Huskers Back on Road to Battle No. 11 Buckeyes

Huskers Back on Road to Battle No. 11 Buckeyes
The Nebraska women's basketball team returns to Big Ten road action on Sunday when the Huskers travel to Columbus to face No. 11 Ohio State.

Tip-off between the NCAA NET 22 Huskers (16-5, 5-5 Big Ten) and the NET 19 Buckeyes (19-3, 8-2 Big Ten) at the Schottenstein Center is set for 5 p.m. (CT).

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. 

Sunday's game also will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with Ann Schatz and Lisa Bluder on the call.

Nebraska is coming off a successful two-game home stand with back-to-back Big Ten wins over Illinois (81-75, Jan. 24) and Northwestern (89-73, Jan. 28).

Four of Nebraska's five losses this season have come to AP top-25 teams at game time, including a quartet of current NET top-20 Big Ten foes (No. 2 UCLA, at No. 8 Michigan State, at No. 10 Iowa, at No. 20 USC). The fifth setback was a one-possession midweek road loss at Wisconsin (63-60, Jan. 21), a team the Buckeyes just handled at home (81-58) on Thursday night.

Britt Prince, a Nancy Lieberman Award candidate, was outstanding in the Husker home stand, including 28 points, six rebounds and six assists in Wednesday night's win over Northwestern. The 5-11 sophomore point guard out of Elkhorn North High School hit 10-of-15 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 threes and all six of her free throws against the Wildcats. Prince is arguably the most efficient guard in the country, hitting 57.5 percent (146-254) of her field goals, 50 percent (30-60) of her three-point attempts and 92.8 percent (64-69) of her free throws. She is the only starter regardless of position in the country to hit 50% FG-50% 3FG-90% FT. She also owns nearly a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (91-48, 1.9) while leading NU in steals (32). She ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.928), including 100 percent (44-44) in league games. Nebraska's leading scorer, Prince ranks ninth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.4 ppg) and 11th in assists (4.3 apg). She owns eight 20-point efforts, including a pair of 30-point games this season.

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 third on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.0 rpg), but missed the first game of her Nebraska career with illness in the win over Northwestern. Petrie has produced double figures 14 times and scored at least seven points in all 20 of her games this season. She also leads Nebraska with a career-high 21 blocks and owns a career-high 18 steals this season after getting 12 total steals her first two years. Petrie had 15 points and a team-high six rebounds in the win over Illinois, while adding a block and a steal.

Fellow junior Logan Nissley has made eight straight starts. The 6-0 guard from Bismarck, N.D., enjoyed a strong home stand by averaging 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the wins over Illinois and Northwestern. Nissley struck for 14 points while tying her season high with four three-pointers in Wednesday's win over the Wildcats. She added a season-high matching five rebounds. Nissley, who scored a season-high 15 points in the win over Illinois (Jan. 24), is also high on the efficiency scale, hitting 48.5 percent (47-97) from the field, including 48 percent (36-75) from three-point range and 85 percent (17-20) of her free throws. Nissley is averaging 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Nissley also recently joined Nebraska's career top 10 in three-pointers made (150).

Callin Hake provides veteran leadership and an emotional heartbeat for the Big Red while joining Prince, Petrie and Nissley as returning starters from a year ago. Hake, a 5-8 senior guard from Victoria, Minn., is averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 assists while hitting 39.8 percent (33-83) of her threes. Hake, who has added 30 steals, also leads the Big Red with 24 charges drawn through 21 games. She is coming off a 13-point, three-rebound, four-assist effort in the win over Northwestern.

Senior transfer Eliza Maupin rounds out Nebraska's projected starting five. The 6-3 forward from Webster Groves, Mo., is averaging 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds over 18 games with eight straight starts. She notched her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Wisconsin (Jan. 21). Maupin has scored in double figures in six of her last 10 games, including her first Husker double-double with 12 points and 11 boards at Iowa (Jan. 1).

Sophomore Amiah Hargrove is emerging as a star in the conference. A contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, Hargrove ranks second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) while leading the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg) after notching her second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds in her first start of the season against Northwestern. The 6-2 forward from Christopher, Ill., produced 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting at No. 15 Michigan State (Jan. 15) and had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting at Wisconsin (Jan. 21). Hargrove is shooting 54.6 percent from the field, including 41 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the free throw line. She has hit 58.3 percent (14-25) of her threes in league play. She opened Big Ten play with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting (4-5 3FG) at Penn State (Dec. 6). She missed the loss at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1) after suffering a mild concussion in the fourth quarter in the loss to No. 17 USC (Dec. 29). 

