Huskers Battle Traditional Power USC at Devaney

Nebraska (6-2)
vs. USC (4-2)

Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Lincoln, Neb.
Saturday, Dec. 8, 7:05 p.m.

Live Internet Video:
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Radio: Husker Sports Network
(98.1 FM-KFGE, Lincoln)
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Huskers Battle Traditional Power USC Saturday at Devaney
The Nebraska women’s basketball team takes aim at its sixth straight home win to open the 2007-08 season when the Huskers battle traditional power USC on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Tip-off time with the Women of Troy (4-2) is set for 7:05 p.m. with live radio coverage by the Husker Sports Network on 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln. A free Internet audio broadcast will also be provided on Huskers.com, while live video will be available to premium subscribers on HuskersNside. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will team up to call the action all season long on the Husker Sports Network.

The Huskers improved to 5-0 at the Devaney Center on the season with a 73-58 win over 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifier Robert Morris on Sunday. It was NU’s fourth consecutive double-digit home win to open the season, and Nebraska’s forwards played a major role in the victory over the Colonials.

Kelsey Griffin and Cory Montgomery produced their first double-doubles of the season, combining for 31 points and 23 rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Senior forward Danielle Page added 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in another strong effort.

Nebraska’s three primary forwards have been dominant throughout the early portion of the Huskers’ schedule. Page, Griffin and Montgomery are all averaging double figures and have joined forces for 35.6 points and 18.6 rebounds per game.

Griffin, a returning first-team All-Big 12 player, was especially impressive in NU’s wins over Creighton and Robert Morris. In two games, the 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, produced 35 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and two blocks in just 41 total minutes, despite playing through a rib injury and a head cold. Griffin hit 14-of-19 shots from the field (73.7 percent).

Griffin, who crossed the 500-rebound mark for her career in the win over Robert Morris, needs just two points to become the 23rd player in Nebraska women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career. She will also become just the 15th player in Husker history to produce 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in her career. She is expected to make her Big 12-leading 73rd consecutive start against USC.

Griffin Shoots For Milestone Score Against USC
Nebraska junior forward Kelsey Griffin enters Saturday’s game on the brink of becoming the 23rd player in Husker history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career.

Griffin, who is coming off a 15-point, 12-rebound effort in Sunday’s win over Robert Morris, has scored 998 points in the first 72 games of her NU career. In the victory over the Colonials, Griffin crossed the 500-rebound mark for her career. She will become just the 15th player in Husker history to produce 1,000 points and 500 boards.

The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, is poised to make a major jump up Nebraska’s scoring and rebounding charts this season. Charlie Rogers (1997-2000) ranks 22nd in NU history with 1,001 points, while Alexa Johnson (2001-04) ranks 21st with 1,035. Stacy Imming (20th, 1,036), Cathy Owen (19th, 1,048), Kate Galligan (18th, 1,069), Tina McClain (17th, 1,074), Nafeesah Brown (16th, 1,089) and Anne Halsne (15th, 1,096) are all within striking distance over NU’s next six non-conference games for Griffin.

To join Nebraska’s top-10 list as a scorer by the end of her junior season, Griffin will need to catch Diane DelVigna at 1,433 points. To become one of NU’s top-10 career rebounders, Griffin (507) needs 134 more boards to catch McClain at 641. Griffin also needs just 12 more blocked shots to crack NU’s career top 10 in that category. She owns 51 blocks in her career and has eight blocks through the Huskers’ first eight games this season. Pyra Aarden and Karen Jennings are tied for ninth on NU’s career chart with 63 blocks.

Scouting the USC Women of Troy
One of the most storied programs in the history of NCAA women’s basketball, USC won back-to-back NCAA championships in 1983 and 1984, before adding an NCAA runner-up finish in 1986. Overall, USC has made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back trips to the second round in 2005 and 2006.

USC has been the home of several of the best women’s basketball players in history, including U.S. Olympians Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson and Pam McGee.

