee this season. NU worked hard for a 69-60 win over visiting Tennessee-Martin at the Devaney Center on Dec. 7, just three days after Memphis defeated the Skyhawks, 77-74, in Martin, Tenn.

The Huskers’ only other win against a team from the Volunteer State came against Tennessee Tech on Jan. 8, 1980. Nebraska split the all-time series with Tennessee Tech (1-1) after losing to Tech on Nov. 22, 1979.

The Huskers are 0-2 against the University of Tennessee, 0-1 against Tennessee-Chattanooga and 0-1 against Belmont. Nebraska’s game against Tennessee-Martin in early December was the Huskers’ first contest against a team from Tennessee since losing to the Volunteers, 77-58, on Dec. 1, 1984.

Huskers’ Team Effort Burns Ragin’ Cajuns
Sophomore forward Jessica Gerhart’s 16 points led a season-high five Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska rolled to an 81-70 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in front of 2,415 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Dec. 20. With the win, the Huskers improved to 7-4 on the season, while the Ragin’ Cajuns slipped to 8-3.

"It was the best win of the year because I think they are the best team we have beaten this season," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "Louisiana-Lafayette is going to win a lot of basketball games this year. They have a very good team, including one of the best players (Anna Petrakova) that we will face all year."

Gerhart scored half of her 16 points in the first 2:25 of the contest to help Nebraska lead from start to finish while topping the 80-point mark for the third time this season. NU’s three 80-point outputs equal its total of 80-point games for the entire 2003-04 season.

While Gerhart provided Nebraska with an early spark, a balanced Husker squad paced the team to an 11-point win two days after placing just one player in double figures in a 58-57 loss at Creighton. Kiera Hardy, who led the Big 12 in scoring at 18.1 points per game entering the contest, finished with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Chelsea Aubry contributed 11 points, while NU got major production from senior guard Jina Johansen and Jelena Spiric, who both finished with 10 points.

Spiric, who was 4-of-6 from the field, matched career highs with four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes off the bench while reaching double figures in points for the first time in her Husker career.

Johansen, who entered the contest averaging 4.8 points per game, hit 4-of-7 shots from the field, including a pair of key three-pointers, to match her season high set against Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1. Johansen also tied Gerhart for the team rebounding lead with seven boards, while adding a team-high six assists. She also committed just one turnover in 39 minutes.

The Huskers took control early, as Hardy sparked a 10-2 run. NU turned a 15-13 lead into a 25-15 cushion with 9:20 remaining in the first half after a turnaround jumper by Elena Diaz. The junior from Medellin, Colombia nearly gave NU a sixth player in double figures by finishing with eight points and six rebounds. Hardy then scored eight straight points, highlighted by an acrobatic three-pointer from the left wing as the shot clock expired.

Louisiana-Lafayette, which came into the game with an 8-2 overall record with its only losses coming to undefeated and No. 2 Stanford and 8-1 Arkansas, quickly cut the lead to 25-20, before Nebraska delivered a knockout blow. The Huskers erupted on a 10-0 run to take a 35-20 lead after a Johansen jumper with 4:15 remaining in the first half.

The Huskers, who improved to 6-0 at the Devaney Center, were opportunistic throughout the game, converting 10 ULL turnovers into 11 points in the first half alone.

Behind the inside game of 2004 Sun Belt Conference Player-of-the-Year Anna Petrakova who finished with game highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds, the Ragin’ Cajuns managed to whittle NU’s lead to 56-49 with 9:39 remaining. But Johansen’s three-pointer triggered an 11-0 run to help NU take its biggest advantage of the night at 67-49 with 7:16 left in the game. ULL was unable to pull within single digits the rest of the way.

Fox Announces Tip-Off Change at Kansas Feb. 20
The Nebraska women’s basketball team’s start time at Kansas on Feb. 20, has been moved one hour to a 1 p.m. tip-off. The change was announced in early December by Fox Sports Net with the approval of the two schools.

The game was originally scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. central time at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.

