Huskers Open Big 12 Play at Colorado

Nebraska (8-3)
at Colorado (5-7)
Coors Events Center
Wednesday, Jan. 4, 8:05 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network
(1400-KLIN Lincoln/Huskers.com)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Colorado Leads, 38-18
Last Meeting: CU won 78-76 in Boulder, March 2, 2005
Next Game: Nebraska hosts Kansas (11-0)
Saturday, Jan. 7, 7:05 p.m. (Pack the Devaney/Dollar Days)

Huskers Open Big 12 Season at Colorado Wednesday
The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens the 2006 Big 12 Conference season by journeying to Boulder to battle the Colorado Buffaloes (5-7) on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. central time. The Huskers enter the game on a six-game winning streak to close non-conference action with an 8-3 record.

The game will be televised live by Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, but at this time the game is not scheduled to be aired by Fox Sports Midwest in the state of Nebraska.  The game can also be heard live on radio on the Pinnacle Sports Network on 1400 AM-KLIN in Lincoln and world wide on Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action.

The Huskers wrapped up their longest homestand of the year with a 70-56 victory over Northern Arizona at the Devaney Center on New Year’s Eve. The Lumberjacks defeated Colorado, 84-83 in overtime, on Dec. 19, in Puerto Rico. Nebraska produced a perfect 3-0 mark during the stand, including a 96-47 victory over Texas State on Dec. 20, and a 69-40 run past Grambling State on Dec. 29. Those three victories helped the Huskers extend their winning streak to six games heading into league play.

The Huskers have been simply dominant during their current six-game winning streak, beating each of their last six foes by at least 14 points per contest. Over the past six games, NU is outscoring the opposition by an average of 27.8 points per game (79.5-51.7), while shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from three-point range and 81.7 percent from the free throw line. The Huskers have produced a plus-9.0 team rebounding margin during the winning streak and a plus-7.2 team turnover margin, while forcing an average of 22.7 turnovers per game.

Junior first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy is coming off her highest-scoring game of the season with 32 points in the win over Northern Arizona. Hardy is averaging 18.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game over the past six contests, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range and 94.1 percent from the free throw line. Freshman forward Kelsey Griffin has added 12.3 points and 6.3 points per game during the streak, while junior forward Jessica Gerhart has pitched in 10.8 points and 4.0 boards per game.

Bench Coming Up Big For Huskers During Streak
Nebraska has rolled to six consecutive wins, all by 14 or more points, after a 70-56 win over Northern Arizona at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on New Year’s Eve.

The Huskers have used a stifling defense to build their winning streak, holding five consecutive foes to 56 or fewer points. Before Northern Arizona managed 56 points against NU, the Huskers had held four straight foes to 50 or less for the first time in school history.

Over the last six games, NU is surrendering just 51.7 points, while scoring 79.5 points for an average winning margin of 27.8 points per game. Nebraska’s surge has come against solid competition as well, with a pair of road wins over Big Ten teams Northwestern and Michigan and their last three opponents posting a combined record of 20-11 as of Jan. 2.

Through the first five games this year, the Huskers were giving up 66.8 points per contest and scoring 66.8 points per game.

Nebraska’s pride in defense has allowed the Huskers to build a 15.2 point per game scoring margin, while posting impressive rebounding (+5.6) and turnover margins (+5.5) this season.

The Huskers’ winning streak has been truly a team effort. NU’s three leading scorers on the season, Kiera Hardy, Kelsey Griffin and Jessica Gerhart, have combined for steady production throughout the season’s first 11 games. The trio has averaged 42.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per game over the past six contests after combining for 41.6 points and 14.4 boards per game through the first five games of the year.

While the scoring and rebounding numbers for Nebraska’s top three starters have remained consistent over the past 11 games, Nebraska’s top three reserves, Danielle Page, Elena Diaz and TK LaFleur, have increased their production dramatically, combining to produce 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench during NU’s six-game streak, combining for just 9.6 points and 6.2 boards during the Huskers’ first five games.

However, NU’s supporting cast has been outstanding in the last six games. Sophomore forward Danielle Page, a native of Monument, Colo., has given NU a major spark off the bench in the last six games by averaging 7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. She has also hit 19-of-20 free throws, including 16 straight heading into the Colorado game. Through the Huskers’ first five games, Page was managing just 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest and was just 3-of-4 at the foul line.

Over the last six games, senior forward Elena Diaz is averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while adding eight total steals and three blocked shots. She has hit 16 of her last 30 shots (53.3 percent) and knocked down seven consecutive free throws over the past six contests. In NU’s first five games, Diaz managed just 3.2 points and 2.6 boards per game, while going 0-for-3 at the free throw line.

