Huskers Face Rebels In NCAA Tourney-Caliber Battle

The Nebraska women’s basketball team will try to complete an impressive sweep in its season-opening weekend when the Huskers battle the Mississippi Rebels on Sunday afternoon at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Tip time is set for 2:05 p.m., with radio coverage provided by the Husker Sports Network on 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln, along with free Internet audio provided by Huskers.com. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will team up to call the action all season long on the Husker Sports Network.

The Huskers will be hoping for an encore after capturing a thrilling 81-74 victory over UTEP in their season opener at the Devaney Center on Friday night. Nebraska’s opening-night victory had all the storylines and drama of a postseason tournament game.

Nebraska will need to muster the same effort, intensity and shot-making ability if the Huskers hope to knock off the Rebels. Last season, Ole Miss advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight by defeating 2007 Big 12 co-champion Oklahoma, before falling to eventual national champion Tennessee. The Rebels finished the season with a 24-11 overall record, including a 9-5 mark in the powerful Southeastern Conference.

Although the Huskers improved to 32-2 all-time in season-openers, Friday night’s win may have been one of the most impressive tip-offs in school history. UTEP returned four starters from a team that finished with a 22-8 record in 2006-07. The Miners also added a senior transfer, Natasha Lacy, who was one of the top all-around players in TCU history before transferring to the El Paso school. Lacy finished with 18 points, while her teammate, sophomore Jareica Hughes, showed the ability to fill it up with 27 points, nine assists and four steals.

The Husker lineup featured four first-time starters, while first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin was not expected to play at all because of a rib injury. Not only did Griffin play, she started the game and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, including several clutch plays on both the offensive and defensive ends down the stretch. Griffin, along with NU’s lone senior Danielle Page (career-high 19 points, 9 rebounds), and junior transfer Tay Hester (13 points, 12 rebounds), powered the Huskers to a decisive 19-2 run in the closing minutes.

Scouting Mississippi
First-year coach Renee Ladner will coach her first career regular-season game when she leads her alma mater, Ole Miss, against the Huskers on Sunday at the Devaney Center.

Ladner leads a Rebel team that returns a pair of starters and 11 total letterwinners from a squad that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight last season under Carol Ross. That Mississippi team was led on the court by All-American guard Armintie Price. One of the top players in Ole Miss history, Price averaged 19.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game for the Rebels as a senior last season before being chosen with the No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. She went on to earn 2007 WNBA Rookie-of-the-Year honors with the Chicago Sky.

Along with losing the explosive presence and leadership of Price, the Rebels also lost senior Ashley Awkward to graduation. Awkward started all 35 games, averaging 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Another senior, Jada Mincy, was also big for the Rebels on the boards last year in 33 starts, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game while adding 4.6 points per game.

Although the Rebels lost some impressive talent, they also return 5-8 sophomore guard Alliesha Easley, who averaged 11.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a freshman starter last season. Danetra Forrest, a 6-1 senior forward, joined Easley in the starting lineup for all 35 games and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Carla Bartee, another 6-1 senior forward, appeared in 35 games for the Rebels off the bench last year and provided solid contributions with 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Another major contributor off the bench was 6-3 junior center Shawn Goff, who averaged 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while leading Ole Miss with 48 blocked shots on the year. Goff was explosive in the Rebel’s two exhibition games to open the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 boards in 21 minutes off the bench in an 83-56 win over DT3 on Nov. 4. She added 19 points and 11 boards in 31 minutes off the bench in a loss to the Ohio Legends on Thursday.

While Goff is expected to continue to come off the bench, 5-4 sophomore guard Shantell Black (3.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and 5-10 sophomore guard Bianca Thomas (3.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg) will round out a small but quick Ole Miss starting five.

True freshman Kayla Melson could also play a major role off the bench for the Rebels. The 5-8 guard played nearly 22 minutes per contest in Mississippi’s two exhibition games, averaging 9.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Melson scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field in the Rebels’ 84-78 loss to the Ohio Legends on Thursday night in Oxford, Miss.

Last season, Ole Miss averaged an impressive 77.7 points per game, despite being a poor shooting team. The Rebels hit just 41 percent of their field goal attempts, including a dismal 26.4 percent shooting from three-point range. Ole Miss was also a poor free throw shooting team, hitting just 63.5 percent of its shots.

The Rebels made up for their lack of shooting touch by being one of the most dangerous defensive teams in the nation. Playing against some of the toughest and most talented competition in the country in the SEC, the Rebels produced a startling plus-8.5 turnover margin on the season to go along with a plus-2.1 rebounding margin. Ole Miss turned those nearly 11 possessions per game into layups and putbacks, as the Rebels grabbed nearly 200 more offensive rebounds than their opponents.

