Huskers to Square Off with Sooners

Nebraska 
15-10, 7-7
at #9 Oklahoma
24-4, 14-0
Lloyd Noble Center 
Sunday, Feb. 26 ? 1 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
PBP - Bob Wischusen 
Color - Ann Meyers
Radio:
Pinnacle Sports Network
1400-KLIN Lincoln
1110-KFAB Omaha
Huskers.com
Series Record: Series tied, 22-22
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 70-51, Feb. 6, 2005 in Lincoln
Last Meeting in Norman: Oklahoma won, 70-51, Jan. 7, 2004

Huskers Square Off with Sooners in Sunday Showdown
The Nebraska women’s basketball team (15-10, 7-7) takes a three-game winning streak on the road to Norman, Okla., where the Huskers will battle 2006 Big 12 regular-season champion Oklahoma (24-4, 14-0) at the Lloyd Noble Center on Sunday.

Tip-off for the game is set for 1 p.m. with national television coverage provided ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen calling play-by-play and Ann Meyers supplying color commentary. The game between the Huskers and the No. 9 Sooners will also be carried live on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including 1400 AM-KLIN in Lincoln, 1110 AM-KFAB in Omaha and world wide on Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action.

The Huskers climbed back to the .500 mark in Big 12 play by blitzing Oklahoma State, 81-56, on Senior Night at the Devaney Center on Tuesday. Nebraska put together its best offensive performance of the conference season, scoring a season-high 53 points in the first half while shooting nearly 62 percent from the field in the opening stanza. The Huskers led by as many as 34 points against the Cowgirls before substituting freely in the final 12 minutes. All but one Husker on the roster scored in the game, including the first career points for walk-on Sara Hieb.

Reigning Big 12 Player-of-the-Week Kiera Hardy scored 10 points for the Huskers in limited playing time to climb to No. 10 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list with 1,284 points. The returning first-team All-Big 12 guard from Kansas City, Mo., already owns the Huskers’ career three-point record with 178, including a junior single-season record 63 this season. Hardy is averaging 17.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game to lead the Huskers.

Freshman forward Kelsey Griffin scored just six points and had three rebounds in a career-low 13 minutes against the Cowgirls. Griffin, who was battling a minor illness that began on Saturday before the Huskers’ win over Kansas State, gained some much-needed rest against OSU.

The Huskers hope the extra rest benefits Griffin in a matchup of the Big 12’s best freshmen, as she squares off with Oklahoma rookie sensation Courtney Paris, who leads the Big 12 with 21.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game as a contender for national player-of-the-year honors.

Huskers to Appear on ESPN2 for first time Since 2000
Nebraska’s game with No. 9 Oklahoma in Norman on Sunday at 1 p.m. will mark the Huskers’ first appearance on ESPN or ESPN2 since Feb. 13, 2000.

The Huskers defeated the No. 23 Kansas Jayhawks, 75-72, in front of 7,901 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and a national TV audience on ESPN2 in their last appearance on the network.

The victory over the Jayhawks helped Nebraska on its way to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid that season.

Huskers Clinch Third Consecutive Winning Season
In Coach Connie Yori’s fourth season at Nebraska, the Huskers have clinched their third straight winning season after cruising to an 81-56 victory over Oklahoma State to conclude their regular-season home schedule on Tuesday.

Nebraska improved to 15-10 on the season, which follows on the heels of a pair of 18-win campaigns for the Huskers in 2003-04 and 2004-05. The 2005-06 Huskers also improved to 7-7 in Big 12 play with the win over the Cowgirls, marking the third straight season that Nebraska has won at least seven league games.

The Huskers’ success over the last three years comes in stark contrast to their three previous seasons, which all ended in losing records. In Yori’s first season in Lincoln, a handful of scholarship players managed just an 8-20 record and a 1-15 league mark in 2002-03.

Nebraska has earned postseason trips to the WNIT the past two seasons and the Huskers have made themselves postseason eligible with a winning record for the third straight season.

Nebraska Starting to Fire on All Cylinders Late in Season
After a pair of lopsided losses to top-25 teams Baylor and Texas A&M two weeks ago, the Huskers had struggled to a 4-7 Big 12 mark after opening the league season 2-0.

Nebraska, which entered the conference season on a six-game winning streak and stretched it to a season-long eight games by opening 2-0 in Big 12 play, dropped seven of its next nine games.