The Women of Troy are coming off a 62-45 win over Utah on Monday, a team that defeated Nebraska 56-44 in Hawaii on Nov. 24. USC also took No. 7 Georgia down to the wire in a 59-57 loss at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas on Nov. 24. A day earlier, the Trojans defeated Virginia Tech, 65-64, to open the tournament. USC opened the season with a 69-63 overtime loss at traditionally strong UC Santa Barbara, before running past Big 12 Conference foe Colorado, 70-57, on Nov. 18.

Now in his fourth season at USC, Coach Mark Trakh has re-established a consistent winning tradition. In his first season in 2004-05, USC went 20-11 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after tying for second in the powerful Pac-10 Conference. In his second season, the Women of Troy also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 19-12 record.

Last season, USC was depleted by several injuries to key players but the Trojans still managed a 17-13 record, including a 10-8 Pac-10 mark. One of those injured players last season is leading USC in scoring, assists and steals this season, as junior guard Camille LeNoir is averaging 11.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

LeNoir is joined in the USC backcourt by another junior who missed all of last season, Brynn Cameron. The 5-10 guard missed 2006-07 after undergoing her second hip surgery, while also giving birth to her son Cole, whose father is 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart. Cameron ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 8.7 points per game, while ranking second on the squad with 1.8 steals per contest. She also leads USC with 12 three-pointers.

Nadia Parker, a 6-3 junior center, has added solid numbers inside by averaging 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while hitting 72.2 percent of her shots from the field. Morghan Medlock, a 6-1 sophomore guard has pitched in 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, including 13 points and eight boards against the Utes.

Fifth-year senior Allison Jaskowiak Kennedy rounds out USC’s probable starting five. Jaskowiak Kennedy recently married former USC baseball player Ian Kennedy, who is now a teammate of former Husker baseball star Joba Chamberlain with the New York Yankees.

The Women of Troy feature a deep bench that includes Aarika Hughes (7.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Heather Oliver (5.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg), Simone Jelks (5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Hailey Dunham (4.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg).

Nebraska vs. USC Series History
USC will be making its first-ever trip to Lincoln to battle the Huskers in women’s basketball. The Women of Troy own a 3-1 edge in the all-time series with all four games being played in Los Angeles.

Nebraska earned its first-ever win over USC last season at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Three-time first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy poured in a season-high 32 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the field, including four three-pointers to power the Huskers. It was her fourth career 30-point game and she crossed the 1,500-point mark in the process. Hardy drilled the game-clinching three-pointer with 49 seconds left.

Kelsey Griffin added 15 points, including 13 in the second half, to go along with seven rebounds as the only two Huskers in double figures.

Chloe Kerr led three Trojans in double figures with 25 points, including an 11-for-11 effort at the free throw line. Jamie Hagiya added 15 points, while Shay Murphy contributed 11 points, eight boards and five assists.

Although 13 players who competed in last year’s game return for the two teams this season, the scoring column should look very different this year. NU’s six returning players (Griffin, Danielle Page, Cory Montgomery, Yvonne Turner, Nicole Neals and Kala Kuhlmann) combined for 28 points in 70 minutes in last year’s contest, while USC’s seven returning competitors joined forces for just 14 points in 98 total minutes.

Prior to last season’s win in Los Angeles, Nebraska had not met USC since dropping a 78-60 decision in the second-round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. The Women of Troy also ended NU’s season in 1988, running to a 100-82 victory in the Big Dance.

The first meeting between the two schools dates back to the 1976-77 season, when USC won a 72-70 overtime thriller on Jan. 12, 1977.

Huskers Run by Robert Morris, 73-58
Forwards Kelsey Griffin and Cory Montgomery produced their first double-doubles of the season to lead four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska ran to a 73-58 win over 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifier Robert Morris at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday.

Griffin, a 6-2 junior from Eagle River, Alaska, produced team highs with 15 point, 12 rebounds and matched career bests with four assists and four steals to help the Huskers improve to 6-2 on the season and 5-0 at the Devaney Center.