Freshman guard TK LaFleur has also pumped up her production off the bench, averaging 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists after producing 4.6 points and 1.0 assist through the first five games of her career.

Scouting the Colorado Buffaloes
First-year coach Kathy McConnell-Miller brings the Colorado Buffaloes into the Big 12 Conference season carrying a 5-7 record after a 72-64 loss to Oregon in Boulder on Dec. 30. Before the loss to the Ducks, the Buffs worked their way to a 64-50 win over South Dakota State at the Coors Events Center on Dec. 28. The Jackrabbits opened the season with a 68-49 win over the Huskers.

Nebraska and Colorado have played two other common opponents in Northern Arizona and Creighton. The Huskers defeated Northern Arizona, 70-56, on Dec. 31, after the Buffs lost to the Lumberjacks, 84-83 in overtime in Puerto Rico on Dec. 19. The Huskers rolled to an 84-50 win over Creighton on Nov. 21, while the Buffs fell to the Bluejays, 77-72, in Omaha on Dec. 3.

Forward Jackie McFarland has been Colorado’s primary weapon in non-conference action, ranking among Big 12 leaders with 19.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game. The 6-3 sophomore from Derby, Kan., has nearly doubled her production from a year ago when she averaged 10 points and 6.2 boards per game, and she has nearly matched her season blocked shot total of 24 from 2004-05, when CU finished 9-19 overall.

Junior Jasmina Ilic has given the Buffs a potent scoring option, averaging 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Ilic is CU’s most dangerous three-point shooter, hitting 25-of-67 shots from behind the arc on the year.

Anna Nedovic, a 6-4 junior forward, gives the Buffs an imposing front line by averaging 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. CU’s size inside has helped it produce a plus-6.8 team rebounding margin through 12 games.

In the backcourt, sophomores Yari Escalera (7.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg) and Lauren Lubin (6.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.9 apg) round out CU’s probable starting five.

Whitney Law, one of just two seniors on CU’s roster, started seven games for the Buffs this season before suffering a sprained ankle that kept her out of Colorado’s final two non-conference games with South Dakota State and Oregon.

Law is averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 boards and a team-leading 5.3 assists per game, while owning a team-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2-to-1.

Kara Richards, a 6-4 sophomore center who started 26 games for Colorado last season, missed all of non-conference play with an injury and is not expected to play against the Huskers Wednesday. She averaged 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season.

Those injuries have limited an already thin Colorado bench. Only Hannah Skildum, a 6-0 freshman from North Oaks, Minn., and Caley Dow, a 6-2 freshman from Littleton, Colo., have played in all 12 games off the bench. Senior reserve center Tami Garnett and Courtney Wallace, a 5-10 junior transfer, are the only other Buffs to see action at all this season.

Nebraska vs. Colorado All-Time Series
Colorado leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 38-18, including a 78-76 win in Boulder last season. The Huskers fought back from a 15-point deficit in the game’s final 5:20 last year to cut CU’s lead to just one point with 26 seconds left. Kiera Hardy hit a three-pointer to trim CU’s margin to 77-76, before Jina Johansen stole the inbounds pass and found Hardy on the baseline. Hardy drove to the lane and left a bounce pass for Elena Diaz for what appeared to be an uncontested layup to give the Huskers a 79-78 lead with 19 seconds remaining. However, Hardy was called for an offensive foul after throwing the pass.

That game was the last for legendary Colorado Coach Ceal Barry, who will be providing color commentary for this year’s go-around with the Huskers on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain.

Nebraska has not won in Boulder since an 85-60 win on Feb. 13, 1985, but NU’s narrow misses have included a two-point loss last year, a 78-75 setback on Feb. 9, 2000, and an 84-78 loss on Jan. 7, 1998.

Overall, Colorado has won 10 of the last 11 games in the series with the Huskers, as Nebraska stopped a nine-game losing streak to the Buffaloes with an 84-62 win in Lincoln on Jan. 5, 2004.

Huskers Hope to "Pack the Devaney" Against Kansas
After opening Big 12 Conference play at Colorado on Wednesday night, the Huskers will play their Big 12 opener against unbeaten Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 7:05 p.m. The game with the Jayhawks will be a special "Pack the Devaney" night at the Devaney Center, featuring "Dollar Days" with $1 admission, $1 hot dogs and $1 Pepsi products.

