Huskers Face Defending National Champs

Nebraska (12-8, 4-5)
#12 Baylor (16-4, 6-3)
Ferrell Center (10,284), Waco, Texas 
Wednesday, Feb. 8 - 7 p.m.
Pinnacle Sports Network
98.1-KFGE Lincoln
Huskers.com
Series Record:
Baylor leads, 6-4
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 103-99 3OT, Jan. 12, 2005 in Lincoln, Neb.
Last Meeting in Waco: Baylor won, 67-57, Jan. 31, 2004

Huskers Face Defending National Champs at Baylor
The Nebraska women’s basketball team (12-8, 4-5) opens a challenging week that features a pair of matchups with top 25 opponents when the Huskers travel to Waco, Texas, to tangle with the No. 12 Baylor Lady Bears on Wednesday.

Tip-off at the Ferrell Center is set for 7 p.m., with a live radio broadcast on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln and world wide on Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action.

Baylor enters the week with a 16-4 overall record and a 6-3 league mark in a three-way tie for second with Texas A&M and Missouri in the Big 12 standings. The defending Big 12 and national champion Lady Bears feature one of the country’s top players in 2005 NCAA Tournament MVP Sophia Young. The 6-1 senior forward ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (20.7 ppg) and third in rebounding (9.9 rpg).

Nebraska’s game with Baylor will be a rematch of one of last season’s most exciting Big 12 Conference regular-season contests. Last year, the Huskers posted one of the biggest wins in school history with a 103-99 triple overtime victory over the Lady Bears in Lincoln on Jan. 12, 2005. Then-No. 2 Baylor represented NU’s first-ever win over a top five opponent, while the game was the longest in school history.

NU guard Kiera Hardy established herself as one of the nation’s most explosive offensive players by scoring a career-high 37 points while knocking down six three-pointers in the victory. Hardy’s effort helped her capture first-team All-Big 12 honors, while 2005 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Jelena Spiric also supplied her best offensive performance of the season against BU. Spiric, who is out for the season with a knee injury in 2005-06, scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while hitting 15-of-16 free throw attempts against BU.

Despite the absence of Spiric, the Huskers have been successful in 2005-06 thanks in large part to the play of freshman Kelsey Griffin. The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, ranks as the Big 12’s No. 2 freshman with 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She also ranks in the top 15 overall in the league in scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and offensive boards.

Griffin captured her second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award of the season on Monday, after erupting for 28 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots against Kansas State on Saturday.

Scouting the No. 12 Baylor Lady Bears
Baylor heads into Wednesday’s game against Nebraska after falling out of the top 10 for the first time this season by earning a No. 12 ranking in this week’s Associated Press Poll.

The Lady Bears are trying to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 title, as they sit in a three-way tie for second in the league standings with a 6-3 conference mark.

All three of BU’s Big 12 losses have been by three points or less, including a 73-70 loss to current No. 9 and Big 12-leading Oklahoma in Waco on Jan. 21.

Baylor opened the league season with a 64-61 loss at Missouri, before suffering a 64-62 loss on a last-second shot by Texas Tech’s Alesha Robertson in Lubbock.

Baylor’s only other loss this season came with an 88-57 setback at No. 3 LSU on Jan. 30 in Baton Rouge, La. The Huskers suffered a 74-55 loss to the Lady Tigers in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 25. NU also suffered a six-point loss to Missouri and a two-point loss at Texas Tech.

All-American Sophia Young, the 2005 NCAA Tournament MVP, leads the Lady Bears by averaging 20.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The 6-1 senior forward ranks among the top three players in the Big 12 in both categories. Young also leads BU with 38 steals on the season, while shooting nearly 58 percent from the field.

Junior Abiola Wabara has stepped into the starting spot vacated by All-Big 12 forward Steffanie Blackmon a year ago. Wabara is averaging 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from the free throw line. She leads the Lady Bears with 30 blocked shots on the season.

