Huskers Back Home to Battle Boilermakers Sunday

NCAA NET No. 16/AP No. 20 Nebraska returns home to open a rare three-game Big Ten Conference home stand by taking on Purdue Sunday afternoon at Lincoln.

Tip-off between the Huskers (12-2, 1-2 Big Ten) and the Boilermakers (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten) at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 2 p.m. (CT) with live statewide television coverage by Nebraska Public Media. Larry Punteney and Kara Graham will be on the call for the game, which also will be streamed for B1G+ subscribers.

Free live audio from the Huskers Radio Network will be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers App, 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 1490 AM/97.3 FM/97.7 HD3 in Omaha with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call for their 25th consecutive season.

Both Nebraska and Purdue will be hungry to get back on the winning track in conference play. The Boilermakers are coming off an 83-56 home loss to No. 19 Ohio State on New Year's Eve. It followed an 83-73 loss to conference unbeaten Illinois at Mackey Arena (Dec. 28), after opening league play with a loss at top-10 Michigan (Dec. 7).

Nebraska will try to rebound from back-to-back losses to top-20 Big Ten foes after an 86-76 road loss at No. 14 Iowa on New Year's Day.

Nancy Lieberman Award candidate Britt Prince, who has been a catalyst in all areas in a balanced Big Red attack, led all players with 27 points at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Prince, who ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (19.1 ppg) ranks among the top 35 players in NCAA Division I in five categories, including field goal percentage (.609, 14th), field goals made (106, 21st), points (268, 24th), points per game (32nd) and free throw percentage (.878, 34th). She also ranks 10th in the Big Ten in assists (4.3 apg). The 5-11 sophomore point guard who was a two-time Nebraska High School Player of the Year and four-time state champion at Elkhorn North is averaging 21.7 points per game in Big Ten play.

Fellow sophomore Amiah Hargrove also has emerged as a rising star in the conference. An early contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, Hargrove is averaging 12.0 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds off the bench. The 6-2 forward is shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the free throw line but missed the game at Iowa with a minor injury sustained late in Nebraska's loss to No. 17 USC (Dec. 29). She had a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting (4-5 3FG) in Nebraska's Big Ten-opening road win at Penn State (Dec. 6).   

Junior Jessica Petrie has provided consistency and leadership at both ends in her second season as a starter. The 6-2 forward from Gold Coast, Australia, ranks second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg). Petrie, who had 17 points and a career-high three threes at Iowa, also has 14 steals in 14 games this season after getting just 12 steals over 68 games in her first two years as a Husker.

Callin Hake provides veteran leadership and the emotional heartbeat for the Big Red. The 5-8 senior guard from Victoria, Minn., leads a balanced Husker offense with 4.6 assists per game and a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks eighth in the Big Ten and 36th nationally. Hake is shooting 39.2 percent (20-51) from long range and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.

Graduate guard Hailey Weaver, who spent her first four seasons at Northwestern, started the first 13 games in the Husker lineup as the Big Red's top ball-pressuring guard ("Pirate" or "Hound"). Weaver, who did not start at Iowa, leads the Huskers with 22 steals. Logan Nissley earned her first start of the season at Iowa but was held scoreless against the Hawkeyes. The 6-0 Nissley is averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists while hitting 48.8 percent (21-43) of her threes.

Senior Eliza Maupin earned her first start as a Husker at Iowa and produced her first Nebraska double-double with 12 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds. The 6-3 senior is averaging 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds on the year and has scored in double figures in three straight games.

Maupin started in place of sophomore Petra Bozan, who earned starts in NU's first 13 games. The 6-3 Croatian is averaging 8.5 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 54.7 percent from the field.  She produced a career-high 17 points in NU's Big Ten-opening win at Penn State (Dec. 6).

Nebraska's rotation goes 10-12 deep, including significant contributions from Claire Johnson (5.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg), Kennadi Williams (3.1 ppg, 2.2 apg) and Emily Fisher. 

NET 16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-2, 1-2 Big Ten)
21 - Eliza Maupin - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 8.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 12.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 6.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 8.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - So. - G - 19.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - So. - F - 12.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg
4 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - So. - F - 8.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
5 - Claire Johnson - 5-9 - So. - G - 5.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
1 - Hailey Weaver - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg
15 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - RFr. - G - 3.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg
34 - Emily Fisher - 6-0 - Jr. - G/F - 2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
00 - Alanna Neale - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - RSo. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner [Out] - 5-10 - Gr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
10th Season at Nebraska (170-125); 19th Season Overall (363-234)

