Huskers Return Home to Collide with No. 14 Cyclones

The Nebraska women’s basketball team will try to improve to 12-1 at home this season and knock off its second ranked opponent when the Huskers clash with the No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

Nebraska’s game with Iowa State marks the first of two "Pack the Devaney" nights for women’s basketball this season at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. General admission tickets to the game are just $1, and fans can also enjoy hot dogs and Pepsi products at the concession stands for just $1 each.

The game will be carried live on radio by the Pinnacle Sports Network on 98.1 FM-KFGE and on the Internet at Huskers.com. A live video stream of the event is also available on HuskersNside - the premium website of the Nebraska Athletic Department - on a subscription basis to fans with high speed Internet service.

The Huskers (14-8, 6-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped with an 83-53 loss at No. 17 Texas on Wednesday. Despite the loss, Nebraska still sits all alone in sixth place in the Big 12 standings, two full games ahead of seventh-place Oklahoma. The Huskers also own the Big 12 Tournament seeding tiebreaker over the Sooners after beating OU 70-51 last Sunday at the Devaney Center.

Iowa State (18-3, 8-2) entered the weekend in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings. The Cyclones did not fare much better than the Huskers during their midweek trip to Texas, as ISU fell to No. 13 Texas Tech 89-62 in Lubbock on Tuesday night. The Cyclones won the first meeting with Nebraska 74-54 in Ames on Jan. 22.

All four of the Huskers’ league losses have come against top-25 opponents, while NU has rolled to a 5-0 mark in conference play against unranked foes with wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma last week. The Huskers also own a 103-99 triple overtime victory over then-No. 2 Baylor. Only one of Nebraska’s final five Big 12 games will be played against a ranked foe. That game will be played at home against No. 16 Kansas State on Feb. 23.

On the season, seven of the Huskers’ eight losses have come against teams ranked in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, and six of those losses came away from the Devaney Center. The Huskers lost at No. 2 Ohio State, at No. 6 Notre Dame, at No. 14 Iowa State, at No. 16 Kansas State, at No. 17 Texas and to No. 23 North Carolina State at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. The Huskers suffered a home loss to No. 13 Texas Tech. NU’s only loss to an unranked foe came with a 58-57 loss to Creighton, a team that has received votes throughout the year.

Scouting the #14 Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State enters Saturday night’s game with the Huskers in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings, as the Cyclones have run to an 18-3 overall record and an 8-2 mark in conference play.

The Cyclones won the first meeting against Nebraska 74-54 in Ames on Jan. 22. Four of ISU’s five starters produced double figures in a balanced attack. Senior guard Anne O’Neil led the Cyclones with 15 points, while fellow seniors Katie Robinette and Mary Fox and sophomore Lyndsey Medders each pitched in 14 points. ISU’s fifth starter, sophomore Megan Ronhovde, added eight points and a game-high nine rebounds, as the Cyclone starters scored 65 of the team’s 74 points.

Senior Lisa Kriener provided nearly all of Iowa State’s production off the bench in the game by scoring seven points and grabbing eight rebounds. Senior Tracy Paustian was the only other Cyclone to contribute a point or a rebound with two points and one board in three minutes.

Iowa State features one of the most explosive offenses in the Big 12 Conference, averaging 79 points per game, while shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range on the season. The Cyclones’ scoring average leads the Big 12 by 3.5 points per game over No. 2 Texas Tech, and ISU’s 191 made three-pointers on the season are 36 more than No. 2 Kansas State’s 155 in that category. Iowa State’s 46.1 field goal percentage overall also leads the Big 12. ISU also ranks second in the Big 12 in team free throw percentage at 73.6 percent, trailing only Nebraska’s 74.4 percent.

Along with an explosive offense, Iowa State features a stingy defense that leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense. ISU has allowed opponents to hit just 26.8 percent of their shots from long range.

O’Neil has led the Cyclones throughout the season. The 5-11 guard is averaging 17.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while adding 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She is shooting 52.9 percent (46-87) from three-point range and 84.6 percent (88-104) from the free throw line.

Robinette has provided punch inside for the Cyclones by averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She also ranks second on the team with 30 steals, trailing only O’Neil’s 31.

Ronhovde, a 6-1 swing player, has given ISU a solid No. 3 scoring option by averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She also leads the Cyclones with 51 made three-pointers, while shooting 40.8 percent from long range. Despite her outside shooting success, Ronhovde has struggled at the free throw line, hitting just 51.4 percent of her attempts, as the only player among ISU’s top seven players shooting below 67 percent from the foul line.