NET 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-5, 5-5 Big Ten)
21 - Eliza Maupin - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 8.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 7.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - So. - G - 18.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - So. - F - 12.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg
4 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - So. - F - 7.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
5 - Claire Johnson - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg
1 - Hailey Weaver - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 3.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
15 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - RFr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg
34 - Emily Fisher - 6-0 - Jr. - G/F - 1.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg
00 - Alanna Neale - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts [Out] - 6-2 - RSo. - F - Redshirt
3 - Allison Weidner [Out] - 5-10 - Gr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
10th Season at Nebraska (174-128); 19th Season Overall (367-237) 

NET 19 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-3, 8-2 Big Ten)
12 - Elsa Lemmila - 6-6 - So. - C - 8.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg
2 - Chance Gray - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 13.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
3 - Kennedy Cambridge - 5-8 - RJr. - G - 8.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
5 - Ava Watson - 5-8 - So. - G - 7.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
22 - Jaloni Cambridge - 5-7 - So. - G - 22.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Off the Bench
1 - Kylee Kitts - 6-4 - RFr. - G/F - 9.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg
4 - T'yana Todd - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 5.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg
8 - Bryn Martin - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 4.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg
7 - Dasha Biriuk - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 4.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg
14 - Ella Hobbs - 6-4 - RFr. - F - 2.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Head Coach: Kevin McGuff (St. Joseph’s, Ind., 1992)
13th Season at Ohio State (224-113); 24th Season Overall (498-215)

 

Scouting the No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes
• Coach Kevin McGuff leads the No. 11 Buckeyes into Sunday's game searching for Ohio State's 20th win of the season. McGuff has led OSU to at least 25 wins in each of the past four seasons, including the 2024 Big Ten regular-season title (26-6, 16-2 Big Ten). The Buckeyes have won at least one NCAA Tournament game each of the last four years, including a trip to the 2023 NCAA Elite Eight (28-8, 12-6 Big Ten).

• Ohio State is coming off an 81-58 pounding of Wisconsin in Columbus on Thursday night, after suffering a 91-70 setback at No. 10 Iowa on Sunday. The loss to the Hawkeyes snapped OSU's seven-game winning streak dating back to an 82-75 loss to No. 4 UCLA in Columbus (Dec. 28).

• Jaloni Cambridge leads the Buckeyes as one of the Big Ten's top scorers. The 5-7 sophomore point guard from Nashville, Tenn., is averaging 22.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.2 steals. Cambridge is coming off a 29-point performance in just 26 minutes against Wisconsin on Thursday.

• Chance Gray returns for her second season with the Buckeyes. Gray, a 5-9 senior from Cincinnati who spent her first two seasons at Oregon, is averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists while leading Ohio State with 44 three-pointers (.355) on the season.

• Kennedy Cambridge has joined her younger sister, Jaloni, and Gray in the starting lineup for all 22 games this season. One of the nation's top perimeter defenders, Kennedy Cambridge leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 87 steals (4.0 spg). A candidate for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, she is also tied for second among the Buckeyes with 17 blocked shots on the year. The 5-8 redshirt junior guard is averaging 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

• Elsa Lemmila provides the Buckeyes with size inside. The 6-6 center from Espoo, Finland, is averaging 8.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and a team-best 2.2 blocks. Lemmila also has hit a team-best 54 percent of her shots from the field, but is just a 58.3 percent free throw shooter.

• Sophomore Ava Watson has moved into the Ohio State starting five the past three games after a shoulder injury to Kylee Kitts. Watson, a 5-8 guard from Buford, Ga., is averaging 7.1 points and 2.0 rebounds on the year while hitting 38.2 percent (21-55) of her three-pointers and 90 percent of her free throws. Watson also ranks third among the Buckeyes with 47 steals, trailing only the Cambridge sisters in that category.

• Kitts, a 6-4 redshirt freshman, started OSU's first 19 games and ranked third on the team in scoring (9.3 ppg) while leading the Buckeyes in rebounding (7.1 rpg). Kitts, who attended Florida in 2024-25, was injured in OSU's 71-69 win over No. 10 TCU (Jan. 19). She is the younger sister of South Carolina All-American Chloe Kitts and was ranked as the No. 25 player nationally in the class of 2025 before reclassifying to join the Gators in 2024.

• The Buckeyes get help off the bench from Boston College transfer T'yana Todd (5.4 ppg), and 6-1 freshmen guards Bryn Martin (4.5 ppg) and Dasha Biriuk (4.2 ppg). Ella Hobbs, a 6-4 redshirt freshman forward, can also give OSU a different look by stretching the floor. She has hit 7-of-13 threes (.538) while shooting 52.5 percent overall from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line.

