Huskers Collide with Cowgirls in Big 12 First Round

Lincoln - The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens the 2005 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., by taking on Oklahoma State on Tuesday, March 8, at 8:30 p.m.

Nebraska’s game against the Cowgirls will be carried live on radio by the Pinnacle Sports Network on 1400 AM-KLIN in Lincoln and 1110 KFAB in Omaha, along with free Internet audio on Huskers.com.

The Huskers earned the No. 6 seed in the 12-team tournament by finishing the league season with an 8-8 record and a 16-12 overall mark. Nebraska actually tied Oklahoma in sixth place in the final conference standings, but earned the No. 6 seed on the strength of a 70-51 win over the Sooners in Lincoln on Feb. 6.

Nebraska will be trying to end a four-game losing streak heading into the conference tournament. The Huskers closed the regular-season with a narrow 78-76 loss at Colorado on March 2, after falling to Missouri 70-65 in overtime in Lincoln on Feb. 26. Wins in those two games may have been enough to secure the Huskers’ first NCAA Tournament bid since 2000, but now the Huskers will try to play their way into the Big Dance with a strong Big 12 Tournament run.

The Huskers’ game with the 11th-seeded Oklahoma State Cowgirls will be a rematch of one of the league’s most exciting games this season. In the first meeting between the two teams, Nebraska escaped from Stillwater with a 73-71 win on Feb. 1. That game ended with Kiera Hardy hitting a running jumper from the left side of the lane as time expired for the only buzzer-beating, game-winning shot of her basketball career.

The Cowgirls finished the season with a 2-14 Big 12 mark in a tie with Colorado in 11th place in the league standings. OSU earned the No. 11 seed in the tournament on the basis of its 76-70 overtime win over 12th-seeded Colorado in Stillwater on Jan. 22. The Cowgirls, who produced a 7-19 overall record on the season, enter the Big 12 Tournament on a six-game losing streak dating back to a 57-54 win over Kansas on Feb. 9. OSU has lost all six games by double digits with an average losing margin of 22 points per game.

Oklahoma State has not won a game outside of Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater this season. The Cowgirls are 0-11 in true away games, including eight road Big 12 losses by an average of 18.9 points per game. OSU did not play any Big 12 road opponent within single digits this season. The Cowgirls have not played a game on neutral court this season.

Previewing the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament

Along with trying to snap its current four-game losing streak, Nebraska will be attempting to end its four-game Big 12 Tournament losing streak when the sixth-seeded Huskers take on 11th-seeded Oklahoma State.

Nebraska has not won a Big 12 Tournament game since the fifth-seeded Huskers knocked off fourth-seeded Kansas 80-67 on Wednesday, March 8, 2000, at Municipal Auditorium.

While the Huskers have struggled recently, including a 63-52 loss to Iowa State at Reunion Arena in Dallas last season, they produced three consecutive trips to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Oklahoma State has been a dangerous club in the Big 12 Tournament. Although the 10th-seeded Cowgirls lost in the first round to seventh-seeded Missouri 75-52 last season, a No. 11 seed Oklahoma State club actually upset a sixth-seeded Missouri squad 56-54 in the first round of the 2003 Big 12 Tournament in Dallas.

The Cowgirls added first-round Big 12 Tournament wins in 2002, 2000, 1999 and 1998, giving OSU a first-round Big 12 win in five of the past seven seasons.

If the Huskers can get past Oklahoma State in the first round, they would face No. 3 seed Kansas State in Wednesday’s second round at 8:30 p.m. The Wildcats produced a pair of lopsided wins over NU during the regular season. KSU closed the Big 12 with a 12-4 mark to improve to 21-6 overall.

Baylor (24-3, 14-2) captured the Big 12 regular-season title with its win over Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4) in Waco on March 3. The Bears claimed the No. 1 seed, while Texas (20-7, 13-3) took the No. 2 seed. Texas Tech slipped to the No. 4 seed despite finishing in a three-way tie with Kansas State and Iowa State for third.

Kansas State earned the third seed on the strength of its head-to-head win against Texas Tech in Lubbock, while also producing a better North Division record than Iowa State. Texas Tech defeated ISU during the regular season.

