Huskers Back Home to Battle Thunderbirds

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0)
vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-2)

Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595)
Lincoln, Neb. ? Saturday, Nov. 22 ? 5:05 p.m.
Promotion: Toys for Tots
(Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy or a cash donation to be collected by Marine volunteers for Lincoln area kids)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
(98.1-FM KFGE, Lincoln)
Live Internet Audio: Huskers.com (Free)
Live Internet Video: Available to Premium Subscribers on HuskersNside

The Nebraska women’s basketball team (2-0) returns home to square off with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Huskers, who are coming off a hard-fought 72-67 victory over in-state rival Creighton in Omaha on Monday night, will tip-off with the T-Birds at 5:05 p.m. The game will be part of a busy day of sports on the Nebraska campus. In addition to a pair of basketball games at the Devaney Center, the Husker Invitational swimming and diving competition will feature eight teams at the Devaney Natatorium, Thursday through Sunday, while the Nebraska state high school football championships will be held Thursday through Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The NU men’s basketball team will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the Devaney Center on Saturday at 1 p.m., in the first half of a men’s and women’s doubleheader. All fans holding men’s basketball tickets will be admitted to the Husker women’s game with Southern Utah for free.

Following the women’s basketball game with Southern Utah, the No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team will face off with Texas Tech at the NU Coliseum at 7 p.m. All three contests can be heard live on the Husker Sports Network, including the women’s basketball broadcast on 98.1-FM KFGE in Lincoln. A free audio broadcast will be available on Huskers.com, with Husker Sports Network announcers Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action. A live video stream will also be available to premium subscribers of HuskersNside.

As the holiday spirit begins to sweep through Nebraska, the Husker basketball programs will do their part to bring some extra cheer to Lincoln-area families by participating in the Toys for Tots program. Husker fans attending Nebraska’s men’s and women’s basketball games on Saturday are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy or a cash donation to be collected near the entrances of the Devaney Center by the Marines. The Marines will also be collecting toys at Nebraska’s regular-season finale football game with Colorado at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 28.

Balanced Big Red Helps Huskers to Winning Ways
Nebraska has displayed remarkable balance through its first two regular-season games with five players averaging in double figures. Junior forward Cory Montgomery is tied for the team lead with 12 points per game, while adding a team-best seven rebounds per contest.

Fellow junior Yvonne Turner has added 12 points per game, while leading the Huskers with three steals per contest despite playing just 17.5 minutes per game.

Sophomore Dominique Kelley, who joins Montgomery and Turner in NU’s starting five, as added 12 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She owns the Huskers’ highest individual output of the young season after tying her career high with 16 points at Creighton on Monday.

Fellow sophomore Monique Whittaker has burst onto the scene for the Huskers in her second season. The 5-10 guard/forward from Onalaska, Texas, is averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 15.5 minutes of action off the bench. Whittaker scored a career-high 13 points in NU’s season-opening win over Weber State, before adding 10 consecutive first-half points and a career-high six rebounds in the Huskers’ victory at Creighton.

Junior guard Kala Kuhlmann rounds out the five Huskers averaging in double figures with 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. Kuhlmann struck for a career-best 13 points in the season-opening win over Weber State, before adding eight points and four rebounds at Creighton.

Starting guards Kaitlyn Burke and Tay Hester have also helped the Huskers in all areas early this season. Burke, who leads the Huskers with six three-pointers, is averaging nine points and a team-leading 3.5 assists per game, while ranking second on the team with two steals per contest. Hester has added seven points and five rebounds per contest in just 14 minutes per game.

At Whitt’s End: Whittaker Helps Huskers in Big Way Early
Sophomore guard Monique Whittaker has erupted onto to the scene early in the season for the Huskers. The 5-10 native of Onalaska, Texas, ranks fourth among the Huskers in scoring and rebounding with 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Whittaker, who scored a total of just seven points in a total of 25 minutes during her freshman season in 2007-08, has already produced 23 points in 31 minutes through two games this season.

In NU’s season-opening win over Weber State, Whittaker came off the bench for a team-high 13 points against the Wildcats. She continued her hot hand in the first half of Nebraska’s road win at Creighton on Monday night.

With senior Tay Hester sitting out much of the first half with foul trouble, Whittaker stepped in to carry the Huskers down the stretch in the opening period. NU trailed 23-19 before Whittaker exploded for 10 straight points to give the Huskers a 31-30 lead with two minutes left in the half. Whittaker helped the Huskers build a five-point halftime edge, before holding on for a five-point win.

Through two games, Whittaker has hit 3-of-7 three-pointers while leading the Huskers at the free throw line by connecting on 10-of-12 attempts.

Huskers Set Three-point Record in Season-Opening Win
Nebraska connected on a school-record 12 three-pointers to open the season in a 96-47 win over Weber State at the Devaney Center on Nov. 14. NU’s 12 triples surpassed the previous school mark of 11 threes set Jan. 19, 2008, in a win over Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.

The game with Weber State marked the ninth time in school history that a Nebraska team hit 10 or more three-pointers in a game, but just the second time the Huskers had ever hit double-figure threes in a non-conference game (Ohio State, Dec. 12, 2003).

