Huskers to Clash with Lumberjacks Saturday

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2)
vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-5)

Saturday, Dec. 19, 4 p.m. - Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)

Saturday's Stations

• KLIN 1400 AM, Lincoln
• KKCD 105.9 FM, Omaha
• KHUB 1340 AM, Fremont
• KLIQ 94.5 FM, Hastings
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff

Promotion: First 2,000 Fans Receive Husker Holiday Ornaments
Halftime: Red Panda (World-Famous Acrobat)

Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
Live Video: BTN Plus

Huskers to Clash with Lumberjacks Saturday
The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena Saturday to take on Northern Arizona. Tip-off between the Huskers (7-2) and Lumberjacks (4-5) is set for 4 p.m., with doors opening one hour prior to tip to allow personnel to complete the conversion from University graduation ceremonies.

Tickets are available now at Huskers.com/tickets. Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha. Live premium video will be available from BTN Plus.

Nebraska took the week off from competition to complete final exams, following an 87-80 overtime loss at No. 22 California last Saturday. The Huskers, who rallied from a 10-point deficit to send the game into overtime, had their 22-game winning streak against teams from the state of California snapped. Naismith Trophy candidate Rachel Theriot led the Huskers with 17 points and 15 assists, while Bay Area native Natalie Romeo poured in a team-high 24 points on 6-of-12 three-point shooting. Allie Havers added a career-high 18 points, but the Huskers were unable to overcome an 11-foul differential (23-12). It marked the first time in 318 games (at Iowa State, Jan. 14, 2006) that the Huskers had been called for at least 10 more fouls than their opponents.

The Huskers carry a 7-0 home record this season and own an 18-game home non-conference winning streak heading into the Northern Arizona game. The Lumberjack roster features a familiar name to Nebraska with 5-7 freshman guard Passionate Amukamara from Glendale, Ariz. Her older brother, Prince, was an All-America defensive back at Nebraska (2007-10) and now plays for the New York Giants.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 6.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 15.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Off the Bench
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 7.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 6.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 5.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 4.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 3.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - So. - G - 2.3 ppg, 1.4 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 (269-155); 26th Season Overall (464-295)

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-5, 0-0 Big Sky)
50 - Bradlee Cotton - 6-0 - Jr. - F - 2.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg
54 - Alyssa Rader - 6-2 - Fr. - C - 14.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg
1 - Rene Coggins - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 10.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
4 - Brittani Lusain - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg
21 - Mariah Willadsen - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Monique Mulder - 5-3 - Sr. - G - 8.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg
23 - Kaleigh Paplow - 5-8 - Fr. - F - 3.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
24 - Shay Young - 5-11 - Jr. - F - 6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
10 - Passionate Amukamara - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 4.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
34 - Taylor Leyva - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 3.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
22 - Catelyn Preston - 5-10 - Jr. - F - 1.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Head Coach: Sue Darling (Arizona, 1983)
Fourth Season at NAU (34-63); Seventh Season Overall (46-133)

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska is 3-0 all-time against Northern Arizona, including a 77-55 win on Nov. 16, 2012. The Huskers are 2-0 against NAU in Lincoln, including a 70-56 victory at the Devaney Center on Dec. 31, 2005. The lone meeting in Flagstaff was a memorable one, with NU running to a 97-88 win in double-overtime. All-Americans Jordan Hooper (32) and Lindsey Moore (31) became the first Husker teammates to score 30 points in the second game.

• With 17 points and 15 assists at California on Dec. 12, Rachel Theriot moved into the top 20 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list with 1,124 points. She also became just the fifth player in school history with 500 career assists (500).

• Theriot’s 15 assists against the Golden Bears tied for the fourth-highest single-game total in school history and marked the second-best total of her career (18 vs. Minnesota, March 7, 2014). She owns four games with 12 or more assists (most in NU history), seven games with 11 or more assists (most in NU history) and nine games with double-digit assists (tied for most in NU history).

• Freshman Jessica Shepard scored in double figures in eight straight games to open her career. She leads the Huskers with 17.8 points per game. The only freshmen in school history to lead the Big Red in scoring are Jordan Hooper (14.6 ppg, 2010-11) and Karen Jennings (13.4 ppg, 1989-90).