Griffin hit 6-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 free throws in a strong team effort by the Huskers. Montgomery added her first career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while senior forward Danielle Page added 14 points, six boards and also matched her career best with four assists.

Nebraska’s starting forward tandem of Griffin and Page combined for 29 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocked shots in just 48 total minutes, while Montgomery’s impressive production off the bench came in just 22 minutes of work.

"That is a good win for our basketball team," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "Robert Morris is an athletic team and they are going to win a lot of games in their conference. I thought our defense did a nice job of making adjustments and limiting what they wanted to do throughout the game."

Junior guard Tay Hester added 11 points and six boards in a strong effort. Hester also played excellent defense in limiting RMU’s Sade Logan. Although Logan led all scorers with 19 points, she entered the contest averaging nearly 27 points per contest, including back-to-back games with more than 30 points. Logan scored 10 of her 19 points in the game’s final seven minutes, after the Huskers had built a 22-point lead. Chinata Nesbit added 17 points and 11 rebounds for RMU, but she and Logan combined to go just 16-of-44 from the field.

The Huskers, who led 33-30 at the half, never trailed in the game and maintained a 44-40 lead with 12:49 left, before Hester started a 14-0 NU run by draining a pair of free throws. Montgomery then hit back-to-back layups on spectacular assists from Griffin inside, as the Huskers took their first double-digit lead of the day.

Griffin then scored five straight points and had a pair of steals to push the lead to 15, before the Huskers got their only three-pointer of the night from Kaitlyn Burke to cap the run and take a 58-40 lead with 9:07 left.

NU put the Colonials away by pushing its lead to 22 points on two occasions in the game’s final six minutes before settling for the 15-point win.

Nebraska won despite hitting just 33.3 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half by bouncing back to hit 51.9 percent of its attempts after halftime. For the game, NU hit 41.3 percent (26-63) of its attempts from the field, while knocking down a season-best 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) free throws. The Huskers also dominated the boards, outrebounding Robert Morris, 48-38.

RMU connected on just 37.9 percent (25-66) of its field goal attempts and just 5-of-11 free throws, as Nebraska outscored the Colonials at the line, 20-5.

Lone Senior Page Leading Huskers in Multiple Ways
Nebraska senior Danielle Page sits atop the Husker statistical rankings in several categories through the first month of the regular season. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., is averaging a team-leading 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Page also leads the Huskers with 14 blocked shots on the year. She leads NU with 25.6 minutes per game, while hitting 56.3 percent of her shots from the field.

Page has produced double figures six times this season, including a career-high 27 points in a win over Mississippi. After averaging 23.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in NU’s opening weekend, Page earned the first Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Week award on Nov. 12.

Page, who scored in double figures in each of NU’s first five home games this season, added her first double-double of the season and third of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds in NU’s win over Florida on Nov. 17. She nearly added her second straight double-double with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and nine rebounds in NU’s loss to Marist on Nov. 23.

She scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and tied a career high with four assists while blocking three shots in Nebraska’s win over Robert Morris on Dec. 2. She added a 17-point effort in a win over Creighton that included five rebounds and three blocked shots on Nov. 30.

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.

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 Nov. 9.

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 28-6 all-time record. NU owns a 25-9 all-time record in its third home game of each season, and the Huskers stretched their winning streak to 16 games in their fourth home game of the year with a win over Creighton on Nov. 30. Overall, Nebraska is 29-5 in game No. 4 at home since 1975-76, and the Huskers have not lost a game four since losing to Wisconsin-Green Bay 71-68, on Dec. 8, 1991.

Nebraska has not lost their fifth home game of any season since dropping an 81-57 decision to BYU on Dec. 9, 1999, a string of eight straight wins after a victory over Robert Morris. Overall, NU is 30-4 in its fifth home game of the season dating back to 1974-75.