But the Huskers have provided three straight strong defensive efforts and their best offensive performance of the league season to improve to 7-7 in the Big 12 and stay in the hunt for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers began their turnaround with a 65-57 victory at Kansas on Feb. 15. Nebraska trailed 44-40 late in the game to the Jayhawks, before erupting for a 13-2 run down the stretch in Lawrence to secure a season sweep of KU. It was Nebraska’s first single-digit win of the season.

NU followed with a 64-62 come-from-behind win over Kansas State in Lincoln on Feb. 18. The Huskers trailed by 12 points in the second half after struggling to their worst offensive effort of the season in the first half. NU managed just 17 points on 5-of-25 shooting in the opening stanza against the Wildcats, but sent the game to overtime tied at 53.

Kiera Hardy, who scored a game-high 23 points, shot the Huskers to victory in overtime with a pair of three-pointers and the winning shot from just outside the lane with two seconds left.

NU continued to build late-season momentum with its best half of basketball of the season in the first half against Oklahoma State on Tuesday. The Huskers scored 53 points in the first half, matching their production in regulation against the Wildcats, and continued to surge until substituting freely in the final 12 minutes.

Sooners Give Huskers Third Top 10 Road Foe of Season
No. 9 Oklahoma will be Nebraska’s third top-10 opponent at game time this season, joining road games against No. 3 LSU in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 25, and at No. 10 Minnesota on Dec. 3.

The Huskers threatened both top-10 foes before fading down the stretch. Against LSU, Kiera Hardy erupted for 18 points in the first half to shoot Nebraska to a 36-30 halftime lead over the Lady Tigers at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic. Hardy finished with a game-high 26 points, including four three-pointers, but LSU surged to a 74-55 win.

Two games later, Minnesota bolted to a 21-point first-half lead by hitting 16 of its first 19 shots from the field and all nine of its free throw attempts to open the contest. But Hardy led the Huskers to a thrilling comeback by knocking down five three-pointers to help the Huskers take a three-point lead midway through the second half. Hardy finished with 22 points, but Minnesota battled back to make the plays down the stretch to win, 78-70. NU outscored Minnesota, 34-33, in the second half.

Hardy Earns Second Big 12 Player-of-the-Week Award
Kiera Hardy captured her second Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award of the season and third of her career after leading the Huskers to a sweep of the Kansas schools last week.

Hardy, a 5-6 junior guard from Kansas City, Mo., capped her award-winning week with 23 points, including the game-winning shot with two seconds left in overtime, to power Nebraska to a 64-62 overtime win over Kansas State in Lincoln on Feb. 18. Hardy scored 19 points after halftime against the Wildcats, including eight points in the overtime. Hardy hit all four of her three-pointers in the game after halftime to help the Huskers overcome a 12-point second-half deficit.

Hardy opened the week with 19 points, including a three-pointer to give the Huskers the lead for good at 54-51 late in the second half, in NU’s 65-57 win at Kansas.

Hardy earned her first Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award of the season on Nov. 28, after setting the Miami Thanksgiving Classic tournament scoring record in a loss to LSU and a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

She won the first Big 12 award on Jan. 17, 2005, after her career-high 37-point effort in Nebraska’s 103-99 triple overtime victory over eventual national champion Baylor in Lincoln last season.

Hardy Joins Top 10 on Nebraska Career Scoring List
With 10 points against Oklahoma State on Tuesday, first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy climbed into a tie for 10th with Janet Smith on Nebraska’s career scoring list with 1,284 points.

The top returning scorer this season in the Big 12, Hardy 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.

Hardy has scored in double figures 21 times this season, including nine 20-plus scoring efforts. She scored a season-high 32 points in a win over Northern Arizona on Dec. 31. She produced her top performance of the Big 12 campaign with 29 points, including six three-pointers, against Texas on Jan. 18.

Hardy, who has scored 26 or more points five times this season, scored 26 points against No. 3 LSU on Nov. 25, 26 more in a loss at Texas Tech on Jan. 21, and 26 a third time in a win over Kansas on Jan. 7.

Hardy, who owns 24 career 20-point scoring efforts, reached the 1,000-point mark in just her 68th career game.

Hardy Rewriting Nebraska’s Three-Point Record Book
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 has increased her career total to 178. 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. She tied the school single-game record with seven threes against Iowa in the 2005 WNIT.

Hardy ranks among Big 12 leaders with 63 three-pointers this season, an average of 2.52 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 63 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.

