Huskers Battle Boilers to Open B1G Home Stand

Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-9, 8-7)
vs. Purdue Boilermakers (16-10, 7-8)

Sunday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m. - Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Tickets: Huskers.com - Doors Open: 12:30 p.m.
Promotion: White T-Shirt Giveaway (2,000) - Halftime: Rim Rockers
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)

Sunday Stations

• KBBK 107.3 FM, Lincoln
• KXSP 590 AM, Omaha
• KRVN 880 AM, Lexington
• KRGY 97.3 FM, Grand Island
• KLIQ 94.5 FM, Hastings
• KHUB 1340 AM, Fremont
• KSID 1340 AM, Sidney
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff
• KBRB 1400 AM, Ainsworth

Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
Television: BTN (Mike Wolf, Shelley Till)
Live Video Stream: BTN2Go.com

Huskers Battle Boilers to Open B1G Home Stand
The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens a crucial three-game home stand on Sunday when the Big Red take on Purdue.

Tip-off between the Huskers (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten) and the Boilermakers (16-10, 7-8) at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 2 p.m., with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Doors to the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office open at 12:30 p.m. for game-day ticket sales.

The live Husker Sports Network radio call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch can be heard on B107.3 FM (Lincoln), ESPN 590 AM (Omaha), KRVN 880 AM (Lexington) and for free on Huskers.com.

The Big Ten Network will televise the game with Mike Wolf and Shelley Till on the call. A live video stream will be available at BTN2Go.com.

Nebraska heads to the weekend with a one-game lead over Purdue, Rutgers and Michigan in the Big Ten standings. The Huskers are still battling for a top-four conference finish, seeding in the Big Ten Tournament and a berth to a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s game will be a rematch of Nebraska’s 62-61 win over the Boilermakers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., on Jan. 20.

Freshman Jessica Shepard, who leads Nebraska with 20.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, led the Huskers with 22 points in the first meeting while sophomore Natalie Romeo added 14 points. Senior Rachel Theriot contributed eight points and 12 assists.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 20.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 7.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 15.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 10.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Off the Bench
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 4.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Fr. - G - 4.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 3.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - So. - G - 3.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 2.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - So. - G - 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
14th Season at Nebraska (279-162); 26th Season Overall (474-302)

Purdue Boilermakers (16-10 Overall, 7-8 Big Ten)
4 - Torrie Thornton - 6-0 - RSr. - F - 3.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg
13 - Bridget Perry - 6-2 - Jr. - G - 11.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg
1 - Ashley Morrissette - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
24 - Andreona Keys - 5-10 - So. - G - 9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg
25 - April Wilson - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 14.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Off the Bench
20 - Dominique McBryde - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 6.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
10 - Hayden Hamby - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 4.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg
22 - Bree Horrocks - 6-5 - So. - C - 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
12 - Nora Kiesler - 6-6 - Fr. - C - 2.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
3 - Tiara Murphy - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 1.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Sharon Versyp (Purdue, 1989)
10th Season at Purdue (210-118); 16th Season Overall (327-183)

Husker Nuggets
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska 5-3, and all eight meetings have come as Big Ten Conference opponents since 2012. The Huskers won the first meeting this season, 62-61, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., on Jan. 20. It marked the fifth time that a game in the series was decided by either one possession in regulation (2) or overtime (3, 6 OTs).

• Jessica Shepard earned her conference-record 10th Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Feb. 15. 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). She is one of two freshmen nationally on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30.

• Shepard owns 16 20-point games on the season, including two Nebraska freshman record 35-point performances (at Michigan, Jan. 24; vs. Northern Arizona, Dec. 19). She has 11 20-point games against Big Ten opponents.

• Shepard is the first Husker freshman in history to reach 500 points. She enters the Purdue game with 534 and needs 78 points to produce one of the top 10 scoring seasons overall in school history.

• Natalie Romeo tied her own school record with eight threes against Wisconsin (Jan. 27). It marked the school-record seventh time in 50 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.

