Big Red Joust with Scarlet Knights Saturday

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-5, 2-3)
vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-5, 3-2)

Saturday, Jan. 16, 5:30 p.m. - Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Tickets: Huskers.com 
Doors Open: 90 minutes Prior to Tip (Game-day tickets at Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office)
Red Cross Pass the Bucket: 2015 NCAA Volleyball Champions
Television/Live Video: BTN/BTN2GO.com (Mike Wolf, Shelley Till)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)

Saturday's Stations

• KBBK 107.3 FM, Lincoln
• KXSP 590 AM, Omaha
• KAMI 1580 AM, Cozad
• KRGI 1430 AM, Grand Island
• KHAS 1230 AM, Hastings
• KNCY 1600 AM, 105.5 FM, Nebraska City
• KHUB 1340 AM, Fremont
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff

Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com

Big Red Joust with Scarlet Knights Saturday
The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home to take on Rutgers Saturday in the first-ever trip to Lincoln for the Scarlet Knights. Tip-off between the Big Red (11-5, 2-3) and Rutgers (12-5, 3-2) is set for 5:30 p.m., with tickets available now on Huskers.com.

The live Husker Sports Network radio call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch can be heard on B107.3 FM (Lincoln) and ESPN 590 AM (Omaha) and for free on Huskers.com or with the TuneIn app on mobile devices. The game will be televised live nationally by BTN with Mike Wolf and Shelley Till on the call. A live video stream is also available on BTN2Go.com.

Saturday will be Nebraska’s annual Red Cross Appreciation Day, and members of the 2015 NCAA Champion Nebraska Volleyball Team will assisting in passing the bucket for the Red Cross. The Huskers also will be honored for their on-court accomplishments.

Rutgers advanced to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament for its 15th NCAA bid in the past 20 years under Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer. The Scarlet Knights are 0-2 in Big Ten road play with losses at ranked Iowa (69-65) and Ohio State (90-78) squads.

The Huskers have won back-to-back games after notching their first road win of the season with an 83-78 victory at Penn State on Wednesday. Sophomore shooting guard Natalie Romeo erupted for a career-high 32 points, including a school-record eight three-pointers against the Lady Lions.

Freshman forward Jessica Shepard added her third Big Ten double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds to power the Huskers inside. The 6-4 Shepard who is a six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 19.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 7.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 15.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 11.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 4.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 5.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 4.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - So. - G - 1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 0.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
14th Season at Nebraska (273-158); 26th Season Overall (468-298)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-5 Overall, 3-2 Big Ten)
1 - Rachel Hollivay - 6-4 - Sr. - C - 6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg
2 - Kahleah Copper - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 17.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg
3 - Tyler Scaife - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 17.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
4 - Briyona Canty - 5-9 - RSr. - G - 5.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
5 - Shrita Parker - 5-7 - So. - G - 4.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Off the Bench
43 - Ariel Butts - 6-3 - Sr. - F/C - 3.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
13 - Cynthia Hernandez - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 3.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg
12 - Khadaizha Sanders - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg
40 - Victoria Harris - 6-3 - Fr. - C/F - 2.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg
11 - Aliyah Jeune - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg
32 - Desiree Keeling - 6-2 - Fr. - C/F - 0.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg
21 - Ashli Jeune - 5-10 - RFr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg
33 - Alex Alfano - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 0.4 ppg, 0.0 rpg 
10 - Alana Ferruggiaro - 5-4 - Sr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: C. Vivian Stringer (Slippery Rock, 1971)
21st Season at Rutgers (444-221); 45th Season Overall (964-356)

Husker Nuggets
• Rutgers is making its first-ever trip to Lincoln. The Scarlet Knights won the only previous meeting with the Huskers, 46-43, on Feb. 5, 2015, at the RAC in Piscataway, N.J.

• Nebraska administrative assistant/video coordinator Katie Adams was a four-year player for Coach C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers, helping the Scarlet Knights to the 2007 NCAA Championship Game as a junior. RU went to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2005 and 2008, while adding a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006.

• Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer has led Rutgers to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in her 20 previous seasons with the Scarlet Knights. She spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Iowa (1984-95), leading the Hawkeyes to nine straight NCAA bids (1986-94), including the 1993 NCAA Final Four.

• Jessica Shepard earned her sixth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Jan. 11. She swept the Big Ten Player and Freshman honors on Dec. 21, before being named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Dec. 22) and a member of the “Starting Five” by NCAA.com (Dec. 23).

• Shepard had 29 points and 10 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 13) for her eighth 20-point game and seventh double-double. She leads NU with 19.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

• Shepard’s 35-point effort against Northern Arizona (Dec. 19) set the Nebraska freshman record, surpassing the 34-point performance by Debra Powell against Notre Dame on Feb. 25, 1982. Shepard also attempted a school-record 20 free throws.

