Huskers Open Big Ten Play at Minnesota Monday Night

#12/#14 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
at Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Monday, Dec. 29, 8 p.m. (Central)
Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Television: BTN
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha)
Play-by-Play-Matt Coatney, Analyst-Jeff Griesch
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com

Huskers Open Big Ten Play at Minnesota Monday
The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team opens Big Ten Conference play on the road when the Huskers take on Minnesota Monday night.

Tip-off between the Huskers (10-1) and the Golden Gophers (11-1) is set for 8 p.m. (central) at Williams Arena with live national television coverage by the Big Ten Network.

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.

The Huskers finished off one of the best non-conference seasons in school history with an 83-57 win over defending Big South regular-season champion High Point at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 20. The victory pushed Nebraska’s record to 10-1, matching the second-best 11-game start in school history.

National Player-of-the-Year candidate Rachel Theriot erupted for a season-high 31 points for her second career 30-point effort. Her first came with a career-high 33 points in an 88-85 overtime over Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2014. In addition to her huge 33-point performance in the regular season against the Golden Gophers a year ago, Theriot had 14 points and a career-high 18 assists in Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Minnesota in Indianapolis on March 7.

The Huskers ended non-conference play as one of four Big Ten teams with 10 or more wins and owned the conference’s best NCAA RPI at No. 7 (Dec. 23). The Big Ten is the No. 1 RPI conference in the nation. Minnesota posted an even better non-conference mark than the Huskers, rolling to an 11-1 record with its lone loss coming in a 71-54 setback at Vanderbilt. The Golden Gophers ended non-conference play as the Big Ten’s only 11-win team and were ranked No. 37 in the official NCAA RPI.

Athough the Gophers lost just once, they did suffer a huge setback with a season-ending knee injury to preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Banham at North Dakota on Dec. 10. A preseason national player-of-the-year candidate, Banham was averaging 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists before her injury at North Dakota. She scored 33 points in the overtime loss last season in Lincoln.

#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 7.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 13.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 12.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg
13 - Brandi Jeffery - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 8.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 18.3 ppg, 4.8 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 - 4.1 ppg,  3.6 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
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Fr. - G - 0.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - So. - G - 0.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - Fr. - F - High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (251-143); 25th Season Overall (446-283)

Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
23 - Shae Kelley - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 16.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg
32 - Amanda Zahui B. - 6-5 - So. - C - 15.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg
3 - Shayne Mullaney - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg
24 - Mikayla Bailey - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 6.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
33 - Carlie Wagner - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 9.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Off the Bench
1 - Rachel Banham (OUT) - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 18.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg
20 - Kayla Hirt - 6-2 - Jr. - G/F - 7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
35 - Rangie Bessard - 6-0 - Fr. - F - 2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
2 - Stabresa McDaniel - 5-10 - So. - G - 1.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
52 - Josie Buckingham - 6-5 - Fr. - C - 1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg
22 - Joanna Hedstrom - 6-1 - So. - G - 1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
5 - Tory Jacobs - 5-10 - Fr. - G/F - 1.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg
11 - Grace Coughlin - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg
Head Coach: Marlene Stollings (Ohio, 1998)
1st Season at Minnesota (11-1); 4th Season Overall (60-43)