Griffin Making Push for Freshman All-America Honors
Nebraska forward Kelsey Griffin is making a strong push for All-Freshman honors at both the Big 12 and national levels. The 6-2 native of Eagle River, Alaska, is averaging 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Griffin’s averages rank near the top 10 freshman marks in the nation in both categories, and she has continued to increase her production during Big 12 Conference play. During the league season, Griffin has hit 58.6 percent of her shots from the field to rank second among all Big 12 players in that category, trailing only Paris.

In two games against top 25 foes two weeks ago (Baylor, Texas A&M), Griffin hit 81.3 percent (13-16) of her shots from the field. Overall, she has hit 56.7 percent of her field goal attempts, just off NU’s freshman school record of 58.2 percent set by Charlie Rogers in 1996-97.

Griffin ranks 13th overall in the Big 12 in scoring, while her 14.2 points per game ranks as the third-best average by a freshman in school history trailing Debra Powell’s 15.4 points per contest in 1981-82 and Angie Miller’s 14.6 points per game in 1983-84. Griffin’s rebounding average also ranks as the sixth-best output by a freshman in school history.

She is also on pace to put together a top five season by a freshman in school history in field goals made, free throws made, free throws attempted and blocked shots.

Griffin Captures Pair of Big 12 Rookie Awards
Kelsey Griffin has earned two Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors during the conference season after capturing her second weekly award on Feb. 6.

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 18 times while starting all 25 games for the Huskers this season.

She has scored no fewer than five points in any game. She has pulled down at least seven rebounds on 13 occasions, including a trio of double-figure rebounding efforts.

Griffin produced another dominant week after earning her second rookie award, averaging 19.5 points per game in losses at No. 12 Baylor and to No. 24 Texas A&M. Against the Aggies, Griffin scored 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field for her fourth 20-point performance of the season.

Against the Lady Bears, Griffin hit for 19 points while knocking down 11-of-12 free throws. For the week, she hit 13-of-16 shots from the field and 13-of-15 free throws.

Scouting the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma heads into Sunday’s game riding a 12-game winning streak dating back to a 75-71 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 9. The Sooners are a perfect 14-0 in the Big 12 and have already clinched the conference regular-season title and the top seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

Oklahoma features Courtney Paris, one of the nation’s best freshmen. The 6-4 center is averaging 21.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game to lead the conference in both categories. She leads the nation in rebounding while ranking sixth nationally in scoring. Paris is shooting a stellar 61.4 percent from the field to rank sixth nationally, but has hit just 49.2 percent (93-189) of her free throws. She also leads the league with 85 blocked shots on the season to rank eighth nationally in blocks per game.

Ashley Paris has also given the Sooners a major lift, averaging 6.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She ranks second on the team in rebounding and blocked shots to her twin sister.

Junior forward Leah Rush, a preseason All-Big 12 candidate, joins Courtney Paris in double figures averaging 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Junior guard Erin Higgins has joined Paris and Rush in the starting lineup for all 28 games, averaging 8.4 points and 1.7 boards per game. Higgins also leads the Sooners and the Big 12 with 64 three-pointers on the year, while shooting 38.3 percent from long range.

Chelsi Welch, another junior guard, has made 20 starts and is averaging 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She is shooting a team-best 91.9 percent from the free throw line.

Junior guard Britney Brown rounds out OU’s probable starting lineup with 6.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and a team-leading 3.8 assists per game.

Kendra Moore (5.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and Laura Andrews (4.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg) have also provided the Sooners with consistent contributions while playing in all 28 games this season.

Oklahoma brings the Big 12’s most potent offense into Sunday’s game with the Huskers, averaging a league-best 76.9 points per game. The Sooners also lead the Big 12 with their 47.2 percent team field goal percentage.

The abilities of the Paris twins inside have also made Oklahoma the best rebounding team in the Big 12 with a startling plus-11.3 team rebounding margin, which ranks fourth nationally. OU also leads the league with 17.6 assists per game, while ranking third in the Big 12 with 5.9 made three-pointers per game. Six Sooners have made 10 or more three-pointers on the season, including four players with 20 or more threes.

The Sooners are holding opponents to just 38.2 percent shooting from the field, but opponents are hitting 34 percent of their attempts from three-point range. OU has also struggled with a minus-3.0 team turnover margin, which ranks 11th in the Big 12.

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma All-Time Series
Nebraska and Oklahoma are tied at 22 in the all-time series, with the Huskers registering a 70-51 victory in the last meeting on Feb. 6, 2005. Kiera Hardy scored 16 points, while Danielle Page added career highs with 15 points and four blocked shots to lead a balanced Husker attack on Super Bowl Sunday in Lincoln.