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (11.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.3 apg)
• Rachel Theriot ranks 12th nationally with 6.3 assists per game. She 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. She owns 545 in her career, moving her within 18 assists of Nicole Kubik (563, 1997-2000) at No. 4 on the Nebraska career chart.
• Theriot is averaging 11.8 ppg as a senior, and ranks No. 18 in career points at Nebraska with 1,211. She needs 32 points to catch Brooke Schwartz (No. 17, 1,243, 1997-2000) 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 13 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. (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 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 put up three double-figure efforts in non-conference play, including a season-high 22 points in NU’s win over Arkansas State on Dec. 21.
• She owns 75 career double-figure scoring performances, including 25 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. (15.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg)
• A high-energy guard who brings intensity and toughness to both ends of the court, Natalie Romeo is growing into one of the Big Ten’s most explosive players. She is coming off a career-high 32-point effort at Penn State when she hit a school-record eight three-pointers on Wednesday. Romeo opened the season with 30 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. She has added three other 20-point games this season, including 24 points and six more threes in her return home to the Bay Area in an overtime loss at No. 22 Cal on Dec. 12. She closed non-conference play with 20 points and eight assists in a win over Arkansas State.
• Romeo ranks sixth nationally with 3.3 threes per game while leading the Huskers with 52 threes on 43.7 percent shooting (20th nationally) from long range. Romeo ranks third among sophomores in Nebraska history with 52 and needs 15 more to match NU career three-point leader Jordan Hooper’s 67 as a sophomore in 2011-12.
• Romeo started Nebraska’s final 10 games of 2014-15 in place of the injured Rachel Theriot, beginning with a start against No. 5 Maryland at the XFINITY Center on Feb. 8, 2015. She managed eight points in that game. Over the final eight games of 2014-15, she led the Big Red with 15.4 points per game.
• 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). She has hit six or more threes six times in 40 career games, including three in 16 games this season.
• 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 then-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 threes in a 72-69 loss to Syracuse on March 20, 2015.

#32, Jessica Shepard, 6-4, Fr., F, Fremont, Neb. (19.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.9 apg)
• A six-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 won her first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award on Dec. 21. She added National Freshman-of-the-Week honors from the USBWA on Dec. 22, while adding a spot on the NCAA.com Starting Five. She won those honors after scoring a Nebraska freshman record 35 points against Northern Arizona on Dec. 19, when she also set a career high with four steals. Shepard owns eight 20-point efforts, 14 double-figure scoring performances and seven double-doubles.
• Shepard is averaging 20.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in Big Ten play, including 29 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a win over Illinois Jan. 10, and 29 points and 10 boards at Penn State Jan. 13. She had 28 points and eight rebounds against Iowa (Dec. 31) and 12 points and a then-career-high 14 rebounds at No. 14 Northwestern (Jan. 3).
• Shepard reached the 100-point (5 games), 200-point (11 games) and 300-point (16 games) scoring marks faster than any Husker freshman in history. She owns 318 points and only six freshmen in school history have reached the 400-point mark. She leads NU in scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 ppg), and both season numbers would be Husker freshman records (Debra Powell, 15.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1981-82).
• 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.

#22, Allie Havers, 6-5, Jr., C, Mattawan, Mich. (7.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is turning up her production with 7.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and a team-leading 1.1 blocks through 16 games as a junior. Havers has made the first seven starts of her career over the last seven games in place of Rachel Blackburn. Havers is coming off a strong 10-point, eight-rebound effort at Penn State that included a career-high four assists. Her 20 assists this season have nearly matched her career total (21) prior to 2015-16.
• Havers had 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 in a win over Evansville (Dec. 8).
• Havers owns single-season career-best totals of 100 rebounds, 17 blocked shots and 20 assists in 352 minutes. She played 472 minutes a year ago and 347 minutes as a freshman.
• 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.

Scouting The Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer brings her 21st Rutgers team to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday for the Scarlet Knights’ first-ever visit to Lincoln in women’s basketball. Stringer, who is in her 45th season as a head coach and owns 964 career victories, has Rutgers off to a 12-5 start and a 3-2 Big Ten mark after Wednesday night’s win over Illinois at the RAC in Piscataway, N.J.

Preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection Kahleah Copper leads the Scarlet Knights to Nebraska. The 6-1 senior forward is averaging 17.2 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game, following her 15-point, 11-rebound against Illinois. Fellow seniors Rachel Hollivay (6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg) and Briyona Canty (5.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.6 apg, 2.0 spg) provide plenty of experience to the Rutgers starting five, as does Tyler Scaife. The 5-9 junior guard is averaging a team-best 17.9 points and 3.4 rebounds after her 27-point, five-rebound, four-assist effort against Illinois on Wednesday.

