NU Aims for Fifth Straight vs. Grambling St.

Nebraska (6-3) vs.
Grambling St. (4-2)
Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Thursday, Dec. 29 ? 7:05 p.m.
Internet Video: HuskersNside (subscription basis)
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network
(98.1-KFGE Lincoln/Huskers.com)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska Leads 2-0
Last Meeting: NU won, 63-40, Nov. 22, 2002

Huskers Shoot for Fifth Straight Against Grambling State
The Nebraska women’s basketball team hopes to continue building momentum toward Big 12 Conference play when the Huskers take aim at their fifth straight win as they play host to Grambling State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m., with a live video stream available on HuskersNside, the premium site of Huskers.com.

The game can also be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network on 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln and world wide on Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action.

Nebraska will be playing the second of a season-long three-game homestand against the Lady Tigers. The Huskers (6-3) opened the stand with an impressive 96-47 pummeling of Texas State on Dec. 20. The Bobcats entered the game with a glossy 7-1 record that included a win over Big 12 foe Oklahoma State, along with an average victory margin of nearly 25 points per game. The Huskers turned the tables on a talented Texas State squad by erupting for a season-high 96 points, while holding their opponent to a season-best 47 points.

The win over Texas State provided plenty of highlights for the Huskers, inlcuding an historic moment when guard Kiera Hardy scored the 1,000 point of her career. Hardy, a 5-6 junior from Kansas City, Mo., converted a three-point play with 8:52 left in the first half to reach the 1,000-point mark in just her 68th career game. Hardy is the 22nd player in NU history to reach the 1,000-point plateau and moved into 21st place on the Huskers’ all-time scoring list with 1,006 points by the end of the game.

A first-team All-Big 12 selection, Hardy enters the Grambling State game with team-leading averages of 16.7 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game.

Freshman guard TK LaFleur added a highlight of her own by erupting for a career-high 16 points, including 13 points in the second half. The 5-9 guard out of Houston, Texas, hit 5-of-7 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 three-pointers to lead the Huskers in scoring for the first time in her young career. It was LaFleur’s third double-figure scoring performance of the season and increased her season scoring average to 6.8 points per game off the bench.

Hardy Joins Nebraska 1,000-Point Club vs. Texas State
Kiera Hardy, the top returning scorer this season in the Big 12 Conference, scored 15 points to become the 22nd player in Nebraska history to score 1,000 career points. Hardy finished the Texas State game with 1,006 career points to move into 21st place on NU’s all-time scoring list.

Hardy, who reached the 1,000-point mark in just her 68th career game, has turned up the heat after a slow start in the season’s first two games. In the last seven games, Hardy has averaged 19.1 points per contest, including a season-high 26 points against No. 3 LSU. Hardy scored 22 points and tied her previous career high with six assists on Dec. 3 at No. 10 Minnesota, before adding 20 points, including six three-pointers, and six more assists in Nebraska’s 93-68 win over Texas Southern on Dec. 7.

Hardy ranks among the top 10 players in the Big 12 in scoring, assists, steals, three-pointers made and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Scouting the Grambling State Lady Tigers
Coach David "Rusty" Ponton brings an experienced and talented Grambling State squad to the Devaney Center on Thursday night for a showdown with the Huskers.

The Lady Tigers were the preseason pick to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and received one first-place vote in preseason voting. Grambling State finished in a tie for second in the SWAC last season.

Although GSU managed just a 14-15 overall record a year ago, the Lady Tigers finished with an 11-7 league mark. They return four starters from last year’s club, including a pair of preseason first-team All-SWAC selections in Juleen Smith and Lacey Cormier’.

Smith, a 5-6 senior guard from Los Angeles, Calif., by way of Oregon State, is averaging 16.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game to lead the Lady Tigers.

Cormier’, a 6-3 junior center from New Orleans, enters the contest averaging 6.2 points and a team-leading 8.8 rebounds per contest. She has added a team-high 10 blocked shots. Cormier’ was also chosen as the preseason defensive player of the year in the SWAC.

Dominque Headd, a 6-1 junior forward from Chicago, Ill., added a preseason selection as second-team All-SWAC. Headd comes to Lincoln averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Grambling State is averaging 67.5 points per game, but is allowing 71.2 points per contest. The Lady Tigers own a plus-2.8 team rebounding margin, but are committing an average of 5.7 more turnovers per game than their opponents.