Those tendencies held true in the Rebels’ two exhibition games this season, as they grabbed an amazing 55 offensive rebounds and forced 55 total turnovers in the two games. On the flip side, Ole Miss hit just 6-of-32 three-point attempts (18.8 percent) and just 23-of-45 free throw attempts (51.1 percent).

Nebraska vs. Mississippi Series History
Nebraska and Ole Miss will meet for just the second time in women’s basketball on Sunday. Nebraska’s only other meeting with the Rebels came in Coach Connie Yori’s second season at NU, when the Huskers fell to Mississippi, 69-66, in the opening round of the Lady Tiger Kroger Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn., on Nov. 28, 2003.

The Rebels, who were under the direction of first-year head coach Carol Ross, knocked off the Huskers behind a strong performance from freshman guard Armintie Price, who poured in 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in 32 minutes of action. That was just a small sign of things to come from Price, who led the Rebels to the NCAA Elite Eight as a senior last year while earning All-America honors. Price was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft and went on to earn WNBA Rookie-of-the-Year honors in her first season by averaging 7.9 points and 2.9 assists per game for the Chicago Sky.

Alexa Johnson led the Huskers with 20 points and six rebounds against Ole Miss in 2003, while Margaret Richards added 19 points and nine boards.

In a rugged game, both teams shot just 34 percent from the field and the Huskers owned the boards with a plus-14 rebounding margin (52-38). However, Ole Miss produced a plus-12 turnover margin (21-9) to steal the victory.

Huskers Win Opening Night Thriller, 81-74 Over UTEP
In a thrilling season opener that featured big runs by both teams, senior forward Danielle Page scored nine points in the final 5:22 to power a 13-0 NU surge and help the Huskers to an 81-74 victory over UTEP at the Devaney Center on Friday night.

In her first career start, Page scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead four Huskers in double figures. Page did most of her damage in a 2:16 stretch when she turned a 63-60 NU deficit with 5:23 left into a 71-63 lead with 3:07 remaining.

The Huskers actually fell behind 61-54 with 7:49 remaining after an 8-0 run by the Miners’ Jareica Hughes that lasted just 1:18 and gave UTEP its biggest lead of the night. Hughes finished with game highs of 27 points, nine assists and four steals.

Enter Kelsey Griffin, who was not expected to play after suffering a rib injury in the second half of Monday’s exhibition win over Nebraska-Omaha. Even though Griffin was taken from the Devaney Center by ambulance to the hospital for testing on Monday night and did not practice the entire week, the first-team All-Big 12 forward made her conference-leading 65th consecutive start.

She also came up big in the clutch, stopping UTEP’s run with a free throw that came after an offensive rebound. Griffin, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, also made two of the biggest defensive plays of the night by drawing personal fouls No. 4 and No. 5 on the Miners’ Natasha Lacy, who despite sitting on the bench with four fouls for nearly 13 minutes in the second half, still managed 18 points before fouling out in the final minute.

Page followed Griffin’s miss on the second free throw attempt with a rebound. Page missed a jumper, but Tay Hester, who finished with a double-double in her Husker debut with 13 points and 12 boards, got another offensive rebound and knocked down a jumper against her former UTEP teammates to cut the lead to 61-57 with seven minutes left.

Freshman point guard Kaitlyn Burke then brought the 2,162 fans at the Devaney Center to their feet by burying her third three-pointer of the night to pull NU within 61-60 with 6:05 left. Burke, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, finished with 13 points in her NU debut.

Hughes paused NU’s 6-0 run with a jumper to push the lead back to 63-60, before Page took over.

The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., tied the score with a three-point play with 6:22 left, then after a steal and layup by Hester gave NU the lead back at 65-63, Page drew the fifth foul of the night on UTEP’s 6-5 center Izabela Piekarska with 4:27 left.

Page connected on both free throws, before picking up the defensive rebound at the other end. She followed with a jumper off an assist from Burke to push NU’s lead to 69-63 with 3:57 to play. "Big D" wasn’t done yet, helping pick up a stop on the defensive end before sprinting down the floor and making a spectacular catch and finish off a pass from Hester to run NU’s lead to 71-63 with 3:07 left.

Page picked up another stop on the defensive end by pulling down the rebound of Hughes’ missed three-point attempt, before Griffin pushed NU’s lead to 10 points at 73-63 with a jumper with 2:27 to play.

UTEP was unable to recover from NU’s 19-2 eruption, as the Huskers picked up a home-opening victory for the 32nd time in 34 years. NU also won its 45th consecutive game when scoring 80 or more points.

