Huskers Host Jays in Annual In-State Showdown

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1) vs. Creighton Bluejays (4-3)

Sunday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m. - Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Military Appreciation Day - Marines Toys for Tots Collection
Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)

Sunday's Stations

• B107.3 FM, Lincoln
• ESPN 590 AM, Omaha
• KRVN 880 AM, Lexington
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KHAS 1230 AM, Hastings
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff
• KHUB 1340 AM, Fremont
• KGFW 1340 AM, Kearney
• KNCY 1600 AM/105.5 FM, Nebraska City
• KBRB 1400 AM, Ainsworth

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

Huskers Host Jays in Annual In-State Showdown
The Nebraska women’s basketball team renews its annual in-state series with Creighton on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off in the 41st meeting between the Huskers and Bluejays is set for 2 p.m.

Tickets are available now at Huskers.com or by calling 800-8-BIG-RED. The first 7,000 Husker fans seated in the lower bowl at Pinnacle Bank Arena will receive a free, red Nebraska T-shirt. Fans also can purchase tickets the day of the game at the arena box office, beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to benefit children in the Lincoln community as part of the Marines Toys for Tots program and Military Appreciation Day.

Live radio coverage on select stations will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, ESPN 590 AM in Omaha and 880 AM KRVN in Lexington, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call. A live video stream will be available to premium subscribers of BTN Plus.

The Big Red hope to build momentum after an 88-67 run past RPI No. 23 NC State on Thursday. Senior Rachel Theriot led five Huskers in double figures with season highs of 20 points and 11 assists for her sixth career double-double. Sophomore Natalie Romeo added 16 points and three assists in another strong effort. Romeo and Theriot combined for five threes in a 23-point second quarter to help the Huskers close the first half on a 20-0 run over the final six minutes to take a 41-21 halftime lead.

Freshman sensation Jessica Shepard added her sixth straight double-figure effort with 14 points, four rebounds and career highs of four assists and three blocks. Senior Anya Kalenta added 11 points and six boards off the bench, while freshman Maddie Simon pitched in 10 points and three assists.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 4.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 19.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 16.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Off the Bench
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 7.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 5.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 4.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 4.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - So. - G - 2.2 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 (267-154); 26th Season Overall (462-294)

Creighton Bluejays (4-3, 0-0 Big East)
11 - Bailey Norby - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg
45 - Audrey Faber - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 15.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg
1 - Jade Owens - 5-6 - So. - G - 5.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
3 - MC McGrory - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 9.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg
14 - Sydney Lamberty - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg 
Off the Bench
12 - Lauren Works - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 7.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg
2 - Myah Mellman - 5-7 - So. - G - 3.4 ppg, 0.3 rpg
40 - Ali Greene - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 2.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg
20 - Tessa Leytem - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 2.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
4 - Aimee Rischard - 5-5 - So. - G - 2.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg 
33 - Kylie Brown - 6-3 - So. - F - 0.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg
21 - Olivia Elger - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
23 - Marissa Janning (OUT) - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 10.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg
50 - Brianna Rollerson (OUT) - 6-0 - Jr. - F - 7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)
14th Season at Creighton (256-168); 14th Season Overall (256-168)

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska defeated Creighton, 60-57, at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha on Dec. 11, 2014. Emily Cady led NU with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Rachel Theriot produced 16 points and nine assists. Alexis Akin-Otiko led CU with 23 points on 6-of-6 three-point shooting. The Jays hit 10-of-20 threes, while NU went 3-for-7. The Huskers return 24 points (Theriot 16, Havers 8) from last year’s game, while the Jays return just 11 (Lamberty 7, Norby 2, Owens 2).

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton, 29-11, including nine wins in the last 10 games. Connie Yori is 10-3 against her alma mater as Nebraska’s head coach.

• Sunday’s game will mark Yori’s 32nd game as a part of the Nebraska-Creighton series, including her 24th consecutive season as a head coach. She was 3-7 against the Huskers in her 10 seasons as Creighton’s coach. Yori was 2-2 as a player against Nebraska at Creighton and 1-3 as an assistant coach. She has been on the winning side in 16 of 31 games.

• Nebraska has been ranked in the top 25 in at least one of the national polls in each of the past three meetings. Last season, the Huskers were ranked 12th in the AP Poll. In 2013-14, NU was ranked 19th on their way to a 63-38 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena. In 2012-13, the Huskers were 25th before suffering a 66-57 loss at CU, in a game in which All-American Jordan Hooper was held scoreless.

• 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.

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.7 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 221 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. 24 in career points at Nebraska with 1,090. She needs six points to catch Ann Halsne (No. 23, 1,096, 1988-91), 11 points to match Yvonne Turner (No. 22, 1,101, 2007-10), 17 points to catch Dominique Kelley (No. 21, 1,107, 2008-11) and 26 to reach Meggan Yedsena (No. 20, 1,116, 1991-94) on NU’s all-time scoring list.
• Theriot is coming off her sixth career double-double with 20 points and 11 assists in Thursday night’s win over NC State. It was her 12th career 20-point effort and eighth career double-digit assist game.

