-
2017-18 SCHEDULE/RESULTSDate Opponent Time/ResultNov. 5
Minnesota State-Mankato (exh.) [BTN Plus] W, 88-55Nov. 11 SIU
Edwardsville [BTN Plus] W, 62-53Nov. 14 UMKC [BTN Plus] W,
80-60Nov. 16 Arkansas [BTN] W, 80-69Nov. 19 Creighton [BTN Plus] L,
49-64Nov. 23-24 San Juan Shootout (Daytona Beach, Fla.)Nov. 23 vs.
Buffalo [SJS] L, 72-82Nov. 24 vs. Coastal Carolina [SJS] W,
55-47Nov. 30 Clemson (B1G/ACC) [BTN Plus] L, 66-67Dec. 2 Arkansas
Pine Bluff [BTN Plus] W, 73-52Dec. 6 at Kansas [ESPN3] W, 66-49Dec.
9 at Drake [ESPN3] W, 89-84 (2OT)Dec. 17 at San Jose State
[Mountain West] W, 81-55Dec. 19 Florida Atlantic [BTN Plus] W,
86-69Dec. 22 Washington State [BTN Plus] L, 61-73Dec. 28 #12 Ohio
State^ [BTN] L, 61-73Dec. 31 at Minnesota^ [BTN Plus] W, 79-74Jan.
7 at Northwestern^ [BTN Plus] 2 p.m.Jan. 10 at Illinois^ [BTN Plus]
7 p.m.Jan. 13 Michigan^ [BTN Plus] 7 p.m.Jan. 16 Iowa^ [BTN Plus] 7
p.m.Jan. 21 at Rutgers^ [BTN Plus] 5 p.m.Jan. 24 Purdue^ [BTN Plus]
7 p.m.Jan. 28 at Iowa^ [BTN Plus] 2 p.m.Feb. 1 Illinois^ [BTN Plus]
7 p.m.Feb. 4 Maryland^ [BTN Plus] 2 p.m.Feb. 11 Wisconsin^ [BTN
Plus] (Play4Kay) 2 p.m.Feb. 14 at Michigan State^ [BTN Plus] 6
p.m.Feb. 17 at Indiana^ [BTN] 11 a.m.Feb. 22 Penn State^ [BTN]
(Senior Night) 7 p.m.Feb. 25 at Maryland^ [BTN] 11 a.m.Feb.
28-March 4 at Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis)March 12 NCAA
Tournament Selection ShowMarch 16-19 NCAA First & Second Rounds
TBAMarch 23-26 NCAA Regionals TBAMarch 30- NCAA Women’s Final Four
(Columbus, Ohio) TBAApril 1 All times listed are Central. Home
games in bold at Pinnacle Bank Arena. ^- Denotes Big Ten Conference
game. All of Nebraska’s regular-season games can be heard live on
the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN
590 AM (or CD105.9 FM) in Omaha, and free on Huskers.com. [BTN] -
Big Ten Network; [BTN Plus] - Live Video Streams at BTN.com of live
BTN and BTN Plus games
HUSKERS.COMTICKETS: 1-800-8-BIG-RED
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA COMMUNICATIONS • ONE MEMORIAL STADIUM,
P.O. BOX 880123, LINCOLN, NE, 68588-0123JEFF GRIESCH • OFFICE
(402): 472-7775 • CELL: 540-0279 • FAX: 472-2005 • E-MAIL:
[email protected] • TWITTER: @JEFFGRIESCH
FOLLOW: @HUSKERSWBB • #HUSKERS • FACEBOOK.COM/HUSKERSWBB •
HUSKERS.COM
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERSAT NORTHWESTERN WILDCATSSunday, Jan. 7, 2
p.m. (CT)Evanston Township High School (Evanston, Illinois)Live
Video: BTN PlusLive Radio: Husker Sports NetworkMatt Coatney (PBP),
Jeff Griesch (Analyst)Lincoln - B107.3 FM; Omaha - ESPN 590 AMFree
Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App/TuneIn App
NEBRASKA 2017-18 STATISTICSNo. Player Ht. Cl. Pos. G-GS PPG RPG
APG SPG BPG3 Hannah Whitish* 5-9 So. G 15-15 13.1 4.5 5.3 1.4 0.15
Nicea Eliely* 6-1 So. G 12-9 8.5 4.8 2.0 1.5 0.912 Emily Wood***
5-5 Sr. G 15-3 6.1 2.5 1.1 0.8 0.013 Janay Morton# 5-10 Sr. G 7-0
2.0 0.9 0.3 0.0 0.014 Grace Mitchell* 6-2 So. F 14-2 3.1 2.9 0.3
0.3 0.015 Bria Stallworth# 5-6 So. G 15-0 4.1 1.9 2.0 0.3 0.024
Maddie Simon** 6-2 Jr. F 11-10 11.1 6.4 2.3 1.1 0.331 Kate Cain 6-5
Fr. C 15-14 11.1 7.6 0.9 0.5 3.633 Taylor Kissinger 6-1 Fr. G/F 9-7
12.8 4.7 1.8 0.9 0.634 Jasmine Cincore*** 5-10 Sr. G 15-14 7.0 3.4
2.5 1.6 0.343 Rachel Blackburn*# 6-3 So. F 14-0 1.6 2.2 0.5 0.1
0.050 Darrien Washington** 6-2 Jr. F 15-1 1.3 2.2 0.3 0.2 0.1#
redshirted in 2016-17
HUSKERS AIM FOR BIG TEN ROAD WIN AT NORTHWESTERN • The Nebraska
women’s basketball team continues a three-game Big Ten road swing
by tangling with Northwestern on Sunday in Evanston, Ill. Tip-off
between the Huskers (10-5, 1-1 Big Ten) and the Wildcats (8-9, 1-2
Big Ten) at Evanston Township High School is set for 2 p.m. • A
live radio broadcast will be produced by the Husker Sports Network,
with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch teaming up for their 17th season
together on the call. The game will be carried live for free on
Huskers.com and over the air on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590
AM in Omaha. Free audio also can be found on the Huskers App and
the TuneIn App. • A live premium video stream will be provided to
BTN Plus subscribers. • Nebraska enjoyed the mid-week off after
working its way to an impressive 79-74 road win at Minnesota on New
Year’s Eve. The Huskers trailed by eight points late in the third
quarter and were down by one with 30 seconds left before rallying
for their fifth consecutive road win. The Big Red also handed the
Golden Gophers their first home loss of the season at Williams
Arena. • The Huskers, who have produced three more wins (10) than
last season (7), provided another example of their drastically
improved defense. Nebraska held the nation’s No. 9 scoring offense
20 points below its home scoring average (94.2 ppg), including just
33 points in the second half. That effort came just three days
after holding the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (Ohio State) 19
points below its season average. • Junior Maddie Simon played
outstanding basketball in the first week of Big Ten action. The 6-2
forward averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists while
shooting 52 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point
range and 100 percent at the free throw line. Simon hit the
go-ahead shot with 29.8 seconds left, then grabbed the next
defensive rebound, was fouled and made both free throws to seal
Nebraska’s road win at Minnesota. • Simon is part of a balanced Big
Red attack that features four players averaging in double figures,
including freshman center Kate Cain (11.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.6 bpg)
and freshman guard Taylor Kissinger (12.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg). • Cain is
a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and will set Nebraska’s
freshman season blocked shot record with her next block. She enters
the Northwestern game with 54 rejections, matching career school
record holder Janet Smith’s freshman total from 1978-79. •
Sophomore point guard Hannah Whitish leads Nebraska with 13.1
points and 5.3 assists per game.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES AT NORTHWESTERN, JAN. 7, 2018
NEBRASKA10-5 Overall1-1 Big Ten
8-9 Overall1-2 Big Ten
-
2 2017-18 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
SCOUTING THE NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS • Coach Joe McKeown brings a
new look Northwestern team into Sunday’s game with the Huskers. The
Wildcats were hit harder by graduation than any other team in the
Big Ten this season, losing four-year starters Nia Coffey, Ashley
Deary and Christen Inman, along with Lauren Douglas. • All four of
those Wildcats were 1,000-point career scorers and combined for
6,021 points, led by Coffey who was a four-time first-team All-Big
Ten choice who finished second in school history with 2,287 points.
Coffey also closed as the school’s top rebounder (1,183) and shot
blocker (229). •Deary closed her career as the Big Ten’s all-time
steals leader (429) while finishing second in school history with
788 assists. • Northwestern opened Big Ten play with a 90-63 loss
to Minnesota in Evanston (Dec. 28), before bouncing back for a
74-59 road win at in-state rival Illinois (Dec. 31). The Wildcats
suffered an 81-51 loss at Michigan State in East Lansing on
Wednesday night. • Freshman Lindsey Pulliam has stepped in
immediately to help the Wildcats. The 5-10 guard from Silver
Spring, Md., is averaging a team-high 14.5 points while adding 4.1
rebounds per contest. • Another freshman, 5-8 guard Jordan
Hamilton, has started 14 games and is averaging 6.9 points, 4.0
rebounds, a team-best 5.1 assists and a team-best 20 blocked shots.
Hamilton missed Northwestern’s final three non-conference games
with a lower body injury suffered in a loss to DePaul (Dec. 13). •
Sophomore Abi Scheid, a 6-2 forward, has stepped into a leadership
role for the Wildcats, averaging 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4
assists while playing a team-high 33.5 minutes per game. • Fellow
sophomore Bryana Hopkins (3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) has started all three
of Northwestern’s Big Ten games, while 6-2 junior forward Pallas
Kunaiyi-Akpanah has provided an outstanding athletic presence by
averaging a double-double with 10.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and a
team-best 22 steals. • Senior guard Lydia Rohde has provided
consistency and outside shooting, averaging 6.5 points per game
while hitting 39.3 percent (24-61) of her threes. Rohde missed
Northwestern’s first two Big Ten games with an upper body injury,
but returned off the bench at Michigan State. • Senior center
Oceana Hamilton (4.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) has played in all 17 games to
provide post depth, while sophomore 6-4 sophomore Abbie Wolf and
freshman guard Brooke Pikiell round out the Wildcat contributors. •
As a team, Northwestern is averaging 62.7 points per game while
shooting 43.8 percent of its shots from the field, including 36.5
percent (73-200) of its three-pointers. The Cats also have hit 72.2
percent of their free throws. They own a plus-3.0 rebound margin,
but a minus-3.5 turnover margin, while holding opponents to 63.4
points per game.