Sophomore point guard Angela Tisdale has added 13.9 points and 2.8 rebounds while leading BU with 6.4 assists per game. Tisdale has also offered the Lady Bears a consistent threat from three-point range by hitting 37.9 percent (22-58) of her attempts.

Senior guard Chameka Scott leads Baylor with 28 three-pointers while averaging 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Scott has joined Young and Wabara in the starting lineup for all 20 games this season.

Freshman swing player Jessica Morrow has stepped into Baylor’s lineup recently and is averaging 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game on the season. In league play, Morrow ranks third on the team with 8.4 points per game, while adding 3.1 boards.

Senior guard Jordan Davis has been one of BU’s top reserves throughout the season, averaging 5.0 points per game. She ranks second on the team 25 three-pointers and leads the club by shooting 92.9 percent (13-14) from the free throw line. Junior guard Latoya Wyatt and freshman forward Rachel Allison have also been consistent contributors for the Lady Bears this season.

Last season, Baylor ran to its first national title with a 33-3 overall record. The Lady Bears also claimed the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles after posting a 14-2 league record. One of those two losses came at Nebraska, as the Huskers were the only team to go undefeated against the Lady Bears last season. Baylor split a pair of games with both LSU and Texas a year ago.

Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson, who became the first woman to win a national title as both a player and a coach, is in her sixth season at Baylor. She owns a 147-42 career record.

Nebraska vs. Baylor All-Time Series
Baylor leads the brief all-time series with Nebraska, 6-4, but the Huskers celebrated one of the biggest wins in school history last year against the Lady Bears. In the longest game in school history, Nebraska recorded its first-ever win over a top five opponent by beating No. 2 Baylor, 103-99 in triple overtime at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on Jan. 12, 2005.

Kiera Hardy led the Huskers with a career-high 37 points, while Jelena Spiric added a career-best 19 points, including a 15-for-16 effort at the free throw line. Spiric, who went on to earn Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, opened the third overtime by scoring NU’s first eight points at the free throw line.

The game was tied at 68 at the end of regulation, after Nebraska clawed its way back from a 13-point second half deficit to tie the game on a pair of Spiric free throws with 18 seconds left.

It was tied at 80 after the first overtime, and headed to the third overtime tied at 87, before the Huskers finally won it by outscoring BU, 16-12 in the final five minutes.

The two teams combined to shoot 87 free throws and commit 58 fouls, as the Huskers set school records by knocking down 46-of-54 free throws on the night. Six Lady Bears were whistled for four or more fouls in the game, as BU committed 33 fouls. Both teams had two players foul out, as Steffanie Blackmon and Chelsea Whitaker committed five fouls for BU, while Jessica Gerhart and LaToya Howell were both whistled for five fouls for NU.

Jina Johansen added 10 points and eight assists while setting a school and Big 12 record by playing all 55 minutes against the Lady Bears. Elena Diaz pitched in 11 points and seven assists to help the Huskers.

The Huskers were victorious despite shooting just 37.5 percent from the field, thanks in large part to hitting 9-of-17 three-pointers, including a 6-for-10 effort from long range by Kiera Hardy.

Nebraska’s win last season in Lincoln ended a four-game winning streak by Baylor in the series. Nebraska’s last series win came at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., with an 82-61 win on March 7, 2000. That victory followed an 82-71 victory in Waco on Feb. 19, 2000. The Huskers opened the all-time series by beating Baylor, 91-73, in Lincoln on Feb. 19, 1997.

Griffin Scores 28 but Huskers Fall at Kansas State
Freshman forward Kelsey Griffin produced one of her best efforts of the season with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but the Huskers came up short in a 71-64 setback at Kansas State Saturday.

Playing in front of a Bramlage Coliseum season-high crowd of 8,581 and a national television audience on Fox Sports Net, Griffin hit 9-of-18 shots from the field, including her first career three-pointer, and 9-of-12 free throw attempts to lead the Huskers.