• Romeo owns the Nebraska single-season record with 87 threes this season and her 138 threes are the most ever by a Husker through her freshman and sophomore seasons combined.

Nebraska Streaks and Milestones
• Natalie Romeo needs three three-pointers to become the first player in Nebraska history to hit 90 threes in a season. In home Big Ten Conference games, Romeo has hit 29-of-53 (.547) threes and has hit no fewer than three threes in any of NU’s six Big Ten home games. She has hit at least five threes in each of Nebraska’s last four home games, including a school-record-tying 8-for-14 against Wisconsin (Jan. 27).

Romeo set the school record with eight threes at Penn State (8-16) on Jan. 13. Romeo is averaging 3.35 threes per game to rank among the top six nationally and No. 3 in the Big Ten behind only Minnesota’s Rachel Banham and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell, who have both hit one more three than Romeo. In home Big Ten play, Romeo has hit 4.83 threes per game.

• 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 is the first freshman in Nebraska history to reach 500 points in a season. She owns three straight 20-point games and 10 20-point efforts in the last 12 contests to push her season total to 534. The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., has surpassed the previous Nebraska freshman record by 73 points (Debra Powell, 461, 1981-82). Shepard needs 78 points to post one of the top 10 overall seasons in point production in Nebraska history. Only 10 players (13 times) in Nebraska women’s basketball history have ever scored 600 points in a season.

• Shepard needs 47 rebounds to catch Kathy Hagerstrom (277, 1979-80) in the top spot on Nebraska’s freshman rebound list. Hagerstrom played 40 games (6.9 rpg) as a freshman, Shepard has played 26. Only seven players (11 times) in Nebraska history have ever grabbed 300 rebounds in a season.

• Shepard needs one double-double to set the Nebraska freshman record. She notched her school freshman-record ninth double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds at Indiana (Feb. 7). Four of her five Big Ten double-doubles have come on the road this season. Shepard’s next double-double would also tie her for ninth overall on Nebraska’s single-season list and make her just the eighth Husker in history to produce 10 or more double-doubles in a season. First-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-07 & 2009-10), Jordan Hooper (2011-12 & 2013-14) and Karen Jennings (1990-91 & 1992-93) all did it twice, as did Emily Cady (2013-14 & 2014-15). The only other Huskers to accomplish the feat are Nafeesah Brown (1993-94), Maurtice Ivy (1985-86) and Carol Garey (1978-79).

• Rachel Theriot is just the third Husker in history to distribute 600 career assists. She owns 626 career assists, trailing only Lindsey Moore (699, 2010-13) and Meggan Yedsena (696, 1991-94) on the NU career list. Theriot owns a school-record 12 double-digit assist games, including three in the last five games.

• Theriot’s 182 assists this season rank as the eighth-highest total in Nebraska history. Lindsey Moore (7th, 183, 2010-11), Nicole Kubik (6th, 186, 1998-99), Jina Johansen (T4th, 191, 2004-05) and Kathy Hawkins (T4th, 191, 1975-76) all own season totals within striking distance of Theriot heading into the Purdue game. Theriot owns the Nebraska single-season record with 234 in 2013-14. No other Husker has ever produced 200 assists in a season.

• Allie Havers needs seven blocked shots to crack the top five on Nebraska’s junior single-season list. The 6-5 center from Mattawan, Mich., owns 27 blocks on the year. Maurtice Ivy ranks fifth among Husker juniors with 34 blocks in 1986-87. Havers tied her career high with three blocks at Indiana (Feb. 7).

Fast Five: Husker Quick Hitters
#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (10.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 7.3 apg)
• Rachel Theriot leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in NCAA Division I with 7.3 assists per game. She was a preseason Naismith Trophy, and Senior CLASS Award candidate and was a candidate for CoSIDA Academic All-America and the Allstate Good Works Team.
• 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 626 in her career to rank third all-time at NU and 10th in Big Ten history. She had a career-high and Big Ten Tournament-record 18 assists against Minnesota on March 7, 2014. She is averaging 10.0 assists the last five games with an assist-to-turnover of 4.5-to-1.
• Theriot is averaging 10.6 ppg as a senior, and ranks No. 16 in career points at Nebraska with 1,288. She needs 60 points to catch Cory Montgomery (No. 15, 1,348, 2007-10) 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 12 career double-digit assist games. She has eight career games with 12 or more assists, including three in the last five games.