Fox, a 6-0 shooting guard, has added 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while knocking down 40.2 percent of her three-pointers. O’Neil, Ronhovde and Fox give Coach Bill Fennelly a trio of Cyclone starters shooting better than 40 percent from long range.

Medders, a 5-9 guard, rounds out the starting lineup by averaging 9.5 points and 2.8 boards per game, while leading the Cyclones with 5.8 assists per contest. Medders is also a threat from outside, hitting 37.5 percent of her three-point attempts.

On the season, Iowa State is outscoring its opponents by an average of 17.7 points per game, while outrebounding the opposition by six rebounds per contest. The Cyclones also own a plus-0.4 team turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Iowa State Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 33-28, but the Cyclones have won 13 of the past 14 meetings, including three straight heading into Saturday’s showdown in Lincoln.

Iowa State won the first meeting between the two teams 74-54 in Ames on Jan. 22. The Cyclones knocked the Huskers out of the 2004 Big 12 Tournament with a 63-52 win in Dallas on March 9, 2004, after earning a 77-66 win in Ames on Feb. 21, 2004.

Although ISU has won the last three meetings, the Huskers claimed the last victory in Lincoln with a 62-57 win over the Cyclones on Jan. 10, 2004. Nebraska’s win over the Cyclones at the Devaney Center last season ended Iowa State’s 10-game series winning streak dating back to NU’s 68-67 win over ISU in Lincoln on Feb. 7, 1999.

Nebraska is expecting a season-high crowd against the Cyclones on Saturday, as part of the Huskers’ "Pack the Devaney" promotion. Three of the 10 largest crowds in program history have come when NU battles ISU, including 13,135 fans for the Huskers’ win over the Cyclones in 1999. Nebraska has drawn crowds of more than 7,000 fans on eight occasions and are 2-0 against ISU in those games, including a 78-53 win on Feb. 28, 1998, when 12,181 fans watched the Huskers beat the Cyclones.

Huskers Hope To "Pack the Devaney" Saturday
Saturday’s game against No. 14 Iowa State will be the first of two "Pack the Devaney" promotions this season for women’s basketball at the Devaney Center.

Fans can purchase general admission tickets for just $1, while enjoying $1 hot dogs and $1 Pepsi products at concession stands throughout the arena. Nebraska’s other "Pack the Devaney" night is set for the Wednesday, Feb. 23, game against No. 16 Kansas State.

The Huskers are expecting a season-high crowd for the Iowa State game and hoping for one of the top 10 crowds in school history. NU established its season-best attendance mark with 4,012 fans gainst Kansas on Jan. 29.

Three of those top marks have come against Iowa State, including two of the top three attendance figures in school history.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 33-28, but the Cyclones have won 13 of the past 14 meetings, including three straight heading into Saturday’s showdown in Lincoln.

Husker Quick Tips
No. 14 Iowa State will be Nebraska’s ninth top-25 opponent this season, based on the current AP poll released on Monday, Feb. 7. The Huskers are 1-7 against ranked foes and 0-7 away from the Devaney Center, with their lone winner coming in a 103-99 triple overtime victory over then-No. 2 Baylor in Lincoln on Jan. 12.

The Huskers are 5-0 against unranked Big 12 foes, with an 84-62 home win over Colorado, an 81-74 win at Missouri, a 59-48 win over Kansas, a 73-71 win at Oklahoma State and a 70-51 victory over Oklahoma. Nebraska, which enters Saturday’s game in sixth place in the Big 12, will play four of its final five conference games against unranked foes. NU’s only game against a ranked team comes against No. 16 Kansas State in Lincoln on Feb. 23.

Seven of Nebraska’s eight losses have come against opponents who are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The only unranked team NU has lost to is Creighton, which managed a 58-57 win in Omaha on Dec. 18. The Bluejays are 15-5 on the year and have received votes in both major polls throughout the season.

Nebraska, which is 2-1 in February, closed January with a winning record (4-3) in Big 12 play for the first time since 1999-2000, when the Huskers opened the year with a 5-2 conference mark. The Huskers, who made their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999-2000, were 4-2 in November, 4-2 in December and 4-3 in January.

