No. 25 Huskers Meet Michigan Saturday

#25 Nebraska (6-2)
vs. Michigan (6-4)

Devaney Center (13,595)
Lincoln, Neb.
Saturday, Dec. 9 ? 7:05 p.m.

Promotion: Toys for Tots
(Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy or monetary donation)
Live Video: HuskersNside (subscription basis)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (98.1-FM KFGE in Lincoln/Huskers.com)
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 5-0

No. 25 Huskers Meet Michigan at Devaney Center
The No. 25 Nebraska women’s basketball team will try to rebound from its first home loss of the season when the Huskers play host to their second straight Big Ten Conference opponent by battling the Michigan Wolverines (6-4) on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln.

Live radio coverage will be provided by 98.1-FM KFGE in Lincoln, select Husker Sports Network stations across Nebraska and worldwide on Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action. A live video stream will also be available to premium subscribers on HuskersNside.

Husker fans attending Saturday night’s game are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy or a monetary donation to benefit the Toys for Tots program in Lincoln. The toys will then be distributed to children to help spread joy and the gift of giving during the holiday season.

Nebraska (6-2) had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 74-65 loss to Minnesota at the Devaney Center on Tuesday night. The Huskers, who entered the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time since Jan. 24, 2004, led the Golden Gophers 64-60 with 3:52 left in the game but were outscored 14-1 the rest of the way.

Minnesota, which has advanced to five straight NCAA tournaments, represented the fifth Husker opponent in the first eight games to qualify for last year’s Big Dance, joining Arizona State, New Mexico, USC and Florida Atlantic. The Huskers are 3-2 against last year’s NCAA Tournament clubs, with impressive road wins over No. 18 New Mexico, USC and Florida Atlantic, while falling on the road to No. 13 Arizona State in the season-opener.

Preseason All-American and two-time All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy continues to lead the Huskers. The 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., is averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She also leads the Huskers with 20 three-pointers while shooting 44.4 percent from long range.

Sophomore Kelsey Griffin has added a strong inside presence with 15.0 points and a team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game. Griffin ranks among the national leaders in field goal percentage and leads the Huskers with 14 steals. She has been at her best in the second half this year, averaging 9.1 points and 5.4 boards per game during the second stanza.

Hardy, Aubry to Play in 100th Game as Huskers
Nebraska seniors Kiera Hardy and Chelsea Aubry will be playing their 100th games as Huskers, when NU takes on Michigan. Hardy has started 71 of 99 games in her career at NU, and is averaging 15.5 points per game. She needs just two points against the Wolverines to move into a tie for eighth with Angie Miller on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list with 1,541 points. Hardy also owns the Nebraska record with 216 career three-pointers.

Hardy is expected to make her 69th consecutive start in the Nebraska lineup on Saturday, dating back to Nov. 26, 2004. The last game Hardy did not start for NU came at Washington State on Nov. 22, 2004. She has been joined by Aubry in NU’s starting five each of the past 54 games, dating back to a Jan. 29, 2005 win over Kansas. Aubry’s last non-start came at Iowa State on Jan. 22, 2005.

Aubry is expected to make her 67th start as a Husker, while playing in her 100th contest. She has averaged 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds during her four-year career and needs nine points to reach the 700-point career scoring mark. She has hit 50 three-pointers in her career and needs 17 more to crack Nebraska’s all-time top-10 list.

Huskers Fall to Minnesota, 74-65
Nebraska led 64-60 with 3:52 left before visiting Minnesota closed the game on a 14-1 surge to hand the No. 25 Huskers a 74-65 loss at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Tuesday night.

The loss ended Nebraska’s six-game winning streak and dropped the Huskers to 6-2 on the season. Minnesota improved to 8-2 on the year with the win.

Sophomore forward Kelsey Griffin led Nebraska with 17 points, while senior forward Chelsea Aubry added her best effort of the season with 14 points and eight rebounds. Kiera Hardy added 12 points and eight assists, while freshman guard Nicole Neals contributed a career-high nine points.

Kelly Roysland led the Golden Gophers with a game-high 20 points and seven rebounds, while Ashley Ellis-Milan added 15 points and seven boards. Brittany McCoy contributed 14 points and six rebounds while Korinne Campbell produced eight points and a game-high 14 boards.

