Huskers Face First True Road Test in California

Nebraska (7-2)
at Cal State Bakersfield (5-4)
Icardo Center (3,880) 
Bakersfield, Calif.
Thursday, Dec. 13, 9 p.m. (Central)

Nebraska (7-2)
at Long Beach State (1-7)
The Walter Pyramid (4,200) 
Long Beach, Calif.
Saturday, Dec. 15, 7 p.m. (Central)

Radio: Husker Sports Network (98.1 FM-KFGE, Lincoln)
Live Internet Audio: Huskers.com (free)

Huskers Face First True Road Tests in Trip to California
The Nebraska women’s basketball team plays its first two true road games of the season this week, when the Huskers head to California for games against Cal State Bakersfield and Long Beach State.

NU opens the West Coast swing by battling CS Bakersfield on Thursday at 9 p.m. (Central), before squaring off with Long Beach State on Saturday at 7 p.m. (Central). Both games will be available live on the radio on the Husker Sports Network, including 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln. Free Internet audio broadcasts will also be provided for both games on Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action.

Nebraska is coming off a perfect 3-0 home stand that was capped by an impressive 87-69 win over traditional Pac-10 Conference power USC on Dec. 8. The Huskers trailed for less than two minutes in the game, carrying a double-digit lead for a majority of the second half before winning going away down the stretch.

The Huskers’ "Big Three" inside were the story against the Women of Troy. NU’s lone senior Danielle Page poured in 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a season-high five shots, while sophomore forward Cory Montgomery pumped in 21 points and grabbed six boards in just 17 minutes off the bench. Junior All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin added 13 points and became just the 15th player in NU history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. Griffin became the 23rd Husker to cross the 1,000-point mark with her first basket of the game.

Nebraska improved to a perfect 6-0 at home with the win over USC, with each of the last five victories by double digits. NU’s home wins include a 21-point victory over 2007 NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Ole Miss and a 27-point pounding of traditional SEC power Florida. The Huskers also own a 15-point win over 2007 NCAA Tournament participant Robert Morris.

10 Big 12 Conference Teams Ranked Among Top 45 This Week
Nebraska is one of 10 Big 12 Conference schools receiving votes this week in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Traditionally one of the nation’s premier conferences for women’s basketball, the Big 12 has five teams ranked among the top 25 in the nation, including No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Baylor, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 20 Texas and No. 22 Oklahoma State. Colorado, which posted wins over top-25 foes Wyoming and Vanderbilt last week, jumped to No. 26 in this week’s poll, while No. 35 Texas Tech, No. 37 Kansas and No. 44 Iowa State also received votes.

Nebraska earned two votes in the top 25 after rolling to an 87-69 win over traditional Pac-10 Conference power USC on Dec. 8. Overall, the Huskers are scheduled to play 12 games this season against teams currently receiving votes in the AP Top 25, including an upcoming battle at No. 19 Ohio State.

One of Nebraska’s two losses this season came against a 10-1 Marist squad in Hawaii. The Red Foxes, who advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year, earned 30 votes this week to rank 30th in the AP poll. Marist’s lone loss came at Ohio State in the season opener. Marist is No. 27 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25.

NU’s other loss also came in Hawaii to Utah. The Utes are not ranked in the AP Top 25, but received 18 votes to rank No. 30 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Utah is 6-3 with its only losses coming to current No. 4/5 Stanford in overtime, Marist in overtime and to USC.

Overall, Big 12 teams are a combined 79-20 through games Dec. 11, with six of the losses coming to current top-25 opponents. Two of those losses are to No. 1 Tennessee. The Big 12 is 6-1 against the Big Ten, 5-1 against the Pac-10 and 5-4 against the SEC this season.

Scouting The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners
Cal State Bakersfield heads into Thursday’s game with Nebraska with a 5-4 record, including back-to-back wins over San Jose State and San Francisco State on its homecourt at the Icardo Center last week.

The Roadrunners are in their first full season of NCAA Division I competition after winning at least 20 games every year since 2000-01 as a Division II program. Last year, CSUB posted a 23-6 overall record that included a 20-2 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Cal State Bakersfield’s Division I losses last year included setbacks to Colorado, San Diego, Houston and UNLV, while the Roadrunners posted Division I wins over Texas-San Antonio and Cal State Fullerton.

