Huskers Set for Battle with Boilermakers

Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-5, 3-3)
at Purdue Boilermakers (14-3, 5-1)

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 6 p.m. - Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)

Wednesday's Stations

• KBBK B107.3 FM, Lincoln
• KKCD CD105.9 FM, Omaha
• KRGY 97.3 FM, Grand Island
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KAMI 1580 AM, Cozad

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

Big Red to Battle Boilermakers Wednesday
The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens a two-game Big Ten road swing by traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., to battle the Purdue Boilermakers on Wednesday. Tip-off between the Huskers (12-5, 3-3) and Purdue (14-3, 5-1) is set for 6 p.m. (central).

The live Husker Sports Network radio call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch can be heard on B107.3 FM (Lincoln), CD 105.9 FM (Omaha) and for free on Huskers.com. A live premium video stream will be provided for subscribers of BTN Plus.

After opening the conference season 0-3 with losses to top-25 Iowa, Maryland and Northwestern squads, the Huskers have worked their way to a three-game winning streak with wins over Illinois, Penn State and Rutgers.

Nebraska grinded its way to a 65-54 win over the Scarlet Knights Saturday, trailing for the game’s first 33 minutes before overwhelming Rutgers in the fourth quarter. Freshman forward Jessica Shepard led all scorers with 22 points for her third straight 20-point effort and ninth of the season. Sophomore Natalie Romeo added 19 points and knocked down five threes, including three straight in the fourth quarter to give Nebraska the lead for good. Senior Rachel Theriot added her best Big Ten effort of the season with 17 points and eight assists.

Purdue joins top-10 Maryland and Ohio State teams atop the Big Ten standings with a 5-1 conference mark. The Boilermakers opened Big Ten play with five straight wins before suffering a 90-70 loss at No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 20.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 7.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 15.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 5.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 4.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 4.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 3.3 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 - 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
14th Season at Nebraska (274-158); 26th Season Overall (469-298)

Purdue Boilermakers (14-3 Overall, 5-1 Big Ten)
4 - Torrie Thornton - 6-0 - RSr. - F - 2.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
13 - Bridget Perry - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg
1 - Ashley Morrissette - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg
24 - Andreona Keys - 5-10 - So. - G - 8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg
25 - April Wilson - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 15.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Off the Bench
20 - Dominique McBryde - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg
10 - Hayden Hamby - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
12 - Nora Kiesler - 6-6 - Fr. - C - 3.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg
22 - Bree Horrocks - 6-5 - So. - C - 3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
3 - Tiara Murphy - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 1.4 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Sharon Versyp (Purdue, 1989)
10th Season at Purdue (208-111); 16th Season Overall (325-176)

Husker Nuggets
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 5-2, and all seven meetings have been as Big Ten opponents. The Huskers won the first-ever meeting between the two schools with an epic, 93-89 triple-overtime win at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., on Feb. 2, 2012. Nebraska snapped Purdue’s five-game series winning streak with a 69-59 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 19, 2015.

• Purdue opened its five-game series winning streak with a 74-70 double-overtime victory in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on March 4, 2012. The following season, the Huskers fell 69-66 in overtime to the Boilers in Lincoln, before suffering a 77-64 loss to Purdue at the Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on March 9, 2013. NU suffered a 77-75 loss to Purdue at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 19, 2014, before dropping an 82-66 decision at Mackey Arena on March 2, 2014.

• Jessica Shepard earned her seventh Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Jan. 18. 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 seventh double-double of the season. She added 22 points and eight boards against Rutgers (Jan. 16) for her ninth 20-point game and of the year. She leads NU with 20.0 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 (12.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.4 apg)
• Rachel Theriot ranks 12th nationally with 6.4 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 553 in her career, moving her within 10 assists of Nicole Kubik (563, 1997-2000) at No. 4 on the Nebraska career chart.
• Theriot is averaging 12.1 ppg as a senior, and ranks No. 18 in career points at Nebraska with 1,228. She needs 15 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. (5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.5 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. (15.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 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 produced a career-high 32-point effort at Penn State (Jan. 13) when she hit a school-record eight three-pointers. 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 3.4 threes per game while leading the Huskers with 57 threes on 43.5 percent shooting (20th nationally) from long range. Romeo ranks third among sophomores in Nebraska history with 57 and needs 10 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 41 career games, including three in 17 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. (20.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.9 apg)
• A seven-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 nine 20-point efforts, 15 double-figure scoring performances and seven double-doubles.
• Shepard is averaging 21.0 points and 11.2 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 22 points and eight boards in the win over Rutgers (Jan. 16).
• 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 340 points and only six freshmen in school history have reached the 400-point mark. She leads NU in scoring (20.0 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. (7.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is turning up her production with 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and a team-leading 1.1 blocks through 17 games as a junior. Havers has made the first eight starts of her career over the last eight games in place of Rachel Blackburn. Havers had a strong 10-point, eight-rebound effort at Penn State (Jan. 13) that included a career-high four assists. Her 21 assists this season have matched her career total 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 with 14 points while adding career bests with 12 rebounds in a win over Evansville (Dec. 8).
• Havers owns single-season career-best totals of 106 rebounds, 18 blocked shots and 21 assists in 378 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 Purdue Boilermakers
One of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten this season, traditional conference contender Purdue raced to a 14-2 overall record and a 5-0 Big Ten mark to open the year, on the heels of an 11-20 overall record and 3-15 league mark last season.

