Huskers Close Stand in Clash with Creighton

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Creighton Bluejays
Sunday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Tickets
BTN Plus Live Video
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - 107.3 FM; Omaha - ESPN 590 AM
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App/TuneIn App
Live Stats

Huskers Close Stand in Clash with Creighton
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team closes its four-game season-opening home stand when the Huskers collide with Creighton on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with tickets available now at Huskers.com. 

• A live radio broadcast will be produced by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch teaming up for their 17th season together on the call. The game will be carried live for free on Huskers.com and over the air on select Husker Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha. Free audio also can be found on Huskers.com, the Huskers App and the TuneIn App. 

• Nebraska is coming off an 80-69 win over Arkansas at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday night to improve to 3-0 on the season. The win over the Razorbacks followed an 80-60 win over UMKC on Tuesday, giving Nebraska back-to-back 80-point offensive performances for the first time since games No. 9 (at Cal, Dec. 12, 2015 - 80-87) and No. 10 (Northern Arizona, Dec. 19, 2015 - 90-67) of 2015-16. 

• Freshman guard Taylor Kissinger (Minden, Neb.) led the Big Red in scoring for the second straight game, pouring in a career-high 25 points to go along with career highs of eight rebounds and four assists in the win over Arkansas. Kissinger, who had 18 points in Tuesday’s win over UMKC, is averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game, while adding 4.7 rebounds per game.

• Kissinger will face her older sister Brooke, who is a junior guard for Creighton. Brooke Kissinger is in her second season at Creighton but her first year on the court for the Jays. The older Kissinger redshirted at CU last season after transferring from Illinois, where she spent the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

• Nebraska freshman Kate Cain produced her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Arkansas. She added a career-high four blocked shots to increase her season averages to 12.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. Cain and Kissinger combined for 37 points and 18 rebounds against the Razorbacks. Cain is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

•Senior Jasmine Cincore added one of the best all-around games of her career with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block against Arkansas. Cincore leads Nebraska with 38 career starts, including 37 straight.

• Creighton is 1-1 on the young season with a 66-61 win over Wichita State (Nov. 10) and a 73-68 loss at South Dakota (Nov. 14). • Nebraska is 10-2 against Creighton in the last 12 meetings and 30-12 all-time against the Jays.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 6.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Fr. - C - 12.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - So. - G - 6.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 16.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Off the Bench
13 - Bria Stallworth - 5-6 - So. - G - 11.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - So. - F - 4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - So. - F - 2.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Injured
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - So. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
13 - Janay Morton - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Second Season at Nebraska (10-22)
11th Season Overall (203-131)

Creighton Bluejays (1-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
33 - Kylie Brown - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 1.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
45 - Audrey Faber - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
2 - Myah Mellman - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 6.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg 
5 - Jaylyn Agnew - 5-11 - So. - G - 7.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
14 - Sydney Lamberty - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 12.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Off the Bench
21 - Olivia Elger - 5-7 - So. - G - 12.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
24 - Temi Carda - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
15 - Tatum Rembao - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
11 - Bailey Norby - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
40 - Ali Greene - 6-1 - So. - F - 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
22 - Brooke Kissinger - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)
16th Season at CU (293-192)
16th Season Overall (293-192)

Huskers Honor State Employees At Creighton Game
• The Nebraska Athletic Department will hold one of its annual State Employee Appreciation Days for the Creighton game on Sunday, Nov. 19. Tip-off between the Big Red and the Bluejays is set for 7 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

• State Employees were offered a special $1 ticket discount for the game.

• Sunday night’s game with Creighton also will feature a giveaway of approximately 1,500 men’s and women’s basketball schedule magnets sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays
• Coach Jim Flanery brings his Creighton Bluejays to Lincoln with a 1-1 record. The Jays opened with a 66-61 win over Wichita State in Omaha (Nov. 10), before dropping a 73-68 decision to South Dakota in Vermillion (Nov. 14).

• Flanery is just 4-11 against Nebraska as Creighton’s head coach, including 0-7 in Lincoln, but the Jays defeated the Huskers 80-64 last season at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha (Dec. 18, 2016).

• Creighton has lost 11 straight games against the Huskers in Lincoln dating back to a 97-64 win on Dec. 10, 1993. Seven of those 11 Nebraska victories have been by double digits. 

• Nebraska has not lost back-to-back games to Creighton since the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.

• Junior forward Audrey Faber leads Creighton with 15.5 points per game, while adding 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a team-best 2.5 blocks. The 6-2 Faber is shooting 55 percent from the field including 50 percent (4-8) from three-point range. • Senior Sydney Lamberty has added 12.5 points and team bests of 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The 5-10 guard is also playing a team-high 35.5 minutes per game as one of four Jays averaging double-figure points.

• Temi Carda, a 5-9 freshman guard from Lakeville, Minn., is averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while playing starter’s minutes (25.5 mpg) off the bench. Carda has hit 56.3 percent of her shots from the field but is 0-for-3 from three-point range.

• Redshirt sophomore Olivia Elger opened with 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench in the opening-game win over Wichita State but did not play in Creighton’s loss at South Dakota.

• Sophomore Jaylyn Agnew joined Faber, Lamberty, Myah Mellman and Kylie Brown in Creighton’s starting five for the first two games. Agnew is averaging 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33.5 minutes per game.

• Mellman is averaging 6.0 points in 13.5 minutes per game as a starter. The 5-7 guard has hit all three of her field goal attempts (all three-pointers) this season. • Brown (1.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 8.5 mpg), Tatum Rembao (4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 19.0 mpg), Bailey Norby (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 8.0 mpg), Ali Greene (2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 7.0 mpg) and Brooke Kissinger (0.0 ppg., 1.0 rpg, 6.5 mpg) all play supporting roles for Creighton.