This season, Coach Tim La Kose and CSUB already own wins over San Diego and Houston to open the season. The Cougars knocked off previously unbeaten Texas Tech last week in Lubbock.

The Runners put their name into their game, playing a fast-paced style that has resulted in them averaging 80 points per contest. They hit nearly six three-pointers per game and have hit 37.1 percent of their long-range attempts so far this season. They also own a team turnover margin of plus-6.2.

On the flip side, CSUB is surrendering 79.9 points per game, while allowing opponents to shoot 46.7 percent from the field. Opponents are also averaging six three-pointers made per game and 34.4 percent of their long-range attempts against the Runners. While CSUB has controlled the turnover department, they have been dominated on the boards with a negative team rebounding margin of minus-8.9.

A lack of size has cost the Runners on the boards. The tallest probable starter in Cal State Bakersfield lineup is 5-10 senior forward Naomi Johnson, who is averaging 12.6 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game.

The only 6-footer on Bakersfield’s active roster is freshman forward/center Shawnee Carter, who is averaging 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, primarily off the bench.

Kelly Tarver, a 5-8 junior guard is averaging 17.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while 5-7 junior guard Krista Arase is pitching in 14.3 points and 1.6 boards per contest. Tiffany Belt, a 5-7 sophomore guard, has contributed 8.0 points and 2.9 boards while 5-9 junior forward Rosemary Stribling rounds out CSUB’s probable starting five by averaging 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Nebraska vs. Cal State Bakersfield Series History
Nebraska has never faced Cal State Bakersfield in women’s basketball, but the Huskers have had tremendous success against California teams during Coach Connie Yori’s tenure at NU. With an 87-69 win over USC in Lincoln on Dec. 8, Nebraska improved to 6-0 against California schools under Yori.

Last season, the Huskers went 2-0 on a trip to the Golden State with wins at UC Irvine (80-66) and USC (72-65), after knocking off Cal State Fullerton at home, 76-62. In Yori’s first season in Lincoln, NU cruised to a 78-60 win over Cal State Fullerton, before defeating San Diego, 62-61, in the opening round of the Surf & Slam Hoop Classic.

Overall, Nebraska has won eight consecutive games against California teams with its last loss coming at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 3, 2000.

Scouting The Long Beach State 49ers
Long Beach State is off to a rugged start to the 2007-08 season. The 49ers, under fifth-year head coach Mary Hegarty, have stumbled to a 1-7 start with five straight losses heading into Saturday’s game with Nebraska.

The 49ers have also likely lost their best player, 5-8 junior guard Karina Figueroa, for the season with a foot injury. Figueroa averaged 16.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last year. She started LBSU’s first seven games but was managing just 10.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while being slowed by her ailing foot. She did not play in Long Beach State’s last game, a 66-53 home loss to Arizona at the Walter Pyramid.

Another 49er starter, 5-11 sophomore guard Courtney Jacob, is also out with a leg injury. Jacob has started four games for LBSU and averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Kaiti O’Brien, a 6-1 junior post player, is the only 49er who has started every game. She averages 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while 5-9 sophomore guard Lauren Sims has added 9.4 points and 2.9 rebounds while making six starts.

Senior guard Tyresha Calhoun has contributed 9.0 points and 2.5 boards per game, while 5-11 sophomore forward Ally Wade has pitched in 5.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.

As a team, LBSU has been outscored by an average of 11.4 points per game (58.2-69.6), while being beaten on the glass by an average of 7.1 rebounds per game (33.5-40.6). The 49ers also have a minus-2.0 team turnover margin. They are shooting just 39.1 percent from the field, while their opponents have attempted 61 more field goals and 14 more free throws on the season.

Nebraska vs. Long Beach State Series History
Nebraska will head to California searching for its first-ever series win against Long Beach State. The 49ers have won all four previous meetings between the two schools. The last time the teams met came in Long Beach on Dec. 9, 1988, when the 49ers posted an 84-78 victory. That marks the only time NU has played LBSU within single digits. On Jan. 2, 1982, Long Beach State rolled to a 110-71 win over the Huskers in Long Beach, which still ranks as the most points ever scored by an NU opponent.