Nebraska’s four-point lead with just under four minutes to play was its largest of the game, but the Huskers did not hit a field goal the rest of the way, as the Gophers used a McCoy free throw and a three-point play by Campbell to tie the score with 2:58 left. McCoy gave Minnesota the lead for good with a pair of free throws with 1:44 left. Roysland added a layup and Campbell hit a jumper to push the Gophers to a six-point lead with 44 seconds remaining. Nebraska missed its last five shots from the field. Minnesota scored eight of its final 14 points at the line and outrebounded the Huskers 11-4 in the final 3:33.

The Gophers took control early, jumping to a 9-2 lead in the first five minutes. Nebraska opened the game ice cold, hitting just one of its first 13 shots from the field, but warmed up behind the hot hand of Aubry, who hit 5-of-9 shots in the first half, including 2-of-3 three-pointers to lead the Huskers with 12 first-half points.

After missing their first 10 three-point attempts to open the game, the Huskers knocked down four of their last five long-range tries to pull even with the Golden Gophers for the first time at 22 with 7:40 left in the half.

Nebraska then forged to its largest lead of the opening period when Neals knocked down a three-pointer and added a layup to give the Huskers a 27-24 lead with 6:25 left. Minnesota tied it quickly at 27 on a three-pointer by Emily Fox, and the game featured ties at 29, 32, 38 and 40, before the Gophers surged to a 44-41 halftime lead.

For the game, Nebraska shot season-lows of 35.7 percent (25-70) from the field and 17.9 percent (5-28) from three-point range, while managing just 47.6 percent (10-21) from the free throw line.

Scouting the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan comes to town with a 6-4 record after falling to Miami (Ohio), 84-74, on Wednesday night in Oxford, Ohio. The game marked the Wolverines’ second straight contest against a Miami team, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes, 60-55, at Crisler Arena on Sunday.

Two of Michigan’s four losses have been by four points or less, including a 61-58 setback to Notre Dame in Ann Arbor Friday, Dec. 1, and a 62-58 loss to Ball State at home on Nov. 13. The Wolverines’ other loss came in a 92-47 pounding at the hands of No. 5 Duke at Crisler Arena.

Michigan has played six of its first 10 games this season at home, including wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (80-50) and Detroit (86-35), to post a 3-3 record on its homecourt. The Wolverines are 3-1 on the road with victories at UNLV (68-58), Toledo (44-41) and Central Michigan (52-47).

Cheryl Burnett leads the Wolverines to Nebraska. A 1981 Kansas graduate and the former head coach at Southwest Missouri State, Burnett has a strong connection with Husker Coach Connie Yori, as the pair went head-to-head in the Missouri Valley Conference throughout the decade of the 1990s.

Burnett led the SMS Lady Bears to NCAA Final Four appearances in 1992 and 2001. The 2001 squad featured National Player-of-the-Year Jackie Stiles.

After posting a 303-99 record from 1990 to 2002 at SMS, wins have been hard to come by in Ann Arbor. In her first season at Michigan in 2003-04, Burnett led the Wolverines to a 14-17 record. In 2004-05, Michigan fell to 5-23 overall and 1-15 in the Big Ten, before managing a 6-23 overall mark, including a 20-point home loss to Nebraska, and an 0-16 league mark last year.

The 2006-07 Wolverines have already matched last year’s victory total thanks to solid defense and a balanced offensive approach. Michigan is surrendering just 58.5 points per game, and only one Wolverine is averaging double figures offensively.

Janelle Cooper leads Michigan with 10.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest, while leading the Wolverines with 17 steals on the season. The 5-9 junior guard also leads Michigan with 14 made three-pointers.

Krista Phillips, a 6-6 freshman center, has added 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds, including the best effort of her career with 21 points and eight rebounds against Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday night. LeQuisha Whitfield, a 6-1 freshman forward, has added 8.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Stephany Skrba has pitched in 5.2 points and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds, while 5-5 sophomore guard Jessica Minnfield rounds out the Wolverines’ probable starting lineup with 4.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-leading 2.9 assists per game.

Melinda Queen (4.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg), Sireece Bass (2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg), Ashley Jones (1.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg) and Kelly Helvey (1.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg) have all made at least two starts for the Wolverines as well.

Although she has not earned a start, Carly Benson has been Michigan’s most productive player off the bench, averaging 6.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while knocking down 11-of-21 three-pointers. Benson averages 17.1 minutes per game. Kalyn McPherson has also seen action in all 10 games, while Katie Dierdorf, Ta’Shia Walker and Krista Clement have also seen significant playing time.