NEBRASKA VS. NORTHWESTERN SERIES HISTORY • Nebraska leads the
all-time series with Northwestern, 8-6, but the Wildcats won the
last meeting between the two teams 62-58 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in
Lincoln on Dec. 28, 2016. • Northwestern has won three consecutive
games against Nebraska in Evanston, Ill., including an 85-62 win at
Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 3, 2016. The Wildcats also produced a
59-51 win at Welsh-Ryan on Jan. 18, 2015, and a 63-59 victory on
Jan. 26, 2014. • Nebraska’s last win in Evanston came on Feb. 7,
2013, when the Huskers worked their way to a 55-50 victory over the
Cats. It is the Huskers’ lone win over Northwestern in Evanston
since joining the Big Ten. • The Huskers are 3-5 all-time against
Northwestern in Evanston, and 4-1 against the Wildcats in
Lincoln.Nebraska also owns an 88-56 win over Northwestern in the
2012 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.8 Fr.
HUSKER STARTING LINEUPS IN 2017-18 (8, 15 GAMES)Opponent Guard
Guard Guard Forward Forward ResultSIUE (Nov. 11) Whitish Kissinger
Cincore Simon Washington W, 1-0UMKC (Nov. 14) Whitish Kissinger
Cincore Simon Cain W, 1-0Arkansas (Nov. 17) Whitish Kissinger
Cincore Simon Cain W, 2-0Creighton (Nov. 19) Whitish Kissinger
Cincore Mitchell Cain L, 0-1vs. Buffalo (Nov. 23) Whitish Wood
Kissinger Cincore Cain L, 0-1vs. Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24) Whitish
Wood Kissinger Mitchell Cain W, 1-0Clemson (Nov. 30) Whitish
Kissinger Eliely Cincore Cain L, 0-1Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2)
Whitish Wood Eliely Cincore Cain W, 1-0at Kansas (Dec. 6) Whitish
Cincore Eliely Simon Cain W, 1-0at Drake (Dec. 9) Whitish Cincore
Eliely Simon Cain W, 2-0at San Jose State (Dec. 17) Whitish Cincore
Eliely Simon Cain W, 3-0Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19) Whitish Cincore
Eliely Simon Cain W, 4-0Washington State (Dec. 22) Whitish Cincore
Eliely Simon Cain L, 4-1#12 Ohio State (Dec. 28) Whitish Cincore
Eliely Simon Cain L, 4-2at Minnesota (Dec. 31) Whitish Cincore
Eliely Simon Cain W, 5-2 G1.2
YOUNG HUSKERS READY TO RISE, COMPETE ON DEFENSE • Nebraska is
putting one of the least-experienced lineups in the Big Ten on the
court this season. Senior Jasmine Cincore leads the Huskers with 49
career starts, while true sophomore Nicea Eliely’s 38 starts rank
second and Hannah Whitish’s 32 starts rank third. Those three
Huskers have combined for 119 of Nebraska’s 173 combined career
starts in Husker uniforms. Junior Maddie Simon and sophomore Rachel
Blackburn were the only other current Huskers who had ever started
a game for Nebraska prior
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS(10-5, 1-1 BIG TEN)No. Player Ht. Yr. Pos.
PPG RPG24 Maddie Simon 6-2 Jr. F 11.1 6.431 Kate Cain 6-5 Fr. C
11.1 7.63 Hannah Whitish 5-9 So. G 13.1 4.55 Nicea Eliely 6-1 So. G
8.5 4.834 Jasmine Cincore 5-10 Sr. F 7.0 3.4Off the Bench33 Taylor
Kissinger 6-1 Fr. G 12.8 4.712 Emily Wood 5-5 Sr. G 6.1 2.515 Bria
Stallworth 5-6 So. G 4.1 1.914 Grace Mitchell 6-2 So. F 3.1 2.913
Janay Morton 5-10 Sr. G 2.0 0.943 Rachel Blackburn 6-3 So. F 1.6
2.250 Darrien Washington 6-2 Jr. F 1.3 2.2Head Coach: Amy Williams
(Nebraska, 1998)Second Season at Nebraska (17-27)11th Season
Overall (210-136)
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS(8-9, 1-2 BIG TEN)No. Player Ht. Yr. Pos.
PPG RPG4 Bryana Hopkins 6-2 So. F 3.8 2.814 Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah
6-2 Jr. F 10.5 10.444 Abi Scheid 6-3 So. F/C 12.8 5.110 Lindsey
Pulliam 5-10 Fr. G 14.5 4.124 Jordan Hamilton 5-8 Fr. G 6.9 4.0Off
the Bench12 Lydia Rohde 5-10 Sr. G 6.5 1.922 Byrdy Galernik 5-8 So.
G 4.7 2.334 Oceana Hamilton 6-4 Sr. C 4.1 2.921 Abbie Wolf 6-4 So.
F/C 1.4 1.611 Brooke Pikiell 5-10 Fr. G 0.3 0.6Head Coach: Joe
McKeown (Kent State, 1979)Ninth Season at Northwestern
(157-147)32nd Season Overall (666-321)
HUSKER NUGGETS• A win for Nebraska at Northwestern would be the
Huskers’ 11th win of the season, giving the Big Red four more than
the seven victories they totaled all of last season.• A win at
Northwestern would also snap Nebraska’s three-game road losing
streak to the Wildcats in Evanston, while extending Nebraska’s
current road winning streak to six games. Nebraska’s five-game road
winning streak is its longest since winning seven straight road
games in 2012-13.• With her next block, Kate Cain will set the
Nebraska freshman blocked shot record held by Husker all-time block
leader Janet Smith (1978-79). Cain has blocked at least two shots
in 11 consecutive games and a has block in all 15 games this year.•
Kate Cain’s 3.6 blocks per game and 54 total blocks ranked No. 3
nationally through games Jan. 1. No Nebraska individual has ever
averaged 2.0 blocks per game in a career, and only two Huskers
(Danielle Page, 2.4 bpg, 2007-08; Catheryn Redmon, 2.5 bpg,
2010-11) have ever averaged 2.0 blocks per game in a single
season.• Nebraska freshman Taylor Kissinger has come off the bench
for the Huskers in their first two Big Ten games. The 6-1 guard has
averaged 8.5 points in 16.5 minutes in Big Ten play, after
averaging a team-best 14.0 points as a starter through NU’s first
seven games this season. Kissinger missed Nebraska’s final six
non-conference contests with a knee injury.• Senior Emily Wood
ranks third in the Big Ten in three-point percentage (.464). Wood,
a 5-5 guard from Salina, Kan., has hit 26-of-56 threes on the year.
A former walk-on, Wood entered the season with 24 career
three-pointers made.• Junior Maddie Simon (+7.0 ppg) is one of the
Big Ten’s most improved players in 2017-18. Simon, a 6-2 forward,
is averaging 11.1 points per game after averaging 4.1 points
through all 29 games a year ago. The last six games, Simon is
averaging 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, including 16.0
points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in Big Ten play.
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3HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
INSIDE THE ROSTER
HUSKER PRONUNCIATION GUIDEJasmine Cincore
........................................SIN-coreNicea Eliely
............................... NY-see-uh E-ly-leeTaylor Kissinger
......................................KISS-in-jurJanay Morton
........................................... juh-NAYBria Stallworth
..........................................BREE-uhDarrien Washington
................................DERRY-inHannah Whitish
.....................................WHITE-ish
HUSKER HOMESThe 12 members of the 2017-18 Husker women's
basketball team came to Nebraska from nine U.S. states.California
(1): Darrien WashingtonColorado (1): Nicea ElielyIllinois (1): Bria
StallworthKansas (3): Rachel Blackburn, Grace Mitchell, Emily
WoodMinnesota (1): Janay MortonNebraska (2): Taylor Kissinger,
Maddie SimonNew York (1): Kate CainTennessee (1): Jasmine
CincoreWisconsin (1): Hannah Whitish
HUSKERS BY CLASSSeniors (3): Jasmine Cincore, Janay Morton Emily
WoodJuniors (2): Maddie Simon, Darrien WashingtonSophomores (5):
Rachel Blackburn, Nicea Eliely, Grace Mitchell, Bria Stallworth,
Hannah WhitishFreshmen (2): Kate Cain, Taylor Kissinger
HUSKERS BY MAJORAdvertising & Public Relations: Jasmine
CincoreAnimal Science: Darrien WashingtonBiological Systems
Engineering: Nicea ElielyBusiness Administration: Rachel
BlackburnCommunication Studies: Maddie SimonManagement (MBA): Emily
Wood Marketing: Hannah WhitishNutrition Science: Grace
MitchellPsychology: Janay Morton, Bria StallworthUndeclared: Kate
Cain, Taylor Kissinger
to this season, and neither one of them made a start last
season. • Freshman Taylor Kissinger and junior Darrien Washington
earned their first career starts against SIUE (Nov. 11), while
freshman Kate Cain made her first career start against UMKC (Nov.
14). Sophomore Grace Mitchell notched her first career start
against Creighton (Nov. 19) in place of an injured Maddie Simon.
Senior Emily Wood made the first two starts of her career at the
San Juan Shootout (Nov. 23-24). • Last season, the four
least-experienced teams (Nebraska, Illinois, Rutgers, Wisconsin)
tied for 11th in the Big Ten Conference. • The Huskers are
confident they can be drastically improved on defense in 2017-18.
Last season, Nebraska ranked 14th in the Big Ten by allowing 76.3
points, including 80.4 points per game in league play. It marked
the second straight season Nebraska surrendered more than 65 points
per game. Prior to 2015-16, the Huskers had not allowed 65 points
per game since 2004-05. • In the 2017-18 season-opening win over
SIU Edwardsville, Nebraska held a Cougar team that returned five
starters to just 53 - the lowest total allowed by the Huskers since
the 2016-17 opening win over UTRGV. • Nebraska has held five foes
to 55 points or less, including 47 to Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24),
49 at Kansas (Dec. 6), 52 to Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2), 53 to
SIUE (Nov. 11) and 55 at San Jose State (Dec. 17). • Last season,
the Huskers held just two foes to 55 or less, and those came in the
first two games. • The last time Nebraska held five non-conference
opponents to 55 or less came in 2014-15. The Huskers held seven
regular-season non-conference foes to 55 or less during their Big
Ten title season in 2013-14. • The 47 points scored by Coastal
Carolina in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Nov. 24) were the fewest allowed
by the Huskers under Coach Amy Williams. • Nebraska held Kansas to
just four points in the fourth quarter in Lawrence on Dec. 6. The
Jayhawks did not get a field goal in the quarter against the
Huskers - the first time Nebraska has held an opponent without a
field goal in a quarter since the advent of the quarter system. •
Nebraska held Kansas to just 13 points in the second half, the
fewest points ever scored in a half by a Husker road opponent on
their homecourt. • The Huskers held the nation’s top-scoring team
(91.4 ppg entering the game) No. 12 Ohio State to just 73 points to
Big Ten play on Dec. 28. It was only the second time this season
that the Buckeyes failed to score at least 83 points. Last season,
Ohio State averaged 91 points in its two meetings with the Huskers.
