Huskers Clash with Long Beach State

Nebraska (8-2)
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)
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Huskers Close California Road Swing at Long Beach State
The Nebraska women’s basketball team wraps ups its two-game road trip to California on Saturday when the Huskers battle the Long Beach State 49ers at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (Central), with live radio coverage 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.

In Coach Connie Yori’s 500th career game as a collegiate head coach, Nebraska will seek its sixth consecutive win on Saturday against the 49ers. NU is coming off a 66-62 win at Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday night.

Freshman guard Kaitlyn Burke enjoyed a career night against the Roadrunners by pumping in 15 points on a career-high five three-pointers while also dishing out a career-best seven assists in a career-high 34 minutes off the bench. Burke, a 5-7 guard from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, added three rebounds while hitting 5-of-8 three-point attempts. She also committed just one turnover in her best effort of the season.

Burke helped the Huskers to a halftime lead by hitting four three-pointers in the opening half, but it was her final three-pointer that sparked Nebraska’s decisive 8-0 run late in the second half.

While Burke enjoyed a big offensive night on the perimeter, senior forward Danielle Page continued to play big inside on the defensive end for the Big Red. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds - all on the defensive end - while adding a season-high seven blocked shots. Page’s block total against CSUB tied for the second-best mark in school history, trailing only her nine rejections in a win over Baylor last season in Lincoln.

Page added seven points, two assists and steal against the Roadrunners. She enters the game with Long Beach State leading the Huskers in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (8.1 bpg) and blocked shots (2.6 bpg). She passed the 500-rebound mark for her career against CSUB, and enters Saturday’s game with 501 career boards.

With 26 blocks already this season, Page needs just four more blocks to become the second player in school history to post 30 or more blocks in all four seasons of her career, joining NU’s career block leader Janet Smith (238). Page, who ranks No. 2 on the Huskers’ all-time block chart with 155, is on pace to challenge Smith’s single-season block mark of 69 in 1979-80.

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.

Burke Shoots Huskers Past Cal State Bakersfield
Freshman guard Kaitlyn Burke produced career highs with 15 points, five three pointers and seven assists to shoot Nebraska to a 66-62 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday at the Icardo Center.

Burke, a 5-7 guard from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hit four three-pointers in the first half to help shoot Nebraska to a 34-31 halftime lead despite trailing by seven points on two occasions early in the game.

But her biggest three-pointer came with 2:35 left with Nebraska clinging to a 57-56 lead. Burke’s three-pointer sparked an 8-0 run in a 1:30 span, capped with a three-point play by Cory Montgomery to give NU’s its biggest lead of the night at 65-56 with 1:05 left.

Montgomery also played a major role in the outcome. The 6-2 sophomore from Cannon Falls, Minn., scored nine of her 12 points in the final eight minutes, including back-to-back baskets with under four minutes left to give Nebraska a 57-54 lead with 3:09 to play.

Kelsey Griffin added a pair of field goals in the final 4:15 to help the Huskers hold off the Runners down the stretch. Griffin finished with 12 points, three rebounds, a block and a steal. Griffin also drew three offensive charges on the night, including the fifth foul on CSUB’s Naomi Johnson with 5:03 left in the game. Johnson finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Along with the offensive contributions of Burke, Montgomery and Griffin, the Huskers received a huge defensive effort from Danielle Page. The 6-2 senior forward from Monument, Colo., pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, all on the defensive end, while swatting a season-high seven blocked shots. Page’s block total ties for the second-highest mark in school history, trailing only her nine blocks against Baylor last season. Page added seven points, two assists and a steal in a solid all-around effort.

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.

Lone Senior Page Leading Huskers Across the Board
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 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. Page also leads the Huskers with 26 blocked shots on the year.

Page has produced double figures in points 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 one of the best defensive efforts of her career when she pulled down 13 defensive rebounds, blocked seven shots and notched one steal in Nebraska’s win over Cal State Bakersfield. She added seven points and two assists against the Roadrunners. Her performance against CSUB followed 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 USC game with 13 points and added 12 points in NU’s win at Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday night to climb to No. 22 on the Husker career scoring list with 1,023 points. She also has 513 career rebounds, 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 12 points to catch Alexa Johnson (2001-04) at No. 21 with 1,035, and 13 points to reach Stacy Imming at No. 20 (1,036). With 25 points she will match Cathy Owen (19th, 1,048). Griffin could 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 (513) needs 128 more boards to catch Tina McClain at 641. Griffin also needs just nine more blocked shots to crack NU’s career top 10 in that category. She owns 54 blocks in her career and has 11 blocks through the Huskers’ first 10 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 10 games, Montgomery is averaging 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.3 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.

In NU’s win over Cal State Bakersfield, Montgomery produced double figures for the third straight game, scoring nine points in the final eight minutes to help the Huskers surge to victory down the stretch. She hit 5-of-7 shots from the field for the game, missing only a pair of three-point attempts, to finish with 12 points. Over the last four games, Montgomery has hit 23-of-33 (69.7 percent) of her attempts from the floor.

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 scored in double figures seven times this season and has scored no fewer than five points in any game. She played a season-high 25 minutes in NU’s win at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13. 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 10 games, Hester is averaging 8.1 points and 5.3 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 10 Games
Nebraska is displaying impressive athleticism across the board early in the 2007-08 season. Through the first 10 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 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 5.6 rebounds per game. She also leads the Huskers by taking 12 charges this season, including three in a win at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13. 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 has certainly earned a nomination for best supporting role by a Husker non-starter in her young Nebraska career. The former childhood actress played a starring role in the Huskers’ 66-62 win at Cal State Bakersfield, erupting for career highs with 15 points, five three-pointers and seven assists in a career-best 34 minutes off the bench.

Nebraska’s leader in both assists (31) and three-pointers made (13), Burke is averaging 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while knocking down 34.2 percent of her three-point attempts.

Burke brought her talents to the Devaney Center stage in her career-opening performance against UTEP on Nov. 9. She poured in 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers off the bench, to help the Huskers to an 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 to conclude a strong opening weekend.

Burke, who had seven points, four rebounds and five assists in NU’s win over USC on Dec. 8, has averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the last two games, while hitting 6-of-9 three-point attempts. 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 10 games, Turner already has 22 steals in 238 minutes to lead the Huskers. She is averaging 5.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a team-leading 2.2 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.

She did not play in NU’s win at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13, because of sprained knee suffered in the Huskers’ victory over USC on Dec. 8. She is expected to miss two to four weeks with the injury.

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, and is continuing to attack the Husker record book as a senior.

Page, who has produced top-10 single-game block marks in each of the last two games, set a season high with seven rejections in Nebraska’s win at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13. Her seven blocks tied for second on NU’s single-game chart, trailing only her nine blocks in a 76-67 win over No. 13 Baylor on Feb. 3, 2007.

In the 2006-07 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 has blocked 18 shots in the last four games, has blocked at least one attempt in 19 of the last 20 games. With 26 blocks on the year, Page is on pace to break Smith’s single-season block mark. She needs just 12 more blocks to produce her third top-10 block season in her career.

Page totaled 34 blocks (3.1 bpg) in NU’s final 11 games of 2006-07, and 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 155 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, and needs just four more blocks to extend that streak to four straight years with 30 or more blocks.

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 ProgramEntering 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.