Huskers Open Big 12 Play at Home Against Buffaloes

The Nebraska women’s basketball team tips off the 2005 Big 12 Conference season by battling the Colorado Buffaloes at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 7:05 p.m.

The game will be televised live in Lincoln on Time Warner Cable channel 37 by FSN Midwest with Greg Sharpe and Brenda VanLengen calling the action. FSN Rocky Mountain will also televise the contest live in Colorado with Keith Bleyer and Sandy Williams on the call.

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 (1400 AM-KLIN in Lincoln and 1110 AM-KFAB in Omaha).

The Huskers (8-4) carry a perfect 7-0 home record this season into the game with the Buffaloes, who are riding a five-game winning streak into Lincoln after a 73-61 win over Manhattan on Sunday in Boulder.

Nebraska is riding a mini-two game winning streak of its own after producing its two most impressive victories of the season during the Holiday break. The Huskers ran to an 81-70 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20. The Ragin’ Cajuns ended their non-conference season with a 10-3 record. Nebraska then rolled to an 82-50 win over visiting Memphis on Dec. 30. The Lady Tigers returned three starters from a team that won 20 games and advanced to the 2004 Postseason WNIT.

While both teams streak into Big 12 Conference play, the Huskers would like to end another streak owned by Colorado. The Buffaloes have strung together nine consecutive victories in the series with Nebraska, dating back to the Huskers’ 79-66 win over Colorado in Lincoln on Jan. 26, 2000. The Buffaloes have won those games by an average of 17 points per contest. CU had produced seven straight wins by 15 or more points before Nebraska nearly knocked off the Buffaloes in a 63-60 setback in the Huskers’ regular-season home finale on March 3, 2004. That loss to CU likely kept Nebraska out of the 2004 NCAA Tournament, as NU finished Big 12 play with a 7-9 record. Nebraska’s sophomore trio of Kiera Hardy, Jessica Gerhart and Chelsea Aubry will try to end Colorado’s series dominance. Hardy enters conference play ranked second in the league in scoring at 17.3 points per game, while Gerhart ranks 17th in scoring (12.7 ppg) and 10th in rebounding (6.9 rpg). Aubry has added 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Scouting the Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes come to the Devaney Center riding a five-game winning streak that has changed the complexion of CU’s season. The Buffs opened the season with a 2-4 record after three consecutive losses to No. 1 LSU (75-44), at Wyoming (72-67) and Creighton (84-68). Since the Dec. 4 loss to the Bluejays, Colorado has posted impressive wins over Colorado State and at Washington, along with victories at Pacific, Northern Colorado and most recently Manhattan.

The Huskers and Buffaloes have played a pair of common non-conference opponents, with CU losing by 16 points at home to Creighton on Dec. 4, before defeating Northern Colorado in Boulder by 19 points on Dec. 29. NU suffered a one-point loss to Creighton in Omaha on Dec. 18, and rolled past Northern Colorado by 43 points on Nov. 19.

Veronica Johns-Richardson is the lone returning starter from last year’s Colorado club that finished with a 22-6 overall record and earned a trip to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes finished third in the regular-season Big 12 standings with an 11-5 record in 2004. Johns-Richardson, a 5-9 senior guard from Fullerton, Calif., ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per contest, while leading the team with 3.0 assists per game. She has added 3.6 rebounds per contest and leads CU with 16 three-pointers and 25 steals on the year.

Sophomore Anna Nedovic, a 6-4 forward from Ballerup, Denmark, has been Colorado’s primary weapon. Nedovic leads the Buffs in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg). A solid shooter both inside and out, Nedovic is tied for second on the team with 11 three-pointers on the year and is shooting 75 percent at the free throw line.

True freshman Kara Richards, a 6-4 center from Graham, Texas, has made an immediate impact on CU’s lineup. Richards is averaging 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while leading the Buffaloes with 15 blocked shots on the season. She joins Nedovic and Johns-Richardson as the only three Buffs to start all 11 games this season.

