No. 12 Huskers Look to Rebound in Annual Battle with Bluejays

#12/#15 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
at Creighton Bluejays (4-4, 0-1 BIG EAST)
Thursday, Dec. 11, 8:01 p.m. (Central)
D.J. Sokol Arena (Omaha, Neb.)
Television: Fox Sports 1 (Eric Collins, LaChina Robinson)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network
107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha
(PBP-Matt Coatney, Analyst-Jeff Griesch)
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com

No. 12 Huskers Look to Rebound in Annual Battle with Bluejays
The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to road action Thursday when the Huskers head to Omaha for their annual clash with Creighton.

Tip-off between the Huskers (7-1) and Bluejays (4-4) in the 40th meeting between the two teams is set for 8 p.m. (central) at D.J. Sokol Arena with live national television coverage from Fox Sports 1. Eric Collins and LaChina Robinson will be on the call for Nebraska’s first-ever appearance on Fox Sports 1.

Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 93.3 FM in Omaha. Free live audio also will be available on Huskers.com.

Nebraska will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 53-51 setback to Alabama at Tuscaloosa on Sunday. Senior guard Tear’a Laudermill led the Big Red with 25 points on a school-record-tying seven three-pointers. Her final three came with 18.1 seconds left to tie the game at 51, after the Huskers battled back from a 50-42 deficit with four minutes left. However, Alabama’s Nikki Hegstetter hit a putback with 2.5 seconds left to seal the win for the Crimson Tide, who improved to 8-3.

Laudermill (12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) is one of three Huskers who enter the game averaging in double figures. Wade Trophy and Wooden Award candidate Rachel Theriot leads the Big Red with 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 6-0 junior point guard has produced double figures in seven of NU’s first eight games, including three 20-point performances. Senior Emily Cady has added 13.4 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game. Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., is the Big Ten’s active rebound leader and owns 25 career double-doubles, including three this season.

Creighton heads into Thursday’s game with a 4-4 record after rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to win 58-56 at Northern Iowa on Monday night. Nebraska will be the third top-15 foe on Creighton’s schedule so far this season, joining road losses at UConn and California.

#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 6.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 13.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
13 - Brandi Jeffery - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 17.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Off the Bench
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - So. - C - 3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg
30 - Chandler Smith - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - So. - G - 0.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - Fr. - F - High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (248-143); 25th Season Overall (443-283)

Creighton Bluejays (4-4, 0-1 BIG EAST)
11 - Bailey Norby - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
23 - Marissa Janning - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 16.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg
45 - Alexis Akin-Otiko - 6-0 - So. - F - 10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
3 - MC McGrory - 5-8 - So. - G - 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg
14 - Sydney Lamberty - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Off the Bench
50 - Brianna Rollerson - 6-0 - So. - F - 6.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg
22 - Taylor Johnson - 5-11 - Jr. - G/F - 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
5 - Sammy Jensen - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 4.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg
12 - Lauren Works - 5-7 - So. - G - 4.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
1 - Jade Owens - 5-6 - Fr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
2 - Myah Mellman - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
20 - Tessa Leytem - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 0.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
33 - Kylie Brown - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 0.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)
13th Season at Creighton (239-155); 13th Season Overall (239-155)

Theriot Named to Preseason Wooden, Wade Watch Lists
Nebraska junior Rachel Theriot was one of 25 candidates on the initial Wade Watch List and one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2015 John R. Wooden Award presented to the nation’s top women’s college basketball player, as both awards released their lists last week.

Theriot was ranked as the No. 13 player in the nation by ESPN heading into this season and was a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection. The 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, has the Huskers off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 12 by the Associated Press heading into Sunday’s game.

She was named the College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 1, after averaging 24.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in NU’s wins over UCLA and Northern Colorado.

Theriot is averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a junior for the Huskers. Last season, she proved herself as one of the nation’s top young players, earning honorable-mention All-America accolades from the AP after claiming a first-team All-Big Ten award.

In 2013-14, Theriot averaged 14.1 points and 7.1 assists per game while leading the Big Ten with a 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 234 assists were a school record. She guided NU to its first conference tournament title as the Big Ten Tournament MVP, averaging 18.7 points and 10.0 assists per game.

Nebraska has had at least one player on the Wade and Wooden watch lists in five of the last six seasons, including Jordan Hooper, Lindsey Moore and Kelsey Griffin.

Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success
Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ homecourt. Nebraska improved to 39-2 all-time in home openers, including 2-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with its 100-65 victory over Pepperdine on Nov. 15, 2014. The Huskers were 35-2 all-time in season openers at the Devaney Center.

