Huskers Open Season with Jackrabbits

Nebraska
vs. South Dakota State
Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595) 
Saturday, Nov. 19 ? 12:05 p.m.
Special Event: Toys for Tots (bring a new, unwrapped toy or monetary donation)
Internet Video: HuskersNside (subscription basis)
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (1400 AM KLIN - Lincoln)/Huskers.com (NU Student Station - 90.3 FM KRNU)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads series, 1-0
Last Meeting: Nebraska won 94-39, Dec. 30, 1978

Huskers Open Regular Season Against Jackrabbits
The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens its 2005-06 regular season by playing host to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. Tip-off time is set for 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, with a live radio broadcast on the Pinnacle Sports Network (98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln). The radio broadcast can also be heard live on Huskers.com, along with live stats from the game. Fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy or monetary donation to the game to benefit the Toys for Tots program.

The Huskers closed their two-game exhibition schedule on Sunday with a 70-46 victory over Nebraska-Kearney at the Devaney Center, after opening exhibition play with a 79-66 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Oct. 31 in Lincoln.

Against UNK, Nebraska supplied suffocating defensive pressure that limited the Lopers to just 10 made field goals in just 32 attempts on the afternoon. Nebraska also received balanced scoring with three players in double figures, while nine of the 10 players who saw action found the scoring column.

Juniors Kiera Hardy and Jessica Gerhart and true freshman Kelsey Griffin led the Huskers during exhibition play. Hardy, a first-team All-Big 12 guard as a sophomore, averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game in NU’s two exhibition victories. Hardy shot better than 60 percent from the field in the two games and nearly posted her first career double-double with 12 points and nine assists against the Lopers on Sunday.

Gerhart, a 6-2 forward, averaged 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, including a game-high 18 points against UNK. Gerhart also shot better than 60 percent from the field combined in NU’s two wins.

Griffin, a 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, pitched in 14.5 points to go along with 5.5 boards per game. Griffin scored 19 points in her debut before adding 10 points against UNK. She combined to shoot better than 70 percent from the field.

Nebraska, which has won 24 straight season openers, will face South Dakota State for the first time since 1978 and only the second time in school history. The Jackrabbits were a provisional Division I team last season when they finished 21-7. Coach Aaron Johnston led SDSU to impressive wins over Oklahoma State, Alabama and Kentucky last season, while playing a schedule that included Rutgers, Purdue, USC and Oregon State among others.

Huskers Return Experienced Lineup in 2005-06
Despite a season-ending injury to 2005 Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year Jelena Spiric, Nebraska still returns a talented and experienced lineup to the court for 2005-06. The Huskers return four other starters who accounted for 76 percent of NU’s scoring and 69 percent of the Huskers’ rebounding during an 18-14 season in 2004-05.

Nebraska’s returning nucleus led the Big 12 Conference to pick the Huskers to finish fifth in its preseason coaches poll. It was NU’s highest preseason ranking within the conference since the 1999-2000 season.

In her fourth year at Nebraska, Coach Connie Yori believes her team is better equipped to compete against the Big 12’s best.

"People are taking Nebraska women’s basketball seriously again," Yori said. "Our expectations are higher because we have a better understanding of our team and the individuals that make up our team."

Headlining the list of Nebraska’s returning players is first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy. The 5-6 junior from Kansas City, Mo., is the top returning scorer in the Big 12 this season after her record-breaking sophomore campaign. Hardy averaged 19.0 points per game last season, while breaking the Nebraska sophomore single-season scoring mark with 609 points. She was even better in conference play, leading the Big 12 with 20.9 points per game in 16 league contests, including a career-high 37 points in a 103-99 triple overtime victory over eventual national champion Baylor on Jan. 12.

In addition to the explosive scoring of Hardy, junior forward Chelsea Aubry lends leadership and starting experience to the NU lineup. Aubry played in all 30 games as a freshman and started 26 contests as a sophomore last season. The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, also gained valuable international experience this summer playing on the Canadian Senior National Team that qualified for the 2006 World Championships. The qualifying spot for the Canadians will mark their first appearance at the World Championships since 1994.

Aubry may be a leading contender to pick up the scoring and rebounding load left by the absence of Spiric. Aubry averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, but showed the ability to put up bigger numbers at times during the season. She may need to contribute on a more consistent basis to help the Huskers in 2005-06.

Senior forward Elena Diaz was one of NU’s top players down the stretch in 2004-05, starting the Huskers’ final 18 games. The 6-1 native of Medellin, Colombia, averaged 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in Big 12 action and led the Huskers by shooting 55.6 percent from the field during league play.

