Lawrence, Kan. - Kiera Hardy scored 15 points, but the Nebraska women's basketball team struggled in a 67-53 loss at Kansas on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, Nebraska slipped to 8-5 in the Big 12 and 16-9 overall with its first loss to an unranked Big 12 Conference team this season.
Kansas played one of its best games of the season to pull back to .500 on the year at 12-12, while improving to 5-8 in league play. Erica Hallman led four Jayhawks in double figures with a career-high 22 points, including five three-pointers. Kaylee Brown added 14 points, while Crystal Kemp contributed a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Aquanita Burras pitched in 10 points in the victory.
“The credit goes to <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Kansas,” Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. “I thought they outplayed us today. I thought they were the aggressors on the floor and they outhustled us. I think that is the first time this season that I told my team in the locker room after the game that the other team outhustled us.”<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
Kansas shot 46.7 percent from the field, including 30.4 percent (7-23) from three-point range. KU also dominated Nebraska on the glass, outrebounding the Huskers 38-28 and converted those rebounds into 17 second chance points. The Jayhawks also scored 18 points off 18 NU turnovers.
Nebraska shot just 40.4 percent from the field, after shooting 56 percent in their previous two games combined. NU hit just 3-of-12 three-pointers, with Hardy knocking down all three of Nebraska's long range field goals.
Hardy was the only Husker in double figures, as Jelena Spiric contributed nine points and four assists in a losing effort. Elena Diaz pitched in eight points and four rebounds, while Chelsea Aubry scored all seven of her points in the first half. Aubry also led the Huskers with six rebounds.
Hardy knocked down a long three at the first-half buzzer, but Nebraska still trailed Kansas 30-24 at intermission, as the Huskers fell to 2-9 on the year when trailing at the half.
Hardy opened the second half by knocking down a two-pointer in the first 10 seconds to cut the KU lead down to four points, but NU would get no closer.
The Jayhawks answered with a 13-2 surge over the next seven minutes to take a commanding 43-28 with just under 13 minutes to play. The KU lead grew as large as 23 points in the second half, before Nebraska rallied to cut the final margin to 14 points.
The Huskers tied the score at 16 with Aubry's three-point play with 6:31 left in the first half, but KU went on a 12-2 surge over the next 4:30 to gain control of the game.
Hallman, who scored the first eight points for the Jayhawks, led KU with 10 first-half points, while Kemp added seven first-half points.
Nebraska will try to rebound from its road loss at Kansas by upsetting No. 18 Kansas State in Lincoln on Wednesday. The game against the Wildcats will be the Huskers' second "Pack the Devaney" night at the Devaney Center this season. The first "Pack the Devaney" promotion, which features $1 admission, $1 hot dogs and $1 Pepsi products at the concession stands, drew 12,429 fans to the Devaney Center for the Huskers' 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.