Huskers Celebrate Senior Day Sunday with Spartans

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan State Spartans
Sunday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Tickets: Huskers.com
Special Event: Senior Day (Postgame Ceremony)
Live Video Stream: BTN Plus
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - B107.3 FM, Omaha - ESPN 590 AM
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App/TuneIn App

Huskers Celebrate Senior Day Sunday with Spartans
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team wraps up regular-season play by taking on Michigan State on Senior Day in Lincoln on Sunday. Tip-off between the Huskers (6-21, 2-13 Big Ten) and the Spartans (19-9, 9-6 Big Ten) at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 1 p.m. (CT).
• The Huskers will honor seniors Allie Havers (Mattawan, Mich.) and Esther Ramacieri (Repentigny, Quebec, Canada) in postgame ceremonies. The Huskers also will recognize manager Dylan Burcham.
• Sunday’s game will be part of a day-night doubleheader with Nebraska men’s basketball. The Husker men take on Illinois at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for both games are available at Huskers.com.
• A live radio broadcast will be produced by the Husker Sports Network. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will call the action on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha. Free audio also can be found on Huskers.com, the Huskers App and the TuneIn App.
• A live premium video stream will be provided for BTN Plus subscribers with the in-arena production paired with the Husker Sports Network radio call.
• Nebraska is coming off an 88-60 loss at No. 25 Michigan Thursday in Ann Arbor. In their last home game, the Huskers got their second Big Ten win of the season, a 67-64 victory over Indiana (Feb. 19).
• Hannah Whitish led four Huskers in double figures in the win over Indiana by scoring a career-high 18 points. She tied her career best by hitting four threes on 4-of-6 shooting. She hit 7-of-10 shots overall and added six rebounds, four assists and two steals on her way to Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors on Feb. 20. Whitish is averaging 10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in Big Ten play.
• Sophomore forward Jessica Shepard notched her 13th double-double of the season and 23rd of her career with 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists at Michigan Thursday. She has seven double-doubles in Big Ten play this season.
• Shepard leads the Huskers in scoring and rebounds with 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She has scored 1,064 in her first two seasons at Nebraska and needs 14 points to match All-American Jordan Hooper for the most points scored by the end of a sophomore season in school history.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-21, 2-13 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 18.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 6.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Jr. - G - 2.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
First Season at Nebraska (6-21); 10th Season Overall (199-130)

Michigan State Spartans (19-9, 9-6 Big Ten)
15 - Victoria Gaines - 6-1 - RFr. - F - 4.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
32 - Taya Reimer - 6-4 - Sr. - F - 9.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg
1 - Tori Jankoska - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 22.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg
4 - Taryn McCutcheon - 5-5 - Fr. - G - 7.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg
10 - Branndais Agee - 5-11 - RSr. - G - 9.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Jenna Allen - 6-3 - So. - F - 6.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg
12 - Nia Hollie - 6-0 - Fr. - F - 3.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg
24 - Lexi Gussert - 6-0 - Jr. - G/F - 4.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg
21 - Hana Vesela - 6-4 - So. - C - 3.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
2 - Mardrekia Cook - 6-0 - Fr. - F - 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
55 - Kennedy Johnson - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 2.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Head Coach: Suzy Merchant (Central Michigan, 1991)
10th Season at Michigan State (223-105); 22nd Season Overall (424-225)

