Huskers Face NC State in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1)
vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-1)

Thursday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m. - Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com 

Thursday's Stations

• B107.3 FM, Lincoln
• CD105.9 FM, Omaha
• KLIQ 94.5 FM, Hastings
• KHUB 1340 AM, Fremont
• KNEB 94.5 FM, Scottsbluff
• KNCY 1600 AM/105.5 FM, Nebraska City

Live Video Stream: BTN Plus

Huskers Return Home for Big Ten/ACC Challenge
The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens a three-game home stand by battling North Carolina State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Thursday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off between the Big Red (4-1) and the Wolfpack (6-1) is set for 7 p.m.

Tickets are available now at Huskers.com or by calling 800-8-BIG-RED. The first 4,000 Husker fans at the game will receive free “You Betcha/3/Go Big Red” roller banners. 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. A live video stream will be available to premium subscribers of BTN Plus.

Nebraska will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season at No. 1 UConn in Hartford on Saturday. All-America point guard Rachel Theriot led three Huskers in double figures against the Huskies with 12 points and six assists. Sophomore Natalie Romeo added 11 points, five assists and four steals at UConn, while freshman Jessica Shepard pitched in 10 points and five rebounds. Shepard, a 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., leads the Huskers with 20.6 points and 8.8 rebounds through the first five games of her career. Romeo ranks second on the squad with 16.4 points and 4.4 assists, while leading the Huskers with 16 threes and 14 steals on the season.

NC State comes to Lincoln as the No. 19 RPI team in the nation, while also receiving votes in the top 25 polls this week. The Wolfpack return four starters from last year’s team that advanced to the WNIT after going 18-15 and 7-9 in the ACC.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 5.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 20.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 16.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 9.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Off the Bench
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 5.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 6.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 4.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 4.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - So. - G - 2.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 0.4 ppg, 0.2 rpg
52 - Alicia Ostrander - 6-3 - Sr. - F - DNP
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
14th Season at Nebraska (266-154); 26th Season Overall (461-294)

North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-1, 0-0 ACC)
11 - Jennifer Mathurin - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
25 - Carlee Schuhmacher - 6-1 - Sr. - C - 4.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
3 - Miah Spencer - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 11.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg
4 - Ashley Williams - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg 
22 - Dominique Wilson - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 14.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - Chelsea Nelson - 6-2 - So. - F - 4.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg
23 - Amber Richardson - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
0 - Camille Anderson - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 3.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg
15 - Sara Boric - 6-5 - RFr. - C - 3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
44 - Nae Nae Cole - 6-3 - Fr. - C - 2.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg
21 - DD Rogers - 6-0 - So. - F - 2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
2 - Kaila Ealey - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
24 - Lena Niang - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
32 - Akela Maize - 6-5 - So. - C - 0.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg
30 - Kaley Moser - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
10 - Ashley Eli - 5-11 - Sr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Wes Moore (Johnson Bible, 1984)
Third Season at NC State (48-24); 27th Season Overall (607-193)

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska’s game with NC State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge marks the Wolfpack’s first trip to Lincoln and the first meeting between the two schools on either team’s home court.

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with NC State, 2-1, with all three meetings coming on neutral courts.

• Nebraska met NC State in its first-ever postseason tournament with a 72-69 win over the Wolfpack in the National Women’s Invitational Tournament in Amarillo, Texas, on March 19, 1976.

• In three of Nebraska’s seven NCAA Tournament appearances under Connie Yori, the Huskers have competed at the same first- and second-round site as NC State. In Yori’s first NCAA Tournament appearance as Nebraska’s coach in 2007, NU met Temple at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. The Huskers also played at the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis, with NC State facing UCLA, while Nebraska beat the Bruins to advance to its first NCAA Sweet 16. In 2014, the Huskers and Wolfpack were both at UCLA, with both teams falling to BYU.

• 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 scored 10 points at No. 1 UConn to become the first Husker freshman in history to reach 100 points in five games. No other Husker freshman has ever scored 100 in fewer than six games.

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (9.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.6 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 232 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. 26 in career points at Nebraska with 1,070. She needs four points to catch Tina McClain (1,074, 1994-97) at No. 25 on NU’s all-time list.
• Nebraska’s most experienced player, Theriot will be making her 88th start in a Husker uniform.

#4, Kyndal Clark, 5-7, Sr., G, Webb City, Mo. (3.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 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 104th collegiate start on Thursday. 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. (16.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.8 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 five games this season, Romeo has set new career highs for points (30, UAPB), assists (6, NCCU), and steals (4, at UConn, vs. Southern). She needs just 12 more assists (34) and three 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 17th career start in her 30th career game on Thursday against NC State.
• 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. (20.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.4 spg)
• A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, 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 scored the 100th point of her career faster than any other Husker (Game 5), reaching the mark with 10 points at No. 1 UConn on Nov. 28.
• 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.
• 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. (5.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.8 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 North Carolina State Wolfpack
Coach Wes Moore brings his North Carolina State Wolfpack to Pinnacle Bank Arena for the first time to take on Nebraska in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Moore is in his third season as NC State’s head coach, and has some recent history with the Huskers.

