No. 16 Huskers Close Exhibition Season with No. 10 Golden Bears

Exhibition Game #2
#16 Nebraska Cornhuskers
vs. #10 Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears
Sunday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m. (Central)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Neb.
Radio: IMG College Husker Sports Network
(PBP-Matt Coatney; Analyst-Jeff Griesch)
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED

No. 16 Huskers Close Exhibition Season with No. 10 Golden Bears
The No. 16 Nebraska women’s basketball team closes its two-game exhibition schedule by welcoming the NCAA Division II No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears to Pinnacle Bank Arena, Sunday at 2 p.m.

The game will be the first meeting between the Huskers and Golden Bears and will feature free live audio from the Husker Sports Network on Huskers.com. No TV or live video will be available.

Tickets for Sunday’s game can be purchased in advance by visiting Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Tickets also will be available at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket Office before the game. Reserved seats are just $10, while adult general admission tickets are just $5. Youth and seniors receive discounted rates, while UNL students with ID are admitted free.

Sunday’s matchup between Nebraska and Concordia-St. Paul should offer another one of NCAA Division II’s best teams. The Golden Bears were ranked No. 10 nationally in both the WBCA Preseason Top 25 and the Women’s Division II Bulletin Top 25. The Golden Bears finished with a 28-9 overall record, while advancing to the 2014 NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Concordia-St. Paul has advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament 10 times in the past 12 years. Last season, the Bears beat Wayne State twice during the regular season, including a 69-50 win on Jan. 17.

The Huskers, who are coming off an 84-43 exhibition-opening win over Division II No. 6 Wayne State last Sunday, return four All-Big Ten starters who led the Big Red to a 26-7 record, a Big Ten Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament second round. Honorable-mention AP All-American and first-team All-Big Ten point guard Rachel Theriot rejoins seniors Emily Cady (second-team All-Big Ten), Tear’a Laudermill (second-team All-Big Ten) and Hailie Sample (Big Ten All-Defensive) in 2014-15.

Theriot, a 6-0 junior from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, claimed preseason first-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 assists per game as a sophomore. She averaged 18.7 points and a tournament-record 10.0 assists on her way to 2014 Big Ten Tournament MVP honors.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (26-7, 12-4 Big Ten)
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 6.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 12.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Jr. - F - JUCO
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 11.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Off the Bench
13 - Brandi Jeffery - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 3.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - So. - C - 3.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - So. - G - 0.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg
2 - Kaylee Page - 6-2 - Fr. - F - High School
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - Fr. - G - High School
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Fr. - G - High School
30 - Chandler Smith - 6-0 - Fr. - G - High School
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-8 - Fr. - G - High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (241-142); 25th Season Overall (436-282)

Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (28-9, 16-6 NSIC)
25 - Kionda Nicks - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 5.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg
40 - Anika Whiting - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 17.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg
2 - Ameshia Kearney - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
20 - Mishayla Jones - 5-6 - So. - G - 1.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg
12 - Voneisha Harris - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 1.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg
or 30 - Lauren Shifflett 5-8 - RFr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Off the Bench
34 - Amanda Barton - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 6.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg
22 - Asha Knight - 5-11 - Sr. - F - 1.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg
32 - Tierra Bender - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg
23 - Jordyn Dudley - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 0.6 ppg, 0.3 rpg
42 - Caitlyn Russell - 6-3 - So. - C - Evansville
10 - Kayla Miller - 5-10 - Fr. - G - High School
40 - Kyrah Fredenburg - 5-11 - Fr. - G - High School
Head Coach: Paul Fessler (Northern Iowa, 1988)
15th Season at CSP (306-128); 19th Season Overall (407-146)

Big Red Begins Season at No. 16 in AP, Coaches Polls
The Huskers open the 2014-15 season at No. 16 in both the Associated Press Preseason Poll and the USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25. Nebraska closed the 2013-14 campaign at No. 13 in the AP rankings, which did not include NCAA Tournament results.

NU, which went 26-7 last season and 12-4 in the Big Ten before winning its first Big Ten Tournament title, ended the season at No. 17 in the final USA Today Coaches Top 25. Both Nebraska’s final AP and Coaches Top 25 rankings were the second-best year-end rankings in school history. The Huskers have finished the season in the AP Top 25 four times in the past five years.

The Huskers finished No. 19 in the official NCAA RPI, which was its third-best RPI finish in history - all in the last five seasons.

Before Nebraska Coach Connie Yori came to Nebraska for the 2002-03 season, the Huskers had never finished a season ranked in the top 25 in either of the major polls or the RPI.

Nebraska Opened Basketball Season with Big Red Tip-Off
The Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball programs hit the floor for the first time together on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Big Red Tip-Off at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The fun family-friendly event included 15-minute scrimmages by both the men’s and women’s teams and a head-to-head three-point contest between the two programs.

Nebraska women’s basketball Coach Connie Yori and men’s basketball Coach Tim Miles both addressed the thousands of fans who filled the arena for the free event.

The two teams wrapped up the night with an autograph session at the arena.

Husker Season Ticket Sales Reach Another All-Time High
Nebraska’s second season inside the spectacular Pinnacle Bank Arena promises to be packed with action from start to finish, and Husker women’s basketball fans are showing that they want to see it all in person this season.

Heading into their final exhibition game with Concordia-St. Paul on Sunday, Nov. 9, Nebraska had sold a school-record 3,904 season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign.

In their first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, Nebraska shattered its previous season ticket sales record with more than 3,700. The previous record came in 2010-11, when NU sold approximately 2,700 season tickets.

Last season, Nebraska ranked No. 11 nationally with an average home attendance of 6,161 fans per game. The Huskers ranked No. 8 nationally in total attendance with 110,892 fans flocking to the arena to watch the Big Red roll to a 16-2 home record.