It was Griffin’s third double-double and one of the best overall performances by a freshman in school history, joining her 31-point, 14-rebound effort against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi earlier this season.

Griffin kept the Huskers in the game down to the wire, pulling Nebraska within five points on the first three-pointer of her career with 28 seconds left to cut KSU’s lead to 67-62. But the Wildcats hit free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Junior guard Kiera Hardy joined Griffin in double figures with 14 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Chelsea Aubry added eight points and four boards. Hardy struggled through a rough shooting night, hitting just 4-of-20 field goal attempts, including an 0-for-11 effort from three-point range. Four of those long-range attempts came in the game’s final 1:52.

As a team, Nebraska shot just 35.4 percent (23-65) from the field, and just 18.8 percent (3-16) from three-point range. The Huskers also hit just 68.2 percent (15-22) of their free throws on the night. NU hung in the game by pulling down 21 offensive rebounds to outwork KSU on the glass 38-30. NU also forced 13 Wildcat turnovers, while committing just 11 miscues.

Kansas State hit 49 percent (24-49) of its shots from the field, including a sizzling 47.1 percent (8-17) from three-point range. KSU also connected on 78.9 percent (15-19) of its free throws. Brittany Dietz led four Wildcats in double figures with 19 points, while Claire Coggins added 17 points.

Nebraska got off to a strong start thanks to a brilliant first half from Griffin, who scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds in the opening stanza. Trailing 5-1, Aubry knocked down a three-pointer before Griffin followed with eight straight points to cap an 11-0 run that gave NU a 12-5 lead.

Kansas State pulled within one at 20-19 with 7:40 to play in the half, but the Huskers rebuilt the lead to 33-26 with 1:30 left in the half after a pair of Hardy free throws. KSU gained momentum by scoring the final seven points to tie the game at halftime, before opening the second half on an 8-0 run to gain control of the game.

The Wildcats never relinquished the lead, although the Huskers answered KSU’s 15-0 run with a 7-0 run of their own to trim Kansas State’s edge to just 41-40 with 14:50 to play.

Griffin Captures Second Big 12 Rookie Award
Kelsey Griffin earned her second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honor in the past month when the conference office announced its weekly award winners on Monday.

The 6-2 freshman forward from Eagle River, Alaska, produced one of the top five performances by a freshman in school history with 28 points and 12 rebounds at Kansas State on Feb. 4. She was 9-of-18 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line against the Wildcats. She also set a career high with three blocked shots and knocked down the first three-pointer of her career.

Griffin, who produced arguably the finest performance by a freshman in school history with 31 points and 14 rebounds against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 27, has notched three double-doubles in her first season at Nebraska, including a 16-point, 12-rebound performance against Missouri.

The 2005 Alaska Gatorade High School Player of the Year, Griffin won her first conference weekly honor on Jan. 9. She has scored in double figures 15 times while making all 20 starts this season for NU. She has scored no fewer than seven points in any game. She has pulled down at least seven rebounds on 12 occasions, including a trio of double-figure rebounding efforts.

Griffin enters the Baylor game averaging 14.5 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game. She ranks among the top 15 players in the Big 12 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and offensive rebounds.

Husker Starters Come to Play Every Night
Nebraska has featured the same starting lineup through each of the first 20 games of the season heading into Wednesday night’s matchup at No. 12 Baylor.

A consistent starting five is nothing new for the Huskers. In 2003-04, Nebraska was one of only eight NCAA Division I teams to start the same five in every game.

Junior guard Kiera Hardy has made 52 consecutive starts as the only returning player to start all 32 games for the Huskers a year ago. Junior forward Chelsea Aubry has added 34 consecutive starts, while Kelsey Griffin has started each of the first 20 games of her career.

