Huskers Travel to 10-Time NCAA Champion UConn

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0) at #1 UConn Huskies (2-0)

Saturday, Nov. 28, Noon (CT) - XL Center (Hartford, Conn.)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com

Saturday's Stations

• B107.3 FM - Lincoln
• CD105.9 FM - Omaha
• 1450 AM KWBE - Beatrice
• 1340 AM KFGW - Kearney
• 1340 AM KHUB - Fremont
• 1600 AM KNCY - Nebraska City
• 1580 AM KAMI - Cozad
• 93.9 FM - KSWN - McCook
• 94.1 FM KNEB - Scottsbluff
• 98.5 FM KHAQ - North Platte

Television: Time Warner Cable Ch. 394 (College Extra 3)
Live Video Stream: ESPN3

Huskers Travel to 10-Time NCAA Champion UConn
The Nebraska women’s basketball team hits the road for the first time this Saturday when the Huskers take on No. 1 UConn at the XL Center in Hartford. Tip-off between the Huskers and the Huskies is set for Noon central, with a live video stream available from ESPN3.

Live radio coverage on select stations will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and CD105.9 FM in Omaha, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call.
The Huskers will be making their first-ever appearance at the XL Center in Hartford, and just their second trip to UConn. The last time the Big Red faced the Huskies came in the 1997 Preseason WNIT Championship Game, when UConn worked its way to a 71-61 win.

Since that game, Nebraska has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a pair of NCAA Sweet Sixteens (2010, 2013). UConn has won nine NCAA titles, including each of the last three. The Huskies have won 86 of their last 87 games dating back to the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Their lone loss came in an 88-86 overtime loss at Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014. Since then, they have reeled off 38 straight wins.

Jessica Shepard, a two-time Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week, leads the young Huskers to Hartford. The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., is averaging 22.3 points and 9.8 rebounds through four games. She needs seven points to become the first freshman in NU history to reach 100 in just five games.

Two-time Naismith National Player of the Year Breanna Stewart leads UConn. The 6-4 forward is averaging 24.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over No. 7 Ohio State (100-56) and Kansas State (97-57). She scored her 2,000th career point against the Wildcats on Monday.

Saturday’s Lineups
Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 5.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 23.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 4.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 17.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 8.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Off the Bench
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 7.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 5.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 4.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - So. - G - 2.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg
52 - Alicia Ostrander - 6-3 - Sr. - F - DNP
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
14th Season at Nebraska (265-153); 26th Season Overall (461-293)

#1 UConn Huskies (2-0, 0-0 American Athletic)
30 - Breanna Stewart - 6-4 - Sr. - F - 24.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg
3 - Morgan Tuck - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 15.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg 
4 - Moriah Jefferson - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 17.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
11 - Kia Nurse - 6-0 - So. - G - 12.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
15 - Gabby Williams - 5-11 - So. - G - 13.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Napheesa Collier - 6-1 - Fr. - G/F - 7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg
33 - Katie Lou Samuelson - 6-3 - Fr. - G/F - 3.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
20 - Tierney Lawlor - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 0.0 rpg
12 - Saniya Chong - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
22 - Courtney Ekmark - 6-0 - So. - F - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
2 - Briana Pulido - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Geno Auriemma (West Chester, 1981)
31st Season at UConn (919-134); 31st Season Overall (919-134)

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska will make its first appearance at the XL Center in Hartford when the Huskers take on UConn.

• Saturday’s game will mark Nebraska’s second trip to Connecticut to face the Huskies. The Huskers dropped a 71-61 decision at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs on Nov. 21, 1997, in the Preseason WNIT.

• UConn has won three consecutive NCAA titles and 10 overall since 1995. The Huskies advanced to the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four by defeating BYU and Texas A&M at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the NCAA Lincoln Regional.

• While the date is not firmly set, the Huskers and Huskies are scheduled to meet at Pinnacle Bank Arena in December of 2016.