GSU owns wins over Nicholls State (61-54), Hampton (91-80), McNeese State (68-67) and most recently a 61-54 victory over Fort Valley State on Dec. 17. Grambling State’s losses came at perennial powers Arkansas (89-69) and Louisiana Tech (84-55) in the first-ever meeting between the Lady Tigers and Lady Techsters.

Nebraska vs. Grambling State Series History
Nebraska owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with Grambling State, including a 63-40 victory over the Lady Tigers on Nov. 22, 2002, in Coach Connie Yori’s first season as the Huskers’ head coach.

The only other meeting between the two schools came on Nov. 29, 1991, when Nebraska rolled past Grambling State, 88-47, at the Devaney Center.

Huskers Rock Texas State Bobcats, 96-47
Kiera Hardy scored 15 points, all in the first half, to become the 22nd player in Nebraska history to score 1,000 career points while leading the Husker women’s basketball team to a 96-47 win over Texas State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Dec. 20.

Hardy, who needed just nine points to reach the 1,000-point plateau entering the game, converted a three-point play with 8:52 left in the first half to reach the mark. She added six more points to close the half and power the Huskers to a 42-25 halftime lead over the Bobcats.

Nebraska improved to 6-3 with its fourth consecutive victory, while Texas State slipped to 7-2 on the season with its second straight loss, after opening the season with a school-record seven straight wins. The Bobcats, who opened the season with a win over the Huskers’ Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, had outscored their opponents by average of 25 points per game entering the contest.

Along with Hardy’s historic night, freshman guard TK LaFleur scored a career-high 16 points, including 13 points and a pair of three-pointers in the second half.

Junior Jessica Gerhart added another solid offensive performance to help the Huskers turn a tight game into a runaway early in the second half. After missing her first seven shots from the field over the first 19 minutes of the game, the 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, hit back-to-back baskets including a three-pointer in the last 40 seconds of the first half to turn a 12-point NU lead into a 17-point Husker advantage.

Gerhart continued her offensive outburst at the start of the second half by scoring the first six points of the second half in a span of just 1:30 to cap a 13-point Husker run and push NU’s lead to 48-25 with 18:30 left. Gerhart finished with 13 points to produce double figures for the fourth straight game.

Senior forward Elena Diaz added a season-high 12 points, including eight in the first half to help the Huskers.

Led by a season-high 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Danielle Page, Nebraska outrebounded the Bobcats 48-29, allowing Texas State only two second-chance points. The Huskers hit 46.7 percent of their shots behind the arc and 48.4 percent from the field for the game. Nebraska also played tremendous defense, holding the Bobcats to just 29.1 percent shooting from the field, including just 26.7 percent from three-point range. NU also enjoyed a plus-10 turnover margin, forcing 21 turnovers while committing a season-low 11 miscues on the night.

Huskers Dominant on Defense During Winning Streak
Nebraska has been dominant both offensively and defensively over the past four games. During NU’s current four-game winning streak that has included road victories at Michigan and Northwestern sandwiched between home wins over Texas Southern and Texas State, the Huskers have averaged 84.5 points per game, while surrendering just 53.5 points per contest.

As impressive as Nebraska’s offense has been in averaging better than 80 points per game, including a pair of 90-plus scoring efforts, the Husker defense has been shutting down opponents at a record pace.

After allowing 68 points to Texas Southern, the Huskers put a stranglehold on Northwestern, giving up just 50 points on Dec. 10. A week later, Nebraska was even better on defense, allowing just 49 points to a solid Michigan squad. Against Texas State on Dec. 20, the Huskers may have played their best defense of the season, giving up a season-low 47 points to a team that entered the game averaging 80 points per contest.

The win over Texas State marked the first time since 1974-75, that Nebraska has held three straight opponents to 50 or fewer points. In 1974-75, the Huskers played an abbreviated 16-game schedule that included only four games against current NCAA Division I teams.

The Huskers have held four of their first nine opponents, including Creighton, Northwestern, Michigan and Texas State, to 50 or fewer points this season. Last season, Nebraska held five opponents to 50 or less in 32 games, which marked the first time since 1996-97 that an NU team had held five foes to 50 or less during a season.

In Coach Connie Yori’s four seasons in Lincoln, the Huskers have held opponents to 50 or fewer points 16 times entering her 100th career game against Grambling State. In Nebraska’s four previous seasons, which included two trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Huskers held only 10 opponents to 50 or less in a span of 124 games.