Huskers Taking Care of the Rock in Big 12 Action
Nebraska has been phenomenal at protecting the basketball through the first nine games of Big 12 Conference action this season. The Huskers have committed no more than 15 turnovers in any of their first nine league games, including a season-low eight turnovers against Missouri on Jan. 11.

The Huskers opened conference play by committing 10 turnovers at Colorado on Jan. 4, before committing just 10 more miscues against Kansas in Lincoln on Jan. 7. Through nine league games, NU has committed just 105 turnovers, an average of just 11.7 turnovers per game. The Huskers are forcing 16.4 turnovers per contest for a plus-4.8 turnover margin in league action.

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 20 games in 2005-06, the Huskers have been even better, averaging just 14.2 turnovers per game. Nebraska has turned the ball over just 283 times this season. With seven regular-season games remaining and one more game guaranteed in the Big 12 Tournament, even if the Huskers averaged 20 turnovers per game, they would still finish the season with the second-lowest turnover total in school history with 443.

NU has committed more than 17 turnovers in only two games this season (LSU, Grambling State). The Huskers committed a season-high 24 turnovers against Grambling State, but NU’s high turnover total in the win over the Lady Tigers followed on the heels of 11 turnovers against Texas State on Dec. 20.

Nebraska turned the ball over just 11 times at Texas Tech on Jan. 21, 11 times against Colorado Jan. 28, and 11 more times at Kansas State on Feb. 4. The Huskers recorded just 13 turnovers against South Dakota State and Michigan, while adding 14 turnovers against Creighton, Texas Southern and Texas. NU committed 15 turnovers against Northern Arizona and a Big 12 season-high 15 in both games against Iowa 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.

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.

Over the past six weeks, Hardy has climbed from 23rd to 12th on NU’s scoring list with 1,203 points and needs just 82 points to break into NU’s all-time top 10.

Hardy struck for 26 points and four three-pointers in Nebraska’s loss at Texas Tech on Jan. 21, after an impressive 29-point effort against Texas. She hit 6-of-10 three-pointers against the Longhorns and became Nebraska’s career three-point leader. It was the fifth time in her career that she hit six or more three-pointers in a game.

Hardy opened Big 12 play with 26 points against Kansas on Jan. 7, one of five times this season she has scored 26 or more points. She scored a season-high 32 points against Northern Arizona on Dec. 31, after striking for 26 points against No. 3 LSU on Nov. 25.

She has scored 20 or more points eight times this season and 23 times in her career.

Hardy, who reached the 1,000-point mark in just her 68th career game, has scored in double figures 16 times this season, including eight games with 20 or more points. She opened the season with back-to-back eight-point efforts, before scoring 26 against No. 3 LSU. She added 22 points with six assists on Dec. 3 at No. 10 Minnesota, before scoring 20 points with six three-pointers and six more assists in Nebraska’s 93-68 win over Texas Southern on Dec. 7. Only Iowa State, which limited her to single digits in both meetings, has kept Hardy from double-figure scoring totals in the past 18 games.

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 20 games, Hardy is averaging 3.8 assists to rank among the top 15 players in the Big 12. She produced a career-high nine-assist effort in the win over Colorado on Jan. 28 and added seven assists at Kansas State on Feb. 4. With 75 total assists this season, Hardy has shattered her 2004-05 total of 67 in 32 games. She has also committed just over half the number of turnovers.

On the season, Hardy also ranks among the top 10 players in the Big 12 with her 1.63-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (75 assists-46 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 Big 12 leaders with 2.1 steals per game. Her 42 steals are just nine steals shy of her 51 steals in 32 games a year ago.

Hardy Takes Over Nebraska Career Three-Point Record
First-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy will continue to rewrite the Nebraska record book for the rest of her career as the top three-point shooter in school history.

Hardy smashed Nebraska’s three-point record with six three-pointers against Texas on Jan. 18. She finished the night with 158 threes in 75 games, shooting past current WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge’s previous mark of 155 three-pointers in 117 career games. Not only did Hardy shatter the mark in 42 fewer games played than DeForge, she hit her first 155 three-pointers in 18 fewer attempts.