The Jayhawks are off to the best start in school history with an 11-0 non-conference record before opening Big 12 play at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Kansas will be playing its first road game of the year against the Huskers.

Last season, Nebraska’s "Pack the Devaney" nights produced two of the four largest crowds in school history, including 13,023 fans against Kansas State and 12,429 fans against Iowa State.

Saturday night’s game in Lincoln will also be a landmark contest in the history of the program as the 400th game by the Huskers in the Devaney Center since the building opened in 1976. The Huskers head into the game with a 294-105 all-time record at the Devaney Center.

Huskers Chop Down Lumberjacks in 70-56 Victory
Kiera Hardy scored a season-high 32 points, including 23 in the second half to lead Nebraska to a 70-56 win over Northern Arizona on New Year’s Eve in Lincoln. It was Hardy’s third 30-point scoring effort of her career and allowed Nebraska to end non-conference play with an 8-3 record on a six-game winning streak. Northern Arizona slipped to 8-5 with the loss.

Hardy’s 32 points marked the second-highest total of her career, trailing only her 37-point effort in the Huskers’ 103-99 triple-overtime win over eventual national champion Baylor last season. Her 13 field goals also marked a career best, while her five steals were just one shy of her career mark.

The Huskers needed Hardy’s hot hand in the second half to overcome a dismal first-half shooting display as a team. In the second stanza, Hardy hit 9-of-13 field goal attempts, including all three of her three-point tries to spark Nebraska’s 47-point second-half eruption. As a team, Nebraska shot 62.1 percent (18-29) from the field in the second half, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the second stanza. That came after the Huskers hit just 9-of-37 shots from the field in the first half, including 0-of-7 three-pointers.

Nebraska trailed 25-23 at halftime, but wasted little time in seizing control of the game in the second half. Kelsey Griffin’s layup to open the half tied the score, before Hardy followed with eight straight points, including a pair of three-pointers to ignite a 16-2 NU run and give the Huskers a 12-point lead.

Hardy scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the second half, while Nebraska did not allow a Northern Arizona field goal for the first six minutes of the second half.

Griffin finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while Chelsea Aubry contributed nine points, seven rebounds and three steals in a solid effort.

Sandra Viksryte led NAU with 18 points, including 13 straight in the second half to keep the Lumberjacks within striking distance. Nicky Eason added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Northern Arizona.

Hardy Quickly Climbing Nebraska Career Scoring List
Kiera Hardy, the top returning scorer this season in the Big 12, became the 22nd player in Nebraska history to score 1,000 career points with her 15-point effort in the Huskers’ 96-47 win over Texas State on Dec. 20.

In just two weeks, Hardy has climbed from 23rd to 18th on NU’s scoring list after a 32-point outburst against Northern Arizona on Dec. 31. She enters the Colorado game with 1,050 career points and needs 20 points to move ahead of Kate Galligan into 17th, and 25 points to move in front of Tina McClain in 16th on the all-time list.

Hardy, who reached the 1,000-point mark in just her 68th career game, has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games, after opening the season with back-to-back eight-point efforts. She scored 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.

In addition to her dynamic scoring abilities, Hardy has increased her impact for the Huskers in 2005-06 on both the offensive and defensive ends. Through 11 games, Hardy is averaging 3.9 assists to rank second on the club and among the top 15 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 43 assists, Hardy has dished out nearly two-thirds of her total number of assists (67) in roughly one-third of the games compared to last season.

On the season, Hardy also ranks among the top 10 players in the Big 12 with her 1.87-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (43 assists-23 turnovers). Last season, Hardy’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 1-to-1.34 (67 assists-90 turnovers).

Defensively, Hardy has been stellar. She leads the Huskers and ranks among the Big 12 leaders with 32 total steals in 11 games (2.9 spg), just 19 steals shy of her 51 steals in 32 games a year ago. At her current pace, Hardy could threaten one of the top five steal seasons in school history and possibly move into the Huskers’ career top 10 by the end of the year.

Hardy Shooting Up Three-Point List at Record Pace
First-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy has hit 143 three-pointers in just 70 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 needs just two more three-pointers to catch Galligan in second place on NU’s all-time list and just 13 more to break DeForge’s school record heading into the Huskers’ game at Colorado on Wednesday. Hardy hit a season-high six three-pointers against Texas Southern on Dec. 7, when she moved ahead of Husker all-time greats Amy Stephens and Nicole Kubik on the NU’s three-point chart.

Hardy ranks among Big 12 leaders with 28 three-pointers this season, an average of 2.5 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.