• Nebraska set a season ticket sales record by reaching the 4,000 mark for the first time in school history this week. The Huskers have sold 4,011 women’s basketball season tickets.

• Jessica Shepard needs seven points to become the first Husker freshman in history to reach 100 points in just five games. No other Husker freshman has ever scored 100 in fewer than six games.

• Shepard’s next double-double will tie for fifth on the Husker freshman list with four. Only one Husker (Debra Powell, 1981-82) has ever produced more than five double-doubles as a freshman.

• Shepard produced 24 points and 13 rebounds in NU’s season-opening win to become the first Husker freshman in history to record a double-double in the first game of her career.

• Natalie Romeo’s career-high 30-point effort against Arkansas Pine Bluff marked the highest point total by a Husker in an opener in school history.

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (8.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg)
• Theriot is a national player-of-the-year, All-America, Lieberman Award, Senior CLASS Award, Academic All-America and WBCA Allstate Good Works Team candidate as a senior.
• A two-time preseason first-team All-Big Ten choice (2014, 2015), Theriot was an honorable-mention AP All-American as a sophomore in 2014, after leading the Big Red to their first Big Ten Tournament title as the MVP. She was a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2014, and a Big Ten All-Freshman pick as a starter on Nebraska’s 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 team.
• Theriot set the Nebraska single-season record with 234 assists as a sophomore in 2013-14. She needs 239 assists to match All-American Lindsey Moore’s school career record (699, 2010-13).
• Theriot averaged 16.5 ppg as a junior, and is ranked No. 27 in career points at Nebraska with 1,058. She needs 11 points to catch Kate Galligan (1,069, 1993-96) at No. 26 on NU’s all-time list.
• Nebraska’s most experienced player, Theriot will be making her 87th start in a Husker uniform.

#4, Kyndal Clark, 5-7, Sr., G, Webb City, Mo. (4.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 spg)
• The 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior, Clark was a two-time all-conference player at Drake (2013, 2014). She was also an MVC All-Defensive choice as a sophomore in 2013, after earning a spot on the Valley All-Freshman Team in 2012.
• Clark was a member of the 2015 WBCA Allstate Good Works Team.
• Clark suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of her senior season at Drake (vs. South Dakota, Nov. 14, 2014). She graduated from Drake in May of 2015, after majoring in information systems.
• Clark is expected to make her 103rd collegiate start on Saturday. She produced double figures for the first time in her Husker career against North Florida on Nov. 16, with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. She owns 73 career double-figure scoring performances, including 24 20-point games and four career 30-point efforts with a career-high of 41.
• She scored 1,418 points and hit 222 three-pointers in her three seasons plus one game at Drake. She averaged 19.3 points per game and set the Missouri Valley Conference single-season record with 116 threes in 2013-14.

#5, Natalie Romeo, 5-7, So., G, Martinez, Calif. (17.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.5 spg)
• Romeo produced the best season-opening performance in school history with 30 points while going 6-of-9 from three-point range in the win over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. Romeo’s career high came despite missing multiple practices during the week due to illness, which also kept her out of the starting five in the opener.
• Through four games this season, Romeo has set new career highs for points (30, UAPB), assists (6, NCCU), and steals (4, Southern). She needs just 17 more assists (34) and seven more steals (17) to match her season totals from a year ago.
• Romeo started Nebraska’s final 10 games of 2014-15 in place of the injured Rachel Theriot. Over the final eight games, she led the Big Red with 15.4 points per game. She is expected to make her 16th career start on Saturday at UConn.
• Romeo finished with 51 three-pointers in 2014-15 to produce the second-highest total by a freshman in Nebraska history, trailing only school-record holder Jordan Hooper (67, 2010-11). Romeo achieved her total despite going 3-for-9 in non-conference play while missing eight games with an injury (stress fracture, foot, Nov. 28-Dec. 29, 2014).
• Romeo led Nebraska by averaging 20.0 points in a pair of Big Ten Tournament games, including a season-high 26 points in a win over Illinois March 5. She tied a school record with seven threes against the Illini to set Nebraska’s all-time conference tournament record. She also tied the Nebraska NCAA Tournament record with five three-pointers in a 72-69 loss to Syracuse on March 20, 2015. She finished with 15 points against the Orange.

