Minneapolis - Jaz Shelley erupted for 30 points while adding nine assists to shoot Nebraska into the championship game of the TIAA Big Ten Tournament with a 78-68 semifinal win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon at the Target Center.
Shelley, a 5-9 graduate guard from Moe, Australia, hit 10-of-16 shots from the field, including 6-of-12 three-pointers, while going 4-for-4 at the free throw line to seal the win down the stretch.
The fifth-seeded Huskers improved to 22-10 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten Tournament, while the No. 8 seed Terrapins closed at 19-13 overall and 2-1 in the tournament.
Nebraska's win sets up a third game this season against second-seeded and national No. 3 Iowa on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Target Center. Iowa defeated the Huskers 92-73 in Iowa City (Jan. 27), before the Huskers evened the series with an 82-79 win in Lincoln (Feb. 11). The game will be televised live nationally by CBS.
Shelley was dynamic from start to finish, pouring in 17 points in the first half including an electric 11-0 run that included three threes in less than 90 seconds to end the first quarter.
The Huskers, who never trailed in the game, held a 13-point lead late in the second quarter, but Maryland rallied to tie the game at 51 with more than four minutes left in the third period.
Shelley answered with a big bucket to regain the lead for the Huskers at 53-51 with 3:27 left in the period. Minneapolis native Kendall Coley then connected on one of the game's biggest shots with her three-pointer in the left corner 30 seconds later to put Nebraska up five. Minnesotan Annika Stewart then scored inside to cap a crucial 7-0 Husker run and give the Big Red a 58-51 lead. Stewart finished with nine points off the bench, while Coley added six points on a pair of threes.
Maryland answered Nebraska's spurt with eight points late in the quarter to narrow the margin to 60-59 heading to the fourth.
Minnesotan Callin Hake, who finished with seven points, five rebounds, two assists and two key charges drawn, then sank a pair of free throws to open the final quarter.
Shelley took center stage again by sinking her sixth three-pointer with 7:50 left. After a basket by Maryland's Allie Kubek, freshmen Logan Nissley and Natalie Potts scored five straight points before Shelley hit another shot to push Nebraska's lead back to double digits at 72-61 with 4:31 left. Nissley (6) and Potts (4) combined for 10 points on the day, while fellow freshman Jessica Petrie pitched in five more.
Maryland fought back one more time to cut the margin to six, but Shelley scored Nebraska's next six points to finish with 11 in the fourth quarter on her way to her sixth career 30-point performance, including her second in seven career Big Ten Tournament contests.
Shelley, whose previous season high of 23 points came in a win over No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11), added nine assists, four rebounds and two steals on the day.
Alexis Markowski added a strong performance inside despite being strapped with foul trouble, scoring nine points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds.
As a team, Nebraska finished by shooting 45.2 percent (28-62) from the field, including 13-of-28 three-pointers (.464). The Huskers also hit 9-of-14 free throws, while winning the battle of the boards, 36-32. The Big Red also won the tournament fight, 16-15.
Maryland hit 45.6 percent (26-57) of its shots, but just 4-of-13 threes (.308), while hitting 12-of-15 free throws. Shyanne Sellers led five Terps in double figures with 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Faith Masonius contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Nebraska jumped out to a quick start, building an early six-point lead. Maryland trimmed the margin to 14-12, before Shelley caught fire. Her 11-0 run in the final 90 seconds of the first quarter included a mesmerizing double-crossover that sent defensive star Shyanne Sellers to the floor before Shelley drained a three. Shelley hit two more threes to end the quarter, including a 30-footer ahead of the buzzer to give the Big Red a 25-12 lead after one period.
Maryland answered early in the quarter to cut NU's lead to 32-27 before Shelley and fellow Australian Jessica Petrie teamed for three straight three-pointers in less than a minute to push Nebraska's margin back to 41-29 with 4:54 left.
A Kendall Coley three-pointer with 2:14 left in the half extended Nebraska's margin back to 13 points at 47-34, but the Terrapins closed the half with a 6-0 run in the final two minutes.
Shelley, who led NU with 17 points and four assists in the half, hit five of Nebraska's 10 first-half three-pointers, as the Huskers connected on 10-of-18 long range attempts in the half. Overall, NU knocked down 17-of-32 shots (.531) and 3-of-6 free throws. Nebraska also outrebounded the Terps 16-12 in the half. Markowski pulled down 10 first-half rebounds while adding seven points.
Maryland hung tough by hitting 59.3 percent (16-27) of its first-half shots, including 1-of-2 threes. The Huskers also sank 7-of-10 free throws. The Terps won the first-half turnover fight, 9-7.
Sellers led Maryland with 13 points and six assists in the half, while Masonius added 10 points.