Big Red Barrage: Huskers Shooting Threes at Record Rate
Through two games, Nebraska has set a staggering rate in all aspects of three-point shooting. After hitting a school-record 12 three-pointers in the opener against Weber State, the Huskers connected on 9-of-21 three-point attempts in a win at Creighton.

NU’s 21 made threes through two games marks the most triples in a back-to-back games in school history. The Huskers are averaging 10.5 three-pointers per game while shooting 45.7 percent from long range. Nebraska leads the Big 12 in both three-point percentage, three-pointers per game and total three-pointers made.

In 2006-07, the Huskers set a school record by attempting 519 threes on the season, an average of 16.2 three-point attempts per contest. Through the first two games this year, NU has attempted 23 three-pointers per game.

Nebraska also set the school record with 173 made threes in 2006-07, an average of 5.4 threes per game, just over half of NU’s success rate during the first two games of 2008-09.

At Nebraska’s current shooting rates, the Huskers would hit 336 threes on 736 attempts. The best three-point percentage in school history was set by the 1987-88 team that connected on 99-of-240 threes (41.3 percent). At their current shooting clip, the 2008-09 Huskers would pass those numbers during non-conference play.

Huskers Celebrate Birthdays with Career Bests
Junior guard Kala Kuhlmann celebrated her 21st birthday on Nov. 13, 2008. One day later, she celebrated the Huskers’ season-opening victory over Weber State with a career-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Kuhlmann also pitched in four assists to share her celebration with her teammates.

In Nebraska’s next outing at Creighton, sophomore Dominique Kelley tied her career high with 16 points, while playing a career-high 31 minutes. Kelley, who celebrated her 20th birthday on Nov. 20, 2008, hit both of her three-point attempts on the night, including the go-ahead three in the closing minutes to give the Huskers the lead for good. The 5-7 guard out of Lincoln Northeast High School added three rebounds and four assists of her own to share her celebration with the rest of the Huskers as well.

Kelley matched her career scoring high exactly one year after striking for 16 points in a win over Florida at the Devaney Center on Nov. 17, 2007.

The next Husker to celebrate a birthday will be freshman forward Harleen Sidhu, who will turn 18 on Nov. 30. Nebraska will play a pair of games in Albuquerque, N.M., Nov. 28-29, before returning home to open a four-game home stand with Oral Roberts on Dec. 2.

Huskers Shoot Past Creighton in Omaha, 72-67
Dominique Kelley tied a career high with 16 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 3:10 left, to help carry the Nebraska women’s basketball team to a 72-67 road win at Creighton on Monday night.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 2-0, while the Bluejays slipped to 0-2 after losing their home debut.

Kelley, a 5-7 guard out of Lincoln Northeast High School, hit big shots throughout the night, connecting on 7-of-11 attempts from the field including both of her three-point attempts. She also dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds in a career-high 31 minutes. Kelley may have hit the biggest shot of the night to give NU the edge for good in a game that featured 14 lead changes.

However, it was fellow Nebraska native Yvonne Turner who made a string of huge plays down the stretch to put the Huskers in position to win. Turner, who was straddled with foul trouble and played just four minutes in the first half, scored 11 of her 13 points in the second stanza to bring NU back from a six-point second-half deficit.

With Nebraska trailing 59-56 with 7:21 to play, the Omaha native scored seven consecutive points for NU, including back-to-back three-pointers in a 1:01 span to tie the score at 63 with 3:43 left in the game.

Turner then hit Kelley on the left wing for the go-ahead three on the next possesion to have a hand in 10 straight points for the Huskers. After Creighton pulled within one at 68-67, Kala Kuhlmann and Turner connected on four consecutive free throws to seal NU’s second straight win in the series over the Jays in Omaha.

Kuhlmann finished with eight points, including a crucial defensive rebound with 1:02 left to set up her clutch free throws. Fellow junior Cory Montgomery played a major role, finishing with 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Montgomery hit all three of her field goals as NU outscored the Jays, 18-8, in the final 7:21.

The Huskers received major contributions for the second straight game from sophomore Monique Whittaker. The Onalaska, Texas, native scored 10 consecutive points to help NU bounce back from a 23-19 deficit to take a 31-30 lead with two minutes left in the first half. Fellow sophomore Kaitlyn Burke added six points, including a pair of three-pointers, and three assists.

For the game, Nebraska hit 38.6 percent (22-57) of its shots from the field, including 9-of-21 from three-point range. Through NU’s first two contests, the Huskers are averaging 10.5 made three-pointers per game on nearly 46 percent shooting. NU also connected on 19-of-30 free throws on the night, attempting 16 more shots than CU. The Huskers also outrebounded CU, 40-39, and both teams committed 16 turnovers.

Creighton hit 40.6 percent (24-64) of its attempts, including 6-of-16 three-pointers. The Jays also connected on 9-of-14 free throws.

Chevelle Herring led Creighton with a career-high 19 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field. Herring had 13 points in the second half to help CU build a six-point lead at 58-52 with 10:36 left. Herring’s hot hand allowed the Jays to bounce back from a seven-point deficit early in the second half. Herring was also the only Jay to hit a field goal in the game’s final 11 minutes.

