Huskers Shoot for Eighth Big 12 Win at A&M

The Nebraska women’s basketball team will try to build off the momentum gained from its 88-59 pounding of No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday, when the Huskers travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Nebraska’s game at Texas A&M will be carried live on radio by the Pinnacle Sports Network on 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln and on the Internet at Huskers.com. A live video stream of the event is also available on the official website of Texas A&M Athletics - AggieAthletics.com - through the subscription service Aggie Ultimate Access.

A win for the Huskers over Texas A&M would give Nebraska its eighth Big 12 Conference win of the season and guarantee NU a .500 league mark for the first time since 1999-2000. An eighth Big 12 win would also equal the Huskers’ conference victory total from the previous two seasons combined, as NU finished with a 7-9 league mark last year after struggling to a 1-15 Big 12 mark in Coach Connie Yori’s first season at Nebraska in 2002-03. A win would also snap Nebraska’s two-game losing streak to Texas A&M in College Station.

The Huskers (15-8, 7-4) are coming off one of the biggest wins in school history with their 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State in Lincoln on Saturday night. Nebraska’s 29-point margin of victory was its largest ever over a ranked opponent, while the game was played in front of the third-largest crowd in school history with 12,429 fans on hand for the landmark win. Nebraska has won four of its last five Big 12 games, with its only loss coming last Wednesday at No. 17 Texas in Austin.

Texas A&M (13-9, 3-8) is coming off a disappointing 63-46 loss at Missouri on Saturday night. The Aggies, under the direction of second-year head coach Gary Blair, have lost six of their last seven Big 12 Conference games with their only win coming against Colorado in College Station on Feb. 5. All six of those losses have been by double digits, including home losses to Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Texas A&M is a solid 8-3 at home this season, but the Aggies are just 2-3 on "The Court" at Reed Arena during Big 12 Conference action.

Texas A&M will be the first of four unranked league opponents that Nebraska will face in the final five games of Big 12 action. The Huskers have rolled to a 5-0 mark against unranked conference foes this season, and have added wins over ranked Big 12 teams Baylor and Iowa State. Overall this season, seven of the Huskers’ eight losses have come against teams ranked in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.

Scouting the Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M heads into Wednesday’s game with a 13-9 overall record and a 3-8 Big 12 Conference mark. The Aggies are coming off a 63-46 loss at Missouri on Saturday for their sixth loss in their last seven Big 12 games.

The Aggies have been tough at home this season, posting an 8-3 overall record at Reed Arena, but they are just 2-3 at home in league action with losses to Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Texas A&M, under the direction of second-year head coach Gary Blair, is perhaps the youngest team in the league this season. The Aggies’ roster features seven freshmen, including their leading scorer Morenike Atunrase. A 5-10 guard/forward, Atunrase is averaging 10.6 points per game to lead all Big 12 freshmen, while also leading the Aggies with 42 blocks and 47 steals. She also ranks second on the team with 5.4 blocks per game.

Freshman A’Quonesia Franklin has joined Atunrase in the starting lineup and is averaging 5.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while ranking among Big 12 leaders with 4.3 assists per game. Franklin’s 2.64 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks among the best in the league.

Freshman forward Patrice Reado has added 7.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game off the bench to rank among the Aggies’ top players in both categories. Freshman Ashley Bolden has added 7.2 points and 1.4 rebounds, primarily in a reserve role.

The two most experienced players in Texas A&M’s starting lineup are junior forward Tamea Scales and senior guard Charlette Castile. Scales leads the Aggies with 6.2 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with 9.4 points per contest. Castile has added 7.7 points per game, while leading the Aggies with 30 three-pointers on the season.

Junior college transfer Erica Roy rounds out Texas A&M’s probable starting five, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

The Aggies are one of the smallest teams in the Big 12, with just one player taller than 6-0, redshirt freshman Ogadi Chinweze, who has played in just five games this season. Texas A&M leads the Big 12 with 11.77 steals per game and owns a league-best plus-7.77 team turnover margin.

