Huskers Return Home to Clash with Hoosiers

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Indiana Hoosiers Sunday, February 3, 2019, 2 p.m. (CT) Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,000) - Lincoln, Nebraska Live Video: BTN Plus (with radio call) Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (1:45 p.m.) Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst) Lincoln-B107.3 FM; Omaha-ESPN 590 AM Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn

Huskers Return Home to Clash with Hoosiers • The Nebraska women’s basketball team is back at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon when the Huskers take on the Indiana Hoosiers in Lincoln. • Tip off between Nebraska (10-11, 5-5 Big Ten) and Indiana (16-6, 5-5 Big Ten) is set for 2 p.m. Live radio coverage (beginning at 1:45 p.m.) can be heard in Lincoln on B107.3 FM, in Omaha on ESPN 590 AM, in Lexington on KRVN 880 AM, and across the state on the Husker Sports Network. Free live audio can be found at Huskers.com, the Huskers App and on TuneIn.  • Live video coverage will be provided for BTN Plus subscribers with the radio call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch alongside the stream. • Nebraska is coming off its most complete effort of the season with an 84-64 win at Purdue on Thursday night in West Lafayette, Ind. Junior Hannah Whitish produced one of the best games of her Husker career with a season-high 28 points to go along with a career-high 12 assists while committing just one turnover. Whitish, who notched her first career double-double while tying her career high with six threes, added five rebounds and three steals to lead four Huskers in double-figure points. • Freshman forward Ashtyn Veerbeek added one of her best efforts of the season by pouring in 14 points while adding nine rebounds. Fellow freshman Sam Haiby pitched in 13 points and set a career high with three three-pointers, including a halfcourt buzzer-beater to close the third quarter. Junior Nicea Eliely contributed 12 points, including 10 in the game’s first 22 minutes, while adding a pair of threes. • Nebraska’s defense also stood out against the Boilermakers, holding Purdue to an opponent season-low six points in the first quarter. The Huskers have held three consecutive Big Ten teams to single digits in the first quarter. • Nebraska’s win over Purdue was its third double-digit win in Big Ten play, but close games have been the norm for Nebraska this season. Unfortunately, the Huskers are just 2-7 in games decided by six points or less (2 possessions), including 1-4 in Big Ten play. Indiana is 4-5 in two-possession games, including 2-4 in the league. • Freshman Leigha Brown (Auburn, Indiana) continues to be one of Nebraska’s leading scorers on the season, averaging 11.3 points per game in Big Ten play and 9.9 points per game on the year. Brown had seven points on 3-of-5 shooting at Purdue (Jan. 31) in the first college win of her career in her home state. Brown, who was a runner-up to Michigan point guard Amy Dilk for Indiana Player-of-the-Year honors in 2018, faces Indiana in Lincoln (Feb. 3), before facing Dilk again in Michigan (Feb. 7), and Purdue in Lincoln (Feb. 10). • Prior to Hannah Whitish’s 28-point outburst at Purdue making her Nebraska’s leading scorer on the season (10.0 ppg), Leigha Brown (9.9 ppg) and Sam Haiby (9.7 ppg) had given Nebraska the only Big Ten roster with two freshmen leading their team in scoring. The Huskers were also the only Big Ten team with two non-starters as the team’s top two scorers. • Nebraska features the Big Ten’s most productive bench, averaging 31.2 points per game in Big Ten play. Indiana relies extensively on its starters, but its bench has added 12.3 points per game in league play.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-11, 5-5 Big Ten) 44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 3.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg 31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 7.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg 3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 10.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg 5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg 33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 9.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg Off the Bench 32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 9.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg 4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 9.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg 13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 8.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg 24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 7.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg 14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg 11(out) - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998) Third Season at Nebraska (38-44); 12th Season Overall (231-153)

Indiana Hoosiers (16-6, 5-5 Big Ten) 11 - Kym Royster - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 5.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg 50 - Brenna Wise - 6-0 - RJr. - F - 13.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg 1 - Bendu Yeaney - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg 13 - Jaelynn Penn - 5-10 - So. - G - 13.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg 14 - Ali Patberg - 5-11 - RJr. - G - 15.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg Off the Bench 10 - Aleksa Gulbe - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 6.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg 34 - Grace Berger - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 5.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg 12 - Linsey Marchese - 6-4 - So. - C - 1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg 2 - Keyanna Warthen - 5-10 - So. - G - 1.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg Head Coach: Teri Moren (Purdue, 1992) Fifth Season at Indiana (98-59); 16th Season Overall (297-189)