Scouting the Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Southern Utah comes to Lincoln after facing plenty of adversity early in the season. The Thunderbirds were faced with the passing of their head coach, Steve Hodson, on Nov. 3. Hodson, who was entering his third season at the helm of SUU, died from the effects of multiple cell myeloma cancer. He was a 1978 graduate of Southern Utah, after competing as a men’s basketball player for the Cedar City, Utah, school.

Kit Janes, who was an All-American football player at SUU and an assistant coach under Hodson, has stepped into the head coaching role. He now leads a young team that returns four starters from a 6-24 squad a year ago. The Thunderbirds went 4-14 in the Summit League.

Despite the adversity, Southern Utah has plenty of room to grow. The team features a strong interior game with 6-1 senior forward Anne Westwood-Higbee, who is avergaing 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds through two games. Cassi Jones, a 6-3 freshman forward, has joined Westwood-Higbee in the starting lineup and has contributed 7.5 rebounds per game.

Challis Pascucci, a 6-2 sophomore forward, has come off the bench to average team bests of 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game.

Along with SUU’s success inside, 5-10 guard/forward Caitlyn Sears has added 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. However, Sears has hit just 9-of-30 shots from the field. Shooting has been a struggle early for the Thunderbirds, who have hit just 33.3 percent of their shots from the field including a dismal 13.8 percent (4-29) from three-point range. SUU has also hit just 62.5 percent of its free throws.

In addition to its shooting woes, Southern Utah has averaged 25.5 turnovers per game through two contests, while forcing just 16 turnovers per contest. The Thunderbirds own a plus-12.5 team rebounding margin, but own a negative-9.5 team turnover margin.

SUU opened the season with a 64-44 home loss to UC Davis, before dropping a 71-58 decision at UNLV. Nebraska and Southern Utah have never met in women’s basketball.

Huskers Earn Seven Votes in USA Today/ESPN Top 25
Nebraska earned seven votes in the first regular-season USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Nov. 17. The Huskers were one of nine Big 12 Conference schools to receive votes in the coaches poll.

Oklahoma headlined a strong Big 12 South contingent, as the Sooners came in at No. 4. Texas A&M was not far behind at No. 7, while Baylor gave the Big 12 three teams in the top 10 by entering at No. 9. The Bears knocked off then-No. 2 Stanford in the first weekend of action. Texas was No. 14 after beating a top-25 Old Dominion team, while Oklahoma State slipped to No. 19 after a loss at then-No. 8 Duke to open the season.

Iowa State gave the Big 12 North its first top-25 ranking of the season by joining the poll at No. 24. Kansas State received 31 votes to come in at No. 30 in the poll, while the Huskers were tied for 36th nationally with seven votes. Texas Tech rounded out the strong Big 12 contingent by tying for 40th with three votes.

Husker Schedule Filled with Top 25 Foes
When the preseason polls were announced by the Associated Press (Oct. 27) and USA Today/ESPN (Nov. 3), the two sets of rankings strongly resembled Nebraska’s 2008-09 schedule.

In fact, the Huskers could play as many as 14 regular-season games against teams who earned votes in the Preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25, including a trio of non-conference battles with top-25 foes. A 15th Husker opponent, Texas Tech, garnered top-25 votes from the coaches in the first regular-season poll.

Big 12 foe Oklahoma earned the highest preseason ranking of any Husker opponent, as the Sooners came in at No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in the coaches poll. Texas A&M wasn’t far behind, as the Aggies earned a No. 10 ranking from the coaches and a No. 11 spot in the AP. A third Big 12 South opponent, Texas, came in at No. 13 in both polls, while Oklahoma State was No. 14 in the AP and No. 15 in the coaches poll. A fifth Big 12 South squad, Baylor, was No. 17 in the coaches poll and No. 19 in the AP ranking.

The Arizona State Sun Devils, who the Huskers will face on Dec. 28 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, were the highest-ranked NU non-conference foe in the preseason, coming in at No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 18 in the coaches poll. Ohio State, NU’s opponent at the Devaney Center on Saturday, Dec. 6, was right behind ASU in both polls, coming in at No. 18 in the AP and No. 19 in the coaches rankings. LSU rounded out NU’s preseason top-25 opponents with a No. 22 ranking by the coaches and a No. 24 selection by the AP.

Big 12 North rivals Iowa State and Kansas State were both among the top five teams receiving votes in both polls, while non-conference foe UTEP also received votes in both polls. New Mexico, which the Huskers could face over the Thanksgiving holiday in Albuquerque, also received votes in the coaches poll.

Huskers Enter 2008-09 After Six Seasons of Growth
The Huskers head into the 2008-09 season with high hopes after returning 12 letterwinners and four starters from a team that advanced to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Nebraska finished with a 21-12 overall record and a 9-7 Big 12 mark in 2007-08, despite a lineup that featured four first-time starters and a roster filled with 10 freshmen and sophomores.

The Huskers, who were the only Big 12 team that had 10 players compete in every league game last season, are hoping a year of experience and a strong offseason will help them take another step forward in 2008-09.