Streaks, Stats & Milestones
• Nebraska is 3-0 all-time in Big Ten Conference openers, including a 71-63 win at Penn State on Dec. 30, 2011 in NU’s first-ever Big Ten contest. Nebraska defeated Wisconsin (70-52) at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Jan. 2, 2013, and outlasted Northwestern (66-65) at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 2, 2014.
• Nebraska’s Dec. 29 tip for conference play marks the earliest start date for a conference game in school history (Nebraska began Big Eight regular-season play in 1982-83). The only other time that Nebraska has played a conference game in December came with its first Big Ten game at Penn State on Dec. 30, 2011.
• Nebraska carries a four-game winning streak in the series with Minnesota and is 5-1 against the Golden Gophers as Big Ten foes. Minnesota is 4-1 all-time against Nebraska at Williams Arena, with Nebraska’s lone win coming in its last trip to Minneapolis, an 84-63 win on Jan. 20, 2013.
• Nebraska advanced to its first NCAA Sweet 16 in history at Williams Arena in 2010, as the No. 1 seed Huskers defeated Northern Iowa and UCLA to advance to the Kansas City Regional at the Sprint Center.
• Nebraska’s starting five has combined for 355 career starts and have started all 11 games together in 2014-15. Emily Cady (111), Hailie Sample (111), Rachel Theriot (72), Tear’a Laudermill (41) and Brandi Jeffery (20) make up one of the nation’s most experienced starting units. The five also have combined to play in 511 games in their NU careers.
• Nebraska set a school-record by committing just four personal fouls in the win over Bakersfield Dec. 13. One week later in a win over High Point, the Huskers committed just eight fouls, which tied for the ninth best total in school history. It marked the 10th time in the last 78 games that NU has committed eight or fewer fouls in a game.
• Emily Cady crossed the 1,200-point plateau in career scoring against High Point Dec. 20. Cady ranks 17th on Nebraska’s career scoring list with 1,204 points. She ranks eighth among native Nebraskans on the Husker list.
• Brandi Jeffery has turned into a rebounding machine as a senior. The 5-7 senior guard enters Big Ten play with 73 rebounds on the year, already eclipsing her previous season best of 65 (2011-12). Jeffery ranks second among the Huskers with 6.6 rebounds per game, which is tied for 14th in the Big Ten. She entered her senior season averaging 1.9 rebounds per game for her career.
• Nebraska signee Jessica Shepard was named one of 20 contenders for the Naismith Girls National High School Player-of-the-Year award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Dec. 16. Shepard, a 6-4 senior at Fremont (Neb.) High School, is ranked as the top post player in the nation by ESPN.
• Nebraska carries a 12-game home winning streak into Big Ten Conference play. NU is 7-0 at home this season (6-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, 1-0 at Devaney Center) after winning its final five home games in its first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14. The Huskers have not lost at home since a 77-75 setback to Purdue on Jan. 19, 2014.

Scouting the Minneosta Golden Gophers
First-year coach Marlene Stollings leads Minnesota into the Big Ten season after producing an 11-1 record in non-conference play. Stollings replaced Pam Borton, who guided Minnesota to a 22-13 record that included an 8-8 Big Ten mark a year ago. The Golden Gophers tied for sixth in the final conference standings and advanced to the Postseason WNIT.

Stollings went to Minnesota after two seasons at VCU, guiding the Rams to a 22-10 record and a trip to the 2014 Postseason WNIT. She earned her first head coaching job in 2011-12, when she was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year after leading Winthrop to an 18-13 record.

Stollings brings the Gophers into her first Big Ten season riding a seven-game winning streak since dropping a 71-54 decision at Vanderbilt on Nov. 28. Minnesota has shown toughness by winning close games, including a 72-69 win against Georgia Tech in Nashville on Nov. 30, and a 60-55 win at NC State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 3. The Gophers added an 88-86 overtime win over Butler (Dec. 7) and a 67-64 win over Central Michigan in Minneapolis on Dec. 21.

Athough Minnesota owns just one loss, they did suffer a huge setback with the loss of preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Banham to a season-ending knee injury at North Dakota on Dec. 10. A preseason national player-of-the-year candidate, Banham was averaging 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists before tearing the ACL in her right knee at UND.

Prior to the game at North Dakota, Banham scored a season-high 35 points in the overtime win over Butler. She also scored 32 points on a school-record eight three-pointers against Southern and added 27 points and a career-high 13 assists in a win over Cleveland State. She ranks No. 2 in Minnesota history with 2,179 career points, trailing only WNBA All-Star Lindsay Whalen (2,285). Banham, who owns 49 career 20-point games including 13 30-point performances, scored 33 points in an 88-85 overtime loss last season in Lincoln.