Scouting The Indiana Hoosiers • Indiana comes to Lincoln with losses in four of its last five games after climbing into the top 25 early in Big Ten Conference play. • Coach Teri Moren led the Hoosiers to an 11-1 non-conference record before opening Big Ten play 3-0, including a 68-64 win over No. 15 Michigan State on Jan. 6 to improve to 14-1 overall. • After a low-scoring 55-50 loss at Ohio State, the Hoosiers rebounded with a win at Wisconsin to improve to 15-2, before narrow losses to Northwestern and Purdue. A 10-point win over Michigan was followed by a 76-56 loss to No. 11 Maryland (Jan. 27) and a 69-64 loss at No. 17 Rutgers (Jan. 31). • Five of Indiana’s six losses this season have been by two possessions or less, and the Hoosiers own four wins by two or fewer possessions this season. • Indiana lost two of the top scorers in school history to graduation, led by two-time honorable-mention WBCA All-American guard Tyra Buss, who averaged 20.6 points per game last year while leading the Hoosiers to the 2018 WNIT title. She finished with school records of 2,364 points, 574 assists and 293 steals. She scored 37 points last season against Nebraska. • Amanda Cahill closed her career at Indiana at No. 4 on the scoring list with 1,884 points while ranking second in rebounds with 1,115 and third in three-pointers made with 200.  She averaged 15.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last year. • Those two Hoosiers have been replaced by junior transfers Ali Patberg and Brenna Wise. Patberg, a fourth-year guard from Notre Dame, is averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists. • Wise, a 6-0 forward who transferred from Pittsburgh, has added 13.0 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds while hitting 44 percent (33-75) of her threes and 92.5 percent of her free throws. • The Hoosiers return sophomore Jaelynn Penn, who scored 21 points in last season’s win over the Huskers in Bloomington. Penn, a 5-10 guard, has been IU’s leading scorer in league play at 16.0 points per game, while hitting 47.2 percent (25-53) of her threes. • Fellow sophomore Bendu Yeaney gives the Hoosiers four starters averaging in double figures. The 5-10 Yeaney is averaging 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. • Indiana’s lone senior, Kym Royster, has joined Patberg, Wise and Penn in IU’s starting five all 22 games. Royster has managed 5.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 56.5 percent from the field. • Freshman Grace Berger, a 6-0 guard, started the season opener in place of Yeaney, for the only start of the season by anybody outside of the top five. Berger has played in all 22 games and is averaging 5.0 points per game. • Indiana’s most potent reserve is 6-3 freshman forward Aleksa Gulbe, who is averaging 6.6 points and 4.0 rebounds, while leading IU with 18 blocks. Gulbe is shooting 42.1 percent (8-20) from three-point range and 84.1 percent at the line. • Linsey Marchese (1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg) and Keyanna Withrow (1.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg) are the only other Hoosiers to see action during Big Ten Conference play. • As a team, Indiana is averaging 71.1 points per game on the season, but that production has slipped to 67.3 points in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers have allowed 63.4 points on the season, but 68.1 points in Big Ten games. • The Hoosiers have allowed Big Ten foes to shoot 42.6 percent from the field, but have limited three-point shooting by foes to just 26.9 percent. Indiana is shooting a scorching 38.3 percent (57-149) from three in the league, and knocking down an impressive 77.3 percent of its free throws in conference action. In Thursday’s loss at Rutgers, Indiana went 15-for-16 at the line.

Nebraska vs. Indiana Series History • Nebraska and Indiana are tied at five wins apiece in the 10-game history of the series between the Huskers and the Hoosiers. Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011-12, Nebraska leads the all-time series, 5-3. • Last season, Indiana fought to an 83-75 win over the Huskers on Senior Day for Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill in Bloomington on Feb. 17, 2018. Buss led the Hoosiers with 37 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Jaelynn Penn added 21 points and five rebounds. Buss and Penn went a combined 19-of-35 from the field, including 6-of-14 from three-point range, while going 14-for-14 at the free throw line. Cahill added a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. • Six Huskers produced double figures last season at Indiana, including 12 points from Nicea Eliely, 11 points from Hannah Whitish, 10 points and 10 rebounds from Taylor Kissinger and 10 points and nine rebounds from Kate Cain. Maddie Simon added nine points for the Big Red, while 2018 senior Janay Morton pitched in 12 points off the bench. Nebraska outrebounded Indiana 45-30 last season. • Last year’s loss at Indiana ended a 10-game road winning streak for Nebraska. • Nebraska won the last meeting between the two schools in Lincoln, a 67-64 victory over the Hoosiers at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 19, 2017. • Nebraska is 3-2 all-time against Indiana in Lincoln. Indiana owns a 3-2 series edge in Bloomington. The two teams have never met on a neutral court. • Indiana won the first meeting in series history with an 83-80 overtime win at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Nov. 26, 1994.

