Huskers Fight Past Illini

Lincoln - Britt Prince led four Huskers in double figures with 20 points, as No. 24 Nebraska built an 18-point halftime lead and held on for an 81-75 women's basketball win over Illinois on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in front of a crowd of 7,683 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, Nebraska improved to 15-5 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten, while the Fighting Illini slipped to 15-5 and 5-4 in the conference.

Prince helped the Huskers seal the win by going 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. The 5-11 sophomore point guard from Omaha, Neb., finished the game 6-for-9 from the floor and 8-for-8 at the line, while adding four rebounds and four assists to go with two steals.

Nebraska, which led 58-44 after a Prince shot on the opening possesion of the fourth quarter, hit 11-of-13 free throws in the final period as the Illini pressed and fouled often down the stretch to extend the game. Despite the efforts, Nebraska still led 81-71 with 21 seconds left before a pair of late layups by the Illini.

Logan Nissley, also was big in the fourth quarter for the Big Red, scoring eight points on her way to 15 points in the contest. The 6-0 junior guard from Bismarck, N.D., hit 5-of-7 shots from the floor, including a pair of threes on the day. She added three assists. Nissley's three-pointer with 7:48 left put the Huskers up by 15 points at 64-49.

Junior forward Jessica Petrie (Gold Coast, Australia) matched Nissley with 15 points while adding a team-high six rebounds. Sophomore forward Petra Bozan (Split, Croatia) completed the four Huskers in double figures with 11 points and four rebounds.

In one of its best first-half performances by the Big Red in Big Ten play this season, the Huskers jumped out to a 41-23 halftime lead by dominating the possession game against the Illini. Nebraska won the first-half battle of the boards, 19-15, including 6-2 on the offensive glass and won the turnover war, 11-5. NU outscored Illinois 12-4 in points off turnovers and 7-1 in second-chance points to account for 14 points of its 18-point halftime lead.

Overall, Nebraska hit 17-of-36 shots (.472), including 4-of-9 threes (.444) in the half. The Huskers held Illinois to just 9-of-24 shooting (.375), including 1-of-4 threes.

Berry Wallace was the only gun firing for the Fighting Illini, hitting 7-of-10 first-half shots, including the only three for Illinois, while going 3-for-4 at the free throw line to finish the half with 18 of the Illini's 23 points.

Nebraska countered with 10 points from Prince, seven points from Nissley and six points off the bench from Bozan, while Petrie and Eliza Maupin each pitched in four points. Petrie capped the half with a buzzer-beating shot to send the teams to the locker room. 

Callin Hake, Amiah Hargrove and Kennadi Williams all added three-pointers, as nine Huskers found the scoring column in the half.

The Illini pushed back in the third quarter behind the strong inside play of freshman Cearah Parchment. The 6-3 forward hit 5-of-7 shots from the floor in the third period to score 12 of the Illini's 21 points. 

Nebraska still took a 12-point lead to the fourth quarter thanks to a late jumper from Petrie to beat the shot clock in the closing seconds of the third period.

The Illini never got closer than six points in the final period despite 11 more points from Parchment, who finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds. Wallace finished with 22 points, but got just four points in the second half. 

Destiny Jackson added 13 points, while Maddie Webber pitched in 11 points for Illinois.

Nebraska finished 27-of-55 (.491) from the field, including 6-of-14 (.429) from three-point range, while connecting on 21-of-27 free throws (.778). The Huskers also won the turnover battle, 17-14.

Illinois closed 28-of-60 (.467) from the floor, including 4-of-11 (.364) from beyond the arc, while knocking down 15-of-19 free throws (.789). 

Nebraska outscored the Illini 21-15 at the line, despite Illinois entering the game as one of the nation's top free throw shooting teams in both scoring and percentage.

Illinois won the battle of the boards, 34-27, including 19-8 in the second half.

Nebraska completes its two-game home stand against Big Ten opponents from Illinois, when the Huskers play host to Northwestern on Wednesday. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. (CT) with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Live audio coverage will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. Live video will be available from B1G+.