#32, Jessica Shepard, 6-4, Fr., F, Fremont, Neb. (23.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.8 spg)
• Shepard produced the best career-opening performance by a freshman in school history, powering her way to 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 23 minutes against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. Nebraska’s previous season-opening bests by a freshman were 19 points (Debra Powell, 1981) and eight rebounds (Angie Miller, 1983; Terri Parriott, 1981). Shepard’s double-double was the first in history by a Husker freshman in an opener. She had a career-high 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds in game two against North Florida Nov. 16, and 20 points and 10 boards against North Carolina Central Nov. 21. She added 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals against Southern Nov. 23 to become the first Husker freshman in history with four straight 20-point games.
• Shepard needs seven points at UConn in her fifth game to reach the 100-point mark faster than any Husker in history. No other Husker has achieved 100 points in fewer than six games.
• The top recruit in Nebraska history, Shepard was the No. 1 ranked post and No. 3 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN last season. A first-team Parade All-American as a senior despite missing nearly all of her final year (ACL tear, Dec. 29, 2014), Shepard was the 2013 and 2014 Nebraska High School Player of the Year.
• Shepard averaged 12.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while helping the USA Basketball U18 Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas Championship. She was a teammate of UConn freshman Napheesa Collier on that roster.
• Shepard produced the best exhibition game by a Husker in history with 42 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes against NCAA Division II No. 16 Winona State on Nov. 8. Her production came against former Iowa post Kayla Timmerman, a 6-3 center. Shepard hit 16-of-19 shots and all 10 of her free throws.

#43, Rachel Blackburn, 6-3, Fr., F, Leavenworth, Kan. (5.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.0 apg)
• The No. 63 player in the nation by Blue Star and No. 69 by Prospects Nation, Blackburn was ranked as the No. 17 post in the country by ESPN coming out of high school last year.
• A hard-working, team-first power forward that has tendencies in her game similar to Kelsey Griffin and Emily Cady (both had more than 1,400 points and 1,000 rebounds in four-year careers as starters), Blackburn earned a start alongside fellow freshmen Jessica Shepard and Maddie Simon in the season-opening win over Arkansas Pine Bluff.
• Blackburn just missed double-doubles in wins over North Florida (8 points, 10 rebounds) and North Carolina Central (9 points, 9 rebounds).
• Blackburn averaged 5.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while starting both of NU’s exhibition wins. She averaged 7.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game in Nebraska’s four-game tour of Australia in August of 2015. She led the Huskers by shooting 65 percent from the field.
• Blackburn led Leavenworth High School to back-to-back Kansas Class 5A state titles in 2014 and 2015. She set the Leavenworth High School record with a career 67.5 field goal percentage.

Scouting The UConn Huskies
Coach Geno Auriemma brings another dominant UConn team into Saturday’s clash with Nebraska at the XL Center in Hartford. Auriemma, who has won better than 87 percent of his games in 31 seasons at UConn, will shoot for career win No. 920 on Saturday.

The No. 1 Huskies have won an NCAA-record 10 national titles, including each of the last three. UConn has won 86 of its last 87 games, including a pair of wins over BYU and Texas A&M at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the NCAA Lincoln Regional in March of 2014. Those victories propelled UConn to its 15th NCAA Women’s Final Four, before completing a perfect 40-0 season. It was also the catalyst for Nebraska and UConn creating a home-and-home non-conference series in 2015 and 2016. The Huskies are expected to make a return trip to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln in December of 2016.

