Huskers Head to Hilton to Clash with Cyclones

Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-4, 2-1)
at Iowa State Cyclones (12-4, 1-2)

Hilton Coliseum (14,356) ? Ames, Iowa
Saturday, Jan. 19 ? 7 p.m.

Television: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
(98.1 FM-KFGE, Lincoln, 1110 AM-KFAB, Omaha)

Live Internet Audio: Huskers.com (free)
Live Internet Video: HuskersNside (premium subscribers)

Huskers Head to Hilton to Clash with Cyclones
The Nebraska women’s basketball team (13-4, 2-1) hopes to complete the first quarter of Big 12 Conference action on a strong note when the Huskers collide with the Iowa State Cyclones (12-4, 1-2 Big 12) on Saturday.

Tip-off with the Cyclones is set for 7 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum, with live radio coverage provided by the Husker Sports Network, including 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln and 1110 AM-KFAB in Omaha. Huskers.com will carry a free live audio broadcast with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action, while a live video stream will be available to premium subscribers on HuskersNside through cooperation with Cyclones.com.

Nebraska and Iowa State will both be hungry to get back on the winning track after suffering road losses at top-25 Big 12 South Division teams on Wednesday. The Huskers lost their first league game with an 80-72 setback at No. 11 Oklahoma, while Iowa State took a 59-56 loss to No. 24 Texas in Austin. Not only did ISU lose the game, the Cyclones also suffered a major injury to one of their most experienced starters.

Nicky Wieben, a 6-4 junior center, went down with a knee injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Wieben has started all 16 games for ISU this season and has averaged 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while blocking a team-high 35 shots.

The injury to Wieben followed a season-ending knee injury to senior forward Toccara Ross near the end of non-conference play. Ross, who averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds a year ago for ISU, suffered the injury in the final seconds of the first half of the Cyclones’ loss at Minnesota on Dec. 21.

While the Cyclones may be short-handed against the Huskers, they still have history on their side in Hilton Coliseum. Nebraska has not left Ames with a win in hand since a 76-52 victory on Jan. 30, 1997. During Iowa State’s current 10-game home winning streak against the Huskers, Nebraska has only hung within single digits on one occasion, a 62-57 loss on March 1, 2003. Although Iowa State has been dominant at home, the series has been extraordinarily competitive, with ISU holding a narrow 6-4 edge over the past 10 games, including a 79-76 overtime win for the Cylones in the last meeting between the two clubs at the 2007 Big 12 Tournament.

Nebraska Nuggets: Team Notes

• Nebraska has started the Big 12 season no worse than 2-1 in the last five years. Oklahoma has handed the Huskers their first Big 12 loss on three occasions during that span (70-51, Jan. 7, 2003).
• Nebraska's 45 points allowed in a 56-45 win over No. 15 Texas were the fewest scored by a top-25 opponent in school history against the Huskers.
• Nebraska’s win over No. 15 Texas was its third consecutive win over a top-25 opponent at the Devaney Center. Nebraska defeated No. 13 Baylor, 76-67, in an FSN national telecast on Feb. 3, 2007, after running past No. 25 Kansas State, 70-63, on Jan. 17, 2007.
• The Huskers are 10-0 at the Devaney Center this season, outscoring opponents by 19.6 points per game (75.7-56.1). NU is also plus-8.5 on the boards at home. Nebraska’s home schedule has included traditional NCAA powers Texas, USC, Mississippi, Florida and Kansas. UTEP, which is 12-2 this season, is the only team to play Nebraska within single digits at home this year.
• Nebraska (30-32) and Kansas (7-8) combined to hit 37-of-40 free throws on Saturday. The 92.5 percent free throw shooting was the best combined mark by both teams in Husker history, surpassing a 34-of-37 effort (91.9 percent) between Nebraska (18-19) and Oklahoma (16-18) in the Sooners’ 91-69 win at the Lloyd Noble Center on Feb. 5, 2000.
• With a halftime score of 19-17, Nebraska's win over No. 15 Texas tied for the lowest-scoring first half combined by both teams in school history. It matched a 1979 defensive struggle with Oklahoma. The 36 points represent the lowest total in more than 1,000 games in school history.
• Nebraska is the only team in the Big 12 without a player among the top 30 in minutes. Through three Big 12 games, 114 players saw more than 30 minutes of action in at least one game, including 18 who played 40 or more minutes in a contest. Danielle Page is the only Husker to play more than 30 minutes in a game (31 vs. KU, 30 vs. OU).