Yori to Coach 100th Game for Huskers on Thursday
Now in her fourth season at Nebraska, Coach Connie Yori will patrol the Husker sideline for the 100th time on Thursday night when NU takes on Grambling State.

Yori owns a 50-49 record in her first 99 games in Lincoln, including an 8-20 mark in her first season in 2002-03, when the Huskers had only a handful of scholarship players. She has led Nebraska to back-to-back postseason appearances with 18-win seasons and has the Huskers riding a four-game winning streak with a 6-3 mark heading into Thursday’s contest against Grambling State.

Rebounding, Turnover Margins Creating Victories for NU
Nebraska has played outstanding basketball over the past four games, especially in the key areas of rebounding and turnover margin.

During Nebraska’s four-game winning streak, the Huskers have produced a plus-10.8 team rebounding margin and plus-7.3 team turnover margin. Those staggering numbers have helped the Huskers attempt an average of 6.5 more field goals and 7.8 more free throws per game than their opponents over the last four games - major reasons why NU is enjoying a 31-point victory margin during that span.

Over the last four games, Nebraska has produced a plus-22 rebound margin at Northwestern and a plus-19 rebound margin against Texas State. In the turnover column, the Huskers put up plus-10 turnover margins against Michigan and Texas State and a plus-nine turnover margin against Texas Southern.

For the season, Nebraska possesses a team rebounding margin of plus-5.7, while owning a team turnover margin of plus-5.2.

Griffin Off to Record-Breaking Start for Huskers
Kelsey Griffin is off to a record-breaking start to her Nebraska career. The 6-2 freshman forward from Eagle River, Alaska, has scored in double figures in six of her first nine games to become the fastest player in NU history to score 100 points. Griffin went over the century mark on the Huskers’ first basket of the game at Northwestern, and added 20 more points on the day.

Griffin has now scored 137 points through her first nine games and is averaging 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.

Griffin produced possibly the best performance by a freshman in school history with 31 points and 14 rebounds for her first career double-double in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She became the first freshman in history to score 30 or more points in a regulation game and she tied the school record with 18 free throw attempts.

Griffin ranks among the top 15 players in the Big 12 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and offensive rebounds.

Pass-Happy Hardy Powering Husker Offense
The top returning scorer in the Big 12 Conference this season, first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy has added the title of Nebraska’s top passer so far in 2005-06. Through nine games, Hardy is averaging 4.3 assists to rank among the top 10 players in the Big 12. During a four-game stretch from Nov. 27 to Dec. 10, Hardy was even better at distributing the basketball, averaging 6.3 assists per contest.

Hardy set or tied her career high in assists in three straight games against Minnesota, Texas Southern and Northwestern, including eight assists in a 30-point win over the Wildcats. With 39 assists on the year, Hardy has already dished out more than half of her total number of assists (67) in just over one-fourth of the games compared to last season.

Over the last six games, Hardy has distributed 29 assists, while committing just nine turnovers. On the season, Hardy ranks among the top five players in the Big 12 with her 2.44-to-1 ratio. Last season, Hardy’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 1-to-1.34.

Griffin Pursuing Best Freshman Year in NU History
Although it is extremely early in her young career, Nebraska’s Kelsey Griffin has already etched her name in the Nebraska record books in several categories and is threatening to do even more damage as the season begins to heat up.

Griffin, who became just the 17th Husker (55 performances) in history to score 30 or more points in a game with her 31-point effort against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 27, leads the Huskers in rebounding with 7.3 boards per game, while ranking second on the squad with 15.2 points per game. Both averages are challenging school freshman records of 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game produced by Debra Powell in 1981-82.

Griffin became the fastest Husker ever to score 100 points, crossing the milestone in the first minute of her seventh game, before finishing the game with 22 points. She enters the Grambling State game with 137 points through nine contests.

Griffin, who has led all players in scoring in four of NU’s first nine games and has been the Huskers’ top rebounder in five of nine contests, is also on pace to threaten school records for field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted and field goal percentage by a freshman.

Hardy Places Her Name Among Best in NU History
Nebraska junior guard Kiera Hardy became the 22nd Husker in history to reach the 1,000-point plateau on Tuesday, Dec. 20, against Texas State. Hardy heads into the Grambling State game with 1,006 career points in 68 career games to rank 21st all-time at Nebraska in scoring.

Hardy needs just 29 points to catch Alexa Johnson (2001-04) in the career scoring column at No. 20 with 1,035 points and just 30 points to reach Stacy Imming (1984-87) at No. 19 with 1,036 points. Cathy Owen (1982-85) ranks 18th with 1,048 points.