Although A&M has been sensational at turning teams over, the Aggies rank 10th in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 39.6 percent. They are shooting a league-low 28.7 percent from three-point range, while also shooting a Big 12-worst 60.8 percent at the free throw line.

Along with those numbers, A&M ranks last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting 43.4 percent against the Aggies. In Big 12 games, opponents are shooting nearly 48 percent against A&M. The Aggies also rank last in the league with a minus-5.2 rebounds per game average, including a startling minus-9.9 rebounds per game in league play.

Nebraska vs. Texas A&M Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Texas A&M 10-3, including a 65-48 win over the Aggies in Lincoln last season. Despite NU’s advantage in the overall series, the Aggies have won the past two meetings between the schools in College Station, including a 69-54 win over the Huskers in Coach Connie Yori’s first season at Nebraska on Feb. 15, 2003.

Husker senior point guard Jina Johansen, who is the only player on Nebraska’s roster to ever player against Texas A&M at Reed Arena, has never won a road Big 12 Conference game in the state of Texas. Johansen played the full 40 minutes against the Aggies in her last trip to College Station, scoring four points, dishing out eight assists, grabbing four rebounds and snagging four steals. Last season in NU’s win over the Aggies in Lincoln, Johansen had a solid game with seven points and seven assists.

Chelsea Aubry produced a strong performance off the bench last year against Texas A&M, scoring 10 points and pulling down seven rebounds in 21 minutes of action. As a team, Nebraska shot 50 percent against A&M last season, while outrebounding the Aggies, 41-33. The Huskers shot a sizzling 66.7 percent (18-27) against the Aggies in the second half last year.

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.

Husker Quick Tips
Nebraska’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State was its largest in school history over a ranked opponent. The Huskers have played nine top-25 opponents this season, posting wins over No. 2 Baylor (103-99 3OT) and No. 14 Iowa State. Seven of Nebraska’s eight losses this season have come against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25, including six of the setbacks to ranked foes coming on the road.

Nebraska’s season-high crowd of 12,429 for the Iowa State game on Feb. 12 was the third-largest crowd in school history, and the largest crowd at the Devaney Center for a women’s basketball game since Nebraska defeated Kansas State in front of 13,226 fans on Feb. 26, 2000.

The Huskers will be shooting for their eighth Big 12 victory of the season at Texas A&M. NU has not gone .500 or better in the league since 1999-2000, the last time the Huskers advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Eight league victories would also match Nebraska’s Big 12 win totals from the 2002-03 and 2003-04 combined. 4The 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 Wednesday’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. 18 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 15-6 on the year and have received votes in both major polls throughout the season.

Nebraska, which is 3-1 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. Page added another Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honor on Feb. 14

Husker Hot Shots
Sophomore guard Kiera Hardy is making a strong case for All-Big 12 honors by ranking No. 2 in the conference in scoring at 19.6 points per game, trailing only Kansas State All-American Kendra Wecker’s 20.6 points per contest. Hardy leads the league in conference games only, averaging 22.2 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 27 or more points on seven occasions this season, including her 27-point performance in the Huskers’ 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.

Kiera Hardy has scored 20 or more points 11 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 19 consecutive games and 20 times this season. Hardy has smashed NU’s sophomore single-season three-point record with 55 threes this season, surpassing Kate Galligan’s 50 three-pointers in 1993-94. Hardy sits in the No. 2 spot on the Huskers’ overall single-season three-point list, trailing only Amy Stephen’s 85 three-pointers in 1988-89. Hardy has hit five or more three-pointers on four occasions this season.

Danielle Page, is making a strong push for Big 12 Freshman honors during a strong conference season. Page, a two-time Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week (Jan. 31, Feb. 14), earned her first award 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 the following 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 four blocks in NU’s win over OU on Feb. 6. Page claimed her second weekly rookie award last week with a team-high 13 points at No. 17 Texas, before scoring eight points, grabbing five rebounds and blocking a career-high five blocked shots in the win over No. 14 Iowa State.