Husker Hype: Individual Notes

• Kelsey Griffin enjoyed a strong return to the court to open Big 12 play after sitting out Nebraska’s final four non-conference games with a rib injury. The first-team All-Big 12 forward posted her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds in NU’s 56-45 win over No. 15 Texas, before adding a game-high 15 points and six rebounds in a 71-51 win over Kansas.
• Griffin has moved into 19th on Nebraska’s career scoring list with 1,058 points. She needs 11 points to catch Kate Galligan in 18th place on the list with 1,069, and 16 to reach Tina McClain in 17th with 1,074.
• Danielle Page produced one of her most complete stat lines of the year with eight points, seven rebounds, seven blocks and career-high tying totals of four assists and three steals against Kansas. Page, who has blocked a shot in 13 straight games and 16 of 17 games this season, has 43 on the year and 172 in her career.
• Page’s seven blocks against Kansas marked the second time in six games that the 6-2 forward had produced seven in a game, joining her seven-block effort at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13. Page has blocked seven or more shots three times in the last 27 games, including a school-recond nine-block effort against Baylor on Feb. 3, 2007.
• A defensive star for the Huskers, Yvonne Turner has recorded 20 steals over NU’s last four games, including six steals against No. 15 Texas and five steals against Kansas. Turner turned the tide for NU in the second half against UT, scoring all nine of her points after halftime to turn a 19-17 NU deficit into a 50-34 lead late in the game. At Oklahoma, Turner erupted for a career-high 18 points.
• Turner has 50 steals on the year, which is 14 more steals than NU’s leader - Kelsey Griffin - had in 2006-07.
• Cory Montgomery, who started NU’s last four non-conference games in place of Kelsey Griffin, came off the bench to score 10 points and grab eight boards at Oklahoma. It was Montgomery’s 12th game in double figures this season. Montgomery is the only non-starter in the Big 12 to rank among the top 30 players in the league in scoring.

Huskers Playing Huge at Home to Open Season
Nebraska has enjoyed great success at home during non-conference action. Not only have the Huskers bolted to a 10-0 start at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, they have done it in dominant fashion. The Huskers are shooting 47.3 percent on their homecourt this season, leading to a scoring average of 75.7 points per game.

NU has outscored the opposition by an average of 19.6 points at home, holding opponents to 56.1 points per game. Husker foes are shooting just 34.4 percent from the field in Lincoln.

The Huskers also own a plus-8.5 rebounding margin and a plus-2.1 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 12-2 start and ranked No. 28 according to CollegeRPI.com, with their only other loss coming on the road at Kansas State.

Along with its most recent wins over No. 15 Texas (56-45) and Kansas (71-51), Nebraska sprinted to an 80-59 victory 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. The Huskers cruised to an 87-69 win over traditional power USC, before notching their most lopsided win of the year with a 73-38 win over a Denver club that was coming off a 20-win season in 2006-07.

Scouting The Iowa State Cyclones
Coach Bill Fennelly and the Iowa State Cyclones head into Saturday’s game at Hilton Coliseum seeking refuge from a storm of on-court adversity the past month. ISU lost its lone senior - Toccara Ross - to a season-ending knee injury on the last play of the first half at Minnesota on Dec. 21.

ISU closed the non-conference season with three wins, before battling to a 67-64 loss to No. 6 Oklahoma to open Big 12 play at home on Jan. 9. Following the heart-breaking loss to the Sooners, the Cyclones outlasted Colorado in an 84-77 double-overtime thriller in Boulder. On Wednesday, ISU found itself in another barn-burner down in Austin, suffering a 59-56 defeat.