Diaz stepped into Nebraska’s lineup after Jessica Gerhart battled illness midway through the Big 12 season. Gerhart was one of NU’s top players during non-conference action as a sophomore, averaging 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a starter through the Huskers’ first 14 games.

With Diaz and Spiric out for the exhibition game, Gerhart will step back into the starting lineup for the first time since making a start at Iowa State on Jan. 22.

In addition to the four returning starters, senior LaToya Howell played in 30 games and made six starts at point guard last season for the Huskers. Howell, who ranked second in the Big 12 in league play last season with 2.5 steals per game, will be asked to increase her offensive production in her second year in Lincoln. The 5-5 native of Chicago, Ill., certainly has experience as a scorer at the Division I level. In 2002-03, Howell averaged 17.4 points and 7.0 assists per game as a sophomore at Air Force. Last season, she contributed 3.7 points and 2.0 assists per game off the bench for the Huskers.

Sophomores Danielle Page, Heather Kephart and Sarah White and senior Ivana Drmanac have also seen significant playing time for the Huskers and will be counted on for contributions throughout the season.

Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Head Coach Aaron Johnston brings a talented and hard-nosed South Dakota State club to the Devaney Center on Saturday. The Jackrabbits, in their second year as a Division I program, posted a 21-7 record last season against a predominantly Division I schedule. SDSU notched Division I victories over Oklahoma State, Alabama, Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Illinois and Texas State - all on the road, while adding narrow road losses at Purdue (57-50), at USC (66-59) and Oregon State (68-65) at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. The Jackrabbits also battled Rutgers and Wisconsin-Green Bay on the road last season. Overall, the Jacks were 8-7 against Division I foes in 2004-05, and 13-0 against non-Division I opposition.

South Dakota State, which is just two years removed from capturing the NCAA Division II national title with a 32-3 record under Johnston in 2002-03, also features a couple of strong Nebraska connections on the coaching staff.

Graduate assistant coach Jina Johansen, who was a three-year starter at point guard for the Huskers, returns to the Devaney Center after concluding her playing career at Nebraska last season. A native of Dannebrog, Neb., Johansen ranks No. 2 on the Huskers’ all-time assist list.

Along with Johansen, another assistant on the SDSU staff is Emilee Gusso, who played at Nebraska-Kearney. Gusso’s sister, Amy, was a four-year letterwinner at Nebraska from 1995 to 1998.

On the court, the Jackrabbits return just two starters from last year’s club among their seven returning letterwinners. Megan Vogel, a 5-11 junior forward is SDSU’s top returning scorer, averaging 15.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Heather Sieler, a 5-7 senior guard, added 7.8 points and 2.4 boards per game last season.

Despite plenty of new faces, South Dakota State rolled in a pair of exhibition wins to start 2005-06. The Jackrabbits defeated Upper Iowa 84-30 in their exhibition finale on Nov. 11. Sarah Meckley led SDSU with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench, while Christina Gilbert added 12 points and seven rebounds in a starting role for the first time this season.

The Jackrabbits outrebounded Upper Iowa, 59-35, including a game-high 11 boards from Vogel. SDSU limited Upper Iowa to just 10 field goals on 17.9 percent shooting for the game.

In its exhibition opener, SDSU rolled to a 127-76 win over Minnesota-Crookston, as Vogel and Meckley led six Jackrabbits in double figures with 16 points. Senior point guard Heather Sieler added a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.

Last season, SDSU averaged 76.8 points per game while holding opponents to just 57.2 points per contest. The Jackrabbits averaged 8.3 made three-pointers per game and shot 36 percent from three-point range as a team. They also outrebounded the opposition 40.1-33.2 (+6.9) on the year. SDSU also held a plus-6.6 team turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. South Dakota State Series History
Saturday’s game between Nebraska and South Dakota State will be just the second meeting in history between the Huskers and Jackrabbits. NU defeated SDSU, 94-39, on Dec. 30, 1978, in the only other meeting in the series. In the first meeting with the Jackrabbits, Nebraska allowed just 16 points in the first half, which is tied for the sixth-lowest total by an opponent in school history. The 55-point victory margin is also tied for the 10th largest in school history, while NU’s 29 assists against SDSU is tied for the ninth-best single-game total in NU history.

Johansen Returns to Devaney Center
Nebraska’s regular-season opener with South Dakota State will feature a homecoming for first-year Jackrabbit graduate assistant coach Jina Johansen. The former Husker point guard spent the past three seasons running the show for Nebraska on the floor for Coach Connie Yori, before graduating from the University of Nebraska in May.

An honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection on the court last season and a three-time academic All-Big 12 honoree in the classroom, Johansen ranks No. 2 on Nebraska’s career assist list with 567 assists from 2001-02 to 2004-05. The four-year letterwinner set NU’s senior single-season mark with 191 assists a year ago.

For more information on the Dannebrog, Neb., native, please see page 109 of the 2005-06 Nebraska women’s basketball media and recruiting guide.

Huskers Close Exhibition Play with 70-46 Win Over UNK
Nebraska used hot shooting and a suffocating defense to run past Nebraska-Kearney 70-46 in the Huskers’ exhibition finale at the Devaney Center on Sunday.

The Huskers, who shot nearly 60 percent from the field and held UNK without a field goal for nearly 15 minutes, overwhelmed the Lopers with a 36-10 surge to turn a 16-15 deficit into a 51-26 lead midway through the second half.

NU junior forward Jessica Gerhart hit 5-of-6 shots from the field in the first half and kept her hot hand going in the second half to finish with a team-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Junior All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy nearly added the first double-double of her career with 12 points and a career-high nine assists.

Nebraska, which finished the exhibition season with a 2-0 record that included a win over Nebraska-Omaha on Oct. 31, received balanced scoring throughout the lineup. Freshman forward Kelsey Griffin gave the Huskers three players in double figures with 10 points, while senior forward Elena Diaz, who made her first appearance of the season after sitting ou the opener with UNO, added eight points, four rebounds and four steals.

Nine of the 10 Huskers who played found the their way into the scoring column, including the first points in an NU uniform for true freshman TK LaFleur. The 5-9 guard from Houston, Texas, also tied for the team lead with four steals, joining Diaz. Hardy added three steals for the Huskers, who finished the game with 16 steals.

Along with Nebraska’s offensive consistency, the Huskers enjoyed the fruits of a suffocating defense that held the Lopers without a field goal for nearly 15 minutes covering the final five minutes of the first half and the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

For the game, Nebraska held UNK to just 10 field goals, while surrendering just 32 attempts. Along with holding the Lopers to just 31.3 percent shooting, the Huskers forced 29 turnovers. UNK did find success at the free throw line, where the Lopers hit 25-of-28 attempts. UNK also outrebounded NU 25-23.

Huskers Open Season with 79-66 Win Over UNO
The Huskers tipped off their 2005-06 season with a 79-66 victory over visiting Nebraska-Omaha on Halloween night in Lincoln. Nebraska fans watched All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy put on an exhibition of her own by scorching the Mavericks for 27 points, including 20 in the first half. In an amazingly efficient effort for the 5-6 shooting guard from Kansas City, Mo., Hardy hit 11-of-18 shots from the field, including 5-of-9 three-pointers.

Hardy also displayed some of her offseason focus by dishing out five assists, while nabbing three steals in just 27 minutes of work.

While Hardy gave fans a fresh taste of the kind of performance they came to expect from her last season when she produced 15 games with 20 or more points, Kelsey Griffin gave fans a first look at the future.

Griffin, a 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, dominated at times in the paint against the Mavs. She finished with 19 points, five rebounds and one blocked shot while starting in the first game of her collegiate career.

Griffin picked up three fouls in the first half and played just 10 minutes in the opening period, but hit all three of her field goal attempts and a free throw to finish with seven first-half points.

She did not pick up another foul the rest of the way and controlled the second half by scoring 12 points and pulling down all five of her rebounds after halftime. She finished the game by hitting 9-of-10 shots from the field.

Griffin was not alone in producing inside for the Huskers against the Mavs. Sophomore Danielle Page scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots in 22 minutes off the bench.

Page’s performance was a breath of fresh air for the Huskers since the 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., has been limited in practice throughout preseason workouts.

Junior forward Jessica Gerhart added 10 points and five rebounds in a solid starting effort, while senior LaToya Howell provided some strong point guard play. She scored seven points, dished out five assists and recorded five steals in a team-high 29 minutes.

Hardy Shows Efficiency, Unselfishness in Exhibitions
First-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy led Nebraska to a pair of efficient offensive performances in the Huskers’ exhibition wins over Nebraska-Omaha and Nebraska-Kearney.

Hardy, a 5-6 native of Kansas City, Mo., averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game, while hitting 15-of-23 shots (65.2 percent) from the field, including 8-of-13 three pointers (61.5 percent). She produced those impressive numbers while playing just 21 minutes per game.