From 1981-82 through 2004-05, Nebraska won 24 straight home openers before losing to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss came to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.

Nebraska has been strong in its first six home games every season. In fact, NU is 210-34 over the past 41 years in its first six home contests (.861 winning percentage), including 35-6 in the second game of the season. The Huskers stretched their Game No. 2 winning streak to 15 games with an 83-49 win over Alcorn State on Nov. 16, 2014.

Game No. 3 has traditionally provided the toughest test among the first six Husker home games, but NU has won eight straight after a 66-43 run past Utah at the Devaney Center Nov. 23, 2014. NU improved to 35-6 all-time in Game No. 4 with a 63-56 win over Northern Colorado Nov. 30, 2014. The Big Red improved to 36-5 all-time in home Game No. 5 with an impressive 60-54 win over No. 9 Duke on Dec. 3, 2014.

Last season, the Huskers had a 16-game winning streak in home game No. 6 snapped by Washington State, 76-72, on Nov. 30, 2013, but will have a chance to start a new streak when Nebraska takes on Bakersfield on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014.

Yori Owns Long History on Both Sides of NU-CU Series
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori has been a part of all but eight of the previous 39 meetings between Nebraska and Creighton, heading into Thursday’s annual clash between the two schools.

Yori will be coaching Nebraska for the 13th straight season against the Jays, and carries a 9-3 record against her alma mater, including a seven-game winning streak from 2005-06 through 2011-12. In the 10 previous seasons from 1992-93 to 2001-02, Yori was the head coach at Creighton and managed a 3-7 record head-to-head against the Huskers.

The only seasons Yori has not been involved in the previous 31 years of the NU-CU series came in 1990-91 and 1991-92 when she was the head coach at Loras College in Iowa, and in 1989-90 when she was completing her master’s degree at St. Thomas University in Miami. Yori was an assistant on the Creighton sideline for three seasons from 1986-87 through 1988-89, after playing for Creighton against the Huskers from 1983-84 to 1985-86. The Huskers and Jays did not meet in Yori’s freshman season in 1982-83.

Nebraska-Creighton Connections
In addition to Coach Connie Yori’s 31-year history connected with the Nebraska-Creighton series, the Husker-Bluejay matchup offers plenty of storylines.
• Creighton’s Jim Flanery was an assistant under Yori at Creighton before replacing Yori as CU’s head coach 13 years ago when she took over the top spot at Nebraska. Yori is 248-143 in her 13th year at Nebraska, while Flanery is 239-155 in his 13th season at CU.
• Nebraska assistant coach Dayna Finch served as an assistant at Creighton (2008-09, 2009-10) before joining the Husker staff in 2010-11. Finch was one of the top three-point shooters in CU history as a player for Yori and Flanery. Finch hit 294 career threes at Creighton.
• Creighton Director of Operations Jenny (Burns) Vickers was a teammate of Nebraska assistant Dayna Finch and was recruited to CU by Connie Yori. Vickers was a starting forward on the 2002 Missouri Valley Conference championship team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in Yori’s final season at Creighton.
• Yori’s No. 25 jersey is retired at Creighton, and she was inducted into the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. A 1986 graduate, Yori scored 2,010 points and averaged 20.3 points per game in her career.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays
Creighton heads into Thursday’s game against Nebraska with a 4-4 record after a dramatic 58-56 win at former Missouri Valley Conference rival Northern Iowa on Monday. The Jays trailed 39-22 early in the second half, before Sydney Lamberty and Jade Owens combined for seven straight points to trim the deficit to 39-29 with 14:39 left. CU trailed, 56-48 with 4:10 left, before shutting out the Panthers the rest of the way. Big East Preseason Player of the Year Marissa Janning pulled CU within two with 2:32 left, before Alexis Akin-Otiko tied the score at 56. MC McGrory hit the game-winner with 1:01 remaining.

Lamberty, who went 2-for-5 from three-point range, led Creighton with 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. The 5-10 freshman, who made her third career start, is averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Lamberty was the only gun firing from long range for CU on Monday, as the rest of the Jays went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc. Creighton’s 2-for-15 shooting night came in stark contrast to their 38.2 percent success rate and 8.5 made threes per game on the season.