Through nine games this season, Hardy leads the Huskers with 16.7 points per game, including 19.1 points per contest over the past seven games. She has scored in double figures in seven straight contests. Last season, Hardy led the Big 12 in conference games with 20.9 points per contest on her way to averaging 19.0 points per game.

The top returning scorer in the Big 12 and one of the most explosive players in the country, Hardy has produced 19 games with 20 or more points in her career, including a season-high 26-point effort against No. 3 LSU on Nov. 25 and 22 points at No. 10 Minnesota on Dec. 3. She hit for 21 points at Michigan on Dec. 17.

Seven of Hardy’s 20-plus scoring efforts have come against top-25 opponents, including her career-high 37 points in Nebraska’s 103-99 triple-overtime victory over eventual national champion and then-No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, 2005. She added a 31-point effort against Hampton on Nov. 27, 2004.

Griffin Placing Self Among Big 12’s Top Newcomers
After her explosive 31-point, 14-rebound performance in the Huskers’ win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 27, Kelsey Griffin has established herself as a force of the future in the Big 12 Conference.

Through her first nine career games, all starts, Griffin ranks among the top 15 players in the Big 12 in scoring (15.2 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (56.5). She ranks ahead of four of the five Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 selections in nearly all of the categories, trailing only Baylor’s Sophia Young, the 2005 NCAA Tournament MVP, in all three categories, teammate Kiera Hardy in scoring, and Tiffany Jackson of Texas in rebounding.

Among Big 12 freshmen, Griffin ranks second in scoring and rebounding. Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris leads league freshmen in both categories. Paris and Griffin are the only two freshmen in an extraordinarily strong Big 12 freshman class averaging better than 15 points per game.

LaFleur Making Solid Contributions as Freshman
Although fellow freshman Kelsey Griffin has grabbed headlines with her eye-popping career-opening performances, TK LaFleur is also showing her talents early in her Husker career.

The 5-9 guard from Houston, Texas, is averaging 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game after producing a career-high 16 points in the win over Texas State on Dec. 20. LaFleur scored 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers, in the second half to spark her third double-figure scoring performance of the season.

She erupted for a 15-point, two-assist, three-steal effort against Texas Southern on Dec. 7, just four days after scoring 10 points at No. 10 Minnesota. LaFleur has come off the bench in each of Nebraska’s first nine games, but ranks fourth on the team in scoring. She is averaging 15 minutes per game.

LaFleur has looked increasingly comfortable in Nebraska’s offense and is gaining confidence in her outside shot. Against Minnesota, LaFleur hit a pair of three-pointers and added threes in wins over Texas Southern, Northwestern and Michigan. She hit two more three-pointers against Texas State to push her season total to nine, which trails only Kiera Hardy’s 23 among the Huskers.

Ranked as the No. 5 two-guard in the nation by the All-Star Girls’ Report in 2003-04, LaFleur’s family moved from the Houston area to Grayslake, Ill., for her final two years of high school. She played at Warren Township High School and earned third-team Class AA all-state honors. As a sophomore at Langham Creek High School in Houston, she averaged 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 4.1 assists per game in 2002-03.

She was an adidas Top 10 All-Star in both 2003 and 2004 and earned Street & Smith’s Honorable-Mention High School All-America honors.

Gerhart Back on Track Early in 2005-06
Nebraska forward Jessica Gerhart has provided a solid scoring option for the Huskers through their first nine games this season. The 6-2 junior from Fenton, Iowa, has increased her season averages to 10.6 points and 3.8 boards per game by producing double figures in scoring in each of Nebraska’s last four games.

Gerhart has been extremely consistent for NU over the last three games, giving NU 13 points and four rebounds against Texas State, along with 12 points and five rebounds against both Northwestern and Michigan. On the season, Gerhart has produced double figures in six of nine games and has scored no fewer than six points in any contest.

Gerhart struck for season highs of 14 points and eight rebounds in NU’s 84-50 win over Creighton on Nov. 21, connecting on 7-of-9 shots from the field with her only two misses coming from beyond the three-point arc. Gerhart opened the regular season with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, which all came in the second half.

She added 12 points in NU’s win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 27, which featured 10 points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating jumper to end the first half. She scored 12 more points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field in the Huskers’ rout of Texas Southern on Dec. 7, before adding another dozen at Northwestern on Dec. 10. She scored 12 again and added five rebounds in the Huskers’ 69-49 win at Michigan on Dec. 17.