Not only did the Cyclones lose to the Longhorns, they may have also lost another one of their most experienced players to a season-ending knee injury, as junior forward Nicky Wieben went down against Texas. The loss of Wieben leaves ISU without a single starter from last year’s club that finished in a tie with the Huskers for fourth in the final Big 12 standings and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

All-Big 12 point guard Lyndsey Medders and senior Megan Ronhovde were lost to graduation, while physical freshman forward/center Rachel Pierson elected to transfer at the end of the season. Ross and Wieben completed ISU’s starting five for the majority of last season.

Junior Heather Ezell and sophomore Alison Lacey are left to carry the scoring and leadership load for the Cyclones. Lacey, a 6-0 guard from Canberra, Australia, is averaging team-bests of 14.2 points and 4.6 assists per game. She is also shooting a sizzling 46 percent (46-100) from three-point range.

Ezell has contributed 9.5 points and 3.3 assists per game, while adding 35 three-pointers on 33.3 percent shooting. Freshman Kelsey Bolte, a 6-1 guard, has added 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game off the bench, including a 22-point, nine-rebound effort at Texas on Wednesday. Bolte has started one game for ISU, and may move into a starting role on Saturday.

Freshman Jocelyn Anderson, a 6-4 junior forward, may also be called on as a starter. Anderson has averaged 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds for ISU. Junior Amanda Nisleit (6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Denae Stuckey (4.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) round out ISU’s starting five.

The Cyclones continue to be one of the most dangerous three-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting 38.4 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, while knocking down 8.2 threes per game. However, as a team they are shooting just 43.1 percent overall from the field and just 66.5 percent from the free throw line. ISU owns a plus-6.0 team rebounding mark and plus-1.6 team turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Iowa State Series History
Saturday’s meeting with Iowa State will be the 68th in series history, and Nebraska owns a narrow 36-31 edge all-time with the Cyclones. ISU won the last meeting between the two schools with a 79-76 overtime victory over the Huskers in the second round of the 2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships in Oklahoma City. The Cyclones also won last year’s meeting in Ames, 64-53, on Feb. 20, 2007. It was the 10th straight win for ISU against the Huskers at Hilton Coliseum.

Although Iowa State has controlled the series recently in Ames, Nebraska has notched four straight wins against the Cyclones in Lincoln, including last year’s 62-49 victory on Jan. 31.

Nebraska Against the CollegeRPI.com Top 50
Nebraska’s game at Iowa State will mark its eighth game this season against a top-50 RPI team according to CollegeRPI.com. The Cyclones, who enter the weekend at No. 26, will be Nebraska’s fourth straight top-50 RPI opponent in a streak of seven straight games against top-50 RPI teams. After battling ISU on Saturday, the Huskers return home to face RPI No. 12 Texas A&M on Jan. 23. The Huskers head to RPI No. 9 Baylor on Jan. 26, before returning home to face No. 38 Kansas State on Jan. 30.

The Huskers are 3-4 against the CollegeRPI.com Top 50, including wins over No. 23 Kansas, No. 28 UTEP and No. 35 Texas. NU has suffered top-50 RPI setbacks to No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 22 Ohio State, No. 28 UTEP, No. 36 Utah and No. 42 Marist.

Each of the dozen Big 12 Conference teams are ranked in the CollegeRPI.com Top 100 entering this weekend’s action, including 10 in the top 50. Nebraska is ranked No. 21.

Huskers Fall at No. 11 Oklahoma
Yvonne Turner scored a career-high 18 points, including a trio of three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to help the Nebraska women’s basketball team stop No. 11 Oklahoma in an 80-72 loss to the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday night.

Nebraska slipped to 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 with its first conference loss, while OU improved to 11-3 on the season and 2-1 in the league in the Sooners’ Big 12 home opener.

Although the final margin swung in OU’s favor, the Huskers were in a dogfight with the Sooners through the first 28 minutes. After tying the game on three occassions in the second half, Nebraska trailed just 49-48 following Dominique Kelley’s running jumper with 11:42 remaining in the game.