Iowa State (22-5, 12-4) settled for the No. 5 seed and will play 12th-seeded Colorado (9-18, 2-14) in the first round on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Oklahoma (16-11, 8-8) tied Nebraska for sixth in the final Big 12 standings, but settled for the No. 7 seed after losing 70-51 to the Huskers in Lincoln on Feb. 6. The Sooners will play 10th-seeded Texas A&M (14-13, 4-12) in the first round on Tuesday at 6 p.m. A&M finished in a tie with Missouri for ninth, but lost to the Tigers head to head.

Kansas (12-15, 5-11) earned sole possession of the No. 8 spot in the league standings and will face ninth-seeded Missouri (10-17, 4-12) in the tournament’s first game on Tuesday at noon. The winner of the KU/MU game takes on Baylor on Wednesday at noon to tip off the second round, before the winner of the ISU/CU game gets Texas on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.

The OU/A&M winner will play Texas Tech on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before the tournament’s second round concludes with Kansas State tangling with the winner of the NU/OSU contest at 8:30 p.m.

The first tournament semifinal game will tip on Thursday, March 10, at 6 p.m., while Nebraska’s side of the bracket would play in the second semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. The Big 12 Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, March 12 at 6 p.m. All four second-round games, both semifinal games and the Big 12 title game will be carried live by FSN (Channel 37 in Lincoln).

Scouting the Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Oklahoma State heads to the Big 12 Tournament hoping to snap a six-game losing streak to end the regular season. The Cowgirls lost their last six games by an average of 22 points per game, including a 69-58 loss at home to Bedlam Series rival Oklahoma on March 3 in Stillwater.

The Cowgirls took the No. 11 seed in the Big 12 Tournament by finishing the league season with a 2-14 record, while finishing with a 7-19 overall mark. OSU won all seven of its games at home this season, while stumbling to an 0-11 mark away from Gallagher-Iba Arena. In its eight Big 12 road losses, the Cowgirls lost by an average of 18.9 points per game.

Although the Cowgirls have struggled throughout the season, they battled the Huskers toe-to-toe right down to the wire in Stillwater on Feb. 1. Kiera Hardy’s game-winning shot at the buzzer allowed the Huskers to escape from Gallagher-Iba with a 73-71 win. Hardy’s shot capped a game-high 28-point performance for Hardy.

Nina Stone led a balanced effort for Oklahoma State in the loss to the Huskers. Stone scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Taleesha Conder added 16 points and eight rebounds. Christian Hood nearly added a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Eliz Gomes added 10 points.

Stone, a 5-7 senior guard, has led the Cowgirls throughout the season by averaging 14.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She also leads OSU with 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Conder, a 6-0 freshman forward, has given the Cowgirls a solid No. 2 scoring option by averaging 10.9 points per game, while contributing 4.6 boards per contest. Conder has struggled to take care of the basketball by carrying a nearly 3-to-1 turnover-to-assist ratio (90 turnovers-32 assists).

Hood, a 6-5 sophomore center, and Gomes, a 6-4 senior center, give the Cowgirls an imposing inside presence. Hood has averaged 7.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while leading OSU with 49 blocked shots. Gomes has added 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds to go along with 24 blocks. Gomes has started 16 games this season, but has not been in OSU’s starting lineup late in the season.

Destanie Sykes, a 6-0 sophomore forward, has averaged 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds as a regular starter for the Cowgirls. Devry McDonald has joined Stone in the starting lineup for all 26 games this season, averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 boards per game. Lynsie Tischhauser, Brittany Dietz, Catherria Turner and Karlie Howerton have also been regular contributors for the Cowgirls.

Oklahoma State ranks 11th in the Big 12 in scoring with just 58.4 points per game, while ranking 10th in scoring defense by surrendering 65.4 points per contest. The Cowgirls also rank 11th in the Big 12 with their 39.2 field goal percentage, while also ranking 11th in the league in field goal percentage defense. Opponents are shooting 43.1 percent from the field against OSU. Oklahoma State also ranks 11th in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (30.6 percent).