Two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin returns to lead the Huskers in 2008-09. The senior from Eagle River, Alaska, has amassed 1,348 points and 665 rebounds in her career and could contend for All-America honors on and off the court this season. However, Griffin has been slowed for nearly 12 weeks by a bone bruise on her ankle. She has not practiced and is not expected to play against Weber State.

Junior Yvonne Turner will be expected to step up her game in Griffin’s absence. Turner earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in 2007-08 after leading the conference in steals during league action. She also ranked fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage. Turner erupted for a game-high 28 points in NU’s exhibition win over Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 5, including 21 points and four three-pointers in the second half.

Husker backcourt starters Tay Hester and Dominique Kelley also return. Hester, a 5-10 senior, produced a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Lopers. Kelley, a 5-7 sophomore from Lincoln, averaged 11 points, three rebounds and two steals in NU’s exhibition wins this season. Kelley started an NU freshman record 33 games a year ago.

Cory Montgomery has been expected to fill the void left by honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick Danielle Page inside for the Huskers. One of the Big 12’s best off the bench a year ago, the 6-2 Montgomery has scored in double figures in both of NU’s exhibition wins and each of the Huskers’ regular-season victories.

Dandy Dozen Return for Huskers in 2008-09
After entering 2007-08 as one of the youngest teams in the Big 12, the Huskers will benefit across the board from a year of experience heading into 2008-09.

Overall, Nebraska returns 83 percent of its scoring and rebounding, to go along with 88 percent of its steals and 91 percent of its assists for the coming season.

The only player the Huskers lost from their 2007-08 roster was senior starter Danielle Page, who ranked among the top 20 players in the Big 12 in both scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). She also set a single-season school record with 78 blocked shots as a senior to finish No. 2 all-time at NU with 207 blocks in her career. Page earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades as a senior and went on to earn a spot with the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA. She will spend the 2008-09 season competing overseas in Europe before returning to the Sun.

Kelsey Griffin headlines NU’s 12 returnees after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors for the second straight season. A first-team Preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league coaches in 2008-09, Griffin ranked seventh in the Big 12 with 15.3 points per game, while ranking 12th in the league in rebounding with 7.2 boards per contest.

Griffin ranks seventh on NU’s career rebounding list (665), eighth in blocked shots (68), and 11th on the Huskers’ career scoring list (1,348).

Tay Hester, who started all 33 games for NU in her first season after transferring from Mt. San Antonio College, joins Griffin in the Husker senior class. Hester averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and played a major role in NU’s 2008 NCAA Tournament win with 13 points against Xavier.

Yvonne Turner leads a talented and maturing junior class. The Omaha native claimed Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors while leading the conference in league games with 2.6 steals per contest. She finished with 81 steals on the year, which ranked as the second-best total by a sophomore in NU history. Turner also greatly expanded her offensive game as the season progressed, ranking fourth in the league by hitting 39.3 percent of her three-point attempts in Big 12 play. She capped her season with 23 points and five three-pointers in an NCAA Tournament loss at Maryland, going head-to-head with Terp All-American Kristi Tolliver.

Cory Montgomery, who made the first four starts of her career when Griffin was out of the lineup with a rib injury at the end of non-conference play last season, is expected to step into a full-time starting role in 2008-09. One of the Big 12’s best off the bench in 2007-08, Montgomery averaged 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She averaged 10 points and 3.5 boards per game in NCAA Tournament play, and 12 points per game as a starter.

Kala Kuhlmann, Nicole Neals and Nikki Bober also played significant roles in Nebraska’s deep rotation as sophomores in 2007-08, and will be working hard for more improvement as juniors.

Dominique Kelley, who set a Husker record by starting 33 games as a true freshman in 2007-08, also worked to make major gains during the offseason. Kelley, who became just the fifth Husker freshman in history to start every game of her rookie campaign, averaged 6.4 points and 2.9 boards per contest while supplying solid defense.

Kaitlyn Burke joined Kelley in making a major impact as a freshman by averaging 5.4 points and a team-leading 2.4 assists per game. Burke also ranked second on the team with 33 three-pointers on the year and will continue to give the Huskers one of the deepest backcourts in the Big 12 as a sophomore.

Catheryn Redmon, who played in 16 games in NU’s deep and talented forward rotation, could see a major increase in playing time this season. Redmon averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in just 6.8 minutes per game, while showing some natural defensive skills with nine blocks and four steals.

In addition to the return of 6-4 center Jessica Periago, who is a member of the French Junior National Team, and 5-11 guard Monique Whittaker for their sophomore seasons, the Husker roster will also be fortified by the addition of a pair of talented incoming freshmen - Harleen Sidhu and Layne Reeves.

At 6-1, Sidhu is a versatile forward who could provide the Huskers with depth both in the backcourt or on the block. A native of British Columbia, Sidhu is one of the most talented young players in Canada. Reeves, a native of Lubbock, Texas, had her high school season cut short by a knee injury but could help the Huskers with her pure shooting touch on the perimeter.

2008 Huskers Claim Third NCAA Tournament Victory
The Huskers notched their third NCAA Tournament win in school history with a 61-58 victory over ninth-seeded Xavier at College Park, Md., on March 23. Nebraska made its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, joining trips in 1988, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2007.