Huskers Dominant on Defense During Winning Streak
Nebraska has been dominant both offensively and defensively over the past six games. During NU’s current six-game winning streak that has included road victories at Michigan and Northwestern sandwiched between home wins over Texas Southern, Texas State, Grambling State and Northern Arizona, the Huskers have averaged 79.5 points per game, while surrendering just 51.7 points per contest.

As impressive as Nebraska’s offense has been in averaging nearly 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 47 points to a team that entered the game averaging 80 points per contest and is now 8-3 on the season. The Huskers lowered their best defensive total of the season to 40 points in the win over Grambling State on Dec. 29.

The win over Grambling State marked the first time in school history that the Huskers have held four straight opponents to 50 or fewer points. The Huskers gave up 56 points to Northern Arizona (8-5) on Dec. 31 to snap the streak.

The Huskers have held five of their first 11 opponents, including Creighton, Northwestern, Michigan, Texas State, and Grambling State to 50 or fewer points this season. Last year, 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. The 1996-97 squad held six opponents to 50 or fewer points, which was the most since holding eight opponents to 50 or fewer points in a 36-game season in 1978-79. NU has twice held nine foes to 50 or less in a season (1974-75 and 1976-77).

In Coach Connie Yori’s four seasons in Lincoln, the Huskers have held opponents to 50 or fewer points 17 times in 101 games. In Nebraska’s six previous seasons (beginning in 1996-97), which included three trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Huskers held only 19 opponents to 50 or less in a span of 185 games.

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

During Nebraska’s six-game winning streak, the Huskers have produced a plus-9.0 team rebounding margin and plus-7.2 team turnover margin. Those staggering numbers have helped the Huskers attempt an average of 7.2 more field goals and 5.8 more free throws per game than their opponents over the last six games - major reasons why NU is enjoying a 27.8-point victory margin during that span.

Over the last six 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, a plus-nine turnover margin against Texas Southern, and plus-seven marks against Grambling State and Northern Arizona.

For the season, Nebraska possesses a team rebounding margin of plus-5.6, while owning a team turnover margin of plus-5.5.

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 eight of her first 11 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.

The 2005 Gatorade Alaska High School Player of the Year has now scored 163 points through her first 11 games and is averaging 14.8 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per contest. 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 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, offensive rebounds and field goal percentage.

Although it is extremely early in her young career, Griffin has already etched her name in the Nebraska record books in several categories and is threatening to do even more damage as the Big 12 Conference season approaches.

Griffin 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.

She has led all players in scoring in five of NU’s first 11 games and has been the Huskers’ top rebounder in five of 11 contests.

Among Big 12 Conference freshmen, Griffin trails only Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, a strong contender for national freshman of the year, in scoring and rebounding.

Huskers Sizzling at Free Throw Line in Last Six 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 six-game winning streak.

The Huskers are shooting 81.7 percent (98-120) from the free throw line over the past six games, while getting to the line an average of 20 times per game.

Through the first five games this season, the Huskers hit just 68.4 percent (67-98) of their free throw attempts, while getting to the line 19.6 times per game.

Nebraska’s current team free throw percentage of 75.7 would rank as the second-best percentage in school history, just ahead of the Huskers’ 74.9 percent success rate at the line a year ago. The school record is 79.0 percent set in 1981-82.

Wednesday’s game at Colorado will pit the Big 12’s best free throw shooting teams against each other in Boulder, as the Buffaloes enter the game shooting a league-leading 76.2 percent at the line, while the Huskers rank No. 2 in the conference at 75.7 percent.

Nebraska’s Danielle Page, a native of Monument, Colo., ranks second in the Big 12 by hitting 91.7 percent (22-24) of her free throws, while Colorado’s Yari Escalera ranks third in the league at 89.7 percent (35-39).

Huskers Create Streaks Within Streak in Last Six Games
Nebraska players enter the Colorado game with several individual streaks during the Huskers’ current six-game winning streak.

Sophomore forward Danielle Page has hit 16 straight free throws in the last five games and 19-of-20 during NU’s six-game winning streak.

Junior forward Chelsea Aubry has also been perfect at the line the last six games, hitting 10 straight free throws. Fellow junior forward Jessica Gerhart has helped NU’s hot shooting at the free throw by hitting all four of her free throws in the past six games. Gerhart has hit eight straight free throws entering the Colorado game.

Senior forward Elena Diaz has added seven consecutive made free throws over the past six games, after opening the season 0-for-3 through the first five games.

Junior guard Kiera Hardy had hit 15 straight free throws, including 13 straight during NU’s winning streak before missing her first free throw against Northern Arizona. She hit her next three free throw attempts to close the game and is 16-of-17 at the line over the past six contests.