Four Huskers Own Double-Doubles Through Eight Games
Nebraska is displaying impressive athleticism across the board early in the 2007-08 season. Through the first eight games, four different Huskers have already put up double-doubles in points and rebounds.

Newcomer Tay Hester was the first Husker to notch a double-double on the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds in NU’s opening-night win over UTEP on Nov. 9. Hester became the first NU wing player since Keasha Cannon-Johnson on March 18, 2004, to claim a double-double. Senior forward Danielle Page joined Hester with a double-double by producing 11 points and 10 boards in Nebraska’s win over Florida on Nov. 17. It was Page’s third career double-double.

In Nebraska’s last outing against Robert Morris, both Kelsey Griffin and Cory Montgomery produced their first double-doubles of the season, as Griffin rolled to 15 points and 12 rebounds in just 17 minutes, while Montgomery notched her first career double-double with 16 points and 11 boards in 22 minutes. For Griffin, it was the 14th double-double of her career.

Last season, Griffin claimed 10 double-doubles on the season, but Page was the only other Husker to manage a double-double on the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas State on Jan. 17.

All-Big 12 Forward Griffin Showing Her Toughness
First-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin was listed as questionable for NU’s season-opening 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 p.m. on Nov. 9, 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 a Nov. 5 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 Nov. 7 or Nov. 8 and shot around for only a few minutes on Nov. 9.

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.

The injury did seem to affect Griffin in NU’s second game against Ole Miss. She played just 19 minutes and attempted just three shots from the field, settling for a career-low two points. Her interior presence continued to be the focus of the Ole Miss defense, and her teammates benefitted in a big way, as Danielle Page scored a career-high 27 points, while sophomore forward Cory Montgomery added 10 points.

Griffin ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She also leads the Huskers by taking eight charges this season. She scored a season-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in NU’s win over Creighton on Nov. 30, but aggravated her rib injury when she fell hard to the floor while being fouled on her final basket of the night with less than three minutes left.

She bounced back quickly, despite being slowed by a head cold, to post her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Robert Morris just two days later.

Montgomery Supplying Big Production Off the Bench
Sophomore Cory Montgomery gives the Huskers a trio of potent weapons inside, spelling both Danielle Page and Kelsey Griffin in NU’s forward rotation. Through eight games, Montgomery is averaging 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.7 percent from the field.

The 6-2 forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., produced the first double-double of her career with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in Nebraska’s win over Robert Morris on Dec. 2.

She earned a spot on the five-player all-tournament team at the Oahu Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, by averaging 10.3 points off the bench in three tournament games. Montgomery hit 14-of-25 shots from the field, including 1-of-4 three-pointers, while knocking down 2-of-3 free throws in the tournament. Her 31 total points came in just 50 total minutes of action in three games. She also added 12 rebounds and two assists in the tournament.

Montgomery has produced double figures in scoring five times this season and has scored no fewer than five points in any game. She played a season-high 23 minutes in NU’s win over Ole Miss on Nov. 11. The only game so far this season that she shot less than 50 percent from the field came in the opener against UTEP (2-6).

Hester Gives Huskers All-Around Threat On The Wing
Junior guard Tay Hester has given Nebraska an all-around offensive and defensive threat on the wing early in her Husker career. The 5-10 guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., produced her first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the season opener against her former teammates from UTEP.

Hester’s double-double was the first 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 closed her strong weekend by adding 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the win over Ole Miss on Nov. 11. Hester added a team-high four assists, to go along with four rebounds and a steal against the Rebels.

Hester added a solid effort with eight points, eight rebounds and three assists in Nebraska’s win over Creighton on Nov. 30, before adding 11 points and six boards in a win over Robert Morris on Dec. 2. Hester also played a major role in slowing down RMU’s Sade Logan, one of the nation’s top scorers through the first five games of the season. Logan came to Lincoln averaging nearly 27 points per game, including a 34-point effort in her previous game against Missouri.