• Nebraska held the nation’s No. 9 scoring offense to 74 points in
a win at Minnesota (Dec. 31). The Golden Gophers entered the game
averaging 94.2 points per game in seven home games at Williams
Arena, before being held 20 points below their home scoring average
by the Huskers. • Last season, Nebraska allowed 82.8 points per
game on the road. The Huskers were also minus-6.2 on the glass and
minus-5.9 in turnover margin away from Pinnacle Bank Arena.
WHITISH STARTING TO SHINE AS SOPHOMORE • Nebraska’s growth in
the backcourt this season starts with sophomore Hannah Whitish. The
5-9 guard from Barneveld, Wis., is the Big Red’s top returning
scorer after averaging 9.0 points per game a year ago. Whitish, who
started every Big Ten game for Nebraska, averaged 11.1 points in
conference play, while shooting a sizzling 41.8 percent (38-91)
from three-point range. She was also Nebraska’s top playmaker,
averaging 3.7 assists in Big Ten action. • Whitish’s play blossomed
throughout the season, as she produced double figures in each of
Nebraska’s last four games including a season-high 24-point
performance in an overtime upset of NCAA Tournament-
2017-18 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERSNo. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown (High
School/Other School) Worth Noting 3 Hannah Whitish* G 5-9 So.
Barneveld, Wis. (Barneveld) Big Ten Player of the Week (12/11);
career-high 29 pts at Drake (12/9) & KU (12/6)5 Nicea Eliely* G
6-1 So. Colorado Springs, Colo. (Rampart) Nebraska Defensive MVP in
2016-17; Started last nine games12 Emily Wood*** G 5-5 Sr. Salina,
Kan. (Salina Central) Walk-on to scholarship; 3-Year Grad; Big
Ten-best 46.4% 3FG (26-56)13 Janay Morton# G 5-10 Sr. Brooklyn
Park, Minn. (Osseo/Eastern Michigan) 2016 All-MAC Third Team; 2016
MAC All-Defensive; Missed 8 games with injury14 Grace Mitchell* F
6-2 So. Wellington, Kan. (Wellington) 2016 Kansas HS POY (USA
Today), Career-high 10 pts vs. UMKC (11/14/17) 15 Bria Stallworth#
G 5-6 So. Chicago, Ill. (Homewood-Flossmoor/UMass) 2016 A-10
Freshman Scoring, Assist Leader; 21 points, 6 assists vs. SIUE24
Maddie Simon** F 6-2 Jr. Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X) 2015 Nebraska HS
POY; 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg in Big Ten play31 Kate Cain C 6-5
Fr. Middletown, N.Y. (Pine Bush) 4-Time Big Ten Frosh of the Week;
Triple-Double vs. FAU (22 pts, 14 reb, 11 blocks)33 Taylor
Kissinger G/F 6-1 Fr. Minden, Neb. (Minden) No. 38 Player in Nation
(ESPN, 2016); 25 points, 8 rebounds vs. Arkansas34 Jasmine
Cincore*** G 5-10 Sr. Arlington, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
2-Time Tenn. 2A POY; 48 starts; 7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.5 apg,
team-best 1.6 spg43 Rachel Blackburn*# F 6-3 So. Leavenworth, Kan.
(Leavenworth) Redshirted in 2016-17 after October knee surgery;
Started first 9 games of 2015-1650 Darrien Washington** F 6-2 Jr.
Oakland, Calif. (Skyline) First career start vs. SIUE (11/11/17)*
denotes letters earned # redshirted in 2016-17 Head Coach: Amy
Williams (Nebraska, 1998), 210-136 (11th season overall) 17-27
(Second season at Nebraska) - 2015 & 2016 Summit League Coach
of the YearAssistant Coaches: Tom Goehle, Second Season (Augustana,
S.D., 1993); Chuck Love, Second Season (Northwestern Oklahoma
State, 2008); Tandem Mays, Second Season (Tulsa, 2007)Director of
Operations: Amanda Hart, Second Season (Dakota Wesleyan,
2014)Administrative Assistant/Video Coordinator: Katie Adams, Third
Season (Rutgers, 2008)Women’s Basketball Strength Coach: Stuart
Hart, First Season (Saint Leo, 1998)Women’s Basketball Athletic
Trainer: Ashley Rudolph, Second Season (Michigan State, 2010)
DEFENSIVE STANCESeason PPG Allowed2017-18 64.72016-17
76.32015-16 (WNIT) 68.12014-15 (NCAA) 60.92013-14 (NCAA)
63.42012-13 (NCAA) 59.02011-12 (NCAA) 61.82010-11 64.72009-10
(NCAA) 58.32008-09 (WNIT) 61.72007-08 (NCAA) 63.22006-07 (NCAA)
62.62005-06 (WNIT) 62.92004-05 (WNIT) 65.42003-04 (WNIT)
63.92002-03 63.92001-02 68.92000-01 68.8
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4 2017-18 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
AMY WILLIAMS(NEBRASKA, 1998)(17-27, Second Season at
Nebraska)(210-136, 11th Season Overall)Summit League Coach of the
Year (2015, 2016)WNIT Championship Team (2016)
NAIASeason School Won Lost Pct.2007-08 Rogers State 13 18
.4192008-09 Rogers State 18 14 .5632009-10 Rogers State 21 11
.6562010-11 Rogers State 23 10 .6972011-12 Rogers State 22 12
.647Totals 5 seasons 97 65 .599
NCAA Division I2012-13 South Dakota 19 16 .5432013-14 South
Dakota 19 14 .5762014-15 South Dakota 26 8 .7652015-16 South Dakota
32 6 .8422016-17 Nebraska 7 22 .2412017-18 Nebraska 10 5 .667Div. I
Totals Sixth season 113 71 .614Overall 11th season 210 136 .607
WILLIAMS IN POSTSEASONYear (Tournament) Results 2016 (WNIT)
Champion2015 (WNIT) Second Round2014 (NCAA) First Round2013 (WBI)
Semifinals2012 (NAIA) Elite Eight2011 (NAIA) First Round
NOTING COACH WILLIAMSlSummit League Regular-Season Champions
(South Dakota, 2015, 2016)lNCAA Tournament (South Dakota,
2014)lSummit League Tournament Champions (2014)lFour Summit League
Championship Game AppearanceslAssistant Coach, Tulsa
(2006-07)lAssistant Coach, Oklahoma State (2002-05)lAssistant
Coach, Texas-San Antonio (2001)lGraduate Assistant,
Nebraska-Kearney (1999-2000)lFour-Year Letterwinner Nebraska
(1995-98)
bound Michigan State on Feb. 26, 2017. Whitish knocked down
5-of-8 three-pointers against the Spartans while adding five
rebounds and five assists in 44 minutes of work. • Over the last
seven games, Whitish is averaging 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7
assists and 1.4 steals. • She has scored in double figures in six
of the last seven games and eight times overall this season. • For
the season, Whitish is averaging 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and a
team-best 5.3 assists while ranking second on the team with 21
steals on the year. • Whitish is the only Husker to start all 15
games this season. • The Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 11),
Whitish averaged 29.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5
steals to lead Nebraska to a pair of road wins at Kansas (Dec. 6)
and Drake (Dec. 9). • She erupted for a career-high 29 points,
including 25 in the second half, to carry Nebraska offensively in a
road win at Kansas (Dec. 6). Whitish outscored the previously
unbeaten Jayhawks 25-13 after halftime to help the Huskers rally
from a 13-point late-second-quarter deficit to a 17-point victory.
• Whitish matched her career high with 29 points in the next game
at Drake (Dec. 9) to lead Nebraska to an 89-85 double-overtime
victory. She added six rebounds, six assists, two steals and her
first block of the season against the Bulldogs. • She has scored in
double figures in four straight games, including 14 points with
five assists in the win at Minnesota (Dec. 31) and 12 points with
five rebounds and four assists against No. 12 Ohio State (Dec. 28).
• Whitish was solid against Washington State (Dec. 22) with 18
points, six assists (no turnovers) and three steals. • She had an
outstanding game with 17 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a
steal in a win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19). • She tied her
career high with three steals in three straight games (Clemson,
UAPB, Kansas). She added three more steals against Washington State
(Dec. 22) • Whitish tied her career high with five three-pointers
at Drake (Dec. 9). • She scored 15 points on three threes against
Buffalo (Nov. 23). • Whitish scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting
against Creighton (Nov. 19). • She tied a career high with nine
assists while adding eight points and five rebounds in a win over
UMKC (Nov. 14). • Whitish owns a team-best 21 career double-figure
scoring efforts, including eight this season. She has produced a
trio of 20-point performances in her career, including two this
season.
ELIELY PLAYING WELL SINCE RETURN FROM INJURY • Sophomore Nicea
Eliely joins Hannah Whitish as a returning starter in the
backcourt. Eliely, a 6-1 wing from Colorado Springs, Colo., started
all 29 games for the Huskers as a true freshman, averaging 7.7
points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a team-leading 1.6 steals per
game. • Eliely was Nebraska’s top defender throughout her freshman
season, and with a year of experience under her belt, the Huskers
expect to see even better defensive play from the long, athletic
wing. • She added strength during the offseason and also improved
her skill level at the offensive end to give herself more options
in not only scoring but also creating opportunities for her
teammates. • However, Eliely suffered a foot/ankle injury in
mid-October that sidelined her late in preseason. She has made a
full recovery after missing the first three games this season and
being limited in her first three games back. • Eliely has played in
12 consecutive games, including nine straight starts. • As a
starter, Eliely is averaging 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
and 1.6 steals. She is shooting 47.1 percent (33-70) from the field
and 41.2 percent (7-17) from three-point range as a starter. • In
Big Ten play, Eliely is averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and a
team-best 2.0 steals • For the season, Eliely is averaging 8.5
points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals. • Eliely had her
12th career double-figure scoring effort and fourth in the last
eight games with a season-high 14 points to go along with six
rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in a win at
Minnesota (Dec. 31). She sealed the victory with Nebraska’s last
two points at the free throw line in the final seconds.