NET 68 Purdue Boilermakers (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten)
35 - Lana McCarthy - 6-4 - So. - F - 7.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg
8 - Hila Karsh - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg
23 - Kiki Smith - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 11.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
33 - Madison Layden-Zay - 6-1 - Gr. - G - 10.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg
44 - Tara Daye - 5-10 - RJr. - G - 12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Off the Bench
22 - Kendall Puryear - 6-3 - So. - F - 7.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
5 - Taylor Feldman - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 6.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
3 - Nya Smith - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
55 - Avery Gordon - 6-7 - Fr. - F - 3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
13 - Saige Stahl - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 1.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg
11 - McKenna Layden - 6-2 - Jr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
24 - Carley Barrett - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Katie Gearlds (Purdue, 2007)
Fifth Season at Purdue (69-70); 13th Season Overall (297-120)

Scouting the Purdue Boilermakers
• Fifth-year Purdue head coach Katie Gearlds leads a hungry bunch of Boilermakers in search of their first Big Ten win. Purdue went 8-3 in non-conference play but has struggled to an 0-3 conference mark following an 83-56 loss at No. 19 Ohio State on New Year's Eve in West Lafayette, Ind. Sunday's game at Nebraska will be Purdue's fourth straight conference game against a top-35 NET team.

• Gearlds brings a new-look Purdue roster to Lincoln. Only three Boilermakers (McKenna Layden, Lana McCarthy, Kendall Puryear) on the 13-player roster this season played in last year's 74-68 loss to the Huskers at Mackey Arena.

• Redshirt junior Tara Daye leads Purdue in scoring (12.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 ppg). The 5-10 transfer from St. John's is shooting 51.6 percent from the field, including 36.8 percent (7-19) from three-point range while starting every game this season. She had 10 points against OSU.

• Fellow newcomer Kiki Smith has added 11.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The 5-7 junior transfer from Arkansas has hit 33.8 percent (22-65) of her threes. The native of Topeka, Kan., began her career at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC. Daye and Smith are two of six first-year transfers to Purdue.

• A third newcomer, freshman Hila Karsh is averaging just shy of double figures at 9.9 points per game. The 5-8 guard from Rishon Lezion, Israel has added 2.4 rebounds and a team-best 2.7 assists while hitting 38.2 percent (21-55) of her threes and 91.7 percent (11-12) of her free throws.

• Purdue also has received significant contributions from newcomers Taylor Feldman (6.3 ppg), Nya Smith (4.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg), 6-foot-7 freshman Avery Gordon (3.7 ppg) and Saige Stahl (1.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg). Smith had 11 points and five rebounds in the loss to Ohio State. Feldman has missed seven games with a nagging back injury.

• Madison Layden-Zay is the most experienced Boiler. The 6-2 graduate student has started all 14 games for Purdue this season and is averaging 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and team-bests of 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals. Layden-Zay, who is shooting a scorching 40.3 percent (31-77) from long range, sat out last season. She led Purdue with 17 points and eight rebounds in the loss to Ohio State.

• Layden-Zay's younger sister, McKenna Layden had 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 37 minutes in the loss to the Huskers last season. The 6-2 junior is averaging just 1.3 points and 1.0 rebound this season. She missed much of last season with a foot injury.

• Lana McCarthy started as a freshman against the Huskers last season but was held scoreless in 15 minutes. The 6-4 sophomore has started 11 of Purdue's 14 games this season and is averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, while leading the Boilermakers with eight blocks on the year. She is shooting 60.3 percent from the field but was scoreless with three turnovers in just seven minutes as a starter against Ohio State's pressure on New Year's Eve. She was also scoreless in 15 minutes as a starter against the Huskers last season.

• Kendall Puryear has played every game and made three starts for Purdue this season. The 6-3 sophomore is averaging 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds. Puryear had five points and four rebounds off the bench last year against the Huskers. She had six points and six boards in the loss to Ohio State.

• As a team, Purdue is averaging 72.4 points per game, while shooting a solid 45.2 percent, including 34.3 percent from three-point range. The Boilers have hit 72.8 percent of their free throws and own a plus-7.7 rebound margin but a minus-0.9 turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Purdue Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Purdue, 12-10, including six consecutive victories. The Huskers worked their way to a 74-68 win at Mackey Arena (Jan. 31, 2025) in the only meeting between the schools last year, after sweeping three games from the Boilermakers in 2023-24. Britt Prince led Nebraska with 23 points, while going 9-for-9 at the free throw line and 7-of-15 from the field. The two teams combined to go 29-for-31 from the line in the game (NU: 18-19; PUR: 11-12).

• Nebraska's six-game winning streak in the series began with an 81-66 win over the Boilers in Lincoln (Jan. 30, 2022) and includes a 68-54 win over the Boilers on Jan. 31, 2024.

• Purdue's last win in the series came with an 83-72 victory in West Lafayette on Dec. 23, 2020. The last win for the Boilers in Lincoln came on Jan. 22, 2020 (76-68).

• In the first-ever meeting between the two schools in women’s basketball, Nebraska fought its way to an epic 93-89 triple-overtime win at Mackey Arena (Feb. 2, 2012). Later that same season, Purdue defeated the Huskers 74-70 in double-overtime in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.

• The third game between the schools also went overtime, a 69-66 loss for the Huskers in Lincoln on Jan. 5, 2013. None of the other 19 games in the series have gone overtime.

