Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to take a six-point lead with four minutes left in the game, but Missouri stormed back to force overtime and escape from the Devaney Center with a 70-65 win in front of 6,068 fans on Saturday night.
With the loss, the Huskers slipped to 16-11 overall and 8-7 in the Big 12, while Missouri improved to 10-16 and 4-11. Despite the loss, Nebraska secured the No. 6 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, as Oklahoma suffered a 72-36 loss at No. 13 Texas on Saturday.
The Huskers will close the regular season at Colorado on Wednesday night with a chance to secure their first winning conference record since the 1999-2000 season. After battling the Buffaloes, the Huskers will play 11th-seeded Oklahoma State on Tuesday, March 8, at 8:30 p.m. in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Nebraska's worst shooting night of the season spoiled Senior Night for Jina Johansen. The Huskers hit a season-low 31.7 percent (20-63) of its field goal attempts on the night, while hitting just 5-of-21 three-point attempts (23.8 percent).
The Huskers hit just two of their final 15 field goal attempts in the game's final 13:46. NU went without a field goal in the final 8:46 of regulation, after Johansen gave the Huskers a 50-48 lead with her layup at the 8:47 mark. The Huskers missed their final eight attempts in regulation, but managed to expand their lead to 56-50 with 4:01 to play by getting to the free throw line.
But Missouri's EeTisha Riddle saved the Tigers for the second time in her career at the Devaney Center. Riddle, who hit game-tying and game-winning jumpers for the Tigers in the closing minute of a 78-76 win in Lincoln last season, scored Missouri's final eight points in regulation to give Missouri a 58-56 lead with 32 seconds.
Johansen managed to send the game to overtime by hitting a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left to tie the score at 58. Johansen, who finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, played the full 45 minutes in her final regular-season appearance at the Devaney Center. It was the 17th time in her career that she went the distance in a game, including the second time in her career that she played more than 40 minutes in a contest.
Jelena Spiric, who finished with eight points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, gave NU a quick 59-58 lead by hitting the second of two free throws less than 45 seconds into the overtime period.
That would be NU's last lead of the night, as Tiffany Brooks hit a layup and then a pair of free throws to give the Tigers a 62-59 edge with 2:10 left. Riddle struck again with a steal and a jumper to give MU a five-point cushion at 64-59 with 1:53 remaining.
Kiera Hardy then ended Nebraska's 12-minute field goal drought by burying her third three-pointer of the night to trim the Tigers' edge to 64-62 with 1:45 left. Brooks, Riddle and Savant then combined to hit four free throws to push MU's lead to 68-62 with just 15 seconds to play.
Hardy gave the Huskers one last glimmer of hope by knocking down her fourth three-pointer of the night with 12 seconds left, but LaToya Bond sealed the win with a pair of free throws with seven ticks on the clock.
Although she led the Huskers with 15 points, including four three-pointers, Hardy struggled through one of her worst shooting nights of the season, hitting just 5-of-27 shots from the field, including just 4-of-19 three-pointers. She added eight rebounds and two steals in a losing effort.
Jessica Gerhart provided a major lift for the Huskers off the bench by scoring 10 points, including eight straight midway through the second half to turn a 42-37 Missouri lead into a 45-44 NU advantage with 11:47 to play. It was Gerhart's first game in double figures since posting her first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting between NU and Missouri in Columbia on Jan. 8.
Elena Diaz gave the Huskers four players in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Brooks led the Tigers with 18 points, while Bond added 13 points and six boards. Savant added a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Christelle N'Garsanet pitched in 10 points and eight boards, as the Tigers outrebounded the Huskers, 44-38.
The Tigers started the game on fire, hitting 9-of-16 shots from the field to open the game, before missing 11-of-14 attempts the rest of the first half. Brooks scored 11 straight points in a two-minute span, including three three-pointers to give Missouri a 22-8 lead with 12:30 left in the first half. Brooks, who scored 30 points in the first meeting with the Huskers, scored all 11 of her first-half points during the Tiger surge.
Nebraska was able to trim Missouri's lead to just one point at halftime, thanks to Johansen's running three-pointer off a loose ball with two seconds remaining from the left wing.
Johansen's hustle play, which allowed the Huskers to take their first lead on their first possession of the second half was indicative of Nebraska's effort in the game, according to Coach Connie Yori.
"We fought hard. I thought we did a great job of coming back after getting down big early in the game," Yori said. "We just didn't hit enough shots, and we couldn't finish it off. It's disappointing, but we still have a big game left to end the regular season at Colorado and then at least one game left in the Big 12 Tournament. Hopefully we can get back to the level we were playing at a couple of weeks ago."