#4, Kyndal Clark, 5-7, Sr., G, Webb City, Mo. (4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 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. (15.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 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 four 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 third in the Big Ten with 87 threes, just one behind Minnesota’s Rachel Banham (88) and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (88). Romeo is tied for fifth nationally in that category and tied for sixth nationally with 3.35 made threes per game. Romeo is averaging 4.83 made threes per game in Big Ten home action. Romeo’s 138 threes in her first two seasons rank as the No. 1 total by a Husker in her freshman and sophomore seasons combined, four more than career record holder Jordan Hooper’s 134.
• Romeo ranks eighth in Nebraska history with 138 career three-pointers and needs seven triples to climb to No. 7 on the NU all-time list.
• Romeo led Nebraska by averaging 20.0 points in a pair of 2015 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. (20.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.8 apg)
• A 10-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 national honors came after becoming the first player in Husker 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 16 games with 20 points, including 11 in Big Ten play, 23 double-figure scoring performances and nine double-doubles.
• Shepard is averaging 21.3 points and 9.5 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) and 26 points, six rebounds in a win over No. 17 Michigan State (Feb. 14).
• Shepard, who owns the Nebraska freshman record with 534 points, reached the 100-point (5 games), 200-point (11 games), 300-point (16 games), 400-point (20 games) and 500-point (25 games) scoring marks faster than any Husker freshman in history. Shepard leads NU in scoring (20.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 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. She is one of only two freshmen nationally this season to earn a spot on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30. Shepard joins California freshman Kristine Anigwe on the Naismith Trophy list.
• 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, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 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 had 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over Wisconsin (Jan. 27) for her second double-double of the season. She also had 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists at Michigan (Jan. 24) in her only return to her home state this season.
• Havers has started the last 17 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). She had 10 points, six rebounds and a career-high-tying three blocks at Indiana Feb. 7. Her 29 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. She played a career-high 39 minutes at Rutgers (Jan. 30). She produced her first career double-double with 14 points and a then-career-best 12 rebounds in a win over Evansville (Dec. 8).
• Havers owns single-season career-best totals of 171 rebounds, 29 assists and 27 blocks. She ranks 14th in the Big Ten with 6.6 boards per game, and tied for 13th with 1.0 block 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.

Scouting The Purdue Boilermakers
One of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten early this season, traditional conference contender Purdue raced to a 14-2 overall record and a 5-0 Big Ten mark to open the year, after struggling to an 11-20 overall record and 3-15 league mark last season.

The Boilermakers entered the first meeting with the Huskers tied with Ohio State atop the Big Ten standings at 5-1, before suffering a 62-61 loss to Nebraska at Mackey Arena on Jan. 20. Since opening the conference season 5-0, Purdue has dropped eight of 10 games to fall to 7-8 in the conference.

Purdue had lost five straight following a 63-55 setback at Iowa on Thursday. However, the Boilermakers are still extremely dangerous thanks to a defense that is surrendering just 62.2 points per game. Purdue has held opponents to just 40.6 percent shooting from the floor, including just 30.3 percent success from three-point range on the season. However, in conference play, those numbers have increased to 44.1 percent overall and 32.3 percent from long range.

Purdue returns three starters from last year’s squad, led by April Wilson’s 14.5 points per game. Along with leading the Boilermakers in scoring, Wilson leads Purdue with 5.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. However, Wilson has been held to single digits three times in the past five games. She did not start Thursday at Iowa, but she did have 14 points in 31 minutes off the bench. In the first meeting with NU, Wilson led Purdue with 24 points, four rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Fellow senior guard Ashley Morrissette has contributed 12.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while leading Purdue with 49 threes on the year. She was shut out by the Big Red at Purdue.
Bridget Perry, a 6-2 junior forward, leads Purdue’s inside game with 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Perry is more of a stretch-four than a back-to-the basket post. She had 13 points and six rebounds in the loss to NU on Jan. 20, but managed just six points on 1-of-9 shooting at Iowa Thursday.