Akin-Otiko added 10 points and six boards at Northern Iowa. The 5-11 senior forward from Bellevue, Neb., ranks second among the Jays with 10.8 points per game. She leads CU with 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Northern Iowa held Janning to just nine points and six boards, but the 5-8 junior is more than capable of erupting at any moment. Janning leads CU with 16.4 points per game, including a team-best 21 threes. She has added 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. Two years ago, Janning led CU to victory over Nebraska with a team-high 19 points. Last season, NU held Janning to just eight points.

McGrory, who did not play in CU’s game with Nebraska last season while she recovered from a concussion, has added 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds this year, while snagging a team-high nine steals.

Bailey Norby, a 6-2 freshman forward, rounds out CU’s probable starting five with 2.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Norby and Kylie Brown (6-3), who has played 23 total minutes on the year, are the only two Jays listed as taller than 6-0 on the roster.

The Jays gain bench depth from sophomore Brianna Rollerson, who started four games early this season, and averages 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Senior guard Sammy Jensen (4.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg) has missed the last three games after starting CU’s first five. Jensen has not played since suffering a leg injury against Cincinnati on Nov. 28.

Jade Owens came up big with nine points by going 4-of-5 from the floor in the win at Northern Iowa. The 5-6 freshman nearly doubled her season point total (12) through seven games. She is averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. Tessa Leytem, Myah Mellman and Lauren Works have all seen regular action.

Creighton enters the game averaging 66.5 points, despite shooting just 39 percent from the field. CU has had tremendous success from long range with 68 of its 189 field goals on the year coming from beyond the arc. Opponents are shooting 47.1 percent against the Jays, including 42.5 percent from three.

The Jays have held their own (-1.6 rpg) on the glass despite games against UConn, Cal, Utah, Wichita State, South Dakota State, Cincinnati and Seton Hall. CU outrebounded UNI, 42-36. Creighton has averaged just 12.4 turnovers per game.

Nebraska vs. Creighton Series History
Nebraska and Creighton have played each other in women’s basketball every season since 1983-84 campaign, including two-game season series in 1985-86 and 1986-87.

The series dates back to 1974-75, when Nebraska defeated Creighton 57-27 in the seventh game in the history of the Husker program on Jan. 31, 1975. The teams had three total meetings in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons, before going without head-to-head competition for four seasons. The teams met twice in 1980-81, then did not play each other in 1981-82 or 1982-83. Overall, Nebraska owns a 28-11 lead in the all-time series, including a seven-game winning streak from 2005-06 through 2011-12.

NU won the first five games in series history, until CU picked up its first win, 75-69 in Omaha, on Feb. 19, 1981. Since the series became continuous, Nebraska owns a 23-10 lead.

Creighton snapped Nebraska’s series-long seven-game win streak with a 66-57 victory at D.J. Sokol Arena on Dec. 5, 2012. Nebraska responded with a 63-38 win over the Jays in the first meeting between the two teams at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 14, 2013.

Emily Cady led the Huskers with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Hailie Sample added 13 points. In the last two meetings with Creighton, Sample has averaged 16.5 points per game, including a career-high 20 points in the loss at Creighton in 2012. In those same two games, 2014 first-team All-American Jordan Hooper averaged just 2.5 points per game, including the only time in her career that she was shut out, in the loss at CU in 2012.

Nebraska has not lost to the Jays in Lincoln since CU’s 97-64 win on Dec. 10, 1993 - Coach Connie Yori’s second season at the helm of the Bluejays.

Husker Hot Shots - Nebraska’s Starting Five
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (17.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.5 apg)
• A Wade Trophy and Wooden Award national player-of-the-year candidate, 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. 
• Theriot has produced double figures in seven on NU’s first eight games this season, averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. She has hit 52.1 percent (49-94) of her field goals, including 10-of-18 three-point attempts (.556). She is also 35-for-37 at the free throw line.

• She had a season-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists against Northern Colorado. Theriot had 24 points, a career-high eight rebounds and a season-high seven assists in a win at UCLA Nov. 28. She had 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals in a win over Utah Nov. 23.
• She owns nine career 20-point efforts, including a career-high 33 against Minnesota last season. She owns 36 career double-figure scoring performances, including 25 last season.
• 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 371 career assists rank eighth in Husker history. She needs 21 assists to catch Anna DeForge in seventh (392) on the career chart and 73 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.
• 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.
• 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).

