The Nebraska women’s basketball team hopes to complete a perfect Thanksgiving weekend by handing unbeaten TCU its first loss of the season when the Huskers face the Horned Frogs on Saturday at the St. Pete Showcase.
The Huskers (4-1) tangle with TCU (6-0) on Saturday, Nov. 25 at noon (CT) at the McArthur Center on the Eckerd College campus.
Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com, as Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch team up for their 23rd season together calling the action. Pregame starts at 11:30 a.m. (CT) Saturday.
Fans also can follow the game on the live video stream provided by the tournament for subscribers of BeTheBeast.
Nebraska improved to 4-1 with a 75-61 win over Lamar on Thanksgiving Day in its opening game of the St. Pete Showcase.
Natalie Potts continued the outstanding start to her freshman season with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in the win over Lamar. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., is averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting a Big Ten-best 77.8 percent from the field. The two-time Missouri High School Player of the Year was the inaugural Big Ten Freshman of the Week for 2023-24 (Nov. 13). She has hit 24-of-26 two-point field goals (.923) this season. Not only that, Potts has been fouled on 6-of-24 made two-pointers, converting 5-of-6 and-ones on the season.
Lisa Leslie Award candidate Alexis Markowski led the Huskers with a season-high 24 points against No. 22 Creighton before adding 16 points against Lamar. The two-time All-Big Ten center enters the TCU game with team-best averages of 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
The 6-3 Markowski is one of four Huskers averaging in double figures, including two-time Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award candidate Jaz Shelley, who is averaging 11.8 points and 3.8 assists after a 17-point effort in the win over Lamar. Shelley missed nearly the entire Alcorn State game after suffering a lower leg injury in the first three minutes against the Lady Braves. The injury kept her out of the starting lineup in the loss to Creighton.
Darian White, a four-year starter and three-time All-Big Sky performer at Montana State before transferring to Nebraska as a graduate student, rounds out the four Huskers averaging in double figures. The 5-6 point guard is averaging 10.2 points, 7.4 reounds and 3.2 assists after an eight-point, nine-rebound, five-assist effort against Lamar.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
vs. TCU Horned Frogs (6-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, Noon (CT)
McArthur Center (Eckerd College), St. Petersburg, Fla.
Live Video: BeTheBeast.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (11:30 a.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Jr. - C/F - 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
0 - Darian White - 5-6 - Gr. - G - 10.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 11.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Off the Bench
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - So. - G - 7.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Eighth Season at Nebraska (118-100); 17th Season Overall (311-209)
TCU Horned Frogs (6-0, 0-0 Big 12)
13 - Sedona Prince - 6-7 - Gr. - C - 21.2 ppg, 10.3 rpg
1 - Jaden Owens - 5-7 - Gr. - G - 6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
3 - Madison Conner - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 23.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg
5 - Una Jovanovic - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 5.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
21 - Agnes Emma-Nnopu - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 7.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg
Off the Bench
23 - Aaliyah Roberson - 6-2 - So. - F - 4.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg
24 - Daija Turner - 6-3 - RSo. - F - 2.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg
2 - Tara Manumaleuga - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 3.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
55 - Victoria Flores - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
12 - Bre’Yon White - 5-11 - Jr. - F - 0.7 ppg, 0.3 rpg
14 - Jade Clack - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 0.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Mark Campbell (Hawaii, 2004)
First Season at TCU (45-24); Third Season Overall (6-0)
Scouting the TCU Horned Frogs
Coach Mark Campbell has TCU off to a 6-0 start in his first season leading the Horned Frogs. Campbell spent the past two seasons at Sacramento State, where he led the Hornets to a 25-8 record, a Big Sky title and a trip to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Prior to taking his first head coaching job at Sacramento State in 2021-22, Campbell was an assistant coach at Oregon, where he tutored current Husker guard Jaz Shelley.
Last season, TCU finished with an 8-23 record that included a 1-17 Big 12 mark.