As a team, Michigan is averaging just 62.7 points per game and is shooting just 41.5 percent from the field, including 32.2 percent from three-point range. The Wolverines have also hit 66.5 percent of their free throws. Defensively, Michigan is holding the opposition to just 35.9 percent shooting, including a dismal 28.9 percent from long range. The Wolverines also own a plus-5.6 rebounding advantage, but own a negative-3.0 team turnover margin while committing an average of 22.6 miscues per game.

Nebraska vs. Michigan Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Michigan, 5-0, including a 2-0 mark at the Devaney Center. The Huskers are also 3-0 in Ann Arbor, including a 69-49 win over the Wolverines on Dec. 17, 2005. Kiera Hardy led NU with 21 points a year ago, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range. Kelsey Griffin added 12 points as the only two Huskers in double figures. Janelle Cooper led Michigan with 11 points, while Jessica Minnfield and Carly Benson each added nine points.

Not only have the Huskers never lost to Michigan, they have never been seriously challenged, winning all five games by double figures. The last meeting in Lincoln on Dec. 8, 1995, ended in a 70-59 NU win, after the Huskers posted a 99-81 win at Ann Arbor on Dec. 8, 1994. The closest game in the series came on Dec. 29, 1984, when NU defeated Michigan 64-54 at Crisler Arena.

The first game in the series was the highest scoring game in Nebraska history with the two teams combining for 210 points in a 118-92 Husker victory.

Hardy Off to Efficient Start to Senior Season
Kiera Hardy has had a hot hand for the Huskers to open the season. During a three-game stretch that included wins over UC Irvine, USC and Texas-Pan American, the 5-6 senior guard from Kansas City, Mo., averaged 22.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in just 22.3 minutes per game during Nebraska’s three victories.

Perhaps even more impressively, Hardy shot 64.1 percent (25-39) from the field, including a blistering 54.5 percent (12-22) from three-point range. She was also a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line during that stretch.

After erupting for a season-high 32 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals in 31 minutes in Nebraska’s win at USC on Nov. 26, Hardy was named the Big 12 Player of the Week. Her Thanksgiving weekend effort in California also included a 23-point effort at UC Irvine that included 7-of-12 shooting from the field and a 5-for-9 performance from three-point range.

Against USC, Hardy hit 14-of-23 shots from the field, including 4-of-10 three-pointers. She scored 32 points without making a single trip to the free throw line against the Women of Troy.

In Nebraska’s win over Texas-Pan American, Hardy scored 11 points in the first 5:45 of the game, to help the Huskers bolt to an 18-4 lead and blow away the Lady Broncs in a 40-point win. Hardy was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including a 3-for-3 performance from long range. She also hit both of her free throw attempts against UTPA to finish with 13 points in just 11 total minutes of action.

On the season, Hardy is averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent (20-45) from three-point range.

Hardy’s production has come while averaging just 24.4 minutes and 11.4 field goal attempts per game. In her three-year career at Nebraska entering this season, Hardy averaged 15.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point range. She produced those numbers while attempting 14.2 field goals per game in 28.2 minutes per contest.

Hardy Joins Big 12’s Three-Point and Scoring Elite
Preseason All-American Kiera Hardy leads the Huskers with 15.4 points per game, including a season-high 32 points in Nebraska’s 72-65 win at USC on Nov. 26. Hardy’s total against the Women of Troy tied for the second-highest scoring mark of her career, trailing only her 37-point performance against eventual national champion Baylor in 2005.

Hardy’s fourth 30-point scoring effort of her career pushed her career total beyond 1,500 points with her first basket of the second half. She enters the Michigan game ranked ninth on the Husker all-time scoring list with 1,539 points and needs just two points to catch Angie Miller in the No. 8 spot with 1,541 from 1983-84 to 1986-87. Hardy has scored 20 or more points on 31 occasions in her 99-game career.

Hardy has hit 13 of her last 29 three-point attempts over the past four games to shoot into ninth place on the Big 12’s all-time three-point list with 216. Hardy needs eight more threes to catch former Colorado guard Mandy Nightingale in eighth place with 224.

The active Big 12 three-point leader is Erin Higgins, who has hit 227 trifectas in her four-year career. Higgins, who entered the season with 222 threes, knocked down just 5-of-28 threes through OU’s first six games.

Hardy has connected on 20-of-45 three-pointers (44.4 percent) through Nebraska’s first eight games this season. After hitting a school-record 85 three-pointers as a sophomore in 2004-05, Hardy added 81 threes a year ago while leading the Big 12 with 2.53 made per game. She could realistically climb to No. 2 on the Big 12 all-time chart. Megan Taylor of Iowa State ranks second in league history with 287 career three-pointers as a four-year starter at Iowa State from 1998 to 2001. Laurie Koehn from Kansas State owns the Big 12 record with 392 three-pointers in her career from 2001 to 2005.