Nebraska’s 2017-18 Coaching Staff (from left): Assistant Coach
Tom Goehle, Head Coach Amy Williams, Assistant Coach Chuck Love and
Assistant Coach Tandem Mays.
(#3) Hannah Whitish, 5-9, So., Point Guard
(#5) Nicea Eliely, 6-1, So., Guard/Forward
-
5HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
• She had 10 points, a career-high-matching nine rebounds, three
assists and a block in a win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19). • It
followed 13 points, five rebounds, a block and two steals in a win
at San Jose State (Dec. 17). • Eliely also scored 13 points against
Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2). • She played a strong all-around game
in a win at Drake (Dec. 9), producing eight points, four rebounds,
four assists, three steals and two blocks. Eliely would have
finished in double figures with 10 points, but her game-winner at
the buzzer was wiped off after an official review of a tipped
inbounds pass. Eliely’s shot from the middle of the lane was good
well before time expired. • Eliely managed seven points and three
assists in a win at Kansas (Dec. 6). • She had nine points, three
rebounds, an assist and a steal against Clemson (Nov. 30). • She
saw her first action this season against Creighton (Nov. 19),
contributing four points, five rebounds, a career-high three blocks
and a steal in 15 minutes. She completed a full practice on Nov. 18
and the pregame shoot-around Nov. 19, after missing four weeks of
court time.
SIMON RUNNING FULL SPEED TO FORWARD • With depth and experience
creating a positive for the Nebraska backcourt, Maddie Simon has
changed her focus to the power forward position. • The 6-2 junior
out of Lincoln Pius X High School has been a significant
contributor in the Nebraska backcourt the past two seasons,
including a starting role down the stretch in the regular season as
a freshman in 2015-16. • Through two seasons, she averaged 4.5
points and 1.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game. She made five
starts for the Huskers as a freshman, before coming off the bench
in all 29 games a year ago. • With the loss of Nebraska’s starting
frontcourt, and inexperience and injuries challenging the inside
game, Simon has run into a more prominent role. • Through 11 games
with 10 starts at power forward, Simon is showing that she is one
of the most improved players in the Big Ten this season by
averaging 11.1 points and 6.4 rebounds. She has added 2.3 assists
and 1.1 steals per game. The Huskers are 9-2 in games that Simon
has played this season with their only losses to No. 12 Ohio State
and Washington State. • Statistically, Simon is one of the Big
Ten’s most improved performers from a year ago, increasing her
scoring average (+7.0 ppg) and rebounding average (+4.1 rpg) by
nearly triple. In just 11 games, she has more total points
(122-118), rebounds (70-67) and assists (25-24) than she had in 29
games a year ago, while her 12 steals are just one shy of her
career total (13) in 50 games prior to this season. • Simon has
produced double figures seven times this season, including six
times in the past eight games. She entered the season with five
career double-figure scoring efforts in 50 games. • In Big Ten
play, Simon leads the Huskers with 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5
assists and 1.5 steals per game. She is shooting 52 percent from
the field, including 40 percent from three-point range, and 100
percent at the free throw line in conference play. • She is coming
off the best game of her career with 18 points, eight rebounds, a
career-high five assists and a career-high-tying three steals in a
win at Minnesota (Dec. 31). Simon scored 16 of her team-high 18
points in the second half, including the go-ahead shot in the lane
with 29.8 seconds left, before grabbing a defensive rebound,
getting fouled and making two free throws with 12.9 seconds left to
help seal a 79-74 win in which Nebraska trailed by eight points
late in the third quarter on the road. • She opened Big Ten play
with a team-high 14 points to go along with six rebounds and four
assists against No. 12 Ohio State (Dec. 31). • Simon scored a
career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting at San Jose State (Dec.
17). Her 20 points at San Jose State came in just 24 minutes. • Her
effort at San Jose State followed a then-career-high 17 points to
go along with six boards, four assists and two steals in a win at
Drake (Dec. 9). She added 13 points against Florida Atlantic (Dec.
19). • The Big Red opened the season 3-0 with Simon in the starting
lineup. She averaged 6.7 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds
through three games. She had 11 points and eight rebounds in a win
over UMKC (Nov. 14), before managing five points and a career-high
12 rebounds in a win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). • She suffered an
ankle sprain in pregame warmups prior to Nebraska’s game with
Creighton (Nov. 19) and did not play against the Bluejays. Simon
missed four straight games with the injury. • The 2015 Nebraska
High School Player of the Year, Simon was a two-time first-team
Super-State selection while leading Lincoln Pius X to the 2015
Class B state championship. She was the No. 149 player in the
nation according to Blue Star and the No. 22 guard by ESPN in 2015.
A tremendous all-around athlete, Simon won the Class A 100- and
300-meter hurdles championships at the 2015 Nebraska State Track
& Field Championships. • Her mother, Nicole Ali Simon, was a
CoSIDA Academic All-American as a member of Coach Gary Pepin’s
national champion Huskers in 1983 and 1984.
NEBRASKA 2017-18 QUICK FACTS
Institution .......................... University of Nebraska
Location ............................................. Lincoln,
Neb.Population .................................................
268,738Enrollment
.................................................. 26,091Founded
.........................................................
1869Nickname .............................Cornhuskers,
HuskersColors ........................................ Scarlet and
CreamHome Arena .......................... Pinnacle Bank
ArenaCapacity.......................................................
15,000Conference
..................................................Big TenAthletic
Director ...................................... Bill Moos2017-18
Overall Record .................................. 10-5 Home Record
................................................ 5-4 Away Record
................................................. 4-0 Neutral
Record .............................................. 1-1 Big Ten
Record ............................................... 1-12016-17
Overall Record .................................. 7-222016-17 Big
Ten Record ....................... 3-13/T11thHead Coach
...................................... Amy Williams Alma Mater/Year
........................Nebraska/1998 Record at Nebraska ........
17-27 (Second season) Career Record ................ 210-136 (11th
season) NCAA Div. I Record ......... 113-71 (Sixth
seasons)Williams’ Nebraska Home Record ................. 12-13 Big
Ten Conference Record ......................... 4-14 Big Ten Home
Record .................................... 3-6 Big Ten Road
Record...................................... 1-8 Big Ten Tournament
Record .......................... 0-1Assistant Coaches:
.............................. Tom Goehle
..................................................... Chuck Love
................................................. Tandem
MaysDirector of Operations ......................Amanda HartVideo
Coordinator ............................. Katie AdamsStrength Coach
..................................... Stuart HartAthletic Trainer
............................. Ashley RudolphBasketball Office Phone
.................(402) 472-6462Basketball Office Fax
......................(402) 472-0849Women’s Basketball Contact
...............Jeff GrieschCommunications Office Phone ......(402)
472-2263Griesch’s Direct Line ......................(402)
472-7775Griesch’s Cell Phone .......................(402)
540-0279Griesch’s E-mail ..................
[email protected] Fax ......................(402)
472-2005Best Way to Contact Williams .....Through GrieschStarters
Returning/Lost ....................................3/2Letterwinners
Returning/Lost ..........................8/4Newcomers
..........................................................
2Returning Starters (3, 2016-17 Stats) ................... Hannah
Whitish, So., G (9.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.9 apg) Nicea Eliely, So., G
(7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg) Jasmine Cincore, Sr., G (6.7 ppg, 3.4
rpg, 2.1 apg)Other Returning Letterwinners (6, 2016-17 Stats)
Maddie Simon, Jr., G (4.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg) Darrien Washington, Jr., F
(2.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg) Emily Wood, Sr., G (2.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg) Grace
Mitchell, So., F (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg) Rachel Blackburn, So., F
(Redshirt in 2016-17) Starters Lost (2, 2016-17 Stats)
........................... Jessica Shepard, F (18.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg)
Allie Havers, C (6.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg)Others Lost (2, 2016-17 Stats)
.............................. Rylie Cascio Jensen, G (2.3 ppg, 0.8
rpg) Esther Ramacieri, G (2.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg) 2017-18 Newcomers (4)
....................................... Kate Cain, 6-5, Fr., C
.............................. Taylor, Kissinger, 6-1 Fr., G
............................ #Janay Morton, 5-10, Sr., G
........................... #Bria Stallworth, 5-6, So., G
............ # redshirted as transfers in 2016-17
(#24) Maddie Simon, 6-2, Jr., Forward
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6 2017-18 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
FRESHMAN CAIN ABLE FROM BLOCK-TO-BLOCK • The newest addition to
Nebraska’s post game is freshman Kate Cain. The 6-5 center from
Middletown, N.Y., decided to join the Huskers on June 23, 2017,
after originally signing her National Letter of Intent with
Delaware. • After a coaching change at Delaware, Cain reopened her
recruitment and the No. 82 player in the nation, according to ESPN,
landed in Lincoln. She is trying to become just the second Husker
women’s basketball letterwinner from the state of New York, joining
Monet Williams (Brooklyn, 1997-98, 1998-99). • Cain, whose parents
were both outstanding Division I players on the East Coast, has
brought an immediate defensive presence to the Huskers while also
providing scoring and rebounding on the block. • Cain owns four Big
Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards (Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec.
26). • She erupted for career highs of 22 points, 14 rebounds and a
school-record shattering 11 blocked shots in the win over the Owls.
Cain also set her career high with three assists in a spectacular
performance at both ends of the court. • Cain’s triple-double was
the first points-rebounds-blocks triple-double in school history
and just the third overall triple-double in the Nebraska record
book joining Lindsey Moore’s 12 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists
against Florida A&M (Jan. 2, 2011) and Natalie Romeo’s 12
points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists against Northwestern (Feb. 29,
2016). • Cain’s triple-double was just the second
points-rebounds-blocks triple-double in NCAA Division I so far this
season, joining William & Mary’s Abby Rendle’s 25 points, 17
rebounds and 10 blocks against East Carolina (Nov. 21). Rendle
leads the nation with 5.3 blocks per game. • Cain opened Big Ten
play with 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks an assist and a
steal going head-to-head against Ohio State senior Stephanie
Mavunga. Cain limited Mavunga to eight points on 4-of-11 shooting.