#23, Emily Cady, 6-2, Sr., F, Seward, Neb. (13.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 spg)
• One of the nation’s most versatile forwards, Emily Cady earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2014. She heads to Creighton averaging 13.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
• She produced a career-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds, two steals and a block in just 23 minutes in a win over Utah Nov. 23, before adding 18 points and five boards at UCLA Nov. 28.
• Cady produced her second straight double-double and third of the season with 13 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in NU’s 60-54 win over No. 9 Duke Dec. 3. It was her 25th career double-double, which ranks fourth in school history behind only first-team All-Americans Jordan Hooper (40, 2011-14), Kelsey Griffin (40, 2006-10) and Karen Jennings (36, 1990-93).
• Cady nearly produced a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists in a win over Pepperdine Nov. 15. She added 16 points and 10 boards against Northern Colorado Nov. 30.
• Cady is the Big Ten Conference’s active rebound leader with 855 in her career. Senior teammate Hailie Sample ranks third in the conference with 544 career boards.
• In 2013-14, 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. Cady ranked 24th 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 a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio trailing only Husker point guard Rachel Theriot (2.7) and Iowa point guard Samantha Logic (2.2). Cady ranked eighth in conference play in assists (4.1 apg). She had eight double-doubles in 16 conference games.
• Cady owns 1,161 points, 855 rebounds, 242 assists and 118 steals. She is just the third player in Nebraska history with 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 career steals, joining Maurtice Ivy and Anna DeForge.
• Only one player (Janel McCarville, Minnesota, 1,835 points, 1,206 rebounds, 310 assists) in Big Ten history has ever produced 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. Cady could reach those combined milestones this year, needing 344 points, 154 rebounds and 61 assists. Two other players from current Big Ten institutions, Alyssa Thomas and Marissa Coleman, achieved those combined plateaus at Maryland before the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014-15.
• Cady is tied for ninth in NU history with 88 career blocks. 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’s 1,161 career points rank No. 18 in Husker history. She needs 22 points to catch Jan Crouch (1,183, 1976-79) in 17th.
• Cady ranks sixth in Nebraska history with 855 rebounds and needs 19 boards to catch Kathy Hagerstrom in fifth (874, 1980-83). Cady needs 145 boards to become the fifth Husker in history with 1,000 rebounds, joining Janet Smith (1,280), Hooper (1,110), 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).

#1, Tear’a Laudermill, 5-9, Sr., G, Moreno Valley, Calif. (12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 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.
• Laudermill is continuing to grow her game as a senior, ranking third among the Huskers in scoring with 12.8 points per game. She has a team-best 19 three-pointers (.352), while knocking down 81.3 percent (13-16) of her free throws.
• She tied a Nebraska single-game record for the second time in her career by connecting on seven threes (7-15), including six in the second half, at Alabama on Dec. 7. Laudermill finished with 25 points. She also hit seven threes, including six in the first half, in Nebraska’s win over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24, 2014. She finished with a career-high 27 points against PSU.
• Laudermill is Nebraska’s No. 1 active career three-point shooter with 118 makes, which ranks ninth on the Husker career list. She needs 11 more to catch Nicole Kubik (1997-00) and Amy Stephens (1986-89) in seventh with 129.
• Laudermill (102) is one of four Huskers who have played more than 100 career games, joining Emily Cady-108, Hailie Sample-108 and Brandi Jeffery-103.
• Laudermill notched her seventh career 20-point game and second of the season with 25 points at Alabama on Dec. 7. She added 20 points, including three threes, in NU’s 82-61 win at Washington State on Nov. 19.
• In a pair of preliminary mock drafts for the 2015 WNBA Draft, Laudermill has been ranked among the top 25 players in the nation. She slotted as the No. 10 overall pick by DraftSite.com, while College Sports Madness slotted her as the No. 24 overall pick.
• She has produced double digits in 18 of her last 25 games, after managing double figures in just 11 of her first 77. She owns 29 career double-figure scoring games.
• 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, 2014. 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 2014 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.

#13, Brandi Jeffery, 5-7, Sr., G, Vacherie, La. (9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg)
• Brandi Jeffery is playing the best basketball of her career, averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in eight games as a starter to open the season. She has produced double figures in four of NU’s first eight games.
• Jeffery (103) is one of four Husker seniors who have played more than 100 career games, joining Emily Cady-108, Hailie Sample-108 and Tear’a Laudermill-102.
• Jeffery erupted for career highs with 19 points and eight rebounds in the season-opening victory over Pepperdine on Nov. 15. Her previous career scoring high came with 12 points against both Florida State and Mississippi Valley State in November of 2011.
• She owns three 11-point efforts this season, including road wins at Washington State (Nov. 19) and UCLA (Nov. 28). Jeffery matched her career high with eight rebounds at WSU.
• Jeffery entered her senior season with career averages of 3.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.
• One of four seniors on the roster, including Emily Cady, Hailie Sample and Tear’a Laudermill, Jeffery has helped the Huskers to an 82-26 record and three NCAA Tournaments.
• Jeffery owns 422 points, 228 rebounds and 112 career assists. She is 16 steals away from 100 in her career.