Husker Nuggets • Nebraska sophomore Taylor Kissinger is leading the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage (.469, 45-96). • The Husker bench has outscored opponents in each of NU’s 21 games this year, including double-digit advantages 16 times. • Overall, Nebraska’s bench has outscored opposition benches 669-319 (31.9-15.2 ppg) for a plus-16.7 margin. • Nebraska’s bench outscored the opposition 149-53 over the final four non-conference games, including a season-high 45 points at Arkansas. NU’s bench posted a season-best scoring differential (+37) in its last non-conference home game by outscoring Denver’s bench, 40-3.  • Nebraska’s bench has scored 40 or more points six times, including 45 at Arkansas, 42 points against San Jose State, 41 points against Drake, 40 against Denver, 40 at Illinois (1/17) and most recently 40 at Purdue (1/31). • In Nebraska’s Big Ten-opening win over Michigan (Dec. 28), the Husker bench outscored the Wolverine bench 28-10, including 14-0 in the fourth quarter. • In the second half at Purdue, Nebraska’s bench outscored the Boilermaker bench, 27-5. • In Big Ten play, NU’s bench has outscored opponent benches 312-159 (31.2-15.9, +15.3 ppg), including a 40-14 edge (+26) in a win at Purdue (Jan. 31) and 34-9 margin (+25) in a win over No. 23 Minnesota (Jan. 20). • Nebraska’s bench has scored at least 15 points in each of its 10 Big Ten games, including 40 at Illinois (Jan. 17) and Purdue (Jan. 31) and 35 at Ohio State (Dec. 31). • Against ranked Big Ten teams (Minnesota, 34-9, +25; Iowa, 28-11, +17; Rutgers 34-17, +17; Maryland 28-14, +14), Nebraska’s bench has outscored opponent benches 124-51. • At least one Nebraska freshman has led the Huskers in scoring in 12 of 21 games this season (Haiby-6; Brown-5; Veerbeek-2).

Nebraska Streaks • Sophomore Kate Cain owns the longest streak of consecutive starts by a Husker with 52. • Junior Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska’s second-longest streak of starts with 47. • Nebraska’s bench has outscored the opponent reserves in all 21 games this season. • The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 333 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 212 consecutive games.

Nebraska Numbers to Watch • (5) Taylor Kissinger is five three-pointers away from 100 in her career. • (8) Hannah Whitish is eight threes away from moving up to No. 3 on Nebraska’s all-time three-point list (183, Yvonne Turner, 2007-10). She is also eight assists away from 100 on the season. • (15) Whitish is 15 assists away from No. 9 on Nebraska’s career assist list (342, Ami Beiriger, 1979-83). • (30) Whitish is 30 points away from 900 in her career. • (100) Nebraska senior forward Maddie Simon is expected to play in her 100th career game for the Huskers on Sunday.