On the court, three-time NCAA Women’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player Breanna Stewart leads the Huskies. The two-time Naismith National Player of the Year reached the 2,000-point mark for her career in Monday’s 97-57 victory over Kansas State in Hartford. The 6-4 forward is averaging 24.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Stewart is joined by three other returning starters from last year’s squad that finished 38-1 and closed the season with 36 straight wins. Moriah Jefferson, a 5-7 senior, won the the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation’s top point guard. Jefferson is averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists through two games this year. Jefferson was an AP Preseason All-American after earning second-team All-America honors as a junior. She also was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team a year ago.

Fellow AP Preseason All-American and 2015 NCAA All-Tournament selection Morgan Tuck is also back in the starting five for the Huskies. The 6-2 junior is averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds this season.

Sophomore Kia Nurse was the youngest starter in the UConn five last year, but averaged double figures with 10.2 points per game. The Canadian National Team member is averaging 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals this year. She was the 2015 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year.

Sophomore Gabby Williams has replaced All-American Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in UConn’s starting five this season. Williams has averaged 13.0 points and team bests of 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals through two games. The 5-11 guard is also shooting 70 percent from the field.

Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier add two of the nation’s most highly sought-after recruits. Samuelson was the Gatorade, USA Today, WBCA, Naismith and McDonald’s National High School Player of the Year at Mater Dei High School in California. The 6-3 guard is averaging 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds. She faced Nebraska’s Jessica Shepard in the 2014 Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix.

Collier was one of five finalists for the Naismith Player-of-the-Year award last season. The O’Fallon, Mo., native is averaging 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as UConn’s most productive reserve. Collier was a teammate of Shepard’s on Team USA’s gold-medal-winning 2014 FIBA Americas Championship squad.

Tierney Lawlor (2.5 ppg), Saniya Chong (1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg), Courtney Ekmark (1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and Briana Pulido also have seen court time for the Huskies this season.

As a team, UConn is averaging 98.5 points and shooting 53.6 percent from the field. The Huskies have hit 33.3 percent (12-36) of their three-point attempts and 71.2 percent (37-52) of their free throws. They own a dominant plus-20 rebounding margin and a plus-6.0 turnover margin, while surrendering just 56.5 points per game. Their plus-42.0 scoring margin (98.5-56.5) this season is ahead of the plus-40.7 margin (89.3-48.6) they produced last season and the plus-34.3 (82.1-47.8) in their 40-0 season of 2013-14.

Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success
Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ homecourt. NU notched its 40th season-opening win with a 96-46 victory over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. NU is 3-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in season openers, including a 100-65 victory over Pepperdine on Nov. 15, 2014, and a 77-49 win over UCLA in the first regular-season basketball game in the history of the building on Nov. 8, 2013.

Nebraska’s last loss in a home opener came to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss was to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.

Nebraska has been strong in its first six home games every season. In fact, NU is 215-34 in the past 42 years in its first six home contests (.863), including 36-6 in Game No. 2. The Huskers have won 16 straight in their second home games of the year. Nebraska is 34-8 in Game No. 3, 36-6 in Game No. 4, 36-5 in Game No. 5 and 33-7 in Game 6. The Huskers only played five total home games in their first season in 1974-75.

Setting the Stage for Shepard
Nebraska’s record book could be under assault this season from freshman Jessica Shepard. Here’s a few of the most vulnerable records:

Freshman Game Records
Points, Game: 34, Debra Powell at Notre Dame, Feb. 25, 1982 (98-88, 2OT)
Points, Game (Regulation): 31, Jordan Hooper, at Missouri, Feb. 2, 2011
Kelsey Griffin, vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Nov. 27, 2005 (Miami)
Rebounds, Game: 22, Angie Miller, UMKC, Dec. 7, 1983
Points, Season Opener: 24, Jessica Shepard, vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff, Nov. 14, 2015
Rebounds, Season Opener: 13, Jessica Shepard, vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff, Nov. 14, 2015
Double-Double, Season Opener: 24 points, 13 rebounds vs. UAPB, Nov. 14, 2015 (first in NU history)

