Huskers Shoot for Sweep on Road at Rutgers

Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-5, 6-3)
at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-9, 3-6)

Saturday, Jan. 30, 1 p.m. - The RAC (Piscataway, N.J.)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)

Saturday's Stations

• KBBK 107.3 FM, Lincoln
• KKCD 105.9 FM, Omaha
• KGFW 1340 AM, Kearney
• KRGY 97.3 FM, Grand Island
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff

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

Huskers Shoot for Sweep on Road at Rutgers
The Nebraska women’s basketball team takes aim at its seventh straight win while shooting for a season sweep of Rutgers when the Huskers take on the Scarlet Knights Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. Tip-off between the Big Red (15-5, 6-3) and the Scarlet Knights (12-9, 3-6) is set for 1 p.m. (central) at The RAC (Rutgers Athletic Center).

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.

Nebraska matched its fourth-longest conference winning streak in school history by notching its sixth consecutive Big Ten win with a 75-62 run past Wisconsin on Wednesday in Lincoln.

Sophomore guard Natalie Romeo put on another amazing shooting display by tying her own school record with eight threes to finish with a game-high 30 points. Romeo set the school record with eight threes in a 32-point performance on Jan. 13 at Penn State. She owns four games with six or more threes this season and a trio of 30-point games. She ranks among national leaders with 69 threes on the year.

Junior center Allie Havers added her second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against the Badgers, while senior point guard Rachel Theriot returned from injury to contribute 14 points and five assists.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 20.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 5.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 16.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 11.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Off the Bench
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 4.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 3.5 ppg, 3.8 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 - 1.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
14th Season at Nebraska (277-158); 26th Season Overall (472-298)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-9 Overall, 3-6 Big Ten)
2 - Kahleah Copper - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 16.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg
43 - Ariel Butts - 6-3 - Sr. - F/C - 3.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg
1 - Rachel Hollivay - 6-4 - Sr. - C - 6.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg
3 - Tyler Scaife - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 17.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg
4 - Briyona Canty - 5-9 - RSr. - G - 5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - Shrita Parker - 5-7 - So. - G - 4.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
13 - Cynthia Hernandez - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 3.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg
12 - Khadaizha Sanders - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
40 - Victoria Harris - 6-3 - Fr. - C/F - 2.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
11 - Aliyah Jeune - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
32 - Desiree Keeling - 6-2 - Fr. - 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 - 0.3 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: C. Vivian Stringer (Slippery Rock, 1971)
21st Season at Rutgers (444-225); 45th Season Overall (964-360)

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska is tied with Rutgers 1-1 in the newest Big Ten series for the Big Red. The Huskers beat the Scarlet Knights, 65-54, in the first-ever meeting in Lincoln on Jan. 16. Jessica Shepard led Nebraska with 22 points, including 20 of NU’s 41 in the first three quarters, while Natalie Romeo added 19 points and five three-pointers. Rachel Theriot contributed 17 points and eight assists. Nebraska committed a season-low five turnovers in the game.

• Rutgers won last year’s meeting in Piscataway, 46-43 on Feb. 5, 2015. It marked NU’s first game without Rachel Theriot (season-ending ankle injury).

• Jessica Shepard earned her eighth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Jan. 25, tying the Big Ten record for most awards in a season by a single player. She swept the Big Ten Player and Freshman honors for the second time on Jan. 25, while adding espnW and College Sports Madness National Player-of-the-Week honors. Shepard has added two appearances on the NCAA.com “Starting Five” (Dec. 23, Jan. 27) and is a two-time USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Dec. 22, Jan. 26).

• Shepard owns 11 20-point games on the season, including two Nebraska freshman record 35-point performances (at Michigan, Jan. 24; vs. Northern Arizona, Dec. 19), and two 29-point games (Illinois, Jan. 10; at Penn State, Jan. 13) to open NU’s six-game winning streak.