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 37.5 minutes per game. She is averaging 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists in Big 12 play, after setting a career high with 16 points and tying career bests with nine assists and four three-pointers in an 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State.

Junior forward Jelena Spiric, is making a strong case for Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors as one of Nebraska’s top players in Big 12 action. Spiric is NU’s second-leading scorer and rebounder in conference play, averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Spiric earned Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors in back-to-back weeks (Jan. 10, Jan. 17) to open league play. She has added 1.6 steals and 1.1 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 Blow Past No. 14 Cyclones, 88-59
Behind a career night from senior Jina Johansen and the hot shooting of sophomore Kiera Hardy, Nebraska continued its march toward its first NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons by blowing out No. 14 Iowa State, 88-59, in front of a season-high crowd of 12,429 at the Devaney Center on Saturday night.

Johansen, a senior point guard from Dannebrog, Neb., played a near-perfect floor game, tying or establishing career highs in points (16), assists (nine) and three-pointers (four), as she hit 6-of-10 shots from the field and did not commit a turnover. She left to a standing ovation from the third-largest crowd in school history with 3:49 remaining in the game.

Johansen, whose previous career high was 15 points set on an two occasions, most recently against Iowa State in Lincoln on Jan. 10, 2004, provided the spark early by scoring 11 first-half points, as Nebraska (15-8, 7-4) built a 20-point halftime lead and was never seriously threatened by the Cyclones (18-4, 8-3).

In addition to Johansen’s strong play, Hardy dazzled the huge crowd by finishing with a game-high 27 points while burying five of Nebraska’s school-record tying 10 three-pointers on the night. The Big 12’s leading scorer in conference action, Hardy produced her 11th 20-point effort of the season with her 19th consecutive game scoring in double figures. It was the seventh time this season that she scored 27 or more points in a game.

Hardy’s five three-pointers pushed her season total to 55, which shattered the NU sophomore single-season record, which was held by Kate Galligan with 50 threes in 1993-94. Hardy also moved into the No. 2 spot on Nebraska’s overall single-season three-point chart.

The Huskers, three years removed from a 1-15 conference mark in Coach Connie Yori’s first season, matched their Big 12 victory total from the 2003-04 season with their seventh league win.

Saturday’s crowd of 12,429 easily surpassed NU’s previous season-best crowd of 4,012 against Kansas on Jan. 29, and was Nebraska’s largest crowd since a school-record 13,226 fans witnessed NU’s win over Kansas State on Feb. 26, 2000.

Nebraska’s 29-point win over the Cyclones marked its largest win over Iowa State since a 39-point victory on Jan. 30, 1994. The Huskers had lost 13 of their previous 14 meetings with ISU, including a 74-54 setback in Ames on Jan. 22. The 29-point win is also believed to be Nebraska’s largest ever over a ranked opponent.

Overall, the Huskers had seven players score eight or more points on the night in an outstanding all-around team effort. Sophomore forward Chelsea Aubry scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and set a career high with three steals.

Junior Elena Diaz scored eight points, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and dished out a career-best six assists. Freshman Danielle Page continued her torrid play with eight points, five rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots off the bench for the Huskers.

Jelena Spiric and LaToya Howell also pitched in eight points apiece for the Huskers, who scored 80 or more points for the eighth time this season.

Hardy Scoring at NU’s Strongest Rate in Six Seasons
Kiera Hardy heads into the Texas A&M game averaging 19.6 points per game, which leads the Huskers and trails only Kansas State senior All-American Kendra Wecker (20.6 ppg) on the Big 12 Conference scoring chart. In Big 12 games only, Hardy has been even better, averaging 22.2 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 19 straight games, has averaged 21.2 points per game over Nebraska’s last 19 contests (402 points). She owns a pair of 30-point scoring efforts on the season, and seven games with 27 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. She is coming off a 27-point, four-assist outing in the Huskers’ win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.

Hardy has scored 20 or more points 11 times this season, including 10 of NU’s last 18 games with six coming in conference action. 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 17.7 points per game, while Texas Tech’s Alesha Robertson has managed 13.5 points per contest.