The Cowgirls are last in the Big 12 with their 0.59 assist-to-turnover ratio, committing 506 turnovers while dishing out just 300 assists. OSU ranks 12th in the league with just 11.54 assists per game, while ranking 11th in the league with a minus-1.96 team turnover margin.

Oklahoma State has been solid at forcing turnovers, ranking third in the Big 12 with 10.12 steals per game. OSU also ranks sixth in the conference in free throw percentage (70.8 percent) and blocked shots (4.2 bpg).

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma State Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State 28-23, including a 73-71 win over the Cowgirls in Stillwater on Feb. 1. The Huskers have won three consecutive games in the series with OSU, beginning with a 73-59 victory in Stillwater on Feb. 1, 2003. That win was NU’s only Big 12 victory during the 2003 season. The Huskers added a 64-41 win over OSU in Lincoln last season.

The Huskers have not faced Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament since March 4, 1998, when the Cowgirls knocked off Nebraska, 83-69. Nebraska had earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament in 1998, before being upended by the fifth-seeded Cowgirls in the second round. OSU opened the 1998 tournament with a 67-48 win over No. 12 Missouri, before losing to eventual tournament champion Texas Tech, 53-49 in the semifinals.

Although Oklahoma State won the last meeting between the two teams in the Big 12 Tournament, the Huskers have enjoyed success over the Cowgirls in tournament play. Nebraska carries a 7-3 all-time mark against OSU in Big Eight/Big 12 tournaments. Several of those meetings have been thrillers, including the Huskers’ 66-64 win on March 7, 1993, and their 75-73 win on March 7, 1992.

The Huskers and Cowgirls have met one other time on March 8, with the Huskers falling to OSU 84-82 at the 1984 Big Eight Tournament in Ames, Iowa.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori has never lost to Oklahoma State Coach Julie Goodenough. Yori is 3-0 against the Cowgirls as the Huskers’ head coach.

Three Huskers Earn Academic All-Big 12 Honors Three Nebraska women’s basketball players were honored for their achievements in the classroom by earning academic All-Big 12 Conference honors, the league announced March 2.

Senior Jina Johansen led the trio of Husker honorees by claiming her third straight first-team academic All-Big 12 award. The 5-7 point guard from Dannebrog, Neb., carries a 3.696 grade-point average as a nutrition and dietetics major, while ranking among the Big 12 Conference leaders in assists.

Johansen was joined on the first team by Jessica Gerhart. The 6-2 sophomore forward from Fenton, Iowa, is also a nutrition and dietitics major. She ranks as Nebraska’s third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder on the season.

Sophomore Chelsea Aubry added second-team academic All-Big 12 accolades. The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, who has not declared a major, ranks as Nebraska’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder this season.

Overall, 46 student-athletes were named to the women’s basketball academic All-Big 12 teams.

Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the women’s basketball academic all-league squad consisted of 37 first-team members combined with nine on the second team. First team members include those who have maintained a 3.20 or better grade point average, and the second team are those who have a 3.0 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

Hardy Earns First-Team All-Big 12 Honors
Kiera Hardy became just the eighth player in Nebraska history, and just the third Husker sophomore, to earn first-team all-conference honors when the Big 12 announced the coaches’ selections on Friday, March 4.

The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., who led the Big 12 in scoring with 20.9 points per game in league action, is Nebraska’s first first-team All-Big 12 pick since Nicole Kubik in 1999-2000, and just the third Husker to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors, joining two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick Anna DeForge (1996-97, 1997-98).

Although she has played just 55 games with 27 starts in her college career, 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 788 points, including 541 points in 28 games this season and 247 points in 27 games as a true freshman last season.

Hardy needs just six more points this season to move into the No. 2 spot on Nebraska’s sophomore scoring list ahead of Kathy Hagerstrom (545 points, 1980-81) and Amy Stephens (546 points, 1986-87). Hardy is just 33 points shy of NU’s sophomore record of 574 points scored by Karen Jennings (574 points, 1990-91). Jennings was a two-time All-American at Nebraska and earned the Wade Trophy after her senior season.