Against Texas State, Gerhart missed her first seven shots from the field before erupting for 11 straight points to turn a 12-point NU lead into a 23-point cushion in a span of just three minutes. She finished with 13 points by hitting six of her final seven shots from the field, including a three-pointer at the end of the first half.

Last year, Gerhart started NU’s first 18 games. Through 14 contests a year ago she ranked second on the team with 13.2 points, while leading the club with 7.0 rebounds per game. She also hit nearly 50 percent of her shots from the field through the first 14 games.

She battled illness and finished the season by hitting 44.8 percent of her shots from the field on the year. She finished the year averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

Huskers Take Care of the Rock
The Huskers produced three of the top four turnover marks in school history in Coach Connie Yori’s first three seasons at Nebraska.

Last season, the Huskers averaged just 15.4 turnovers per game (493 total turnovers) for the third-fewest total turnovers in school history. Through nine games in 2005-06, the Huskers have matched that mark with 15.4 turnovers per game after a season-low 11 turnovers against Texas State on Dec. 20.

Nebraska has taken solid care of the basketball so far in 2005-06, committing just 13 turnovers against South Dakota State and Michigan, while adding just 14 turnovers against Creighton and Texas Southern.

In 2003-04, 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 fourth-lowest turnover total with 497 total turnovers (17.8 per game) in Coach Connie Yori’s first season at Nebraska in 2002-03.

Diaz Coming On Strong Off the Bench for Huskers
After getting off to a slow start while nursing a minor knee injury at the start of the season, senior forward Elena Diaz has been coming on strong for the Huskers during their current four-game winning streak.

Diaz, who started 23 games for the Huskers last season including 15 Big 12 contests, has come off the bench for the Huskers in 2005-06 and is averaging 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game through the first nine contests.

Over the last four games, Diaz is averaging 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while adding five total steals and a pair of blocked shots. She has hit 13 of her last 22 shots (59.1 percent) and knocked down seven consecutive free throws over the past four contests.

Page Providing Productive Minutes in Winning Streak
Much like Elena Diaz, Danielle Page got off to a slow start to the 2005-06 season while coping with a breathing condition that has limited her playing time this season.

However, after scoring just nine total points and grabbing nine total rebounds through the season’s first five games, the 6-2 sophomore forward has helped fuel Nebraska’s current four-game winning streak.

Over the past four games, Page is averaging 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game after producing six points and a season-high 10 rebounds in a season-high 23 minutes against Texas State on Dec. 20. Page scored a season-high 14 points and pulled down six rebounds in just 16 minutes at Northwestern on Dec. 10, after scoring seven points and grabbing six boards in 18 minutes against Texas Southern on Dec. 7.

Page has increased her season averages to 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while tying Kelsey Griffin for the team lead with nine blocked shots on the season.

Huskers Sizzling at Free Throw Line in Last Four Games
After getting off to a relatively slow start at the free throw line during the season’s first five games, Nebraska has started to heat up during its current four-game winning streak.

The Huskers are shooting 80.9 percent (72-89) from the free throw line over the past four games, while getting to the line an average of 22.3 times per game.

Through the first five games this season, the Huskers hit just 68.4 percent (67-98) of their free throw attempts.

Nebraska’s current team free throw percentage of 74.3 percent ranks just behind the Huskers’ 74.9 percent success rate at the line last season, which trailed only Iowa State’ 75.0 percent among Big 12 Conference teams.

Huskers Create Streaks Within Streak in Last Four Games
Nebraska players enter the Grambling State game with several individual streaks during the Huskers’ current four-game winning streak.

Junior guard Kiera Hardy has hit 11 straight free throws over the past four games, including a 7-for-7 effort at the line against Texas State on Dec. 20. Overall, Hardy has knocked down 13 straight free throws dating back to the second half of NU’s win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 27.

Sophomore forward Danielle Page has hit 10 straight free throws in the last three games and 13-of-14 during NU’s four-game winning streak. Senior forward Elena Diaz has added seven consecutive made free throws over the past four games, after opening the season 0-for-3 through the first five games.

Junior forward Chelsea Aubry has also been perfect at the line the last four games, hitting seven straight free throws. Fellow junior forward Jessica Gerhart has helped NU’s hot shooting at the free throw by hitting both of her free throws at Northwestern, her only two attempts in the last four games. Gerhart has hit six straight free throws entering the Grambling State game.