Hardy, who added four three-pointers at Texas Tech on Jan. 21 and two more against Colorado on Jan. 28, has increased her career total to 164. She is the only player on Nebraska’s top-10 three-point list who has played fewer than 100 career games.

Hardy matched her season-high with six three-pointers against Texas, after hitting six three-pointers against Texas Southern on Dec. 7, when she moved ahead of Husker all-time greats Amy Stephens and Nicole Kubik on NU’s three-point chart. She tied the school single-game record with seven threes against Iowa in the WNIT last season.

Hardy ranks among Big 12 leaders with 49 three-pointers this season, an average of 2.45 three-pointers per game. After tying the school single-season record with 85 three-pointers last season and smashing the school’s sophomore record, Hardy has established a Nebraska junior single-season record with 49 threes this year, surpassing the 47 three-pointers hit by Sabrina Brooks in 1987-88.

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.

Gerhart Erupts for Career High in Win Over Buffaloes
Nebraska forward Jessica Gerhart poured in a career-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field in the Huskers’ 70-54 win over Colorado on Jan. 28. Gerhart’s effort against the Buffaloes surpassed the 20 points she scored last season against Northern Colorado, and crushed her previous season high of 14 points against Creighton in NU’s second game of the year.

Gerhart has provided a solid scoring option for the Huskers through her first 20 games this season, contributing double figures on 10 occasions. The 6-2 junior from Fenton, Iowa, is averaging 9.4 points and 3.7 boards per game.

Gerhart was extremely consistent through NU’s first 13 games, producing double figures in eight of those 13 contests, while scoring no fewer than six points in any contest before going scoreless against No. 24 Missouri on Jan. 11. She bounced back with her ninth double-figure effort of the season with 12 points and five rebounds at Iowa State on Jan. 14.

Gerhart struck for 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 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. She added 10 points in the Huskers’ win over Kansas on Jan. 7.

Gerhart has also shown improvement on the defensive end. With 12 steals on the season, Gerhart has surpassed her total from all of 2004-05. She needs just four more steals to match her career total of 16 in 60 games in 2003-04 and 2004-05 combined.

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.

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 15 of her first 20 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 continued her strong scoring pace by crossing the 200-point plateau in her 14th game against Missouri. She produced the second double-double of her career with 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Tigers.

She is poised to cross the 300-point mark in her 21st game, entering the Baylor game with 290 points through 20 games. She is averaging 14.5 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game. She is on track to produce one of the top-five seasons by a freshman in school history in both categories.

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.

She added another top-five effort by a freshman with 28 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots at Kansas State on Feb. 4. That performance earned her second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honor of the season. She earned her first award on Jan. 9.

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

Although it is 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 heats up.

Griffin became just the 17th Husker (56 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.

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.

Rebounding, Turnover Margins Creating Victories for NU
Nebraska has been solid this season in the key areas of rebounding and turnover margin.

Through 20 games, the Huskers have produced a stellar plus-5.2 team turnover margin by averaging just 14.2 turnovers per game, while forcing an average of 19.4 turnovers per contest. Nebraska also owns a team rebounding margin of plus-2.2 per game.

NU’s success in those two categories has helped the Huskers attempt an average of 6.2 more shots per game than their opponents, while also getting to the free throw line an average of 2.1 more times per game.

Nebraska produced its most lopsided turnover margin of the season by going plus-12 in the turnover column in a 70-54 win over Colorado on Jan. 28. NU committed just 11 turnovers against the Buffaloes, while forcing 23 CU miscues.

The Huskers have enjoyed at least a plus-five turnover margin in 14 of 20 games this season, and only two opponents - No. 3 LSU and Iowa State (Jan. 14) - forced negative turnover results by NU. In the other four games, No. 10 Minnesota and Northwestern matched the Huskers’ turnover total, while the Huskers were a plus-one in the turnover column at Texas Tech and plus-two at Kansas State.