Hardy smashed Nebraska’s three-point record with six three-pointers against Texas on Jan. 18, 2006 She finished the night with 158 threes in 75 games, shooting past current WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge’s previous Nebraska mark of 155 three-pointers in 117 career games.

With seven three-pointers against Iowa on March 21, 2005, Hardy shares Nebraska’s single-game record and has hit six or more three-pointers in a game on five occasions.

Griffin Among Big 12’s Best in Scoring, Rebounding
After a record-breaking start to her Nebraska career in 2005-06, Kelsey Griffin has increased her production early in her sophomore campaign. Griffin’s 61 percent field goal accuracy ranks among the top 20 players in the nation.

The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, posted three consecutive double-doubles to increase her career total to six before settling for 15 points and seven rebounds in the Huskers’ 72-65 win at USC on Nov. 26. Griffin has doubled her career total for double-doubles already this season, after producing three in 32 games last season.

Through eight games as a sophomore, Griffin is averaging 15.0 points and a team-leading 8.4 boards per contest. She led Nebraska in rebounding each of the first seven games this season, before Chelsea Aubry pulled down eight boards to lead the Huskers against Minnesota.

Griffin scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 10 boards in just 15 minutes at UC Irvine on Nov. 24. She pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds against New Mexico and Cal State Fullerton.

Griffin was nothing short of spectacular in the second half in a four-game stretch from Nov. 13 to Nov. 26. She averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 boards after halftime in wins over New Mexico, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and USC. In the win over No. 18 New Mexico, she posted 17 points and 12 rebounds, including 11 points and nine boards in the second half to earn a spot on the Veterans Day Classic All-Tournament team and help the Huskers post their first road win over a top-25 non-conference opponent in nearly a decade.

For the season, Griffin is averaging 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 10.4 minutes per game after halftime. She has had at least four points and three rebounds in every second half this season, despite playing just two second-half minutes against Florida Atlantic and five second-half minutes against Texas-Pan American. She has produced double-figure point totals in the second half four times, while playing double-figure minutes only five times.

Griffin led the Huskers in scoring in two of three games at the Veterans Day Classic and produced Nebraska’s top individual rebounding total in all three contests. She scored 17 points and grabbed seven boards against No. 13 Arizona State in the season opener, before adding 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds in just 13 minutes in a romp past Florida Atlantic.

She had 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Huskers to a 76-62 win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17. Along with leading NU in rebounding and field goal percentage, she also leads the Huskers with 13 steals, while adding three blocked shots.

Griffin eclipsed the 500-point mark for her career against UC Irvine and has 544 points in 40 career games. Griffin has also pulled down 259 rebounds in her young career.

The Dallas Morning News 2006 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Griffin was one of five players chosen to the coaches Big 12 All-Rookie team a year ago. She averaged 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a true freshman, despite being limited by illness during Nebraska’s final nine games of the season. She also managed to battle through her condition to start all 32 games for the Huskers, becoming the first NU freshman since Meggan Yedsena in 1990-91 to start every game of her rookie campaign. Griffin is just the fourth Husker freshman in history to start every game in her first year.

She finished the year with 424 points, to rank as the fourth-best total by a freshman in school history. Her 54.1 field goal percentage ranked third among all freshmen in school history, while her 121 made free throws set NU’s freshman record.

Griffin produced one of the best rookie performances in NU history with 31 points and 14 boards in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 27, 2005. She also tied the school record with 18 free throw attempts against the Islanders. She added 28 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high three blocks at Kansas State on Feb. 4.

Husker Depth Creating Impressive Dividends
Although Nebraska’s 2006-07 roster features just 12 names, all hands have been on deck through the Huskers’ first eight games. All 12 players have appeared in at least two games, while 11 players have appeared in five or more contests. Eleven Huskers are also averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

Nebraska’s depth has allowed the Husker starters to rest their legs during a rigorous road schedule to open the season. NU played five of its first six games away from the Devaney Center with four of those contests coming against 2006 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, but the Husker starters were still able to stay fresh.

