Coatney's Call: NAU/SDSU Preview

#15 Nebraska vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Friday, Nov. 16, 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)

#15 Nebraska at South Dakota State Jackrabbits 
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2 p.m. (central)
Frost Arena (Brookings, S.D.)
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)

The Nebraska women's basketball team moved up to No. 15 in both major national polls this week after sweeping a pair of games at home to start the regular season last weekend.  The Huskers defeated North Carolina A&T Friday night and then ran past Temple 64-39 Sunday afternoon. Nebraska had a plus-13 rebound margin and plus-12 advantage in turnovers over the Owls, a team that won 23 games last season. 

NU opened the season 2-0 for the eighth straight season and got very balanced scoring and contributions from the entire roster.  Wade, Naismith and Wooden National Player-of-the-Year candidates Jordan Hooper and Lindsey Moore helped pace the Huskers.  Hooper had her 18th career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds against Temple, while Moore added 10 points and three assists. 

Nebraska starts a grueling stretch of four games in eight days with a Friday night home game against Northern Arizona to close out the season-opening homestand. The Huskers then hit the road for a Sunday afternoon tussle with South Dakota State.

The Lumberjacks took Nebraska to double overtime last year in Flagstaff before NU finally prevailed, 97-88.  Hooper and Moore each scored over 30 points in the game, combining for 63. 

NAU has a different look on their bench this season with a new head coach. Sue Darling spent the last four seasons as an assistant at Arizona. Previously, Darling was head coach at Air Force for three seasons, along with other stops in her 27-year career.  She has an injury-strapped roster for her first season at Northern Arizona. 

Amanda Frost, a 5-8 junior guard who had 24 points and six three-pointers against the Huskers in 2011-12, is out until January with a broken knee cap.  Tyler Stephens-Jenkins, a 5-10 senior shooting guard, suffered a concussion in the season-opening loss at New Mexico and is questionable for the game in Lincoln Friday night. Shay May, a 6-0 junior, has a knee injury and was not available for the first two games of the season.  NAU only had seven scholarship players available, along with three walk-ons, for Monday night's 71-68 loss to Cal State-Bakersfield in Flagstaff.

Amy Patter, a 5-10 senior forward, is second in the nation in scoring through two games, averaging a blistering 31.0 points per game. She went off for a career-high 33 points in the season-opening loss at New Mexico before posting 29 points in the loss to CSUB. Patton  is second on the all-time NAU career scoring list.  A true scorer who gets a lot of points in transition and from the three-point line, Patton had 12 points five rebounds and five assists in the loss to Nebraska last year. 

Senior forward Audrey Davis combines with 6-2 sophomore Raven Anderson for a potent inside game for the Lumberjacks.  However, in the loss to CSUB Monday night, both Davis and Anderson fouled out, and with only seven scholarship players available, the foul trouble greatly affected NAU. The Lumberjacks were outrebounded by 13 boards and were minus-10 at the free throw line.  Anderson is second on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and adds 6.0 rebounds per game. Davis averages 4.0 points and leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg).  She had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Nebraska last season.  

Senior point guard Paige Haynes leads the team in assists and adds 9.5 points per game.  If Stephens-Jenkins is unavailable Friday night, expect 5-3 sophomore Jasmine Sneed to start at the off-guard. She averages 3.5 points per game.

NAU is picked ninth in the preseason Big Sky Conference poll after finishing 9-20 overall last season.  The Huskers lead the all-time series 2-0.  Along with last year's double-overtime thriller, Nebraska emerged with a 70-56 win in Lincoln on New Years' Eve 2005.  The Lumberjacks have historically struggled on the road.  Although they won two conference games away from Flagstaff last season, NAU has not won a road non-conference game since December 18, 2006, a streak of 34 consecutive games.

South Dakota State is 1-2 on the young season after losing its home opener to Creighton Wednesday night 63-54.  SDSU opened the season with a 71-47 loss to Villanova in the Minnesota Best Buy Classic and then squeaked past Washington State 65-56 in overtime in game two of the tournament.  The Jackrabbits finished 24-9 last year, and were 16-2 in the Summit League, capturing both the regular season and postseason tournament titles. 

SDSU made its fourth consecutive NCAA appearance and sixth overall postseason trip since becoming a Division I program in 2004-05.  The Jackrabbits are particularly impressive at home in Frost Arena.  The loss Wednesday night to Creighton snapped a nine-game winning streak, but SDSU is a sizzling 93-19 at home since moving to Division I eight years ago.  The Jackrabbits were once again picked in the preseason to win the Summit League title this year.

Two players who were a big part of the four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances were career 1,000-point scorers Jill Young and Jennie Sunnarborg, who have both graduated.  SDSU returns four seniors, including 5-9 guard Ashley Eide (EYE-dee).  The team's returning leading scorer (10.9 ppg in 2011-12), Eide had a team high 21 points and three three-pointers in Nebraska's 80-71 win over the Jackrabbits last season in Lincoln.  Eide was named second-team all-conference last year. 

Leah Dietel, a 6-1 senior forward, started the final 20 games last season and averaged 3.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Gabby Boever, a 5-8 sophomore point guard, came on strong in the second half of 2011-12, posting averages of 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three Summit League Tournament games. Boever had 10 points and two three-pointers against Creighton Wednesday night.  

Sophomore forward Megan Waytashek has played in only seven games since January 2011 due to injury.  She had a team-high 14 points in Wednesday night's loss to Creighton.  Mariah Clarin, a 6-1 sophomore forward, rounds out SDSU's probable starting lineup.  She played in 24 games last year and has started all three of the Jackrabbits' games this year, averaging 8.3 points per game. 

13th-year SDSU Coach Aaron Johnston laid the foundation to a successful transition to Division I by leading the Jackrabbits to three consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances, including the first national championship in the program's history during the 2002-03 season. He is a three-time Summit League Coach of the Year.

The Huskers lead the all-time series with SDSU 2-1, including last year's win in Lincoln.  This will be Nebraska's first trip to Brookings.  NU was victorious 94-39 in 1978, but lost 68-49 to the Jackrabbits in the season opener in 2005.  The loss was the snapped the Huskers' streak of 24 consecutive season-opening victories.

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 pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on huskers.com only.  Our broadcast Sunday begins with the pre-game show at 1:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. in Brookings. There won't be any over-the-air radio coverage for either due to multiple conflicts with other events.  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