The Huskers managed plus-10 turnover margins against Michigan and Texas State, while adding plus-nine turnover results against Creighton and Texas Southern. NU produced plus-eight turnover marks against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Missouri, while enjoying a plus-seven turnover advantage in three straight games against Grambling State, Northern Arizona and Colorado. The Huskers added a plus-six turnover result against Iowa State on Feb. 1, and plus-five turnover margins against South Dakota State, Kansas and Texas.

Nebraska has enjoyed five double-figure rebounding advantages this season, including a season-high plus-22 rebound margin at Northwestern. The Huskers grabbed 19 more rebounds than Texas State, 13 more than No. 10 Minnesota, 11 more than Creighton and 10 more than Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Only two teams have produced double-digit advantages on the glass against the Huskers, as Texas posted 17 more rebounds (40-23) than the Huskers, and South Dakota State grabbed 10 more boards than NU in the season opener.

Huskers Displaying Defensive Dominance
Nebraska’s defense has shown the ability to shut down opponents at a record pace. 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.

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 held four straight opponents to 50 or fewer points.

Nebraska held Iowa State to just 42 points on Feb. 1, the third-lowest scoring total by an NU Big 12 foe in the 10-year history of the league.

The Huskers have held six of their first 20 opponents, including Creighton, Northwestern, Michigan, Texas State, Grambling State and Iowa 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 18 times in 110 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.

Aubry Providing Solid Leadership, Production in Big 12
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.

Through 20 games, Aubry is averaging 7.0 points per game, down from her 9.2 points per contest in 2004-05, while contributing 5.2 rebounds per game. Her production and comfort level on the wing have continued to improve throughout the season, and she has produced double figures four times in Big 12 Conference action, after managing double figures just twice in 11 non-conference contests. She had a 13-point performance in the Huskers’ win over Iowa State on Feb. 1, when she tied her career high with a trio of three-pointers. She added two more three-pointers at Kansas State to rank second among the Huskers with 16 threes on the season.

Aubry opened Big 12 play by scoring 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field at Colorado on Jan. 4. She added nine points and five boards in the Huskers’ win over Kansas on Jan. 7, before contributing 11 points and five rebounds against No. 24 Missouri on Jan. 11. She added 10 points, including tying a career best with a trio of three-pointers at Iowa State on Jan. 14.

Aubry has already dished out 21 assists this year, surpassing her total in 29 games a year ago, while snagging 16 steals through 20 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. She added 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field at Colorado on Jan. 4. She has produced double figures in points 23 times in her career. She also set 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.

Page Earns Spot in Husker Top 10 in Blocked Shots
Danielle Page swatted a pair of Iowa State shots away on Feb. 1 to crack Nebraska’s all-time top 10 list in blocked shots with 52 in her brief Husker career.

Page moved ahead of six-year veteran Amanda Cleveland on the NU top 10 list in just her 51st career game with no starts. Page needs just 11 more blocks to move into a tie for eighth place on Nebraska’s all-time list with Wade Trophy winner and Kodak All-American Karen Jennings and Pyra Aarden with 63.

Page blocked 31 shots as a freshman to put together the fourth-best total by an NU freshman in history. She needs just six more blocks to rank in the top five on the Huskers’ sophomore single-season block list, after posting 21 through 20 games this year.

The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., got off to a slow start to the 2005-06 season while coping with a breathing condition that 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, Page helped fuel Nebraska’s eight-game winning streak from Dec. 7 through Jan. 7.

During NU’s winning streak, Page averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocked shots and 1.1 steal per game. She had 10 points, two rebounds, one block and one steal to help the Huskers win in her home state of Colorado for the first time in Page’s lifetime (20 years).

Page 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 enters the Baylor game averaging 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while leading the Huskers with 21 total blocked shots.