• Natalie Romeo tied her own school record with eight threes Wednesday against Wisconsin. It marked the school-record seventh time in 44 career games that Romeo has hit six or more threes, including the fourth time this season. Romeo owns three 30-point performances this year, including two in Big Ten play.

Nebraska Streaks and Milestones
• Nebraska matched the fourth-longest conference winning streak in school history following its 75-62 victory over Wisconsin on Wednesday. NU’s last six-game league winning streak came with nine wins in 2013-14. The Huskers also had a 10-game Big Ten winning streak in 2012-13.

• Natalie Romeo tied her own school record with eight threes (8-of-14 shooting) in the win over Wisconsin (Jan. 27). Romeo owns a Big Ten-best 69 threes (3.45 pg) on the season. Her next three will make her just the fifth player in Nebraska history to hit 70 threes in a season, joining Kiera Hardy (3), Jordan Hooper (2), Amy Stephens and Yvonne Turner. Romeo needs three threes to move ahead of Hardy (71, 2006-07) into seventh on NU’s single-season three-point list.

• Romeo owns a pair of 30-point efforts in Big Ten play this season (32 at Penn State, Jan. 13; 30 vs. Wisconsin, Jan. 27), becoming just the eighth Husker in history with multiple 30-point games in conference play. The only two players in Nebraska history who have posted more than two 30-point games in league play in a season are Karen Jennings (5, 1992, Big Eight) and Maurtice Ivy (4, 1987, Big Eight). Jennings and Ivy own two of Nebraska’s three all-time retired jerseys.

• Jessica Shepard reached 400 career points faster than any other freshman in Nebraska history (20 games) in Wednesday’s win over Wisconsin. Shepard owns 405 points and needs 19 to catch Kelsey Griffin (424, 2005-06) at No. 5 on NU’s freshman list. Darcy Williamson (426, 1975-76) ranks fourth.

• Shepard needs 13 rebounds to become the fifth Husker freshman in history to grab 200 boards. Angie Miller (1983-84) ranks fifth all-time among NU freshmen with 199 rebounds.

• With eight double-doubles, Shepard needs one more to match the Nebraska freshman record of nine double-doubles held by Debra Powell (1981-82). Only seven previous Huskers (11 times) have ever produced 10 double-doubles in a single season.

• With five assists in the win over Wisconsin (Jan. 27), Rachel Theriot climbed to No. 3 (570) on Nebraska’s career assist list. Theriot, who could make the 100th start of her career on Saturday at Rutgers, has made 25-of-26 free throws in Big Ten play this season.

• Jasmine Cincore made her first career start at Michigan (Jan. 24). Cincore has made 20 consecutive free throws.

• Senior Kyndal Clark leads Nebraska with 28 steals this season and her next steal will be the 200th of her collegiate career.

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (11.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.7 apg)
• Rachel Theriot ranks 10th nationally with 6.6 assists per game. She is a Naismith Trophy, All-America, Lieberman Award, Senior CLASS Award, CoSIDA Academic All-America and WBCA Allstate Good Works Team candidate as a senior. Theriot missed Nebraska’s win at Michigan with a foot injury. 