But the Sooners erupted on a quick 7-0 run over the next two minutes to regain control of the game. After a jumper by Tay Hester stopped the run and cut the OU lead to 56-50 with 9:40 left, the Sooners went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to give OU a 66-50 edge with seven minutes left.

In addition to the career-high 18 points from Turner, senior forward Danielle Page added 12 points and six rebounds, while Hester and Cory Montgomery each managed 10 points for NU. Kelsey Griffin scored all seven of her points in the second half.

Danielle Robinson led the Sooners with 22 points, while Courtney Paris added her 75th consecutive double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Amanda Thompson (15) and Jenna Plumley (11) added double figures for OU.

Turner got the Huskers off to a strong start by scoring a career-high 13 points in the first half alone, despite being strapped with two early fouls. Turner was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, while hitting 2-of-3 first-half free throws.

Turner scored five points in the first two minutes to give NU a 7-5 lead before OU erupted on a 16-2 surge to take control of the game at 21-9 with just over 10 minutes left in the half.

Page then sparked the Huskers with a pair of jumpers and Turner’s second three-pointer of the game pulled NU within 23-18 with 7:40 left. Turner kept the Huskers rolling with three more points on back-to-back possessions to draw NU to 23-21 with 6:57 left.

Oklahoma managed to push the lead back to eight points at 38-30 after four straight points from Robinson, but Nebraska carried momentum to the locker room after Nicole Neals buried a pair of three-pointers in the final minute to pull the Huskers to 38-36 at halftime.

Nebraska hit 43 percent of its field goals for the game, compared to 44 percent shooting for OU. The Huskers hit 6-of-17 three-pointers and 16-of-23 free throws, while OU managed 3-of-9 three-point shooting while hitting 19-of-20 free throws. OU outrebounded NU, 41-34, while the Sooners also won the turnover battle by forcing 25 miscues by the Huskers. OU committed 21 turnovers of its own.

Griffin’s Back and You’re Gonna Be in Trouble
First-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin returned to Nebraska’s starting lineup against No. 15 Texas after missing NU’s last four non-conference games with a rib injury.

Griffin announced her presence with authority by posting her second double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Longhorns. She added a blocked shot and a pair of steals in 25 minutes of action. She led NU with 15 points and six boards in Saturday’s win over Kansas.

The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, did not practice or play from Dec. 14 to Jan. 3, while trying to recover from a cracked rib suffered in NU’s final exhibition game against Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 5. Despite the injury, she has started 13 games and has taken a team-leading 13 charges.

Lone Senior Page Leading Huskers Across the Board
Nebraska senior Danielle Page ranks among Husker statistical leaders in several categories. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., is averaging 11.9 points and team-best marks of 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game. She ranks 22nd in the Big 12 in scoring, is tied for 10th in rebounds and ranks fourth in blocked shots.

Page has scored in double figures 11 times this season, including a pair of 20-plus efforts. She erupted for a career-high 27 points in an 80-59 win over Mississippi on Nov. 11, and averaged 23.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in NU’s opening weekend. She earned the first Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Week award on Nov. 12.

Page added 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 more blocks to go along with eight points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in the win over Kansas. Against USC, Page had 21 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in in NU’s 87-69 win.

Page produced her first double-double of the year 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. Page pumped in 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a loss at No. 18 Ohio State on Dec. 22, before scoring 10 points and grabbing eight boards to go along with a season-high three steals in NU’s run past Denver on Dec. 30.

Last year, Page bounced back quickly from ACL surgery on her right knee on June 29, 2006, to appear in NU’s first game. She enjoyed her best season, averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, 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.

Montgomery May Be Big 12’s Best Off the Bench
Although Cory Montgomery made four consecutive starts to close non-conference action, the 6-2 sophomore forward returned to her role as one of the Big 12 Conference’s best off the bench for the start of league play against No. 15 Texas when first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin returned to the lineup.

Montgomery continued to supply big minutes for the Huskers by scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds in the win over the Longhorns. She added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds at No. 11 Oklahoma on Wednesday, and through NU’s first 17 games, Montgomery ranks 29th in the Big 12 in scoring despite playing just 20.2 minutes per contest.