She hit 4-of-5 shots from the field against UNK, including 3-of-4 three-pointers. Last season, Hardy did not attempt fewer than 10 shots from the field in any of NU’s 32 games, while averaging 17.5 attempts per game for the season. Against UNK, Hardy nearly produced her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high nine assists, while adding three steals in just 15 minutes of action.

With Hardy setting the offensive tone, Nebraska shot 54.4 percent from the field in exhibition play, including 44.4 percent (8-18) from three-point range. Hardy hit all eight of NU’s three-pointers during those two contests, after tying NU’s single-season record with 85 three-pointers last season.

Huskers Fifth in Preseason Big 12 Poll
The Nebraska women’s basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2005-06 Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, released by the league office in Dallas on Thursday, Oct. 13. The Huskers, who return four starters from last year’s club that advanced to the postseason for the second straight year, were picked higher than any other team from the Big 12 North Division.

Schools from the Big 12 South Division occupied the top four spots in the poll, with defending national champion Baylor (113) claiming the No. 1 position with six first-place votes from opposing coaches in the league. Texas (110) earned the No. 2 spot with two first-place votes, while Texas Tech (108) took the No. 3 spot with four first-place votes. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the 1-12 predicted order of finish.

After the predicted log jam in the top three spots, Oklahoma, which tied Nebraska in sixth place in the final 2004-05 Big 12 standings, received the fourth-highest vote total with 91 points. Nebraska was picked to finish fifth with 70 points, while fellow Big 12 North foe Kansas was close behind with 66 points. The four schools ahead of the Huskers in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll have all received top 25 national rankings from several preseason publications.

Texas A&M (7th, 59 points), Kansas State (8th, 56 points), Iowa State (9th, 45 points), Missouri (10th, 37 points), Oklahoma State (11th, 23 points), and Colorado (12th, 14 points) rounded out the poll.

Hardy Earns Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 Honors
Nebraska junior guard Kiera Hardy captured one of five spots on the Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 squad voted on by the league coaches and announced by the Big 12 Conference office in Dallas on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., joins Baylor’s Sophia Young, Texas’ Tiffany Jackson, Texas Tech’s Erin Grant and Oklahoma’s Leah Rush on the five-player preseason honor squad. Hardy, Grant, Jackson and Young, who was voted the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, all earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2004-05, while Rush claimed a spot on the second-team a year ago.

Hardy is the top returning scorer in the Big 12 Conference this season after averaging 19.0 points per game as a sophomore in 2004-05, including a league-leading 20.9 points per contest in conference games. She set Nebraska’s sophomore single-season scoring record with 609 points, while also tying the school record with 85 made three-pointers on the season.

Gerhart Opens 2005-06 with Strong Exhibition Efforts
Nebraska junior forward Jessica Gerhart produced a pair of solid performances in the Huskers’ exhibition wins over UNK and UNO. The 6-2 native of Fenton, Iowa, led all scorers with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting against UNK on Sunday to close exhibition play averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Gerhart hit 60.9 percent of her shots from the field in exhibition play.

Gerhart started NU’s first 18 games last season and averaged 15.8 points per game through NU’s first five contests. Through NU’s first 14 games a year ago she ranked second on the team with 13.2 points, while leading the club with 7.0 rebounds per game.

She battled illness and a shooting slump for the rest of the season to finish with 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

Griffin Impresses During Exhibition Debuts
True freshman Kelsey Griffin impressed Husker coaches, fans and opponents in the Huskers’ exhibition victories to open the 2005-06 season. The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 72.2 percent from the field. Griffin’s strong collegiate debuts included starts in both games and a 19-point performance on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in the opener against Nebraska-Omaha.

Griffin was the 2005 Gatorade Alaska High School Player of the Year after averaging 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as a senior a year ago at Chugiak High School.

Huskers Face Loaded 2005-06 Schedule
Nebraska will have a pair of chances to knock off 2005 NCAA Women’s Final Four teams when the Huskers battle LSU and defending national champion Baylor this season.

Overall the Huskers play 13 games against 2005 postseason qualifiers, including 10 contests against NCAA Tournament teams. Six opponents were ranked among the top 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Preseason poll, including No. 3 LSU, No. 7 Baylor, No. 12, Texas, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Minnesota and No. 25 Oklahoma.

"This is our toughest non-conference schedule since I have been at Nebraska," Head Coach Connie Yori said. "In making our schedule, we have always considered the quality and position of our program. We think this is the best team that we have been able to put on the floor in our time at Nebraska, so we are going to play our best schedule."