Freshman Season Records
Total Points: 461, Debra Powell (1981-82)
Points Per Game: 15.4, Debra Powell (1981-82)
Total Rebounds: 277, Kathy Hagerstrom (1979-80)
Rebounds Per Game: 7.6, Debra Powell (1981-82)
Double-Doubles: 9, Debra Powell (1981-82)
Fastest to 100 Points: 6 games; Jordan Hooper (2010-11); Debra Powell (1981-82)
Field Goals Made: 201, Darcy Williamson (1975-76)
Field Goal Percentage: .582 (78-134), Charlie Rogers (1996-97)
Free Throws Made: 121, Kelsey Griffin (2005-06)

Best of the Fresh: Big Red Freshman Classes
Nebraska’s four-player freshman class of Jessica Shepard, Rachel Blackburn, Maddie Simon and Darrien Washington could be poised to be the most productive in school history. The quartet combined for 38 points and 26 rebounds in NU’s season-opening win, producing the third-most productive performance by a freshman class in an opener in school history. The only two other classes (1981-82, 1999-2000) with more points, each had seven players in the class.

The freshman combined for more against North Florida, joining forces for 46 points and 28 rebounds in just 66 minutes against the Ospreys. The rookies combined for 37 points and 19 rebounds in just 55 combined minutes against North Carolina Central and 37 points and 16 rebounds in 74 mintues against Southern, as Washington sat out both games.

Consider that Nebraska’s 2011-12 freshman class of Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Hailie Sample led the Big Ten by a significant margin with 26.5 points and 17.7 rebounds per game in their first seasons, before going on to be the most successful class in school history with four straight NCAA Tournament bids.

That group, which also included redshirt freshman Katie Simon, is the only freshman class at Nebraska under Coach Connie Yori to average 20 points and 15 rebounds per game. In fact, the only other freshman class to combine to average a double-double was the 2005-06 group featuring first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin, which managed 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. The 2003-04 class averaged 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, while featuring three-time first-team All-Big 12 shooting guard Kiera Hardy and future Canadian Olympian Chelsea Aubry.

Pump up the Program
• Nebraska set a season ticket sales record with 4,011 season tickets sold as of Nov. 18, 2015. It marks the first time in school history the Huskers have sold 4,000 season tickets.
• Nebraska earned its fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid and its seventh in the past nine seasons in 2015. NU is one of just 21 Division I teams to earn four consecutive NCAA Tournament bids.
• The Huskers also have owned a perfect 100 percent Graduation Success Rate every season they have been in the NCAA Tournament under Coach Connie Yori (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
• Nebraska Coach Connie Yori owns more wins (266) than any other women’s basketball coach in school history. She has averaged 20 victories per season in her first 13 seasons at the helm of the Huskers.
• The Huskers have produced seven 20-win seasons in the last nine years. Prior to Coach Connie Yori’s arrival in Lincoln in 2002-03, Nebraska had nine 20-win seasons in the first 28 years of the program.
• Nebraska is the only team in the Big Ten to record 10 or more league wins in each of the last four years. The Huskers are the only team to post four straight winning Big Ten regular seasons (2012-15).
• The Huskers, who joined the Big Ten in 2011-12 for the start of the careers of its 2015 seniors, are a Big Ten-best 44-22 in Big Ten regular-season play the last four years (tied with Iowa). The Big Red have added a conference-best eight Big Ten Tournament wins for 52 total victories over Big Ten foes.
• Nebraska has ranked No. 11 nationally in average home attendance in each of the Huskers’ first two seasons at Pinnacle Bank Arena. NU has averaged more than 6,000 fans per game at the arena.
• Every Husker on the roster has earned a spot on Nebraska’s Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in each of the first two years of NU’s all-sports, community service recognition program.