Senior guard Jelena Spiric leads the Huskers with 24.9 minutes per game after playing a season-high 37 minutes against Minnesota on Tuesday. Senior forward Chelsea Aubry has added 24.5 minutes per game, while two-time All-Big 12 senior guard Kiera Hardy has played just 24.4 minutes per contest. Sophomore forward Kelsey Griffin has pitched in 21.6 minutes per game. No other Husker has averaged 20 minutes per contest.

Off the bench, Nicole Neals, TK LaFleur and Cory Montgomery have all averaged more than 16 minutes per game, while Danielle Page has contributed nearly 15 minutes per contest. Yvonne Turner, Kala Kuhlmann and Nikki Bober have also seen significant playing time in their first seasons at Nebraska.

Those numbers come in stark contrast to the 2004-05 season, when Jina Johansen led the Huskers by playing a school-record 36.1 minutes per game, Hardy averaged 32.4 minutes per game as sophomore, and only eight players averaged double-figure minutes.

Spiric Off to Solid Start in Senior Season
Jelena Spiric has made a successful return to the court after missing the entire 2005-06 season with a knee injury. The 6-0 senior from Belgrade, Serbia, earned a spot on the Veterans Day Classic All-Tournament team with her 13-point, five-rebound performance in the Huskers’ 66-59 win over No. 18 New Mexico on Nov. 13. For the tournament, Spiric averaged 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

She added five points, four assists and a career-high 10 rebounds in Nebraska’s home-opening victory over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17. For the season Spiric is averaging 7.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Spiric suffered a torn right ACL in practice on Oct. 18, 2005, just days after the start of fall practice. Spiric’s injury sidelined her for the duration of her second season at Nebraska.

An outstanding student and experienced international player, Spiric considered returning to Europe to pursue a professional career after earning her bachelor’s degree as a biochemistry major in May of 2006.

Spiric chose to return for her final season at Nebraska, and the Huskers are planning to make it a memorable one for the 2005 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

As a junior in 2004-05, Spiric averaged 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the year, but increased her averages to 9.3 points and 4.6 boards per game in conference action.

Spiric was slowed at the start of her Nebraska career after suffering a torn left ACL in the final game of her junior college career at Colby Community College. Spiric earned NJCAA first-team All-America honors in her only season at Colby, averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

She opened her collegiate career at NCAA Division II UMass-Lowell, averaging 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the River Hawks as a freshman in 2002-03.

Aubry, Ford Add Leadership to Husker Lineup
Senior forward Chelsea Aubry and senior point guard Ashley Ford have been vocal leaders for the Huskers at both ends of the court for the Huskers at the start of 2006-07.

Aubry, one of Nebraska’s most experienced players with 66 career starts, is averaging 7.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game after season-bests of 14 points and a team-leading eight rebounds against Minnesota on Dec. 5. She posted her first double-figure scoring effort of the season with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17.

Aubry is shooting a strong 51 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from three-point range. She has hit 50 three-pointers in her career and needs 17 more to crack Nebraska’s all-time top 10 in that category. If she achieves the mark, she would become the first non-guard in school history to join the top 10 in made three-pointers.

The 6-2 forward has returned to her natural power forward position this season after unselfishly moving to the three spot last year to compensate for the loss of Jelena Spiric to a knee injury. Aubry’s numbers suffered last season as she adjusted to the wing, but her role as a leader on the team became even more recognizable.

Aubry continues to show her unselfishness on defense by stepping in to take repeated charges as one of the Huskers’ best interior defenders.

A three-year captain, Aubry played for the Canadian National Team at the 2006 World Championships in Brazil, after helping the Canadians earn a spot in the World Championships the previous summer.

A member of Nebraska’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an academic All-Big 12 performer in the classroom, Aubry participated in the NCAA Leadership Conference in 2005.

Despite being NU’s most inexperienced senior, Ford has also taken on a major leadership role for the Huskers this season. The 5-7 guard from Lincoln Northeast High School has started NU’s first eight games and is averaging 1.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

Ford has also proven herself as one of Nebraska’s best all-around defenders, not only putting solid pressure on the ball, but hawking the passing lanes and stepping in to take repeated charges on defense.

Page Making Miraculous Return from Knee Injury
Junior Danielle Page has made a remarkably fast recovery from an ACL injury in mid-June and returned to a full practice schedule on Monday, Oct. 30.

Page who underwent surgery on her right knee on June 29, spent an efficient four months rehabilitating her knee. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., was given the green light for full participation before NU’s final exhibition game against UNO. Although she was not expected to be ready for a full return until the start of the Big 12 Conference season in January, Page saw game action in Nebraska’s exhibition finale against Nebraska-Omaha.

