Huskers Fight Past Spartans in Opener

Lincoln - Britt Prince and Amiah Hargrove nearly produced double-doubles, and Natalie Potts added a third Husker scoring in double figures, as the Nebraska women's basketball team rolled to an 81-54 win over San Jose State in the season opener at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday afternoon.

Playing in front of the second-largest opening day crowd in school history (8,274), the Huskers led by as many as 33 points on their way to their eighth consecutive season-opening win. 

Prince, a preseason Naismith Trophy and Nancy Lieberman Award candidate, electrified the crowd with a game-high 23 points that included 9-of-12 shooting through the first three quarters. The 5-11 junior knocked down 4-of-6 three-point attempts while grabbing eight rebounds and recording game highs of four assists and four steals.

Prince, who led the Big Red with 15 points and seven rebounds in 15 first-half minutes, helped the Huskers to a 37-21 halftime lead.

Hargrove contributed 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Huskers despite going just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. 

Potts, who made her first regular-season appearance since suffering an injury against North Alabama on Nov. 19, 2024, contributed 14 points, six rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block in 20 minutes. Her points came despite going just 5-of-16 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from long range.

Potts helped fuel a Husker defense that forced 32 San Jose State turnovers while posting a 44-31 edge on the glass. Potts and Hargrove combined for nine of Nebraska's 19 offensive boards against the Spartans.

Nebraska's tenacity on the defensive end and on the glass helped the Huskers dominate the possession game 74-45, but Nebraska shot just 40.5 percent (30-74) from the field and 24.1 percent (7-29) from three-point range. The Huskers also hit 14-of-20 free throws.

The Spartans answered by shooting 40 percent (18-45) from the floor, including 6-of-12 three-pointers, while hitting 12-of-15 free throws.

Spartan freshman point guard Erika Mace led San Jose State with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting including 3-of-3 three-pointers, while junior transfer Sydnie Rodriguez added 15 points and 3-of-3 threes of her own. However, the two guards also combined for 12 turnovers.

Nebraska received contributions up and down the lineup, including seven points and three rebounds apiece from freshman Ashlyn Koupal and senior Emily Fisher.

Allison Weidner added five points as a starter in her first game since suffering an injury in practice on Jan. 11, 2025.

Junior Kennadi Williams pitched in three points, three assists and three steals in her first career start, while freshmen Maddi Stewart and Ava Miles also found the scoring column in their collegiate debuts. Stewart finished with two points, three rebounds and four assists, while Miles added one point and one steal.

Prior to the game, Nebraska played host to the annual Sizemore Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which was attended by more than 4,000 students and accompanying adults from 70 schools across Nebraska. Coach Amy Williams and Huskers Natalie Potts and Logan Nissley delivered messages to the crowd of middle-grades students to open the rally.

The Huskers, who have not lost a home opener since 2018, improved to 50-3 all-time in home season openers.

Nebraska will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. (CT) against Western Illinois at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tickets are available now at Huskers.com. A live video stream will be available to B1G+ subscribers, and the game can be heard live on the Huskers Radio Network, including Huskers.com and the Husker App.