Hardy finished second in the Big 12 overall with 19.3 points per contest. She scored a career-high 37 points in Nebraska’s win over No. 2 Baylor, and added a 31-point effort against Hampton. She has scored 27 or more points seven times this season, while producing 13 games with 20 or more points this year. Hardy has produced double figures in 24 consecutive games and 25 times in 28 games this season.

Johansen Sets Sights on Senior Season Assist Mark
While sophomore Kiera Hardy has her eyes on a class scoring record, senior honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection Jina Johansen has her sights set on a class passing mark.

The 5-7 point guard from Dannebrog, Neb., enters the Big 12 Tournament with 162 assists this season and needs just seven more to match NU’s all-time assist leader Meggan Yedsena for the school’s senior single-season assist mark. Yedsena distributed 169 assists for the Huskers in 1993-94, which is tied for the fourth-best overall single-season mark in school history.

If Johansen can distribute eight more assists this season, she would vault past three of Yedsena’s four single-season assist marks and move into fourth place on NU’s single-season assist list. Yedsena owns NU’s season record with 195 assists in 1991-92, and produced four of the top six single-season assist marks in school history.

Johansen ranks third in the Big 12 with 5.8 assists per game this season and ranks third all-time at Nebraska with 538 career assists.

Hardy Climbing Career Three-Point List at Record Pace
First-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy has hit 102 three-pointers in just 55 career games and has already shot into sixth place on Nebraska’s career three-point list. Hardy has hit 1.85 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 100 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 ranked second in the Big 12 Conference with 3.06 made three-pointers per game in league contests. She 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 72 three-pointers this season through 28 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 single-season record of 85 three-pointers in 1988-89.

Johansen Goes the Distance for Huskers
Jina Johansen set a school and Big 12 record by playing all 55 minutes in the Huskers’ 103-99 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 point guard from Dannebrog, Neb., went beyond the call of duty again on Senior Night against Missouri when she played the full 45 minutes in a 70-65 overtime loss to the Tigers on Feb. 26 in Lincoln.

Along with her two marathon performances, Johansen has played the full 40 minutes 15 times in her career, including NU’s wins at Missouri on Jan. 8, at Texas A&M on Feb. 16, and against Kansas on Jan. 29

During Big 12 Conference action this season, Johansen averaged 37.1 minutes per game. She is averaging 7.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Husker Individuals among Big 12 Leaders
Senior point guard Jina Johansen and sophomore Kiera Hardy 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 (21.0 ppg). Hardy led the league in conference play, averaging 20.9 points per game, just ahead of Wecker’s 20.8 points per contest.

Hardy also ranks second in the conference with 2.56 made three-pointers per game, while her 72 three-pointers rank second in the Big 12. She hit 3.06 threes per game in league play, trailing only KSU’s Laurie Koehn on both lists. Hardy also ranks fifth in the league in free throw percentage (81.8 percent), while Jelena Spiric (78.8 percent) ranks seventh in the league and Chelsea Aubry (76.9 percent) ranks eighth.

Jina Johansen ranks third in the Big 12 with 5.79 assists per game. She also ranks third in the Big 12 with her 2.49 assist-to-turnover ratio (162 assists-to-65 turnovers).

Husker freshman Danielle Page vaulted up the Big 12 blocked shot chart in league action to rank 11th with 1.07 blocks per game on the season. Her 29 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 to rank third with 2.19 steals per game on the season. In Big 12 games only, Howell ranks second in the conference with 2.50 steals per contest. In her last three games, Howell has averaged 4.67 steals per contest.

Nebraska’s Attendance on the Rise Again
The Huskers enjoyed another strong season at the turnstiles, finishing the regular season with an average home attendance of 4,100 fans per game at the Devaney Center. Nebraska’s 2004-05 average home attendance, which ranks as the fourth-highest average in school history, rose 33 percent from last season’s average of 3,074 fans per game. Last year’s average was an increase of nearly 20 percent from Coach Connie Yori’s first season in 2002-03.