• Brooke Kissinger is the older sister of Nebraska freshman Taylor Kissinger. Brooke redshirted at Creighton last season, after spending her first two years on the court at Illinois. Brooke averaged 6.8 points and 1.0 assist per game as a sophomore at Illinois in 2015-16. She appeared in 30 games and made four starts. In two seasons, Brooke scored 231 points in 51 games for the Fighting Illini. Brooke’s twin sister, Jamie, is a senior at the University of San Diego this season. Jamie has scored 82 points in 46 career games for former Husker assistant coach Cindy Fisher at USD.

Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success
• Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ home court. NU notched its 42nd season-opening win with a 62-53 victory over SIU-Edwardsville on Nov. 11. 

• NU is 5-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in season openers, including a a 71-53 win over UTRGV on Nov. 12, 2016, a 96-46 victory over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14, 2015, a 100-65 win over Pepperdine on Nov. 15, 2014, and a 77-49 win over UCLA in the first regular-season basketball game in the history of the building on Nov. 8, 2013. Nebraska’s last loss in a home opener came to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss was to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.

• Nebraska has been strong in its first six home games every season. In fact, NU is 223-37 (.858) in the past 44 years in its first six home contests, including 37-7 in Game No. 2. 

• Nebraska is 36-8 in Game No. 3, 37-6 in Game No. 4, 37-6 in Game No. 5 and 34-8 in Game 6. The Huskers only played five total home games in their first season in 1974-75.
Cain Claims First Big Ten Freshman Honor

• Nebraska’s Kate Cain shared the Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award when the conference announced its first set of weekly awards on Monday, Nov. 13.

• Cain, a 6-5 center from Middletown, N.Y., erupted for 18 points and team highs of nine rebounds and three blocks off the bench to help the Big Red to a 62-53 victory over Southern Illinois Edwardsville (Nov. 11) at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

• Cain, who was ranked as the No. 10 post and No. 82 player overall in the nation by ESPN among 2016-17 high school seniors, hit 9-of-15 shots from the field while adding an assist and a steal in 26 minutes of action against the Cougars (Nov. 11).

• Cain teamed up with sophomore newcomer Bria Stallworth to account for all 39 of Nebraska’s bench points, as the Husker reserves outscored SIUE, 39-2. Cain scored six of Nebraska’s first eight points in a decisive 13-0 run to end the third quarter against the Cougars. 

• Cain shared the honor with Purdue guard Karissa McLaughlin, who scored a team-high 21 points while adding five assists and four steals in leading Purdue’s come-from-behind win over Central Michigan on Friday. McLaughlin became the first freshman guard to start a season opener for Purdue since Courtney Moses in 2010.

• Since the opener, Cain has moved into Nebraska’s starting lineup and has averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in NU’s two wins this week. In Thursday night’s win over Arkansas, Cain recorded her first double-double with 12 points and career highs of 10 rebounds and four blocks. Cain ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) while leading the Big Red with 3.0 blocks per game through three games this season.

Young Huskers Ready to Rise, Compete on Defense 
• Nebraska will put one of the least-experienced lineups in the Big Ten on the court this season. Senior Jasmine Cincore leads the Huskers with 38 career starts, while true sophomore Nicea Eliely’s 29 starts rank second and Hannah Whitish’s 20 starts rank third. Those three Huskers have combined for 87 of Nebraska’s 115 combined career starts in Husker uniforms. Sophomore Rachel Blackburn (10) and junior Maddie Simon (8) were the only other current Huskers who had ever started a game for Nebraska, and neither one of them made a start last season. Freshman Taylor Kissinger and junior Darrien Washington earned their first career starts against SIUE (Nov. 11), while freshman Kate Cain made her first career start against UMKC (Nov. 14). 

• Last season, the four least-experienced teams (Nebraska, Illinois, Rutgers, Wisconsin) tied for 11th in the Big Ten Conference.

• Although the Huskers will be relatively inexperienced, they are confident they can be a drastically improved defensive team in 2017-18. Last season, Nebraska ranked 14th in the Big Ten by allowing 76.3 points per game, including 80.4 points per game in Big Ten play. It marked the second straight season that Nebraska surrendered more than 65 points per game. Prior to the 2015-16 season, the Huskers had not allowed 65 points per game since 2004-05.

• In the 2017-18 season-opening win over SIU Edwardsville, Nebraska held a Cougar team that returned five starters to just 53 - the lowest total allowed by the Huskers since the 2016-17 season-opening win over UTRGV.

• In game two of 2017-18, the Big Red limited UMKC to 60 points. Through three games, the Huskers are surrendering 60.7 points per contest.

• In Nebraska’s exhibition opener against Minnesota State-Mankato, the Huskers held an experienced Maverick team to just 55 points. The Huskers also held Minnesota State to just 28.8 percent field goal shooting. Earlier in the week, Minnesota State won an exhibition game 87-37 against NCAA Division III St. Olaf’s College.

• In a closed scrimmage with 2017 NCAA Tournament qualifier Iowa State in Ames on Oct. 29, Nebraska held the Cyclones to just 64 points and just 20 made field goals at Hilton Coliseum. 

• NU’s dynamic work on defense against has been even more impressive considering 2017 Husker Defensive MVP Nicea Eliely and another of their top projected perimeter defenders, Janay Morton, have not played because of injuries.

• Last season, Nebraska allowed 82.8 points per game on the road. The Huskers were also minus-6.2 on the glass and minus-5.9 in turnover margin away from Pinnacle Bank Arena.