Theriot Claims Preseason All-Big Ten Honors
Nebraska junior Rachel Theriot captured preseason first-team All-Big Ten team announced at Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Media Day on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Theriot, a 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, joined senior point guards Rachel Banham (Minnesota) and Samantha Logic (Iowa) on the five-player honor squads of both the conference coaches and media. Michigan State sophomore Aerial Powers and Northwestern sophomore Nia Coffey rounded out the coaches top five. Sophomores Amanda Zahui from Minnesota and Lexie Brown from Maryland, along with junior Ameryst Alston from Ohio State claimed spots on the media’s six-player team.

As a team, Nebraska was picked No. 3 in the conference by the media, trailing Maryland and Michigan State. Iowa earned the No. 3 spot ahead of the Huskers in the coaches ranking of the top three teams.

Scouting the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears
Coach Paul Fessler has bult a traditionally strong NCAA Division II program at Concordia-St. Paul. Entering his 15th season at the helm of the Golden Bears, Fessler has produced a 306-128 record while leading the team to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 seasons. Last year, Fessler guided CSP to its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance after claiming its third Sweet 16 bid in the past 10 years.

The Golden Bears, who enter 2014-15 ranked No. 10 by both the WBCA and Women’s Division II Bulletin, are coming off a 28-9 campaign. CSP went 16-6 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Down the stretch, the Golden Bears defeated No. 19 Northern State (54-36), No. 2 Harding (68-57), No. 8 Central Missouri (85-60) and No. 7 Emporia State (70-67) before falling to No. 10 Nova Southeastern in the NCAA Elite Eight at Erie, Pa.

Concordia-St. Paul returns three starters and 10 letterwinners, including leading scorer and rebounder Anika Whiting. The 6-2 senior forward from Ashland, Wis., averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds last season. She started all 37 games and averaged 31.5 minutes per contest. In addition to her strong presence inside, Whiting hit 20-of-49 three-pointers (.408) and a sizzling 84.5 percent (169-200) of her free throws. In her three seasons as a starter, Whiting has amassed 1,485 points and 647 rebounds. She pumped in a career-high 32 points against Central Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

The Golden Bears also return senior Ameshia Kearney. The 5-9 guard from Minneapolis averaged 12.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Kearney, who scored a season-high 26 points against Sioux Falls in February, also knocked down 69 threes on the year while hitting 36.9 percent of her long-range attempts.

That dynamic duo of double-figure scorers is joined by returning starter Kionda Nicks. The 6-2 junior forward from St. Paul, Minn., averaged 5.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season. Nicks was a back-door stopper for the Golden Bears last year, blocking 104 shots. She also committed 113 fouls.

Concordia-St. Paul must replace a pair of double-digit scorers from last season, including Rachel Hansen. The point guard averaged 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-best 4.7 assists. A four-year starter, Hansen closed her career with 1,305 points, 597 rebounds, 474 assists and 182 steals.

Carissa Wolyniec joined Hansen, Whiting, and Kearney in the starting five for all 37 games. The 5-11 guard averaged 11.1 points and 4.4 boards while burying a team-best 100 threes (.392).

Senior Voneisha Harris (1.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg), Mishayla Jones (1.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) and Lauren Shifflett (2.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg) are leading contenders to replace Hansen and Wolyniec in the starting backcourt. Tierra Bender (1.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and Jordyn Dudley (0.6 ppg, 0.3 rpg) add more experience at guard.

Amanda Barton, a 6-2 senior forward, adds depth up front after averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a junior. Barton started two games and played in 10 contests before missing the rest of last season with a health issue. A sixth senior, Asha Knight (1.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg) adds more depth at forward.

The Golden Bears added a trio of newcomers, led by Caitlyn Russell, a 6-3 sophomore center who transferred from Division I Evansville. Russell played in 20 games for the Purple Aces last season. Freshmen guards Kayla Miller and Kyrah Fredenburg may also be asked to contribute.

As a team, Concordia-St. Paul averaged 70 points per game last year, while surrendering 62.1 points per contest. The Golden Bears hit just 40.3 percent of their shots, including 33.9 percent of their threes, but held opponents to just 35.3 percent success, including 30.4 percent from long range. CSP hit 72.9 percent of its free throws, attempting 4.1 more free throws per game than the opposition. Despite their size, the Golden Bears struggled with a minus-1.7 team rebounding margin, but owned a plus-2.6 team turnover margin, committing just 11.2 turnovers per game. They also blocked 5.6 shots per game.

Nebraska vs. Concordia-St. Paul Series History
Sunday’s game marks Nebraska’s first meeting in school history with Concordia-St. Paul.
Husker Hot Shots - Nebraska’s Starting Five

#23, Emily Cady, 6-2, Sr., F, Seward, Neb. (12.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.1 apg)
• One of the Big Ten’s most versatile forwards, Emily Cady earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2014. She joined Hailie Sample in sharing Nebraska’s Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award for the second straight season, while Cady also claimed the team’s Husker Award.

• Cady produced a double-double in NU’s exhibition win over Wayne State, leading all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds. She added three assists, two steals and a block in just 20 minutes.

• Cady tied Jordan Hooper for second in the Big Ten with 14 double-doubles, while ranking third in the league with 9.2 rebounds per game. She ranked 24th overall in scoring (12.7 ppg), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5-to-1), seventh in free throw percentage (.858), eighth in field goal percentage (.495) and 12th in assists (3.1 apg). In Big Ten games-only, Cady ranked third with her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio trailing only Husker point guard Rachel Theriot (2.7) and Iowa point guard Samantha Logic (2.2). Cady also ranked eighth in conference play in assists (4.1 apg). She had eight double-doubles in 16 conference games.

• Cady enters her senior season with 1,054 points, 787 rebounds, 219 assists and 109 steals. She is just the third player in Nebraska history with 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 career steals, joining Maurtice Ivy and Anna DeForge.

• Cady ranks 10th in NU history with 85 career blocks. She needs three more to catch Casey Leonhardt (88, 2000-01) in ninth on the Husker career chart. Only seven Huskers have 100 career blocks.

• No player in Husker history has 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks.