The Huskers claimed four Big 12 Conference weekly honors during January. Kiera Hardy won the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award on Jan. 17, while Jelena Spiric added a pair of Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors (Jan. 10, Jan. 17). Danielle Page gave the Huskers their fourth award on Jan. 31, when she captured NU’s third Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award of the month.

Husker Hot Shots
Sophomore guard Kiera Hardy ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring at 19.3 points per game, trailing only Kansas State All-American Kendra Wecker’s 20.2 points per contest. Hardy leads the league in conference games only, averaging 21.7 points per game, including a career-high 37 points in Nebraska’s win over No. 2 Baylor. She added 29 points in the loss at No. 23 Kansas State, to average 33 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on her way to Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors on Jan. 17. Hardy has scored 28 or more points on six occasions this season, including her 28-point performance at Oklahoma State on Feb. 1.

Kiera Hardy has scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, and has two 30-plus scoring games, including a 31-point outburst against Hampton on Nov. 27. She has produced double figures in 18 consecutive games and 19 times this season. Hardy needs just one more three-pointer to break the school single-season sophomore record of 50 set by Kate Galligan in 1993-94. Hardy enters the Iowa State game with 50 three-pointers this season.

Danielle Page earned her first Big 12 Conference Rookie-of-the-Week award on Jan. 31, after posting her first career double-double with career highs of 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in Nebraska’s 59-48 win over Kansas on Jan. 29. Page had an even better week last week, averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in wins over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. She established a career scoring high for the fifth straight game with 15 points and a career-high four blocks in NU’s win over OU on Feb. 6. Page has scored in double figures in five straight games dating back to Nebraska’s first meeting with Iowa State on Jan. 22. She is coming off a 13-point effort at Texas on Wednesday night.

Senior Jina Johansen set a school and Big 12 record by playing all 55 minutes in the Huskers’ triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12. Johansen scored eight of her 10 points after halftime against the Bears and finished with eight assists. The 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., has played the full 40 minutes 14 other times in her career, including NU’s wins over Kansas on Jan. 29, and at Missouri on Jan. 8. In league games, Johansen is averaging 37.6 minutes per game. She is averaging 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in Big 12 play.

Junior forward Jelena Spiric has been a difference-maker in Big 12 Conference play. Spiric, who earned Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors in back-to-back weeks (Jan. 10, Jan. 17) to open league play, ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 9.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game through 10 Big 12 contests. She has added 1.7 steals and 1.2 assists per contest in league action. Spiric notched career highs with 19 points and nine rebounds in the win over No. 2 Baylor, scoring all 19 of her points after halftime.

Huskers Stumble at No. 17 Texas on Wednesday
Nebraska got off to a slow start and never recovered, as No. 17 Texas rolled to an 83-53 win over the Huskers in Austin on Wednesday night.

The Longhorns raced out of the gate to start the game, firing to a double-digit lead at 13-2 after a trio of Jamie Carey free throws just over four minutes into the game. The Texas lead grew as large as 19 points on three occasions in the first half, including UT’s 43-24 halftime edge.

The Huskers struggled from the field in the first half, hitting just 37.5 percent of their shots, while missing all six of their three-point attempts in the half. Chelsea Aubry was NU’s primary offensive and defensive weapon in the first half, scoring eight points while pulling down seven rebounds in a solid first half, while Danielle Page added six first-half points.

While the Huskers were struggling, Texas had all of its guns firing with Tiffany Jackson scoring 12 of her game-high 19 points in the first half. Carey, who hit five three-pointers on the night, added 12 of her 18 points in the first half as well. The Longhorn starters combined for 40 of UT’s 43 points in the opening period.

The news did not get much better for the Huskers in the second half, as the Longhorns scored the first two points of the half to push the lead past 20 points for the first time. NU was not able to get the lead under 19 points the rest of the way, as UT’s final 30-point margin was its largest of the game.

For the game, Texas hit 47.6 percent of its shots, including 44.4 percent (8-18) from three-point range. UT also hit 78.9 percent (15-19) of its free throws. Nebraska finished at just 38 percent from the field while hitting a season-low 1-of-9 three-pointers. NU did shoot 93.3 percent (14-15) from the free throw line, but committed a season-high 25 turnovers. The Huskers were also outrebounded 37-31.

Kiera Hardy and Danielle Page led the Huskers with 13 points, while Aubry added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Huskers. Elena Diaz added a solid effort with nine points, but the rest of the Huskers combined for just eight points.