#3, Hailie Sample, 6-0, Sr., F, Flower Mound, Texas (6.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
• Hailie Sample earned a spot on the 2014 Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She was Nebraska’s Defensive MVP in 2013-14.
• She is the Big Ten’s No. 3 active career rebounder with 544, trailing only teammate Emily Cady (855) and Iowa’s Samantha Logic.
• Sample has started 108 consecutive games alongside Cady since the first games of their freshman season in 2011-12.
• Sample produced season highs of 16 points and nine rebounds to go along with a career-high matching three steals at Washington State Nov. 19. She added 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field to help lead the Huskers to a 60-54 win over No. 9 Duke on Dec. 3.
• Sample is shooting 64.7 percent (22-34) from the field. She has been perfect from the field four times this season, including Duke (6-6), Alcorn State (4-4), Pepperdine (3-3) and Northern Colorado (1-1). Entering her senior season, Sample was a 41.6 percent shooter.
• She produced her third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 2014 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, 2014.
• Sample averaged 7.5 points and a team-leading 10.0 rebounds in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament. Her 30 total rebounds and 16 offensive boards led the tournament.
• Sample’s 15 rebounds in the 2014 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.
• Sample 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) in 2013-14.
• Sample owns 17 career double-digit scoring games, including nine in 2013-14. She also owns six career double-figure rebound games, including three in 2013-14.
• Sample ranks No. 21 on the Nebraska career rebound list with 544. She needs one rebound to catch Ann Halsne (545, 1988-91) in 20th and is 30 rebounds away from Nafeesah Brown (574, 1992-94) in 19th. Sample needs 137 rebounds to join the Nebraska career top 10.

Husker Seniors Pursue Fourth Straight NCAA Bid, 20-Win Season
Nebraska’s four-player senior class of Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery form the heart of the Husker lineup in 2014-15, after helping the Big Red to the most successful three-year stretch in school history.

Cady and Sample have started all 108 games in their careers, helping the Huskers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and an average of 25 wins per season.
The Husker seniors are 82-26 (.759 winning percentage) during their four seasons in Lincoln, the best winning percentage of any class in school history.

In 2014-15, the seniors will try to become the first class in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA tournaments and the first group of Huskers to produce four straight 20-win seasons. They also have a chance to become the first collection of Husker seniors to reach 100 career wins.

Big Red Remains No. 12 in AP Poll
Nebraska remained No. 12 in The Associated Press Poll, while holding at No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 after four weeks of regular-season play. The Huskers opened 2014-15 No. 16 in both polls.

NU closed the 2013-14 campaign at No. 13 in the AP rankings, which did not include NCAA Tournament results. Nebraska, 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.

Huskers Honored 1988 Big Eight Champs at Devaney Center
Nebraska honored the members of its 1988 Big Eight regular-season championship women’s basketball team with a win a 66-43 win over Utah in a return to the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Nov. 23.

The game marked the Huskers’ first game at the Devaney Center since moving into their new homecourt at Pinnacle Bank Arena for the start of the 2013-14 season. Nebraska played every home game inside the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, winning nearly 75 percent (388-130) of its games.

The 1988 team established the early standard for success at Nebraska, running to a 22-7 record that included an 11-3 Big Eight mark under second-year coach Angela Beck. Nine of those former Huskers returned to the Devaney Center for the Utah game.

Maurtice Ivy, the 1988 Big Eight Player of the Year and NU’s first 2,000-point scorer, headlined the group, along with Husker great Amy Stephens. A current Husker assistant, Stephens scored 1,976 points in her four-year career. CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Stephanie Bolli and Ann Halsne, who also starred in softball for the Huskers, also returned along with Kim Harris, Amy Kramer Bullock, Pam Fiene Dubas, Melissa Sanford and Deb Hoffman. Long-time NU assistant coach and administrator Theresa Becker also attended, while Coach Angela Beck delivered a special video message to the fans and players.

In addition to on-court recognition and HuskerVision presentations, NU honored the Big Eight champions by donning throwback 1987-88 replica uniforms - with some added length to the shorts.
Nebraska’s white 1987-88 uniforms featured a script “Nebraska” across the jersey, with the outline of the state of Nebraska on the outside of the shorts that included a script “Huskers” and a star on Lincoln inside the state. The 1988 Huskers went a perfect 16-0 at home in their whites.