Jasmina Ilic, a 6-0 sophomore guard/forward from Becej, Serbia, has earned a starting role during the last three games of the Buffaloes’ current winning streak. Ilic is averaging 8.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on the season, despite shooting just 32.7 percent from the field. During the last three games as a starter, Ilic has hit 43.3 percent of her shots from the field, while averaging 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Whitney Law rounds out Colorado’s probable starting lineup. The 5-11 guard from Littleton, Colo., who transferred to CU from Georgia, has made 10 starts and is averaging 7.8 points and 3.7 boards per game. Law is the Buffs’ most accurate shooter from long range, hitting 45.8 percent of her shots from beyond the three-point arc.

Jackie McFarland (9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Leslie Howard (6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Yari Escalera (1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg) and Sarah Lini (2.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg) have also seen significant playing time for Colorado this season.

Coach Ceal Barry is in her 22nd season on the sideline in Boulder and owns 425 career victories at the school and 508 career wins in her 26th season as a collegiate head coach.

Barry’s Buffaloes come to Lincoln averaging 66.9 points per game, while allowing 65.4 points per contest. Along with their plus-1.5 scoring margin, CU also owns a plus-1.5 rebounding margin. The Buffs have suffered from a negative-1.5 turnover margin, while committing an average of 18.8 turnovers per contest. Colorado is shooting 42.9 percent from the field as a team, including 34.6 percent from three-point range, while averaging just over five made three-pointers per contest. CU is shooting 67 percent from the free throw line.

Nebraska vs. Colorado Series History
Colorado has controlled Nebraska, owning a 37-17 edge in the series. The Buffaloes have won nine straight games in the series dating back to Nebraska’s 79-66 win at the Devaney Center on Jan. 26, 2000.

Last season, Colorado escaped from Lincoln with a 63-60 win on Senior Night on March 3, 2004. Nebraska lost four senior starters from that club, with the lone returning starter being current senior point guard Jina Johansen, who has never beaten the Buffaloes in her four years in Lincoln.

Last year’s loss to CU likely kept Nebraska out of the NCAA Tournament, as NU finished the Big 12 Conference season with a 7-9 record. Every team that owned a .500 or better record in league play earned an NCAA berth. In that game, the 13th-ranked Buffaloes got 19 points from Kate Fagan and 11 points from Amber Metoyer.

The only player on Colorado’s current roster who scored against the Huskers in Lincoln last year was Veronica Johns-Richardson, who finished with 10 points and three steals. Johansen scored eight points and had six assists for the Huskers, while Kiera Hardy came off the bench to score 11 points, despite fouling out after just 20 minutes. Chelsea Aubry is the only other player on either current roster to score in last year’s regular-season finale, as she scored two points and pulled down six rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

Huskers Maul Memphis in 82-50 Victory
Nebraska used a decisive 21-2 spurt to close the first half and blow out Memphis 82-50, in front of 2,692 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Dec. 30.

The Huskers, who were playing their first game in 10 days, looked sharp in their final non-conference battle before the Big 12 opener against Colorado and held the Lady Tigers (7-5) to just 19 percent shooting in the first half to build a 24-point halftime lead and cruise to a 32-point win.

Leading 17-12, Nebraska (8-4) scored 17 unanswered points, including five by Jina Johansen, to take a 34-12 lead after Jelena Spiric’s layup with 2:06 left in the first half. After two free throws by Victoria Crawford ended Memphis’ 5:23 dry spell, Nebraska scored the final four points of the half, as Jessica Gerhart’s jumper with three seconds left provided the hosts with a 38-14 halftime cushion. NU built its lead to 41 points at 68-27 midway through the second half before resting its starters for the final 10 minutes.

Gerhart was one of four Huskers to finish in double figures by scoring a game-high 13 points, while pulling down nine rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. Ten of Nebraska’s 11 players who dressed broke into the scoring column, as Kiera Hardy and Bojana Samardziska each added 11 points, while Spiric rounded out the quartet by tying her career high with 10 points.

Nebraska reached the 80-point plateau for the second straight game, marking the first time that has happened since a three-game stretch during the 2001-02 season. It was also the fourth time this season that NU had scored 80 or more points, surpassing the three times Nebraska accomplished that feat all of last season.