Page showed no ill-effects of her injury. In fact, she showed the exceptional lateral quickness that made her one of Nebraska’s top shot-blockers in school history. She also connected on three mid-range jumpshots on her way to scoring 10 points. She added seven rebounds, one block, one steal and one assist in just 15 minutes of action off the bench.

Page has made major contributions to open the regular season by averaging 4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. She had her strongest performance of the season with nine points, five rebounds and a career-high tying five blocked shots against UC Irvine on Nov. 24. Last season, Page averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 boards per game.

A dominant defender in the post, Page is one of the leading shot-blockers in Nebraska history, ranking No. 7 on the Husker career block chart with 75. She has added 58 steals and 179 defensive rebounds in her career, making her one of NU’s top all-around defensive players.

LaFleur Playing Well in Second Season
Sophomore TK LaFleur is seeing significant minutes this season after surging down the stretch in her freshman campaign. The 5-8 guard from Houston averaged 7.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in NU’s final 10 games and had an excellent offseason. LaFleur provides the Huskers with an athletic presence on the wing, along with solid defensive skills, while she continues to expand her offensive game.

She demonstrated her improvements with the best performance of her career in Nebraska’s 93-53 win over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 12 at the Veterans Day Classic in Tempe, Ariz. LaFleur tied her career highs with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Owls. She scored 12 points and pulled down four boards in the first half alone to power the Huskers to a 30-point halftime lead.

Through eight games this season, LaFleur is averaging 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game to help the Huskers to a 6-2 record. She has also hit 5-of-13 attempts from three-point range.

Although she did not earn a start in her freshman season, LaFleur averaged nearly 17 minutes per game off the bench, including 21 minutes per contest during the final 10 games. She averaged 5.4 points per game on the year, while ranking third on the team with 20 made three-pointers (32.3 percent).

Husker Freshmen Contributing Early and Often
Nebraska’s five-player freshman class has made significant contributions while gaining meaningful experience through the Huskers’ first eight games.

Cory Montgomery, a 6-2 forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., has made major contributions in all eight contests, averaging 9.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game off the bench. Montgomery established a career high with 18 points in the Huskers’ 77-37 win over Texas-Pan American on Nov. 28. She added 16 points and a career-high five rebounds in a 93-53 win over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 12, while pumping in a team-high 15 points in NU’s 76-62 win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17.

Nicole Neals, a native of Chandler, Ariz., has also provided a spark off the bench for the Huskers. Neals is averaging 4.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game, while leading the freshmen with 19.5 minutes per contest. She scored a career-high nine points in a career-high 29 minutes against Minnesota on Dec. 5. She had eight points, including a pair of three-pointers to help ignite Nebraska’s comeback from an 11-point first-half deficit in the win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17. She added six points on a pair of big threes to help the Huskers win at USC on Nov. 26.

WBCA High School All-American Yvonne Turner dished out six assists in the win over Florida Atlantic and has averaged 2.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game. Turner has seen action in five games. She did not play against Cal State Fullerton or Minnesota and missed NU’s win at UC Irvine with an illness. The Omaha native led Bellevue East to a state title a year ago. Her progress was slowed in the offseason by a left foot injury that forced her into a walking boot for eight weeks.

Freshman center Nikki Bober enjoyed a solid debut by scoring double figures with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in NU’s win over Florida Atlantic. Bober added four points, one rebound, two steals and a blocked shot in the Huskers’ 77-37 win over Texas-Pan American on Nov. 28. The tallest player on the Husker roster, the 6-4 post player from Elmwood-Murdock averaged 17 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a senior, after rebounding from a season-ending knee injury early in her junior season.

Des Moines Register Iowa Female Athlete-of-the-Year Kala Kuhlmann has played in seven games, including a career-high 20 minutes off the bench against Texas-Pan American on Nov. 28. Kuhlmann missed NU’s win over Florida Atlantic with an illness. Kuhlmann finished her career as the fourth-leading scorer in Iowa High School history with 2,337 points. As a sophomore at Charter Oak-Ute, Kuhlmann led the state by averaging 28 points per game.

Huskers Tackle Challenging 2006-07 Schedule
After playing 16 games against teams that advanced to postseason play in 2005-06, Nebraska will face an even more challenging road during the 2006-07 campaign.

Nebraska’s regular-season schedule could include as many as 18 games against 2006 postseason qualifiers with as many as seven non-conference games against some of the nation’s best teams. Among the Huskers’ eight road non-conference games this season, as many as six could come against 2006 NCAA teams.