Hardy Climbs Career Three-Point Chart at Record Rate
Kiera Hardy has hit 85 three-pointers in just 50 career games and has already shot into sixth place on Nebraska’s career three-point list. Hardy has hit 1.7 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 is tied for the league lead in the Big 12 Conference games only with 2.91 made three-pointers per game through 11 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 in an 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12, and at No. 23 Kansas State on Jan. 15.

Hardy’s 55 three-pointers this season through 23 games smashed Kate Galligan’s sophomore single-season record of 50 three-pointers in 1993-94. Hardy has also climbed into the No. 2 spot on NU’s all-time single-season list, trailing only Amy Stephens’ NU’s single-season record of 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 13 games to post a 9-4 record.

Johansen is coming off the best game of her career with a career-high 16 points while tying career bests with nine assists and four three-pointers in the 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday. Johansen added six rebounds and did not commit a turnover in 36 minutes of work.

The only Nebraska native on NU’s roster, Johansen came off the floor at the Devaney Center to a standing ovation from the 12,429 fans in attendance with 3:49 to play. The crowd, which was the third-largest in school history, represented 35 times the population of Johansen’s hometown of Dannebrog. Johansen is also the only Husker on the roster who endured NU’s 1-15 Big 12 season in 2002-03.

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 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, while hitting 28-of-58 shots from the field (48.3 percent). She has also hit 55 percent of her three-pointers (11-20), which ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 in league games. She has also hit 21-of-24 (87.5 percent) of her free throw attempts, while averaging 37.5 minutes per game.

On the season, the 5-7 guard leads the Huskers with 5.9 assists per game, while adding 6.7 points and 3.2 boards per contest. One of the top passers in Nebraska history, Johansen ranks third on the school career chart with 512 assists. She needs 54 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 six contests.

Johansen produced one of the best efforts in her career at Missouri. She scored all of her 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.

Page Making Bid for Big 12 Freshman Honors
Freshman Danielle Page is making a major run at Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year honors during conference play. In league action, the 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., has come on strong, ranking as Nebraska’s third-leading scorer and rebounder with 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. She has added a team-best 1.8 blocks per game to go along with 1.4 steals per contest through 11 league games.

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 four blocked shots to go along with six rebounds and two steals off the bench.

She added her second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award on Feb. 14, after leading the Huskers with 13 points in the loss at No. 17 Texas on Feb. 9, before she scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and produced a career-high five blocked shots in NU’s 88-59 rout of No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12. Page added a pair of steals, as her seven combined stops led directly to 12 points in transition for the Huskers.

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 four games, Page has connected on 20-of-23 free throws (87.0 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 scored in double figures in five consecutive games before her eight-point effort against the Cyclones on Feb. 12, beginning with a then-career-high 10-point effort at No. 19 Iowa State on Jan. 22.

Over the past six games, Page is averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. She has added 2.5 blocked shots per game to push her team-leading total to 28 blocks on the season.

Page has scored a total of 79 points her past seven 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 seven 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 28 and has climbed to No. 4 on Nebraska’s freshman single-season block chart, ahead of former Huskers Charlie Rogers (24) and Maurtice Ivy (27). With six more blocks, Page will move to No. 3 on the freshman block list, marking the highest block total by a Husker freshman in 25 years.

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.

Spiric Pushing for Big 12 Newcomer Honors
Junior college transfer Jelena Spiric has started 14 of NU’s 23 games this season, including each of the Huskers’ last nine 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. She added a solid eight-point, three-rebound effort in NU’s win over No. 14 Iowa State to push her season averages 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 9.1 points and 4.7 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.

Aubry Providing Solid Inside Presence at Both Ends
Sophomore Chelsea Aubry has been one of Nebraska’s most solid players at both ends of the court in her second season with the Huskers. The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario is tied for the team rebounding lead and ranks third on the club in scoring with 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

After starting each of Nebraska’s 12 non-conference games, Aubry suffered a foot injury in practice on Jan. 1, and did not play in NU’s first three Big 12 games this season. She came off the bench in the Huskers’ next three league games, before making her first start in Big 12 action in Nebraska’s 59-48 victory over Kansas in Lincoln on Jan. 29.