Scouting Michigan State
• Michigan State enters Sunday’s game with Nebraska carrying a 19-9 overall record and a 9-6 Big Ten mark after Wednesday’s win over Penn State in East Lansing.
• Coach Suzy Merchant’s Spartans have been led on the court this season by senior Tori Jankoska. The 5-8 guard is averaging 22.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game. All of those numbers are up slightly in Big Ten play, where she is averaging 22.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 36.9 minutes per game. Jankoska had 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Michigan State’s 93-73 win over Nebraska in East Lansing on Jan. 7. She hit 5-of-13 threes against the Huskers.
• Jankoska recently became the 21st Big Ten women’s basketball player in history to reach 2,000 points. She comes to Lincoln with 2,090 points, including 624 this season. Her 22.3 points per game is the highest single-season scoring average in Michigan State history.
• Jankoska, who leads the nation with 3.57 threes per game, set Michigan’s career three-point record in the Spartans’ win at Michigan on Feb. 19. She hit five threes against the Wolverines and owns 298 in her career, including 100 this season.
• Jankoska posted her first career triple-double and third in Michigan State program history with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over Minnesota (Feb. 19).
• Taryn McCutcheon, a 5-5 freshman guard from East Lansing, has started every game this season alongside Jankoska and is averaging 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. McCutcheon has proven herself as a three-point shooter, hitting 42-of-108 (.389) on the year, but she is just 23-of-71 (.324) from inside the arc. McCutcheon had five points and six assists in the first meeting with the Huskers this season.
• Redshirt freshman Victoria Gaines has started all 15 Big Ten games for MSU. The 6-1 forward is averaging 6.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in Big Ten play. Gaines had six points and five rebounds in 22 minutes in the first meeting with the Huskers this season.
• The Spartans have been bolstered by graduate student Taya Reimer, who transferred to Michigan State to play her final season after earning her undergraduate degree at Notre Dame. The 6-4 forward has averaged 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while joining Jankoska and McCutcheon in the starting lineup for all 28 games this season. Reimer missed all but five games last season for the Irish after being sidelined by an Achilles injury. She started 35 games as a junior for Notre Dame in 2014-15 when she averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds to earn second-team All-ACC honors. She scored six points and had a season-high 11 rebounds against UConn in the 2015 NCAA Championship Game. Reimer posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes in Michigan State’s win over Nebraska (Jan. 7).
• Fifth-year senior Branndais Agee rounds out Michigan State’s probable starting five. The 5-11 guard is averaging 9.4 points and 7.1 rebounds with 24 starts this season. Her numbers have increased significantly in Big Ten play, where she is averaging 11.7 points and 6.8 boards while shooting 45 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent (24-63) from three-point range.
• Agee had nine points, nine rebounds and four assists in the first meeting with the Huskers this year. Over the last 10 games, Agee is averaging 14 points per game, including a career-high 30 in the win over Minnesota (Feb. 16). She hit a career-best six threes against the Gophers.
• Michigan State carries a deep bench with four players who have started multiple games this season. Jenna Allen, a 6-3 sophomore center, ranks fifth on the team in scoring (6.5 ppg) and rebounding (3.6 rpg). Allen, who played in 34 games for the Spartans last year, missed the first three games this season with an injury suffered in MSU’s exhibition game against Northwood on Nov. 6. Allen had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench in the first meeting with Nebraska this season.
• Nia Hollie, a 6-0 freshman forward, has added 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while making six starts this season. She was scoreless in five minutes off the bench in the first meeting with NU.
• Junior Lexi Gussert has added 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season. Gussert, a 6-0 guard/forward, has made four starts this season and owned 12 career starts entering her third season with the Spartans. Gussert had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes off the bench in MSU’s win over Nebraska (Jan. 7).
Michigan State is averaging 73.3 points while shooting 44.1 percent from the field, including 35.6 percent from three-point range on the season, but the Spartans’ numbers are all on the rise in Big Ten play. MSU is averaging 76.2 points in league play while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Spartans have hit 73.7 percent of their free throws on the season. They own a plus-6.2 rebound margin on the year, but a minus-2.0 turnover margin. In the first meeting with Nebraska, MSU outrebounded the Huskers, 48-35, and both teams committed just 12 turnovers.