• As a team, Ohio State is averaging 84.3 points while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 75.1 percent at the free throw line. The Buckeyes average 12.9 steals per game and are nearly plus-10 in turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Ohio State Series History

• Ohio State leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 15-9, with NU's most recent win coming in a 63-55 victory over the No. 15 Buckeyes at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 16, 2021. Sunday's game marks the sixth consecutive meeting that Ohio State enters ranked in the top 25.

• Last season, the No. 12 Buckeyes escaped Lincoln with a 72-66 win over the Huskers (Jan. 26, 2025). The Huskers held Jaloni Cambridge scoreless, but Taylor Thierry had 23 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting and Cotie McMahon added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Alexis Markowski led Nebraska with 18 points, while Callin Hake added 12. Britt Prince managed eight points and eight rebounds to go with three assists and three steals in last year's meeting.

• In the most recent meeting in Columbus, the No. 2 Buckeyes rolled to an 80-47 win over the Huskers on Valentine's Day 2024. The Ohio State win came just three days after Nebraska knocked off No. 2 Iowa, 82-79, at Pinnacle Bank Arena, as the Huskers faced the nation's No. 2 team in back-to-back games.

• Ohio State leads the all-time series in Columbus, 8-4, and holds a 7-4 edge in Lincoln. Nebraska won the lone neutral site meeting between the teams with a 71-57 victory at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (March 3, 2012).

• Nebraska reeled off a five-game winning streak in the series from 2012 to 2014, but Ohio State answered with five straight wins from 2015 to 2017. The series dates back to a 63-54 Nebraska win in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 2, 1990. OSU won the first meeting between the teams as Big Ten foes, 82-68, in Columbus on Jan. 19, 2012.

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 21 games this season, she is averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game while hitting 57.5 percent (146-254) of her shots from the field, including 30-of-60 threes (.500).

• Prince is the only Division I starter in the country hitting 50 percent of her field goals (.575), 50 percent of her threes (.500) and 90 percent of her free throws (.928).

• She owns two 30-point performances, eight 20-point efforts and 19 double-figure scoring games this season.

• 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.

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

• Prince is coming off a 28-point, six-rebound, six-assist effort in a win over Northwestern (Jan. 28). She hit 10-of-15 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 threes and all six of her free throws.

• She produced a 27-point performance at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1), when she also recorded five rebounds and four steals, before getting a game-high 17 points to go with a team-high four rebounds in the win over Purdue (Jan. 4).

• Prince opened Big Ten play with 20 points in a win at Penn State (Dec. 6) and produced her fourth 20-point effort in conference play this season with 20 points and four assists in a win over Illinois (Jan. 24). She added 20 points and seven assists in a win over Indiana (Jan. 8).

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

• Prince led all players with 18 points and seven assists against No. 17 USC (Dec. 29).

• She 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).

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

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

• Prince also had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists at No. 15 Michigan State (Jan. 15).

• 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. She averaged 17.0 points and 5.3 assists over three Big Ten Tournament games, including a season-high-tying 24 points against tourney champion and NCAA No. 1 seed UCLA.

• Prince was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21, 2025) after going for 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in a win at Iowa (Jan. 16, 2025), when she hit a career-high five three-pointers.

Potts Announces Plan To Redshirt, Return in 2026-27

• Nebraska redshirt sophomore Natalie Potts will not return to the court in competition this season as she continues her rehabilitation from injury.

• Potts, who made the announcement on Thursday, Jan. 29, plans to return for her fourth year at Nebraska in 2026-27 with up to three years of eligibility remaining.

• “I am making slow but steady progress, and I appreciate the thoughts and encouragement of Husker fans everywhere,” Potts said. “I love my teammates and coaches and will give them my full support as we push for the postseason. I really want to be out there fighting to win with them, but I am just not in position to do that yet.”

• Potts, who was the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, suffered a knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 season against North Alabama (Nov. 19). The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., underwent surgery Dec. 4, 2024, and was eligible for a medical redshirt last season.

• She hoped to return to practice midway through the 2025-26 season, but her participation has been limited while she regains strength.  Potts has recently returned to active participation in Nebraska game-day shoot-arounds, but she will not return to competition this season.

• Potts, who earned a spot on the preseason top 20 list for the Katrina McClain Award, will be eligible to take a redshirt this season.

• “Natalie is working diligently and progressing with her rehabilitation,” Nebraska Coach Amy Williams said. “At this time, we believe that it is in the best interest of her long-term health to give her more time to continue to progress and gain confidence with her return to full participation.”

• In 2023-24, Potts was a unanimous choice to the Big Ten All-Freshman team from the conference coaches and was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection by the league media. Potts started all 35 games for a Nebraska team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after working its way to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. She averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on the season.