The win for the Huskers on Friday may have been one of their most memorable openers in history. Not only was Nebraska starting four players who had never started a game in an NU uniform, Griffin was not expected to play, let alone start, just hours before the game.

Nebraska finished the night with a 45-29 advantage over the Miners on the boards, including 16 offensive rebounds. The Huskers also hit 49.2 percent (29-59) of their shots from the field, including 54.5 percent (6-11) of their three-pointers. NU also outscored UTEP by 14 at the free throw line, connecting on 17-of-26 free throw attempts.

UTEP, which finished the 2006-07 season with a 22-8 record, closed the night by hitting 47.1 percent (32-68) of its shots from the field, including 7-of-20 three-pointers, but the Miners were just 3-for-7 at the free throw line. UTEP committed just 16 turnovers, while forcing 21 miscues by NU.

Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success
Nebraska owns a strong history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ homecourt at the Devaney Center. Nebraska improved to 32-2 all-time in home openers with its 81-74 victory over UTEP on Friday.

From 1981-82 through 2004-05, Nebraska reeled off a string of 24 consecutive home-opening victores before the streak was snapped by South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss came in an 88-56 setback to Kansas on Nov. 21, 1980.

Nebraska has also been traditionally strong in the second game of its home season, posting a 27-6 all-time record in its second home contest of the year.

All-Big 12 Forward Griffin Shows Her Toughness in Opener
First-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin was listed as questionable for Friday night’s win over UTEP, but the only question in her mind may have been when she was going to decide that she would start.

She answered that question at 4:30 on Friday afternoon when she made the decision to start Nebraska’s season opener despite sitting out all week with sore ribs.

Griffin suffered the injury after a pair of collisions early in the second half of Monday night’s exhibition win over Nebraska-Omaha. In fact, she was not around to see NU’s win over the Mavs because she was taken by ambulance to Saint Elizabeth’s Regional Medical Center in Lincoln for evaluation and testing. She did not spend the night in the hospital, but she did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and shot around for only a few minutes on Friday afternoon.

Griffin showed no ill effects of the injury, grabbing the opening tip-off and helping the Huskers roll to a 31-16 lead in the first 14 minutes by scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds. She finished the night with 15 points and eight boards, almost exactly her averages from her first-team All-Big 12 season in 2006-07.

Big D Comes Up Big Time in Season-Opening Win
Nebraska’s lone senior, Danielle Page, erupted for a career-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in her first career start in the Huskers’ 81-74 victory over UTEP on Friday. Page, a 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., scored nine points in less than three minutes to spark Nebraska’s decisive 19-2 surge in the final seven minutes of the game. Page was 8-of-14 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 at the free throw line.

Page’s point total surpassed her previous career-high of 17 points set against Kansas on Jan. 27, 2007. Page will hope to complete a strong opening weekend against Ole Miss on Sunday, before celebrating her 21st birthday on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

Page has been a major contributor off the bench for the Huskers the last three seasons, appearing in 97 consecutive games, including her start in Friday’s season opener. Last year, Page bounced back quickly from ACL surgery on her right knee on June 29, 2006, to appear in NU’s first regular-season game. She enjoyed her best season, averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, including a season-high 17 points against Kansas on Jan. 27. It was one of seven double-figure scoring performances for Page as a junior, including her second career double-double with 11 points and 10 boards in NU’s win over No. 25 Kansas State on Jan. 17.

Page showed her defensive dominance throughout the season by setting NU’s junior single-season record with 60 blocked shots, including a record-setting nine blocks, while tying a career high with 11 rebounds in Nebraska’s 76-67 win over No. 13 Baylor on Feb. 3.

Page’s effort against the Lady Bears was one of the best individual defensive performances in school history. She tied the previous school record with seven blocks in just 13 first-half minutes, before adding a pair after halftime. She also grabbed nine defensive rebounds. She added a strong effort in the NCAA Tournament with eight points, a game-high eight rebounds and an NU NCAA Tournament record five blocks in a loss to Temple on March 18.

She added 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in NU’s 79-76 overtime loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals (March 7). Page scored eight straight points at the end of regulation and the start of overtime, including a pair of free throws with 9.7 seconds left in regulation to give NU a 70-67 lead over ISU.

Hester Gives Huskers Dual Threat On The Wing
After struggling somewhat in Nebraska’s exhibition wins over Nebraska-Kearney and Nebraska-Omaha, junior guard Tay Hester put up big numbers in her Husker debut against her former teammates from UTEP.

Hester, who started eight games for the Miners as a freshman in 2005-06 before transferring to Mt. San Antonio Community College in California for her sophomore season, produced her first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in a dazzling Husker debut. Hester, who added two assists and two steals, could have had an even bigger night but connected on just 3-of-8 free throws for the Huskers.