Although the Boilermakers suffered their first conference setback of 2016 with a 90-70 loss at No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday, they still share the top spot in the Big Ten standings with the Buckeyes and current No. 5 Maryland.

Purdue returns three starters from last year’s squad, but only one of them (Ashley Morrissette) averaged in double figures. A 5-9 junior guard, Morrissette averaged 11.0 points per game last season and has increased her production to 12.5 points per game this year. She also leads the Boilermakers with 34 threes on 38.2 percent shooting.

Senior guard April Wilson has increased her production significantly in all areas. As a junior, the 5-7 Wilson averaged 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Through 17 games this season, she leads Purdue with 15.2 points per contest while adding 4.1 boards and ranking among Big Ten leaders with 6.1 assists per game. With a team-high 36 steals this season, Wilson also needs just four more to match her season total (40) from a year ago in nearly 400 fewer minutes. She has already hit more field goals and three-pointers this year, than she did last season.

Bridget Perry, a 6-2 junior forward, leads Purdue’s inside game with 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Perry, who averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 boards per game as a sophomore, has added 29 steals and 13 blocks in 2015-16 to surpass her season totals in both categories from a year ago.

Fifth-year senior Torrie Thornton has joined Perry on the front line with 2.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while 5-10 sophomore guard Andreona Keys rounds out the starting five from the wing with 8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest.

Freshman Dominique McBryde has added size and athleticism with 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game off the bench. Nora Kiesler (3.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg), a 6-6 freshman center and 6-5 sophomore center Bree Horrocks (3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) give Purdue versatility with matchups and depth inside.

While Purdue’s offensive production this season (68.9 ppg) is up from its 63.2 points that ranked 13th in the Big Ten in 2014-15, the biggest difference for the Boilermakers has come at the defensive end. Purdue is surrendering just 57.8 points per contest in 2015-16, compared to the 66.3 the Boilers allowed last season.

Although Purdue has allowed 90 at Ohio State, 72 to Minnesota and 71 at Northwestern over the last four games, the Boilermakers had only given up more than 65 points once in the first 13 contests this season, which came in a 65-71 overtime loss against a highly ranked Stanford team on Nov. 29. Before Sunday’s loss at Ohio State, no team had scored more than 72 points against Purdue.

On the offensive end, Purdue also has become significantly more efficient. In 2014-15, Purdue ranked 14th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.392) and 13th from three-point range (.260), and the Boilermakers have increased both those statistics (FG, .427; 3FG .335) this season, while shooting an improved 76.1 percent at the free throw line, up from 71.7 percent last year.
Purdue’s improved efficiency at both ends also has helped the Boilermakers win the battle for possessions this year. Last season, Purdue ranked 10th in the conference with a minus-0.2 team turnover margin. This season, the Boilermakers own a plus-3.1 turnover margin. Purdue was also a minus-0.3 in team rebounding average last season, compared with a plus-3.9 rebound margin this season.

Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 5-2, and all seven meetings have been as Big Ten opponents. The Huskers won the first-ever meeting between the two schools with an epic, 93-89 triple-overtime win at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., on Feb. 2, 2012. Nebraska snapped Purdue’s five-game series winning streak with a 69-59 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 19, 2015.

Purdue opened its five-game series winning streak with a 74-70 double-overtime victory in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on March 4, 2012. The following season, the Huskers fell 69-66 in overtime to the Boilers in Lincoln, before suffering a 77-64 loss to Purdue at the Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on March 9, 2013. NU suffered a 77-75 loss to Purdue at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 19, 2014, before dropping an 82-62 decision at Mackey Arena on March 2, 2014.