A couple Huskers have also started streaks from long range over the past four games. Sophomore Sarah White is a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range over the last three games, including a pair of three-pointers against Texas State. Senior LaToya Howell has also knocked down her last three three-point attempts over the past two games.

Hardy Climbing Career Three-Point List at Record Pace
First-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy has hit 138 three-pointers in just 68 career games to shoot into third place on Nebraska’s career three-point list. Hardy has hit 2.0 three-pointers per game in her brief career, and is on pace to shatter the school record during her junior season.

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 103 games (1.4 pg) for the highest frequency among the former players on the NU top-10 list.

Hardy moved into a three-way tie for third on Nebraska’s career three-point chart with Nicole Kubik (129, 1997-2000) and Amy Stephens (129, 1986-89) with her first three-pointer against Texas Southern on Dec. 7, before burying five more trifectas on the night against the Lady Tigers. Hardy ranks among Big 12 leaders with 23 three-pointers this season, an average of 2.56 three-pointers per game.

Hardy ranked second in the Big 12 Conference with 3.06 made three-pointers per game in league contests last season. She hit six three-pointers in the win over No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 12, and matched that total with six three-pointers in the win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 1.

She established her career high with a school-record tying seven three-pointers in NU’s season finale against Iowa in the 2005 Postseason WNIT at the Devaney Center. She also vaulted into a tie for the single-season school record with 85 threes on the season, previously set by Amy Stephens in 1988-89. The previous NU three-point record by a sophomore was Galligan’s 50 three-pointers in 1993-94.

Griffin Erupts for 31 Points, 14 Rebounds vs. Islanders
After producing one of the top career-opening performances by a freshman in school history against South Dakota State, Kelsey Griffin produced perhaps the best game by a freshman in school history with 31 points and 14 rebounds in NU’s 76-64 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic.

The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska hit 9-of-18 shots from the field and 13-of-18 free throws to lead the Huskers with 31 points in 31 minutes. She pulled down six offensive rebounds among her career-best 14 boards, which marked the highest total by a Husker since Margaret Richards grabbed 15 rebounds on Dec. 21, 2003.

Griffin became the first Husker freshman in history to score 30 or more points in regulation, while becoming just the second Husker frosh to hit for 30 points, trailing only Deb Powell’s 34-point outburst on Feb. 25, 1982 in an overtime contest with Notre Dame. Powell got her 34 points while playing 44 minutes against the Fighting Irish. She added 12 rebounds in a stellar all-around performance by one of the best players in NU history.

Griffin’s 18 free throw attempts against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi set the NU freshman mark and tied the overall school record in that category, previously held by Margaret Richards (Eastern Kentucky, Nov. 29, 2003) and Nicole Kubik (Kansas, Jan. 16, 1999).

Griffin, the 2005 Gatorade Alaska High School Player of the Year, tipped off her Nebraska career by scoring a game-high 18 points and adding a team-high seven rebounds to go along with two steals in Nebraska’s opener against South Dakota State on Nov. 19.

Her 18-point effort tied for the third-best scoring total by a freshman in a career-opener, trailing only WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge’s school-record 22 points against Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 1995, and Deb Powell’s 19 points against Pacific Christian on Nov. 20, 1981, among NU freshmen in career-opening games.

All-American Karen Jennings also scored 18 points in her career debut against St. Louis on Nov. 24, 1989, while Angie Miller added 18 points in her first career game against South Florida on Nov. 25, 1983.

All four of the other Huskers who have scored 18 or more points in the first games of their careers went on to score 1,500 or more points at Nebraska.

Hardy, Griffin Claim All-Tournament Honors in Miami
Huskers Kiera Hardy and Kelsey Griffin captured all-tournament honors at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 25-27.

Hardy led all players with a tournament record 45 points to average 22.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game for the tournament. Hardy scored 26 points and grabbed five steals in an opening-round loss to No. 3 LSU, before adding 19 points and five assists in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Hardy’s all-tournament honors marked the second straight season that she earned a spot on an all-tournament team at Thanksgiving, joining her accolades at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, last season.

Griffin opened the tournament with a seven-point, five-rebound performance while going head-to-head with LSU’s 6-6 center Sylvia Fowles in the opener, before bouncing back with one of the best performances by a freshman in school history with 31 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

For the tournament, Griffin averaged 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Aubry Comes Up Big in Win Over Bluejays
Junior captain Chelsea Aubry provided one of the best efforts of her career with 18 points and eight rebounds in Nebraska’s 84-50 victory over Creighton on Nov. 21.