Hester’s double-double marked the first double-double by a Husker wing player since Keasha Cannon-Johnson had 11 points and 10 rebounds in NU’s Postseason WNIT victory over Drake on March 18, 2004. Hester also became one of three active Huskers to post double-doubles in their career at NU, joining Kelsey Griffin (13) and Danielle Page (2).

Burke Earns Nomination For Best Supporting Role In Debut
No stranger to the spotlight, Kaitlyn Burke certainly earned a nomination for best supporting role by a Husker non-starter in her Nebraska premiere on Friday night. The former childhood actress brought her talents to the Devaney Center stage against the Miners by scoring 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers off the bench, to help the Huskers to the 81-74 win over the Miners.

The 5-7 guard from North Vancouver, British Columbia, turned her focus from feature films such as Questar’s Ms. Bear (1997) and Bear with Me (2000), to athletics seven years ago, after appearing with such Hollywood stars as Lindsay Lohan, Tyra Banks and Henry Winkler. Last year, Burke played on the international stage as a member of the Canadian Junior National Team and was one of the first members of the Canadian National Development Academy in 2006-07.

In the opener, Burke showed experience beyond her years by burying her third three-pointer of the night with 6:05 left in the game to pull NU within 61-60. Burke, who just celebrated her 18th birthday on Aug. 30, went 3-of-4 from the field (all three-pointers) and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line despite suffering a dislocated finger on her shooting hand during fall practice.

Freshman Kelley Produces Solid Opening Night Start
Lincoln native Dominique Kelley produced a solid opening-act to her Nebraska career in an 81-74 victory over UTEP on Friday night. Kelley, who was the lone freshman in the Huskers’ starting lineup in the opener, scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists in her regular-season debut. She also connected on 2-of-3 three-pointers to give NU a pair of freshman weapons from long range, joining Kaitlyn Burke (3-4 3FG).

The 2007 Nebraska High School Player of the Year and a WBCA Honorable-Mention High School All-American, Kelley produced one of the best prep careers in Nebraska history at Lincoln Northeast.

Kelley led the Rockets to a 70-3 record in her final three seasons, scoring 595 points as a senior, just 19 points shy of the Class A single-season scoring record set by former Husker and 1988 Big Eight Player-of-the-Year Maurtice Ivy. Kelley averaged 24.7 points per game last year. She will celebrate her 19th birthday next week on Nov. 20.

Nebraska Hopes to Reload after Successful 2006-07 Season
Although the Huskers will be one of the Big 12 Conference’s most inexperienced teams in 2007-08, Nebraska Coach Connie Yori is excited by the energy and defensive ability the young Huskers have brought to the court in preseason workouts and exhibition games.

Nebraska must fill the shoes of three-time first-team All-Big 12 guard and 2007 WNBA Draft pick Kiera Hardy, three-year starter and honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick Chelsea Aubry, 2005 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Jelena Spiric and senior point guard Ashley Ford from last year’s team. Those four seniors started all 32 games along with Kelsey Griffin last year and helped the Huskers to their fourth consecutive postseason tournament berth.

The Huskers finished with a 22-10 overall record and a tie for fourth place in the powerful Big 12 with a 10-6 mark, before earning the school’s seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

While Nebraska lost 80 percent of its starting lineup from a year ago, NU’s senior starters accounted for just 47 percent of the Huskers’ scoring and just 38 percent of their rebounding in 2006-07.

NU finished the 2006-07 season ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring offense at 71.2 points per game and second in team field goal percentage at 44.6 percent. However, the Huskers ranked ninth in the league in scoring defense (62.6 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (38.9 percent), including the worst three-point field goal percentage defense in the league (35.4 percent).

"I think we have a chance to be significantly improved on the defensive end," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "Dominique Kelley, Vonnie Turner, Kaitlyn Burke and Tay Hester all bring strong defensive abilities to our perimeter, which we may have lacked a little bit the past few seasons."

Huskers Picked Seventh in Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Nebraska women’s basketball team was chosen by the conference coaches to finish seventh in the 2008 Big 12 Preseason Poll released on Oct. 12.

Nebraska, which advanced to the 2007 NCAA Tournament while earning its fourth consecutive postseason berth, claimed 56 points in a tightly grouped middle of the pack in the preseason poll. Iowa State earned the most votes of any Big 12 North Division team as the preseason No. 6 pick in the league with 64 points, while Kansas State tied Texas Tech as the preseason No. 8 team with 54 points.

Three Big 12 North schools rounded out the bottom of the league preseason standings with No. 10 Kansas (43), No. 11 Colorado (29) and No. 12 Missouri (11).