The Huskers dove headfirst into the postseason-caliber action with three games against 2006 NCAA Tournament qualifiers on the road in the opening weekend of the season. Nebraska fell to No. 13 Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 10, before rebounding with a 93-53 win over 2006 NCAA qualifier Florida Atlantic in the second game of the Veterans Day Classic on Nov. 12.

The Huskers faced their third straight 2006 NCAA Tournament squad when they knocked off No. 18 New Mexico, 66-59, in Tempe on Nov. 13. The victory marked Nebraska’s first non-conference road win since defeating No. 16 Western Kentucky on Nov. 20, 1997.

On Nov. 26, the Huskers posted their third win of the season over an NCAA Tournament team with a 72-65 victory at USC. The Women of Troy joined Arizona State and New Mexico in advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

The Huskers battled 2006 NCAA qualifier Minnesota at the Devaney Center on Dec. 5. The Golden Gophers are the only NCAA team that ventured to Lincoln during the non-conference season. The game with Minnesota was the second of six straight contests NU will play in Nebraska from the week after Thanksgiving through Christmas.

The Huskers will get ready for Big 12 play by facing 2006 NCAA qualifier NC State at the State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla., on Dec. 28. If the Huskers can get past the Wolfpack, they could see the hosts from Florida in the championship game on Dec. 29. The Gators earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament last year and have received preseason top-25 consideration.

While the Huskers could play seven of their first 14 games against 2006 postseason qualifiers, their 16-game Big 12 Conference schedule will only offer more challenges with 11 games against postseason competition. Nebraska opens the Big 12 slate at Texas, a perennial national power that did not advance to postseason play in 2006.

The Huskers play their Big 12 home opener against defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma on Jan. 6. The home game with the Sooners will start a stretch of nine consecutive games against 2006 postseason clubs for the Huskers.

The nine-game stretch will include a game with 2005 NCAA and Big 12 champion Baylor at the Devaney Center on Feb. 3, along with road contests at 2006 NCAA qualifiers Missouri (Jan. 20) and Texas A&M (Jan. 24). Big 12 North series with 2006 WNIT champion Kansas State and WNIT qualifier Kansas will be completed during the run, while the Huskers will also face WNIT qualifier Iowa State at home on Jan. 31.

If Nebraska can capitalize on its opportunities during the first 10 games of the Big 12 schedule, the Huskers could have a chance to build momentum heading into the postseason with four of their last six league games coming against teams that did not advance to postseason play a year ago.

The Huskers honor their four-player senior class on Feb. 27 in the regular-season finale against Colorado, before going to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the COX Convention Center in Oklahoma City, March 6-10.

Huskers Sixth in Preseason Big 12 Poll
The Nebraska women’s basketball team was tabbed as the No. 6 team in the Big 12 by the league coaches, the conference office announced in its preseason poll on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

Defending conference champion Oklahoma was picked to win its second consecutive conference title in 2006-07. The Sooners received all 11 possible first-place votes for a total of 121 points. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Texas A&M was selected second (107 points), followed by Texas in third (101 points), Baylor fourth (94 points) and Iowa State fifth (68 points), with the Huskers just two points behind the Cyclones in sixth with 66 points.

The second tier of conference teams opened with a tie for seventh between Kansas State and Texas Tech with 57 points. Missouri (ninth, 43 points), Kansas (10th, 36 points), Colorado (11th, 26 points) and Oklahoma State (12th, 16 points) rounded out the preseason ballot.

Oklahoma is ranked as high as second nationally in preseason publications, while Texas A&M, Baylor, Iowa State, Texas, Kansas State and Texas Tech have also received recognition in preseason polls. Nebraska has received votes in several preseason publications.

Baylor and Oklahoma advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2005-06 and were joined in the NCAA Tournament by Texas A&M and Missouri. Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska competed in the WNIT.

Yori Leading New Growth in Nebraska Program
Now in her fifth season at Nebraska, Coach Connie Yori hopes to have the Huskers heading into the growth stage of what began as a major rebuilding project in 2002.

Yori arrived in Lincoln on June 24, 2002, and was left with only a handful of healthy scholarship players and three consecutive losing seasons behind the existing players. After a challenging first season, Yori guided the Huskers to one of the nation’s top turnarounds in 2003-04.