• 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 570 in her career to move into third all-time at NU.
• Theriot is averaging 11.9 ppg as a senior, and ranks No. 17 in career points at Nebraska with 1,250. She needs 34 points to catch Janet Smith (No. 16, 1,284, 1979-82) 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 five 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. (5.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 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 owns four double-figure scoring efforts this season, including a season-high 22 points in NU’s win over Arkansas State on Dec. 21. She scored a personal Big Ten-best 15 points, while knocking down five first-half three-pointers at Michigan.
• She owns 76 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 Drake career. 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. (16.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg)
• A high-energy guard who brings intensity and toughness to both ends of the court, Natalie Romeo is one of the Big Ten’s most explosive players. She produced a career-high 32 points at Penn State (Jan. 13) when she hit a school-record eight threes. She tied her own three-point record two weeks later in a win over Wisconsin (Jan. 27), capping her third 30-point performance of the season. She added a career-high six rebounds to her 30 points. Romeo opened the year with 30 points by hitting 6-of-9 threes 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 is one of only seven players in Nebraska history to score 30 or more points twice in the same conference season, joining Karen Jennings (5, 1992, Big Eight; 2, 1991, Big Eight), Maurtice Ivy (4, 1987, Big Eight), Amy Stephens (2, 1989, Big Eight), Nicole Kubik (2, 1999, Big 12), Kelsey Griffin (2, 2010, Big 12) and Jordan Hooper (2, 2014, Big Ten).
• Romeo ranks second nationally with 3.45 threes per game while leading the Huskers with 69 threes on 43.7 percent shooting (21st nationally) from long range. She ranks second among sophomores and eighth overall on the Nebraska single-season lists with 69. She needs two more to match Kiera Hardy (71, 2006-07) in seventh on the NU season three-point list. Hardy (85, 2004-05) and Amy Stephens (85, 1988-89) share the Nebraska season three-point record.
• Romeo ranks 10th in Nebraska history with 120 career three-pointers. She needs nine to catch Amy Stephens (1986-89) and Nicole Kubik (1997-00) in eighth on the NU all-time list. Romeo needs 15 threes to post the highest freshman/sophomore combined season total in Husker history. Nebraska career three-point leader Jordan Hooper hit 134 threes in her first two seasons (67, 2010-11; 67, 2011-12).
• 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. (20.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
• An eight-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and two-time Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 21, Jan. 25), Jessica Shepard was the espnW and College Sports Madness National Player of the Week (Jan. 25). Her most recent honors came after becoming the first player in Nebraska history to produce a 30-point, 20-rebound performance at Michigan Jan. 24. She tied her own NU freshman record with 35 points against the Wolverines, while adding a career-high 20 rebounds. She had 23 points and 15 boards in the second half against the Wolverines. Shepard was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Dec. 22, Jan. 26) after her NU freshman-record 35-point performances (Northern Arizona, Dec. 19; at Michigan, Jan. 24). Shepard owns 11 games with 20 points, 17 double-figure scoring performances and eight double-doubles.
• Shepard is averaging 21.2 points and 11.1 rebounds in Big Ten play, including 35 points and 20 rebounds at Michigan (Jan. 24) and 29 points and 19 rebounds in a win over Illinois (Jan. 10). She also had 29 points and 10 boards at Penn State Jan. 13. She had 28 points and eight rebounds against Iowa (Dec. 31), 22 points and eight boards in the win over Rutgers (Jan. 16) and 22 points and six boards in the win at Purdue (Jan. 20).
• Shepard reached the 100-point (5 games), 200-point (11 games), 300-point (16 games) and 400-point (20 games) scoring marks faster than any Husker freshman in history. She owns 405 points and needs 19 points to match Kelsey Griffin (424, 2005-06) at No. 5 on the NU freshman scoring chart. Shepard leads NU in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 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. (7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 bpg)
• One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is playing the best basketball of her career for the Huskers. Havers is coming off back-to-back big efforts, including 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over Wisconsin. It was her second career double-double. She added 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists at Michigan (Jan. 24). Havers has started the last 11 games inside for the Huskers, replacing a then-ill/injured Rachel Blackburn in game 10 this season. Havers had 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists at Penn State (Jan. 13). Her 27 assists this season have surpassed her previous career total (21) entering 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 a then-career-best 12 rebounds in a win over Evansville (Dec. 8).
• Havers owns single-season career-best totals of 132 rebounds, 27 assists and 23 blocks. She ranks 11th in the Big Ten with 6.6 boards per game, and tied for 10th with 1.2 blocks per contest.
• 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 12 double-figure scoring games in her career, including five this season and 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 leads her 21st Rutgers team into Saturday’s game in her 45th season overall as a head coach. She owns 964 career victories, but the Scarlet Knights have dropped four straight games beginning with a 65-54 loss to Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 16. Stringer was not on the sideline for that game, as she spent the weekend with her family to tend her severely ill mother.