Hardy Heating Up Over Last Seven Games
Nebraska’s leading scorer on the season averaging 17.8 points per game, Kiera Hardy has been even better over the past seven games. Hardy’s 29-point effort in the loss at Creighton on Dec. 18 allowed her to jump from fifth to first on the Big 12 Conference individual scoring chart. Although her average slipped from 18.1 points to 17.8 points per game after scoring 15 points in NU’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20, Hardy has actually increased her hold on the league scoring lead. Hardy leads Iowa State’s Anne O’Neil (17.0 ppg) by nearly a full point. The next highest-scoring sophomore in the Big 12 is Tiffany Jackson from Texas, who is averaging 16.1 points per contest to rank sixth in the league.

Hardy, a 5-6 sophomore guard from Kansas City, Mo., led the Huskers in scoring for six straight contests before Jessica Gerhart contributed a team-high 16 points in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette. During that six-game stretch Hardy averaged 22.0 points per game during that span.

Over the past seven games, Hardy is averaging 21.0 points per game, while shooting 50 percent (54-108) from the field, including a solid 37.8 percent (17-45) behind the three-point arc and 81.5 percent (22-27) from the free throw line. Hardy’s 17 three-pointers over the past seven games represent more than half her team-leading season total of 30 three-pointers over 27 games last season.

Hardy produced three consecutive games (Tennessee-Martin, Ohio State, Creighton) with 20 or more points, and averaged 23.7 points per game over those three contests. She has scored 20 or more points in four of Nebraska’s last six games, including a career-high 31 points against Hampton in the Paradise Jam on Nov. 27. She added her fifth 20-point effort of the year with 28 points in Nebraska’s season-opening victory over Western Illinois on Nov. 12.

Hardy’s hot shooting in the last six 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 Six Seasons
Kiera Hardy enters the Memphis game averaging 17.8 points per game, which leads the Huskers and the Big 12 Conference through 11 games.

Hardy’s scoring average represents Nebraska’s most productive individual scoring mark since the 1998-99 season when first-team All-Big 12 selection and honorable-mention All-American Nicole Kubik averaged 19.8 points per game as a junior.

Hardy’s scoring average also ranks as the fourth-best output by a sophomore in school history. All-American Karen Jennings produced the top scoring average by a sophomore with 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. All three of those Huskers earned first-team all-conference honors during their careers.

Hardy has averaged 21 points per game over Nebraska’s last seven games, including a career-high 31-point effort in a win over Hampton on Nov. 27 and 29 points in the loss at Creighton on Dec. 18. 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 Takes Over as Nebraska’s Active Scoring Leader
Although she has played just 11 games in her sophomore season and just 38 games with 11 starts in her college career, Kiera Hardy became Nebraska’s active career scoring leader with her 29-point outburst at Creighton on Dec. 18.

The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., added 15 points against Louisiana-Lafayette to push her career total to 443 career points in 38 career games, including 196 points in 11 games this season and 247 points in 27 games as a true freshman last season. NU senior guard Jina Johansen was the Huskers’ active leader in career points with 413 points in 97 career games, including 72 starts, entering the Creighton game. Johansen now ranks second among active Huskers with 425 points.

With 52 three-pointers in her career, Hardy is also Nebraska’s active three-point leader, just ahead of Johansen’s 46 career three-pointers. Hardy needs just 14 more three-pointers to crack NU’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 11 games this season. Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., leads the Huskers with 17.8 points per game, while hitting a team-high 22 three-pointers on the year. She also leads NU with 16 steals, while ranking second on the team with 2.7 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 six of the last seven games, including a 29-point outburst at Creighton on Dec. 18, and a 22-point effort in the loss at No. 10 Ohio State on Dec. 11. She added a 20-point performance in the win over Tennessee-Martin. She produced the first of five 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 11 games to tip off her second season. The 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, leads the Huskers’ boardwork with 6.7 rebounds per contest. Gerhart has led the Huskers on the glass in seven of 11 games this season, including each of the last five contests.

Along with leading the Huskers with 74 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 12.6 points per game. Gerhart’s 50.0 field goal percentage also leads the Husker starters, 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. She also led the Huskers with 16 points in NU’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20.