Nebraska vs. Michigan State Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 5-3, including a 73-66 win over the No. 17 Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 14, 2016. Jenna Allen (14) and Branndais Agee (12) combined for 26 points for the Spartans, while first-round WNBA draft pick Aerial Powers scored 19. Jessica Shepard led Nebraska with 26 points, while the Huskers held Tori Jankoska to just three points.
• Michigan State won 93-73 in the first meeting with the Huskers this season in East Lansing on Jan. 7. Jankoska led four Spartans in double figures with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Taya Reimer added a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. Jenna Allen (12) and Lexi Gussert (11) contributed double figures off the bench, while Branndais Agee had nine points and nine rebounds.
• Jasmine Cincore led four Huskers in double figures with a career-high 17 points, while Jessica Shepard added a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Hannah Whitish contributed 14 points, while Maddie Simon pitched in 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

Husker Nuggets
• Jessica Shepard is the second Husker in history to record 10 or more double-doubles in back-to-back seasons. She owns 13 double-doubles in 2016-17, including 12 points and 11 rebounds at No. 25 Michigan (Feb. 23).
• Shepard leads the Huskers with averages of 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She has 23 career double-doubles, which ranks sixth in Husker history.
• Shepard became the 32nd Husker in history to score 1,000 career points (at Wisconsin, Feb. 9) and just the second to achieve the milestone as a sophomore, joining All-American Jordan Hooper (1,078, 2010-11, 2011-12).
• Shepard reached the 1,000-point milestone in fewer games (55) than any Husker in history.
• Shepard owns 13 20-point scoring efforts in 27 games, including season highs of 28 points vs. No. 12 Ohio State (Feb. 16), at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29), at Iowa (Dec. 31) and San Jose State (Dec. 9). She owns 29 career 20-plus scoring games in 58 career contests.
• Nebraska freshman Nicea Eliely leads the Huskers in steals (42), blocks (18) and field goal percentage (.444), while tying ranking third among the Huskers in scoring (7.7 ppg). Eliely has started all 27 games this season as a true freshman.
• Eliely will become the first freshman to lead the Huskers in steals since 2000-01, and just the third freshman to lead NU in steals since 1990-91.
• Freshman Hannah Whitish is averaging 10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 15 Big Ten games as a starter. Whitish also leads the Huskers with 48 three-pointers on the season to rank third among freshmen in Husker history. She needs three more to catch Natalaie Romeo in second (51, 2014-15).

Huskers Establishing Solid Starting Five
• One of Coach Amy Williams’ primary objectives early in the season was to find a starting five from a relatively inexperienced group of Huskers. Only seven players on Nebraska’s active roster have ever started a game for the Huskers, with five of them starting 35 or fewer contests.
• Although Jessica Shepard is just a sophomore, she owns a team-high 56 career starts, including 29 in 31 games as a freshman.
• A three-year contributor on the court, 6-5 senior Allie Havers adds 48 career starts to Nebraska’s level of experience in 2016-17.
• Only three other returning Huskers had ever started a game for Nebraska before this season, including Jasmine Cincore (33 career), Esther Ramacieri (16) and Maddie Simon (5), while true freshmen Nicea Eliely (27) and Hannah Whitish (15) have made their first career starts this season.
• Overall, NU owns 200 career starts, while Michigan State carries 302, not counting 35 starts from graduate transfer Taya Reimer at Notre Dame.
• Nebraska sent nine different starting lineups onto the floor in 2015-16.
• Three times (2003-04, 2006-07, 2011-12) in the last 14 seasons, Nebraska’s starting five has hit the floor for every game together, and five more times the Huskers have only featured six different starters in a season (2005-06, 2007-08, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2013-14).