• Cain managed eight points, six rebounds and two blocks in a win
at Minnesota (Dec. 31), while holding Minnesota senior starting
center Jessie Edwards to one point in 28 minutes. • Cain is
Nebraska’s No. 3 scorer (11.1 ppg) and top rebounder (7.6 rpg) and
shot-blocker (3.6 bpg). The last Husker to average 1.0 block per
game in a season was Catheryn Redmon (2.5 bpg) in 2010-11. •
Through games Jan. 1, Cain ranked No. 3 nationally in blocks per
game (3.6) and total blocks (54). • Cain is tied with Purdue’s
Ae’Rianna Harris for the Big Ten lead in blocks with 54. Harris has
played one more game than Cain. • Cain’s 54 blocked shots through
15 games are tied for the top total by a freshman in Nebraska
history with school career record-holder Janet Smith with 54 blocks
in 34 games in 1978-79. • Cain, who set the Nebraska record with 11
blocks against Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19) smashed Olympic bronze
medalist Danielle Page’s previous school record of nine set against
Baylor on Feb. 3, 2007. • Cain became just the sixth player in Big
Ten Conference history to record 11 or more blocks and just the
10th Big Ten player to notch double-digit blocks in a single game.
• Cain, who previously tied the Nebraska freshman record with six
blocks against Clemson (Nov. 30), has 10 games with three or more
blocks this season, including two games with six or more rejections
in her first 15 contests. In the previous 1,310 games over 43
seasons of Husker history, Nebraska players had produced six or
more blocks only 10 times, including three by Danielle Page and
three by Catheryn Redmon. • Cain has blocked at least one shot in
all 15 games and has multiple blocks in 14 of 15 contests. •
Offensively, Cain is shooting a team-best 58.0 percent from the
field and has shot 50 percent or better in 13 of 15 games this
season. • Cain owns four double-doubles, including 19 points and 14
rebounds in a double-overtime win at Drake (Dec. 9). She had four
blocks and a steal against the Bulldogs. • She had another
double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Arkansas
Pine Bluff (Dec. 2). She added three blocked shots against the Lady
Lions. • Cain notched her first career double-double with 12
points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas
(Nov. 16). She also had two assists against the Razorbacks. • She
owns nine double-figure scoring efforts, four double-figure
rebounding games and one double-digit block game in the first 15
games of her career. • Cain has produced four or more blocks six
times, including Arkansas (4, Nov. 16), Coastal Carolina (4, Nov.
24), Clemson (6, Nov. 30), Kansas (5, Dec. 6), Drake (4, Dec. 9)
and Florida Atlantic (11, Dec. 19). • In her regular-season debut,
Cain erupted for 18 points and game highs of nine rebounds and
three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the bench in a win over SIUE
(Nov. 11). • She made her first career start in Nebraska’s win over
UMKC (Nov. 14), producing eight points, two rebounds, two blocks
and an assist. Cain has made 12 straight starts for the
Huskers.
HUSKER CAREER HIGHSSCORINGPlayer (Game, Date) PointsJanay Morton
(EMU vs. CMU, 3/7/15; EMU vs. Buffalo, 1/18/14) 34Hannah Whitish
(at Drake, 12/9/17; at Kansas, 12/6/17) 29Taylor Kissinger (vs.
Arkansas, 11/16/17) 25Bria Stallworth (UMass vs. Dayton, 2/17/16)
24Kate Cain (vs. Florida Atlantic, 12/19/17) 22Maddie Simon (at San
Jose State, 12/17/17) 20Nicea Eliely (vs. California, 12/4/16)
19Emily Wood (vs. Washington State, 12/22/17) 19Jasmine Cincore (at
Michigan State, 1/7/17) 17Rachel Blackburn (vs. Evansville,
12/8/15) 14Grace Mitchell (vs. UMKC, 11/14/17) 10Darrien Washington
(vs. San Jose State, 12/9/16) 7
REBOUNDINGPlayer (Game, Date) ReboundsKate Cain (vs. FAU,
12/19/17; at Drake, 12/9/17) 14Maddie Simon (vs. Arkansas,
11/16/17) 12Rachel Blackburn (vs. NC State, 12/3/15) 11Jasmine
Cincore (at Iowa, 12/31/16) 11Nicea Eliely (Three Times, vs. FAU,
12/19/17) 9Janay Morton (EMU, Three Times, Toledo, 1/23/16) 9Taylor
Kissinger (vs. Arkansas, 11/16/17) 8Hannah Whitish (vs. Minnesota,
2/4/17) 8Emily Wood (at San Jose State, 12/17/17) 8Grace Mitchell
(vs. Arkansas, 11/16/17) 6Darrien Washington (Three Times, at Iowa,
12/31/16) 6Bria Stallworth (UMass vs. La Salle, 2/10/16) 6
ASSISTSPlayer (Game, Date) AssistsBria Stallworth (UMass vs.
Rhode Island, 1/27/16) 11Janay Morton (EMU vs. Akron, 3/12/15)
10Hannah Whitish (vs. UMKC, 11/14/17; vs. Illinois, 2/4/17)
9Jasmine Cincore (Three Times, vs. Minnesota, 2/4/17) 6Nicea Eliely
(Four Times, vs. Illinois, 3/1/17) 6Maddie Simon (at Minnesota,
12/31/17) 5Emily Wood (vs. Evansville, 12/8/15) 5Taylor Kissinger
(vs. Arkansas, 11/16/17) 4Rachel Blackburn (Three Times, vs.
Evansville, 12/8/15) 3Kate Cain (vs. Florida Atlantic, 12/19/17)
3Grace Mitchell (vs. CCU,, 11/24/17; at Mich. St., 1/7/17) 2Darrien
Washington (vs. Ohio State, 12/28/17) 2
STEALSPlayer (Game, Date) StealsJanay Morton (EMU vs. UTRGV,
11/21/15) 7Bria Stallworth (UMass vs. Boston U., 12/19/15) 5Jasmine
Cincore (Five Times, vs. UMKC, 11/14/17) 4Nicea Eliely (vs.
Michigan, 1/22/17; vs. Omaha, 11/22/16) 4Taylor Kissinger (vs.
Buffalo, 11/23/17) 3Maddie Simon (at Minnesota, 12/31/17; vs.
Virginia, 11/26/16) 3Hannah Whitish (Five Times, vs. Washington
State, 12/22/17) 3Emily Wood (vs. UAPB, 12/2/17; vs. Creighton,
11/19/17) 3Rachel Blackburn (vs. Mich. St., 2/14/16; vs. NC
Central, 11/21/15) 2Kate Cain (vs. Washington State, 12/22/17)
2Grace Mitchell (at Illinois, 1/15/17; vs. Drake, 12/6/16) 2Darrien
Washington (at Michigan State, 1/7/17) 2
BLOCKED SHOTSPlayer (Game, Date) BlocksKate Cain (vs. Florida
Atlantic, 12/19/17) - school record 11Jasmine Cincore (vs. Drake,
12/6/16) 4Rachel Blackburn (at Purdue, 1/20/16) 3Nicea Eliely (vs.
Creighton, 11/19/17) 3Taylor Kissinger (vs. Creighton, 11/19/17)
2Maddie Simon (vs. UConn, 12/21/16) 2Emily Wood (vs. Indiana,
2/24/16) 2Janay Morton (EMU, Four Times, Western Michigan, 3/2/16)
2Grace Mitchell (vs. Maryland, 1/4/17; vs. Missouri, 11/14/16)
1Darrien Washington (Six Times, Washington State, 12/22/17) 1Hannah
Whitish (Five Times, at Drake, 12/9/17) 1Bria Stallworth (UMass,
Twice, vs. Hartford, 12/22/15) 1
MINUTES PLAYEDPlayer (Game, Date) MinutesHannah Whitish (vs.
Michigan State, 2/26/17) 44Bria Stallworth (UMass vs. Fordham,
3/3/16) 42Jasmine Cincore (at Drake, 12/9/17) 41 Janay Morton (EMU
vs. Western Michigan, 2/6/16) 39 Nicea Eliely (vs. Illinois,
3/1/17) 37Maddie Simon (at Drake, 12/9/17) 34Kate Cain (at Drake,
12/9/17) 34 Taylor Kissinger (vs. Creighton, 11/19/17) 32Rachel
Blackburn (vs. NC State, 12/3/15) 30Emily Wood (vs. UAPB, 12/2/17)
29Grace Mitchell (at Illinois, 1/15/17) 22Darrien Washington (vs.
UTRGV, 11/12/16) 20
THREE-POINTERS MADEPlayer (Game, Date) 3FG MadeJanay Morton (EMU
vs. Buffalo, 1/18/14) 7Taylor Kissinger (vs. Coastal Carolina,
11/24/17) 5Hannah Whitish (at Drake, 12/9/17; vs. Michigan St.,
2/26/17) 5Bria Stallowrth (UMass vs. Dayton, 2/17/16) 5Emily Wood
(vs. Washington State, 12/22/17) 5Nicea Eliely (vs. Illinois,
3/1/17) 4Jasmine Cincore (vs. Illinois, 3/1/17) 3Maddie Simon (at
Ohio St., 1/29/17; vs. N’western, 2/28/16) 3 Grace Mitchell (Five
Times, vs. UAPB, 12/2/17) 1
(#31) Kate Cain, 6-5, Fr., Center
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7HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
KISSINGER RETURNING TO SPEED AFTER SIX-GAME ABSENCE • A newcomer
to the Nebraska backcourt in 2017-18, true freshman Taylor
Kissinger was one of the top three-point shooters in the nation
coming out of high school and was ranked among the nation’s top 50
overall players. • The four-time all-state selection for the
Whippets had both her junior and senior seasons of high school cut
short by hand/arm injuries. • The 6-1 guard from Minden, Neb., had
an excellent summer and progressed quickly in Nebraska’s program,
gaining strength and making an impact in practice. • Kissinger
joined Hannah Whitish as the only two Huskers to start each the
first seven games this season, Kissinger did not play in wins over
Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2), at Kansas (Dec. 6), at Drake (Dec.
9), at San Jose State (Dec. 17) or over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19)
after suffering a minor knee injury late in the game against
Clemson (Nov. 30). She also missed a loss to Washington State (Dec.