• Nebraska is 7-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season to stretch its home non-conference winning streak to 18 games. The Huskers have not lost a non-conference home game since a 76-72 loss to Washington State on Nov. 30, 2013. The Huskers are 23-1 all-time in home non-conference games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 7.3 apg)
• Rachel Theriot is a Naismith Trophy, 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. Her 15 assists at California on Dec. 12 marked the second-best performance of her career and tied for the fourth-best single-game total in school history. It also gave her 510 in her career, moving her within 189 assists of All-American Lindsey Moore’s school career record (699, 2010-13).
• Theriot averaged 16.5 ppg as a junior, and ranks No. 20 in career points at Nebraska with 1,124. She needs nine points to catch Tear’a Laudermill (No. 19, 1,133, 2012-15) on NU’s all-time scoring list.
• Theriot produced her seventh career double-double and second of the season with 17 points and 15 assists at Cal on Dec. 12. She also had 20 points and 11 assists in NU’s win over NC State on Dec. 3. She owns 12 career 20-point efforts and nine career double-digit assist games. Her four career games with 12 or more assists are the most by a Husker in history.

#4, Kyndal Clark, 5-7, Sr., G, Webb City, Mo. (4.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg)
• The 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior, Kyndal 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. She 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.
• She produced a breakout performance with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from three-point range in the win over Evansville. Clark added a season-high four steals against the Purple Aces and matched that mark the next time out at California on Dec. 12. She produced double figures for the first time as a Husker with 10 points against North Florida on Nov. 16.
• She owns 74 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. (15.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.7 spg)
• Natalie 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. The Bay Area native added 24 points and six threes at No. 22 California on Dec. 12, despite battling illness on game day.
• Through nine games this season, Romeo has set new career highs for points (30, UAPB), assists (6, NCCU), and steals (4, at UConn, vs. Southern). She also leads the Huskers with 28 threes on 41.8 percent shooting from long range.
• 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 20th career start in her 34th career game on Saturday against Northern Arizona.
• Romeo finished with 51 threes in 2014-15 to produce the second-highest total by a freshman in NU 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 a foot injury, (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. (17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg)
• A three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and the first freshman in school history to be named to a national player-of-the-year watch list (Naismith), Jessica Shepard produced the best career-opening performance 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 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 to become the first Husker freshman 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 Nov. 28. She had double figures in each of her first eight games. She is the only freshman on the 2016 Naismith Trophy Watch List.
• The top recruit in Nebraska history, Shepard was the No. 1 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. (6.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.9 apg)
• A fiery workhorse as a freshman, Rachel Blackburn leads the Big Red with 7.6 rebounds through the first nine games. She also became the first Husker to take four charges in a game (vs. NC State, Dec. 3) since All-American Kelsey Griffin did it at Baylor on Jan. 17, 2010.
• 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. She owns three double-figure rebound performances this season.
• Blackburn erupted for a career-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting against Evansville on Dec. 8. She added six rebounds and three assists in just 23 minutes against the Purple Aces. Blackburn just missed double-doubles in wins over North Florida (8 points, 10 rebounds) and North Carolina Central (9 points, 9 rebounds). She was directly responsible for 10 first-half defensive stops to fuel a 20-0 second-quarter run in NU’s win over NC State Dec. 3.
• 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 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Northern Arizona comes to Lincoln with a 4-5 record against a challenging schedule that has included tough tests against Colorado, New Mexico State, Hawaii and UTEP, just to name a few. Following their game with Nebraska Saturday, the Lumberjacks will take on Iowa State in Ames on Tuesday, before opening Big Sky Conference play against traditional power Montana on Dec. 31.

Northern Arizona went 13-17 last season while tying for fifth place with a 9-9 Big Sky Conference mark. Coach Sue Darling, who is in her fourth season in Flagstaff, returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last year’s team, but it has been 6-2 freshman center Alyssa Rader that has made the biggest impact.

Rader owns six double-doubles and is averaging team bests with 14.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Rader has been strong inside, but she also shows range from the perimeter, knocking down a pair of three-pointers through nine games.

Juniors Brittani Lusain and Rene Coggins have been NAU’s two strongest performers in the backcourt. The 5-8 Lusain is Northern Arizona’s top returning scorer, averaging 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She is contributing 8.9 points , 5.8 rebounds and a team-best 3.3 assists this season.

The 5-8 Coggins has added 10.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals. She also leads the Lumberjacks with 16 three-pointers on 33.3 percent shooting.