Theriot Earns Preseason All-Big Ten Honor
Nebraska’s Rachel Theriot earned preseason All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year when the conference announced its preseason awards on Oct. 14.

Theriot, a senior point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, was one of nine players to earn recognition from both the coaches and media on their 10-player teams. Theriot, who was a first-team preseason All-Big Ten choice in 2014-15, averaged 16.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists while starting Nebraska’s first 21 games a year ago. Theriot led the Huskers to a top-15 national ranking and a 17-4 record heading into February, before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in practice on Feb. 3.

She was a second-team All-Big Ten choice a year ago despite missing the second half of the conference season.

Theriot, a preseason candidate for the Wade, Naismith and Wooden national player-of-the-year awards in 2014-15, was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore for the Huskers in 2013-14. She led Nebraska to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after earning Big Ten Tournament MVP honors in 2014. She averaged 18.0 points and a Big Ten-record 10.0 assists while leading the Huskers to their first-ever conference tournament title in 2014. She was also an honorable-mention Associated Press All-American after setting the Nebraska single-season record with 234 assists in 2013-14.

Theriot is expected to be a national player-of-the-year candidate again in 2015-16, while also being a candidate for CoSIDA Academic All-America and Senior CLASS Award accolades.

Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Kelsey Mitchell from Ohio State led the voting, while her backcourt mate Ameryst Alston also earned a spot. Defending Big Ten champion and preseason favorite Maryland added a pair of honorees with Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. Michigan State’s Aerial Powers, Northwestern’s Nia Coffey, Kahleah Copper from Rutgers and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham were all chosen to both teams. Banham was the 2014-15 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, before suffering a season-ending knee injury early in her senior season with the Gophers.

Iowa’s Ally Disterhoft added recognition from the conference coaches, while Tori Jankoska earned a spot on the media’s preseason team.

Shepard Claims Preseason Big Ten Freshman Honor
Nebraska’s Jessica Shepard was named the Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year for women’s basketball in 2015-16 by College Sports Madness.

Shepard, a 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., is the highest ranked recruit in Nebraska history and arguably the best high school player the state has ever produced, Shepard competed on the gold-medal winning USA Basketball team at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships. She was the No. 3 overall recruit in the freshman class of 2015-16, according to ESPN.

A two-time Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year (2013, 2014) and four-time first-team Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star) and All-Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald) selection, Shepard missed most of her senior season after suffering an ACL tear on Dec. 29, 2014.

A Naismith Trophy Preseason National High School Player-of-the-Year candidate, Shepard earned first-team Parade All-America honors in 2015. In nine games as a senior, Shepard averaged 33.0 points and 14.3 rebounds. She scored 132 points in four games at the Nike Tournament of Champions, including 36 against national power Long Beach Poly.

As a high school senior, she shot 71 percent from the field, including 41 percent from three-point range. Despite missing most of her senior season, Shepard finished fourth in Nebraska high school history with 2,227 career points, which was the Class A (largest) all-time record. She also finished No. 15 in state history with 1,031 rebounds, just 16 shy of the Nebraska Class A career record.
As a junior in 2013-14, Shepard averaged a Class A state record 30.4 points per game to go along with 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in leading Fremont to a 22-4 record and a state tournament berth for Coach Tony Weinandt. Her performances included four 40-point games, including a career-high 46.

Romeo Returns: Soph Shoots for Super Season
Sophomore Natalie Romeo produced the best scoring effort by a Husker in a season opener in school history with 30 points in 26 minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. She hit 11-of-18 shots from the floor, including 6-of-9 threes, to produce her first career 30-point game and the first 30-point performance in an opener in 42 seasons.

Big production is nothing new to Romeo, even though she has only started 15 career games. Over Nebraska’s final eight games of 2014-15, Romeo led the Huskers in scoring with 15.4 points per game. The 5-7 guard from Martinez, Calif., added 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in a team-best 35.8 minutes per contest down the stretch in her freshman campaign. She also hit 39.7 percent (31-78) of her threes while averaging 3.9 threes per game.