Despite subpar shooting nights from Gerhart and Hardy, who combined to hit just 10-of-30 shots from the field, Nebraska shot 46 percent (32-of-69) from the floor for the game. Johansen finished with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, while dishing out seven of the Huskers’ season-high 24 assists. Spiric, who connected on 5-of-7 shots from the field, added a career-high six assists and had just one turnover in 19 minutes.

Nebraska’s performance on the glass keyed the lopsided win, as the Huskers enjoyed a 30-rebound advantage (55-25), including an amazing 24-8 lead on the offensive boards. NU owned a 14-1 advantage on the offensive glass in the first half. NU’s 24 offensive rebounds surpassed its previous season high by seven boards, while its 55 total rebounds matched its season best, which came against Southeastern Louisiana. In all, seven Huskers had at least five rebounds.

Victoria Crawford led all scorers with 17 points for Memphis, while Tamika Butler added 10 points.

Husker Quick Tips
Sophomore forward Chelsea Aubry will not play against Colorado and is expected to miss two weeks of action after suffering a foot injury in practice on Saturday, Jan. 1.

NU opens Big 12 play with fresh legs after playing just two games in a 17-day span from Dec. 19 to Jan. 4.

The Huskers open league action with a 7-0 record at home for the second straight season. Nebraska is 20-2 at the Devaney Center in regular-season non-conference action under third-year coach Connie Yori.

Last season, Nebraska opened the year with a 10-0 home record that included Big 12 wins over Iowa State, Texas A&M and Kansas State, before losing to Texas at the Devaney Center on Jan. 28, 2004.

Nebraska is averaging 79.3 points per game in its seven home victories this season, compared with just a 58.4 scoring average in its five games away from the Devaney Center. The Huskers’ road woes have plenty to do with the level of competition they have faced. NU has squared off against a pair of top-10 teams on the road, losing to Notre Dame and Ohio State, along with 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier North Carolina State. The Huskers defeated 2004 NCAA qualifier Hampton away from home, but lost a narrow one-point decision to 2004 Postseason WNIT champion Creighton.

Team-First Attitude Produces Big Holiday Wins
The Huskers rolled to an 81-70 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20 and an 82-50 victory over Memphis on Dec. 30 thanks to outstanding team efforts.

A season-high five Huskers scored in double figures against the Ragin’ Cajuns, led by Jessica Gerhart’s 16 points and seven rebounds. Kiera Hardy added 15 points, Chelsea Aubry 11 and Jina Johansen and Jelena Spiric each contributed season highs with 10 points. Five Huskers also had five or more rebounds in a solid team effort on the glass.

In the win over Memphis, four Huskers scored in double figures, while 10 of the 11 Huskers who played scored four or more points. Seven Huskers pulled down five or more rebounds on the night, as Nebraska dominated the glass with a plus-30 rebounding margin and season highs with 55 total rebounds and 24 offensive boards.

The Huskers tied a season high with 24 assists against Memphis, after dishing out 18 assists against Louisiana-Lafayette.

The team-wide production in the last two contests came in stark contrast to Nebraska’s losses at Creighton (Dec. 18) and No. 10 Ohio State (Dec. 11). In a 58-57 loss at Creighton, Hardy scored more than half of NU’s points with her 29-point effort and was the only Husker to score more than seven points. In the loss at Ohio State, Hardy and Gerhart combined for 35 of NU’s 61 points and no Husker managed five rebounds. The Huskers had just 10 assists against Creighton and only nine assists at Ohio State.

Hardy Scoring at NU’s Strongest Rate in Five Seasons
Kiera Hardy enters Big 12 Conference play averaging 17.3 points per game, which leads the Huskers and ranks second in the Big 12 through 12 games.

The 5-6 sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., has produced NU’s best scoring average since the 1999-2000 season when first-team All-Big 12 and honorable-mention All-American Nicole Kubik averaged 17.4 points per game.

Hardy’s scoring average also ranks as the sixth-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. Debra Powell (1982-83) and Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-81) each added 17.6 points per game in their second seasons.