• After winning the series opener in 2011-12, Nebraska suffered five straight losses to Purdue. Since the 2014-15 season, Nebraska owns an 11-5 edge in the series.

Prince Named to Nancy Lieberman Watch List

• Nebraska's Britt Prince was named to the list of 20 women's college basketball players on the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 27. The Lieberman Award was the first of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Fan voting for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.

• Prince, a 5-11 sophomore from Omaha, Neb., returns for her second season at Nebraska after averaging 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a true freshman.

• Through 14 games this season, she is averaging a team-best 19.1 points per game while hitting 60.9 percent (105-174) of her shots from the field, including 20-of-41 threes (.488).

• Prince was the MVP of the Emerald Coast Classic Beach Bracket (Nov. 24-25) after leading the Huskers to a tournament title with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting in a 91-82 win over Virginia. She averaged 24.0 points and 6.5 assists in the tournament, including 18 points and a season-high seven assists in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne.

• Prince established her career high with 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting in a win over Oral Roberts (Nov. 19).

• She is coming off a 27-point performance at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1), when she also recorded five rebounds and four steals.

• She added 20 points in a Big Ten win at Penn State (Dec. 6) and led all players with 18 points and seven assists against No. 17 USC (Dec. 29).

• She opened 2025-26 with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in a win over Northwestern State (Nov. 3).

• Prince followed with 23 points, two assists and two steals in a win over Samford (Nov. 8), before getting 18 points and a season-high seven rebounds in a win over Creighton (Nov. 12).

• She had 16 points and three assists in a win over North Dakota State in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Nov. 16).

• Prince had 17 points, four rebounds and five assists in a 92-53 win over Bradley (Dec. 3).

• She had eight points, five assists and five steals in an 87-35 win over Omaha (Dec. 9), before going for 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and no turnovers in a win over Illinois State (Dec. 14).

• Prince, a two-time Gatorade and MaxPreps Nebraska High School Player of the Year at Elkhorn North, earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors while leading the Huskers to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

• In the NCAA Tournament, Prince led the Big Red with 14 points and six assists against Louisville, after powering Nebraska to two wins at the Big Ten Tournament by averaging 17.0 points and 5.3 assists over three games, including a season-high-tying 24 points against Big Ten Tournament champion and NCAA No. 1 seed UCLA.

• Prince was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21) after going for 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in a road win at Iowa (Jan. 16), when she hit a career-high five three-pointers.

Potts Earns Spot on Katrina McClain Watch List

• Nebraska's Natalie Potts was included on the list of 20 women's college basketball players named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 30. The McClain Award was the fourth of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Fan voting for the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.

• Potts, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore from O'Fallon, Mo., returns for her third season at Nebraska in 2025-26. She was the 2023-24 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 campaign. Potts was averaging team bests of 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first four games prior to her injury. She was shooting 69.4 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent (8-11) from three-point range to lead the Big Red to a No. 19 national ranking and a 4-0 start.

• In 40-minute production, Potts put up eye-popping numbers of 28.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per 40 to rank among the best players in the Big Ten through the first four games last season.

• In 2023-24, Potts led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.489), while ranking second among league freshmen in scoring (10.2 ppg) and free throw percentage (.829) in 2023-24. She started all 35 games for the 23-12 Huskers, who advanced to the Big Ten Championship Game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

• Potts, who won 8-of-15 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards during the regular season, was the most consistent freshman in the conference from start to finish. She won the inaugural weekly honor on Nov. 13, 2023, before claiming the final two freshman awards on Feb. 26 and March 4. She won at least one weekly honor during all five months of the season. Her eight weekly awards matched the total of fellow Nebraska Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski in 2022.

• Potts, who also claimed an honorable-mention All-Big Ten award from the conference media, was a unanimous choice on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the conference coaches.

• After suffering her knee injury against North Alabama (Nov. 19, 2024), Potts underwent knee surgery (Dec. 4). She continues to rehab with hopes of returning to the court mid-season.

Nebraska By The Numbers
• Petra Bozan (294) needs 6 points to reach 300 in her career.
• Eliza Maupin (488) needs 12 points to reach 500 in her career.
• Britt Prince (671) needs 29 points to reach 700 in her career
• Britt Prince (.609) ranks 14th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten in field goal percentage.
• Britt Prince (19.1 ppg) ranks 32nd nationally and 5th in the Big Ten in scoring.
• Callin Hake (2.50) ranks 36th nationally and 8th in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Nebraska (.514 FG%) ranks 6th nationally and leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage.
• Nebraska (86.9 ppg) ranks 13th nationally and 5th in the Big Ten in scoring offense.
• Nebraska (33.8 ppg) ranks 5th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten in bench scoring.
• Nebraska (19.9 apg) ranks 10th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten in assists per game.
• Nebraska (1.54) ranks 13th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Nebraska (+26.9 ppg) ranks 17th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten in scoring margin.