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-third of the games. Through 11 games, Gerhart is 59-of-118 from the field (50 percent) and has scored 139 points, 48 more points than the 91 points she scored last season. She has also hit 10 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 10.5 points and 4.8 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 five games. She is shooting 48.8 percent from the field, which ranks second among the Huskers’ regular starters, while connecting on a 37.5 percent (6-16) 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 5.8 assists per game, while adding 5.3 points and 3.3 boards per contest. One of the top passers in Nebraska history, Johansen ranks fourth on the school career chart with 440 assists. She needs just four more assists to catch Amy Stephens (1986-89) at No. 3 on NU’s all-time list.

Johansen is coming off her best individual performance of the season, when she scored 10 points, tied for the team-high with seven rebounds and led the Huskers with six assists in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20. She was 4-of-7 from the field against the Ragin’ Cajuns, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. Johansen played 39 minutes against ULL, and has played all but eight minutes in Nebraska’s last four games combined.

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 11 games this year and leads the Huskers with 35.6 minutes per game. She owns 74 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.

Husker Individuals among Big 12 Leaders
Three Husker sophomores rank among the top 35 scorers in the Big 12 Conference through the first 11 games, led by Kiera Hardy, who leads the league in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Hardy also ranks 10th in the conference with 2.0 made three-pointers per game, while her 22 three-pointers are tied for fourth in the Big 12.

Jessica Gerhart ranks 17th on the Big 12 scoring chart with 12.6 points per game. Gerhart ranks 12th in the Big 12 with 6.7 rebounds per game and is tied for 13th in the league in field goal percentage (50 percent). Chelsea Aubry rounds out the NU trio in the top 35 with 10.5 points per game.

Jina Johansen leads the Big 12 with 64 total assists, eight assists ahead of Kansas’ Erica Hallman (54). Johansen’s 5.8 assists per game rank second in the Big 12, trailing only Texas Tech’s Erin Grant (6.0 apg). Johansen also ranks second in the Big 12 with her 3.20 assist-to-turnover ratio (64 assists-to-20 turnovers).

Howell Earns Starts in Huskers’ Last Two Games
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 Memphis game averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She is coming off her third start of the season in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20. She made her second start of the year at Creighton on Dec. 18, where she played a career-high 30 minutes. Howell scored five points, grabbed five rebounds, snagged a career-high four steals and dished out three assists in a steady all-around effort against the Bluejays.

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.

Diaz Earns Role as Part-Time Starter in First Season
Elena Diaz has provided the Huskers with the biggest contribution from a quartet of junior college transfers. Diaz has made four starts, including three of the last five games, and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She is coming off a solid eight-point, six-rebound performance in Nebraska’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20.

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 11 games this season, but has come off the bench in each of the Huskers’ last five games to produce solid outings. In NU’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20, Spiric scored a career-high 10 points, and matched her career bests with four rebounds and three assists against the Ragin’ Cajuns. She also matched her career high with 22 minutes against ULL.

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. She added two points, three rebounds, a steal and her first career block at Creighton on Dec. 18.

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 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She also ranks third on the team with 10 total 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 is now ranked fifth on Nebraska’s season scoring list with 5.0 points per game.

For the season, Samardziska has added 2.2 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with five blocked shots. She is shooting 53.1 percent (17-32) 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.

Freshman Page Contributing Early for Huskers
Freshmen Danielle Page has shown promise through the first 11 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 five contests.

Page is averaging 3.5 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 14.2 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 2.6 points and 1.0 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 eight games and averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has also knocked down three three-pointers for the Huskers, and dished out five assists in just 6.3 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.

After putting up big turnover numbers at the Paradise Jam, the Huskers have taken good care of the basketball again and are averaging just 14.4 turnovers of per game as one of six 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 fell to 2004 WNIT Champion Creighton, 58-57, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium on Dec. 18, before rebounding for an impressive 81-70 win over Louisiana-Lafayette, which came to Lincoln with an 8-2 record and 2004 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Anna Petrakova, on Dec. 20. Nebraska closes 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 283-100 (.739) in games played in the arena, including 99-63 (.611) in conference games.

The Huskers have opened 2004-05 with a 6-0 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.