• Cady enters her senior season in 2014-15 tied for fifth with Janet Smith (1979-82) with 22 career double-doubles. Cady notched 14 double-doubles as a junior and needs 18 double-doubles as a senior to match the Husker record of 40 held by Jordan Hooper (2011-14) and Kelsey Griffin (2006-10).

• Cady’s 1,054 career points rank No. 25 in Husker history. She is just 47 points away from joining NU’s top 20, and 230 points away from the No. 15 spot on the Husker career list (Janet Smith, 1,284).

• Cady enters her senior season ranked seventh all-time at Nebraska with 787 rebounds. She has averaged nearly 263 rebounds per season in her first three years on the court and needs 213 boards to become the fifth Husker in history with 1,000 rebounds, joining Smith (1,280), Hooper (1,110) and Griffin (1,019) and Karen Jennings (1,000).

• The best passing forward in the Big Ten, Cady’s 102 assists led all conference forwards in 2013-14. Her 1.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio also led all players in the conference at the position. In Big Ten play, her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio was better than every starting guard except first-team All-Big Ten point guards Rachel Theriot (Nebraska) and Samantha Logic (Iowa).

#31, Anya Kalenta, 6-3, Jr., F, Minsk, Belarus (Vincennes University)
• A third-team NJCAA All-American last season at Vincennes University in Indiana, Anya Kalenta could earn the start in Nebraska’s exhibition finale against Concordia-St. Paul.

• Did not start the exhibition opener against Wayne State after suffering a broken nose in practice on Wednesday, Oct. 29 and undergoing surgery on Oct. 30. She played 16 minutes off the bench against the Wildcats, producing four points and four rebounds.

• Kalenta ranked No. 13 nationally in scoring (20.8 ppg), 22nd in rebounding (10.7 rpg) and 20th in blocked shots (2.1 bpg) in her only season at Vincennes after transferring from Broward College in Florida.

• She hit 51.1 percent of her shots, including 41 percent of her three-pointers. The 6-3 forward hit 32 threes on the year to help the Trailblazers to a 23-7 record.

• Kalenta recorded 19 double-doubles on the season, while producing double figures in points in 29 of 30 games for Vincennes.

• Kalenta was a member of the Belarus Under-20 National Team at the 2013 European Championships, Her mother, Yaniua, played for the USSR National Team.

#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 7.1 apg)
• Rachel Theriot claimed preseason All-Big Ten honors in 2014-15 from both the conference coaches and media. Theriot was chosen the No. 13 player in the nation by ESPN in rankings announced on Nov. 5. She was named a fourth-team All-American (one of nation’s top 20 players) by College Sports Madness in preseason rankings.

• Theriot had 10 points, six assists, three rebounds and a block in the exhibition win over Wayne State.

• Theriot earned honorable-mention All-America accolades from the Associated Press as a sophomore. She joined Jordan Hooper (2nd Team) on the AP All-America squad, marking the second straight season the Huskers had produced a pair of All-Americans (Hooper, Lindsey Moore, HM, 2013).

• Theriot earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after ranking second among the Huskers with 15.6 points per game in conference play. She also averaged a team-best 7.3 assists in Big Ten action, which ranked second in the league. Overall, Theriot finished her sophomore season with 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.

• Theriot ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with 7.1 assists per game, including 7.3 assists per game in Big Ten play. She led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7-to-1) and ranked 17th nationally.

• Theriot finished with a Nebraska single-season record 234 assists in 2013-14, smashing the previous mark of 195 set by Meggan Yedsena (1991-92) and matched by Lindsey Moore (2012-13). Theriot’s 335 career assists rank ninth in Husker history. She needs 109 assists to join Nebraska’s career top five.

• Theriot produced four points-assists double-doubles in 2013-14, including 10 points and 12 assists in the Big Red’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Fresno State. Her 12 assists were the most by a Husker in history in an NCAA Tournament game. It was the fifth time in 2013-14 she dished out 11 or more assists in a game. No other Husker has distributed 11 or more assists more than four times in a career.

• Theriot led Nebraska to its first conference tournament title as the Big Ten Tournament MVP. She averaged 18.7 points and a tournament-record 10.0 assists per game, with 30 total assists and just seven turnovers. She hit 56.4 percent of her shots, including 5-of-10 threes, and went 7-for-8 at the line.

• Theriot’s 30 assists in the Big Ten Tournament were a Nebraska single-season conference tournament record. She produced arguably the best passing game in Big Ten history in Nebraska’s Big Ten quarterfinal win over Minnesota March 7, dishing out a tournament-record-shattering 18 assists against just one turnover. The previous tournament record was 12 set by Helen Darling of Penn State against Illinois in 2000. The most assists by a Big Ten player against a Big Ten opponent came with 16 from Maggie Acuna of Illinois against Wisconsin in 2006.

• Theriot’s 18 assists were the second-most in a game in Nebraska history, trailing only 19 assists by Kathy Hawkins on Feb. 17, 1976 against Kearney State (now Nebraska-Kearney). Theriot’s assists are the most ever by a Husker against an NCAA Division I opponent, and the most in the last 37 seasons, covering nearly 1,200 games. Theriot’s 18 assists were the most in an NCAA Division I game in 2013-14.

• In Nebraska’s final 11 games of 2013-14, Theriot averaged 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. She produced four 20-point efforts and three double-digit assist marks during the stretch. She also had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5-to-1 (90-26).

• Over the final 15 games of 2013-14, Theriot produced six double-digit assist games. In the first 1,203 games in Nebraska history, every other Husker had combined to produce just 41 double-digit assist games.

• Theriot shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent (25-50) from three-point range in Big Ten play as a sophomore. Her three-point shooting percentage led the Big Ten.

• Theriot finished with 25 double-figure scoring efforts in 2013-14, pushing her career total to 30. She had a career-high 33 points in an overtime win over Minnesota (Jan. 16). She had 28 points at Utah (Nov. 15), when she added seven rebounds. She posted all six 20-point scoring games of her career in 2013-14.