Oklahoma led only once, 2-0, in the game but trailed just 47-45 with 12 minutes left in the contest before the wheels fell off the Sooners’ wago. Nebraska outscored Oklahoma 23-6 the rest of the way to snap a six-game losing streak to the Sooners.

Leah Rush led Oklahoma with 19 points and eight rebounds, but the Huskers outrebounded the Sooners 47-42 on the day. OU hit just 29.6 percent of its shots from the field, including a dismal 2-for-22 performance from three-point range. OU was a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line.

Oklahoma produced a 70-51 victory in the last meeting between the two teams at the Lloyd Noble Center. The previous meeting was also won by the Sooners with a 71-51 win at the Big 12 Tournament in Dallas in 2003.

Huskers Dominate Cowgirls on Senior Night, 81-56
Nebraska produced its best offensive performance of the Big 12 Conference season on its way to an 81-56 victory over Oklahoma State on Senior Night at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on Tuesday.

The Huskers scorched the Cowgirls on 61.8 percent shooting from the field in the first half to race to a 53-30 halftime lead. NU’s 81 points marked its highest point total of the league season, surpassing the 80 points scored against Colorado on Jan. 4.

Junior Jessica Gerhart led the Huskers with 16 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, while senior Elena Diaz just missed the first double-double of her career with 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Junior Kiera Hardy added 10 points and junior Chelsea Aubry chipped in nine points and four rebounds.

Senior guard LaToya Howell did a masterful job distributing the ball in her final regular-season home game, tying her career high with 10 assists, including eight in the first half. She also helped the Huskers set a school record by committing just four turnovers. Howell notched three steals to help NU turn the Cowgirls over 14 times, as the two teams tied the school record for the fewest turnovers by both teams in a single game.

Sophomore Sarah White tied her career high with nine points, while connecting on a career-high three three-pointers in the second half. Sophomore Danielle Page scored seven points for the third straight game and grabbed seven rebounds in a strong effort off the bench.

Aubry helped the Huskers knock down 5-of-7 shots from three-point range to open the game by hitting her first three attempts from long range. Hardy added a pair of early threes to help the Huskers sink OSU’s zone defense.

Along with hitting from long range, the Huskers were hot from inside the arc, hitting 15-of-22 shots in the first 13 minutes. Led by 11 points from Diaz on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting effort, the Huskers carried a 53-30 lead into the second half.

NU’s first-half point total matched their scoring output in regulation in the Huskers’ 64-62 overtime victory over Kansas State in Lincoln on Feb. 18. The Huskers, who scored a season-low 17 first-half points against KSU on just 5-of-25 shooting from the field, matched that first-half field goal total in the first 3:21 on Aubry’s first three-pointer of the game.

Nebraska kept rolling in the second half, as Gerhart hit four consecutive shots to start the Huskers on a 10-2 run in the first five mintues of the second half to put NU ahead, 63-34. After a two-pointer by Page, White followed with back-to-back three-pointers to give Nebraska its biggest lead of the night at 71-37 with 11:50 left in the game.

The Huskers substituted freely down the stretch, as senior Ivana Drmanac hit a jumper after White’s second three-pointer, and freshman Sara Hieb connected on the first basket of her career on a three-pointer with 7:39 remaining in the game.

Huskers Set School Turnover Mark Against Cowgirls
Nebraska set a school single-game record by committing just four turnovers in the Huskers’ 81-56 win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 21.

Although it was the lowest turnover mark in school history, the Huskers’ low number in that category continues an impressive trend for Nebraska over the past several seasons.

The Huskers are on their way to producing their fourth of the top five turnover marks in school history in Coach Connie Yori’s four years at Nebraska.

Through 25 games in 2005-06, the Huskers are averaging just 13.9 turnovers per game. Nebraska has turned the ball over just 348 times this season. With two 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 408. NU has committed more than 17 turnovers only three times all season (LSU, Grambling State, Texas A&M).

The Huskers have been even better in Big 12 play, averaging just 12.1 turnovers per game, while forcing 16.9 turnovers per contest to rank second in the league with a plus-4.8 turnover margin. NU has committed more than 15 turnovers just once (Texas A&M, 25) in 14 league games. They have produced single-digit turnover marks against Oklahoma State (4), Missouri (8) and at Kansas (9).