Hester held Logan to just nine points through the first 33 minutes of the game, helping Nebraska build a 22-point lead. With Hester out of the lineup down the stretch, Logan scored 10 points in the final seven minutes, but still finished with a season-low 19 points.

Through eight games, Hester is averaging 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while leading the Huskers with 21 assists. She has added seven steals and three blocked shots on the year.

Freshman Kelley Produces Solid Early Numbers
Lincoln native Dominique Kelley has her Husker career off to a strong start. The Lincoln Northeast High School graduate ranks fifth on the team in scoring with 6.5 points per game, while adding 3.1 rebounds per contest.

Kelley led NU with 13 points and seven boards in a 75-47 win over Akron on Nov. 25. It marked the second time this season that Kelley led NU in scoring, joining a career-high 16 points in a 90-63 win over Florida on Nov. 17.

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.

Burke Earns Nomination For Best Supporting Role
No stranger to the spotlight, Kaitlyn Burke certainly earned a nomination for best supporting role by a Husker non-starter in her Nebraska premiere against UTEP on Nov. 9. 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.

She added a solid encore in Nebraska’s win over Ole Miss on Nov. 11, when she scored nine points, grabbed two steals and dished out an assist in 21 minutes off the bench.

Through eight games, Burke is averaging 5.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She also leads the Huskers with seven three-pointers and is 8-for-10 on the year at the free throw line.

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.

Turner Off to Solid Start as Sophomore
Sophomore Yvonne Turner has her second season in Lincoln off to a solid start. The 5-8 guard out of Bellevue East High School in Omaha set a career high with 11 points and matched her career best with five rebounds in Nebraska’s 80-59 win over Ole Miss on Nov. 11. She also added three assists and two steals against the Rebels, completing her first weekend as a starter in strong fashion.

She added another career high to fuel Nebraska’s 90-63 win over Florida, this time doing it with defense. Turner grabbed a career-high eight steals, including five in the first 1:31 of the second half. Her eight steals were tied for the eighth-highest total in school history, just two shy of Kathy Hawkins’ school record. Amazingly, Turner recorded her eight steals in her first 12 minutes of action on the court in the game’s first 22 minutes.

Last season, Turner produced 18 steals in 336 minutes, which ranked second among all returning Huskers behind only first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin (36).

Through eight games, Turner is averaging 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a team-leading 2.0 steals per game.

Last season, Turner appeared in 28 games and averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, and was one of NU’s top reserves down the stretch. She averaged 2.8 points per game while appearing in all 16 Big 12 games.

The 2006 WBCA High School All-American and Nebraska Player of the Year averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.7 steals per game as a senior at Bellevue East.

Kuhlmann Showing Dramatic Increase in Production
Kala Kuhlmann is enjoying her most successful stretch as a Husker early in her sophomore season. The 5-8 guard from Charter Oak, Iowa, is averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench, while matching Yvonne Turner for second among the Huskers with 2.4 assists per game.

Kuhlmann scored nine points against Akron on Nov. 25, when she added a career-high four rebounds in just 15 minutes of work. Before heading to Hawaii, Kuhlmann shattered her previous career scoring high with 11 points to go along with a career-best five assists in 15 minutes of action in a win over Florida on Nov. 17.

Through eight games and 119 minutes this season, Kuhlmann has scored 32 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out 19 assists and grabbed four steals. As a freshman last season, Kuhlmann appeared in 27 games with 164 total minutes. She scored 20 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, dished out nine assists and snagged just one steal on the 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 owns at least one blocked shot in 17 of the last 18 games, 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 143 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.

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 features 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 rolled to a 90-63 win over SEC foe Florida at the Devaney Center on Nov. 17. The Gators have advanced to the postseason in 13 of the last 15 years, including 11 NCAA tournaments.

After opening the season with a three-game homestand, Nebraska made a long road trip to the Oahu Classic in Honolulu during Thanksgiving break. The tournament field featured Marist, which 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. After losing to Marist, the Huskers fell to 2006 NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Utah, which advanced to the 2007 Postseason WNIT.