Shepard Leads Big Red on B1G Stage
• Sophomore Jessica Shepard owns 23 career double-doubles, including 13 this season. Her most recent double-double came with a season-high-tying 28 points and 10 rebounds against No. 12 Ohio State (Feb. 16). She also had 28 points and 13 rebounds at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29). She had 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19). She had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Rutgers (Jan. 10), which followed 15 points and 12 rebounds at Michigan State (Jan. 7). She also had 17 points and 15 rebounds against Northwestern (Dec. 28). She had 22 points and 11 rebounds at Creighton (Dec. 18). She had a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 9). She added 23 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drake (Dec. 6). It followed a 25-point, 14-rebound performance in a loss at then-unbeaten Virginia Tech (Dec. 1). She had 24 points and 13 rebounds in Nebraska’s 62-59 win over Colorado State (Nov. 17). She opened the season with 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win over UTRGV (Nov. 12).
• Through 27 games, Shepard is averaging team bests of 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She also ranks second on the team with 26 three-pointers, including a game-clinching three with one minute left against Colorado State and a 60-footer at the first-half buzzer in the win over UTRGV.
• Shepard earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors when the conference announced its preseason awards on Oct. 24. Shepard was one of two sophomores on the coaches preseason all-conference team, joining Penn State guard Teniya Page. Shepard was the lone sophomore honored by the media on its 10-player preseason team.
• Shepard became the first freshman in Nebraska history to earn first-team all-conference honors. She produced school freshman-record averages of 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in 2015-16.
• Shepard became the first Husker in history to earn conference freshman-of-the-year accolades. The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., joined Emily Cady (2012) and Rachel Theriot (2013) as Huskers who earned spots on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in Nebraska’s first five seasons in the conference.
• Shepard set a conference record by winning 10 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards.

Nebraska Ranks Near Top in Attendance
• Nebraska closed the 2015-16 season ranked No. 9 nationally in total attendance (102,682) and No. 12 in NCAA Division I in average home attendance (5,404). It marked the third consecutive season inside Pinnacle Bank Arena that the Big Red have ranked among the top 12 nationally in both categories.
• In 67 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own a 49-18 record (.731 winning percentage) while averaging 5,593 fans per game (374,727 total fans/67 games).
• Nebraska attracted a non-conference school-record crowd of 9,750 to open its stay in the building with a win over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013.

Big Red Battling One of Nation’s Best Schedules
• Nebraska is facing the toughest overall schedule in school history in 2016-17. The Huskers will play 10 games against NCAA Tournament teams and 11 more regular-season games against Postseason WNIT teams in 2016-17.
• Nebraska’s strength of schedule has ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation throughout the season, coming in at No. 14 through games Feb. 23. Each of Nebraska’s final four regular-season games will come against current top-50 RPI teams, including No. 24 Ohio State, No. 45 Indiana, No. 40 Michigan and No. 39 Michigan State.
• Through games Feb. 23, NU’s 25 opponents owned a combined record of 429-267 (.616 winning percentage), including current top-25 opponents No. 1 UConn (27-0), No. 2 Maryland (26-2), No. 12 Ohio State (24-5), No. 21 Drake (22-4), No. 24 Missouri (20-9) and No. 25 Michigan (22-7). Colorado State (21-6) and Creighton (20-6) are among the top teams receiving votes in the AP Poll this week, while Michigan State (19-9), Northwestern (19-9), Indiana (19-9), Penn State (18-9), Virginia (18-10) and Purdue (18-11) all own 18 wins. California (17-11), UTRGV (17-11), Virginia Tech (16-12) and Iowa (16-12) give Nebraska 18 opponents (20 games) with 16 or more victories in 2016-17.
• Minnesota (14-14), Omaha (14-14), Washington State (10-18), San Jose State (10-17), Illinois (8-20), Wisconsin (8-20) and Rutgers (6-22) are the only Husker opponents with fewer than 15 wins this season.
• Nebraska’s game Sunday against Michigan State will be the Huskers’ 21st game this season against a top 100 RPI opponent and its 14th against a Top 50-RPI foe.
• Nebraska’s non-conference Strength of Schedule was ranked No. 8 by the NCAA (Jan. 1). NU’s non-conference schedule strength trailed only Minnesota in the Big Ten. Nebraska, Minnesota and Rutgers were the only three Big Ten teams to enter conference play with a top-25 strength of schedule. Six Big Ten teams entered league play with strength of schedules below 100, including Purdue (204), Maryland (203), Indiana (176), Northwestern (167), Ohio State (155) and Wisconsin (114).
• Nebraska’s appearance in the 2016 Preseason WNIT to open the year featured three games against postseason foes, including NCAA Tournament teams Missouri and Colorado State.
• Virginia, Virginia Tech, Drake and Creighton all competed in the 2016 WNIT and the Huskers will play three of those games on the road. Nebraska closes non-conference play at home against UConn, which has won four consecutive NCAA titles.
• A total of 13 of Nebraska’s 16 Big Ten Conference games will come against postseason foes, including seven games against NCAA qualifiers and six more against WNIT teams from a year ago.
• Nebraska’s 16-game regular-season home schedule will feature 13 games against postseason teams, including all eight Big Ten Conference home games.