Moore took his first Wolfpack team to the NCAA Tournament in 2014, joining the Huskers at the four-team first- and second-round site at UCLA. While the Huskers did not not meet NC State in Los Angeles, the Big Red did take on Moore’s final team at Chattanooga in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament in College Station, Texas. NU defeated the Mocs, 73-59, before knocking off Texas A&M to advance to the program’s second NCAA Sweet 16 two nights later.

The Wolfpack, who are No. 19 in the Dec. 1 official NCAA RPI, are led by 5-8 junior guard Dominique Wilson, who is averaging a team-best 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Fellow junior Jennifer Mathurin, a 6-1 forward, has added 13.0 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per contest. Miah Spencer gives the Wolfpack three players averaging in double figures with 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and team bests of 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Spencer (14.0 ppg) and Wilson (13.8 ppg) were leaders of an 18-15 Wolfpack team a year ago that went 7-9 and tied for ninth in the ACC. The Wolfpack advanced to the WNIT.

Junior guard Ashley Williams (5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and senior center Carlee Schuhmacher (4.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) have given NC State a consistent starting five through all seven games. The only other NC State player to compete in all seven games has been 6-0 freshman guard Amber Richardson, who has contributed 4.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game.

A relatively small, quick Wolfpack lineup gets size off the bench from 6-3 freshman center Nae Nae Cole, who has contributed 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in six games off the bench. A 6-2 sophomore forward, Chelsea Nelson has pitched in 4.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in four appearances, while Sara Boric, a 6-5 redshirt freshman center, has managed 3.0 points and 2.0 boards in three games.

As a team, the Wolfpack have been winning with defense, averaging 66.7 points through seven games. NC State is shooting just 38 percent from the field, including 30.2 percent from three-point range. The Wolfpack are shooting just 64 percent from the free throw line. NC State is plus-3.4 on the glass and plus-3.7 in turnover margin. The Wolfpack have allowed opponents to hit just 34.1 percent of their field goals, including just 23.5 percent of their threes, while connecting on 62.9 percent of their free throws.

Overall, the Huskers own a 2-1 all-time record against NC State, including a 94-74 win over the Wolfpack on Dec. 28, 2006 in the first round of the State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla. The Huskers also defeated NC State in the first meeting in series history on March 19, 1976 in the second round of the National Women’s Invitational Tournament in Amarillo, Texas. The Wolfpack got their lone win in the series with a 55-45 victory at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on Nov. 26, 2004.

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: 5 games; Jessica Shepard (2015-16)
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)

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.

Nebraska Ranks Near Top in Attendance
Nebraska closed the 2014-15 season ranked No. 11 nationally in average home attendance with 5,857 fans per game. The Huskers averaged 6,483 fans per Big Ten Conference game.

The Huskers played 15 home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2014-15, averaging 6,026 fans per game in the new arena. In 37 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own an impressive 32-5 record (.865 winning percentage) while averaging 5,958 fans per game (220,438 total fans/37 games).

The Huskers also played one home game at Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2014-15, drawing 3,321 fans for a game against Utah on Nov. 23. The Utah game was not included in Nebraska’s 2014-15 season ticket package for logistical reasons.

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

Nebraska attracted a non-conference school-record crowd of 9,750 to open its stay in the building with a win over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013. The Huskers have averaged more than 5,000 fans per non-conference game each of the first two seasons at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Before moving to the new arena, NU had never averaged more than 4,049 fans per game in non-conference home play.

Nebraska’s History of Home Success
Nebraska went 13-3 at home in 2014-15, including 12-3 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers are 32-5 all-time at Pinnacle Bank Arena since the building opened for the 2013-14 campaign, including 4-0 in 2015-16. The Big Red went 16-2 at home in 2013-14, suffering its only Big Ten loss to Purdue, 77-75, on Jan. 19, 2014. Nebraska’s 16 home wins in 2013-14 tied 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’s first win over an AP Top 25 team came 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, before an 88-85 win over Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2014, marked the first overtime game in Pinnacle Bank Arena history.

NU suffered its first loss at the arena to Washington State (76-72) on Nov. 30, 2013.

The Huskers are 420-135 (.757) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 157-39 (.801) over the last 12-plus seasons, posting double-figure home victory totals in each of the last 11 years, including 13-3 in 2014-15 and 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 at the Devaney Center, including 146-88 (.624) mark in conference play.

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 (0.4 ppg, 0.2 rpg)
• Esther Ramacieri hit her first field goal (37th career game) 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 140 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. (2.0 ppg, 1.2 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, before tying her career best with two more boards at No. 1 UConn on Nov. 28.
• 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. (4.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.4 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is averaging 4.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a team-leading 1.4 blocks through five 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. (6.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.8 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 had a career-high 11 points to go along with three assists in the win over Southern Nov. 23. Simon 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 (6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.0 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 pitched in five points and two rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench at No. 1 UConn on Nov. 28. 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. (5.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 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, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in 82 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, Southern or at UConn (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.