Despite the loss of Banham, Minnesota still has plenty of weapons. Amanda Zahui B., a 6-5 sophomore center is a preseason All-Big Ten pick, who is averaging a double-double with 15.6 points and 10.5 rebounds while adding 4.1 blocks per game. She is hitting 57.9 percent of her shots from the floor.

The Gophers were bolstered by the addition of senior transfer Shae Kelley, who is averaging 16.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Kelley, a 6-1 forward from Denver, scored more than 1,000 points in just two seasons at Old Dominion on her way to first-team All-Conference USA honors last season. She was also an NJCAA All-American at Northwest Florida State.

Freshman Carlie Wagner has replaced Banham in the starting five to add scoring punch alongside Kelley and Zahui B. Wagner, a 5-10 guard from New Richland, Minn., entered the North Dakota game averaging 7.9 points per game. She stepped in for the injured Banham and finished with 14 points. Wagner added 11 points against Liberty and 13 points against Central Michigan, giving her six double-figure performances already this season. She scored a season-high 17 in a win over College of Charleston.

Experienced junior starters Mikayla Bailey (6.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Shayne Mullaney (3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.1 apg) round out the Gopher starting five. They also get experienced scoring and rebounding punch off the bench from 6-2 guard/forward Kayla Hirt, who is averaging 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Joanna Hedstrom (1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg), a 6-1 sophomore, and 5-10 freshman Tory Jacobs (1.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 1.6 apg) have also given Minnesota consistent help off the bench.

As a team, Minnesota is averaging 77.8 points, while allowing 64.2 points per game. The Gophers are shooting 44.1 percent from the floor, including 30 percent from three-point range while making 6.3 threes per game. Although Banham hit 32 of Minnesota’s 76 threes, the Gophers went 8-for-23 in the win over Central Michigan. Minnesota is shooting 68.5 percent at the line and own a plus-2.8 rebounding margin. The Gophers carry a plus-1.3 turnover margin, averaging just 15 turnovers per game.

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Minnesota 10-6, including four consecutive wins. The Huskers defeated Minnesota twice in 2014, including an 88-85 overtime win over the Gophers on Jan. 16 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. The Huskers added an 80-67 win over Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis on March 7, knocking the Gophers out of NCAA Tournament contention.

The Huskers also swept Minnesota in the two-game regular-season series in 2013. NU ran to an 84-63 win over the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis on Jan. 20, 2013. It was the Huskers’ first-ever win over Minnesota at Williams Arena. NU added an 80-56 win in Lincoln on Feb. 3, 2013.
NU split the season series with Minnesota in 2011-12, as the Huskers battled their way to a 64-49 victory at the Devaney Center on Jan. 22, 2012. Minnesota defeated NU 64-58 at Williams Arena on Feb. 13, 2012.

The Nebraska-Minnesota series dates back to a 68-67 overtime win by the Huskers at the Devaney Center on Dec. 30, 1977. NU owns an 8-2 edge over Minnesota in Lincoln, but the Gophers are 4-1 against the Huskers in Minneapolis.

While official varsity competition between Nebraska and Minnesota dates to 1977, the history of intercollegiate women’s basketball action between the Huskers and Gophers actually goes back more than 100 years. In 1904, Nebraska’s women’s basketball team suffered its first-ever loss at the hands of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Two weeks later, NU knocked off Minnesota in Lincoln.
Nebraska maintained an all-university women’s basketball team from 1896 to 1908. The sport did not resume at the full varsity level at Nebraska again until 1975-76.

Husker Hot Shots - Nebraska’s Starting Five
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (18.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.7 apg)