Freshmen Eliely, Whitish Give Huskers Hope
• Nebraska freshmen Nicea Eliely and Hannah Whitish have helped solidify the Huskers’ starting five, while providing hope for the future for a young Husker roster.
• Eliely, a 6-1 guard from Colorado Springs, Colo., has started all 27 games and ranks third on the team in scoring with 7.7 points per game. She also leads the Huskers in steals (42), blocked shots (18) and field goal percentage (.444). She ranks second in minutes per game (26.9).
• Eliely has produced seven double-figure scoring efforts. She had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including a career-best three three-pointers, in Nebraska’s win over Indiana (Feb. 19). She also tied her career high with six assists without a committing a turnover, and she led the Huskers with three steals against the Hoosiers. Eliely also had 13 points against No. 12 Ohio State (Feb. 16), 12 points at Wisconsin (Feb. 9) and 10 points along with a career-high-tying four steals against Michigan (Jan. 22). She had a career-high 19 points against California (Dec. 4).
• Whitish, the 2016 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year at Barneveld High School, ranks second on the team in scoring (8.1 ppg), including 10.2 points per game in Big Ten play. Whitish leads the Huskers with 48 threes, which ranks as the third-best total by a freshman in school history. Whitish also leads the Huskers in assists (71) and ranks third in steals (26).
• In Big Ten play, Whitish leads the Huskers in assists (54) and three-pointers (33), while ranking second on the team in scoring (10.2 ppg), steals (20) and three-point percentage (.398). She has produced double figures nine times in Big Ten play and 11 times overall this season. She had career highs of 18 points and four three-pointers while adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals in Nebraska’s win over Indiana (Feb. 19). For her performance against the Hoosiers, Whitish earned Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors (Feb. 20).
• Whitish had 16 points and tied her career best with four threes at Illinois (Jan. 15). She added 13 points and hit four more threes at Wisconsin (Feb. 9).
• Eliely and Whitish have a chance to become the first pair of Husker freshmen since 1983-84 to both average better than 7.0 points per game. The last two Husker freshmen to each average better than 7.0 points per game were Angie Miller (14.6 ppg) and Stacy Imming (9.9 ppg) in 1983-84.
• Since 2010, Nebraska has had five freshmen earn spots on conference all-freshman teams, including Lindsey Moore (Big 12, 2010), Jordan Hooper (Big 12, 2011), Emily Cady (Big Ten, 2012), Rachel Theriot (Big Ten, 2013) and Jessica Shepard (Big Ten, 2016).

Freshmen Leading Huskers at Free Throw Line
• Traditionally one of the Big Ten’s best free throw shooting teams, Nebraska has struggled this season at the line. However, NU’s free throw numbers are on the way up thanks to solid shooting by the Husker freshmen.
• Nebraska’s freshmen are 53-of-67 (.791) at the free throw line in Big Ten play, while the Huskers as a team are shooting 64.9 percent.
• Rylie Cascio Jensen has hit 11 consecutive free throws, including 9-for-9 in Big Ten play and 7-for-7 at Penn State (Jan. 19).
• Nicea Eliely had hit 14 consecutive free throws, dating back to a miss against Maryland on Jan. 4, before missing a pair late against Minnesota. She hit four free throws in the final 37 seconds in the win over Rutgers (Jan. 10).