Sophomore Sarah White has a streak from long range during NU’s winning streak. White is a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range over the last five games, including a pair of three-pointers against Texas State.

Gerhart Back on Track Early in 2005-06
Nebraska forward Jessica Gerhart has provided a solid scoring option for the Huskers through their first 11 games this season. The 6-2 junior from Fenton, Iowa, has increased her season averages to 10.1 points and 3.9 boards per game, scoring in double figures in five straight games before being held to six points by Northern Arizona.

Gerhart has been extremely consistent for NU, producing double figures in seven of 11 games, while scoring 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.

Gerhart has also shown improvement on the defensive end. In NU’s last two games, Gerhart has posted four steals to push her season total to seven, which has already surpassed her total of six in 30 games during her freshman campaign in 2003-04, and has nearly matched the 10 steals she grabbed in 30 games last season.

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.

Aubry Providing Solid Leadership, Production
Junior captain Chelsea Aubry continues to give the Huskers strong production, despite playing somewhat out of position as Nebraska’s three-player this year.

Aubry made the move from power forward to the wing after the season-ending knee injury to Jelena Spiric in fall practice. Aubry’s scoring average has dipped from her sophomore season, but her rebounding, assist and steals totals are on the rise, and her sacrifice has helped inspire her Husker coaches and teammates.

Through 11 games, Aubry is averaging 6.5 points per game, down from her 9.2 points per contest in 2004-05, while contributing 6.0 rebounds per game, including 18 rebounds in her last two games with a career-high tying 11 boards against Grambling State and seven more against Northern Arizona. Last season, she pulled down 5.1 boards per game.

Aubry has already dished out 13 assists this year, nearly matching her 16 assists in 29 games a year ago, while snagging 12 steals through 11 games to surpass the 10 steals she produced in 30 games as a freshman and nearly match the 17 steals in 29 games as a sophomore in 2004-05.

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 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. She tied a career high with three assists in the win over Texas Southern Dec. 7, before setting a career best with four assists against Northwestern on Dec. 10.

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.

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 6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 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 11 games, but ranks fourth on the team in scoring. She is averaging 14.8 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 and another against Grambling State to push her season total to 10, which trails only Kiera Hardy’s 28 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.

Page Providing Productive Minutes in Winning Streak
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 early in her sophomore season.

However, after averaging just 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds through the season’s first five games, the 6-2 forward has helped fuel Nebraska’s current six-game winning streak.

Over the past six games, Page is averaging 7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocked shots and 1.0 steal per game. She produced 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a career-high tying three steals against Grambling State on Dec. 29. Page had six points and a season-high 10 boards in a season-high 23 minutes against Texas State.

She 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 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while leading the Huskers with 11 total blocked shots. During NU’s winning streak, Page has produced eight of her 11 blocks and six of her eight steals on the season. She has also found her way repeatedly to the free throw line, where she has hit 19-of-20 free throws in the past six games, after hitting just 3-of-4 free throws in the first five games. Page has hit 16 straight free throws over the last five games, including a 6-for-6 effort against Grambling State. Page ranks second in the Big 12 with her 91.7 percent (22-24) accuracy on the year.

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 six-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 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game through the first 11 contests.

Over the last six games, Diaz is averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while adding eight total steals and three blocked shots. She has hit 16 of her last 30 shots (53.3 percent) and knocked down seven consecutive free throws over the past six contests.

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.

Huskers Add Freshman to Roster During Finals Week
Nebraska freshman Sara Hieb experienced a whirlwind Finals Week in her first semester in Lincoln. The Brandon, S.D., native was added to NU’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, before playing four minutes in the Huskers’ win over Grambling State on Dec. 29.

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. She played three more minutes in the win over Grambling State, adding a rebound and a steal.

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. The Huskers added a 69-40 pounding of Grambling State on Dec. 29, the preseason pick to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. NU closed non-conference play with a 70-56 win over Northern Arizona (8-5) on 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 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 11 games in 2005-06, the Huskers are averaging 16.2 turnovers per game. They committed 15 turnovers against Northern Arizona after a season-high 24 turnovers against Grambling State. NU’s high turnover total in the win over the Lady Tigers followed on the heels of 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. NU has committed more than 17 turnovers in only two games this season (LSU, Grambling State).

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.

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 294-105 (.737) in games played in the arena, including 104-66 (.612) in conference games. Nebraska is 5-1 at home this season, including a five-game winning streak entering Saturday’s contest with Kansas.

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.