Nebraska, which earned the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional, led the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament champion Musketeers from start to finish. The Huskers’ last win had come against New Mexico (76-59) on March 13, 1998 in Norfolk, Va. Nebraska earned its first NCAA Tournament victory against San Diego (81-58) on March 17, 1993, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln.

Huskers Post 11th 20-Win Campaign, Second Straight Under Yori
Nebraska secured its 11th 20-win season in school history with its 55-45 win over Iowa State in the regular-season finale at the Devaney Center on March 5. The Huskers added win No. 21 with their third-ever NCAA Tournament win by beating Xavier in the first round on March 23.

NU’s 21 wins tied for the seventh-best total in school history, while the Huskers posted their first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since 1998 and 1999. This season, the Huskers will take aim at becoming the first team in NU history to post three straight 20-win seasons.

Over the last five seasons under Coach Connie Yori, the Huskers have averaged 19.6 wins per season. In the previous five years, the Huskers averaged just 14.6 wins per season.

Huskers Picked Preseason No. 8 in Loaded Big 12
Coming off a pair of NCAA Tournament trips and back-to-back 20-win seasons, the Nebraska women’s basketball team was picked to finish eighth in a vote by league coaches in the Big 12 preseason poll on Oct. 8.

The Huskers, who return four starters and 12 letterwinners from a team that finished 21-12 and advanced to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, earned 56 points, as 11 points were awarded for each first-place vote, and one point was awarded for each 11th-place vote. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

In 2007-08, the Big 12 was ranked as the best conference in the nation in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), and sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Big 12 also became the first conference in NCAA history to post a perfect 8-0 record in the NCAA first round, while 11 of the 12 league teams earned postseason bids. All 11 teams produced postseason victories.

Oklahoma was a majority choice to win the conference title, as the Sooners earned seven first-place votes to finish with 124 points. The Sooners were a clear favorite, but the four other league teams received at least one first-place vote, including preseason No. 2 Texas, which finished with 95 points and earned one No. 1 vote.

Iowa State was the only Big 12 North Division team to earn a spot among the top six teams in the preseason conference poll, as the Cyclones were picked third with 93 points. ISU, which returns seven starters from last year’s team that went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, claimed a pair of first-place votes.

Baylor was picked fourth with 89 points and earned one first-place vote, while defending conference tournament champion and NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Texas A&M was picked fifth with 85 points. Oklahoma State, which advanced to the 2008 NCAA Sweet 16, earned the final first-place vote but was picked to finish sixth in the league.

Defending Big 12 regular-season champion Kansas State, which returns four starters from a team that moved on to the NCAA second round in 2008, was the preseason choice to finish seventh with 71 points.

Kansas (41), Texas Tech (36) and Colorado (18) filled in the No. 9 through No. 11 spots, after all three teams earned wins in the 2008 Postseason WNIT a year ago. Missouri, which returns five starters from last year’s team that did not earn a postseason bid, was picked 12th with 15 points.

Griffin Earns Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 Honors
Nebraska senior Kelsey Griffin claimed one of five spots on the Preseason All-Big 12 team named by the league’s women’s basketball coaches and announced on Oct. 15. Griffin, a 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, joined Preseason Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Courtney Paris from Oklahoma, Kansas State’s Shalee Lehning, Oklahoma State’s Andrea Riley and Texas A&M’s Takia Starks on the Preseason All-Big 12 team.

A two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection (top 10 players in the league), Griffin averaged 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season, while leading the Huskers to a 21-12 overall record, a 9-7 league mark, and the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. She ranked among the top 10 players in the Big 12 in both scoring and rebounding and was at her best in Big 12 play, when she averaged 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds despite playing the entire season with a cracked rib.

Griffin carried the Huskers to their third NCAA Tournament victory in a decade by scoring 26 points in Nebraska’s win over Xavier in the first round at College Park, Md.

In her three-year career as a starter at Nebraska, Griffin has amassed 1,348 points and 665 rebounds. She also ranks in the top 10 on the NU career chart with 68 blocked shots.

Griffin, who was also a preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2007-08, has extended Nebraska’s streak to four straight seasons with at least one first-team All-Big 12 selection. Kiera Hardy was also a two-time preseason first-team all-league choice in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

The Huskers join Oklahoma as the only other school to have at least one preseason first-team all-conference pick each of the past four years. Eight of the league schools have had one or fewer selections during that span.

Big 12 Conference Sends 11 to Postseason, All 11 Get Wins
The Big 12 Conference ranked as the nation’s strongest league throughout the 2007-08 season and the postseason tournament fields verified that ranking.

Eleven of the Big 12 schools advanced to postseason play, including eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. League schools went a perfect 8-0 in the first round, including wins by Nebraska, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas, marking the first time in history a league went 8-0.

All eight of the Big 12 teams earned No. 8 seeds or higher in the 64-team NCAA Tournament field, including Big 12 Tournament champion Texas A&M, which advanced to the Elite Eight. Oklahoma State also moved on to the Sweet 16, as the league finished the NCAA Tournament with an 11-8 record.