Aubry scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and set a career high with three steals in the Huskers’ 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12. Over the past five games since returning to the starting lineup, Aubry is averaging 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while adding seven total steals.

In Nebraska’s win over Oklahoma on Feb. 6, Aubry scored seven points and pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in NU’s 70-51 victory. In the Huskers’ loss at Texas on Feb. 9, Aubry was Nebraska’s lone weapon in the first half, producing eight points and grabbing seven rebounds, before finishing with 10 points and eight boards on the night.

After playing just nine minutes at Kansas State on Jan. 15, Aubry 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.

One of Nebraska’s best interior defenders, Aubry 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 On Mend After Having Appendix Removed
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 on Feb. 9, scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds in five minutes of action off the bench. She played five more minutes and scored two points in NU’s win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.

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 15 minutes in her last three appearances, Gerhart is still Nebraska’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer on the season, averaging 9.8 points and 5.4 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. Through 23 contests, Gerhart has scored 206 points, 115 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.

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.

Hardy Takes Over as Nebraska’s Active Scoring Leader
Although she has played just 23 games in her sophomore season and just 50 games with 22 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 698 points, including 451 points in 23 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 522 points in 111 career games.

With 85 three-pointers in her career, Hardy is also Nebraska’s active three-point leader, ahead of Johansen’s 58 career three-pointers.

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 23 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 86 career starts, including 54 straight starts heading into Wednesday’s game at Texas A&M. 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 136 total assists, she also ranks third in the conference with a 2.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Johansen has committed just 48 turnovers against her 136 assists. She tied her career high with nine assists without committing a turnover in Nebraska’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday. She also set a career high with 16 points, while tying her career high with four three-pointers against the Cyclones.

She added a nine-assist effort at No. 23 Kansas State, along with 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 12-1 home record by dishing out 84 assists and committing just 23 turnovers in NU’s 13 home contests. Those numbers translate to a 3.65 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 14 starts, including each of Nebraska’s last nine 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.

Diaz is coming off one of the best all-around efforts of her career in Nebraska’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday, when she scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists to increase her season averages to 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

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.

On the season, Diaz leads the team with her 54.4 field goal percentage, including a team-best 59.6 percent in Big 12 Conference action. Since taking over as a starter in the last nine games, Diaz is shooting a sizzling 65.1 percent (28-43) from the field. In her last six games, Diaz is shooting 72 percent from the floor.

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.

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 19.6 points per game, trailing only Kansas State senior Kendra Wecker (20.6 ppg). Hardy also ranks third in the conference with 2.39 made three-pointers per game, while her 55 three-pointers are tied for second in the Big 12. Hardy also ranks eighth in the league in free throw percentage (81.7 percent) and 15th in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (36.4 percent).

Jina Johansen ranks second in the Big 12 with 136 total assists, while her 5.9 assists per game rank third in the Big 12. She also ranks third in the Big 12 with her 2.83 assist-to-turnover ratio (136 assists-to-48 turnovers).

Husker freshman Danielle Page has vaulted up the Big 12 blocked shot chart in the past three weeks. Page, who has 15 blocks in the past six games, ranks ninth in the league with 1.22 blocks per game. Her 28 total blocks rank as the fourth-best total by a freshman in school history.

Junior guard LaToya Howell has continued her climb up the league steals chart and is tied for seventh with 2.0 steals per game.

Jessica Gerhart ranks 28th on the Big 12 scoring chart with 9.8 points per game, despite missing two games after having her appendix removed and playing just a total of 15 minutes in her last three appearances.