Montgomery’s presence on the league’s scoring chart is notable, since she is the only player with fewer than nine starts on the list. Missouri’s Jessra Johnson, who has started nine of MU’s 16 games, is the only other player among the top 30 scorers in the Big 12 who is not a fixture in her team’s starting lineup. Johnson, who is averaging 15.1 points per game, has started MU’s last five games and is expected to be the Tigers’ regular starter in the post during conference play. Johnson is averaging 24.4 minutes per game for the Tigers.

Montgomery gives the Huskers a trio of potent weapons inside, spelling both Danielle Page and Kelsey Griffin in NU’s forward rotation. Through 17 games, Montgomery is averaging 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 53.1 percent from the field.

She made her first career start in Nebraska’s 75-52 win at Long Beach State on Dec. 15, and scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including her fourth three-pointer of the season against the 49ers. She added 14 points and six rebounds in a career-high 32 minutes in her second career start at No. 18 Ohio State on Dec. 22. Montgomery also knocked down a career-best two three-pointers against the Buckeyes.

She pumped in 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a win over Denver on Dec. 30, to produce her 10th double-figure scoring effort of the season.

Montgomery 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 to go along with six rebounds. She scored seven points in the final 3:14 to help NU turn a seven-point lead into an 18-point win, while scoring 14 of her game-high 21 points in the second half.

In NU’s win over Cal State Bakersfield, Montgomery scored 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.

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.

Minimizing Minutes, Maximizing Production
Senior forward Danielle Page is leading the Huskers in playing time with 26.4 minutes per game. While she leads the Huskers, Page does not even crack the Big 12’s list of 30 leaders in playing time so far this season.

In fact, Nebraska is the only team in the Big 12 that does not have a player who ranks among the top 30 in the league in minutes. The only other team with fewer than two players is Texas Tech (Dominic Seals, 28.8 mpg).

Oklahoma and Kansas each have four players among the top 30 in the league in minutes played, while Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri and Texas A&M each have three players listed among the top 30. Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas each have a pair of players logging big minutes. On the opening night of Big 12 action, 43 players around the league played at least 30 minutes, including four players who competed for the full 40. Page and Kaitlyn Burke led the Huskers with just 26 minutes each.

On opening weekend, 39 more Big 12 players battled for more than 30 minutes, including 14 who played 40 or more minutes thanks to overtime games at Colorado (ISU/CU, 2OT) and Texas (UT/KSU). Page is the only Husker to play more than 30 minutes in Big 12 play, registering 31 minutes against Kansas and 30 at Oklahoma.

Turner Turning Up Defensive Heat for Huskers
Sophomore Yvonne Turner is making a name for herself as an explosive defensive player in Nebraska’s lineup this season. The 5-7 point guard leads the Huskers with 50 steals this season, already giving her 14 more steals than any Husker during the entire 2006-07 campaign (Kelsey Griffin, 36).

Turner is averaging 11.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game to open Big 12 play, including a career-high 18 points at No. 11 Oklahoma on Jan. 16. It was her fourth double-figure scoring effort of the season, including her third in the last seven games.

She had 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and eight steals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to close non-conference action on Jan. 2. She added 11 points in a win over Ole Miss on Nov. 11, and 10 points at Long Beach State on Dec. 15. She opened Big 12 play with nine points, five rebounds and six steals against No. 15 Texas.

Turner enters Saturday’s game at Iowa State averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Turner, who has 20 steals in her last four games, had her second eight-steal performance of the year in NU’s win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Jan. 2. The mark gave her two of the top-10 individual single-game steals efforts in school history and made her one of only three players in NU history to record eight or more steals on two occasions in her career.

She added her most impressive defensive performance of the season with a career-high eight steals in Nebraska’s 90-63 win over Florida on Nov. 17. Turner nabbed five steals in the first 1:31 of the second half, while her eight steals 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 has also shown some offensive explosiveness during her second season with the Huskers. In addition to her eight steals in NU’s non-conference finale against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Jan. 2, Turner scored 10 points, dished out five assists and grabbed five rebounds for the Huskers.