The Devaney Center was renovated and reconfigured for volleyball prior to 2013-14, reducing capacity to 7,907. The game between the Huskers and Utes was the first college basketball game at Devaney since the renovations, but Devaney did play host to 2014 boys and girls state high school tournaments.

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 the regular season, Nebraska had sold a school-record 3,909 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 a spot on the preseason first-team All-Big Ten team announced at Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Media Day on 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.

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 2014-15 recruiting class is ranked No. 8 nationally by ESPN - the best class in school history. The 2013-14 recruiting class was ranked No. 9 by ESPN. They are the two best classes in school history.
• 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 (248 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 regular season opener against Pepperdine on Nov. 15, 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.

NU Nuggets: Huskers At a Glance
#31, Anya Kalenta, 6-3, Jr., F, Minsk, Belarus (6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
• Anya Kalenta had her NCAA Division I basketball career off to a solid start by averaging 6.2 points and 3.0 rebounds while playing in five of the Huskers’ first six games. She missed Nebraska’s win over No. 9 Duke and NU’s game at Alabama with a stress reaction in her foot.
• She averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of wins on opening weekend. She established career highs with 14 points and eight rebounds against Pepperdine on Nov. 15. The 6-3 forward went 2-for-2 from three-point range against Alcorn State on Nov. 16.
• Kalenta suffered a broken nose in preseason practice on Oct. 29 and underwent surgery Oct. 30. She was hit by an unintentional elbow from Darrien Washington. Kalenta wore a protective mask in both exhibition games and against Pepperdine.
• 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.

#22, Allie Havers, 6-5, So., C, Paw Paw, Mich. (3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is averaging 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while playing 17.5 minutes per game off the bench.
• She produced her best game of the young season with eight points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s 82-61 win at Washington State on Nov. 19.
• Havers was NU’s top post off the bench as a true freshman in 2013-14, averaging 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds while playing in all 33 games. She averaged just over 10 minutes per contest.
• She played a huge role in Nebraska’s 2014 Big Ten Tournament title. In a Big Ten semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State on March 8, Havers entered the game early in the first half after All-American Jordan Hooper was whistled for her second foul. Havers took the floor with NU trailing 16-13. She ignited a massive 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.

#5, Natalie Romeo, 5-7, Fr., G, Martinez, Calif. (4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg)
• NU’s top guard off the bench through the first four games, freshman Natalie Romeo has missed the Nebraska’s last four games (UCLA, Northern Colorado, Duke, Alabama) with a stress reaction in her foot.
• She is averaging 4.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per game on the season.
• She had a strong six-point effort where she added two rebounds, an assist and a steal in NU’s win over Utah on Nov. 23. Romeo hit a pair of three-pointers to spark the Huskers.
• Romeo saw extensive playing time on opening weekend (Nov. 15-16), averaging 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 20.0 minutes per game in wins over Pepperdine and Alcorn State.
• 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 and finished No. 2 on Carondelet’s all-time scoring list behind Stanford All-American Jayne Appel.

#34, Jasmine Cincore, 5-8, Fr., G, Arlington, Tenn. (1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
• Jasmine Cincore has seen action in seven of NU’s first eight games, averaging 1.6 points in just 4.7 minutes per game.
• Cincore played well on opening weekend (Nov. 15-16), averaging 4.5 points in 8.5 minutes per game in wins over Pepperdine and Alcorn State. She hit 3-of-6 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 free throws.
• She dished out a career-high three assists in just four minutes at Alabama on Dec. 7.
• She was a two-time Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.
• Cincore earned first-team all-class, All-Tennessee honors from USA Today in 2014.
• She averaged 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 steals as a senior at Briarcrest Christian.

#30, Chandler Smith, 6-0, Fr., G, Brewster, Wash. (1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
• Chandler Smith saw the first action of her collegiate career with one point and one rebound in three first-half minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s 63-56 win over Northern Colorado Nov. 30.
• Smith was impressive in preseason practice but was sidelined for more than a month by a stress fracture in her leg.
• 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)

#11, Esther Ramacieri, 5-8, So., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
• Esther Ramacieri has seen action in five of NU’s first eight games, including a career-high 10 minutes in Nebraska’s win over Northern Colorado Nov. 30. She scored her first point of the season against the Bears.
• She grabbed two rebounds in NU’s win over Alcorn State Nov. 16.
• Ramacieri competed in 17 games for the Huskers as a true freshman, including five regular-season Big Ten contests. She was a reserve in the backcourt and at power forward.
• Ramacieri is the fourth Canadian to play for the Huskers under Coach Yori, including Chelsea Aubry (2004-07), Kaitlyn Burke (2008-12) and Harleen Sidhu (2009-12).