Last season, the Huskers averaged just 15.4 turnovers per game (493 total turnovers) for the third-fewest total turnovers in school history.

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.

Gerhart’s Hot Shooting Fuels Huskers’ Streak
Jessica Gerhart has helped ignite Nebraska’s three-game winning streak with her hot shooting from the field. Over the past five games, the 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, has hit 73.5 percent (25-34) of her attempts from the field, including a perfect 8-for-8 shooting night against Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Gerhart scored 16 points in just 15 minutes in one of the most efficient performances by a Husker this season. She opened NU’s winning streak by hitting 6-of-9 shots from the field to score 14 points at Kansas on Feb. 15.

She began her hot shooting by knocking down 5-of-6 shots from the field against No. 12 Baylor on Feb. 8, and has shot 50 percent or better in each of the past five games. She is averaging 12 points per game during NU’s winning streak and 10.4 points per game over the past five contests.

Gerhart has increased her season averages to 9.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and a blistering 89.5 percent at the free throw line. She scored a career-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting against Colorado on Jan. 28, and has scored in double figures 13 times this season.

While her shooting touch has been on fire, her defensive intensity has also heated up. Over the past five contests, Gerhart has grabbed seven steals, including a career-high four steals in the Huskers’ overtime win over Kansas State on Feb. 18. Her seven steals in the past five games surpassed her total of six steals from her entire freshman season when she played in all 30 games for NU, while pushing her season total to 19, surpassing the 16 total steals she had in 60 games entering her junior year.

Aubry Giving Huskers Dangerous Threat from Outside Junior Chelsea Aubry has become a potent threat from long range during Big 12 Conference action. The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, is shooting 47.1 percent from three-point range in league play.

She has hit 16-of-34 shots from beyond the arc against league foes and has been sizzling over the past seven games. Aubry has hit 12 of her last 24 three-point attempts during NU’s last seven contests, including tying her career high with three three-pointers against both Iowa State on Feb. 1 and Oklahoma State on Feb. 21.

Overall this season, Aubry ranks second among the Huskers with 23 three-pointers, nearly doubling her total of 13 three-pointers from a year ago. Aubry’s growing confidence from long range has helped the Huskers during their three-game winning streak.

Aubry has found her offensive niche while playing somewhat out of position for NU this year. She 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 25 games, Aubry is averaging 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures six times this season, including four times in Big 12 play. She has dished out 27 assists this year, surpassing her total in 29 games a year ago, while snagging 17 steals through 25 games to surpass the 10 steals she produced in 30 games as a freshman and 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.

She added 13 points in the Huskers’ win over Iowa State Feb. 1, when she tied her career high with a trio of three-pointers. Aubry opened Big 12 play by scoring 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field at Colorado on Jan. 4. She contributed 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.

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.

Howell Helps Huskers Push for Postseason Play
Senior LaToya Howell has ignited Nebraska’s three-game winning streak with drastically improved production in all areas of her game.

The 5-5 point guard from Chicago, Ill., enters the Oklahoma game averaging 3.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Over the past three games, Howell has stepped up, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 3.0 steals per contest. She tied her career high with 10 assists in just 24 minutes in the Huskers’ 81-56 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday, the second time in league play she has dished out 10 assists (at Iowa State, Jan. 14).

She added a career-high eight rebounds in the Huskers’ 64-62 overtime victory over Kansas State on Feb. 18.

Howell, who owns 37 steals on the season, has notched at least one steal in 11 straight games, but has grabbed 13 steals in the last four games, after nabbing 24 steals through the first 21 contests.

She has started 24 of NU’s 25 games, coming off the bench behind Ashley Ford only against Texas A&M.

Page Surging During Huskers’ Three-Game Streak
Sophomore Danielle Page has provided Nebraska with a major lift off the bench in the Huskers’ three-game winning streak. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., has averaged 7.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest during NU’s winning streak. She has pulled down 10 of her 30 offensive boards on the season and grabbed eight of her 20 steals on the year in the past three contests.

Page has also played an average of 21.7 minutes per game in the past three contests, compared with just 15.3 minutes per game on the season.

Page 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. She averaged just 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds through the season’s first five games, but Page helped fuel Nebraska’s eight-game winning streak from Dec. 7 through Jan. 7.