Howell Keys Husker Defensive Pressure
LaToya Howell has earned six starts this season, but has come off the bench in each of the last nine 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 2.4 steals per game (33 total steals) 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 nine contests. In the Huskers’ 103-99 triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor, Howell sparked the Huskers with nine points off the bench. In NU’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State, Howell scored eight points, including six in the first half, while producing three rebounds and two steals. 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 Texas A&M game averaging 4.1 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 3.5 points per game, despite playing just 7.4 minutes per contest. She has added 2.0 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, who has played in 13 games this season, 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. She added two more points and three rebounds in just four minutes in the win over Iowa State on Feb. 12, to move her season averages to 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Junior college transfer Ivana Drmanac has also added depth to Nebraska’s backcourt. The 6-1 forward has played in 16 games and averaged 1.0 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 6.1 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 15.4 turnovers per contest in conference play.

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.

Yori Working to Establish Foundation at Nebraska
Now in her third season at Nebraska, Coach Connie Yori has the Husker program moving in the right direction. After the Huskers suffered through four consecutive losing seasons, Yori helped Nebraska turn the corner in 2003-04 by producing one of the nation’s top turnarounds. The Huskers’ 10-game improvement tied for the ninth-best swing in NCAA Division I women’s basketball in 2003-04. More impressively, NU’s 18-12 record came against a powerful schedule that included 19 games against teams that advanced to postseason play.

The Huskers raced to a 10-1 non-conference record that included victories over No. 13 Ohio State and eventual WNIT champion Creighton, before notching one of the biggest wins in school history with an 81-63 victory over No. 9 Kansas State in league play. The Huskers finished with a 7-9 record in the Big 12 to finish in a tie for seventh place. NU was a two-point loss to Missouri or three-point loss to No. 13 Colorado away from earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.

The Huskers made their first postseason appearance since 2000 and played host to a postseason tournament game for the first time since 1993. Nebraska notched just the second home postseason victory in school history with a first-round WNIT win over Drake, before hosting just the third postseason game in school history in the second round against Oregon State.

Along with the success on the court, the Huskers also enjoyed a rejuvenation at the turnstiles, as attendance grew nearly 20 percent from the 2002-03 season. Nearly 450 more fans per game were in attendance at the Devaney Center last year, while 10,000 more total fans came to women’s basketball games than a year earlier. The Huskers averaged nearly 3,100 fans per game in 2003-04.

Although the Huskers struggled to an 8-20 overall record and a 1-15 Big 12 mark in 2002-03, NU players accepted the principles of hard work and conditioning and showed major strides throughout the season. Despite carrying a roster of just five or six scholarship players in 2002-03, NU returned five experienced starters for 2003-04. That group of five starters was a model of consistency, starting all 30 games to help fuel Nebraska’s turnaround.

The Huskers also featured some depth in 2003-04, a luxury they lacked in 2002-03. Yori and her staff made up some major ground on the recruiting trail by adding five freshmen to their 2003-04 roster. They continued their recruiting success by adding one Division I transfer, four junior college transfers and a pair of freshmen for the 2004-05 season.

The 2002 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Yori led Creighton to a 24-7 overall mark and a 16-2 MVC record in 2001-02 to capture the league’s regular-season and tournament titles. Yori’s success at CU in 2001-02 capped a 170-115 career mark at Creighton. Her teams made two trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 2002. Before taking over the top job with the Bluejays, Yori led NCAA Division III Loras College to a 25-25 record in two seasons from 1990 to 1992. She also served as an assistant coach at Creighton from 1986 to 1989.

Yori was one of the top players in Creighton history, and she still owns the school record for career scoring average at 20.3 points per game. She ranks as CU’s No. 3 all-time leading scorer with 2,010 points, and she had her No. 25 jersey retired. She was inducted into the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.

A native of Ankeny, Iowa, the 41-year-old Yori is married to Kirk Helms, and the couple had their first child, Lukas, in early July of 2004.

Huskers Facing Another Challenging Schedule
After playing 19 games against teams that advanced to the postseason in 2004, the Huskers are again squaring off against another loaded schedule in 2004-05.