#12, Emily Wood, 5-5, Fr., G, Salina, Kan. (0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg)
• Emily Wood walked on to the Nebraska program after being recruited by Harvard, Dartmouth, Washburn and Western Illinois. She grabbed one rebound against both Pepperdine and Alcorn State.
• 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.

#50, Darrien Washington, 6-2, Fr., F, Oakland, Calif. (Skyline)
• Darrien Washington saw playing time in Nebraska’s exhibition games but could be a candidate for a redshirt in 2014-15. Washington has not played in NU’s first eight regular-season games.
• 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.
• Washington was a club teammate of Natalie Romeo on the Cal Stars Elite.

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 the 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 NU’s most recent first-round pick.

Kelsey Griffin (2010, Minnesota Lynx) was the No. 3 overall pick in 2010 and has spent five seasons with Connecticut.

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 in 2013-14.

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 2012-13, the Big Red attracted 20,139 more fans than 2012-13 (36,436), which was also a school non-conference record.

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 in 2013-14.

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 NU’s second NCAA Sweet 16.

The 2013-14 Huskers kept NU moving up after winning the school’s first conference tournament title 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 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 ranks fourth in Nebraska history with 25 career double-doubles, including three double-doubles through seven games in 2014-15. Cady trails only Nebraska’s first-team All-Americans Jordan Hooper (40, 2011-14), Kelsey Griffin (40, 2006-10) and Karen Jennings (36, 1990-93) on the Husker career double-doubles list.

The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., tied 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 108 Consecutive Starts Together
Nebraska seniors Emily Cady and Hailie Sample have joined each other in the Huskers’ starting five for 108 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 69 games, while senior Tear’a Laudermill has made 37 straight starts.

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 10 seasons (including 2014-15) Nebraska has used only 23 different starting lineups over 300 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 made its first two national TV appearances of the year on the Pac-12 Network, when the Huskers won at Washington State (Nov. 19) and UCLA (Nov. 28).

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

The Huskers opened their BTN national TV schedule with an impressive 60-54 win over No. 9 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 3 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

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 on BTN. The championship game will air 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 Regionals will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla., Greensboro, N.C., Albany, N.Y., and Sacramento, Calif., before the Tampa Bay Times Forum hosts 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 an 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.

Nebraska has added five straight home wins, including 4-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, to start the 2014-15 campaign to stretch its home winning streak to 10 games.

The Huskers have improved to 407-132 (.755) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 143-36 (.799) over the last 11-plus 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, and added one appearance at Devaney against Utah on Nov. 23, 2014. The Huskers own a 389-130 record, including 146-88 (.624) mark in conference play. NU went 13-4 at home in 2012-13.

Free Throws Continue to Pay Off Big For Big Red
Through eight games in 2014-15, Nebraska has outscored the opposition 128-72 at the free throw line, an average of plus-7.0 points (16.0-9.0) per game.

Last season, the Huskers outscored the opposition by an average of 15.4-8.2 (+7.2 ppg) at the free throw line. The Huskers made 507 free throws, compared to just 270 by their opponents. The Huskers shot a school-record 79.8 percent at the line as a team, which led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally. It was the second-best free throw percentage in NU history (.755).

Rachel Theriot finished fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.885, 69-78), which tied for the third-best free throw shooting season in Nebraska history. Emily Cady (.858, 133-155) ranked seventh in the Big Ten and sixth in Husker single season history. Cady’s 133 makes at the line also ranked ninth on Nebraska’s single-season chart.

Tear’a Laudermill also caught fire at the line as a junior, connecting on 59-of-69 (.855) of her free throws. Laudermill did not meet the minimum requirements to qualify for the Big Ten rankings, but her percentage ranked eighth in school history. Laudermill, who was 53-of-84 (.631) from the line in her first two seasons at NU, hit 13 consecutive free throws to end the 2013-14 season, including all nine of her attempts in the NCAA Tournament.

Huskers More Than Fair in Foul Department
Nebraska’s dominance at the free throw line starts with the Huskers winning the fight in the foul department. NU led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally by committing just 13.6 fouls per game.