Turner added eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals at No. 18 Ohio State on Dec. 22. She also 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.

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 has since increased her total to 1,058 points to rank 19th on NU’s career scoring list. She also has 535 career rebounds, making her one of just 15 players in school history to amass 1,000 points and 500 boards in their careers.

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 11 points to catch Kate Galligan at No. 18 with 1,069 points, and just 16 points to match Tina McClain at No. 17 with 1,074 points.

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 (529) needs 112 more boards to catch Tina McClain at 641. Griffin also needs just seven more blocked shots to crack NU’s career top 10 in that category. She owns 56 blocks in her career and has 13 blocks through her first 13 games this season. Pyra Aarden and Karen Jennings are tied for ninth on NU’s career chart with 63 blocks.

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 six times, including a career-high 14 points and four assists in a loss at No. 14 Ohio State on Dec. 22. She had 10 points and five rebounds at Oklahoma on Jan. 16.

She also pitched in 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 17 games, Hester is averaging 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while ranking second among the Huskers with 38 assists. She has added 21 steals and three blocked shots on the year.

Freshman Kelley Produces Solid Early Numbers
Lincoln native Dominique Kelley has her Husker career off to a strong start. The Lincoln Northeast High School graduate ranks sixth on the team in scoring with 6.8 points per game, while adding 3.5 rebounds per contest.

Kelley ranks among the top 10 freshmen in the Big 12 in scoring (ninth), rebounding (seventh) and assists (fourth). Her 11 made three-pointers also rank eighth among league freshmen.

She scored a game-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field in NU’s 67-39 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Jan. 2. That effort followed a 15-point performance that included a career-high nine rebounds in a 73-38 win over Denver on Dec. 30. Kelley also knocked down a career-high three three-pointers against the Pioneers.

Kelley established her career high with 16 points in a 90-63 win over Florida on Nov. 17, before leading the Huskers with 13 points and seven boards in a 75-47 win over Akron on Nov. 25. She added a strong effort with nine points, five rebounds and two assists at No. 18 Ohio State on Dec. 22.

Kelley is shooting a team-best 36.7 percent (11-30) from three-point range and her 11 made three-pointers rank third on the team, trailing only fellow freshman Kaitlyn Burke’s 19, and Nicole Neals’ 13. Kelley has been hot from long range in recent weeks, hitting 8-of-18 three-point attempts over the last eight games.

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 starring roles in Nebraska’s wins in California.

The 5-7 guard from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, erupted for career highs of 15 points, five three-pointers and seven assists in a career-best 34 minutes off the bench in NU’s win at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13. She provided an impressive encore by leading the Huskers in scoring, rebounding and assists with 14 points, a career-high seven boards and five assists in a 75-52 run past Long Beach State on Dec. 15.

Nebraska’s leader in both assists (45) and three-pointers made (19), Burke is averaging 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She ranks 10th among Big 12 freshmen in scoring, second in assists and fifth in three-pointers made.

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, 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 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.

Four Huskers Own Double-Doubles
Nebraska is displaying impressive athleticism across the board early in the 2007-08 season. Through the first 17 games, four different Huskers have put up double-doubles in points and rebounds, while freshman guard Dominique Kelley just missed her first career double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds against Denver on Dec. 30.

Kelsey Griffin is the most recent Husker to notch a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to open Big 12 play in a win over No. 15 Texas on Jan. 9. It was Griffin’s second double-double of the season.

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 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.

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.

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 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game off the bench, including 5.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game to open Big 12 play.

Kuhlmann scored a career-high 11 points to go along with a career-best five assists in 15 minutes of action in a win over Florida on Nov. 17. She added nine points in a win over Akron on Nov. 25, before scoring eight points in NU’s Big 12 win over Kansas on Jan. 12. She opened Big 12 play with seven points and a career-best six rebounds in a career-high 24 minutes in a win over No. 15 Texas on Jan. 9.