Hardy has averaged 20.3 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.

In the Big 12 Conference, Hardy ranks as the highest-scoring sophomore in the league. Tiffany Jackson from Texas ranks second among conference sophomores with 15.7 points per game, while Texas Tech’s Alesha Robertson has managed 14.9 points per contest.

Hardy led the Huskers in scoring for six straight contests before Jessica Gerhart scored a team-high 16 points in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette. During that six-game stretch Hardy averaged 22.0 points per game.

Over the past seven games, Hardy is averaging 20.3 points per game, while shooting 47.7 percent (51-107) from the field, including a solid 38.6 percent (17-44) behind the three-point arc. Hardy’s 17 three-pointers over that span 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. She has scored 20 or more points in four of Nebraska’s last seven 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 seven 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 Takes Over as Nebraska’s Active Scoring Leader
Although she has played just 12 games in her sophomore season and just 39 games with 12 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., has push her career total to 454 career points in 39 career games, including 207 points in 12 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 434 points.

With 53 three-pointers in her career, Hardy is also Nebraska’s active three-point leader, just ahead of Johansen’s 47 career three-pointers. Hardy needs just 13 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 12 games this season. Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., leads the Huskers with 17.3 points per game, while hitting a team-high 23 three-pointers on the year. She also leads NU with 18 steals, while ranking third on the team with 2.6 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 eight 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 12 games to tip off her second season. The 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, leads the Huskers’ boardwork with 6.9 rebounds per contest, which ranks 10th in the Big 12. Gerhart has led the Huskers on the glass in eight of 12 games this season, including each of the last six contests.

Along with leading the Huskers with 83 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 12.7 points per game, which ranks 17th in the conference. Gerhart’s 48.5 field goal percentage also leads the Husker starters, while her six blocked shots are tied for second 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, and 13 points in the Huskers’ rout of Memphis on Dec. 30.

Nebraska’s most accurate shooter a year ago (56.3 percent; 40-71 FG), Gerhart has far surpassed her production from all of last season in less than half the games. Through 12 contests, Gerhart is 65-of-134 from the field (48.5 percent) and has scored 152 points, 61 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 Out Two Weeks with Foot Injury
Sophomore Chelsea Aubry is expected to miss two weeks of action after suffering a foot injury in practice on Saturday, Jan. 1. Aubry will not play on Wednesday against Colorado, which will take the Huskers’ strong No. 3 scoring option out of the lineup.

Aubry has joined fellow sophomores Kiera Hardy and Jessica Gerhart in a trio of talented second-year players.

A 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Aubry ranks third on the team in scoring and second on the club in rebounding with 10.1 points and 5.0 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 six games. She is shooting 48.4 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 5.9 assists per game, while adding 5.6 points and 3.1 boards per contest. One of the top passers in Nebraska history, Johansen ranks third on the school career chart with 447 assists. She needs 119 more assists to catch Nicole Kubik (1997-2000) in the No. 2 spot on the NU chart. She will need to average seven assists per game over the next 17 contests.

Johansen is coming off two of her best efforts of the season. 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. She added nine points and seven assists in just 26 minutes against Memphis.

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 Sets Tone for Husker Turnaround
Jina 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 12 games this year and leads the Huskers with 34.8 minutes per game. She owns 75 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 3.66 grade-point average as a nutrition/dietetics major.

Johansen Tough to Turn Over
One of the top point guards in the Big 12 Conference, senior Jina Johansen has proven herself as one of the most consistent ball-handlers in the league. Not only does she rank among Big 12 leaders in assists, she also ranks second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Through 12 games, Johansen owns a 3.38 assist-to-turnover ratio with 71 assists and just 21 turnovers. Her ratio trails only Texas A&M’s A’Quonesia Franklin’s 3.82 assist-to-turnover mark (42 assists, 11 turnovers).