Rutgers was 12-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten before coming to Lincoln, but head into Saturday’s game at 12-9 and desperate for a conference win after falling to 3-6 with a 64-48 loss at Indiana on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights have failed to reach 60 points in each of their last four games, including a pair of 48-point efforts at Indiana and Michigan State (Jan. 19).

While scoring has been a problem for Rutgers, the Scarlet Knight defense doesn’t need a lot of production to come away with a win. Last year, Rutgers defeated Nebraska, 46-43, at the RAC in Piscataway.

Rutgers is allowing just 56.6 points per game this season, but that average has spiked to 62.7 points in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights are scoring 60.9 points per game, including 60.6 in league action.

During its four-game skid, Rutgers is managing just 52 points per game, while shooting just 39 percent from the field, including just 23.9 percent (11-46) from three-point range. RU also carries a minus-1.8 turnover margin during the slide and a minus-4.5 rebound margin, despite being plus-16 on the glass at Nebraska. In its last three losses, Rutgers has been outrebounded by an average of 11.3 boards per game.

Rutgers, which has played three of its last four games on the road, has been drastically more successful at home (8-2) than on the road (1-7) this season. The Scarlet Knights are 0-5 in Big Ten road play, but 3-1 with only a nine-point loss to No. 7 Ohio State at the RAC.

Preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection Kahleah Copper leads the Scarlet Knights, as the 6-1 senior forward is averaging 16.6 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game. Copper had a team-high 12 points and nine boards in the first meeting with the Huskers.

Fellow seniors Rachel Hollivay (6.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 bpg) and Briyona Canty (5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.9 spg) provide plenty of experience to the Rutgers starting five, as does Tyler Scaife. The 5-9 junior guard is averaging a team-best 17.0 points and 3.2 rebounds, but was held to just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting in Wednesday’s loss at Indiana. She had 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting in Lincoln.

Ariel Butts, a 6-3 senior post, has split starting time including a start against the Huskers when she had 10 points and 14 rebounds. She has not scored while committing six fouls in 23 minutes since leaving Lincoln. She is averaging 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Shrita Parker, a 5-7 sophomore guard, has made eight starts, including five in Big Ten play after Wednesday night’s start at Indiana. She is averaging 4.8 points and 2.9 boards per contest, but has been limited the last five games by a groin injury. 

Freshman post Victoria Harris (2.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and freshman guard Khadaizha Sanders (2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg) have both earned a pair Big Ten starts as well. Desiree Keeling (0.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and Aliyah Jeune (1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg) add more depth for an extended Rutgers bench.

Rutgers won the only previous meeting with Nebraska at the RAC, posting a 46-43 victory 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.

Big Red Six-Game Winning Streak
During Nebraska’s current six-game Big Ten winning streak, freshman forward Jessica Shepard is averaging 24.2 points and 11.7 rebounds while hitting 54.5 percent of her shots from the field and 62.7 percent of her free throws. She is averaging nine field goals and 6.2 free throws made per game during the stretch. She is also averaging 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 35 minutes per game. She had an historic 35-point, 20-rebound game at Michigan (Jan. 24) in the fifth game of the streak.

Sophomore guard Natalie Romeo has also stepped up her production, averaging 19.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in nearly 38.2 minutes per game. Romeo has hit 4.7 threes per game and shot 46.7 percent from long range. She has set/tied the school record with eight threes twice during the streak and owns a pair of 30-point scoring performances (Game 2, 32 at Penn State, Jan. 13; Game 6, 30 vs. Wisconsin, Jan. 27).

Junior center Allie Havers also has played bigger for the Big Red, averaging 9.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 27 minutes per contest.