Shrita Parker, a 5-7 sophomore guard, rounds out the regular RU starters with 4.6 points and 2.9 boards per contest, but she missed Wednesday’s game with a groin injury. She was replaced by freshman post Victoria Harris, who managed six points and two rebounds in 22 minutes. Harris is averaging 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.

In addition to a solid and consistent set of starters, Rutgers features experience off the bench with 6-3 senior post Ariel Butts (3.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and 5.7 senior shooting guard Cynthia Hernandez (3.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg). However, Butts and Hernandez have both missed recent games with injuries.

Khadaizha Sanders (2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg) has started a pair of games this season, and Desiree Keeling (0.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and Aliyah Jeune (1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg) add more depth for an extended Rutgers bench.

One of the Big Ten’s best defensive teams, Rutgers has allowed just 54.9 points per game while holding the opposition to just 35.8 percent shooting from the field and 31.3 percent accuracy from three-point range.

Offensively, Rutgers averages just 63.0 points per game, but is shooting a healthy 45.6 percent from the field, including 35.5 percent from three-point range. The Scarlet Knights hit 4.2 threes per game. Rutgers owns a plus-2.9 team rebounding margin and a plus-0.5 team turnover margin. The Scarlet Knights commit 3.8 more fouls per game than their opponents, while the opposition has outscored RU by 1.2 points per game at the free throw line.

Rutgers won the only previous meeting in the series with Nebraska by posting a 46-43 victory at the RAC in Piscataway on Feb. 5, 2015. That game marked NU’s first without point guard Rachel Theriot, after she suffered a season-ending ankle injury in practice on Feb. 3. Nebraska shot just 22 percent (15-68) against the Scarlet Knights. Tear’a Laudermill led the Big Red with 16 points on 5-of-28 shooting, while Emily Cady produced a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Allie Havers (5) and Jasmine Cincore (2) are the only two current Huskers who scored at Rutgers last season.

Betnijah Laney led Rutgers with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Tyler Scaife added eight points and Kahleah Copper pitched in nine points and seven rebounds.

 

Triple Threats: Three Things to Talk About
#11, Esther Ramacieri, 5-8, Jr., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg)
• Esther Ramacieri made her second career start and first of the season at Penn State Wednesday, filling in for Rachel Theriot. Ramacieri notched career highs with four rebounds and three assists in a career-high 23 minutes in the win over the Lady Lions. She had two points and two rebounds in two minutes against Northern Arizona on Dec. 19, in her return after missing four games with a concussion. She hit her first field goal (37th career game) in the closing minute of Nebraska’s win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 21. She added her first Big Ten field goal with a layup against No. 14 Northwestern on Jan. 3. She added an assist and two rebounds in 10 minutes at No. 8 Maryland Jan. 7. Ramacieri appeared in 17 games in each of her first two seasons, with one career start (vs. Penn State, Jan. 15, 2015).
• 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. She missed the Big Ten opener against Iowa (Dec. 31) with an Achilles strain, before returning at No. 14 Northwestern on Jan. 3.
• 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. (1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg)
• Emily Wood is making solid, consistent and reliable contributions as a sophomore, producing 18 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 76 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.

#24, Maddie Simon, 6-2, Fr., G, Lincoln, Neb. (4.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.2 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. Her recovery went well and she returned to action at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7. After missing six games, Simon scored nine points off the bench as one of Nebraska’s leading scorers against the Terps. 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 (4.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
• Anya Kalenta produced a strong seven-point, 14-rebound effort in a win over Northern Arizona Dec. 19. She also had career bests with three blocks and 26 minutes. She 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 (68/38), rebounds (75/17), assists (7/1), blocks (7/3) and steals (3/0) than she had 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. (3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
• 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 54 points, 26 rebounds and 15 assists in 200 minutes. She has set or tied career bests in every category, including a career-high nine points at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7. 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.

#43, Rachel Blackburn, 6-3, Fr., F, Leavenworth, Kan. (5.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 apg)
• A fiery workhorse as a freshman, Rachel Blackburn was a leader for the Big Red on the glass and on the defensive end before missing three straight games with illness. She returned to the court in a reserve role at No. 14 Northwestern, scoring four points and grabbing a pair of rebounds in 15 minutes. She played 14 minutes off the bench at No. 8 Maryland (Jan. 7). Blackburn was sidelined by illness against Northern Arizona (Dec. 19) and Arkansas State (Dec. 21), before missing the Big Ten opener against Iowa (Dec. 31) with both illness and a strained knee.
• 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 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. 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 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 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. She 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.

#50, Darrien Washington, 6-2, RFr., F, Oakland, Calif. (2.4 ppg, 2.4 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 in seven consecutive games (coach’s decision) before returning to action for one first-half minute against Northern Arizona on Dec. 19.
• Washington has totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action this season, including three points and two rebounds in five minutes in her Big Ten debut at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7.
• 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. She played on the Cal Stars Elite with current Husker sophomore guard Natalie Romeo.