Hardy Scoring at NU’s Strongest Rate in Six Seasons
Kiera Hardy heads into the Iowa State game averaging 19.3 points per game, which leads the Huskers and trails only Kansas State senior All-American Kendra Wecker (20.2 ppg) on the Big 12 Conference scoring chart. In Big 12 games only, Hardy has been even better, averaging 21.7 points per game to lead the league.

A 5-6 sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., Hardy has produced NU’s best scoring average since the 1998-99 season when first-team All-Big 12 guard Nicole Kubik averaged 19.8 points per game.

Hardy’s scoring average ranks as the third-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 ranks fourth with 18.8 points per game in 1986-87.

Hardy, who has scored in double figures in 18 straight games, has averaged 20.8 points per game over Nebraska’s last 18 contests (375 points). She owns a pair of 30-point scoring efforts on the season, and six games with 28 or more points. She erupted for a career-high 37 points in NU’s 103-99 triple overtime victory over No. 2 Baylor. She added a 31-point effort in a win over Hampton on Nov. 27. She just missed a third 30-point performance with a 29-point outing in the loss at Creighton on Dec. 18, and produced another near-30 effort with 29 points in the loss at No. 23 Kansas State on Jan. 15. She opened the season with 28 points in a win over Western Illinois, before adding another 28-point effort in a win at Oklahoma State Feb. 1.

Hardy has scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, including nine of NU’s last 17 games and each of NU’s first four Big 12 Conference games. 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 17.9 points per game, while Texas Tech’s Alesha Robertson has managed 13.9 points per contest.

Hardy Climbs Career Three-Point Chart at Record Rate
Kiera Hardy has hit 80 three-pointers in just 49 career games and has already shot into seventh place on Nebraska’s career three-point list. Hardy has hit 1.6 three-pointers per game in her brief career, and is well ahead of school-record pace.

WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge owns NU’s school record with 155 three-pointers in 117 career games (1.3 pg). Hardy is the only player on Nebraska’s top-10 three-point list who has played fewer than 103 career games. Kate Galligan, who ranks No. 2 on NU’s career list with 145 three-pointers, knocked down her shots in just 103 games (1.4 pg) for the highest frequency among the former players on the NU top-10 list.

Hardy ranks second in the Big 12 in conference games only with 2.70 made three-pointers per game through 10 league contests. Hardy hit a career-high six three-pointers in the win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, and matched her career-best with six three-pointers in the win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 1. She added five more three-pointers at No. 23 Kansas State on Jan. 15.

Hardy’s 50 three-pointers this season through 22 games have tied Kate Galligan’s 50 three-pointers in 1993-94 for Nebraska’s sophomore single-season record.

Hardy has also climbed into a tie for third with Galligan on NU’s all-time single-season list. Hardy needs just two more to match Galligan’s total of 52 in 1995-96, which ranks No. 2 on the single-season list. Amy Stephens owns NU’s single-season record with 85 three-pointers in 1988-89.

Johansen Surging Down Stretch in Senior Season
Nebraska’s lone returning starter from a year ago, senior Jina Johansen has helped the Huskers elevate their play during the last 12 games to post an 8-4 record.

One of the smartest players in the Big 12 Conference, the CoSIDA Academic All-America nominee’s decision-making has been outstanding in league play. She is averaging 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, while hitting 22-of-48 shots from the field (45.8 percent). She has also hit 7-of-14 three-pointers (50 percent) and 21-of-24 (87.5 percent) of her free throw attempts, while averaging 37.6 minutes per game.

On the season, the 5-7 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., leads the Huskers with 5.8 assists per game, while adding 6.3 points and 3.0 boards per contest. One of the top passers in Nebraska history, Johansen ranks third on the school career chart with 503 assists. She needs 63 more assists to catch Nicole Kubik (1997-2000) in the No. 2 spot on the NU chart. She will need to average 9.0 assists per game over the next seven contests.

Johansen produced one of the best efforts in her career at Missouri. She scored all of her season-high 14 points in the second half, while dishing out eight assists. In NU’s 26-6 run over the final 8:26 against the Tigers, Johansen hit all three of her attempts from the field, including a three-pointer and the game-tying layup with 2:17 to play.

She added 10 points and eight more assists in Nebraska’s 103-99 triple-overtime win over No. 2 Baylor. In that game, Johansen never came off the floor while playing a Big 12 record 55 minutes.

