Coatney's Call: Mississippi Valley Game Preview

Nebraska (1-0) vs. Mississippi Valley State (0-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011 (7:05 p.m. tip)
Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP, Jeff Griesch-Color)
25-Stations, including B107.3 FM (Lincoln), Twister 93.3 FM (Omaha) 880 AM KRVN (Lexington), 1400 AM KCOW (Alliance), 1230 AM KHAS (Hastings), 960 AM KNEB (Scottsbluff)
Internet: Free Live Audio on Huskers.com

Talk about opening the regular season in a big way!  The Nebraska women's basketball team forced an opponent record 47 turnovers and six players scored in double figures as the Huskers rolled to a 95-43 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday afternoon in Lincoln.

Adri Maurer, a 6-3 sophomore center, led all scorers with a career-high 15 points.  She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor and also added a career-high six rebounds.  Freshman guard Tear'a Laudermill exploded onto the scene by scoring 14 points and knocking down four three-pointers.  The win improved NU's record to 36-2 in regular-season home openers. 

The four-game season-opening home stand continues for Nebraska as the Huskers host Mississippi Valley State Tuesday night at the Devaney Center.

Mississippi Valley State, like UAPB, is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).  MVSU started the season with a 69-61 loss at Marquette Saturday night.  The Devilettes routinely face a challenging non-conference schedule, and last season RealTimeRPI.com rated MVSU's as the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation.  MVSU finished fifth in the SWAC (11-7) and had a 14-17 overall record last year.  They return all five starters and nine letterwinners from that team.

Ka'neshia Smith, a 5-9 senior swing player, is one of the best players in the SWAC and was named the league's preseason Defensive Player of the Year.  She led the conference in assists last season and led MVSU in steals, rebounding (6.1 rpg) and added 10.7 ppg.  Smith had 12 points and six rebounds in Saturday night's loss at Marquette. Alia Frank, a 5-10 junior forward, was named to the second-team pre-season All-SWAC team. She led MVSU in scoring last year (11.5 ppg).  A starter in 21 of 29 games in 2010-11, Frank came off the bench against Marquette and had 12 points and eight rebounds. 

De'Kisha Fondon, a 5-6 senior, led the team in three-pointers (52) last season and was named the SWAC Newcomer of the Year.  After transferring from Northwest Mississippi Community College, Fondon started 29 games for the Devilettes and averaged 9.8 ppg. Lenise Stallings, a 5-6 junior, started 20 games in 2010-11 for MVSU and averaged 6.0 ppg.  She had 10 points in the loss to Marquette. 

Brittney Lakes, a 5-11 senior, started 30 games last season, averaging 8.5 ppg. She had six points in the season-opening loss Saturday night. 

Nate Kilbert is only the second head coach in MVSU history.  Now in his 11th season, Kilbert played collegiately for Mississippi Valley's men's team, and his wife is the Devilette's volleyball coach.

This will be the first meeting ever between Nebraska and MVSU.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women's basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Tuesday evening begins with the Husker Courtside pregame show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network, including our new Lincoln affiliate KBBK 107.3 FM (B-107.3), KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, KRVN 880 AM in Lexington, KCOW 1400 AM in Alliance, KNEB 960 AM in Scottsbluff, and available to our entire 25 network stations.  All Husker women's basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.  

Go Big Red! 

Matt