Nebraska’s season-high crowd of 13,023 for the Kansas State game on Feb. 23, marked the third-largest crowd in school history, replacing the 12,429 fans NU drew for the Iowa State game on Feb. 12. The two games marked the first time in school history that NU had drawn back-to-back crowds of more than 12,000 fans to the Devaney Center.

Huskers Face One of Nation’s Toughest Schedules
Nebraska closed the regular season with a schedule that was ranked No. 34 nationally by the WBCA/Summerfield Strength of Schedule Index. The Huskers’ overall Ratings Percentage Index came in at No. 59 on March 3. The Huskers had climbed as high as No. 30 in the RPI after their win over Iowa State on Feb. 12, while their strength of schedule was ranked among the top 25 in the nation at that time.

The Huskers have squared off against 10 Associated Press Top 25 teams this season. The Huskers posted their first-ever win over a top-five opponent with a 103-99 triple overtime win over Big 12 Conference champion Baylor on Jan. 12. The Bears were ranked No. 2 nationally at game time.

Nebraska added its largest victory margin ever against a ranked opponent with its 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State in Lincoln on Feb. 12. Eight of the Huskers’ 12 losses this season have come against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25, while six of those setbacks have come on the road.

Hardy Tops Big 12 in Scoring during League Play
Kiera Hardy finished the 16-game Big 12 schedule as the league’s leading scorer by averaging 20.9 points per game. Hardy’s average edged out Kansas State All-American Kendra Wecker’s 20.8 points per game for the Big 12 scoring title in conference games.

Hardy enters the Big 12 Tournament ranked second in the league overall by averaging 19.3 points per game. The 5-6 sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., 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 has scored 20 or more points 13 times this season, including 12 of NU’s last 23 games with eight 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 17.6 points per game, while Texas Tech’s Alesha Robertson has managed 12.9 points per contest.

Hardy, who has scored in double figures in 24 straight games, 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 had 27 points in the Huskers’ win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.

Nebraska Leads Big 12 at the Free Throw Line
Nebraska is shooting a Big 12 Conference-leading 75.3 percent at the free throw line this season, and the Huskers have continued to improve at the line throughout the season.

In Big 12 games, the Huskers have connected on a conference-best 77.9 percent of their free throws. Nebraska starters Jina Johansen (89.5 percent) and Kiera Hardy (81.8 percent) are both shooting better than 80 percent from the line, while Jelena Spiric (78.8 percent), Jessica Gerhart (78.6 percent), LaToya Howell (77.0 percent), Chelsea Aubry (76.9 percent), Danielle Page (70.3 percent) and Elena Diaz (70.2 percent) have each hit better than 70 percent of their free throws this season.

Spiric Captures Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year Honors
Junior college transfer Jelena Spiric captured Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors with a solid first season at Nebraska. Spiric, who started 19 of NU’s 28 games this season including each of the Huskers’ last 14 Big 12 contests, became just the fifth Husker in history and the first since Keasha Cannon-Johnson in 2002 to win conference newcomer-of-the-year honors.

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 sensational 10-point, six-rebound, five-assist effort in NU’s 73-59 win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16. She had a solid 11-point, five-rebound effort against Kansas State that included a career-high five steals.

Spiric is coming off a 10-point effort in the regular-season finale at Colorado, where she added four rebounds and four steals. She has pushed her season averages to 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Spiric owns nine double-figure scoring efforts on the year, with all of them coming in NU’s last 18 games.

She has also turned up her defensive intensity the past five games, averaging three steals per contest, including a career-best five steals against Kansas State on Feb. 23, and four more steals at Colorado on March 2.

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 third-leading rebounder with 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. In NU’s first meeting with Oklahoma State, Spiric scored seven points and grabbed three boards.

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.

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.

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 leads the team in rebounding and ranks second on the club in scoring with 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Aubry produced one of the best performances of her career after scoring a career-high 20 points, while adding four rebounds in a 73-59 win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16. Aubry was perfect from the field against the Aggies, hitting 7-of-7 field goal attempts, including her only three-pointer. She was also perfect at the free throw line, knocking down all five of her attempts. She was huge in the clutch, as she and freshman Danielle Page joined forces to score all 17 of Nebraska’s points in the final six minutes to turn a three-point lead into a 14-point victory.