As impressive as Johansen’s overall assist-to-turnover ratio is, she has been simply remarkable at the Devaney Center this year. Johansen has helped the Huskers to a 7-0 home record by dishing out 45 assists and committing just eight turnovers in NU’s seven contests at the Devaney Center. Those numbers translate to a 5.625 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Husker Individuals among Big 12 Leaders
Senior point guard Jina Johansen and sophomoress Kiera Hardy and Jessica Gerhart are ranked among the Big 12 Conference leaders in several categories heading into league play. Hardy ranks second in the league in scoring at 17.3 points per game, just 0.2 points per game behind Iowa State senior Anne O’Neil (17.5 ppg). Hardy also ranks 10th in the conference with 1.92 made three-pointers per game, while her 23 three-pointers are tied for sixth in the Big 12.

Jessica Gerhart ranks 17th on the Big 12 scoring chart with 12.7 points per game. Gerhart also ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 6.9 rebounds per game.

Jina Johansen leads the Big 12 with 71 total assists, five more assists than Texas Tech’s Erin Grant (66). Johansen’s 5.9 assists per game rank second in the Big 12, trailing only Grant’s 6.6 assists per game). Johansen also ranks second in the Big 12 with her 3.38 assist-to-turnover ratio (71 assists-to-21 turnovers).

Howell Earns Starts in Huskers’ Last Three 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 Colorado game averaging 4.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She is coming off her fourth start of the season in the win over Memphis on Dec. 30. She made her third start against Louisiana-Lafayette and second start of the year at Creighton on Dec. 18. 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 a major contribution in her first year at Nebraska after transferring from junior college. Diaz has made four starts and is averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. She is coming off a solid five-point, five-rebound effort against Memphis, after scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds 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 12 games this season, but has come off the bench in each of the Huskers’ last six games to produce solid outings.

Over the past six contests, Spiric is averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Through Nebraska’s first six games this season, when she started five contests, Spiric averaged just 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

Spiric’s production off the bench the last six games has allowed her to increase her season averages to 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. She also ranks third on the team with 12 total steals

In Nebraska’s win over Memphis on Dec. 30, the 6-0 forward from Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro tied her season high with 10 points, while dishing out a career-best six assists and pulling down a career-high five rebounds.

In Nebraska’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20, Spiric established her career high with 10 points, while adding four rebounds and three assists against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

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 adding 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.

Freshman Page Contributing Early for Huskers
Freshmen Danielle Page has shown promise through the first 12 games of her rookie season for the Huskers. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., has provided solid contributions, including a career-high eight-point effort in Nebraska’s win over Memphis on Dec. 30, when she added seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Page has increased her season averages to 3.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She leads the team in blocked shots with eight and also ranks third on the team in rebounding despite playing 14.5 minutes per game.

In the Huskers’ win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1, Page scored seven points and 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 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.

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.

She added another hugely productive outing in the win over Memphis on Dec. 30, when she scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and added a blocked shot in just 11 minutes of action off the bench.

Samardziska has moved into a tie for fourth on the Husker season scoring chart with 5.6 points per game, despite playing just 8.1 minutes per contest. She has added 2.6 rebounds per contest, while also tying for second on the team with six blocked shots.

For the season, Samardziska leads the team in shooting at 53.8 percent (21-39). She has also contributed six steals and four assists.

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.

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 six points and three rebounds in a strong effort off the bench against Memphis to increase her season averages to 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

Junior college transfer Ivana Drmanac has also added depth to Nebraska’s backcourt. The 6-1 forward has played in nine games and averaged 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has also knocked down three three-pointers for the Huskers, and dished out seven assists in just 6.4 minutes per game.

Huskers Take Care of the Rock
The Huskers have produced two of the top three turnover marks in school history in Coach Connie Yori’s first two seasons at NU and are on their way to their best season of taking care of the basketball under Yori this season.

Nebraska is averaging just 14.7 turnovers of per game as one of five Big 12 teams averaging 15.0 or fewer turnovers per contest in 2004-05. 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.

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.

The Huskers’ 11.3 turnovers per game were just ahead of school-record pace for the fewest turnovers per game in NU 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.

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.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 284-100 (.740) in games played in the arena, including 99-63 (.611) in conference games.

The Huskers have opened 2004-05 with a 7-0 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.