After their trip to Hawaii, the Huskers returned home for a three-game home stand that began with a 79-65 win over in-state rival Creighton (Nov. 30), before defeating Northeast Conference champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Robert Morris, 73-58 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 315-112 (.738) in games played in the arena, including 114-72 (.613) in conference games. NU is off to an impressive 5-0 start at home this season, after posting a 10-4 home mark in 2006-07.

Over the last five seasons, NU is 51-16 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.

Huskers Sign Talented Pair During Early Period
Nebraska has announced the signing of two impressive recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period for the 2008-09 season.

The Huskers will be joined next season by Layne Reeves (Lubbock, Texas) and Harleen Sidhu (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada). Coach Connie Yori said both of Nebraska's incoming freshmen will add size and shooting ability on the perimeter, while keeping NU's emphasis on excellence in the classroom and in the community.

"Both Harleen and Layne are going to add depth and size for us on the perimeter next season," Yori said. "Harleen is a really versatile and consistent player, and Layne is a great shooter from the outside. I think they both have the ability to help us next year and into the future of our program. Along with their abilities on the court, both of them are outstanding students and are going to be great representatives for our program because of their strong characters."

One of the top young players in Canada, Harleen Sidhu will join fellow British Columbia Provincial Team member Kaitlyn Burke on Nebraska's roster next season. Sidhu will become the third Canadian in the past five years to join the Husker program, following in the footsteps of Canadian Senior National Team member Chelsea Aubry.

Sidhu was invited to attend the National Elite Development Academy in Ontario and was also invited to tryout for the Canadian National Team. She averaged 31 points, six rebounds and three assists per game as a junior, but missed much of the season with an injury.

As a sophomore at Fleetwood Secondary School in 2005-06, the 6-1 forward averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game for Coach Rose Bindra. Sidhu spent five years on the British Columbia provincial team, leading her team to a gold medal in the 2006 Canadian Under 17 National Championships in Quebec, where she produced a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds for Coach Shaun McGuinness. She earned first-team all-tournament honors for her performances. She was also a first-team all-tournament selection while leading British Columbia to the Under-15 national title in 2004.

The 16-year-old Sidhu is also an outstanding performer in the classroom and in the community. She has been an honor roll member throughout high school, carrying a 4.0 grade-point average. She also received the Youth Recognition Award for Personal Achievement from the City of Surrey in 2004 for her commitment to volunteering her time in the community. Sidhu chose Nebraska over Gonzaga, Utah, San Diego, Colorado, Colorado State, Montana and Oregon State among many other schools.

Layne Reeves will join the Huskers in 2008-09 after an outstanding career at Trinity Christian High School in Lubbock, Texas. The 5-11 guard earned first-team all-state recognition for the private large school division from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. She also earned all-state honors from the Texas Girls Coaches Association. She helped lead Trinity Christian to its fifth straight TAPPS state title game, and its first as a member of Class 5A in 2007. In 2005 and 2006, Reeves helped the Lady Lions to Class 4A state championships under Coach Tory Bryant. Last year, Trinity Christian finished as the state runner-up with a 31-8 overall record in Class 5A.

In three seasons of high school competition, Reeves has helped the Lady Lions to a 96-19 overall record. She also earned TAPPS District 1-4A co-MVP honors as a sophomore from the Dallas Morning News in 2005-06.

Reeves showed her commitment to the game by playing for both the Lubbock Lady Hawks club team and the Texas Express 89 club team. In order to play for the Express, Reeves had to regularly make the five-hour drive to Dallas from Lubbock to play for Coach Dianna Sager's elite team.

Reeves' father, Ron was a four-year starter at quarterback for Texas Tech and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1982. He played briefly in the NFL, while also playing for Montreal in the CFL and the Denver Gold in the USFL. He closed his career for the Red Raiders as the school's all-time passing leader and was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Honor in 2007.