Johansen posted the first victory of her career over Colorado by scoring 13 points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing five rebounds. She also notched two steals against the Buffs. Johansen scored four of the Huskers’ final eight points to help NU escape from Stillwater with a 73-71 win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 1. She finished with eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes against the Cowgirls. Johansen added eight points, six rebounds and four assists to notch her first career win over Oklahoma on Feb. 6.

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 added nine points and seven assists in just 26 minutes against Memphis.

Johansen scored just six points, but tied her career high with nine assists in the loss at Kansas State on Jan. 15. She distributed eight assists in NU’s win over Tennessee-Martin, after scoring 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.

Hardy Takes Over as Nebraska’s Active Scoring Leader
Although she has played just 22 games in her sophomore season and just 49 games with 21 starts in her college career, Kiera Hardy became Nebraska’s active career scoring leader with her 29-point outburst at Creighton (37th career game) on Dec. 18. The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., has pushed her career total to 671 points, including 424 points in 22 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 506 points in 110 career games.

With 80 three-pointers in her career, Hardy is also Nebraska’s active three-point leader, ahead of Johansen’s 54 career three-pointers.

Page Providing Major Production in Last Five Games
Freshman Danielle Page claimed her first Big 12 Conference Rookie-of-the-Week award on Jan. 31, after posting the first double-double of her career with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Huskers’ 59-48 win over Kansas on Jan. 29.

Page followed up her award-winning effort against the Jayhawks by producing the best week of her young career in wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. In Nebraska’s win over Oklahoma on Feb. 6, Page established her career scoring high for the fifth consecutive game by erupting for 15 points against the Sooners. She added a career-high four blocked shots to go along with six rebounds and two steals off the bench.

The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., was one of the catalysts during Nebraska’s decisive 23-6 run over the final 12 minutes of the game. Page scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded two steals down the stretch for the Huskers.

Page’s effort against OU followed a 12-point, five-rebound performance in the Huskers’ win at Oklahoma State on Feb. 1. She tied her career-high scoring effort against OSU, while setting a career high with four assists against the Cowgirls.

In the last three games, Page has connected on 18-of-21 free throws (85.7 percent). Through her first 19 games this season, she had hit just 14-of-26 shots from the free throw line (53.8 percent).

Page has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, beginning with a then-career-high 10-point effort at No. 19 Iowa State on Jan. 22. She is coming off a 13-point effort in NU’s loss at No. 17 Texas on Feb. 9.

Over the past five games, Page is averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. She has added 2.0 blocked shots per game to push her team-leading total to 23 blocks on the season.

Page has scored a total of 71 points her past six contests, dating back to a then-career-best nine-point effort against No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 19. She totaled just 67 points through her first 16 games this season.

Before Page’s emergence in the past six games, her previous career high came with eight points in Nebraska’s win over Memphis on Dec. 30, when she added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Page came up big down the stretch for the Huskers in their win at Missouri on Jan. 8. She finished with seven points, four rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. During Nebraska’s 26-6 surge in the final 8:26, Page scored three points, grabbed all four of her rebounds and blocked both of her shots on the night.

In Nebraska’s win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, Page played a career-high 39 minutes off the bench and scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and snagged two steals. She added six points, two rebounds, one block and a steal at Kansas State on Jan. 15.

Page has increased her season averages to 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in blocked shots with 23 and needs just one more block to crack Nebraska’s freshman single-season top five in that category. She has continued to improve in Big 12 play to average 9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals through 10 league games.

In the Huskers’ win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1, Page scored seven points and grabbed 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, eight rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots and one assist in just 14 minutes in the win over Northern Colorado.

Aubry Returns to Starting Lineup in Last Four Games
Sophomore Chelsea Aubry made her first start in Big 12 Conference action in Nebraska’s 59-48 victory over Kansas in Lincoln on Jan. 29. She added her second straight start in the Huskers’ 73-71 win at OSU on Feb. 1, scoring eight points, pulling down five boards and tying a career high with two blocked shots.

Aubry made her third straight Big 12 start and helped the Huskers to their third consecutive Big 12 win by scoring seven points and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds in NU’s 70-51 victory over Oklahoma on Feb. 6. In the loss at Texas, Aubry was Nebraska’s lone weapon in the first half, producing eight points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first half alone, before finishing with 10 points and eight boards on the night.

Aubry, who missed two weeks of action after suffering a foot injury in practice on Saturday, Jan. 1, did not play in NU’s first three Big 12 games, before coming off the bench in each of Nebraska’s next three games to provide a solid presence.