• In Big Ten play, Theriot led the league with 39.5 minutes per game and her 1,204 minutes were the most played by a Husker in a season in school history, surpassing Lindsey Moore’s 1,170 in 34 games in 2012-13. Theriot went the distance 13 times in 33 games in 2013-14, including the full 45 minutes in both of NU’s overtime wins over Minnesota (Jan. 16) and Wisconsin (Feb. 5).

#1, Tear’a Laudermill, 5-9, Sr., G, Moreno Valley, Calif. (11.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg)
• Tear’a Laudermill emerged as a rising star for the Huskers to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior. She finished the season with career-best averages of 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while her 62 three-pointers ranked as the 10th-best season total in NU history.

• Scored all 12 of her points, including a trio of three-pointers in the second half of the exhibition opening win over Wayne State. She added two steals.

• Over the last 17 games of 2013-14, Laudermill scored in double figures 13 times after managing double digits 11 times in her first 77 games, including just four times in her first two seasons at NU. She produced 20 double-digit games in 2013-14 to push her career total to 24.

• Laudermill averaged 15.2 points per game over the last 17 contests of 2013-14, including the first five 20-point games of her career. She closed the season with 22 points against BYU, including 12 points in the final 2:30. She added 20 points in NU’s Big Ten semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State and a career-high 27 points in the Big Red’s home win over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24.

• Laudermill tied a school record with seven threes in Nebraska’s 94-74 win over No. 8 Penn State Feb. 24. She hit her first six threes in the first half and closed the night 7-of-10 to lead Nebraska to one of the best three-point shooting nights (16-22, .727) in school history.

• Laudermill averaged 13.5 points in Big Ten play, while shooting a sizzling 44.3 percent from three-point range, which ranked fourth in Big Ten games-only. Her 2.4 three-pointers per game also tied for fifth in league action. She led the Big Red with 21 steals in conference action.

• Laudermill is Nebraska’s No. 1 active career three-point shooter with 99 makes, which ranks 10th on the Husker career list. Her 62 threes in 2013-14 ranked third by a junior in school history trailing only Jordan Hooper (2012-13) and Kiera Hardy (2005-06), who share the junior single-season record with 81.

#3, Hailie Sample, 6-0, Sr., F, Flower Mound, Texas (6.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)
• Hailie Sample earned a spot on the 2014 Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She was Nebraska’s Defensive MVP in 2013-14 and joined Emily Cady as the Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award winner for the second straight season.

• Sample enters her senior season having started 100 consecutive games alongside Cady.

• Sample produced her third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA second-round game against BYU on March 24. It was her second career double-double in the NCAA Tournament and her second double-double in a three-game span, joining 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament Championship Game win over No. 23 Iowa on March 9.

• Sample averaged 7.5 points and a team-leading 10.0 rebounds in the Big Ten Tournament. Her 30 total rebounds and 16 offensive boards led the tournament.

• Sample’s 15 rebounds in the Big Ten Championship Game were a Nebraska Big Ten Tournament record and tied Nafeesah Brown (vs. Kansas, 1993, Big Eight) for the second-highest rebounding total ever by a Husker in a conference tournament game. Only Shelly Block (16 vs. Oklahoma State, 1987, Big Eight) pulled down more boards in a league tournament game than Sample.

• In the NCAA Tournament, Sample averaged 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to push her season averages to 6.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. She ranked 15th overall in the Big Ten in rebounding (6.4 rpg), while ranking seventh in the Big Ten on the offensive glass (2.5 rpg).

• Sample produced double figures in points nine times in 2013-14, and enters her senior season with 15 career double-digit scoring games. She also owns six career double-figure rebound games, including three in 2013-14.

• Sample enters her senior season ranked No. 26 on the Nebraska career rebound list with 495.

Huskers Roll Past Wayne State in Exhibition Opener
Senior Emily Cady produced a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes to power No. 16 Nebraska to an 84-43 women’s basketball win over NCAA Division II No. 6 Wayne State at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Nov. 2.

A Nebraska exhibition-record crowd of 4,948 fans saw Cady pour in 10 points by the first media timeout to lead the Big Red to a quick 10-point lead. She added 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in a dominant all-around performance. The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., hit 5-of-7 shots from the field and all 10 of her free throw attempts.

Cady led five Huskers in double figures, including 14 points from senior Brandi Jeffery. The 5-7 guard from Vacherie, La., hit a pair of early threes on her way to 14 points. She added seven boards, six steals and three assists, while going 6-of-9 from the field.

Senior guard Tear’a Laudermill pitched in 12 points, including a trio of second-half three-pointers, while junior point guard Rachel Theriot contributed 10 points and a game-high six assists.

Sophomore Allie Havers rounded out the Huskers in double figures with 10 points and five rebounds in just 14 minutes off the bench. The 6-5 center hit 5-of-8 shots from the floor for a Husker team that finished 53.2 percent (33-62) from the field for the game.

Nebraska outrebounded Wayne State, 47-31, and won the turnover battle, 16-13. The Huskers also held the Wildcats to just 28.6 percent shooting, including just 3-of-11 from three-point range.

All 13 Huskers who suited up saw action for at least four minutes in the game, including junior college transfer Anya Kalenta who played 16 minutes just four days after suffering a broken nose in practice. Kalenta finished with four points and four rebounds.

Freshman guard Natalie Romeo saw the most action of the newcomers, playing 25 minutes. Romeo finished with three points and four assists to go along with a pair of rebounds.

Darrien Washington added five points off the bench in just five minutes, while Kaylee Page, Emily Wood and Jasmine Cincore all saw their first action as Huskers.

Jordan Spencer led Wayne State with 11 points, while Katie Hoskins and Haley Moore each contributed eight points for the Wildcats.

Big Red, Big Picture
• Nebraska’s No. 13 final national ranking in 2014 the Associated Press Poll was the second-highest final ranking in school history, trailing only NU’s No. 4 AP finish in 2010. The AP produces its final ranking at the end of the regular season and does not do another poll during or after the NCAA Tournament.

• Nebraska was ranked No. 19 in the final regular-season NCAA RPI heading into the NCAA Tournament.

