Coatney's Call: Rutgers/Maryland Preview

#19 Nebraska at #21 Rutgers
Thursday, Feb. 5, 6 p.m. (central)
The Rutgers Athletic Center (Piscataway, N.J.)
TV: BTN (Ed Cohen, Vera Jones)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha; 880 AM, Lexington; 1340 AM, Fremont: 93.9 FM, McCook; 1340 AM, Sidney; 94.5 FM, Hastings; 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff; 1400 AM, Ainsworth

Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com

No. 19 Huskers Head to East Coast to Face Scarlet Knights, Terrapins
Before Sunday afternoon’s game against Michigan, Nebraska women’s basketball coach Connie Yori said the Huskers had to find some offense. It took some time, but Nebraska found lots of it, erupting for a season-high 50 second-half points in a 75-60 win over the Wolverines.

Trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, NU hit 59.4 percent of its shots after halftime and was led in scoring for the fourth straight game by senior guard Tear’a Laudermill. She finished with 19 points, including 13 in the second half. Eleven of Laudermill’s points came in less than three minutes late in the game, including three straight triples that helped clinch the win.

After 10 games of the expanded 18-game league schedule, Nebraska is 7-3 and in a three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten with Ohio State and the Huskers’ next opponent, Rutgers.

Nebraska heads to New Jersey to face the No. 21 Scarlet Knights Thursday at 6 p.m. (central) in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The Huskers stay on the East Coast to conclude a tough two-game road trip as they face No. 5 Maryland in College Park on Sunday at 3 p.m. (central), in a matchup televised nationally by ESPN2. The Terrapins lead the Big Ten Conference with a perfect 10-0 record.

Any discussion of Rutgers starts with their Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer. In the 10th conference game for the Rutgers women’s basketball team since joining its new home, Stringer tied Rene Portland for the most career victories in Big Ten play by beating Portland’s former school, Penn State, 76-65 on Super Bowl Sunday. Stringer earned 169 league wins at Iowa from 1983 to 1995. Stringer holds the distinction of being the first coach in NCAA history to lead three different women’s programs to the NCAA Final Four: Rutgers in 2000 and 2007, Iowa in 1993, and Cheyney State in 1982. She is the third winningest coach in women’s basketball history, behind only Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, and North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell.

Stringer led Rutgers to the 2014 WNIT Championship and has her Scarlet Knights on a four-game winning streak this season. Traditionally, Rutgers has been a program that has been known for stingy defense, and this 2014-15 unit is no different. Rutgers leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.364) and is second in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 60.4 points per game.

Tyler Scaife (SKAFE), a 5-9 sophomore guard, averages a team-leading 16.2 points per game. She ranks eighth in scoring in the Big Ten and has scored at least 20 points in eight games this season. Scaife was the American Athletic Conference’s Freshman of the Year last season.

Senior Betnijah Laney is averaging a double-double, ranking second in the Big Ten in rebounds (11.7 rpg) and just trailing Scaife for the team lead in scoring with 15.8 points per game. The 6-0 Laney has 14 double-doubles this season, including 16 points and 14 rebounds in last Sunday’s 76-65 win over Penn State.

Kahleah Copper, a 6-1 junior, posted a game-high 25 points against the Lady Lions and adds 15.6 points per game.

Senior Syessence Davis is leading the Big Ten in steals and ranks sixth nationally with 3.43 takeaways per game. The 5-7 guard tied the school record with 10 steals at Penn State on Jan. 10. Davis also makes Rutgers’ offense work efficiently by leading the league and ranking fifth in the nation in assist-to turnover ratio (3.11). She has committed two turnovers or less in 17 or her 21 games this year.

Sunday afternoon’s game at Maryland will give Nebraska a chance to avenge an earlier loss to the Terrapins and possibly hand them their first league loss. The Terps defeated Nebraska 75-47 in Lincoln on Jan. 3 in a game that was tied 27-27 at the half. Maryland gives every impression that the Terps have a team capable of repeating last season’s Final Four appearance. Maryland has a road game at Penn State Thursday night before returning home to the Xfinity Center to host the Huskers.

The Terrapins lead the Big Ten in scoring offense, rebound margin, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. They have a talented starting lineup, a deep bench, and a surprisingly young roster with only one senior on the team.

Senior guard Lauren Mincy leads the Terps in scoring (14.1 ppg), slightly ahead of the 14.0 points per game of 5-11 sophomore wing Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. Mincy and Walker-Kimbrough combined for 46 points in the win over Nebraska in Lincoln. Mincy had 20 of her 22 points in the second half, while Walker-Kimbrough led all scorers with 24 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Head Coach Brenda Frese took her Maryland team to the Final Four last season for the second time in her 13 years at the helm. The Terrapins won the NCAA Championship in 2006. Maryland leads the all-time series with Nebraska 3-0. In addition to the game earlier this season, Maryland won a Big Ten/ACC Challenge game in 2012 at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. The Terrapins defeated the Huskers 78-64 in College Park in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament in the first meeting between the two schools.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women’s basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Thursday evening against Rutgers begins with the pre-game show at 5:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network including KBBK (B107.3) in Lincoln, KFFF 93.3 in Omaha, KRVN 880 in Lexington, KHUB 1340 in Fremont, KSWN 93.9 in McCook, KSID 1340 in Sidney, KHAS 1230 in Hastings, KNEB 94.1 in Scottsbluff, KBRB 1400 in Ainsworth and many others.

Our Sunday broadcast against Maryland begins with the pre-game show at 2:45 p.m. and the tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m. on KBBK (B107.3) in Lincoln, KFFF 93.3 in Omaha, KRVN 880 in Lexington, KFMT 105.5 in Fremont, KWBE 1450 in Beatrice, KSWN 93.9 in McCook, KSID 1340 in Sidney, KHAS 1230 in Hastings, KNEB 94.1 in Scottsbluff, KBRB 1400 in Ainsworth and many others. All Husker women’s basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com. I hope you can join us.

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

Go Big Red!

Matt