The Big 12 South schools occupied the top five spots in the poll with defending Big 12 co-champions Texas A&M and Oklahoma sharing all of the first-place votes. A&M earned the preseason top spot with seven first-place votes, while Oklahoma took second with five first-place votes. Baylor claimed the No. 3 position in the poll, while Texas was tabbed in fourth place. Oklahoma State added a fifth-place preseason standing.

Last season, the Big 12 sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament, including Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Baylor, Nebraska, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Kansas State and Missouri gave the conference eight total postseason teams in 2007, by earning Postseason WNIT berths.

Griffin Earns Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 Honors
Nebraska junior Kelsey Griffin claimed one of five spots on the 2007-08 Preseason All-Big 12 team announced by the conference office in Irving, Texas on Oct. 10.

Griffin, a 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, is Nebraska’s top returning scorer and rebounder and lone returning starter in 2007-08. As a sophomore, Griffin earned first-team All-Big 12 honors by averaging 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and helped the Huskers to one of the most successful seasons in school history. NU posted a 22-10 overall record, a 10-6 league mark and earned a bid to last year’s NCAA Tournament.

Griffin is the third-leading returning scorer and rebounder in the Big 12 this season, trailing only fellow preseason first-team All-Big 12 selections Courtney Paris from Oklahoma and Jackie McFarland from Colorado.

Paris, the 2007 National Player of the Year, was the choice of the conference coaches to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year. Texas Tech’s Dominic Seals was picked as the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, while Texas A&M’s Tyra White was chosen the Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Joining Griffin, Paris and McFarland on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team were Texas A&M guards A’Quonesia Franklin and Takia Starks. All five of the preseason All-Big 12 selections earned first-team All-Big 12 awards in 2006-07.

Griffin Ranked Among Big 12 Leaders in 2006-07
Kelsey Griffin ranked seventh in the Big 12 Conference in scoring with 15.0 points per game, while ranking sixth in rebounding at 8.3 boards per contest. Griffin’s 54.6 field goal percentage ranked sixth in the Big 12 in 2006-07.

The 6-2 forward also ranked eighth in the conference with 3.00 offensive rebounds per game and seventh in the league with 5.28 defensive boards per contest.

Griffin led Nebraska in rebounding, free throws made (125) and free throws attempted (173). She earned spots on the Veterans Day Classic and State Farm Classic all-tournament teams and was the Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 8 and Feb. 6. Griffin has scored 904 points and grabbed 457 rebounds while starting 64 consecutive games.

In 2005-06, Griffin became the first NU freshman since Meggan Yedsena in 1990-91 to start every game of her rookie campaign. Griffin was just the fourth Husker freshman in history to start every game in her first year.

Griffin Creates Double Trouble for Opponents
First-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin continued to expand her game as a sophomore. The 6-2 native of Eagle River, Alaska, produced 10 double-doubles in NU’s 32 contests, more than tripling her total of three from her freshman campaign when she started all 32 games for the Huskers.

Griffin, who captured her first Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award on Jan. 8, posted her 10th double-double of the season with game highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds in NU’s win over No. 13 Baylor on Feb. 3 to earn her second Big 12 honor of the season.

She notched her ninth double-double with a season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds in NU’s win over Kansas on Jan. 27. She added a double with 16 points and 10 rebounds at No. 21 Texas A&M on Jan. 24. Her 10 double-doubles ranked seventh in the Big 12 last season. Four of her double-doubles came in Big 12 play, and seven came on the road.

She posted a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds in NU’s first meeting at Kansas on Jan. 13. Griffin opened league play with 21 points and seven rebounds against All-American Tiffany Jackson in NU’s win at Texas on Jan. 3, and added 22 points and eight rebounds against All-American Courtney Paris and No. 8 Oklahoma on Jan. 6. She added 15 points and seven boards on 5-of-5 shooting from the field in NU’s win over No. 25 Kansas State on Jan. 17.

She notched double-doubles with 15 points and 13 rebounds at Florida (Dec. 29) and 18 points and 10 boards against NC State (Dec. 28) to earn a spot on the all-tournament team while leading the Huskers to the State Farm Classic title in Gainesville, Fla. She scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds in just 20 minutes in the Huskers’ 38-point win over Nicholls State (Dec. 21), after adding her fourth double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Creighton on Dec. 19, when she played a season-high 31 minutes.

She posted three straight double-doubles with 17 points and 12 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 17), 13 points and 12 rebounds at UC Irvine (Nov. 24) and a season-high 22 points and 10 boards at USC (Nov. 26).

In 2005-06, Griffin produced her first double-double with a career-high 31 points and 14 rebounds 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 her second career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Missouri on Jan. 11, 2006, before erupting for 28 points, 12 boards and a career-best three blocks at Kansas State on Feb. 4, 2006.