Nebraska finished the season with an 18-12 record and 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 final 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 may have been 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 in 2004-05 by replacing four senior starters from 2003-04 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 kept building in 2005-06 by winning two postseason games for the first time in school history. NU’s 19-13 record also marked the Huskers’ most victories since the 1998-99 campaign. The Huskers finished with an 8-8 league mark for the second straight year and won a game in the Big 12 Championship for the second consecutive season.

Perhaps most impressively, the Huskers went 5-0 in regular-season rematches with Big 12 North Division opponents and completed the first three-game sweep of Colorado in school history. Overall, Nebraska posted a 7-3 regular-season mark against Big 12 North foes.

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

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 social activities, 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 mgreen@fastbreakersonline.com or call the Nebraska women’s basketball office at (402) 472-6462.

2007 Fastbreakers Membership Levels

Tip-In ($50) - (Access to Preferred Parking, game information, e-mail news, Yearbook, game day program, game notes, year-end banquet invite) 3-Pointer ($100) (Same as Tip-In, plus one media guide and a free Lil’ Breakers membership) Slam Dunk ($250) (Same as 3-Pointer, plus Complimentary Preferred Parking, Eligible for Coach of the Game) All-Star ($500) (Same as Slam Dunk, plus a silver commemorative pin) MVP ($1,000+) (Same as All-Star, plus free admission for two at all Backboard Banquets and gold commemorative pin)

Fastbreakers Set Backboard Banquet Schedule
The Fastbreakers announced their Backboard Banquet Schedule for the 2006-07 season in early November. Each Backboard Banquet will be held 90 minutes before tip-off each game. Each meal will be served by Premier Catering and reservations can be made by calling Rose Sousek in the Nebraska women’s basketball office at (402) 472-6462.

Backboard Banquet Schedule - Dinner
Wednesday, Jan. 17 - Kansas State - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17 - Missouri - 5:30 p.m.

Make the Right Call with Traveling Fastbreakers
The Fastbreakers are planning two bus trips to Nebraska women’s basketball road games during the 2006-07 season. Make plans now to join the Fastbreakers’ trips to Kansas (Jan. 13) and Colorado (Feb. 10).

The buses to Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday, Jan. 13, will depart from the Lincoln Public Schools District Office parking lot at 59th and O St. at 2 p.m. The cost is $25 per person or $100 per family. The reservation deadline is Dec. 15. The cost of the trips to Kansas and Colorado do not include the cost of the game tickets.

For the trip to Boulder, Colo., the buses will depart the LPSDO lot at 5:30 a.m. The cost for the trip to Colorado is $90 per person and a group rate of $129 (plus tax) has been reserved at the Boulder Marriott for the night of the game. A deposit of $50 is required and the reservation deadline is Jan. 17. The number for the Boulder Marriott is 888-238-2178 to reserve the group rate by Jan. 10.

To sign up for the trip, stop at the Fastbreakers tables in the concourse at any Husker home game, or call Connie Renken at 450-1785 or 476-0306 or Kathy Branchaud at 432-8990 for more information.

Huskers Make Permanent Leap to Froggy
For the first time, all of Nebraska’s women’s basketball games this season will be available on the same Husker Sports Network station in Lincoln, Froggy 98.1 FM-KFGE.

All of Nebraska’s regular-season games, home and away, will be available on KFGE unless the game conflicts with a Nebraska football broadcast, including the Huskers’ Nov. 24 game at UC Irvine (possibly Colorado football) and a potential bowl game conflict on Dec. 28 or Dec. 29.

In the past, the women’s basketball team’s primary station in Lincoln has been 1400 AM-KLIN, the sister station of KFGE. Nebraska’s games carried on the entire Husker Sports Network were aired on KLIN, but if conflicts with football, men’s basketball or volleyball existed, the women’s basketball games were moved to KFGE, forcing Husker fans in Lincoln to search their radio dials for broadcasts.

This season, the women’s basketball games will be heard exclusively on KFGE and continue to be available for free around the world on Huskers.com.

Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch are teaming up for their sixth full season on the call of the game, with Coatney providing the play-by-play. The pregame show hits the air 25 minutes before each game.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 302-109 (.735) in games played in the arena, including 109-69 (.612) in conference games. NU is 2-1 at home in 2006-07.

Nebraska finished with an 11-4 record at home in 2005-06, including a postseason win over Drake at the Devaney Center on March 16. 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 3-2 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 Nebraska’s 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.

The Huskers ranked 25th nationally in 2004-05 by averaging 4,022 fans per contest. The Huskers attracted two of the four largest crowds in school history in back-to-back games on Feb. 12 and Feb. 23, 2005 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.