Nebraska Streaks
• Nebraska senior Allie Havers has competed in 123 consecutive games since the first game of her freshman season in 2013-14. The Huskers own a 71-52 record in those contests over the last four years.
• Junior Jasmine Cincore owns the longest streak of consecutive starts among the Huskers with 32. Havers has made 30 straight starts, while freshman Nicea Eliely and sophomore Jessica Shepard have each started 27 straight games this season. Hannah Whitish has made 15 straight starts.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 278 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 157 consecutive games.
• Nebraska has had at least two players earn first- or second-team All-Big Ten honors in each of its first five seasons in the Big Ten.

Shepard Shoots For More as Sophomore
• Jessica Shepard is averaging 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She has produced 13 double-doubles, including seven in Big Ten play after her 12-point, 11-rebound effort that included five assists at Michigan (Feb. 23). She had a 28-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 12 Ohio State (Feb. 16). She also had a 28-point, 13-rebound performance at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29). She had 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19), after going for 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a season-high three steals in a win over Rutgers (Jan. 10). That followed 15 points and 12 rebounds at Michigan State (Jan. 7). She had 17 points and 15 rebounds in Nebraska’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern (Dec. 28). She had 22 points and 11 rebounds against Creighton (Dec. 18). That followed a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds against San Jose State (Dec. 9), 23 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drake (Dec. 6), 25 points and 14 rebounds at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1), 24 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Colorado State (Nov. 17), and 17 points and 15 boards in a win over UTRGV (Nov. 12).
• Shepard owns 23 career double-doubles, which ranks sixth on Nebraska’s career chart in that category.
• She heads into the Michigan State game with 1,064 points and 529 rebounds in her career. She needs 14 points to match All-American Jordan Hooper for the most points by a Husker in history at the end of a sophomore season.
• Shepard has 13 20-point efforts this season, including season highs of 28 points against San Jose State (Dec. 9), at Iowa (Dec. 31) and twice against top-15 Ohio State (Jan. 29, Feb. 16). She had 25 points at Illinois (Jan. 15), at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1) and against Washington State (Nov. 25). She scored 24 points against Colorado State (Nov. 17), before going for 23 points, including 22 in the second half, against Drake (Dec. 6). She had 21 points and Purdue (Jan. 26) and 20 points at Penn State (Jan. 19). Shepard owns 29 career 20-point games in her first 58 games as a Husker.
• Shepard ranks second among the Huskers with 26 three-pointers on the season, including a game-clinching three in the win over Colorado State and a buzzer-beating 60-footer to close the first half in the win over UTRGV. She also hit a first-half buzzer-beater at Creighton. Shepard did not hit a three-pointer as a freshman.
• Nebraska’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Shepard became the first Husker in history to earn first-team all-conference honors as a freshman in 2015-16. During the season, she set a conference record by winning 10 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards. She was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 21, Jan. 25).
• Shepard was one of 28 players nationally named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year Midseason Watch List by the USBWA on Jan. 24, 2017.
• One of only two freshmen on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 in 2015-16 (joining Cal’s Kristine Anigwe), Shepard was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Dec. 22, 2015; Jan. 26, 2016). Shepard was the espnW and College Sports Madness National Player of the Week (Jan. 25).
• Shepard finished 10th overall in the Big Ten in scoring (18.5 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (8.6 rpg), including fourth on the offensive glass (3.1 rpg) and 10th on the defensive boards (5.5 rpg). She ranked 13th in conference field goal percentage (.510).
• The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., finished with Nebraska freshman record averages of 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Her 574 total points were a Nebraska freshman record, while her 266 rebounds ranked second among freshmen in Husker history.
• She amassed 16 games with 20 or more points as a freshman, including 11 in Big Ten play. She produced the first of two 35-point performances against Northern Arizona Dec. 19, 2015. She added 35 points at Michigan, Jan. 24. She scored in double figures 25 times.
• Shepard averaged just 4.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20 minutes per game over the final two games of 2015-16 as she battled a stress reaction in her foot. She did not practice March 1-17.
• Shepard was not cleared for her first full practice until Oct. 27, 2015, after suffering an ACL tear as a high school senior on Dec. 29, 2014. On Nov. 1, she had 29 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney in NU’s exhibition opener. She added 42 points and 12 rebounds in just 25 minutes in a second exhibition against Winona State on Nov. 8.
• She was the top recruit in Nebraska history, as the No. 1 post and No. 3 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN. A first-team Parade All-American as a high school 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.