Page Swats Way Up Nebraska Blocked Shot Lists
Senior Danielle Page has established herself as one of the Big 12’s best shot blockers during her career. She continued to attack the Husker record book as a junior in 2006-07, smashing the NU single-game record with nine blocks in Nebraska’s 76-67 win over No. 13 Baylor on Feb. 3, breaking the previous mark of seven set by Katie Morse against Texas A&M on Jan. 17, 2004.

In the season finale against Temple on March 18, Page smashed NU’s NCAA Tournament record with five blocks against the Owls to push her season total to 60. Page’s season total set Nebraska’s junior single-season record and ranked as the second-highest single-season block mark in NU history, trailing only 69 by Janet Smith (1979-80).

Page, who posted her 12th consecutive game with at least one block in NU’s season-opening win over UTEP on Nov. 9, totaled 34 blocks (3.1 bpg) in NU’s final 11 games of 2006-07. In Big 12 games only, she ranked second in the league (2.38 bpg) behind only Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris (3.75 bpg).

Page ranks second on NU’s career blocked shot list with 130 in her career. With 60 blocks as a junior, she became just the fourth player in Nebraska history to block 50 shots in a season, joining Janet Smith (four times), Katie Morse (54, 2003-04) and Casey Leonhardt (51, 2000-01).

NU’s career leader with 238 blocks, Smith owned the top three single-season block marks in school history with 56 in 1981-82, 59 in 1980-81 and 69 in 1979-80, before Page’s performance in 2006-07.

In 2005-06, Page’s 38 blocks ranked as the second-most in history by an NU sophomore, trailing only Smith’s 69. Page’s 31 blocks ranked fourth in history among NU freshmen.

Page has joined Smith as the only Huskers in history to record 30 or more blocks in three consecutive seasons.

2006-07 Huskers Featured Solid Starting Five
The 2006-07 Nebraska lineup showcased the same starting five for all 32 games, with seniors Kiera Hardy, Cheslea Aubry, Jelena Spiric and Ashley Ford joined by sophomore Kelsey Griffin.

The Huskers were one of just three teams in the 2007 NCAA Tournament field and one of just four among the 335 NCAA Division I teams to start the same five every game in 2006-07.

Nebraska was joined by Duke and Bowling Green as the only teams in the NCAA Tournament with the same starting five. The only other Division I team to start the same five every game was Oregon State (9-19).

In 2003-04, Nebraska was one of just eight teams in NCAA Division I to feature the same starting lineup all season.

Although Nebraska will lose 80 percent of its starting lineup in 2007-08, Husker starters accounted for just 47 percent of NU’s scoring and just 38 percent of its rebounding in 2006-07. Eight Huskers played in all 32 games in 2006-07, and NU had 11 players compete in 24 or more contests.

Nebraska Ranked High in Final 2006-07 Big 12 Statistics
The Huskers finished second in the Big 12 with their 44.6 field goal percentage, which helped NU rank third in the league in scoring offense (71.2 ppg).

Nebraska ranked third in the conference with its 71.4 free throw percentage, while ranking fifth in the league with 5.4 made three-pointers per game. NU also ranked fifth in the Big 12 in scoring margin (+8.7 ppg) and rebounding margin (+2.6 rpg).

In league games only, Nebraska ranked second in the Big 12 with its 43.2 field goal percentage, scoring margin (+4.6) and rebound margin (+1.8), while ranking third in the conference in scoring offense (67.4 ppg). The Huskers were also third in the league in free throw percentage (74.9 percent). NU allowed Big 12 foes just 35.9 total rebounds per game, the second-best total in the league. Nebraska also ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage defense at 39.3 percent.

Huskers to Battle Big Names at Devaney Center in 2007-08
Nebraska will face some of the nation’s top teams on the Huskers’ homecourt at the Bob Devaney Sports Center during an impressive 2007-08 schedule.

NU’s schedule will feature non-conference home battles against traditional Southeastern Conference powers Mississippi and Florida, along with Pac 10 power USC in an eight-game non-conference home schedule.

Nebraska’s home Big 12 schedule will include contests with defending conference co-champion Texas A&M, 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Iowa State and Oklahoma State and traditionally strong Texas.

Overall, NU’s schedule will feature 15 games against 2007 postseason qualifiers, including 10 games against 2007 NCAA Tournament squads. The Huskers could play six games against teams that finished among the top 25 RPI clubs in the nation a year ago.

"From start to finish, our schedule should rank among the best in the Big 12 and the nation again this year," Yori said. "During the non-conference season, we could play seven games against teams that had 20-win seasons a year ago. Obviously, playing Mississippi at home in the second game of the season after they were in the NCAA Elite Eight last year jumps out at you."