After opening against a tough South Dakota State squad on Nov. 19, Nebraska will get its first taste of postseason-caliber competition when the Huskers face Creighton at the Devaney Center on Nov. 21. The Bluejays posted 19 wins a year ago and earned a bid to the WNIT.

NU will hit the road for the first time at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic where they will face preseason No. 3 LSU on Nov. 25. The Tigers produced a 33-3 record while running the table to win the SEC title. The Tigers lost to Baylor in the Final Four to end their season.

Things won’t get much easier for NU two days later when the Huskers tangle with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Miami. The Islanders produced a 23-7 mark a year ago and advanced to the second round of the WNIT.

Nebraska remains on the road to start December when the Huskers battle Big Ten power Minnesota in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers finished 26-8 last season and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 where they lost to Baylor. Minnesota earned a trip to the Final Four in 2004.

After returning home to tackle Texas Southern, the Huskers continue their road trip through Big Ten cities by playing Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 10, before traveling to Ann Arbor to meet Michigan on Dec. 17.

The Huskers close non-conference competition with home contests against Texas State (Dec. 20), Grambling State (Dec. 29) and Northern Arizona (Dec. 31).

The Huskers open a rugged Big 12 schedule on the road at Colorado on Jan. 4, the site of their final conference regular-season game of the 2004-05 season. After battling the Buffaloes, Nebraska returns to the Devaney Center to face Kansas (Jan. 7) and Missouri (Jan. 11), before beginning a stretch in which the Huskers will face seven 2005 postseason teams in the next eight games.

Highlighting that eight-game stretch will be Devaney Center showdowns with 2005 NCAA qualifiers Texas (Jan. 18), and Iowa State (Feb. 1), along with Texas A&M (Feb. 11), which advanced to the third round of the 2005 WNIT. The Huskers start the eight-game stretch at Iowa State on Jan. 14, and also travel to 2005 NCAA Sweet 16 participant Texas Tech (Jan. 21), NCAA qualifier Kansas State (Feb. 4) and to 2005 NCAA champion Baylor (Feb. 8). The Huskers knocked off Baylor 103-99 in triple overtime at the Devaney Center last season.

The Huskers travel to Kansas on Feb. 15, before closing their home schedule against Kansas State (Feb. 18) and Oklahoma State on Senior Night (Feb. 21). Nebraska ends the regular season on the road with trips to Oklahoma (Feb. 26) and Missouri (March 1), before heading to Reunion Arena in Dallas for the Big 12 Championship (March 7-11).

Aubry Aids Canada’s Run to World Championships
Nebraska forward Chelsea Aubry scored eight points and hauled down six rebounds to help the Canadian National Team roll to an 89-57 victory over the hosts from the Dominican Republic in the final game of the FIBA Americas Tournament in Hato Mayor on Sept. 19.

With the victory, the Canadians finished third at the eight-team event and qualified for the 2006 World Championships in Brazil. The appearance at the 2006 World Championships will be the first for the Canadians since 1994. The Canadians finished the five-day tournament with a 3-2 record, while Cuba won the event with a perfect 5-0 mark. Brazil finished second with a 4-1 record, while Argentina captured the final spot in the World Championships by finishing fourth with a 2-3 mark.

Aubry, a 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, has spent the past two seasons as a member of the Canadian Senior National Team. She was also a member of the Canadian World University Games Team in 2003 as a member of the Canadian Under-20 National Team.

Yori Establishing Firm Foundation at Nebraska
Now in her fourth 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.

Nebraska continued the momentum last year by replacing four senior starters from 2003-04 team and finishing with an 18-14 overall mark and its second straight postseason bid. The Huskers’ 8-8 Big 12 mark was their best finish since 2000, and included the biggest victory in school history, a 103-99 triple overtime win over eventual national champion and then-No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, 2005.

The Huskers also won their first Big 12 Tournament game since the 2000 campaign and continued their climb in the classroom as well. NU posted a team GPA of better than 3.0 during the spring 2005 semester, as 10 Huskers earned spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor.

Nebraska has also enjoyed a rejuvenation at the turnstiles, with attendance surging nearly 60 percent over the past two seasons. The Huskers ranked 25th nationally in average home attendance in 2004-05, averaging 4,022 fans per game. The increase represented a nearly 30 percent increase over the 2003-04 season, and included a pair of crowds of more than 12,400 at the Devaney Center with a season-high 13,023 against Kansas State. Nebraska averaged nearly 5,800 fans per game during Big 12 action at the Devaney Center.

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