Nebraska has outscored opponents by an average of 9.7 points per game (75.2-65.5) while posting a plus-3.0 team rebounding margin (39-36). The Huskers have overcome a 4.7 turnover per game disadvantage by shooting 48.9 percent from the field, including 40.4 percent from three-point range. The Huskers have held their five opponents to 39.3 percent shooting, including 24.4 percent from long range. Nebraska also has outscored the opposition by an average of 15.8-7.5 at the free throw line, committing an average of 4.0 fewer fouls per game.

Shepard Playing Big in Big Ten
Nebraska freshman Jessica Shepard ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (20.3 ppg) and tied for third in rebounding (9.4 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 three freshmen, joining Penn State’s Teniya Page (16th, 16.3 ppg) and Michigan’s Hallie Thome (25th, 13.2 ppg) to rank among the conference’s top-30 scorers.
Shepard is also one of only two freshmen, joining Alex Wittinger from Illinois (T15th, 6.2 rpg) to rank among the Big Ten’s top-20 rebounders. Shepard is tied for second in the conference with 3.5 offensive rebounds per game, and ranks eighth in the league in field goal percentage (.538).

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 69 threes (3.45 pg), ahead of Minnesota’s Rachel Banham (66-173) and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (64-154).

Romeo’s 69 threes are tied with Brianna Butler from Syracuse for second nationally (21 games, 229 3FGA), while trailing only Jessica Kovatch from Saint Francis (Pa.), who has 71 threes (19 games, 178 3FGA).

Romeo ranks third in the Big Ten with her 43.7 percentage, which ranks 21st nationally, despite having more attempts than any other shooter in the top 50.

Romeo’s explosive shooting has included a school-record eight threes at Penn State (Jan. 13) and against Wisconsin (Jan. 27). Both of those games featured her hitting six first-half threes. In 44 career games, she owns seven shooting nights with six or more threes - more than any other Husker in history.

Romeo is on pace to become the first Husker to hit 100 threes in a season. The school season record is 85 (Kiera Hardy, 2004-05; Amy Stephens, 1988-89). Romeo needs just 14 more threes to match school career record holder Jordan Hooper for the most three-pointers at the conclusion of a sophomore season. Hooper hit 134-of-394 attempts her first two seasons, while Romeo has knocked down 120-of-302.

Romeo’s consistent shooting has pushed her to 18th in the conference in scoring at 16.1 points per game. Through nine Big Ten games, Romeo leads the league with 4.1 threes per game while connecting on 46.8 percent (4th in Big Ten) of her three-point attempts to average 16.9 points per game (12th in Big Ten).

Theriot Tops Big Ten in Assists
Nebraska point guard Rachel Theriot leads the Big Ten with 6.6 assists per game. Theriot owns 126 assists in 19 games as a senior, 17 more than she produced in 21 games during an injury-shortened junior season. Her assist total this season has come in 174 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., ranks 11th in the Big Ten with 6.6 rebounds per game, while her 1.2 blocked shots per game are tied for 10th in the conference.

Havers is also proving herself as a talented passer inside, totaling 27 assists through 20 games to surpass her total (21) 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 27 assists against 27 turnovers, including 19 assists and 16 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. She did not make the trip to Michigan (Jan. 24) with the Huskers because of illness.
• 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. (1.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
• Emily Wood is making solid, consistent and reliable contributions as a sophomore, producing 18 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 78 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. (4.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.0 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 (3.5 ppg, 3.8 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 (70/38), rebounds (76/17), 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. (3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)
• 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 enjoyed a strong offseason and made her first career start in her 39th career game in Nebraska’s 93-81 win at Michigan Jan. 24. Cincore played a career-high 32 minutes against the Wolverines, recording eight points, three assists, a block and a steal. She replaced an injured Rachel Theriot in the starting lineup in Ann Arbor.
• Cincore 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.
• 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. (4.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 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. She played a major role in Nebraska’s win at Purdue, producing five points, a career-high three blocks and a game-high eight rebounds in just 15 minutes. She added six points, five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in NU’s win at Michigan Jan. 24.
• 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.