• Nebraska’s 2013-14 recruiting class is ranked No. 9 nationally by ESPN.

• Nebraska’s No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament marked the second-best seed the Huskers ever earned in the Big Dance, trailing only NU’s No. 1 seed in 2010.

• Nebraska retired 2010 All-American Kelsey Griffin’s jersey at the Michigan game (Jan. 29). The 2010 Senior CLASS Award winner and Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year had her number raised at Pinnacle Bank Arena, but not permanently retired. Current Husker Emily Cady shares Griffin’s No. 23. Griffin, a five-year WNBA veteran, made a return trip to Lincoln from her club team in Australia.

• NU has earned NCAA Tournament trips six of the past eight seasons (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014).

• The Huskers have advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 twice in the last five seasons (2010, 2013).

• Coach Connie Yori is the winningest coach in Husker history (241 victories) and has won conference coach-of-the-year honors in the Big Ten (2013, 2014), Big 12 (2012) and Missouri Valley (2002). She was the national coach-of-the-year in 2010.

Nebraska Posts Perfect GSR for 10th Straight Season
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori would be the first to say that nobody’s perfect. However, in the eyes of the NCAA’s Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), that’s exactly what her Husker program has been for 10 consecutive years.

Nebraska is the only program among the 14 Big Ten Conference schools to accomplish the perfect score for 10 straight years.

The NCAA announced the release of its annual Graduation Success Rate report on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Nebraska was a national leader in women’s basketball for the 10th straight season, dating back to to 2004-05.

Yori, who is entering her 13th season at Nebraska, joined Coach Robin Krapfl’s women’s golf program, Coach Scott Jacobson’s women’s tennis program and Coach John Cook’s volleyball program as Nebraska teams who have produced perfect 100 percent rates each of the last 10 years.

Nebraska was one of five Big Ten women’s basketball programs to post 100 percent rates in 2013-14, joining Penn State, Purdue, Michigan and Illinois. All 14 Big Ten women’s programs posted GSR rates above 80 percent last season.

Huskers Seek Seventh NCAA Bid in Last Nine Years
Nebraska made its 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its sixth in the last eight seasons in 2014. The 2014 Huskers also became the first Nebraska team in history to advance to the NCAA second round in back-to-back seasons, after a 2014 first-round win over Fresno State.

Over the past six years, the Huskers have produced six NCAA Tournament wins under Coach Connie Yori, after the program notched just two NCAA wins in the first 25 years of the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska’s No. 4 seed was its second-highest in school history, trailing only the No. 1 seed the Huskers earned on their way to their first NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010. NU earned its second NCAA Sweet 16 spot as a No. 6 seed in 2013, following wins over No. 11 seed Chattanooga and third-seeded Texas A&M in College Station in 2013.

The Huskers notched their first NCAA Tournament win under Coach Yori with a 61-58 victory over Xavier at College Park, Md., in 2008.

Yori Claims Back-to-Back Big Ten Coaching Honors
Nebraska’s Connie Yori was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in voting by conference coaches for the second straight season in 2014. Yori captured her third conference coach-of-the-year award in the last five seasons and her second in the Big Ten. Yori led the 2013-14 Huskers to their second straight unbeaten February, while finishing 12-4 in the Big Ten for the second consecutive year. The Huskers then ran to the Big Ten Tournament title for the first conference tournament title in school history. Nebraska went 1-1 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament to finish with a 26-7 overall mark.

The 2014 Huskers opened Big Ten play with a 3-3 mark that included a two-point loss to Purdue and a four-point road loss at Northwestern, before rallying for nine straight wins. The Huskers played their final regular-season game for a share of the Big Ten title for the second straight year, after competing for the Big Ten Tournament title in Indianpolis in 2012.

Yori captured Big 12 Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2010 on her way to WBCA, AP, USBWA, Naismith and Kay Yow National Coach-of-the-Year awards. She led the Huskers to the 2010 NCAA Sweet 16 after capturing the Big 12 regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 record. The 2009-10 Huskers, which featured first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin and first-team All-Big 12 picks Cory Montgomery and Yvonne Turner, finished with a 32-2 overall record.

Before becoming Nebraska’s head coach in 2002-03, Yori claimed Missouri Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in her final season at Creighton in 2002. In Yori’s first 12 seasons as NU’s coach, her Huskers have earned a total of 37 all-conference awards (12 first team, 4 second team, 11 honorable mention, 5 freshmen, 5 defensive). Jordan Hooper earned Nebraska’s first Big Ten Player-of-the-Year award in 2014, becoming Yori’s second conference player of the year in the last five seasons at Nebraska. Kelsey Griffin claimed Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors in 2010.

Talented Young Huskers Challenged to Fill Hooper’s Spot
When Nebraska took the floor in the exhibition opener against Wayne State last Sunday, it marked the first time since 2010 that Jordan Hooper was not in the starting lineup for the Big Red.

Hooper, a three-time first-team All-Big Ten forward and a 2014 first-team WBCA All-American, started 131 consecutive games for the Huskers from 2010-11 through 2013-14.

Hooper finished her Husker career ranked No. 2 in career points (2,357) and rebounds (1,110) while setting the school record with 295 career three-pointers. Hooper averaged 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and and 2.3 threes per game in her career. As a senior in 2013-14, Hooper averaged 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.4 threes per contest.

Nebraska welcomes the most heralded class of newcomers in school history to campus in 2014-15. NU’s five-player class of scholarship freshmen were ranked as the No. 9 recruiting class in the nation last November by ESPN. The Huskers added junior college All-American Anya Kalenta to that group in the spring.

Kalenta, who ranked among the top 25 junior college players in the nation in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots last season, could earn the start for the Huskers against Wayne State. The 6-3 forward from Minsk, Belarus averaged 20.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game last season at Vincennes University in Indiana.

Sophomore Allie Havers, who spent last season spelling Hooper off the bench, could also claim a start against the Wildcats. Havers, a 6-5 center from Paw Paw, Mich., averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds while playing in all 33 games. Havers played just over 10 minutes per contest, but showed flashes of big-time production.