22). • She returned to action after a six-game absence by scoring
eight points off the bench in Nebraska’s Big Ten opener with No. 12
Ohio State (Dec. 28). • Kissinger followed with nine points, six
rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s
win at Minnesota (Dec. 31). • Nebraska’s leading scorer through the
first seven games as a starter (14.0 ppg), Kissinger ranks second
on the team with 12.8 points per game. She averaged a team-best 3.0
made threes through the first seven games. • Kissinger needs nine
more threes to produce one of the top-five season totals (33) by a
freshman in school history. • She produced the best performance of
her young career with a game-high 25 points to lead Nebraska to an
80-69 win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). Kissinger hit 9-of-15 shots from
the floor, including 4-of-7 threes, and 3-of-4 free throws against
the Razorbacks. She added career highs with eight rebounds and four
assists against the Hogs to go along with a steal. • She set a
career high with five threes, scoring 15 points in a win over
Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24). • Kissinger led Nebraska with 17 points
to go along with six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal
against Clemson (Nov. 30). • She averaged 14.0 points and 5.0
rebounds in two games at the San Juan Shootout in Daytona Beach,
Fla., Nov. 23-24. She also established a career high with three
steals against Buffalo (Nov. 23). • Kissinger pumped in 18 points
and four three-pointers in Nebraska’s win over UMKC (Nov. 14). •
She managed five points, three rebounds, three assists, a
career-high two blocks, and an assist in a career-high 32 minutes
going head-to-head against her older sister, Brooke, in Nebraska’s
game with Creighton (Nov. 19). • Kissinger opened her career as a
starter and managed five points and three rebounds despite battling
foul trouble in a win over SIUE (Nov. 11). She scored Nebraska’s
first three points of the season. • Kissinger’s older twin sisters
are both Division I guards, with Brooke in her second season at
Creighton after spending her first two seasons at Illinois, and
Jamie in her fourth season at San Diego.
CINCORE STEPPING UP AS SENIOR • Senior Jasmine Cincore has
played solid basketball through the first 15 games of 2017-18,
averaging 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a team-best 1.6
steals per game. • Cincore, who has five double-figure scoring
efforts this season, produced one of her top efforts with 10
points, four rebounds and four assists in a win over Florida
Atlantic (Dec. 19). • She added 11 points and three rebounds in
Nebraska’s win at Minnesota (Dec. 31). • The 5-10 guard from
Arlington, Tenn., enjoyed one of the best performances of her
career with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals
and a block in a win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). • She had another big
game with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in
Nebraska’s win at Drake (Dec. 9). • Cincore had a strong all-around
game with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals
against Buffalo (Nov. 23). • She had five points, four assists and
two steals while being a disruptive force in the fourth quarter in
a win at Kansas (Dec. 6). Cincore helped the Huskers hold KU
without a field goal in the final period. • Cincore owns a
team-leading 49 career starts as a Husker. She leads NU with 24
steals this season.
HUSKERS BY THE NUMBERSNU leads after 1st quarter 8-0NU trails
after 1st quarter 2-5NU tied after 1st quarter 0-0NU leads at the
half 6-0NU trails at the half 4-5NU is tied at the half 0-0NU leads
after 3rd quarter 8-1NU trails after 3rd quarter 2-4NU tied after
3rd quarter 0-0NU in overtime 1-0
NU attempts more FG than opponent 4-1NU attempts fewer FG than
opponent 6-4NU attempts same number of FG as opponent 0-0
NU makes more FG than opponent 10-1 NU makes fewer FG than
opponent 0-3NU makes same number of FG as opponent 0-1
NU has better FG Pct. than opponent 10-1NU has worse FG Pct.
than opponent 0-4
NU shoots 50 percent or better from field 3-0NU shoots less than
50 percent from field 7-5
NU shoots 40 percent or better from field 7-2NU shoots less than
40 percent from field 3-3
NU shoots more FT than opponent 2-2NU shoots fewer FT than
opponent 8-2NU shoots same number of FT as opponent 0-1
NU makes more FT than opponent 2-2NU makes fewer FT than
opponent 8-3NU makes same number of FT as opponent 0-0
NU has more total rebounds than opponent 8-3NU has fewer total
rebounds than opponent 2-2NU has same number of total rebounds as
opp. 0-0
NU has more offensive rebounds than opponent 6-3NU has fewer
offensive rebounds than opponent 4-2NU has same number of off. rbs.
as opponent 0-0
NU has more assists than opponent 10-4NU has fewer assists than
opponent 0-1NU has same number of assists as opponent 0-0
NU has more turnovers than opponent 6-4NU has fewer turnovers
than opponent 4-1NU has same number of turnovers as opponent
0-0
NU has more steals than opponent 5-2NU has fewer steals than
opponent 4-2NU has same number of steals as opponent 1-1NU has more
blocked shots than opponent 6-5NU has fewer blocked shots than
opponent 3-0NU has same number of blocks as opponent 1-0NU commits
more fouls than opponent 5-2NU commits fewer fouls than opponent
5-2NU commits same number of fouls as opponent 0-1Games are decided
by 20 or more points 3-0Games are decided by 10 or more points
4-4Games are decided by 9 or fewer points 4-1Games are decided by 5
or fewer points 2-1Games are decided by 3 or fewer points
0-1Overtime Games 1-0Playing on Monday 0-0Playing on Tuesday
2-0Playing on Wednesday 1-0Playing on Thursday 1-3Playing on Friday
1-1Playing on Saturday 3-0Playing on Sunday 2-1Playing in November
4-3Playing in December 6-2Playing in January 0-0Playing in February
0-0Playing in March 0-0
(#33) Taylor Kissinger, 6-1, Fr., Guard
(#34) Jasmine Cincore, 5-10, Sr., Guard
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8 2017-18 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
• Cincore scored eight points and tied a career high with four
steals in Nebraska’s win over UMKC (Nov. 14). She added three
assists against the Roos. • Cincore started every game a year ago
and averaged 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. A solid
defender, she ranked second on the squad with 31 total steals. •
Nebraska’s 2016-17 Women’s Basketball Lifter of the Year, Cincore
has the strength to guard larger players inside and could be used
in a small forward/power forward role this season, even though she
has experience playing point guard in her career. She also claimed
Nebraska’s Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award a year
ago. • The two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection is also a
nominee for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award. The advertising and public
relations major took time out in late spring of 2017 to serve as
part of a mission trip to Nigeria coordinated by Nebraska Assistant
Coach Tom Goehle.
GRADUATE WOOD CONTINUES TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE • Nebraska gains more
experience, depth and leadership from senior contributor Emily
Wood. The 5-5 guard from Salina, Kan., originally came to Nebraska
as a walk-on before earning a scholarship in her first season. •
Arguably Nebraska’s hardest worker on the court, Wood’s gritty
determination and countless hours in the gym have allowed her to
increase her skill level exponentially over the past few seasons. •
Her hard work is paying off on the court this season, as one of the
Big Ten’s most improved players. Wood led the conference in
three-point field goal percentage (.481, 25-of-52) in
non-conference play. • Wood’s 26 threes also rank among Big Ten
leaders and are two more than her career total (24) through 60
career games entering this season. • Wood has five games with three
or more threes in 2016-17. • She has 12 steals this season, which
are three more than her career total (9) entering her senior year.
Her 37 rebounds are 11 more than the 26 she had in 29 games in
2016-17. • Wood is averaging 6.1 points per game - a 4.0 points per
game improvement over a year ago. She averaged 2.1 points and 0.9
rebounds in 2016-17. • Over the last eight games, Wood is averaging
7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. She has produced the first three
double-figure scoring efforts of her career during that span. •
Wood closed non-conference play with a career-best 19-point effort
against Washington State (Dec. 22), when she buried 5-of-7 threes
and 7-of-10 shots overall from the field. • Wood made the first two
starts of her career at the San Juan Shootout in Daytona Beach,
Fla., Nov. 23-24. She added a third start in Nebraska’s win over
Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2). • She scored a then-career-high 12
points and knocked down four threes against Arkansas Pine Bluff
(Dec. 2). She also tied her then-career high with four rebounds
while tying another career best with three steals against the Lady
Lions. • She produced her second double-figure scoring effort with
11 points, including eight in Nebraska’s decisive fourth quarter,
in a win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19). • Wood contributed seven
points and a career-high eight rebounds in a win at San Jose State
(Dec. 17). Her production came despite a rare off-shooting day. •
Wood’s previous career highs in points (9) and three-pointers (3)
were achieved twice earlier this season against Coastal Carolina
(Nov. 24) and UMKC (Nov. 14). She also tied her previous career
best with four rebounds against the Roos. • Despite the increased
competition for playing time in the backcourt this season, Wood
gladly accepted the role of pushing herself and her teammates by
putting in a huge summer in the gym and the weight room. She also
completed her bachelor’s degree in management from Nebraska in just
three seasons and is pushing herself to complete her MBA from
Nebraska in 2018. • A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Wood
was one of five Nebraska Outstanding Scholars in 2017. Nebraska’s
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner across all women’s sports, Wood
is a nominee for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award and will likely be a
candidate for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. • One of
Nebraska’s top contributors in the community, Wood was a Nebraska
Student-Athlete HERO Award winner in 2016, and was among a select
group of Husker student-athletes to take part in a mission trip to
the Dominican Republic in 2016. • Wood celebrated her 22nd birthday
by getting engaged on Oct. 17, 2017. Her younger sister, Lindsey is
a member of the 2017-18 Nebraska Cheer Squad and is expected to be
a regular at Nebraska women’s basketball games.