After playing just nine minutes at Kansas State on Jan. 15, the 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada led the Huskers with eight rebounds, just one shy of her career high, while adding five points in 19 minutes against No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 19. Aubry came off the bench again at Iowa State, producing eight points, six rebounds and a career-high three assists in 26 minutes against the Cyclones.

She scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out an assist and snagged a steal in her return to the starting lineup against Kansas.

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

Aubry ranks third on the team in scoring with 8.9 points per game and second on the club in rebounding with 5.3 boards per contest. She is also one of Nebraska’s best interior defenders and leads the Huskers in the number of charges drawn this season. She was averaging 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with starts in each of NU’s first 12 games before the injury.

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.

Gerhart Misses Wins Over Cowgirls and Sooners
One of three leaders of Nebraska’s solid sophomore class, Jessica Gerhart did not travel to Oklahoma State on Feb. 1, and did not play against Oklahoma on Feb. 6, after undergoing routine surgery to have her appendix removed on Feb. 1 in Lincoln.

The procedure went well and Gerhart returned to the court for the first time at Texas, scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds in five minutes of action off the bench. The 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, did not start NU’s win over Kansas on Jan. 29, playing just five minutes after experiencing flu-like symptons for much of the week leading up to the game.

Despite missing two full games and playing a total of 10 minutes in her last two appearances, Gerhart is still Nebraska’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer on the season, averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Gerhart was averaging 12.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game through the Huskers’ first 15 contests.

A CoSIDA Academic All-America nominee who has spent her time working in the classroom, in the community and on the court, Gerhart has far surpassed her production from all of last season in less than two-thirds of the games. Through 22 contests, Gerhart has scored 204 points, 113 more than the 91 points she scored last season. She has also hit 14 three-pointers this season, after going without a made three-pointer last season.

Gerhart leads the Huskers with 114 rebounds, a total that has more than doubled the 52 boards she grabbed in all 30 games last season. She also ranks second on the squad with 10 blocked shots on the season.

Gerhart produced her first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Missouri on Jan. 8. 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. She added 16 more points in NU’s win over Colorado Jan. 5.

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.

Spiric Increasing Production in Big 12 Play
Junior college transfer Jelena Spiric has started 13 of NU’s 22 games this season, including each of the Huskers’ last eight Big 12 contests.

The 6-0 forward from Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, played one of the best games of her NU career in the win over Oklahoma on Feb. 6. Spiric scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and snagged two steals in the 70-51 win over the Sooners. Unfortunately for NU, Spiric struggled in the loss at Texas, managing just four points and one rebound in the loss, as her season averages dipped to 7.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Spiric made her first Big 12 start in Nebraska’s 103-99 triple overtime victory over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, and erupted for career highs with 19 points and nine rebounds to help the Huskers to an upset over the Bears. She added her second Big 12 start in the loss at No. 23 Kansas State on Jan. 15, scoring 10 points and pulling down five boards. She added seven points and four rebounds in NU’s loss to No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 19.

The Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, Spiric averaged 13 points and six rebounds in wins over Colorado and Missouri to open Big 12 play. She averaged 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game against Baylor and Kansas State. In the win over Baylor, Spiric hit 15-of-16 free throws, including eight straight free throws to open the third overtime period to lead the Huskers to victory.

Spiric’s 15 made free throws rank as the second-highest total in NU history, while her 16 attempts rank fourth on the Husker career chart. Her 44 minutes played against the Bears also demolished her previous career high of 26 minutes played one week earlier against Colorado.

Spiric scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, while also dishing out four assists and grabbing two steals in Nebraska’s 81-74 win at Missouri on Jan. 8. During NU’s decisive 26-6 run in the final 8:26, Spiric hit 5-of-6 free throws, while adding one rebound, one assist and one steal to help the Huskers.

In Big 12 play, Spiric is Nebraska’s second-leading scorer and rebounder with 9.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In the win over Colorado on Jan. 5, Spiric scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds, while snagging two steals. She added seven points, three boards and two steals in NU’s win over Kansas on Jan. 29, and added seven points and three boards in NU’s win over OSU on Feb. 1.

In the Huskers’ win over Memphis on Dec. 30, Spiric scored 10 points, while dishing out a career-best six assists and pulling down five rebounds. In NU’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20, Spiric had the first double-figure scoring effort of her career with 10 points, while adding four rebounds and three assists.

Through Nebraska’s first seven 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 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.