In addition to those eight Big 12 schools, which all posted 20 or more wins on the season, three more Big 12 teams (Colorado, Kansas, Texas Tech) earned bids to the 2008 Women’s National Invitation Tournament. All three of those schools earned opening-round byes in the 48-team tournament.

Texas Tech advanced to the round of 16 in the WNIT with a 33-point over Texas State. Kansas also went 1-1 in the WNIT, while Colorado advanced to the WNIT semifinals before ending its season. Overall, the Big 12 went 16-11 in the 2008 postseason.

Huskers Join Baylor, Oklahoma Among Big 12’s Best
Along with back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and 20-win seasons, the Huskers notched their second consecutive winning record in Big 12 Conference regular-season action by finishing with a 9-7 league mark.

In Coach Connie Yori’s sixth season at Nebraska, a 13-player Husker roster filled with 10 freshmen and sophomores helped NU to its fourth consecutive .500 or better Big 12 season. Nebraska joins Baylor and Oklahoma as the only Big 12 programs to accomplish that feat in the last four years.

NU’s 2007-08 success came against a league that was rated the best in the nation and sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. Along with sending No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Baylor, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Kansas State, No. 7 Iowa State, No. 8 Nebraska and No. 8 Texas to the NCAA Tournament, the Big 12 also had three conference teams (Colorado, Kansas, Texas Tech) earn opening-round byes in the 48-team Postseason WNIT field.

Nebraska has earned five consecutive postseason tournament appearances - the longest stretch in school history. NU earned a trip to the 2007 NCAA Tournament and finished with a 22-10 overall record along with a 10-6 conference mark in 2006-07.

Griffin To Contend for National Honors as Senior
Two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin was dominant down the stretch for the Huskers as a junior, averaging 19 points and nine rebounds per game over the Huskers’ last 12 contests.

Griffin finished the year as the No. 7 scorer (15.3 ppg) and No. 12 rebounder (7.2 rpg) in the Big 12 Conference, despite playing with a cracked rib the entire season, which limited her playing time to just 25.9 minutes per game. Despite being limited by the injury, Griffin ranked among the top three players in the Big 12 in points per minute and rebounds per minute, joining 2006 National Player of the Year Courtney Paris. Griffin trailed only Andrea Riley in points per minutes, while trailing only Paris in rebounds per minute across the league.

In Nebraska’s last 12 games, Griffin scored 20 or more points on six occasions, including a remarkable 26-point effort against Xavier’s inside duo of Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips to lead the Huskers to their first NCAA Tournament win in 10 seasons. Griffin also notched four double-doubles in NU’s last 12 games, including a season-high 14-rebound effort at Texas Tech.

Griffin was at her best in Big 12 play, ranking fifth with 16.8 points per game and sixth with 8.2 rebounds per contest, despite being the focus of every opposing defense. She also ranked among the top 10 players in the league in both field goal and free throw percentage. She had season highs of 26 points against Xavier, at home against Colorado and at home against Missouri, carrying NU to victories in all three games.

She opened February as the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week on Feb. 4, after producing 23 points and nine rebounds in a win at Missouri on Feb. 3, after going for 19 points and 11 rebounds against No. 18 Kansas State on Jan. 30. She added 25 points in a comeback win at Colorado on Feb. 6, producing 17 second-half points for the second straight game.

Defensively, Griffin led the Huskers with 20 charges drawn in 2007-08, while adding a career-best 40 steals. She also blocked 25 shots on the year.

Griffin ranks 11th on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list with 1,348 points, seventh on NU’s career rebounding list with 665 and eighth on the Husker career block chart with 68.

Turner Earns Big 12 All-Defensive Honor
A Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection, Yvonne Turner led the conference with 2.6 steals per game in league action. She had six steals against No. 15 Texas and No. 21 Texas A&M, and five steals against Kansas (Jan. 12). Turner had a steal in 21 straight games before going without a steal at Texas Tech.

The 5-8 guard from Omaha ranked second on Nebraska’s sophomore single-season steals list with 81. She climbed to eighth on NU’s overall single-season steals chart.

Turner’s 81 steals in 2007-08 gave her 45 more than NU’s leader - Kelsey Griffin - had in 2006-07. In fact, Turner surpassed the combined steals total of Griffin (36) and first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy (33) who combined for 69 steals in 2007-08.

Huskers Face Nation’s Best in 2008-09
Nebraska will face one of the toughest regular-season schedules in school history in 2008-09 with nine games against teams that finished 2007-08 among the top-25 RPI teams in the nation.

A total of 21 games will come against teams that competed in postseason tournaments in 2008, including 15 games against 2008 NCAA Tournament teams.

Nebraska’s home schedule features big names and big games nearly every night in 2008-09. NU’s home schedule features a date with 2008 Big Ten co-champion Ohio State, which has advanced to six straight NCAA tournaments. After battling the Buckeyes on Dec. 6, the Huskers will square off with Pac-10 power Arizona State on Dec. 28. The Sun Devils have advanced to at least the second round of four straight NCAA tournaments.

The Big 12 promises to feature a postseason atmosphere every night at the Devaney Center. Oklahoma, Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State all joined NU in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, while Colorado, Texas Tech and Kansas all advanced to at least the third round of the Postseason WNIT.