• A Wade, Wooden and Naismith 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 10 of NU’s first 11 games this season, averaging 18.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. She has hit 51 percent (73-143) of her field goals, including 12-of-23 three-point attempts (.522). She is also 43-for-45 (.956) at the free throw line.
• She closed non-conference play with a season-high 31 points in a win over High Point Dec. 20. It was her second career 30-point performance, joining a 33-point effort in an 88-85 OT win over Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2014.
• Theriot’s 31-point effort against High Point marked her fourth 20-point performance of the year. She had 25 points, 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 10 career 20-point efforts and 39 career double-figure scoring performances, including 25 last season and 10 this 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 387 career assists rank eighth in Husker history. She needs five assists to catch Anna DeForge in seventh (392) on the career chart and 57 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. (13.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.8 apg)
• One of the nation’s most versatile forwards, Emily Cady earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2014. She enters Big Ten play averaging 13.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
• Cady earned the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career Dec. 16, after averaging 15.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in wins over Creighton (Dec. 11) and Bakersfield (Dec. 13).
• She added 12 points, six rebounds and three steals in just 21 minutes in the win over High Point Dec. 20, leaving the game with a bruised tailbone after being undercut on a rebound early in the second half.
• 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 fifth double-double of the year and 27th of her career with team highs of 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a win over Bakersfield Dec. 13. She had a team-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds and a season-high three blocks in NU’s win at Creighton Dec. 11.
• With 27 career double-doubles, Cady 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 produced a double-double 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.
• She 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 887 in her career. Senior teammate Hailie Sample ranks third in the conference with 566 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 1,204 points, 887 rebounds, 250 assists and 121 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 296 points, 113 rebounds and 50 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 ranks ninth in NU history with 91 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 1,204 career points rank No. 17 in Husker history. She needs 39 points to catch Brooke Schwartz (1,243, 1997-00) in 16th.
• Cady ranks fifth in Nebraska history with 887 rebounds and needs 113 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. (12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 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 12.4 points per game. She has a team-best 23 three-pointers (.324), while knocking down 81.0 percent (17-21) of her free throws. She is also NU’s top on-the-ball defender.
• 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 122 makes, which ranks ninth on the Husker career list. She needs seven more to catch Nicole Kubik (1997-00) and Amy Stephens (1986-89) in seventh with 129.
• Laudermill (105) is one of four Huskers who have played more than 100 career games, joining Emily Cady-111, Hailie Sample-111 and Brandi Jeffery-106.
• Laudermill notched her eighth career 20-point game and third of the season with 22 points in the win over High Point Dec. 20. She had a season-high 25 points at Alabama on Dec. 7. She added 20 points 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 19 of her last 28 games, after managing double figures in just 11 of her first 77. She owns 30 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. (8.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg)
• Brandi Jeffery is playing the best basketball of her career, averaging 8.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 11 games as a starter to open the season. She has scored in double figures four times this season and 13 times in her career.
• Jeffery (106) is one of four Husker seniors who have played more than 100 career games, joining Emily Cady-111, Hailie Sample-111 and Tear’a Laudermill-105.
• Jeffery erupted for a career-high 19 points 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’s most impressive gains have come on the glass, where she ranks second among the Huskers with 6.6 rebounds per game. With 73 rebounds this season she has smashed her previous single-season best (65, 2011-12). She had 62 rebounds last year.
• Jeffery’s 6.6 rebounds per game are tied for 14th in the Big Ten.
• She entered 2014-15 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 85-26 record and three NCAA Tournaments.
• Jeffery owns 439 points, 257 rebounds and 119 career assists. She is nine steals away from 100 in her career.

#3, Hailie Sample, 6-0, Sr., F, Flower Mound, Texas (7.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
• Hailie Sample earned a spot on the 2014 Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She was Nebraska’s Defensive MVP in 2013-14.
• Sample ranks second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.647) through 11 games and is tied for 17th in rebounding (6.5 rpg).
• She is the Big Ten’s No. 3 active career rebounder with 566, trailing only teammate Emily Cady (887) and Iowa’s Samantha Logic.
• Sample has started 111 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 Dec. 3. She added another outstanding game with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over Bakersfield Dec. 13.
• Sample is shooting 64.7 percent (33-51) from the field. She has been perfect from the floor 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 18 career double-digit scoring games, including nine in 2013-14 and three in 2014-15. She also owns six career double-figure rebound games, including three in 2013-14.
• Sample ranks No. 20 on the Nebraska career rebound list with 566. She needs eight rebounds to catch Nafeesah Brown (574, 1992-94) in 19th. Sample needs 115 rebounds to join the Nebraska career top 10.