During the summer of 2015, Romeo averaged a team-best 19.8 points per game, while adding 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists during Nebraska’s four-game tour of Australia (Aug. 1-12).

In her first season as a Husker, Romeo averaged 9.0 points and 2.5 rebounds over 24 games. She missed eight games in mid-season with a stress reaction in her foot (Nov. 28-Dec. 29).

Romeo started Nebraska’s final 10 games in place of the injured Rachel Theriot. In 12 games as a starter in 2014-15, Romeo averaged 13.7 points per game, while adding 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. She produced double figures in seven of her starts, including each of Nebraska’s final three games.

She erupted for a season-high 26 points with a school-record-tying seven three-pointers in a Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois March 5. She added 21-point efforts in wins over Wisconsin (Feb. 15) and Minnesota (Feb. 24). She hit six threes against Penn State (Jan. 15) and Minnesota (Feb. 24).

Romeo tied a school record and smashed the Nebraska conference tournament record with seven threes against the Fighting Illini. She hit seven of her first nine attempts in the first 24 minutes of the game against the Illini. The previous NU conference tournament record was four, which had been accomplished four times (Jordan Hooper, Lindsey Moore, Amanda Went, Amy Stephens).
Romeo added four threes against Iowa at the Big Ten Tournament on March 6. Her 11 threes match Nebraska’s career Big Ten Tournament record. She is 11-for-22 in two career games.

Romeo tied Nebraska’s single-game NCAA Tournament record with five threes against Syracuse on March 20.

Season Ticket Sales Reach All-Time High
Nebraska women’s basketball season ticket sales reached an all-time high with 4,011 sold (Nov. 17), an increase of 109 tickets over last year’s previous record high of 3,902.

In Nebraska’s first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, the Huskers shattered their 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.

Husker Sports Network Covers World
The Husker Sports Network is its 22nd season of producing and marketing the live broadcasts of Nebraska women’s basketball in 2015-16. Women’s basketball play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff Griesch team up for their 15th 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 ESPN 590 AM-KXSP (Omaha) provide strong signals for Husker women’s basketball. When a network conflict occurs in Omaha, the Huskers also could be heard on CD105.9 FM-KKCD. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations carry the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage across the state and the Midwest.

Inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, fans can access the direct radio call of the game at 87.7 FM.

Triple Threats: Three Things to Talk About

#11, Esther Ramacieri, 5-8, Jr., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
• Esther Ramacieri hit her first field goal in 37 career games in the closing minute of Nebraska’s win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 21. She tied her career high with one assist in Nebraska’s season-opening win over Arkansas Pine Bluff. Ramacieri appeared in 17 games in each of her first two seasons, with one career start (vs. Penn State, Jan. 15, 2015). She owns seven points, 18 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 138 minutes in her career.
• Ramacieri missed much of the summer and preseason with a knee injury, but was cleared to play for the start of the 2015-16 regular season.
• 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, So., G, Salina, Kan. (2.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
• Emily Wood enjoyed a career night with six points on the first two three-pointers of her career while adding two rebounds, an assist and a steal in Nebraska’s win over North Florida on Nov. 16. She opened her sophomore season with two points in a win over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. She added two points, two rebounds and a steal in a win over Southern Nov. 23.
• Wood played in 10 games as a freshman after walking on to the Nebraska program. She claimed Nebraska’s Teammate Award for her commitment to the Husker program in 2014-15. Wood had two points and five rebounds in 29 minutes as a freshman. In the summer of 2015, Wood started for NU on its four-game Australian Tour, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26 minutes per game.
• Wood 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.