Long Beach State added a 67-54 win over the Huskers on Nov. 30, 1979, after blowing out the Huskers, 98-68, in the first meeting between the schools on Nov. 25, 1977.

Huskers Topple Women of Troy, 87-69
Cory Montgomery scored a career-high 21 points off the bench and Danielle Page added 21 points and a team-high eight rebounds as Nebraska rolled to an 87-69 victory over USC at the Devaney Center on Dec. 8.

Montgomery, a 6-2 sophomore forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., poured in 14 of her 21 points in the second half, including seven points in the final 3:14, as NU turned a seven-point lead into an 18-point victory.

The Huskers scored on every possession in the final 3:14, including five straight points from Montgomery to open the stretch. Montgomery’s five-point burst quickly turned a seven-point lead into a 10-point edge, and after NU tracked down a missed free throw by Montgomery, Tay Hester drilled a jumper to give NU an 81-69 edge. Sophomore Yvonne Turner then stole USC’s inbounds pass and Kaitlyn Burke nailed a jumper 20 seconds later to complete a rare five-point possession for NU to give the Huskers an 83-69 lead with 1:30 left.

Montgomery then pulled down a defensive board and was fouled by Nadia Parker, her fifth of the game, with 1:07 left. Montgomery calmly stepped to the line and drained a pair of free throws to give NU its biggest lead of the night at 16 points. Montgomery’s line was spectacular, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 performance at the free throw line. She added six boards and an assist with no turnovers in just 17 minutes of action off the bench.

Hester, who scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, then stole a pass from Hailey Dunham. Burke found Hester 25 seconds later for an uncontested layup to close the scoring and give NU an 18-point victory.

Nebraska was on fire, knocking down 14-of-20 shots from the field to open the game, with most of the shots coming on mid-range jumpers by Page, Montgomery and Kelsey Griffin.

Griffin scored Nebraska’s first two points of the night in the opening minute to become the 23rd player in Husker history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in her career. She finished with 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in a season-high 30 minutes of action.

Page scored 13 of her 21 points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting from the field with one of her misses coming from three-point range. For the night, she hit 10-of-18 shots from the field, while adding a season-high five blocks.

While Page, Montgomery and Griffin combined for 55 points on the offensive end, they also limited USC’s potent inside attack to a season-low shooting percentage. Nadia Parker, who entered the game hitting nearly 75 percent of her attempts from the field, connected on just 5-of-11 shots on the night to finish with 14 points. Morghan Medlock faired even worse, going 3-for-12 from the field to finish with seven points.

Nebraska’s stifling fullcourt pressure wore down USC’s legs in the second half, as the Women of Troy hit just 7-of-31 shots from the field (22.6 percent). USC was able to stay in the game by hitting 8-of-20 three-pointers (40 percent), including four threes in each half.

Yvonne Turner led Nebraska’s backcourt players with eight points, four rebounds and three steals, while Burke added seven points, five assists and four rebounds on a perfect shooting night from the field. Fellow freshman Dominique Kelley added five points, four assists and a steal in an outstanding team effort.

For the game, Nebraska shot a sizzling 57.1 percent (36-63) from the field, including 33.3 percent (3-9) from three-point range. NU also knocked down 12-of-20 free throws, including 8-of-10 in the game’s final 7:23.

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 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. Page also leads the Huskers with 19 blocked shots on the year. She leads NU with 25.8 minutes per game, while hitting 56.1 percent of her shots from the field.

Page has produced double figures seven times this season, including a pair of 20-plus scoring efforts. She erupted for a career-high 27 points in an 80-59 win over Mississippi on Nov. 11. 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.

She is coming off a 21-point, eight-rebound effort in NU’s 87-69 win over USC that included a season-high five blocked shots and three assists.

Page, who scored in double figures in each of NU’s first six 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.

Griffin Reaches Milestone In Win Over USC
Junior forward Kelsey Griffin became the 23rd player in Nebraska women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark in her career when she scored the game’s first points in NU’s 87-69 win over USC on Dec. 8.

Griffin finished the night with 13 points to close the game ranked No. 22 on the Husker career scoring list with 1,011 points. She added three rebounds to push her career total to 510, making her one of just 15 players in school history to amass 1,000 points and 500 boards in their careers. She achieved the marks in just 73 games, just a quarter of the way into her junior season at Nebraska.

