Lincoln, Neb. - Cory Montgomery scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while senior guard Tay Hester added eight points, a season-high 11 boards and a game-high three assists to lead the Nebraska women's basketball team to a 52-47 win over No. 20 Kansas State on Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
With the victory, Nebraska improved to 13-13 overall and 4-9 in the Big 12 while notching its third straight home victory. The Huskers, who notched their third win in their last four games, posted their second victory over an Associated Press Top 25 team this season, joining a 62-58 win over No. 24 Arizona State in Lincoln on Dec. 28.
Kansas State slipped to 21-5 overall and 8-5 in Big 12 action, despite the return of senior All-Big 12 point guard Shalee Lehning from sitting out the past three games while battling mononucleosis. Lehning, who went through partial warmups and did not start in the game, made her first appearance in the contest with 8:11 left in the first half. Jalana Childs drew the start in Lehning's place, after the Wildcats initially reported Kelsey Nelson as a starter in their lineup.
In addition to the big nights from Montgomery and Hester, junior guard Yvonne Turner contributed 13 points while knocking down a trio of three-pointers while playing a career-high 39 minutes. Sophomore center Catheryn Redmon notched a career-high seven blocked shots while pulling down eight rebounds to go along with her four points and an assist.
The Huskers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats despite shooting just 33.3 percent (17-51) from the field, including 30 percent (6-20) from three-point range. NU's defense held Kansas State to just 32.1 percent (18-56) shooting from the field, including 3-of-17 shooting from long range. The Huskers also outscored the Wildcats, 12-8, at the free throw line. NU forced 15 KSU turnovers, while committing 14 of its own, while Kansas State outrebounded Nebraska, 40-37.
In a game that featured 13 lead changes and five ties, Nebraska's defense went into lockdown in the final six minutes, holding the Wildcats to just one field goal from the 6:04 mark until nine seconds remaining. However, neither team was able to build a larger than two-possession lead until Hester's two free throws with 15 seconds left gave Nebraska a 50-43 advantage.
Lehning played two minutes in the first half, including a 13-second appearance in the final 45 seconds when KSU got a pair of Kari Kincaid free throws with 29 seconds left to take a 22-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After Nebraska regained the lead on its first possession of the second half and Ashley Sweat was whistled for her third foul on KSU's first possession, Lehning made a quick entry into the game in the second half. Lehning spent three minutes on the floor during her third stint in the game, in which Nebraska buried a pair of three-pointers to take a 29-24 lead. Lehning exited with 16:30 to play before returning with 9:28 left in the contest and KSU clinging to a 40-39 lead. Lehning did not leave the floor again until Hester's free throws gave NU a seven-point lead in the final seconds.
Sweat, who led Kansas State with 13 points and seven rebounds, hit an unchallenged layup with nine seconds left to end a stretch of 5:55 without a field goal for the Wildcats. Sweat had hit KSU's last field goal with 6:04 left in the game, before adding its lone free throw with 4:21 remaining.
However, the Huskers were unable to put the Wildcats away during the scoreless stretch, going without a field goal of their own in the final 5:44 of the game, after Hester hit a jumper to put NU up 45-42. Nebraska's defense silenced the Cats, and NU finally forced KSU to foul in the final 41 seconds, when the Huskers hit 7-of-8 free throws to close out their 10th home victory of the season.
"Anytime you can win back-to-back games and three of your last four games in the Big 12 Conference, you feel great about it," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "Cory obviously played a great game for us inside and hit some big shots, and Tay Hester gave us a lot of energy and great rebounding again off the bench. Catheryn Redmon played a great game on the defensive end with seven blocks. I am proud of our team for sticking with it and staying positive, and now we have managed to build a little momentum here late in the season."
Kansas State held a 22-21 halftime lead behind six points apiece from Childs and Kincaid, while Montgomery led all scorers with seven points and six rebounds in the opening period. K-State jumped out to a 6-2 lead, before NU took its first lead of the game at 9-8 off Hester's second basket of the game.