#22, Allie Havers, 6-5, Jr., C, Mattawan, Mich. (5.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.8 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is averaging 5.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a team-leading 1.8 blocks through four games as a junior. She averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds while playing 14.8 minutes per game as NU’s top post off the bench in 2014-15.
• Havers tied her career high with 10 rebounds in her second career double-digit rebound game against North Carolina Central on Nov. 21. She also matched a career best with three assists against the Lady Eagles. Havers owns seven double-figure scoring games in her career, including five as a sophomore in 2014-15. Two double-figure efforts have come in the Big Ten Tournament, including a career-high 17 points in a semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State on March 8, 2014.
• 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.

#24, Maddie Simon, 6-2, Fr., G, Lincoln, Neb. (7.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.3 apg)
• Maddie Simon started alongside fellow freshmen Jessica Shepard and Rachel Blackburn in Nebraska’s season opener. Simon produced six points, two rebounds, an assist and a block in her debut. She is coming off a career-high 11 points to go along with three assists in the win over Southern Nov. 23. Simong added five points, three rebounds, a career-high four assists and a steal against North Florida on Nov. 16, before scoring eight points against North Carolina Central Nov. 21. Simon averaged 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist during Nebraska’s four-game summer tour of Australia in August of 2015.
• The 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the Year, Maddie Simon was a two-time first-team Super-State selection while leading Lincoln Pius X to the 2015 Class B state championship. Simon was the No. 149 player in the nation according to Blue Star and the No. 22 guard nationally by ESPN in 2015.
• A tremendous all-around athlete, Simon won the Class A 100- and 300-meter hurdles championships at the 2015 Nebraska State Track & Field Championships. Her mother, Nicole Ali Simon, was the first female CoSIDA Academic All-American in the history of Nebraska athletics, competing for Coach Gary Pepin’s national champion Huskers in 1983 and 1984.

#31, Anya Kalenta, 6-3, Sr., F, Minsk, Belarus (7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
• Anya Kalenta produced the third double-figure scoring effort of her Nebraska career with 10 points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes off the bench in NU’s win over North Florida Nov. 16. She followed with seven points, six rebounds and career highs with four assists and three blocks against North Carolina Central on Nov. 23. She appeared in 12 games in her first season at Nebraska in 2014-15, competing in five of NU’s first six games before missing NU’s next nine games with a stress fracture in her foot. She also suffered a broken nose in preseason practice (Oct. 29, 2014), and battled anemia throughout the year.
• Kalenta averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds on opening weekend of 2014, establishing career highs with 14 points and eight rebounds against Pepperdine on Nov. 15. She went 2-for-2 from three-point range against Alcorn State on Nov. 16.
• Kalenta 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. She 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.

#34, Jasmine Cincore, 5-10, So., G, Arlington, Tenn. (6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
• A two-time Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the Year (2013, 2014), Jasmine Cincore battled ankle and foot injuries to play in 20 games for the Huskers as a true freshman. She totaled 25 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 97 minutes on the season.
• Cincore has opened her sophomore season strong, producing 26 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in 72 minutes. She has set or tied career bests in every category, including a career-high eight points against Southern Nov. 23. She had a career-high four steals while matching a career-best with three assists against North Florida on Nov. 16. She tipped off the year with six points and three assists while adding career bests in rebounds (4) and blocks (1) against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14.
• During Nebraska’s 2015 summer tour of Australia, Cincore was NU’s second-leading scorer with 10.0 points per game, while adding 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in four games against Australian pro teams.

#50, Darrien Washington, 6-2, RFr., F, Oakland, Calif. (4.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
• Darrien Washington produced six points, five rebounds and an assist in eight minutes off the bench in her career debut against Arkansas Pine Bluff after enjoying a strong redshirt season in 2014-15. She added three points, five rebounds and her first career steal in six productive minutes against North Florida on Nov. 16. She did not play against North Carolina Central or Southern (coach’s decision).
• Washington played on the Cal Stars Elite with current Husker sophomore guard Natalie Romeo.
• A first-team All-Oakland performer at Skyline High School, Washington averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game as a senior. She scored 1,181 career points and came up just short of 1,000 career rebounds in high school.