In Nebraska’s Big Ten semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State on March 8, Havers entered the game early in the first half after Hooper was whistled for her second foul. Havers took the floor with the Huskers trailing 16-13. She ignited a massive NU surge, dishing out three assists in her first three minutes to spark a 26-3 eruption that gave the Big Red a 39-19 lead with seven minutes left in the half. She later scored six straight points to send Nebraska to the locker room with a 50-27 lead.

Havers finished with career highs of 17 points, three assists and three blocks to go along with one steal in just 19 minutes.

Freshman post Darrien Washington also could provide immediate help inside for the Huskers. A 6-2 forward from Oakland, Calif., Washington may have been the least acclaimed of NU’s five scholarship freshmen, but gives Nebraska a strong, physical post presence that they have played without for several seasons.

Freshman forward Kaylee Page and freshman guard Chandler Smith also could be called upon to play Hooper-like roles at times. Page, a 6-2 forward from Alma, Kan., was the two-time Kansas Class 4A Player of the Year the past two seasons and ranked as the No. 42 overall player in the nation by ESPN. Smith was the Washington Class 1A Player of the Year the past two seasons. The 6-0 freshman guard from Brewster, Wash., was the No. 62 player in the nation by ESPN last season.

Newcomer Nuggets: Husker Youngsters At a Glance
#31, Anya Kalenta, 6-3, Jr., F, Minsk, Belarus (Vincennes/Broward/General Secondary #21)
• Kalenta suffered a broken nose in preseason practice on Oct. 29 and underwent surgery Oct. 30. She was hit by an unintentional elbow in practice by freshman Darrien Washington.

• She earned third-team NJCAA All-America honors in 2013-14 at Vincennes University in Indiana. She transferred to Vincennes after spending her freshman season at Broward College in Florida in 2012-13.

• Kalenta ranked in the NJCAA’s top 25 in scoring (20.8 ppg, 13th), rebounding (10.7 rpg, 22nd) and blocked shots (2.1 bpg, 20th) in her only season with the Trailblazers at Vincennes in 2013-14.

• She hit 51.1 percent of field goals, including 41 percent of her three-pointers last season. The 6-3 Kalenta hit 32 threes on the season.

• Kalenta was a member of the Belarus U-20 National Team at the 2013 European Championships.

#34, Jasmine Cincore, 5-8, Fr., G, Arlington, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
• Cincore was a two-time Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.

• She earned first-team all-class, All-Tennessee honors from USA Today in 2014.

• Cincore averaged 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 steals as a senior at Briarcrest Christian.

#2, Kaylee Page, 6-2, Fr., F, Alma, Kan. (Wamego)
• Page was the 2014 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and the two-time Kansas Class 4A Player of the Year (2013, 2014) while playing for her father, Jim, at Wamego High School.

• She was ranked as the No. 42 Player in the Nation by ESPN (2014)

• Page was rated as the No. 18 Shooting Guard in the Nation by ESPN (2014)

• She averaged 18.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.2 assists over her four-year career. She hit 35.3 percent of her threes, connecting on 181 threes in her 93-game career. Page finished with 1,755 points, 771 rebounds, 293 assists, 167 steals and 355 blocks.

#5, Natalie Romeo, 5-7, Fr., G, Martinez, Calif. (Carondelet)
• Played 25 minutes in the exhibition opener against Wayne State, scoring three points and dishing out four assists.

• Romeo earned first-team All-California Elite honors from Cal-Hi Sports in 2014.

• She was a two-time first-team All-California Division II pick at Carondelet High School.

• Romeo was rated as the No. 55 Player in the Nation by ESPN (No. 12 Point Guard) and the No. 27 Player in the Nation (No. 6 Point Guard) by Full Court Press.

• She averaged 19.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.6 steals as a senior at Carondelet High School. Romeo finished her four-year high school career with 2,151 points, 552 rebounds, 735 assists and 613 steals.

• Romeo finished No. 2 on Carondelet’s all-time scoring list behind Stanford All-American and current WNBA player Jayne Appel.

#30, Chandler Smith, 6-0, Fr., G, Brewster, Wash. (Brewster)
• Smith has been impressive in preseason practice but was sidelined late in October with a stress reaction in her leg. She is expected to return early in the regular season.

• Smith was the two-time Washington Class 1A Player of the Year (2013, 2014)

• She earned a spot on the Washington all-class, all-state team in 2014.

• Smith was rated as the No. 62 Player in the Nation (No. 18 Wing) by ESPN (2014)

#50, Darrien Washington, 6-2, Fr., F, Oakland, Calif. (Skyline)
• Washington scored five points and grabbed two rebounds in five minutes of action against Wayne State in the exhibition opener.

• Washington was a two-time first-team All-Oakland selection (2013, 2014)

• She averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.1 blocks for Oakland Skyline High School as a senior.

• Washington produced 1,181 points and nearly 1,000 rebounds in her high school career despite playing limited minutes as a freshman.

• Washington was a club teammate of Natalie Romeo on the Cal Stars Elite.

#12, Emily Wood, 5-5, Fr., G, Salina, Kan. (Salina Central)
• Wood walked on to the Nebraska program after being recruited to play basketball by Harvard, Dartmouth, Washburn and Western Illinois.

• She was a first-team Kansas Class 5A all-state selection as a senior at Salina Central High School in 2014. Wood averaged 16.0 points per game as a senior, while hitting a school-record 91 threes. She hit 42.1 percent of her threes and 86.2 percent of her free throws as a senior.

• Wood played on the MOKAN Eclipse club team coached by Doug Finch, who is the father of Nebraska assistant coach Dayna Finch. Doug Finch is also the head boys coach at Salina Central.

Hooper Continues String of Nebraska WNBA Success
Jordan Hooper became the third Husker in the last five years taken in the top 13 picks of the WNBA Draft, when she was chosen by the Tulsa Shock with first pick of the second round of the 2014 WNBA Draft on April 14. She was the fourth Husker selected among the top 25 picks in the draft in the same span.