Nebraska's lead grew to four points twice before Kansas State responded to close the half on an 11-6 surge to take a 22-21 lead into the locker room. NU hit just 8-of-27 shots from the field in the first half, including just 1-of-9 three-pointers. The Huskers went 4-for-4 from the free throw line, but were outrebounded, 19-17. NU forced nine KSU turnovers, while committing just eight miscues. K-State hit just 8-of-25 shots from the floor in the first half, including 1-of-7 three-point attempts. The Wildcats were 5-of-6 at the free throw line.
The Huskers heated up to open the second half, as Montgomery and Turner combined for three three-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half as NU took its biggest of the game at 32-26 with 16:00 left. But Kansas State answered to retake a 36-35 lead off a Kelsey Nelson three-pointer with 13:13 left. Nelson, who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench, produced the only shot hit by somebody other than Sweat for KSU in a span 13:12 until Nelson's unchallenged layup as time expired.
Nebraska returns to Big 12 North Division road action on Saturday, Feb. 28, when the Huskers travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face the Kansas Jayhawks. Tip-off at Allen Fieldhouse is set for 7:05 p.m. with live television coverage in Nebraska on Fox Sports Midwest (Channel 37 in Lincoln).
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Official Basketball Box Score
Official Basketball Box Score
Kansas State vs Nebraska
2/25/09 7:05pm at Bob Devaney Sports Center- Lincoln, Neb.
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VISITORS: Kansas State 21-5, 8-5
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
04 Sweat, Ashley....... f 5-14 0-3 3-4 3 4 7 4 13 2 0 0 0 34
33 Childs, Jalana...... f 4-10 0-0 0-0 1 4 5 2 8 0 4 0 0 21
51 Gipson, Marlies..... f 2-6 0-1 0-0 0 6 6 4 4 1 3 1 0 26
25 Zanotti, Danielle... g 1-6 1-5 0-0 2 5 7 1 3 0 0 1 0 26
41 Kincaid, Kari....... g 2-7 0-3 2-2 0 1 1 5 6 2 2 0 2 40-
02 Nelson, Kelsey...... 4-12 2-5 2-2 4 4 8 2 12 0 4 0 0 30
05 Lehning, Shalee..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 1 0 2 0 0 1 14
23 Spani, Shalin....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
34 Brown, Branshea..... 0-1 0-0 1-2 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
TEAM................ 1 1 1
Totals.............. 18-56 3-17 8-10 13 27 40 19 47 7 15 2 3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-25 32.0% 2nd Half: 10-31 32.3% Game: 32.1% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-7 14.3% 2nd Half: 2-10 20.0% Game: 17.6% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-6 83.3% 2nd Half: 3-4 75.0% Game: 80.0% 0
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HOME TEAM: Nebraska 13-13, 4-9
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
40 Montgomery, Cory.... f 7-16 3-4 4-4 3 5 8 4 21 1 2 0 0 31
44 Redmon, Catheryn.... f 2-4 0-0 0-1 3 5 8 1 4 1 1 7 0 34
05 Burke, Kaitlyn...... g 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 12
22 Turner, Yvonne...... g 3-12 3-9 4-6 0 2 2 2 13 0 2 0 1 39
24 Kelley, Dominique... g 1-6 0-2 2-2 0 3 3 1 4 0 3 0 0 24
11 Neals, Nicole....... 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 14
13 Kuhlmann, Kala...... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4
32 Hester, Tay......... 3-6 0-0 2-4 4 7 11 4 8 3 5 1 0 28
35 Periago, Jessica.... 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 14
TEAM................ 1 2 3
Totals.............. 17-51 6-20 12-17 11 26 37 14 52 6 14 8 2 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-27 29.6% 2nd Half: 9-24 37.5% Game: 33.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-9 11.1% 2nd Half: 5-11 45.5% Game: 30.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-4 100 % 2nd Half: 8-13 61.5% Game: 70.6% 1,1
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Officials: Melissa Barlow, Bob Trammell, Brenda Pantoja
Technical fouls: Kansas State-None. Nebraska-None.
Attendance: 2424
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Kansas State.................. 22 25 - 47
Nebraska...................... 21 31 - 52