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 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 0.6 steals per game after producing 11 points, three rebounds, a block and a steal in the Huskers’ 70-54 win over Colorado on Jan. 28. It was LaFleur’s fourth double-figure scoring effort of the season and first in Big 12 play.

LaFleur produced a career-high 16 points in the win over Texas State on Dec. 20, scoring 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers, in the second half. 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 20 games, but ranks fifth on the team in scoring.

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 has increased her season total to 12, which ranks third on the team behind Kiera Hardy’s 49 and Chelsea Aubry’s 14.

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.

Huskers Continue to Rank among Big 12 Leaders at Line
Nebraska has continued its recent tradition of ranking among the top Big 12 teams at the free throw line. Through 20 games, the Huskers have hit 72.5 percent of their free throws.

Nebraska ranks second in the Big 12, trailing only Colorado’s 74.8 percent accuracy. The Huskers’ success rate would rank as the fifth-best percentage in school history. The past two seasons, the Huskers have hit 74.9 percent (2004-05) and 74.0 percent (2003-04) from the line. The school record is 79.0 percent set in 1981-82. NU added the third-best shooting percentage in school history with 74.5 percent accuracy in 1988-89.

The Husker lineup features seven players shooting better than 70 percent at the line, including Jessica Gerhart (88.2 percent), LaToya Howell (77.4 percent), Kiera Hardy (77.1 percent), Danielle Page (77.1 percent), Chelsea Aubry (76.0 percent), TK LaFleur (75.9 percent) and Sarah White (70.8 percent).

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.

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. She added one minute at Colorado on Jan. 4.

Although she did not see game action in the Huskers’ 73-61 win over Kansas on Jan. 7, she impressed the crowd of more than 7,000 Husker fans with a striking rendition of the National Anthem before the game.

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. She also saw action at Colorado in NU’s Big 12 opener on Jan. 4.

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 on Dec. 31.

The Huskers opened 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 beating the Buffaloes, 80-62, at CU for the first time since 1985, Nebraska returned to the Devaney Center and knocked off previously unbeaten Kansas, 73-61.

Tied with No. 24 Missouri atop the conference standings at 2-0, the Huskers played host to the 12-2 Tigers on Jan. 11. NU carried an eight-game winning streak into the contest, while MU brought an 11-game winning streak to Lincoln, including a win over defending national champion Baylor to snap the Lady Bears’ 30-game winning streak. The Tigers snapped NU’s streak with a 64-58 win.

The Huskers opened an eight-game stretch in which they face seven 2005 postseason qualifiers. The showdowns started on Jan. 14 in Ames, when the Huskers suffered a 79-57 setback at 2005 NCAA qualifier Iowa State. NU then suffered a 70-62 setback to Texas, another NCAA squad, on Jan. 18 in Lincoln.

NU traveled to NCAA qualifier Texas Tech on Jan. 21, and suffered a narrow 61-59 defeat, before returning home to defeat Colorado, 70-54, Jan. 28. The win gave the Huskers their first regular-season sweep of the Buffaloes since 1983-84. NU split the season series with Iowa State by working its way to a 54-42 victory in Lincoln on Feb. 1, before falling to NCAA qualifier Kansas State 71-64 on Feb. 4. NU faces defending national champion and No. 12 Baylor Feb. 8. The Huskers then play host to Texas A&M (Feb. 11), which advanced to the third round of the 2005 WNIT.

Nebraska travels to Kansas on Feb. 15, before closing its home schedule against Kansas State (Feb. 18) and Oklahoma State on Senior Night (Feb. 21). NU 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 NU in 2004-05, 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 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
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 297-107 (.735) in games played in the arena, including 107-68 (.611) in conference games. Nebraska is 8-3 at home this season.

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. The Huskers drew their largest crowd outside of the month of February in school history with 7,114 fans at the Devaney Center on Jan. 7, 2006, for the Huskers win over Kansas.

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.