Aubry enters the conference tournament after a strong second half at Colorado to close the regular season. She scored 14 points in the second half against the Buffs to help the Huskers erase a 12-point halftime deficit and close within one point with 20 seconds left.

After starting each of NU’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. 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. 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 finished with 10 points and eight boards.

After playing just nine minutes at Kansas State on Jan. 15, Aubry led the Huskers with eight rebounds, while adding five points in 19 minutes against No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 19. She came off the bench again at Iowa State, producing eight points, six rebounds and a career-high three assists in 26 minutes. 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. In the Huskers’ home win over Washington State on Nov. 22, Aubry tied her then-career high with 16 points for the third time this season and powered a strong second-half effort against the Cougars. Aubry opened the season with a then-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 on Nov. 12. She added 16 points and four boards in the loss at No. 10 Notre Dame 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.

Diaz Surging Down Stretch in Rookie Season
Elena Diaz provided the Huskers with consistent scoring and rebounding options in their final three regular-season games. The 6-1 junior forward from Medellin, Colo., by way of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College averaged 10 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest to close league play.

Diaz, who has made 19 starts on the year with 15 in Big 12 play, scored 10 points in each of NU’s last three games to give her five double-figure scoring efforts on the season. She established her career high in Nebraska’s third game this season with 11 points against Northern Colorado on Nov. 19, and matched that total in NU’s 103-99 triple overtime win over Baylor on Jan. 12.

In addition to scoring eight or more points in six of Nebraska’s last seven games, Diaz has pulled down seven or more rebounds in six of NU’s last eight contests, including career highs with nine rebounds against Kansas State and Texas A&M.

Diaz has pushed her season averages to 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while averaging 6.9 points and 5.5 boards per contest in Big 12 play. Over the past eight games, Diaz is average 8.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

She has scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in each of her last two games, while scoring 10 points and pulling down nine boards in the loss to Kansas State on Feb. 23. Her performance against KSU followed an eight-point, four-rebound effort at Kansas that included a career-high four steals. She added six points and set her career high with nine rebounds at Texas A&M on Feb. 16.

In NU’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 14, Diaz produced one of the best all-around efforts of her career when she scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists. 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 eight rebounds.

Diaz added a solid outing with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal against No. 10 Texas Tech. 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 53.2 field goal percentage, including a team-best 55.6 percent in Big 12 Conference action. Since taking over as a starter in the last 14 games, Diaz is shooting a sizzling 58.4 percent (45-77) from the field.

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.

Freshman Page Dominant on the Blocks
True freshman Danielle Page has shown the potential to be one of the dominant shot blockers in school history. Page leads the Huskers with 29 blocked shots and has climbed to No. 4 on NU’s freshman single-season block chart. With five more blocks, The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., will move to No. 3 on the freshman block list, marking the highest block total by a Husker freshman in 25 years.

Page made a major run at Big 12 freshman honors during conference play. In league action, she came on strong to rank as Nebraska’s fourth-leading scorer and rebounder with 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She has added a team-best 1.3 blocks per game to go along with 1.1 steals per contest.

For the season, Page has increased her averages to 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while leading the Huskers with 1.0 block per contest. She ranks among the top 10 freshmen in the Big 12 in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals.

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. She 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 scoring eight points, grabbing five rebounds and blocking a career-high five 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.

Page came through big down the stretch in a 73-59 win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16. Page teamed with Chelsea Aubry to score Nebraska’s final 17 points in the closing six minutes to win going away after leading just 56-53. Page finished with 11 points, five rebounds and NU’s only block in the game.

Page was also one of the catalysts during NU’s decisive 23-6 run over the final 12 minutes in a 70-51 win over Oklahoma on Feb. 6. She scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded two steals down the stretch for the Huskers. Her effort against OU followed a 12-point, five-rebound performance in the Huskers’ win at Oklahoma State on Feb. 1. She tied her previous career-high scoring effort against OSU, while setting a career high with four assists against the Cowgirls.

