<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln - Kelsey Griffin scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting to lead Nebraska to an 80-42 win over NichollsState at the BobDevaneySportsCenter on Thursday night.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
Nebraska, which improved to 10-2 with the victory in front of 2,431 fans, bolted out of the locker room on an 11-0 run to start the game and never led by fewer than eight points the rest of the way. NichollsState slipped to 2-8 with the loss.
Griffin, a 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, produced her second 20-point scoring performance of the season by hitting 9-of-10 shots from the field and 2-of-3 free throws to finish with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Freshman forward Cory Montgomery added her fifth double-figure scoring effort of the season with 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
Danielle Page gave the Huskers three players in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Kiera Hardy added nine points on a trio of three-pointers, and TK LaFleur pitched in eight points while tying a career-best with four assists.
As a team, Nebraska passed the ball extremely well with 23 assists on 28 made field goals, including 15 assists on 15 made baskets in the second half. The Huskers' unselfish play helped them notch their 41st consecutive victory when scoring 80 or more points. NU also held its fourth opponent this season under 50 points.
“I was really pleased with how we moved the ball offensively tonight,” Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. “We had a really high assist-to-made basket ratio with 23 assists on just 28 baskets. That’s pretty good. I thought we passed the ball really well, even when our younger players were out there for most of the second half.”
Nebraska, which had 11 different players find the scoring column, also had 11 different players produce double-figure minutes in the game.
The Huskers raced to a 44-16 halftime lead. NichollsState's halftime total tied for the sixth-lowest first-half mark by an opponent in school history. It also marked the third time this season that NU has held an opponent to 17 points or less in the opening period.
The Huskers took their biggest lead of the game at 40 points on Montgomery's final bucket with 17 seconds remaining to make it 80-40, before Katherine Plummer hit a running one-hander at the buzzer for NichollsState to make the final margin.
Jamie Octave led the Lady Colonels with 14 points, while Claire Barry added 10 points for NichollsState. Plummer finished with nine points.
As a team, Nebraska shot 44.4 percent (28-63) from the field, including 45 percent (9-20) from three-point range with a season-high nine three-pointers. The Huskers also connected on 75 percent (15-20) of their free throws, led by Montgomery's perfect 7-for-7 night at the stripe. Montgomery also hit her second career three-pointer, following her first make of the season at Creighton on Tuesday.
The Huskers outrebounded NichollsState 47-27, while forcing 19 turnovers and committing just 14 of their own. The Lady Colonels hit just 32 percent (16-50) of their attempts, including 23.5 percent (4-17) from beyond the arc. NichollsState also managed just 54.5 percent (6-11) shooting at the free throw line.
The Huskers will break for the holiday before returning to practice on Dec. 26. Nebraska travels to Gainesville, Fla., on Dec. 27, and will resume competition against North CarolinaState (9-2) in the first round of the State Farm Classic on Dec. 28.
Official Basketball Box Score Official Basketball Box Score NICH vs Nebraska 12/21/06 7:06 p.m. at Bob Devaney Sports Center - Lincoln, NE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISITORS: NICH (2-8) TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 14 Washington, Dominiqu f 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 21 10 Octave, Jamie....... g 6-12 2-6 0-0 0 3 3 4 14 3 2 0 0 25 13 Barry, Claire....... g 4-7 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 2 10 0 1 0 1 28 20 Febus, Barbara...... g 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 4 5 2 0 1 1 1 0 19 23 Lewis, Tiffany...... g 0-2 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 1 7 03 Plummer, Katherine.. 4-13 0-2 1-2 1 0 1 1 9 1 5 0 2 33 11 Jones, Tiffany...... 2-5 0-1 0-1 1 0 1 2 4 0 1 0 0 13 12 Knights, Heather.... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 22 Johnson, Kelli...... 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 25 Green, Maggie....... 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 15 43 Kefu, Funaki........ 0-3 0-0 4-6 4 2 6 4 4 0 4 0 1 24 TEAM................ 3 3 1 Totals.............. 16-50 4-17 6-11 7 20 27 19 42 7 19 1 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 6-21 28.6% 2nd Half: 10-29 34.5% Game: 32.0% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-10 20.0% 2nd Half: 2-7 28.6% Game: 23.5% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 2-2 100 % 2nd Half: 4-9 44.4% Game: 54.5% 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME TEAM: Nebraska (10-2) TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 04 SPIRIC, Jelena...... f 2-9 1-2 0-0 4 4 8 2 5 3 2 0 2 20 23 GRIFFIN, Kelsey..... f 9-10 0-0 2-3 2 3 5 0 20 2 0 0 0 20 45 AUBRY, Chelsea...... f 1-5 1-1 0-0 2 1 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 16 02 FORD, Ashley........ g 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 12 21 HARDY, Kiera........ g 3-7 3-7 0-0 0 0 0 2 9 2 3 0 2 14 11 NEALS, Nicole....... 0-4 0-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 0 5 0 0 1 22 12 LaFLEUR, TK......... 3-7 2-4 0-0 2 2 4 1 8 4 0 0 1 21 13 KUHLMANN, Kala...... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 2 1 3 0 0 15 22 TURNER, Yvonne...... 1-4 1-3 0-1 1 2 3 4 3 1 1 0 0 16 40 MONTGOMERY, Cory.... 4-8 1-1 7-7 4 4 8 0 16 0 2 0 0 20 42 BOBER, Nikki........ 1-2 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 2 3 0 1 0 1 6 52 PAGE, Danielle...... 3-5 0-0 4-5 2 5 7 2 10 2 2 2 0 18 TEAM................ 4 4 Totals.............. 28-63 9-20 15-20 18 29 47 15 80 23 14 2 7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-32 46.9% 2nd Half: 13-31 41.9% Game: 44.4% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-11 45.5% 2nd Half: 4-9 44.4% Game: 45.0% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 9-11 81.8% 2nd Half: 6-9 66.7% Game: 75.0% 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials: Phil Streit, Greg Small, Doug Knight Technical fouls: NICH-None. Nebraska-None. Attendance: 2431 Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total NICH.......................... 16 26 - 42 Nebraska...................... 44 36 - 80