The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, hit 7-of-12 shots from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, while adding a pair of assists and a steal to help the Huskers blow past the Bluejays.

Aubry’s performance against Creighton came after being held without a shot in NU’s season opener against South Dakota State. Aubry’s seven made field goals against CU tied her career high, while her point total was just two shy of her career-best 20 points at Texas A&M last season.

She added a strong performance with 13 points and five rebounds while matching her career high with three assists in just 18 minutes of action against Texas Southern on Dec. 7. It was the second time this season and 19th time in her career that she has produced double figures in points.

Aubry is averaging 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. She has also improved her assist statistics this season. She tied a career high with three assists in the win over Texas Southern on Dec. 7, before setting a career best with four assists in the win over Northwestern on Dec. 10. She added an assist at Michigan, and with 12 assists already this season, she needs just four more to match her season total from a year ago. She is averaging 1.3 assists per game.

Over the summer, Aubry helped the Canadian National Team qualify for the 2006 World Championships in Brazil. The appearance at the 2006 World Championships will be the first for the Canadians since 1994.

Aubry has spent the past two seasons on 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.

Huskers Add Freshman to Roster During Finals Week
University of Nebraska freshman Sara Hieb experienced a whirlwind Finals Week in her first semester in Lincoln. The Brandon, S.D., native was added to the Nebraska’s roster on Dec. 15, after going through her first practice of the season on Dec. 14. She received her No. 3 jersey on Dec. 16 and joined the Huskers for their trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., later that day.

Hieb, a 5-3 guard out of Brandon Valley High School, had three practices and spent the weekend studying Nebraska’s offense before suiting up for the first time against Michigan in Crisler Arena. Not only did the walk-on suit up for the game, she played more than one minute in the Huskers’ 69-49 win over the Wolverines. Three days later, she added three more minutes of playing time in NU’s rout of Texas State on Dec. 20.

Hieb, an architecture major at Nebraska, led Brandon Valley to state tournament appearances in 2002, 2003 and 2004 as an All-ESD Conference player. She earned a spot on the South Dakota Class AA All-State Tournament Team in 2004, after setting the tournament record with 11 three-pointers.

Drmanac Returns to Court in Win Over Wolverines
Nebraska senior forward Ivana Drmanac made her first appearance of the season in Nebraska’s 69-49 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor on Dec. 17.

Drmanac, who missed the first seven games of the season after undergoing knee surgery, went through a full schedule of practices Dec. 12-16 before seeing her first playing time of the year in the game’s final minute at Michigan. Unfortunately for Drmanac, her usual jersey No. 30 did not make the trip to Michigan with her, so she made her first appearance of the year wearing No. 10.

The native of Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro made her first appearance in her No. 30 at home against Texas State on Dec. 20. She played six minutes and scored her first two points while adding an assist against the Bobcats.

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.

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. Five opponents are ranked among the top 25 in the current AP poll, including No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Baylor, No. 15 Minnesota, No. 19 Texas and No. 20 Oklahoma.

Minnesota was the fourth consecutive 2005 postseason qualifier the Huskers have faced this season and the second 2005 NCAA Sweet 16 qualifier. Nebraska is 2-2 against 2005 postseason qualifiers so far in 2005-06.

"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 got its first taste of postseason-caliber competition when the Huskers blew past Creighton, 84-50 at the Devaney Center on Nov. 21. The Bluejays posted 19 wins a year ago and earned a bid to the WNIT.

NU hit the road for the first time at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic where the Huskers lost to No. 3 LSU, 74-55, on Nov. 25. The Lady Tigers produced a 33-3 record while running the table to win the 2005 SEC title. The Tigers lost to Baylor in the Final Four to end their season.

The Huskers posted their second win of the year over a 2005 postseason qualifier with a 76-64 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic. The Islanders produced a 23-7 mark a year ago and advanced to the second round of the WNIT.

Nebraska remained on the road to start December when the Huskers fell to Big Ten power and No. 10 Minnesota 78-70 in Minneapolis on Dec. 3. 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 for a 93-68 run past Texas Southern, the Huskers continued their road trip through Big Ten cities with an 80-50 rout of Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 10, and a 69-49 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor on Dec. 17. The Huskers added a 96-47 win over a Texas State team that came to Lincoln with a 7-1 record, before closing non-conference play against 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).