Lindsey Moore (2013, Minnesota Lynx) was Nebraska’s most recent first-round WNBA Draft pick. Kelsey Griffin (2010, Minnesota Lynx) was the No. 3 overall pick in 2010 and has spent five seasons with the Connecticut Sun.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori also has helped guide Cory Montgomery, Yvonne Turner, Danielle Page, and Kiera Hardy to stints in the WNBA since 2007. Hardy and Montgomery were third-round WNBA Draft choices, while Page and Turner signed free agent contracts.

Hooper closed one of the greatest careers in Nebraska history as a first-team WBCA All-American in 2014. She joined NU retired jersey honorees Karen Jennings (1993) and Kelsey Griffin (2010) as the only Huskers in history to earn first-team All-America honors.

A three-time first-team All-Big Ten choice, Hooper was the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year. Hooper, who was a two-time Big Ten All-Tournament selection and helped the Huskers to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament title in 2014, finished her career as the school record holder with 295 three-pointers which tied for third in Big Ten history. She also tied the NU record with 40 career double-doubles while ranking second in school history in both points (2,357) and rebounds (1,110). Hooper is the only Husker and one of only two Big Ten players in history to achieve those combined career milestones.

Huskers Rank Among National Attendance Leaders
In 18 home games, the Huskers attracted 110,892 fans including 10 of the top-16 largest home non-conference crowds in school history in 2013-14.

Nebraska’s total home attendance of 110,892 ranked No. 8 nationally, while NU’s average home attendance of 6,161 ranked 11th.

NU drew 5,000 or more fans for 14 of its first 18 home games, including four consecutive crowds of more than 7,000 to close its first regular season at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The Big Red drew seven crowds of 5,000 or more in 10 home non-conference games, after drawing just five home non-conference crowds of 5,000 or more in 37 seasons at the Devaney Center.
Nebraska attracted almost 15,000 fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena in its season-opening weekend, including a non-conference school-record crowd of 9,750 for a season-opening win over UCLA on Nov. 8. The Huskers added a crowd of 4,924 for a Veterans Day win over Alabama on Nov. 11.

The 14,674 fans over two games nearly matched the 15,221 fans who attended Nebraska’s eight home non-conference games in Coach Connie Yori’s first season in 2002-03.

Nebraska’s average home attendance of 5,658 marked the best single-season non-conference average in school history, crushing the 4,049 fans per game the Huskers averaged during home non-conference action in 2012-13. With just one more home non-conference game than a year ago, the Big Red attracted 20,139 more fans than last season (36,436), which was also a school non-conference record.

Growing interest in Nebraska women’s basketball is not new. In fact, 13 of the 21 largest non-conference home crowds in school history have come over the last 21 non-conference home games for the Big Red.

Huskers Produced Second-Best Win Total for Third Straight Season
Nebraska notched the second-highest win total in school history for the third consecutive year, finishing at 26-7 (.788) to produce the second-best overall winning percentage in school history.

The Huskers have averaged 25 wins over the past three years, including 24 victories in 2012 and 25 wins in 2013.

Before NU’s 24 wins in 2011-12, only one Husker team had produced more than 23 wins in a season - Nebraska’s 2009-10 Big 12 championship team that finished 32-2 (.941 winning percentage), including the school’s first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

The 2012-13 Huskers took a step forward by notching 25 wins, including a pair of NCAA Tournament victories to reach the school’s second NCAA Sweet 16.

The 2013-14 Huskers kept NU moving up after winning the school’s first-ever conference tournament title with three victories at the 2014 Big Ten Tournament.

Nebraska’s seven losses in 2013-14 were also tied for the second-fewest in school history, trailing only the two losses by the 2009-10 squad. The 1988 Big Eight champion Huskers finished 22-7. The only other NU team to lose seven or fewer games was Nebraska’s first-ever varsity team in 1974-75, which went 9-7 against primarily lower division (NCAA Division II, III, NAIA) opponents.

Nebraska, which has produced six 20-win seasons in the past eight years, had managed only five 20-win seasons in the previous 26 years before Coach Connie Yori led the Huskers to 22 wins in 2006-07. NU owns 15 20-win seasons and three 25-win campaigns in 39 seasons of women’s basketball as a varsity sport.

Nebraska owns four 20-win seasons in the last five years, which has included the four top victory totals in school history, including an NU-record 32 wins in 2009-10. Prior to Yori’s arrival in 2002-03, NU’s record for single-season wins was 23 (1978-79, 1979-80, 1992-93, 1997-98).

Double Trouble: Cady Climbing Husker Career Chart
Emily Cady enters her senior season tied for fifth in Nebraska history with 22 career double-doubles. The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., tied teammate Jordan Hooper for second in the Big Ten with 14 double-doubles in 2013-14. They became the first Husker teammates to both produce double-figure double-doubles in the same season.

As a senior, Cady will try to join Hooper, Kelsey Griffin and Karen Jennings as the only players in Husker history with two double-digit double-double campaigns. Cady is one of just six Huskers in history with 10 or more double-doubles in a season, including Griffin (10, 2006-07; 20, 2009-10), Jennings (13, 1990-91; 13, 1991-92), Nafeesah Brown (16, 1993-94), Maurtice Ivy (10, 1985-86) and Carol Garey (10, 1978-79). Nebraska players have produced 10 double-digit double-double seasons.

Cady, Sample Own 100 Consecutive Starts Together
Nebraska seniors Emily Cady and Hailie Sample have joined each other in the Huskers’ starting five for 100 consecutive games, dating back to their first games of their freshman season at NU in 2011-12.

Junior point guard Rachel Theriot has joined them in the starting five for each of the last 61 games, while senior Tear’a Laudermill has made 30 straight starts heading into 2013-14.
Departed All-America Jordan Hooper graduated from the Husker program and headed to the WNBA after making 131 consecutive starts, while NU used the same starting five in the final 30 games last season.

Consistent starting lineups are nothing new for the Huskers under Coach Connie Yori. In fact, over the past nine seasons Nebraska has used only 22 different starting lineups in 292 games.
The 2011-12, 2006-07 and 2003-04 Huskers all used the same starting lineup for every game.