TCU features an all new starting five on the court this season, with five Division I transfers from five different schools. Oregon transfer Sedona Prince headlines the transfers. The 6-7 center, who played forthe Ducks with Shelley, is averaging 21.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in her return to her home state of Texas.
Arizona transfer Madison Conner also has had an instant impact. The 5-11 guard is averaging a team-best 23.3 points to go along with 7.7 rebounds.The sharp-shooter from Chandler, Ariz., is the nation’s leading three-point shooter, averaging 5.2 threes per game. Conner is also averaging 4.2 assists and owns a 1.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She had 28 points on 5-of-13 three-point shooting in Thursday’s 85-56 win over UTEP.
Baylor transfer Jaden Owens (6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.8 apg) has taken over the point guard position for the Horned Frogs and owns a team-best 3.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio while hitting 5-of-15 threes (.333). She had four points and five assists in the win over UTEP.
Stanford transfer Agnes Emma-Nnopu (7.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) has contributed a team-best 2.2 steals per contest. The 5-11 athletic guard has knocked down 7-of-18 threes (.389) on the year, while also averaging 1.7 blocks for per game. She had nine points and seven rebounds in the win over the Miners.
Cal State Fullerton transfer Una Jovanovic rounds out the starting five with 5.7 points per game while sporting a 2.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover. Jovanovic, who was an All-Big West guard while averaging 38 minutes per game for the Titans last year. She had a season-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers, in the win over UTEP.
Sophomore Aaliyah Roberson has played nearly 18 minutes per game off the bench, averaging 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The 6-2 forward has hit 12-of-21 field goals overall (.571), including 5-of-10 three-pointers (.500).
Daija Turner (2.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and Tara Manumaleuga (3.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg) complete what has primarily been an eight-player rotation for the Horned Frogs.
As a team, TCU is outscoring the opposition 77.2-51.3 while hitting 46.4 percent of its field goals, including a sizzling 40 percent (60-150) of its three-pointers. The Horned Frogs are averaging 10.0 three-pointers per game. TCU is a solid 71.1 percent at the free throw line and carry a commanding 41.2-34.7 (+6.5) rebound margin. The Horned Frogs are limiting opponents to 31.6 percent shooting, including 22.2 percent (27-123) from long range.
Nebraska vs. TCU Series History
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between the Huskers and TCU in school history.
Nebraska is 6-0 against teams from the state of Texas during Amy Williams’ eight seasons as Husker head coach, including Thursday’s win over Lamar. Last season, NU notched wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 25), Tarleton (Nov. 22) and Houston Christian (Nov. 11). The Huskers added a win over Prairie View A&M (Nov. 11, 2021). The first win for Williams as head coach at Nebraska came against Texas Rio Grande Valley (Nov. 12, 2016) in the Preseason WNIT.
The Huskers own a nine-game winning streak overall against teams from Texas, dating back to a loss to then-No. 5 Texas A&M on March 5, 2011. The stretch includes a win by the No. 24 Huskers over the No. 9 Aggies in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament (March 25, 2013).
Husker Nuggets
• Jaz Shelley was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
• Nebraska signee Britt Prince (Elkhorn North) was named to the Naismith Trophy High School Girl’s Player of the Year Top 50 on Thursday, Nov. 16.
• Alexis Markowski has been named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll each of the first two weeks of the 2023-24 season. Markowski averaged 22.0 points and 7.0 rebounds last week (Nov. 20) for the Huskers, after producing 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds during the opening week (Nov. 13).
• Markowski ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.0 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.588) through five games.
• Freshman Natalie Potts leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.778) through five games, while ranking 17th in scoring (14.0 ppg) and seventh in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).
• The Huskers had six players produce double figures in points against Northwestern State, marking the first time Nebraska accomplished that feat since a 90-61 season-opening win over Oral Roberts on Dec. 4, 2020.
• The Huskers have hit at least one three in 469 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two threes in 348 consecutive games.
• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 28 times in the last 77 games, including 15 times in 2022-23. The Huskers opened 2023-24 with 10 three-pointers in a win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6, 2023). Nebraska knocked down a 2022-23 season-high 14 threes in a season-opening win over Omaha (Nov. 7, 2022).
• Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women’s basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (591 games).
White Shines in Starting Role for Huskers
Nebraska has received an immediate boost in the backcourt from three-time first-team All-Big Sky guard Darian White.
The 5-6 graduate student transferred into the Husker program during the summer after averaging 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals over 120 starts in four seasons at Montana State.
The No. 2 scorer in Montana State history, White finished with 1,716 points, 612 rebounds, 449 assists and 260 steals.
White was the 2022 Big Sky Tournament MVP, leading the Bobcats to the conference title and a trip to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
She was also a two-time Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022) and the 2020 Big Sky Freshman of the Year.
White was the 2019 Idaho Gatorade High School Player of the Year and joins three-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year Logan Nissley, two-time Missouri MaxPreps Player of the Year Natalie Potts and Australian National Program forward Jessica Petrie in Nebraska’s group of four newcomers for 2023-24.
White produced her first Husker double-double with season highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19).
In her Nebraska regular-season debut, White scored 13 points, including six in a 16-0 run to start the game, while adding game highs of nine rebounds and three steals to go along with four assists in Nebraska’s 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).
She was strong in all phases of her first road game as a Husker, contributing 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in a 71-52 victory at Wyoming.
Through five games, White is averaging 10.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals after going for eight points, nine rebounds and five assists in the win over Lamar (Nov. 23).
White took the court for the first time at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Nebraska’s exhibition win over Dakota Wesleyan (Oct. 29), producing 13 points, seven rebounds and game highs of eight assists and four steals.
Potts Smoking Hot to Start College Career
Two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year Natalie Potts has made an instant impact on Nebraska’s lineup. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (Nov. 13).
She backed up her opening-week efforts by averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in her second week. Potts capped the week with a then-career-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19), after getting seven points and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks in a win over Alcorn State (Nov. 14).
Potts opened her third week with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, and a 3-for-3 effort at the free throw line in a win over Lamar (Nov. 23).
In Nebraska’s 71-52 road win at Wyoming, Potts was a catalyst at both ends of the court, erupting for 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while adding two steals and a blocked shot. Potts was a menace defensively, creating easy offensive opportunities with deflections at the front of Nebraska’s press to help turn an early Husker deficit into a double-digit road victory over the Cowgirls.
In her regular-season collegiate debut, Potts added 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field in a 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).
Through five games, Potts has hit 24-of-26 (.923) two-point field goal attempts and 4-of-10 (.400) three-point tries. Overall, she is shooting a Big Ten-best 77.8 percent from the field.
Husker Numbers to Watch
• Darian White has scored in double figures 100 times in her college career (97, Montana State; 3, Nebraska) after getting 13 points and 10 rebounds against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19).
• Jaz Shelley is seven assists from joining the top 10 at Nebraska in career assists. Shelley heads into the TCU game with 385 assists in two-plus years at Nebraska. All-American and two-time WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge ranks 10th in school history with 392.
• Jaz Shelley is 23 assists away from 500 in her college career. Only five Huskers in history have totaled 500 collegiate assists (Lindsey Moore, Meggan Yedsena, Rachel Theriot, Jina Johansen, Nicole Kubik).
• Jaz Shelley needs four three-pointers to climb to No. 5 on the Nebraska career three-point list, matching Lindsey Moore (173, 2010-13).
• Alexis Markowski needs two double-doubles to climb into a tie for sixth in Nebraska history with Nafeesah Brown (24, 1992-94). Markowski is currently tied for seventh with Janet Smith (22, 1979-82).
• Annika Stewart needs four points to reach 500 in her career.
Nebraska Notables
• Two-time All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) was the Big Ten’s top rebounder with 322 rebounds in 2022-23. She was the only Big Ten player to average a double-double (12.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg) during regular-season conference play.
• Jaz Shelley is 45 points away from becoming the 37th 1,000-point scorer in Nebraska history. Alexis Markowski is 96 points from reaching 1,000 career points.
• Darian White is 233 points away from 2,000 in her college career.