While the Huskers’ 15-game home schedule features nine contests against 2008 postseason clubs, the road will offer even more challenges. Nebraska will play 12 road games against 2008 postseason qualifiers, including a New Year’s date with LSU in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers have advanced to five consecutive NCAA Final Fours. NU will also travel to UTEP, which advanced to the 2008 NCAA second round, and 2008 NCAA qualifier New Mexico.

In Big 12 action, NU’s road schedule includes trips to NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Texas A&M, NCAA Sweet 16 participant Oklahoma State, and journeys to Texas, Iowa State and Kansas State, which all advanced to the 2008 NCAA second round.

Huskers to Be a Fixture on FSN in 2008-09
Nebraska will be featured four times on Fox Sports Net national television games in 2008-09. The Huskers will battle Arizona State, Iowa State, Colorado and Texas Tech in national television matchups this season.

Nebraska’s marquee non-conference matchup with perennial Pac-10 power Arizona State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Sunday, Dec. 28, at noon (central), is one of only two out-of-conference games in the Big 12’s 26-game national package for women’s basketball this season. The other will be defending national champion Tennessee’s showdown at Texas on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Nebraska’s second appearance on FSN will come on Saturday, Jan. 24, when the Huskers take on Iowa State at the Devaney Center. The special Saturday tip time with the Cyclones will be at 8 p.m. The NU-ISU women’s game will be the second of two televised basketball games at the Devaney Center on Jan. 24, as the Husker men will battle Oklahoma State at 3 p.m.

One week later, FSN will follow the Nebraska women’s basketball team to Boulder when the Huskers clash with Colorado at the Coors Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. central time.

Nebraska will wrap up its regular-season FSN national television appearances on Saturday, Feb. 14 at noon, when the Huskers play host to Texas Tech at the Devaney Center.

In addition to Nebraska’s national telecasts on Fox Sports Net, the Huskers will also appear frequently on Fox Sports Midwest in the state of Nebraska. The Huskers will debut on Fox Sports Midwest on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they travel to Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.

The Huskers will appear on Fox Sports Midwest again on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m., when they travel to Manhattan, Kan., to challenge Kansas State. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Huskers’ clash with Iowa State in Ames will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest at 7 p.m. NU will wrap up its scheduled Fox Sports Midwest appearances on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m., when the Huskers collide with Kansas in Lawrence.

Nebraska has also been added to the Fox Sports Southwest schedule with its road game at Texas on Jan. 14.

Big 12 Hits One Million in Home Attendance Again in 2007-08
For the second straight season and third time overall Big 12 Conference women’s basketball teams attracted more than one million fans to their home arenas in 2007-08.

The Big 12 has led the nation in attendance in each of the past nine years and is the only league to hit the one million fan milestone in NCAA history. In addition to 2006-07 and 2007-08, the conference also recorded one million fans in 2001-02. The 2006-07 cumulative attendance of 1,023,576 is the NCAA record. In 2007-08, the Big 12 recorded 1,014,309 patrons.

Griffin Climbing Husker Career Scoring, Rebounding Charts
Kelsey Griffin has jumped to No. 11 on the Nebraska career scoring chart with 1,348 points at the conclusion of her junior season, while ranking seventh with 665 career rebounds and eighth with 68 blocked shots.

Griffin will enter her senior season needing 86 points to move ahead of Diane DelVigna in the Huskers’ career top 10. Griffin has averaged nearly 450 points per season in her three-year NU career, and a similar senior season would put her close to 1,800 career points. Only seven Huskers in history have scored 1,800 or more points. Griffin needs 662 points to become the third player in NU history to acheive the 2,000-point plateau joining 1993 National Player of the Year Karen Jennings and 1988 Big Eight Player of the Year Maurtice Ivy.

On the career rebounding list, Griffin has averaged 222 boards per game in her first three years in Lincoln and similar production would creep her close to 900 career boards. Kathy Hagerstrom ranks third on NU’s career chart. Only two Huskers, Jennings with 1,000 from 1990-93 and Janet Smith with 1,280 from 1979-82, have recorded 900 rebounds in their NU careers.

Turner Sparks Husker Turnover Turnaround
With Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection leading the way with 81 steals on the year, Nebraska’s defense ranked fifth in the Big 12 with a plus-1.22 turnover margin in 2007-08. The Huskers forced 627 total turnovers for an average of 19.0 turnovers forced per contest, which ranked third in the league.

Those 627 turnovers forced come in striking contrast to Coach Connie Yori’s first two seasons at Nebraska. In Yori’s first season in 2002-03, NU forced opponents into just 451 turnovers on the year, before forcing just 444 turnovers in 2003-04, an average of just 14.8 turnovers per game.

The last time a Nebraska team forced more than 600 turnovers in a season came in 1999-00, when the Huskers forced opponents into 688 turnovers.

Kelley Sets NU Record with 33 Starts as Freshman
Lincoln native Dominique Kelley set the school record for starts by a true freshman after earning the nod in all 33 games for the Huskers in 2007-08. Kelley, a 5-7 guard out of Lincoln Northeast High School, became just the fifth NU freshman in history to start every game and the first since teammate Kelsey Griffin started 32 straight for the Huskers in 2005-06.