Huskers Improved on Offense in 2015-16
Nebraska has displayed much better offensive efficiency in 2015-16, compared with its 2014-15 squad that finished with 21 wins and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

This year’s crop of Huskers ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 76.4 points per game after ranking 10th in the conference last year with 67.1 points per contest. The 2016 Big Red are shooting 46.0 percent (4th, Big Ten) from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range (3rd, Big Ten).

Last year, Nebraska ranked 10th in the Big Ten by hitting just 40.7 percent of its shots, including 29.6 percent from three-point range, which ranked 12th in the conference.

Last year, Nebraska was better at the free throw line (.742), compared to this season’s 70.0 percent. However, the 2016 Huskers are hitting 74.1 percent of their free throws in Big Ten play.

Big Red Strong in Assist-To-Basket
Nebraska has shared the ball well early in 2015-16, producing 331 assists on 489 made baskets (67.6 percent), recording an assist on nearly seven out of 10 made field goals through 17 games.
No other Big Ten team has assisted on 65 percent of its made baskets this year, and only three other teams have reached 60 percent - Purdue (.643), Michigan State (.606) and Northwestern (.603).

Maryland (.595) and Iowa (.575) are near 60 percent, while Minnesota (.557), Illinois (.554), Rutgers (.552), Michigan (.550), Wisconsin (.531) and Indiana (.519) have recorded assists on more than half their field goals. Penn State (.479) and Ohio State (.462) round out the conference in that category.

Shepard Playing Big in Big Ten
Nebraska freshman Jessica Shepard ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg) as the leading contender for Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year honors and a threat for first-team All-Big Ten accolades as well.

Shepard is one of only two freshmen, joining Penn State’s Teniya Page (16.1 ppg) to rank among the conference’s top-30 scorers.

Shepard is also one of only two freshmen, joining teammate Rachel Blackburn (5.9 rpg) to rank among the Big Ten’s top-20 rebounders. Shepard is also tied for second in the conference with 3.2 offensive rebounds per game, and tied for fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.555).

Romeo Rockin’ from Long Range
Nebraska sophomore Natalie Romeo has developed into one of the nation’s premier three-point shooters in her second season. The 5-7 guard from Martinez, Calif., leads the Big Ten with 57 total threes and 3.4 three-pointers per game. She also ranks fifth in the Big Ten with her 43.5 percentage. With 131 attempts, Romeo is the only shooter in the top five in percentage who has attempted more than 90 threes.

Romeo’s explosive shooting has included a school-record eight threes at Penn State (Jan. 13), which featured six first-half threes.

Her consistent shooting has pushed her to 18th in the conference in scoring at 15.6 points per game. She is also tied for 14th in the Big Ten with 3.6 assists per game.

Through six Big Ten games, Romeo has hit 4.2 threes per game while connecting on 48.1 percent of her three-point attempts to average 16.0 points per game.

Theriot Tops Big Ten in Assists
Nebraska point guard Rachel Theriot leads the Big Ten with 6.4 assists per game. Theriot owns 109 assists through 17 games as a senior, the same total she produced in 21 games during an injury-shortened junior season. Her assist total this season has come in 250 fewer minutes on the court than a year ago.

Havers Filling Right Side from Inside
One of the tallest Huskers in history at 6-5, center Allie Havers has stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up her production on the right side of the stat sheets.

Havers, a junior from Mattawan, Mich., is tied for 14th in the Big Ten with 6.2 rebounds per game, while her 1.1 blocked shots per game are tied for 12th in the conference.

Havers is also proving herself as a talented passer inside, totaling 21 assists through 17 games to match her total from the first 65 games of her career.

Her most improvement has come in assist-to-turnover. Through her first two seasons as Nebraska’s top post off the bench, Havers totaled 21 assists and 68 turnovers. This season, Havers owns 21 assists against 20 turnovers, including 13 assists and just nine turnovers in Big Ten play.

 

Triple Threats: Three Things to Talk About
#11, Esther Ramacieri, 5-8, Jr., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
• Esther Ramacieri made her second career start and first of the season at Penn State Jan. 13, 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, helping the Huskers jump to a 33-13 lead. She earned a second straight start in the win over Rutgers Jan. 16.
• Ramacieri 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 NU’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 NU’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.
• 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 (4.0 ppg, 4.4 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 (4/0) 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. (3.3 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 56 points, 27 rebounds and 16 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. (5.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 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.