While Coggins, Lusain and Rader have started all nine games for the Lumberjacks, four players have split time at the other two spots for NAU. Bradlee Cotton, a 6-0 forward has started four contests and is averaging 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Mariah Willadsen (3.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg) has started six games, while fellow senior Monique Mulder (8.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.0 spg) has made five starts. At 5-3, Mulder gives the Lumberjacks a much smaller look, while Willadsen, at 5-8, is four inches shorter than Cotton.

Kaleigh Paplow, a 5-8 forward, has managed 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds, but she did not play in NAU’s 68-66 win over Dixie State on Dec. 12.

A name familiar to Husker fans, Passionate Amukamara, has added depth in the Lumberjack backcourt. Amukamara, the younger sister of former Husker football All-American and current New York Giant defensive back Prince Amukamara, is averaging 4.4 points in nearly 10 minutes per game. She had eight points and five rebounds in just 11 minutes in last Saturday’s win over Dixie State. Passionate’s older sister, Promise, was an an All-Pac 12 guard at Arizona State and was the final selection of the 2015 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury.

Shay Young (6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Taylor Leyva (3.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Catelyn Preston (1.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg) round out the Northern Arizona active roster.

The Lumberjacks have managed 65.6 points on the offensive end, while allowing 67.9 points per contest. Although Rader is the only active player taller than 6-0 on the NAU roster, the Lumberjacks own a commanding plus-5.7 team rebounding margin. However, their team turnover margin is minus-1.7. NAU is shooting just 40.4 percent from the field, including 26.3 percent from three-point range and 63.9 percent from the free throw line.

Huskers Putting Up Points at Pinnacle
Nebraska is averaging 86.0 points per game at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season, including five consecutive games with 88 or more points to open the season at home.

It marked the first time in school history that Nebraska scored 88 or more points in five straight home games. It was also the first time since 2009-10 that the Big Red have scored 88 or more in five home contests in a season.

Nebraska had its home streak snapped when Creighton held the Huskers to 65 points on Dec. 3. Overall, the Big Red is averaging 80.9 points through nine games this season, being held to 65 or fewer points only at No. 1 UConn (46).

The Huskers rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring (19th, 80.9 ppg), scoring margin (13th, 22.9 ppg), field goal percentage (10th, .486), assists per game (3rd, 22.3 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.62) and personal fouls per game (20th, 14.1).

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 35-5 all-time at Pinnacle Bank Arena since the building opened for the 2013-14 campaign, including 7-0 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 423-135 (.758) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 160-39 (.804) 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.

Huskers More than Fair in Foul Department
Through eight games in 2015-16, the Huskers had committed 13.0 fouls per game to rank No. 7 nationally in fewest fouls per game. NU was whistled for just six fouls against Creighton Dec. 6, and just 10 fouls against Evansville on Dec. 8 in Lincoln. In both of those games, the two teams combined for just 18 fouls - tied for the third-lowest combined total in school history.

The Huskers ended last season ranked No. 5 in the final NCAA Division I statistics for fewest personal fouls per game. Nebraska committed just 13.2 fouls per game, including a school-record four fouls in the win over Bakersfield Dec. 13. Nebraska’s 422 total fouls on the season were the fewest in school history.

In 2013-14, NU led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally by committing just 13.1 fouls per game. Nebraska continued a non-fouling trend from 2012-13. The Huskers were whistled for a school-record 12.8 fouls per game in 2012-13, including 11 fouls per game in Big Ten regular-season games.

In Nebraska’s loss at No. 22 California on Dec. 12, the Huskers were whistled for 23 fouls, which marked the highest foul total by an NU team since registering 26 fouls in the season opener against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 12, 2011. That was the only time in the last 195 games that the Huskers had been called for 23 or more fouls.

Nebraska’s 11-foul differential at Cal was even more rare. In fact, it tied for the second-worst foul differential in Coach Connie Yori’s 14-year coaching career at Nebraska, a span of 424 games. The only game that was worse came with minus-12 (21-9) at Iowa State on Jan. 14, 2006 - 318 games ago. Only four times in 424 games under Coach Yori has Nebraska experienced a negative double-digit foul differential. The Huskers have produced positive double-digit foul differentials in 10 of the past 74 games and 26 times in Yori’s 424 games at Nebraska.

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 freshmen combined for more against North Florida, joining forces for 46 points and 28 rebounds in just 66 minutes against the Ospreys.