ASSOCIATED PRESSTOP 25
(MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2018)1-UConn (11-0)
[32]................................ 800 (1)2-Notre Dame (13-1)
.............................. 750 (2)3-Louisville (16-0)
................................... 736 (3)4-South Carolina (12-1)
.......................... 680 (4)5-Mississippi State (15-0)
....................... 677 (5)6-Baylor (12-1)
........................................ 634 (6)7-Tennessee (13-0)
................................. 619 (7)8-Texas (11-1)
......................................... 600 (8)9-Oregon (13-2)
.................................... 515 (10)10-Ohio State (13-2)
.......................... 485 (12)11-Florida State (13-1)
.......................... 455 (13)12-West Virginia (13-1)
........................... 453 (9)13-Maryland (13-2)
........................... 420 (15)14-UCLA (10-3)
..................................... 371 (11)15-Missouri (13-1)
................................ 362 (16)16-Oregon State (11-2)
......................... 323 (17)17-Duke (11-3)
...................................... 291 (14)18-Iowa (14-1)
................................... 228 (23)19-Texas A&M (11-4)
............................ 172 (22)20-Oklahoma State (11-2)
.................... 161 (24)21-Villanova (11-1)
............................... 126 (18)22-Michigan (12-3)
............................ 105 (21)23-California (10-3)
................................ 94 (20)24-Stanford (8-6)
................................... 85 (NR)25-Arizona State
(11-3).......................... 67 (NR)Note: Nebraska 2017-18
opponents in italics.NU Opponents Receiving Votes: 27-Rutgers
(47)
USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25
(TUESDAY, JAN. 2, 2018)1-UConn (11-0)
[32]................................ 800 (1)2-Notre Dame (13-1)
.............................. 745 (2)3-Mississippi State (15-0)
....................... 725 (3)4-Louisville (16-0)
................................... 718 (4)5-South Carolina (12-1)
.......................... 676 (5)6-Baylor (12-1)
........................................ 634 (6)7-Tennessee (13-0)
................................. 596 (7)8-Texas (11-1)
......................................... 586 (8)9-Oregon (13-2)
.................................... 529 (10)10-Ohio State (13-2)
.......................... 494 (11)11-West Virginia (13-1)
........................... 466 (9)12-Florida State (13-1)
.......................... 463 (13)13-Maryland (13-2)
........................... 423 (14)14-UCLA (10-3)
..................................... 377 (12)15-Missouri (13-1)
................................ 353 (16)16-Oregon State (11-2)
......................... 318 (17)17-Iowa (14-1)
..................................255 (T21)18-Duke (11-3)
...................................... 254 (15)19-Texas A&M
(11-4) .......................... 157 (T21)20-Michigan (12-3)
............................ 152 (19)21-Villanova (11-1)
............................... 144 (18)22-South Florida (11-3)
........................ 131 (24)23-Oklahoma State (11-2)
................... 115 (NR)24-Green Bay (11-2)
............................... 59 (20)25-Rutgers (14-2)
.................................54 (NR)Note: Nebraska 2017-18
opponents in italics.NU Opponents Receiving Votes:
(#12) Emily Wood, 5-5, Sr., Guard
-
9HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
MORTON ADDS EXPERIENCE, BUT BATTLES INJURY • Nebraska’s most
experienced Division I player is newcomer Janay Morton. The 5-10
guard from Brooklyn Park, Minn., was a three-year starter at
Eastern Michigan before transferring to Nebraska prior to the start
of the 2016-17 season. • Morton spent a year working in Nebraska’s
system while redshirting because of NCAA transfer rules. • Morton
gained a level of comfort and confidence in the system last year,
but hit a speed bump during the summer with a foot injury. She
underwent surgery in late-September of 2017, but was expected to
return to action for the start of the regular season. She was
slowed in non-conference play seeing action in just four games
after missing NU’s first six contests. She also missed Nebraska’s
wins over San Jose State (Dec. 17) and Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19)
before returning to play one minute against Washington State (Dec.
22) and two minutes against Ohio State (Dec. 28). • She contributed
three points, a rebound and an assist in seven minutes off the
bench in Nebraska’s 79-74 win in front of family and friends at
Minnesota (Dec. 31). • She did not play in Nebraska’s first six
games of 2017-18, but she saw her first action with 10 minutes off
the bench against Clemson (Nov. 30). Morton had five points and
three rebounds against the Tigers. • Morton had three points, two
boards and an assist in a win over Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2). •
She added a three-pointer off the bench in the win at Kansas (Dec.
6). • Morton is a proven performer. She earned All-MAC honors as a
junior and was a member of the 2016 MAC All-Defensive Team. In
three seasons at Eastern Michigan, Morton totaled 1,341 points, 359
rebounds, 249 assists and 223 steals, while averaging nearly 1,000
minutes per season.
STALLWORTH ADDING SOLID PLAY AT POINT • Another Division I
transfer, Bria Stallworth is making an impact for the Huskers this
season. The 5-6 sophomore from Chicago sat out alongside Morton
because of NCAA transfer rules last season. • Stallworth erupted
for team highs of 21 points and six assists off the bench to lead
Nebraska to a season-opening win over SIUE (Nov. 11). She hit
7-of-14 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 three-pointers,
while knocking down 4-of-5 free throws to seal the win. • She added
nine points, including four consecutive free throws in the final
minute, to close Nebraska’s 80-69 win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). •
Stallworth is averaging 4.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists
through 15 games. • She was solid in Nebraska’s road win at
Minnesota (Dec. 31) with two points, a rebound, three assists and a
steal in 10 minutes off the bench. • In Nebraska’s exhibition win
over Minnesota State (Nov. 5), Stallworth came off the bench to
score 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting while adding three assists. •
Stallworth, who earned a spot on the Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team as
a true freshman in 2015-16, is a quick, play-making guard who can
also defend and score. In fact, she led all A-10 freshman by
averaging 13.2 points per game at UMass in 2015-16. • She hit 35.7
percent of her three-point attempts and 81.8 percent of her free
throws while playing nearly 1,000 minutes in her only season at
UMass.
2017-18 BIG TEN STANDINGSTeam Overall (Big Ten)Rutgers 15-2
(3-0)#18 Iowa 14-1 (2-0) #10 Ohio State 13-2 (2-0)#13 Maryland 13-2
(2-0)Michigan State 12-4 (2-1) #22 Michigan 12-3 (1-1) Minnesota
12-3 (1-1)Nebraska 10-5 (1-1)Purdue 10-6 (1-1) Northwestern 8-9
(1-2)Penn State 10-6 (1-2) Illinois 9-8 (0-3) Indiana 7-9 (0-3)
Wisconsin 7-8 (0-2)
BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEKNov. 13 - Megan Gustafson, Jr., F
(Iowa)Nov. 20 - Kenisha Bell, Jr., G (Minnesota) Ae’Rianna Harris,
So., F (Purdue)Nov. 27 - Kelsey Mitchell, Sr., G (Ohio State)Dec. 4
- Megan Gustafson, Jr., F (Iowa)Dec. 11 - Hannah Whitish, So., G
(Nebraska)Dec. 18 - Megan Gustafson, Jr., F (Iowa) Kelsey Mitchell,
Sr., G (Ohio State)Dec. 26 - Megan Gustafson, Jr., F (Iowa)Jan. 2 -
Megan Gustafson, Jr., F (Iowa)
BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEKNov. 13 - Kate Cain, Fr., C
(Nebraska) Karissa McLaughlin, Fr., G (Purdue)Nov. 20 - Destiny
Pitts, Fr., G/F (Minnesota)Nov. 27 - Destiny Pitts, Fr., G/F
(Minnesota)Dec. 4 - Kate Cain, Fr., C (Nebraska)Dec. 11 - Kate
Cain, Fr., C (Nebraska)Dec. 18 - Destiny Pitts, Fr., G/F
(Minnesota)Dec. 26 - Kate Cain, Fr., C (Nebraska)Jan. 2 - Destiny
Pitts, Fr., G/F (Minnesota)
THIS WEEK IN BIG TENWOMEN’S BASKETBALLWednesday, Jan. 3Rutgers
76, Illinois 37Penn State 77, Indiana 74Michigan State 81,
Northwestern 51
Thursday, Jan. 4#18 Iowa at #13 Maryland, 5 p.m. [BTN] Minnesota
at #10 Ohio State, 6 p.m. [BTN Plus]#22 Michigan at Wisconsin, 7
p.m. [BTN]
Saturday, Jan. 6Purdue at Indiana, 1 p.m. [BTN Plus]Penn State
at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m. [BTN]
Sunday, Jan. 7#10 Ohio State at #22 Michigan, 11 a.m. [ESPN2]#18
Iowa at Illinois, 1 p.m. [BTN]#13 Maryland at Wisconsin, 2 p.m.
[BTN Plus]Nebraska at Northwestern, 2 p.m. [BTN Plus]Michigan State
at Minnesota, 3 p.m. [BTN]
Wednesday, Jan. 10Indiana at #22 Michigan, 6 p.m. [BTN
Plus]Minnesota at Penn State, 6 p.m. [BTN Plus]Rutgers at Purdue, 6
p.m. [BTN Plus]Nebraska at Illinois, 7 p.m. [BTN Plus]
Thursday, Jan. 12Michigan State at #13 Maryland, 7 p.m.
[BTN]Wisconsin at Northwestern, 7 p.m. [BTN Plus]
(#13) Janay Morton, 5-10, Sr., Guard
(#15) Bria Stallworth, 5-6, So., Guard
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10 2017-18 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
NU CAREER 20-POINT GAMESHannah Whitish (3)at Drake (12/9/17)
29at Kansas (12/6/17) 29Michigan State (2/26/17) 24
Kate Cain (1)Florida Atlantic (12/19/17) - triple-double 22
Taylor Kissinger (1)Arkansas (11/16/17) 25
Maddie Simon (1)at San Jose State (12/17/17) 20
Bria Stallworth (1)SIU Edwardsville (11/11/17) 21
NU CAREER DOUBLE FIGURE GAMESPlayer (Years) Games1. Hannah
Whitish (2017-present) 212. Jasmine Cincore (2015-present) 133.
Nicea Eliely (2017-present) 124. Maddie Simon (2016-present) 125.
Kate Cain (2018-present) 96. Taylor Kissinger (2018-present) 57.
Emily Wood (2015-present) 38. Rachel Blackburn (2016-present) 1
Grace Mitchell (2017-present) 1 Bria Stallworth (2018-present)
1
MOST BLOCKS IN A SEASONBY A HUSKER FRESHMANPlayer (Years)
BlocksT1. Kate Cain (2017-18, 15 games) 54T1. Janet Smith (1978-79,
34 games) 543. Kathy Hagerstrom (1979-80, 40 games) 424. Katie
Robinette (2001-02, 29 games) 335. Danielle Page (2004-05, 32
games) 31
MOST BLOCKS IN A GAMEBY A HUSKER FRESHMANPlayer (Game) Blocks1.
Kate Cain vs. FAU, Dec. 19, 2017 (NU record) 112. Kate Cain vs.
Clemson, Nov. 30, 2017 6 Janet Smith vs. Okla. St., Jan. 12, 1979 6
Jeanne Boller vs. Wichita St., Feb. 5, 1977 6T5. Kate Cain at
Kansas, Dec. 6, 2017 5
HUSKER DOUBLE-DOUBLESPlayer (Years) Double-Doubles1. Kate Cain
(2017-18) 4 (1 triple-double)
NEBRASKA NCAA APPEARANCES13 Appearances, 21 Games (8-13
Record)Season (Sd.) Opponent Site Result2015 (9) vs. (8) Syracuse
Columbia, S.C. L, 69-722014 (4) vs. (12) BYU Los Angeles, Calif. L,
76-802014 (4) vs. (13) Fresno St. Los Angeles, Calif. W, 74-552013
(6) vs. (2) Duke Norfolk, Va. L, 45-532013 (6) at (3) Texas A&M
College Station, Texas W, 74-632013 (6) vs. (11) Chattanooga
College Station, Texas W, 73-592012 (6) vs. (11) Kansas Little Rock
L, 49-572010 (1) vs. (4) Kentucky Kansas City L, 67-762010 (1) vs.
