Coatney's Call: North Carolina A&T/Temple Preview

Nebraska vs. North Carolina A&T Aggies
Friday, Nov. 9, 7:05 p.m. (central)
Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
(Huskers.com-Only)
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com
Internet Video: HuskersNside (with Huskers.com audio)

Nebraska vs. Temple Owls 
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2:05 p.m. (central)
Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: 25-station Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
107.3-FM KBBK (Lincoln); 93.3-FM KFFF (Omaha); 1230-AM KHAS (Hastings); 94.1-FM KNEB (Scottsbluff)
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com
Internet Video: BTN.com       

The Nebraska women's basketball team heads into the regular season after wrapping up exhibition play with a 68-38 win over Nebraska-Kearney last Sunday in Lincoln.  National Player-of-the-Year candidates Jordan Hooper and Lindsey Moore carried the scoring load for the Huskers, who had only six players available for the game. Hooper had a game-high 32 points while Moore added 19.  The Huskers open a three-game regular-season homestand this Friday night against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. Less than 48 hours later, NU will host the Temple Owls Sunday afternoon in the Devaney Center.

North Carolina A&T was the sixth-youngest program in the nation last season with eight freshmen and no seniors, but still managed to win 15 games.  They return their entire starting lineup and 12 players overall, including three players who were named to the MEAC Preseason team. JaQuayla Berry, a 5-11 junior wing, was named preseason first-team all-conference. She became the 12th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points last season.  Berry posted eight double-doubles and led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals in 2011-12.  In fact, in 2010-11, Berry ranked third nationally in steals. 

Amber Calving, a 5-8 junior point guard, and 5-11 junior forward Tiffanie Adair were both named to the MEAC preseason second team.  Calvin set the single-season school assist record last year (117) after missing the 2010-11 season due to an ACL injury.  She averaged 13.6 points and 4.0 assists per game for the Aggies last year.  Adair was named to the MEAC All-Rookie team, averaging 12.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in conference play. She also shot 58 percent from the floor. 

Tracy King, a 5-10 junior guard, started the first 16 games last year before suffering a season-ending meniscus tear. She averaged 13.5 points and 5.9 rebouonds and led the team in free throw percentage (.875).  Despite only playing half the season, King was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2011-12.  First year Head Coach Tarrell Robinson takes over the Aggie program after Patricia Cage-Bibbs returned to Grambling State, her alma mater, after seven years at the helm of the North Carolina A&T program.  

Temple is entering its final season in the Atlantic-10 Conference and will be moving to the Big East for 2013-14.  The Owls have had nine straight 20-win seasons and have finished 13-1 in the league the last two years. Temple lost four seniors off last year's team that was 23-10 and advanced to the third round of the WNIT. 

Center Victoria Macauley is the lone returning starter. The 6-4 senior is a first-team A-10 preseason pick, as well as an A-10 Preseason All-Defensive Team honoree. Macauley averaged 9.7 points per game last year (third on the team) and led the Owls with 7.5 rebounds per game. She was named the Big 5 Most Improved Player as well as the Most Improved Player by the team, and was a Big 5 Second-Team honoree. Macaulay had a strong finish to her junior season, scoring in double figures in 11 of the final 13 games, including a 17-point effort in a WNIT first-round win over Quinnipiac. She is fourth in career scoring at Temple.

Brittany Lewis, a 6-3 senior forward, started 18 games last season and played some of her best basketball near the end of the season.  She tied her career high with 13 rebounds in the second-round WNIT win over Harvard.  In the first round, she nearly posted a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine assists vs. Quinnipiac.

Temple, picked fifth in the pre-season A-10 poll, is coached by Tonya Cardoza.  She led the Owls to the NCAA Tournament each of her first three seasons before heading to the WNIT last year. The fifth-year coach was the 2011 A-10 Coach of the Year.  A long-time assistant at Connecticut, Cardoza was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Women's Basketball team, along with former Virginia teammate and Temple coaching predecessor Dawn Staley.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women's basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our broadcast Friday begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Huskers.com only.  There won't be any over-the-air radio coverage for the game against North Carolina A&T due to multiple conflicts with other events. Our radio broadcast Sunday afternoon against Temple begins with the pre-game show at 1:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network, including Lincoln affiliate KBBK 107.3 FM (B107.3), KFFF 93.3 FM (The Wolf 93.3) in Omaha, KHAS 1230 in Hastings, KNEB 94.1 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. 

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker women's basketball via social media.  You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women's Basketball Facebook  page or follow the team on their official Twitter  page @huskerswbb.  I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red! 

Matt