Hardy’s 37 in Baylor Win Places Her Among NU Elite
Kiera Hardy’s career-high 37-point performance in Nebraska’s win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, in Lincoln placed her among an elite list of Huskers.

Not only did Hardy’s total tie for the seventh-highest single-game effort in school history, it also provided her with her second 30-point effort of the season. Her first 30-point performance came against Hampton in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on Nov. 27.

The two 30-point outbursts during her breakout sophomore season place her among a select group of Huskers who accomplished multiple 30-point games as sophomores. The last NU sophomore to produce a pair of 30-point games was two-time All-American Karen Jennings, who did it in 1990-91.

Debra Powell, who was an All-Big Eight performer on the court and an All-American sprinter on the track, was the first Husker sophomore to score 30 in a game on multiple occasions. Powell produced three 30-point games in 1982-83.

Maurtice Ivy, who was the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1988 after leading the Huskers to their only conference title in school history, matched Powell’s feat with a trio of 30-point performances as a sophomore in 1985-86.

A year later, Amy Stephens added two 30-point efforts during her sophomore season in 1986-87.

Hardy’s 37 points is the highest single-game total among the elite group of NU sophomore scorers and ranks as the second-highest scoring performance in school history by a sophomore, trailing only a 41-point eruption by Crystal Coleman against Oklahoma State on Feb. 19, 1983. The performance was Coleman’s only 30-point or more scoring game of her career, which ended at Nebraska after her sophomore season.

Hardy is just the seventh player in Nebraska history to record two or more 30-point efforts in the same season, and one of just eight Huskers to score 30 twice in her career. The last player to score 30 points twice in the same season was Kubik, who had a trio of 30-point performances in 1998-99. Only 16 different Huskers in history have scored 30 or more points in a single game - a total of 54 times. Jennings owns the NU record with 12 30-point scoring efforts in her career, including eight in 1991-92.

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 is the only Husker to start all 22 games this year and leads the Huskers with 36.1 minutes per game after playing a school and Big 12 record 55 minutes in NU’s 103-99 triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12. That marathon performance by Johansen came after playing the full 40 minutes for the 13th time in her career in the win at Missouri on Jan. 8. She added her 14th 40-minute effort in the Huskers’ win over Kansas on Jan. 29.

Johansen owns 85 career starts, including 53 straight starts heading into Saturday’s game at Iowa State. She started all 30 games as a junior and 27 of 28 contests as a sophomore in 2002-03, stepping out of the starting lineup only on Senior Night. 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 3.696 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 second in the Big 12 with 127 total assists, she also ranks third in the conference with a 2.65 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Johansen has committed just 48 turnovers against her 127 assists. She tied her career high with nine assists at No. 23 Kansas State and added an eight-assist performance at Missouri when she played the full 40 minutes without turning the ball over. She added eight more assists while playing a school and Big 12 record 55 minutes in Nebraska’s 103-99 triple overtime victory over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12.

As impressive as Johansen’s overall assist-to-turnover ratio is, she has been even better at the Devaney Center this year. Johansen has helped the Huskers to a 11-1 home record by dishing out 75 assists and committing just 23 turnovers in NU’s 12 home contests. Those numbers translate to a 3.26 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Diaz Earns Role as Starter in Big 12 Action
Elena Diaz has provided a major contribution in her first year at Nebraska after transferring from junior college. Diaz has made 13 starts, including each of Nebraska’s last eight Big 12 Conference games.

In Nebraska’s 103-99 triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, Diaz tied a career high with 11 points, while pulling down seven rebounds. She earned her second straight start at Kansas State and contributed six points and a career-high eight rebounds. She added a solid outing with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal against No. 10 Texas Tech, and eight points and three rebounds in NU’s win over Kansas on Jan. 29. She also started against Colorado. Diaz added a solid seven-point, seven-rebound effort in the win over Oklahoma on Feb. 6, before pitching in nine points and three boards in the loss at Texas on Feb. 9. She is averaging 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

On the season, Diaz leads the team with her 52.9 field goal percentage, including a team-best 57.1 percent in Big 12 Conference action. Since taking over as a starter in the last eight games, Diaz is shooting a sizzling 63.2 percent (24-38) from the field. She was perfect from the field in back-to-back games, going 3-for-3 from the field against Kansas and 2-for-2 at Iowa State.

Diaz set her career high with 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.

She pulled down six rebounds against Tennessee-Martin, and six boards against Louisiana-Lafayette to go along with eight points against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

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.