#4, Kyndal Clark, 5-7, Sr., G, Webb City, Mo. (3.2 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. 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.
• Clark is expected to make her 105th collegiate start on Sunday. 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.
• In six career games against Creighton, Clark has averaged 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals. In her last meeting with CU in the opening game of the 2013-14 season, Clark had 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and four steals.
• 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. (16.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 4.2 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 six 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 nine more assists (34) and two more steals (17) to match her season totals from a year ago. She also leads the Huskers with 20 threes on 40.8 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 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. (19.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.0 bpg)
• 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 Nov. 28. She owns double figures in each of her first six games.
• 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. (4.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
• A fiery workhorse as a freshman, Blackburn leads the Big Red with 8.2 rebounds through the first six 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.
• 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. She finished the game with three points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
• 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 Creighton Bluejays
Coach Jim Flanery brings his 14th Creighton team to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon to battle the Huskers. The Bluejays come to Lincoln with a 4-3 record after suffering a 67-54 loss at Kansas on Wednesday. It was the second loss in the last three games for CU, including a 75-52 setback to No. 19 Northwestern at the Lone Star Showcase in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 27.

Creighton bounced back with a 66-60 overtime win over Eastern Washington in Texas on Nov. 28. However, the Bluejays were dealt a blow with the loss of All-Big East guard Marissa Janning. The 5-8 senior from Watertown, Minn., suffered a fractured fibula. Janning was averaging 10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists before the injury. She ranks ninth all-time at Creighton with 1,563 career points.

The Bluejays had already been hit with the loss of fourth-year junior Brianna Rollerson. The 6-0 forward out of Omaha Central broke a bone in her right foot in practice after averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in just 14 minutes per game in Creighton’s wins over Wichita State and Marist to open the season.

The Bluejays still have plenty of young weapons. Audrey Faber, a 6-2 freshman forward from Clive, Iowa, leads the team with 15.6 points per game. She also leads CU with 16 threes through seven games, while hitting 44.4 percent of her long range attempts and 91.3 percent (21-23) of her free throws. Faber is also a capable passer, averaging 2.0 assists per game. Faber had 10 points and six rebounds at Kansas.

Sophomore Sydney Lamberty has pitched in double figures with 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The 5-10 guard from Cottage Grove, Minn., also leads the Jays with 11 total steals.
Junior guard MC McGrory is the most experienced player in CU’s starting five. The 5-8 guard from Edina, Minn., is averaging 9.7 points and 3.4 rebounds, while hitting 9-of-19 threes (.474) on the year. McGrory led the Jays with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including both of her three-point attempts, at Kansas on Wednesday. She had 14 points and two threes in last season’s 60-57 loss to Nebraska.

Jade Owens, a 5-6 sophomore guard from River Forest, Ill., replaced Janning in the starting lineup at Kansas. Owens had eight points, including a pair of threes, four rebounds and five turnovers against the Jayhawks. Owens is averaging 5.3 points, 2.7 boards and 3.0 assists on the season.
Bailey Norby, a 6-2 sophomore forward from Forest Lake, Minn., rounds out CU’s starting five with 2.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Lincoln Southwest grad Lauren Works has been a part-time starter for CU and has averaged 7.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Works started in wins over Wichita State and Marist, before scoring a season-high 13 points in a loss at Drake on Nov. 24. She was replaced by Faber in the starting five for East Carolina, when Faber scored a career-high 25. Works had five points and a team-high six rebounds at Kansas.

The Jays get consistent contributions from 5-7 sophomore Myah Mellman (3.4 ppg), 6-1 freshman Ali Greene (2.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg), 5-11 senior Tessa Leytem (2.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and 6-3 sophomore Kylie Brown (0.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg).

As a team, Creighton is averaging 71.9 points per game and shooting a stellar 39.7 percent (71-179) from three-point range. At Kansas, CU hit 11-of-23 (.478) three-pointers, but just 8-of-32 (.250) from inside the arc. Overall, the Jays are shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 79.1 percent at the free throw line. They have outrebounded a solid group of opponents, 35.0-33.0, and own a plus-0.7 team turnover margin. They have held opponents to 64.1 points per game.

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 216-34 in the past 42 years in its first six home contests (.864), 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, 37-5 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.

Huskers Putting Up Points at Pinnacle
Thursday’s win over NC State marked the fifth consecutive game at Pinnacle Bank Arena that the Huskers have scored 88 or more points. It is the first time in school history that Nebraska has scored 88 or more points in five straight home games. It is also the first time since 2009-10 that the Big Red have scored 88 or more in five home contests in a season.

Through six games, Nebraska is averaging 83.0 points per game, including 90.4 points in five contests at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring (15th, 83.0 ppg), scoring margin (9th, 27.7 ppg), field goal percentage (13th, .480), assists per game (4th, 21.8 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd, 1.6).

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.

Through six games, the 2015-16 freshmen have combined for 195 points, 114 rebounds, 37 assists, 11 blocks and 13 steals, despite Washington sitting out the last four games. The group is averaging 32.5 points and 19.0 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.

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 33-5 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 421-135 (.757) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 158-39 (.802) 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.

 

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 win over NC State with a concussion.
• 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. (2.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
• Emily Wood is making solid, consistent and reliable contributions as a sophomore, producing 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 42 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.
• 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. (5.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.2 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is turning up her production with 5.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist and a team-leading 1.2 blocks through six games as a junior. She owns season highs of eight points against NC State (Dec. 3) and North Carolina Central (Nov. 21), when she added career bests with 10 rebounds and 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 seven 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. (6.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 2.0 apg)
• Maddie Simon is growing her game quickly as a key contributor in the Husker lineup after producing her second double-figure scoring effort with 10 points and three assists against NC State on Thursday. She established her career high with 11 points and three assists in NU’s win over Southern on Nov. 23.
• 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 (7.3 ppg, 4.7 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 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 at No. 1 UConn on Nov. 28.
• Kalenta owns more points (44/38), rebounds (28/17) and assists (5/1) 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. (4.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.3 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 29 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists and six steals in 93 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 or against NC State (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.