The Huskers, who played six 2004 postseason qualifiers during the non-conference season, opened the regular season in the 2004 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Preseason WNIT began Nov. 12 with the Huskers’ win over Western Illinois (74-71). NU advanced to the second round to take on 2004 NCAA Sweet 16 qualifier Notre Dame. The Huskers fell to the No. 10 Fighting Irish, 73-57 in South Bend. The Irish went on to win the Preseason WNIT title, and the Huskers rebounded with impressive home victories over Northern Colorado (89-46) on Nov. 19, and Washington State (78-61) on Nov. 22.

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

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

The Huskers fell to 2004 WNIT Champion Creighton, 58-57, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium on Dec. 18, before rebounding for an impressive 81-70 win over Louisiana-Lafayette, which finished its non-conference season with a 10-3 record, on Dec. 20. Nebraska closed the non-conference season with its best performance of the year in an 82-50 rout of 2004 WNIT qualifier Memphis at the Devaney Center on Dec. 30. The Lady Tigers returned four starters from a team that won 20 games in 2003-04.

Nebraska opened Big 12 play with an impressive 84-62 win over Colorado to give the Huskers their second straight victory over a 2004 postseason qualifier, and made it three wins in a row over 2004 postseason teams with 81-74 come-from-behind win at Missouri on Jan. 8. The Huskers added the biggest win in school history by knocking off No. 2 Baylor, 103-99 in triple overtime at the Devaney Center on Jan. 12.

The Huskers suffered their first conference loss in a 74-59 setback at No. 23 Kansas State on Jan. 15, before dropping their first home game in league action to No. 10 Texas Tech, 68-58, on Jan. 19. NU also fell at No. 19 Iowa State 74-54, to end a streak of four straight games against ranked foes.

Nebraska rebounded with a 59-48 win over Kansas in Lincoln on Jan. 29, before knocking off Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Feb. 1. The Huskers snapped a six-game series losing streak to 2004 NCAA qualifier Oklahoma with a 70-51 win over the Sooners in a FSN national television broadcast on Feb. 6, before falling at No. 17 Texas 83-53, on Feb. 9.

The Huskers rebounded with their most lopsided win over a ranked opponent in school history with an 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.

Through 23 games in 2004-05, Nebraska is 4-7 against teams that advanced to the 2004 NCAA Tournament and 2-2 against 2004 Postseason WNIT qualifiers, giving the Huskers a 6-9 overall record against 2004 postseason clubs.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 289-101 (.741) in games played in the arena, including 104-64 (.619) in conference games.

The Huskers have opened 2004-05 with a 12-1 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 home postseason play, 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 next 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.

Nebraska’s average home attendance is on the rise again in 2004-05, as the Huskers have averaged 3,262 fans per game through their first 13 home games. NU drew its third-largest crowd in school history with a season-high 12,429 fans in attendance for an 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12. It was NU’s largest crowd in the past five seasons, dating back to a school-record crowd of 13,226 against Kansas State on Feb. 26, 2000.

Over the past seven seasons, the Huskers have averaged 3,735 fans per game, attracting 380,941 fans to the Devaney Center for 102 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.

Nebraska’s Top 10 Single-Game Attendance Figures
1. 13,226 - Kansas State - Feb. 26, 2000 - W, 65-56
2. 13,135 - #15 Iowa State - Feb. 7, 1999 - W, 68-67
3. 12,429 - #14 Iowa State - Feb. 12, 2004 - W, 88-59
4. 12,181 - #22 Iowa State - Feb. 28, 1998 - W, 78-53
5. 11,465 - Colorado - Feb. 22, 1998 - W, 68-60
6. 10,221 - #11 Texas Tech  - Feb. 21, 1999 - L, 62-75
7. 8,637 - #13 Texas Tech - Feb. 9, 1997 - W, 62-57
8. 7,901 - #23 Kansas - Feb. 13, 2000 - W, 75-72
9. 7,012 - Iowa State - Feb. 23, 1997 - L, 55-57
10. 6,488 - Texas A&M - Jan. 22, 2000 - W, 74-71