The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, is poised to make a major jump up Nebraska’s scoring and rebounding charts. She needs just 24 points to catch Alexa Johnson (2001-04) at No. 21 with 1,035, and 25 points to reach Stacy Imming at No. 20 (1,036). With 39 points she will match Cathy Owen (19th, 1,048). Griffin will likely move into the top 15 on NU’s all-time scoring list by the end of the non-conference season.

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 (510) needs 131 more boards to catch Tina McClain at 641. Griffin also needs just 10 more blocked shots to crack NU’s career top 10 in that category. She owns 53 blocks in her career and has 10 blocks through the Huskers’ first nine games this season. Pyra Aarden and Karen Jennings are tied for ninth on NU’s career chart with 63 blocks.

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 nine games, Montgomery is averaging 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.3 percent from the field.

The 6-2 forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., came up big in Nebraska’s 87-69 victory over USC on Dec. 8, by scoring a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. She also grabbed six rebounds. She scored seven points in the final 3:14 to help NU turn a seven-point lead into an 18-point win. She scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the second half against the Women of Troy.

Montgomery 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 six 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.

The California native has produced double figures four times, including 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in Nebraska’s 87-69 win over USC on Dec. 8. Hester scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half to help the Huskers turn a two-point halftime lead into an 18-point victory over the Women of Troy.

Hester had 11 points and six rebounds in a win over Robert Morris on Dec. 2, after producing eight points, eight rebounds and three assists in a win over Creighton on Nov. 30.

Through nine games, Hester is averaging 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while ranking second among the Huskers with 23 assists. She has added nine steals and three blocked shots on the year.

Huskers Playing Huge at Home to Open Season
Nebraska has enjoyed a great start to its home non-conference season. Not only have the Huskers bolted to a 6-0 start at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, they have done it in dominant fashion. The Huskers are shooting a blistering 51.6 percent on their homecourt this season, leading to a scoring average of 81.7 points per game.

NU has outscored the opposition by an average of 17 points at home, holding opponents to 64.7 points per game. Husker foes are shooting just 37 percent from the field in Lincoln.

The Huskers also own a plus-5.1 rebounding margin and a plus-1.2 team turnover margin at home.

Those numbers are made even more impressive considering the strength of Nebraska’s home schedule early in the season. The only team to play the Huskers within single digits was UTEP (81-74). The Miners, who won 22 games last season, are off to a 5-2 start with their only other loss coming on the road at Kansas State.

Nebraska sprinted to an 80-59 win over 2007 NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Mississippi, before galloping past the Florida Gators, 90-63. NU defeated in-state rival Creighton, 79-65, after leading by 30 points midway through the second half, before rolling to a 73-58 win over 2007 NCAA Tournament participant Robert Morris.

Most recently, the Huskers cruised to an 87-69 win over traditional power USC.

Four Huskers Own Double-Doubles Through Nine Games
Nebraska is displaying impressive athleticism across the board early in the 2007-08 season. Through the first nine games, four different Huskers have 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.

Against Robert Morris on Dec. 2, 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 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She also leads the Huskers by taking nine 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.

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 6.3 points per game, while adding 3.0 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 nine games, Burke is averaging 6.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and a team-leading 2.7 assists per game. She also leads the Huskers with eight three-pointers and is 8-for-10 on the year at the free throw line. She is coming off a strong effort against USC, when she had seven points and career highs with five assists and four rebounds.

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.

Turner contributed one of the best all-around games of her career with eight points, four rebounds and three steals in Nebraska’s 87-69 win over USC on Dec. 8

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 nine games, Turner already has 19 steals to lead the Huskers. She is averaging 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a team-leading 2.1 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 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench, while matching Yvonne Turner for second among the Huskers with 2.3 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 nine games and 134 minutes this season, Kuhlmann has scored 32 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, dished out 21 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 18 of the last 19 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 148 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 Battling 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 closed the stand by running to an 87-69 win over traditional Pac-10 power USC.

Nebraska heads to California this week 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
Level Benefits
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)

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 316-112 (.738) in games played in the arena, including 114-72 (.613) in conference games. NU is off to an impressive 6-0 start at home this season, after posting a 10-4 home mark in 2006-07.

Over the last five seasons, NU is 52-16 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.