While the Huskers barely put their opponents in the bonus each game, they consistently forced double-bonus free throw situations. Nebraska’s opponents averaged 18.9 fouls per game against the Big Red.

Through eight games in 2014-15, the Huskers have produced similar numbers, committing just 15.0 fouls per game, while forcing 20.0 fouls per game on their opponents for a plus-5.0 differential.
The Huskers have outscored the opposition by an average of 7.0 points per game (16.0-9.0) at the free throw line through eight games in 2014-15.

In 2013-14, NU’s plus-5.3 differential in fouls per game and its 79.8 percent free throw shooting allowed the Big Red to outscore its opponents by 237 points at the line in 2013-14 (7.2 ppg).
Nebraska continued a non-fouling trend from from 2012-13. The Huskers were whistled for just 12.8 fouls per game in 2012-13, including 11 fouls per game in Big Ten regular-season games.

Comeback at UCLA One of Largest in Husker History
Nebraska’s 16 point comeback for a 71-66 win at UCLA was one of the largest rallies in Husker history and one of 17 double-digit comebacks to victory in Coach Connie Yori’s 13 seasons at Nebraska.

The Huskers trailed UCLA 31-15 and 33-17 in the first half before trimming the margin to seven points at the break. However, UCLA rebuilt the advantage to 13 points at 52-39 with 11:16 left in the game before Nebraska completed the comeback. NU used a 17-3 surge to take the lead at 56-55 with 4:39 left. UCLA regained a brief 57-56 edge with 3:11 left, before NU used a 9-0 run to build a 65-57 edge with 1:02 left.

Nebraska’s 88-85 comeback win over Minnesota in OT on Jan. 16, 2014 came after trailing by 14 points with 13:40 left to tie for the second-largest second-half deficit overcome by a Yori-coached Husker team.

In Yori’s first season, the Huskers trailed by five at half, then 19 in the second half but came back to win 62-61 at San Diego on Dec. 28, 2002. In 2007-08, Nebraska trailed by eight at half and 14 in the second half before Kesley Griffin rallied the Huskers for a 73-67 win at Missouri on Feb. 3, 2008.
Double-digit comebacks are nothing new to the Huskers under Coach Yori. In fact, the win over Minnesota marked the 16th time in Yori’s 12 seasons at Nebraska that the Huskers have overcome a double-digit deficit to win. In 2011-12, the Huskers overcame double-digit deficits five times to earn wins.

However, it was only the eighth time the team trailed by double digits in the second half and won.

Nebraska Overtime Facts

• Nebraska is 20-18 all-time in overtime games, including 11-9 at home, 6-6 in true road games and 3-3 on neutral courts in overtime. The Huskers were 2-0 in overtime in 2013-14, with both games coming in Big Ten play (Minnesota, Jan. 19; at Wisconsin, Feb. 5).
• Nebraska is 7-4 all-time in 13 seasons under Coach Connie Yori in overtime, including 4-2 at home and 1-0 in Pinnacle Bank Arena. Yori-coached NU teams are 1-1 in double-overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime.
• Nebraska is 4-1 in multi-overtime games, including 2-1 since 2005-06. The lone loss came to Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game, 74-70 in double-overtime in 2012.
• NU’s last overtime contest came with a 71-70 victory at Wisconsin on Feb. 5, 2014. The Huskers also defeated Minnesota 88-85 in overtime on Jan. 16. It marked the first overtime game in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska’s first overtime game in the history of the Bob Devaney Sports Center also came against Minnesota - a 68-67 win for the Huskers on Dec. 30, 1977.
• Nebraska has never played back-to-back overtime games at home. The Huskers have played back-to-back overtime games only once in school history, an 83-81 loss to Texas A&M in College Station on Dec. 30, 1985, before returning to Lincoln for an 80-75 win over Eastern Kentucky at the Devaney Center on Jan. 2, 1986.
• Nebraska’s most frequent overtime opponent is Purdue. The Huskers and Boilermakers have played three overtime games in six all-time meetings, all coming in the past three seasons. NU’s six total overtimes against Purdue are also the most against any team in school history. In 10 all-time games with Wisconsin, the Huskers also have played three overtime contests, including the 71-70 win over the Badgers on Feb. 5. It was NU’s first OT win against UW. The Huskers also battled Missouri in three single-overtime games among the 71 all-time contests in that series.
• The Huskers have played nine all-time overtime games against Big Ten opponents and own a 4-5 record, including 2-0 in 2013-14. NU is 3-2 against Big Ten opponents since joining the conference for the start of the 2011-12 season.