• Through the first four games of her sophomore season, Potts averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, before suffering her injury 10 minutes into the game with North Alabama at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

• 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.

Nebraska Excels in NCAA Stat Rankings
• Through 21 games, Nebraska ranks among the top 25 teams in 10 NCAA categories.
• FG% - .496 ranks 7th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
• FT% - .786 ranks 10th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
• Bench Scoring - 29.2 ppg ranks 11th nationally and 1st in the Big Ten.
• Assists Per Game - 18.8 ranks 11th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten.
• Assist-to-Turnover - 1.41 ranks 11th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
• Average Home Attendance - 5,584 ranks 14th nationally and 5th in the Big Ten.
• Scoring - 82.6 ppg ranks 17th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.
• 3FG% - .367 - ranks 18th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
• Scoring Margin - +18.7 ppg ranks 21st nationally and 7th in the Big Ten.
• NCAA NET - Nebraska ranks 22nd nationally and 8th in the Big Ten.

Big Red Triple Threats

• Nebraska is hitting 36.7 percent of its shots from three-point range and averaging 8.0 made threes per game with shooters up and down the lineup.

• Six Huskers are shooting better than 35 percent from long range: Britt Prince (.500), Logan Nissley (.480), Amiah Hargrove (.410), Callin Hake (.398), Hailey Weaver (.360) and Eliza Maupin (.353).

• In Big Ten play, the Huskers have knocked down 38.5 percent of their threes while averaging 7.9 makes per game.

• Hargrove (.583) leads the Huskers from beyond the arc in league play, while Prince (.517), Nissley (.468), Hake (.371) and Eliza Maupin (.364) give Nebraska five players hitting 36 percent or better from long range through 10 Big Ten contests.

Huskers Make Opponents Pay at Free Throw Line

• Nebraska is challenging the school record for best team free throw percentage in school history. Through 21 games, the Huskers are shooting 78.6 percent (294-374) from the line. In 2013-14, the Big Ten Tournament champion Huskers hit a school-record 79.6 percent (507-635) of their free throws.

• The top six Huskers in minutes played are all shooting 70 percent or better at the line, including Britt Prince (.928), Callin Hake (.870), Logan Nissley (.850), Amiah Hargrove (.813), Eliza Maupin (.792) and Jessica Petrie (.700).

• Britt Prince has been Nebraska's leader at the line. The sophomore point guard leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally by hitting 92.8 percent (64-69) of her free throw attempts. She owns a school-record (men's or women's basketball) streak of 46 consecutive makes and is a perfect 44-for-44 at the line in Big Ten play.

• Cathy Owen owns the Nebraska season free throw percentage record (.950, 57-60) with a minimum of 50 made free throws required. Former Husker point guard Rachel Theriot, an Ohio native and long-time European professional, hit 92.6 percent (63-68) of her free throws in 2014-15. Prince, Theriot and Owen currently own five of the top-six season free throw shooting percentages in Nebraska history, including Prince's 87.2 percent (68-78) as a freshman last season.

Husker Forwards Producing Career Years
• Sophomore Amiah Hargrove is proving herself as one of the Big Ten's most improved players in 2025-26. Hargrove's 245 total points are 89 more than the 156 she scored for the Huskers over 33 games as freshman in five fewer total minutes. The 6-2 forward also has more than double her total steals this season (14) compared to last season (6). She is coming off her second double-double of the year with 13 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds in her first start of the season against Northwestern (Jan. 28).

• Junior Jessica Petrie has totaled 237 points through 20 games, surpassing her previous season-best total of 210 points (2024-25) in 202 fewer minutes. Petrie's 21 blocked shots and 18 steals are also career bests, exceeding her previous career total of 12 steals through her first two seasons combined as a Husker. She had 20 blocks a year ago.

• Senior Eliza Maupin has scored 158 points for the Huskers through her 18 games this season, already surpassing her previous career-best season total of 146 points as a freshman at Kansas State (2022-23). Maupin's six three-pointers this season have far exceeded the one triple she hit in her first three seasons at K-State. Her 38 free throws made are also the most in a season during her career.

Coatney, Griesch On the Court Feature To Air Feb. 1

• The Huskers Radio Network broadcast team of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will be featured as part of the Big Ten Network's coverage of Nebraska women's basketball following Sunday's game at No. 11 Ohio State (Feb. 1, 5 p.m.).

• The feature will chronicle Nebraska women's basketball through the eyes and voices of Coatney and Griesch over the past 25 years, while highlighting great Husker players during the era.

• On the Court is scheduled to air the first time on BTN on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. (CT).