In the last nine games, Page has connected on 31-of-38 free throws (81.6 percent). Through her first 19 games this season, she hit just 14-of-26 shots from the free throw line (53.8 percent), but has improved her season average to 71.0 percent at the line, including 72.5 percent in Big 12 games.

Page scored in double figures in five consecutive games before her eight-point effort against Iowa State on Feb. 12, beginning with a then-career-high 10-point effort at No. 19 Iowa State on Jan. 22.

Page has scored a total of 109 points her past 12 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 12 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.

Gerhart Back in Action after Missing First Game at OSU
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, and saw action off the bench in each of Nebraska’s final seven regular-season games. 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 36 minutes in her six previous appearances, Gerhart erupted for 10 points against Missouri to shoot the Huskers into the lead after NU trailed by five midway through the second half. It was Gerhart’s first double-figure scoring effort since a double-double at Missouri on Jan. 8.

Although she missed most of February, Gerhart still ranks third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding with 8.5 points and 4.7 boards per game. She was averaging 12.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game through the Huskers’ first 15 contests.

A first-team academic All-Big 12 selection 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 her 26 games, Gerhart has scored 220 points, 129 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 ranks third on the team with 121 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 11 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 hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to seal NU’s victory. She added 13 points at No. 10 Ohio State.

Howell Keys Husker Defensive Pressure
LaToya Howell has earned six starts this season, but has come off the bench in each of the last 14 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 2.7 steals per game (48 total steals) over the last 18 games, including a career-high five steals in each of her last two games against Missouri on Feb. 26 and at Colorado on March 2, and five games with four steals each during that stretch (at Creighton, vs. Colorado, at Kansas State, vs. Kansas, vs. Kansas State).

The 5-5 guard started NU’s first two Big 12 Conference games. In the Huskers’ 103-99 triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor, Howell sparked NU with nine points off the bench. In NU’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12, 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 on Jan. 29, 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 in 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 Big 12 Tournament averaging 4.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a team-leading 2.2 steals per game. In conference play, she ranks second in the Big 12 with 2.5 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. 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.

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
Honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection Jina Johansen has been a leader both on and off the court in her four seasons at Nebraska. Johansen is the only Husker to start all 28 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, and a 15th 40-minute performance in the win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16. She played the full 45 minutes in the Huskers’ overtime loss to Missouri on Feb. 26.

Johansen owns 91 career starts, including 59 straight starts heading into the Big 12 Tournament. 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.

Johansen has been even better from long range this season, hitting 42.3 percent (22-52) of her three-pointers on the year, including 53.8 percent (14-26) in Big 12 action. Her career 37.9 percent (61-161) success rate from long range ranks as the fourth-best three-point shooting percentage in school history.

Johansen has set her own single-season best with 162 assists and is averaging 5.8 assists per game this season. She needs eight more assists to break Nebraska’s senior single-season record of 169 assists held by NU’s all-time assist leader Meggan Yedsena (1993-94).

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 three-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection. 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 third in the Big 12 with 162 total assists (5.8 apg), she also ranks third in the conference with a 2.49 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Johansen has committed just 65 turnovers against her 162 assists. She set her career high with 11 assists in NU’s 73-59 win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16, after tying her previous career best with nine assists in Nebraska’s 88-59 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12. Johansen did not commit a turnover and 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 on Jan. 8, 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 12-3 home record by dishing out 92 assists and committing just 28 turnovers in NU’s 14 home contests. Those numbers translate to a 3.29 assist-to-turnover ratio.

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 3.3 points per game, despite playing just 7.1 minutes per contest. She has added 1.9 rebounds per game, while ranking third on the team with nine blocks. For the season, Samardziska is shooting 50.0 percent (28-56). She has also contributed nine steals and five assists, while committing just seven turnovers.

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 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 at No. 10 Notre Dame. She produced a career-high seven points in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 1.

White, who has played in 17 games this season, scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 12 minutes in NU’s win over Memphis on Dec. 30. 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, before scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in the win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16. She matched her career-high again with 12 minutes at Kansas on Feb. 20, including significant minutes in the first half against her homestate school.