Huskers Set for Record TV Exposure in 2014-15
Nebraska is expected to set a record with 16 nationally televised regular-season games in 2014-15. The Huskers will fill the BTN airwaves with nine guaranteed regular-season appearances on the network and the possibility of two more wildcard selections.

Nebraska has never had more than 11 regular-season games televised in a year, and the record for nationally televised games in a season is 15 (including conference and NCAA tournaments).

In addition to the prospect of 11 BTN games, the Huskers will face Maryland on CBS at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m., in the conference’s premier slot for women’s basketball all season long. It will be Nebraska’s second appearance on CBS in the last three years. The Huskers will battle the Terrapins on ESPN2 on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. in College Park.

Nebraska will make its first two national TV appearances of the year on the Pac-12 Network, when the Huskers face Washington State in Pullman on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 10 p.m. (CT), before battling UCLA on Friday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. (CT) in Los Angeles.

The Huskers will play their third televised road non-conference game against Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8:05 p.m. It will be Nebraska’s first-ever appearance on Fox Sports 1.

The Huskers open their BTN national TV schedule against No. 7 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m.

NU tips its first 18-game Big Ten Conference season on BTN at Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m. The Big Red are back on BTN to battle Michigan State in East Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

The Huskers return home for a pair of huge games against traditional Big Ten powers Penn State (Jan. 15, 6 p.m.) and Purdue (Jan. 19, 6 p.m.) that will be televised by BTN. One week later, Nebraska is back on BTN for a Monday night clash at Iowa on Jan. 26. Tip time on BTN is set for 8 p.m.

The Huskers return to BTN for their first-ever road trip to Rutgers on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m., before returning home for a BTN rematch with Iowa on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. NU’s final scheduled appearance on BTN comes against Minnesota on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m., but the Huskers could add BTN wildcard games at Indiana (Feb. 21) and Ohio State (March 1).

14-Team Big Ten Tournament Offers New Format in 2015
The 2015 Big Ten Tournament at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., March 4-8, will offer two more teams and one more round of competition than the last three seasons.

A new opening-day on Wednesday, March 4 with features games between the 11 through 14 seeds to cut the tournament field down to 12 teams for the final three days of action.

The new format means that the top four seeds in the conference will get two days worth of byes in the Big Ten Tournament, but those four teams will still need to string together three straight wins to earn a championship.

First-round games at the tournament will be streamed live on BTN Plus, while second-, third-round and semifinal games will be live on BTN.

The championship game will appear on ESPN on Sunday, March 8 at 6 p.m.

NCAA Tournament Changes First & Second Round Sites
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be back on ESPN on Monday, March 16, before the ESPN family of networks presents every game of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, March 20-April 7.

New this year to the NCAA Tournament, first- and second-round games will be awarded to the top-16 seeds bidding for home sites. A shift from the predetermined home sites in the first two rounds in recent years.

NCAA Regional games will be played in Oklahoma City, Okla., Greensboro, N.C., Albany, N.Y., and Sacramento, Calif., before the Tampa Bay Times Forum plays host to the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four, April 5-7.

BTN Plus, Huskers.com Offer Additional Video Coverage
In addition to the games set for TV, all of Nebraska’s non-televised regular-season Big Ten games will be available to fans on BTN Plus or Huskers.com.

The network’s new designation for both BTN.com and BTN2Go games, which were previously designated as the BTDN (Big Ten Digital Network), BTN Plus will provide video streams through all devices (laptop/tablet/smartphone) of Nebraska’s non-televised home games during the non-conference season.

Every Nebraska women’s basketball game over the last three seasons has been available to Husker fans either on TV or video stream, a stretch of 100 consecutive games. To subscribe to BTN Plus, visit BTN.com.

For the most up-to-date listing of Nebraska’s schedule with game times and television and current video stream information, visit Huskers.com. All times listed on Huskers.com are central and subject to change.

Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com Carries NU World-Wide
The Husker Sports Network enters its 21st season of producing and marketing the live broadcasts of Nebraska women’s basketball in 2014-15. Women’s basketball play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff Griesch head into their 14th season together as the Huskers’ broadcast team.

The Husker Sports Network and Nebraska women’s basketball have teamed up for well over a decade to take every game, home and away, around the world for free on Huskers.com.

In addition to carrying every women’s basketball game free on Huskers.com, the Husker Sports Network flagship stations B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln) and The Wolf 93.3 FM-KFFF (Omaha) provide strong FM signals for Husker women’s basketball and volleyball. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations have joined the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage across the state.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home
Nebraska opened the Pinnacle Bank Arena era with a 16-2 home record in 2013-14, tying the school record for single-season home victories.

The Huskers played the first regular-season basketball game in the history of the arena against USA Today No. 25 UCLA (Nov. 8) and rolled to a 77-49 win over the Bruins. NU its first win over an AP Top 25 team with a 76-56 win over No. 24 Michigan State on Feb. 8. The Huskers added their first-ever win over an AP Top 10 team at the arena with a 94-74 victory over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24.

NU won its first-ever Big Ten home game with a 66-65 thriller over Northwestern Jan. 2, and an 88-85 overtime win over Minnesota on Jan. 16. It marked the first overtime game in Pinnacle Bank Arena history.

NU suffered its first loss at the new arena to Washington State (76-72) on Nov. 30. The Huskers took their first home Big Ten loss with a 77-75 setback on a last-second shot against No. 22 Purdue on Jan. 19.

The Huskers ended the 2013-14 regular season with five consecutive home wins, starting with an 84-51 victory over Michigan on Jan. 29.

The Huskers have improved to 404-132 (.754) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 140-36 (.795) over the last 11 seasons at home, posting double-figure home victory totals in each of the last 11 seasons, including 16-2 in 2013-14. NU went a perfect 16-0 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2009-10.

Nebraska played in the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, posting a 388-130 record, including 146-88 (.624) mark in conference play. NU went 13-4 at home in 2012-13.