Through 14 games, Kuhlmann has scored 42 points, grabbed 36 rebounds, dished out 26 assists and grabbed six steals. As a freshman last season, Kuhlmann appeared in 27 games and totaled 20 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and one steal on the year.

She did not play in NU’s games at Cal State Bakersfield, Long Beach State or No. 18 Ohio State after suffering a sprained knee in the Huskers’ victory over USC on Dec. 8.

All-Big 12 Forward Griffin Shows 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 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She also leads the Huskers by taking 13 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.

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 the three best single-game block marks in school history in her last 27 games, set a season high with seven rejections in Nebraska’s win at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13, and matched the mark with seven more blocks in NU’s win over Kansas on Jan. 12 - a span of just six games.

She increased her 2007-08 season total to 43 blocks, which ranks eighth on Nebraska’s single-season block chart. 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 at least one attempt in 27 of the last 28 games, owns 43 blocks on the year trailing 2007 National Player of the Year Courtney Paris from Oklahoma by just two blocks in that category. Page is on pace to challenge Smith’s single-season block mark. Page is averaging 2.5 blocks per game, which over a 32-game season would give her 80 blocks on the year. 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 Paris (3.75 bpg).

Page ranks second on NU’s career blocked shot list with 172 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 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 four consecutive seasons. In fact, Page and Smith are the only Huskers to produce 30 or more blocks in three straight years.

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 enjoyed a successful trip to California with wins over 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 No. 18 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 opened Big 12 play with a pair of home wins against No. 15 Texas (56-45, Jan. 9) and Kansas (71-51, Jan. 12), with the game against KU coming in an FSN national telecast.

Nebraska 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.

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

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

For more information on the Fastbreakers and Lil’ Breakers Booster Club, please visit the Nebraska women’s basketball home page on Huskers.com, e-mail dbrooks@fastbreakersonline.com or call (402) 430-1343.

2008 Fastbreakers Membership Levels

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

The Fastbreakers announced their Backboard Banquet Schedule for the 2007-08 season in October. Each meal will be served by Premier Catering and reservations can be made by calling Rose Sousek in the Nebraska women’s basketball office at (402) 472-6462.

Fastbreakers Backboard Banquet Schedule

• Sunday, Feb. 10 - Oklahoma State - Postgame (Meal) - 1:15 p.m. (Tip)
• Wednesday, March 5 - Iowa State - 5:30 p.m. (Meal) - 7:05 p.m. (Tip)

For more information on the Fastbreakers Backboard Banquets, visit Fastbreakersonline.com or call Kathy Branchaud at 432-8990 or Connie Renken at 476-0306. To make your reservations, call Rose Sousek at the Nebraska women’s basketball office at (402) 472-6462.

Nebraska 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 local listings for times in their area. The show is available each week on HuskersNside, the premium site of Nebraska Athletics.

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.

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’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 320-112 (.741) in games played in the arena, including 116-72 (.617) in conference games. NU is off to an impressive 10-0 start at home this season, after posting a 10-4 home mark in 2006-07. It is the fifth straight year under Coach Connie Yori that Nebraska has notched 10 or more home wins in a season, the longest stretch in school history.

The last five years, NU is 56-16 (.778) at th 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.

Nebraska’s Attendance on the Rise
Nebraska drew its largest crowd of the 2006-07 season with 7,821 fans watching the Huskers take on Missouri at the Devaney Center on Feb. 17. It was NU’s second crowd of more than 7,500 in 2006-07, including the Huskers’ largest January crowd in history with 7,727 fans for the Big 12 home opener against No. 8 Oklahoma on Jan. 6.

The Huskers added 6,105 fans for "Dollar Days" in a 76-67 win over No. 13 Baylor on Feb. 3, and 5,763 fans for Senior Night in Nebraska’s regular-season home finale on Feb. 27.

Nebraska’s final home attendance average of 4,110 represented an average increase of 909 fans per game from the 2005-06 season for an increase of more than 28 percent.

In eight Big 12 Conference home games, the Huskers averaged 5,256 fans per game.