White is averaging 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game on the season and made appearances in nine Big 12 games this season, including seven of the Huskers’ last eight contests.

Junior college transfer Ivana Drmanac has also added depth to Nebraska’s backcourt. The 6-1 forward has played in 17 games and averaged 0.9 points and 0.6 rebounds per game for the Huskers. She has also knocked down four three-pointers for the Huskers, and dished out eight assists in just 5.8 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 15.5 turnovers of per game (433 total turnovers) and committed a season-low seven turnovers in its win at Missouri on Jan. 8. The Huskers averaged 16.1 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.

Nebraska has continued to make strides in Yori’s third season. Despite losing four seniors who each started all 30 games in 2003-04, this year’s Huskers worked their way to an 8-8 Big 12 mark for the school’s first .500 conference record since 1999-2000. The Huskers have also made themselves postseason eligible for the second straight season and will be shooting for their first Big 12 Conference Tournament win since the 2000 season.

The Huskers posted their first-ever victory over a top-five opponent with their 103-99 triple overtime win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, and produced their largest victory margin in school history over a ranked foe with their 88-59 rout of No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 12.

Nebraska’s success on the court carried over to the stands, as the Huskers attracted two of the four-largest crowds in school history against the Cyclones on Feb. 12 (12,429) and Kansas State (13,023) on Feb. 23. It marked the first time in school history that NU had drawn back-to-back crowds of more than 12,000.

The Huskers’ average home attendance of 4,100 fans per game ranked as the fourth-highest attendance mark in school history and represented a 33 percent increase over last season. Nebraska averaged nearly 5,800 fans per game during Big 12 action at the Devaney Center.

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.

NU 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 2004-05.

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 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. The Huskers added their third road Big 12 win of the year with a solid 73-59 win at Texas A&M on Feb. 16, before falling on the road to Kansas 67-53 on Feb. 20. NU lost its second straight game with a 94-69 setback to No. 17 Kansas State on Feb. 23 in Lincoln, before falling 70-65 in overtime to Missouri on Feb. 26. The Huskers closed the regular season with a narrow 78-76 loss at Colorado on March 2.

Nebraska is 4-10 against teams that advanced to the 2004 NCAA Tournament and 2-2 against 2004 Postseason WNIT qualifiers, giving the Huskers a 6-12 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 289-103 (.737) in games played in the arena, including 104-66 (.612) in conference games.

The Huskers have rolled to a 12-3 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 win 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.

This season, the Huskers produced two of the four largest crowds in school history in back-to-back games on Feb. 12 and Feb. 23. Nebraska closed the season with its third-largest crowd of the year with 6,068 fans on Senior Night on Feb. 26 to push its average home attendance to 4,100 fans per game. NU’s 1,026 fan per game increase represents a 33 percent increase over last season and ranks as the fourth-highest average home attendance in school history.

NU drew its fourth-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. The Huskers surpassed the mark in their next home game when 13,023 fans filled the Devaney Center to watch NU clash with Kansas State on Feb. 23. It was the first time in school history that Nebraska had back-to-back crowds of more than 12,000.

Nebraska ranked 14th nationally in average home attendance in 1999-2000 with 4,772 fans per game, after ranking 15th nationally with a school-record average of 5,000 fans per game in 1998-99. NU added an average home crowd of 4,204 in 2000-01.

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. 13,023 - #17 Kansas State, Feb. 23, 2005 (L, 69-94)
4. 12,429 - #14 Iowa State, Feb. 12, 2004 (W, 88-59)
5. 12,181 - #22 Iowa State, Feb. 28, 1998 (W, 78-53)
6. 11,465 - Colorado, Feb. 22, 1998 (W, 68-60)
7. 10,221 - #11 Texas Tech, Feb. 21, 1999 (L, 62-75)
8. 8,637 - #13 Texas Tech, Feb. 9, 1997 (W, 62-57)
9. 7,901 - #23 Kansas, Feb. 13, 2000 (W, 75-72)
10. 7,012 - Iowa State, Feb. 23, 1997 (L, 55-57)