Fifth-year senior Torrie Thornton has joined Perry on the front line with 3.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while 5-10 sophomore guard Andreona Keys rounds out the starting five from the wing with 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest.

Freshman Dominique McBryde has added size and athleticism with 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game off the bench. Her numbers had been climbing throughout Big Ten play, but she was scoreless on just two shots at Iowa. McBryde had 12 points and five blocks in 17 minutes in the first meeting with NU.

Nora Kiesler (2.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg), a 6-6 freshman center and 6-5 sophomore center Bree Horrocks (4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) give Purdue versatility inside. Horrocks started against Nebraska in the first meeting, managing four points, four rebounds and four fouls in 12 minutes.

Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 5-3, and all eight meetings have been as Big Ten foes. The Huskers won an epic first meeting, 93-89 in triple-overtime at Mackey Arena, on Feb. 2, 2012. NU snapped Purdue’s five-game series win streak with a 69-59 victory on Feb. 19, 2015, in Lincoln before adding the 62-61 win in West Lafayette on Jan. 20, 2016.

Purdue opened its five-game series streak with a 74-70 double-overtime win in the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. The next season, the Huskers fell 69-66 in overtime to the Boilers in Lincoln, before suffering a 77-64 loss to Purdue at the 2013 Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill. NU suffered a 77-75 home loss to Purdue on Jan. 19, 2014, before losing 82-62 at Purdue on March 2, 2014.

Triple Threats: Three Things to Talk About
#11, Esther Ramacieri, 5-8, Jr., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.5 ppg, 0.8 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 games with NC State, Creighton, Evansville and No. 22 Cal after suffering a concussion outside of competition/practice. She missed the Big Ten opener against Iowa (Dec. 31) with an Achilles strain. She missed five games from Jan. 20 to Feb. 7 with illness, before returning to action at Minnesota (Feb. 11). 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, 0.7 rpg)
• Emily Wood is making solid, consistent and reliable contributions as a sophomore, producing 24 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 90 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. (4.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.8 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). She had seven points on her 19th birthday at Indiana (Feb. 7), before scoring eight points and hitting a pair of threes at Minnesota (Feb. 11).
• 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 (3.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
• Anya Kalenta had the best game of her career, tying her career high with 14 points while adding 11 rebounds for her first double-double in Nebraska’s win over Penn State (Feb. 2). Kalenta produced several strong games in non-conference play this season, including seven points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over Northern Arizona (Dec. 19). She also had 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 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).
• Over the last five games, Kalenta is averaging 5.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. She owns more points (98/38), rebounds (103/17), assists (11/1), blocks (15/3) 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. (3.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.1 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 emerged late this season to help at both ends of the court. Over the last eight games (dating back to start at Michigan Jan. 24), Cincore is averaging 5.3 points per game. Over the last three games, she is averaging 7.3 points and 2.0 steals per contest, including a career-high-tying nine points and a pair of threes at No. 5 Ohio State on Thursday. She set her career high with nine points at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7.
• 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. (4.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 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. She played limited minutes before aggravating an existing injury against Wisconsin (Jan. 27), and she did not play at Rutgers (Jan. 30), against Penn State (Feb. 2) or at Indiana (Feb. 7), before returning to the court in a reserve role at Minnesota (Feb. 11). She had four points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 10 minutes against the Gophers, before adding three points, two rebounds and two steals, including two of the game’s biggest plays in the final minute of an upset of No. 17 Michigan State (Feb. 14).
• 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. (2.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
• Darrien Washington had the best Big Ten effort of her career with five points, one rebound and her first career block in six minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s win over Penn State (Feb. 2). She 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 20 points and 18 rebounds in just 37 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, and two points and two rebounds in two minutes at No. 5 Ohio State on Feb. 18.
• 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.