The Huskers got a stiff test at home even before taking on the Lady Rebels, opening the regular season with a thrilling 81-74 win over UTEP on Nov. 9. The Miners finished with a 22-8 record in 2006-07. After taking on a pair of 20-win teams in UTEP and Ole Miss (Nov. 11), the Huskers will battle a second straight SEC foe when they face Florida at the Devaney Center on Nov. 17. NU defeated the Gators in Florida’s home tournament last season.

After opening the season with a three-game homestand, Nebraska will make a long road trip to the Oahu Classic in Honolulu during Thanksgiving break. The tournament field features the Marist Red Foxes, who finished with a 29-6 overall record as the Mid-American Conference champions last year. Marist knocked off Ohio State in the opening round and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before falling to eventual national champion Tennessee.

The Huskers will face another 2007 postseason club in Hawaii, when NU runs into Utah. The Utes advanced to the second round of the Postseason WNIT last year.

After their trip to Hawaii, the Huskers return home for a three-game homestand that opens with an improving Creighton club, before battling Northeast Conference champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Robert Morris. The Colonials finished with a 24-8 record a year ago before losing to NC State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers close the stand by battling USC on Saturday, Dec. 8. NU knocked off the Women of Troy on their homecourt in Los Angeles last season.

After clashing with USC in Lincoln, Nebraska heads to California the following weekend to face Cal State Bakersfield and Long Beach State, before facing one of the toughest tests of the non-conference season at Ohio State on Dec. 22 in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes captured the Big Ten title in 2007 and finished the year with a 28-4 record as the No. 12 RPI club in the country.

After closing the non-conference season with a pair of home games against Denver (Dec. 30), which won 20 games last year, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Jan. 2), the Huskers open Big 12 play with a pair of home games against Texas (Jan. 9) and Kansas (Jan. 12). The game against the Jayhawks in an FSN national telecast at 11:30 a.m. will open a thrilling day of border battles at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, as Coach Doc Sadler’s Husker men’s team will joust with KU men that same night at the Devaney Center in an ESPN national telecast.

Nebraska then dives into the thick of conference road action by traveling to defending Big 12 champion and 2007 Sweet 16 qualifier Oklahoma (Jan. 16), before facing Iowa State in Ames. The Cyclones tied for fourth in the league standings with the Huskers last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers then return home to face defending Big 12 regular-season co-champion Texas A&M at the Devaney Center (Jan. 23), before traveling to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor (Jan. 26). That four-game stretch will pit the Huskers against the top four teams in the 2007 Big 12 final standings.

NU will then turn its attention to the Big 12 North Division, playing three straight games against intradivision foes, starting with a home game against Kansas State (Jan. 30) and ending with a nationally televised road contest at Missouri (Feb. 3) and Colorado (Feb. 6).

A Sunday afternoon home battle with 2007 NCAA qualifier Oklahoma State (Feb. 10) precedes the Huskers’ lone bye week of the 2007-08 season, before NU heads down the stretch in conference play at Kansas (Feb. 17). Three of the Huskers’ final five regular-season games will be played at the Devaney Center, including a Thursday night tussle with the Missouri Tigers (Feb. 21), a Sunday afternoon battle with the Colorado Buffaloes (March 2) and a Senior Night struggle against Iowa State to close the season (March 5).

Nebraska heads to Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship March 11-15, and NCAA Tournament play will begin the following weekend. The 2008 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., April 6-8.

Yori Leading Impressive Growth in Nebraska Program
Entering her sixth season at Nebraska, Coach Connie Yori has the Huskers in the middle of an impressive growth stage after 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 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 Huskers produced a three-game improvement in the win column in 2006-07 with a 22-10 record and the first 20-win campaign at Nebraska since 1998-99. NU also secured a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament for just the second time in school history by finishing with a 10-6 league mark. NU went on to claim the schools’ first NCAA Tournament since 2000.

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.

Jump to Froggy 98 in lincoln to listen to the Huskers
For the second straight year, all of Nebraska’s women’s basketball regular-season games will be available for the flagship station of the Husker Sports Network in Lincoln - Froggy 98.1 FM KFGE.

In 2007-08, all of NU’s regular-season women’s basketball games will be heard exclusively on KFGE in Lincoln and will continue to be available for free worldwide on Huskers.com.

Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will team up for their seventh 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 scheduled tip-off.

In addition to Froggy 98, KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha will carry every Big 12 game during the season and select non-conference games.

Additionally, 880 AM KRVN in Lexington will also carry most of NU’s conference games, along with select non-conference matchups. Overall, NU’s radio network for women’s basketball consists of 24 stations across the state.