Spiric Out for Season with Injury in Fall Practice
Nebraska forward Jelena Spiric was lost for the season with a knee injury suffered during the first official week of fall practice. Spiric, a 6-1 senior from Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, underwent surgery and will likely apply for a medical hardship.

Spiric captured Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors in her first season at Nebraska in 2004-05, despite playing most of the season at less than 100 percent after suffering a similar injury to her other leg in the final game of her junior college career.

Spiric averaged 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game with 23 starts as a junior, including 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in Big 12 competition. In a pair of Postseason WNIT games, Spiric averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

Kephart Likely Out for Season with Recurring Injury
Sophomore guard Heather Kephart is likely out for the season with a recurring injury, Nebraska Coach Connie Yori announced in early November.

Kephart, a 5-8 shooting guard from Canute, Okla., appeared in only one game for the Huskers last season and was granted a medical hardship to regain her sophomore season of eligibility this year.

However, Kephart has continued to struggle with injuries and was limited to only partial participation through the opening weeks of practice. One of the top scorers in the history of Oklahoma high school basketball (2,747 career points), Kephart appeared in just 11 games as a freshman before being sidelined with an injury.

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 rankings from several 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.

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.

Six Recruits Set to Join Huskers for 2006-07 Season
Nebraska women's basketball coach Connie Yori announced the signing of six impressive recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period for the 2006-07 season.

The Huskers, who are entering their fourth season under Yori, will be joined next season by Nikki Bober (Murdock, Neb.), Ana Fakatou (Long Beach, Calif.), Kala Kuhlmann (Charter Oak, Iowa), Cory Montgomery (Cannon Falls, Minn.), Nicole Neals (Chandler, Ariz.) and Yvonne Turner (Bellevue, Neb.).

Yori said the large incoming class promises to give the Huskers their deepest and most talented team during her tenure for the 2006-07 campaign. The group also makes it possible to give NU its first full roster since Yori's arrival at Nebraska in 2002-03, when the Huskers had only a handful of active scholarship players.

"We are very excited about this incoming class, not only because of the depth it might create for us next year, but also because there are some very talented players in this group," Yori said. "Hopefully next year we will finally feel like we have overcome the numbers situation that we have had in our first four years in the program. This class takes us another step closer to being able to play the exciting style of up-tempo basketball we want to be able to play."

For complete biographies on Nebraska’s incoming recruiting class, visit Huskers.com. Click on Basketball under the Women’s Sports menu. Then click Roster and click on 2006-07 season.

Fastbreakers Booster Club
The Nebraska Women’s Basketball Booster Club, the Fastbreakers, and Lil’ Breakers Booster Club provide dynamic support to the Huskers. Membership benefits include regular e-mail news flashes during the season, a free Nebraska Yearbook, game information, invitations to monthly pre-game meals with the coaches, access to preferred parking, an invitation to the postseason awards banquet and much, much more.

For more information on the Fastbreakers and Lil’ Breakers Booster Club, please visit the Nebraska women’s basketball home page on Huskers.com, e-mail Fastbreaker President Susan Ferris at scf333@aol.com or call the Nebraska women’s basketball office at (402) 472-6462.

The Fastbreakers will host several pregame "Backboard Banquets" during the season. The banquets begin at 5:30 p.m. and are held on the upper concourse of the Devaney Center. This year’s banquets will include guest speakers and several giveaways, along with great food from Premier Catering.

The cost of each meal is $10 per person and the proceeds go to the Husker women’s basketball program. For reservations to attend any of the "Backboard Banquets" please call Rose Sousek at the basketball office at (402) 472-6462.

2006 Fastbreakers Pregame Backboard Banquet Schedule
Monday, Nov. 21 - Creighton, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 7 - Kansas, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 1 - Iowa State, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 21 - Oklahoma State, 5:30 p.m.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 292-105 (.736) in games played in the arena, including 104-66 (.612) in conference games.

The Huskers rolled to a 12-4 home record in 2004-05, after running to a 13-4 home mark in 2003-04. Nebraska is 2-2 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. Nebraska closed its 2004-05 season with a 71-67 loss to Iowa on March 25, 2005 in the second round of the WNIT.

Attendance is a big part of the Huskers’ success. Nebraska’s average home attendance increased by almost 60 percent since the 2002-03 season. Last year, Nebraska ranked 25th nationally by drawing 4,022 fans per game to the Devaney Center.

In 2004-05, the Huskers attracted two of the four largest crowds in school history in back-to-back games on Feb. 12 and Feb. 23. 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.