Havers Looked to for Senior Leadership
• One of the tallest Huskers in history, 6-5 center Allie Havers is being looked to for senior leadership in 2016-17. She produced one of the best games of her career with 18 points, which tied a career high, while tying another career high with two steals against Minnesota (Feb. 4). She added four rebounds and two assists while going 9-for-15 from the field against the Gophers.
• Havers added a strong performance with 13 points and eight rebounds in Nebraska’s win over Indiana (Feb. 19). Havers hit 6-of-10 shots from the floor, including Nebraska’s final two field goals in the last 25 seconds. She added two assists, a block and a steal.
• She followed with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and a block in a loss at No. 25 Michigan (Feb. 23).
• It was Havers’ seventh double-figure scoring effort of the season and fifth in Big Ten play. She got her senior season off to a solid start with 10 points and seven rebounds in the WNIT first-round victory over UTRGV on Nov. 12. She added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Drake (Dec. 6). She had 12 points at Iowa (Dec. 31) and 10 against Michigan (Jan. 22).
• She has added a pair of double-figure rebound games, including a season-high 11 boards in a win over Omaha (Nov. 22), when she added nine points. She also had 10 rebounds at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1).
• The senior from Mattawan, Mich., is the most experienced active Husker, competing in 123 career games with 48 starts. In fact, senior Esther Ramacieri (73) and junior Jasmine Cincore (78) are the only other Huskers who have played in more than 60 career games.
• Havers tied her career high with five assists in Nebraska’s win over Colorado State on Nov. 17.
• Havers, who was a freshman on Nebraska’s 2014 Big Ten Championship team and helped the Huskers to NCAA Tournament appearances in her first two seasons in Lincoln, will need to draw on her experience to help an extremely young Husker squad with a group of first-year coaches this season.
• Last season, Havers stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up her production as a junior.
• Havers tied for 15th in the Big Ten with 6.6 rebounds per game, while her 1.0 blocked shots per game tied for 14th in the conference.
• Her scoring numbers increased throughout the season, finishing at 8.3 points per game - her highest average at any point during the season. Over the final five games, Havers averaged 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds while hitting 70.7 percent of her shots from the field in 27.8 minutes per game. In the first five games of 2015-16, Havers averaged just 4.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game, while hitting just 36 percent of her shots from the floor.
• Havers scored in double figures 11 times as a junior, including each of the final five games of the season. She has 22 career double-figure scoring efforts, including a career-high 18 points at California on Dec. 12, 2015.
• She owns seven career double-figure rebound games, including a career-high 14 against Wisconsin on Jan. 27, 2016, and 11 in a win over Omaha on Nov. 22, 2016. She had 10 boards at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1). Havers notched four double-doubles in 2015-16, including back-to-back games against Northwestern (Feb. 28) and Rutgers (March 3).
• Havers also stepped up her passing production in 2015-16, totaling 34 assists in 31 after managing just 21 assists in the first 65 games of her career.
• Havers added her second academic All-Big Ten award for the Huskers in 2016.