Along with the radio coverage over the airwaves, all of Nebraska’s games can be heard for free on Huskers.com. Nebraska is one of only three Big 12 schools to offer free live audio coverage of its women’s basketball games on its official athletic website.

Nebraska Women’s Basketball TV Show Schedule
The Nebraska Women’s Basketball Show with Coach Connie Yori will enter its sixth year of featuring all the behind the scenes action with the Huskers. Each week, Coach Yori and host Jeff Griesch bring Husker fans all the highlights of NU’s previous games, along with one-on-one interviews, special features and previews of upcoming games. The show is available seven days a week on various cable stations across Nebraska and Iowa.

The show is scheduled to tip-off on Sunday, Dec. 9, on WOWT (DT-620) at 7 p.m., followed by an airing on WOWT in Omaha (channel 6 in Lincoln) at 11:35 p.m. central time each Sunday. KOLN/KGIN (My TV) will air the show on Monday at 10:30 p.m., while Time Warner Cable in Lincoln will air the show weekly on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. The show will also be availabe in Lincoln on Time Warner Cable’s Nebraska On-Demand Channel 101.

Spencer Municipal Utilities in Spencer, Iowa, will air the Nebraska Women’s Basketball Show on Monday at 10 p.m. and Tuesday at 6 p.m. Great Plains Communications in Bloomfield, Grant, Elgin, North Bend, Broken Bow and Chadron will carry the show each week on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 5:30 p.m., while Lakes TV in Spirit Lake, Iowa, will carry the show on Friday at 10 p.m. KNOP/KIIT in North Platte will air each show on Saturday at noon.

All days and airtimes are subject to change on a weekly basis, so fans are encouraged to check their local listings for times in their area. The show is also available each week on HuskersNside, the premium website of Nebraska Athletics.

Fastbreakers Booster Club
The Nebraska Women’s Basketball Booster Club, the Fastbreakers, and Lil’ Breakers Booster Club provide dynamic support to the Huskers. The Fastbreakers was organized to generate enthusiasm for the game of women’s basketball by increasing attendance and providing support for the program.

All members receive priority access to travel, meals and invitations to membership-only events.

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 dbrooks@fastbreakersonline.com or call (402) 430-1343.

2008 Fastbreakers Membership Levels

• Tip-In ($50) (Membership Card, e-mail news flashes, game day program, game notes, year-end banquet invite, backboard banquets, Fastbreakers Appreciation Picnic/Dinner)
• 3-Pointer ($100) (Same as Tip-In, membership pin, media guide and a free Lil’ Breakers membership)
• Slam Dunk ($250) (Same as 3-Pointer, plus season highlights DVD)
• All-Star ($500) (Same as Slam Dunk, turn in pin for ruby accent stone, autographed leather mini-basketball)
• MVP ($1,000+) (Same as All-Star, plus free admission for two at all Backboard Banquets, turn in pin for diamond accent stone, autographed team photo, preferred seating at year-end awards banquet)

The Fastbreakers announced their Backboard Banquet Schedule for the 2007-08 season in October. 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.

Fastbreakers Backboard Banquet Schedule
Game Day Meals for Fastbreakers Booster Club Members

• Saturday, Dec. 8 - USC - 5:30 p.m. (meal) - 7:05 p.m. (tip)
• Wednesday, Jan. 9 - Texas - 5:30 p.m. (meal) - 7:05 p.m. (tip)
• Sunday, Feb. 10 - Oklahoma State - Postgame Meal - 1 p.m.(tip)
• Wednesday, March 5 - Iowa State - 5:30 p.m. (meal) - 7:05 p.m. (tip)

For more information on the Fastbreakers Backboard Banquets, visit Fastbreakersonline.com or call Kathy Branchaud at 432-8990 or Connie Renken at 476-0306. To make your reservations, call Rose Sousek at 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 311-112 (.735) in games played in the arena, including 114-72 (.613) in conference games. NU was 10-4 at home in 2006-07.

Over the last five years, NU is 47-16 at the Devaney Center, with no more than four losses in any season.

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 WNIT second round.

Attendance is a big part of NU’s success. The Huskers drew their largest January crowd in school history with 7,727 fans for NU’s Big 12 home opener against No. 8 Oklahoma on Jan. 6, 2007. That number surpassed the 7,114 fans at the Devaney Center on Jan. 7, 2006, for the Huskers win over Kansas. NU added a season-high crowd of 7,821 against Missouri on Feb. 17.

Nebraska attendance increased nearly 30 percent in 2006-07, with an average home attendance of 4,110 per game. The Huskers averaged more than 5,000 fans per game during Big 12 play.

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.