Through nine games, the 2015-16 freshmen have combined for 266 points, 152 rebounds, 52 assists, 14 blocks and 17 steals, despite Washington sitting out the last seven games and Simon suffering a broken arm before NU’s win over Evansville on Dec. 8. The group is averaging 29.6 points and 16.9 boards per game.

Consider 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 season, before becoming the most successful class in NU history with four 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.

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.

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 38 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own an impressive 34-5 record (.872 winning percentage) while averaging 5,940 fans per game (231,645 total fans/39 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.

Theriot’s Triumphs
• Nebraska’s Offensive MVP for the second straight season, Rachel Theriot led the Huskers to a 17-4 record as a starter in 2014-15. Over the last two-plus seasons, Nebraska is 50-13 with Theriot in the starting lineup. The Huskers went 4-7 without Theriot to close 2014-15.
• Theriot’s 510 career assists rank fifth in Husker history. She needs 53 assists to catch Husker great Nicole Kubik (563, 1997-2000) at No. 4 on the NU career chart.
• She hit 92.6 percent (63-68) of her free throws on the year, which ranked as the second-best single-season average in Nebraska history.
• Theriot owns seven career points-assists double-doubles, including 17 points and 15 assists at No. 22 California on Dec. 12. She had 20 points and 11 assists in Nebraska’s win over NC State on Dec. 3. She had one double-double as a junior with 18 points and 10 assists at Minnesota on Dec. 29, 2014.
• Theriot has dished out 11 or more assists in a game seven times in her career. No other Husker has done it more than four times. She owns nine career double-digit assist games.
• Theriot owns two career 30-point games (33, vs. Minnesota, Jan. 16, 2004; 31 vs. High Point, Dec. 20, 2014). She owns 12 career 20-point games and 56 career double-figure scoring efforts.
• She 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. Theriot 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 2014 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 foe came with Maggie Acuna’s 16 for 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 38 seasons, covering 1,250 games. Theriot’s 18 assists were the most in an NCAA Division I game in 2013-14.

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. She missed Nebraska’s wins over NC State, Creighton and Evansville with a concussion suffered outside of competition/practice. She did not play at No. 22 California but was available.
• 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. (2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
• Emily Wood is making solid, consistent and reliable contributions as a sophomore, producing 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 65 minutes off the bench. She 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 added a three while notching career highs of five assists, three rebounds and 23 minutes played against Evansville on Dec. 8.
• 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. (7.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is turning up her production with 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-leading 1.3 blocks through nine games as a junior. She is coming off a career-high 18 points at No. 22 Cal on Dec. 12, when she played a career-high 37 minutes off the bench. That followed on the heels of her first career double-double 14 points while adding career bests with 12 rebounds and three blocks for her first career double-double against Evansville (Dec. 8). She added eight points against Creighton (Dec. 6), NC State (Dec. 3) and North Carolina Central (Nov. 21), when she pitched in 10 rebounds and a career-high three assists.
• Havers, who averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game as NU’s top post off the bench in 2014-15, owns nine double-figure scoring games in her career, including five as a sophomore last season. Two of her 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. (5.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.7 apg)
• Maddie Simon was growing her game quickly as a key contributor in the Husker lineup before suffering a broken arm in a fall outside of basketball activities on Dec. 7. She is expected to miss several weeks. Simon produced two double-figure efforts before the injury, including 11 points and three assists in a win over Southern (Nov. 23) and 10 points and three assists against NC State (Dec. 3).
• 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. She was the No. 149 player in the nation according to Blue Star and the No. 22 guard 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 (6.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
• Anya Kalenta produced the fourth double-figure scoring effort of her Nebraska career and second of the season with 11 points and six rebounds in a season-high 21 minutes off the bench in NU’s win over NC State (Dec. 3). She had 10 points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes in a win over North Florida (Nov. 16). She had eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and her first career steal against Evansville (Dec. 8). She notched career highs with four assists and three blocks against North Carolina Central (Nov. 23) when she also had seven points and six boards.
• Kalenta owns more points (56/38), rebounds (39/17) and assists (7/1) than she did all of last season.She appeared in 12 games 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. She established career highs with 14 points and eight rebounds in a season-opening win over Pepperdine Nov. 15, 2014.
• 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. (3.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 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 35 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists and nine steals in 128 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, at UConn, against NC State, Creighton, Evansville or at Cal. (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.