Whitish Heating Up in Big Ten Play • Preseason All-Big Ten guard Hannah Whitish is catching fire in conference action and has taken over the team’s scoring lead after a season-high 28-point performance at Purdue (Jan. 31). Whitish added a career-high 12 assists to notch her first career double-double. She also tied a career high with six threes in the win over the Boilermakers. • Whitish’s 12 assists tied for the ninth-best total by a Husker in school history. Only three players in Nebraska history [Rachel Theriot (4), Kathy Hawkins (3), Stacy Imming (1)] have had more than 12 assists in a game. • Whitish’s 28 points at Purdue were the most by a Husker in any game this season. Her career highs of 29 points came last season in back-to-back non-conference wins at Kansas and Drake. • Whitish owns a team-best 44 career double-figure scoring efforts, including a team-high 13 in 2018-19 and 18 in 2017-18. She owns five career 20-point performances, including three in 2017-18. • Whitish is averaging a team-best 10.0 points per game on the season, including a team-high 11.8 points per conference contest.  • She has climbed to No. 4 on the Nebraska career three-point list with 175, and needs eight more to catch Yvonne Turner (2007-10) in third on that chart with 183. • Whitish is tied with Taylor Kissinger for the team lead with 45 three-pointers on the season. Whitish has hit 14 threes over the last three game.  • Whitish has scored in double figures in five straight games, averaging 15.2 points per game during that stretch. She is shooting 42.9 percent (18-42) from three-point range during that stretch and 87.5 percent (14-16) from the free throw line. She is also averaging 6.4 assists over the past five games. • Whitish has climbed to No. 10 on the Nebraska career assist list with 327, and she needs 15 more assists to move into a tie for No. 9 (342, Ami Beiriger, 1979-83). • Nebraska’s growth in the backcourt in 2017-18 started with Whitish, who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore in her first full season as a starter. The 5-9 guard from Barneveld, Wis., led the Huskers in scoring (12.6 ppg), assists (4.7 apg), steals (1.3 spg) and three-pointers (2.3 pg), as the only Husker to start all 32 games in 2017-18. • She scored in double figures a team-leading 18 times in 2017-18 for a balanced Big Red attack. • Whitish helped power Nebraska to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals by scoring 17 points while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds in a win over Michigan in the quarterfinals (March 2). • In her first NCAA Tournament appearance, Whitish scored 12 points and hit a pair of three-pointers against Arizona State (March 17) in Austin, Texas. • Whitish tied a career high with eight rebounds while adding nine points and a game-high five assists in the win over Penn State (Feb. 22, 2018).

Freshmen Contributing Early for Huskers • Nebraska has received production early and often from its 2018-19 freshman class. The four-player class, which was ranked among the top 20 recruiting classes in the nation by ESPN last season, features Leigha Brown (9.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg), Sam Haiby (9.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg), Ashtyn Veerbeek (8.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg) and Kayla Mershon (3.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg). • Leigha Brown, who earned Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors (Jan. 7), ranks second among all Huskers with 9.9 points per game, including 11.3 points per Big Ten game. She erupted for a career-high 20 points at No. 19 Iowa (Jan. 3). It was her second straight game leading the Huskers, after scoring a then-career-high 19 points at Ohio State (Dec. 31). She added 18 points and a career-high six rebounds in a narrow loss to nationally ranked Rutgers (Jan. 13). She also had 18 points in the win over San Jose State (Dec. 8), before adding 17 points and a career-high five assists in the win over Denver (Dec. 15).  • Brown, a 6-1 wing from Auburn, Indiana owns eight double-figure scoring efforts and has led the Big Red in scoring five times this season, including three Big Ten games. • Haiby, a 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., ranks third among the Huskers with 9.7 points per game off the bench. Haiby has led Nebraska in scoring in six games, including a win over No. 23 Minnesota (16) and against nationally ranked Drake (13) and Miami (14), while also scoring a career-high 20 points at Washington State and adding 17 points at Creighton. She also had 16 points to lead the Huskers at Arkansas (Dec. 18). She owns nine double-figure scoring efforts overall, including 13 points in a win at Purdue (Jan. 31), 12 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29) and 12 more in a Big Ten-opening win over Michigan (Dec. 28). • Haiby also ranks second among the Huskers in assists (2.8 apg). • Ashtyn Veerbeek ranks third among the Husker freshmen in scoring with 8.1 points per game, while leading the freshmen and ranking second on the team with 6.0 rebounds. Veerbeek erupted for a career-high 19 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds in the win at Illinois (Jan. 17). She produced her first career double-double with 14 points and  a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 8). Veerbeek just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds in a road win at Purdue (Jan. 31). She had 14 points in 14 minutes in a win over Denver (Dec. 15) and added 14 points for the third straight game at Arkansas (Dec. 18). She owns six double-digit scoring efforts on the year. She also ranks second among the Huskers with 21 blocks. • Kayla Mershon has pitched in 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Her production is on the rise in Big Ten play, and she has made five consecutive starts heading into Sunday’s game with Indiana. Mershon scored a career-high eight points against No. 9 Maryland (Jan. 8), before adding seven points against nationally ranked Rutgers (Jan. 13). She had a career-high seven rebounds in a win over Kansas (Dec. 5) and matched that total against Northwestern (Jan. 24). The 6-3 forward from Chanhassen, Minn., also has dished out 16 assists and committed a team-best eight turnovers through 21 games. • The freshmen have combined for 41.9 percent (645-of-1,541) of Nebraska’s points in just 36.3 percent of the team’s total minutes (1,544-of-4,250) on the season. They also have accounted for just 28.9 percent (92-of-318) of Nebraska’s turnovers. • Nebraska’s four freshmen are combining to average 30.7 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.