Kelley finished the season ranked sixth on the team in scoring at 6.4 points per game, while adding 2.9 rebounds per contest. She also finished fourth on the squad with 2.0 assists per game. Kelley ranked among the top 10 freshmen in the Big 12 in scoring (eighth), rebounding (eighth) and assists (third). Her 17 three-pointers ranked seventh among league freshmen, as did her 37.8 percent accuracy from long range.

Kelley, who scored in double figures seven times in her rookie campaign, 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 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds in NU’s win over Denver on Dec. 30. Kelley also hit a career-best three three-pointers against the Pioneers. She had a strong 10-point effort in a win over No. 21 Texas A&M, that included career highs with five assists and two steals.

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 in 2006-07.

Montgomery Ranked among Big 12’s Best Off the Bench in 2007-08
During Nebraska’s run in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Cory Montgomery continued to show why she was one of the best players coming off the bench in the Big 12 Conference in 2007-08.

The 6-2 sophomore forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., averaged 10 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the Huskers’ two games in the NCAA Tournament, including a difference-making 12 points and five boards in just 18 minutes in NU’s win over Xavier on March 23. Montgomery hit 5-of-11 shots from the field against the Musketeers, including a pair of three-pointers. She also hit three straight mid-range jumpers during a crucial second-half stretch to hold off Xavier’s late charge.

Montgomery finished the season averaging 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as one of the most productive reserves in the Big 12. Montgomery made four consecutive starts to close non-conference action, but returned to her reserve role for the start of league play against No. 15 Texas when first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin returned to the lineup.

Montgomery scored in double figures 15 times in 2007-08. She matched her career high with 21 points to go along with eight rebounds in just 23 minutes off the bench in NU’s win at Iowa State on Jan. 19. She added 18 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes against No. 17 Oklahoma State. 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 set a career-best with two three-pointers against the Buckeyes, which she matched against Oklahoma State and Xavier.

Montgomery came up big in Nebraska’s 87-69 victory over USC on Dec. 8, by setting a career high with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds. 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.

Hester Gives Huskers All-Around Threat On The Wing
Senior guard Tay Hester gives Nebraska an all-around offensive and defensive threat. The 5-10 guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., started all 33 games for the Huskers as a junior in 2007-08, producing double figures on eight occasions, including a huge 13-point effort in NU’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Xavier on March 23.

In the win over the Musketeers, Hester hit 5-of-9 shots from the field, including her fifth three-pointer of the season, while knocking down a pair of clutch free throws in the game’s final minute. She added two big defensive rebounds in the final minutes, while dishing out two assists and a steal in one of her best games of the season.

Hester started her NU career off strong by producing her first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the season opener against her former teammates from UTEP. The Miners went on to their best season in school history by rolling to the Conference USA crown and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling at eventual NCAA runner-up Stanford.

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 had a career-high 14 points and four assists in a loss at No. 18 Ohio State on Dec. 22. She had 10 points and five rebounds at No. 11 Oklahoma on Jan. 16, before adding 10 points and six boards at No. 6 Baylor on Jan. 26. She added a career-best six assists with no turnovers in NU’s win over Iowa State on March 5.

Hester averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while ranking third on the team with 67 assists and 35 steals on the season.

Burke Starred in Supporting Role for Huskers in 2007-08
No stranger to the spotlight, Kaitlyn Burke starred in a supporting role for the Huskers as a freshman. The former childhood actress played starring roles in Nebraska’s wins in California in December.

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.

She added 12 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, to go along with six assists in NU’s win at Iowa State on Jan. 19.

For the season, Burke averaged 5.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She led the Huskers with 78 assists on the year, including five in NU’s win over Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Her 78 assists ranked second among all Big 12 freshmen, trailing only Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson (130).

Burke also ranked second on the team with 33 three-pointers, which ranked fifth among all Big 12 freshmen. Burke’s 5.4 points tied for 11th among league freshmen.

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.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Since the Bob Devaney Sports Center opened in 1976-77, the Huskers are 325-114 (.740) in games played in the arena, including 120-74 (.619) in conference games. NU finished 2007-08 with a 14-2 home record, tying for the second-highest home victory total in school history. It marked 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.

Nebraska’s success at home in 2007-08 was even more remarkable considering the strength of the Huskers’ home schedule. Eleven of NU’s 16 home games came against teams that advanced to the postseason in 2008, with the Huskers rolling to an impressive 9-2 record. Not only did Husker foes advance to postseason play, 10 of the 11 opponents won at least one game in a postseason tournament, including 2008 NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Texas A&M.

Included among the five Husker home foes that did not advance to postseason play in 2008, were traditional powers USC and Ole Miss, which was coming off a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2007.

Since 2003-04, NU is 61-18 (.772) at the Devaney Center, with no more than four losses in any season.

The Huskers continued their surge of success at the Devaney Center by opening the 2008-09 season with a 96-47 victory over Weber State on Nov. 14.

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.

The Huskers averaged more than 5,000 fans per game during Big 12 Conference play for the second straight season in 2007-08.

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.