Husker Individuals among Big 12 Leaders
Senior point guard Jina Johansen and sophomores Kiera Hardy and Jessica Gerhart are ranked among the Big 12 Conference leaders in several categories. Hardy ranks second in the league in scoring at 19.3 points per game, trailing only Kansas State senior Kendra Wecker (20.2 ppg). Hardy also ranks fourth in the conference with 2.27 made three-pointers per game, while her 50 three-pointers rank third in the Big 12.

Jina Johansen ranks second in the Big 12 with 127 total assists, while her 5.8 assists per game rank third in the Big 12. She also ranks third in the Big 12 with her 2.65 assist-to-turnover ratio (127 assists-to-48 turnovers).

Jessica Gerhart ranks 24th on the Big 12 scoring chart with 10.2 points per game, despite missing two games after having her appendix removed and playing just a total of 10 minutes in her last two appearances. Gerhart also ranks 19th in the Big 12 with 5.7 rebounds per game.

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.

Howell Keys Husker Defensive Pressure
LaToya Howell has earned six starts this season, but has come off the bench in each of the last eight games to provide an offensive and defensive spark for the Huskers.

Howell has helped the NU defense turn up the heat on the opposition by averaging 2.5 steals per game over the last 13 games, including four games with four steals each during that stretch (Creighton, Colorado, Kansas State, Kansas).

The 5-5 guard started NU’s first two Big 12 Conference games, but has come off the bench in each of the Huskers’ last eight contests. In the Huskers’ 103-99 triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor, Howell sparked the Huskers with nine points off the bench. She added eight points, four rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes off the bench against No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 19.

In NU’s win over Kansas, Howell knocked down her only three-point attempt and hit a free throw to score the first four points of Nebraska’s decisive 10-0 run midway through the second half. Howell’s spark helped turn a 39-37 NU lead with 11 minutes left into a 49-37 edge with 7:50 to play against KU. She knocked down all six of her free throw attempts and snagged a pair of steals to help the Huskers to a 73-71 win over Oklahoma State on Feb 1.

Howell enters the Iowa State game averaging 3.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a team-leading 2.0 steals per game.

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, 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 a season-high 10 points, grabbed two rebounds and distributed three assists against Northern Colorado. She added seven points, a season-high six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win over Washington State. She dished out a season-best six assists in the win over Southeastern Louisiana.

The junior 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.

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.

Samardziska Shows Solid Production
Bojana Samardziska made a splash with a career-high 19 points in Nebraska’s 69-60 win over Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 7, and the junior college transfer has shown she is capable of producing solid numbers at times during the season.

Samardziska, a 6-4 center from Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, arrived against Tennessee-Martin 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 in the win over the Skyhawks. 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.

In Nebraska’s win over Colorado to open Big 12 Conference play on Jan. 5, Samardziska helped the Huskers with 10 points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a career-high 20 minutes. She made her first start of the year in place of an injured Chelsea Aubry in the win at Missouri on Jan. 8.

Samardziska is averaging 3.7 points per game, despite playing just 7.6 minutes per contest. She has added 2.1 rebounds per game, while ranking third on the team with nine blocks. For the season, Samardziska is shooting 50.9 percent (27-53). She has also contributed eight 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 has been a pleasant surprise for the Huskers. NU coaches had considered redshirting White this season as she made the transition from high school post player to college wing player, but injuries to Nebraska backcourt players Heather Kephart, LaToya Howell and Jelena Spiric forced White into action earlier than expected.

The 6-0 native of Topeka, Kan., stepped up to the challenge. After going scoreless in eight minutes in the season-opening win over Western Illinois, White struck for six points, including her first career three-pointer, in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame. She produced a career-high seven-point performance in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1.

White has given the Huskers solid minutes off the bench in recent victories. Against Memphis, she scored six points and and grabbed three rebounds in 12 minutes. She added six more points and one rebound in just six minutes of work against Colorado. She tied her career high by playing 12 minutes in the loss at Texas, where she scored two first-half points and added three rebounds to move her season averages to 2.7 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 15 games and averaged 1.1 points and 0.7 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has also knocked down four three-pointers for the Huskers, and dished out eight assists in just 6.2 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 15.0 turnovers of per game and committed a season-low seven turnovers in its win at Missouri on Jan. 8. The Huskers are averaging 15.3 turnovers per contest in conference play, despite playing three overtimes in the win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12.

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 just 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.