During that eight-game winning streak, Page averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocked shots and 1.1 steals per game. She scored a season-high 14 points and grabbed six boards in NU’s win at Northwestern on Dec. 10. She added 12 points and five rebounds against Grambling State and produced her third double-figure scoring effort of the season with 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 leads the Huskers with 26 blocks this season and ranks in Nebraska’s career top 10 with 57 in her two-year career. She needs just six 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 one more block to rank in the top five on the Huskers’ sophomore single-season block list, after posting 26 through 25 games this year.

Turnover Margin Creating Victories for Huskers
Nebraska has been solid this season in the key area of turnover margin.

Through 25 games, the Huskers have produced a stellar plus-5.1 team turnover margin by averaging just 13.9 turnovers per game, while forcing an average of 19.0 turnovers per contest.

NU’s success in creating turnovers while taking care of the basketball has helped the Huskers attempt an average of 4.9 more shots per game than their opponents, while also getting to the free throw line an average of 1.6 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 added a plus-11 turnover total in their overtime win over Kansas State on Feb. 8, forcing 23 Wildcat turnovers while committing only 12 turnovers of their own, including just three after halftime.

The Huskers added a plus-10 turnover margin in their most recent win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 21, committing a school-record low four turnovers while forcing 14 Cowgirl miscues. The Huskers also provided plus-10 turnover margins against Michigan and Texas State in non-conference play.

The Huskers have enjoyed at least a plus-five turnover margin in 17 of 25 games this season, and only four opponents - No. 3 LSU, Iowa State (Jan. 14), No. 12 Baylor, No. 24 Texas A&M - 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.

Huskers Displaying Defensive Dominance
Nebraska is allowing just 61.7 points per game this season, its best team scoring defense average in the past decade, trailing only the 1996-97 squad’s 58.7 points allowed per contest.

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 25 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 115 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.

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 25 games, the Huskers have hit 73.1 percent of their free throws.

Nebraska ranks second in the Big 12, trailing only Colorado’s 73.9 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 six players shooting better than 70 percent at the line, including Jessica Gerhart (89.5 percent), LaToya Howell (79.5 percent), Kiera Hardy (78.8 percent), Chelsea Aubry (75.9 percent), Sarah White (75.0 percent) and Danielle Page (72.0 percent).

Hardy Increases Passing Proficiency in Junior Season
In addition to her dynamic scoring abilities, Kiera Hardy has increased her impact for the Huskers in 2005-06 on both the offensive and defensive ends. Through 25 games, Hardy is averaging 3.4 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 86 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 1.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (86 assists-53 turnovers). Last season, Hardy’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 1-to-1.34 (67 assists-90 turnovers).

Defensively, Hardy has been solid. She leads the Huskers and ranks among Big 12 leaders with 1.9 steals per game. Her 47 steals are just four steals shy of her 51 steals in 32 games a year ago.

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 18 of her first 25 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 has demonstrated amazing consistency, crossing the 300-point mark in her 21st game against No. 12 Baylor in Waco on Feb. 8, when she scored 19 points while going head-to-head with Baylor All-American Sophia Young.

Griffin added 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field against No. 24 Texas A&M. She has scored 355 points through 25 games and is averaging 14.2 points and a team-leading 6.4 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 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.

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

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 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’s 2005-06 schedule features some of the toughest teams in the nation, including five teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

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 suffered a 91-69 loss at defending national champion and No. 12 Baylor Feb. 8, before falling 69-50 to No. 24 Texas A&M (Feb. 11), which advanced to the third round of the 2005 WNIT.

Nebraska came away with a 65-57 win at Kansas on Feb. 15, to sweep the season series with the Jayhawks before knocking off Kansas State, 64-62 in overtime on Feb. 18. The Huskers closed their home schedule with an impressive 81-56 win over Oklahoma State on Senior Night Feb. 21, to stretch their winning streak to three games and clinch their third consecutive winning season.

NU ends the regular season on the road with trips at 2006 Big 12 champion Oklahoma (Feb. 26) and Missouri (March 1), before heading to Reunion Arena in Dallas for the Phillips 66 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.

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.).

On Feb. 15, Turner became just the second Husker recruit in history to earn All-America status from the WBCA. She is scheduled to compete in the WBCA High School All-Star game on April 1 at the NCAA Women’s Final Four at the FleetCenter in Boston. 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.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 299-108 (.735) in games played in the arena, including 109-69 (.612) in conference games. Nebraska finished the regular season 10-4 at home in 2005-06.

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 ranks among the top 30 schools nationally with an average home attendance of 3,316 fans per game in 2005-06.

The Huskers ranked 25th nationally last season by averaging 4,022 fans per contest. 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.