(8) UCLA Minneapolis W, 83-702010 (1) vs. (16) Northern Iowa
Minneapolis W, 83-442008 (8) at (1) Maryland College Park, Md. L,
64-762008 (8) vs. (9) Xavier College Park, Md. W, 61-582007 (9) vs.
(8) Temple Raleigh, N.C. L, 61-642000 (12) vs. (5) Boston College
Charlottesville, Va. L, 76-931999 (11) vs. (6) Kentucky Los Angeles
L, 92-981998 (9) at (1) Old Dominion Norfolk, Va. L, 60-751998 (9)
vs. (8) New Mexico Norfolk, Va. W, 76-591996 (9) vs. (8) Colo. St.
Stanford, Calif. L, 62-661993 (6) at (3) USC Los Angeles L,
60-781993 (6) vs. (11) San Diego Lincoln W, 81-581988 (5) at (4)
USC Los Angeles L, 82-100
MITCHELL WORKING TO CONTRIBUTE INSIDE • Another young power
forward for the Huskers who is finding a greater role than a year
ago is Grace Mitchell. The 6-2 sophomore from Wellington, Kan.,
played in all 29 games and averaged nearly 11 minutes per contest.
• Mitchell produced a nine-point, five-rebound performance in 16
minutes off the bench at San Jose State (Dec. 17). She has put up
season averages to 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. • She
produced her best performance as a collegian with a career-high 10
points while adding three rebounds in the win over UMKC (Nov. 14).
• Mitchell followed with four first-half points to go along with a
career-high six rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s
win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). • She made her first career start
against Creighton (Nov. 19) in place of Maddie Simon who was
injured in pregame warmups. Mitchell played well against the Jays
with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting while adding five rebounds in
a season-high 20 minutes. • Mitchell made her second start in a win
over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24). She had four points, three
rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes against the Chanticleers. •
Mitchell had four points and four rebounds in 11 minutes against
Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2), knocking down her first three-pointer
of the season.
BLACKBURN GRADUALLY RETURNING TO SPEED • The Huskers welcomed
the return of Rachel Blackburn inside to bolster them at both ends
of the court. The 6-3 forward from Leavenworth, Kan., was a starter
early in her freshman season of 2015-16, before succumbing to
severe knee pain. • Blackburn redshirted after multiple knee
surgeries last season and was extremely limited for nearly a full
year. She slowly progressed this preseason and her workload has
increased as weeks have passed. • She produced her best effort of
the season with six points and four rebounds in 10 minutes off the
bench in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). She also drew a
pair of charges against the Razorbacks to give her three on the
season. • Blackburn had four points and three boards against
Creighton (Nov. 19). She played a season-high 15 minutes in a win
over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24) and matched a season high with five
rebounds against the Chanticleers after grabbing five rebounds
against Buffalo (Nov. 23). She also had a season-high two assists
against the Bulls. • Blackburn had four points, two rebounds and
two assists in 11 minutes off the bench in the win over Arkansas
Pine Bluff (Dec. 2). She had two points and two rebounds in the win
at Kansas (Dec. 6). • Blackburn opened the regular season with
three rebounds in eight minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s win
over SIUE (Nov. 11). She added two points and three more rebounds
while taking her first charge of the season in 10 minutes of work
in Nebraska’s win over UMKC (Nov. 14). • In the first nine games of
her career, Blackburn averaged 6.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game
while providing suffocating defense at the rim.
WASHINGTON MOVES FORWARD IN OFFSEASON • Nebraska’s lone
returning post player from a year ago, Darrien Washington returns
for her fourth season as a Husker in 2017-18. • The 6-2 junior from
Oakland, Calif., averaged 2.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12 minutes
per contest last season while playing in 23 games. • Washington
made her first career start in Nebraska’s season-opening win over
SIUE (Nov. 11). She had two points, three rebounds and her fourth
career assist in eight minutes. • She had a season high five points
to go along with four rebounds and a steal in Nebraska’s win at San
Jose State (Dec. 17). She also had four rebounds against UMKC (Nov.
14) and Creighton (Nov. 19), and recorded steals against Creighton
(Nov. 19) and at Kansas (Dec. 6). • She had a season-high five
rebounds and a career-high two assists against Ohio State (Dec.
28). • Washington managed four points against Buffalo (Nov. 23) at
the San Juan Shootout.
(#14) Grace Mitchell, 6-2, So., Forward
(#43) Rachel Blackburn, 6-3, So., Forward
(#50) Darrien Washington, 6-2, Jr., Center
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11HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
HUSKERS SIGN SECOND STRAIGHT TOP 20 CLASS • Nebraska received
National Letters of Intent from four standout high school seniors
from Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana on the first day of the early
signing period on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. • Nebraska’s recruiting
class was ranked No. 20 in the nation by the ESPN rankings at the
start of the early signing period. Coach Amy Williams’ first
Nebraska class, which consisted of current Husker freshmen Taylor
Kissinger and Kate Cain, was also ranked No. 20 nationally, giving
the second-year Husker head coach and her staff back-to-back top-20
classes. • The first commitment to the Huskers in this year’s
class, Ashtyn Veerbeek made her commitment to Nebraska in December
of 2016. The 6-2 forward out of Western Christian High School in
Hull, Iowa, is ranked as the No. 55 player in the nation by Blue
Star, No. 66 by Prospects Nation and No. 68 by ESPN, which also
ranked Veerbeek as the No. 9 forward in the Class of 2018. The
Sioux Center native earned first-team Iowa Class 2A honors as a
junior in 2016-17. She led Western Christian to Iowa Class 2A state
title in 2017. Veerbeek averaged 22.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per
game while shooting 80.3 percent from the free throw line as a
junior. • Nebraska’s second commit to the class, Kayla Mershon will
come to Lincoln as one of the top players in the state of
Minnesota. The 6-3 forward from Chanhassen, Minn., who committed to
the Huskers in February of 2017, was ranked as the No. 132 overall
player in the nation by Prospects Nation and the No. 14 wing
nationally by ESPN. As a junior, Mershon averaged 12 points and 10
rebounds in 2016-17. As a sophomore, she help Minnetonka High
School to its first-ever state championship in 2016. • A North
Tartan club teammate of Mershon’s, guard Sam Haiby committed to the
Huskers in mid-May of 2017. A 5-9 guard, Haiby averaged 22.1
points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.1 steals as a junior for
Class 4A Moorhead High School in 2016-17. Haiby, who was ranked as
the No. 122 player in the country by Prospects Nation, the No. 125
player by Blue Star and the No. 28 guard nationally by ESPN, enters
her senior season with 1,856 career points. • Leigha Brown, a 6-1
guard out of DeKalb High School in Indiana, rounds out Nebraska’s
class. Brown, who also committed to the Huskers in May, averaged
22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season as a
first-team Class 4A choice and an Supreme 15 Underclass All-State
selection in 2016-17. She was ranked as the No. 21 forward
nationally by ESPN. • “We are really excited about this entire
group of high-achieving young women,” Nebraska Coach Amy Williams
said. “They not only have had strong careers so far, but they are
all on track to have great senior seasons. They have all shown an
impressive commitment to our program during the recruiting process.
They are high-character individuals with incredible work ethics and
competitive spirits. We are looking forward to helping them achieve
their goals on and off the court.”
SCHEDULE PROVIDES CHALLENGING OPPORTUNITIES • Nebraska will be
challenged by a strong schedule, but it should be a bit more
manageable than the suffocating schedule the Huskers faced a year
ago. • The Husker schedule features non-conference home games
against Power Five teams Arkansas (SEC, Nov. 16), Clemson (ACC,
Nov. 30) and Washington State (Pac-12, Dec. 22) at Pinnacle Bank
Arena. • The Huskers clashed with in-state rival Creighton (BIG
EAST, Nov. 19), along with other non-conference home contests
against SIU Edwardsville (Nov. 11), UMKC (Nov. 14), Arkansas Pine
Bluff (Dec. 2) and Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19). • The Big Red’s
non-conference road schedule started with the San Juan Shootout,
which was played in Daytona Beach, Fla., in a move from Puerto Rico
that followed the devastation of Hurricane Maria. The Huskers faced
Buffalo (Nov. 23) and Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24) at the Ocean
Center in Daytona Beach. • NU returned to road action with a win at
Kansas (Dec. 6), before beating Drake in double-overtime in Des
Moines (Dec. 9). The Huskers closed road non-conference play with
an 81-55 victory at San Jose State (Dec. 17). The win gave Nebraska
its first perfect (3-0) record in true road non-conference play for
the first time since 2009-10 and just the fourth time in school
history. • Nebraska opened Big Ten play against defending
conference co-champion Ohio State (Dec. 28), before beginning a
three-game Big Ten road trip with a 79-74 win at Minnesota (Dec.
31). The trip concludes with Northwestern (Jan. 7) and Illinois
(Jan. 10). • The Huskers return to Pinnacle Bank Arena for
back-to-back games against Michigan (Jan. 13) and Iowa (Jan. 16),
before heading to Piscataway, N.J., to joust with the Rutgers
Scarlet Knights (Jan. 21). • Nebraska then opens a stretch with
four-of-five games at home, starting against Purdue (Jan. 24),
before a brief trip to Iowa City to complete the season series with
the Hawkeyes (Jan. 28). Home games against Illinois (Feb. 1),
Maryland (Feb. 4) and Wisconsin (Feb. 11) follow at Pinnacle Bank
Arena. • Road games at Michigan State (Feb. 14) and Indiana (Feb.
17) set up Senior Night against Penn State (Feb. 22) at Pinnacle
Bank Arena. The Huskers close the regular season on the road at
defending Big Ten champion Maryland (Feb. 25), before the Big Ten
Tournament returns to Indianapolis (Feb. 28-March 4).
NEBRASKA STREAKS • Sophomore guard Hannah Whitish (32) owns the
longest current streak of consecutive starts by a Husker.
Nebraska’s second-longest streak is 14 games by freshman Kate Cain.
• Whitish is the only Husker to start all 15 games this season. •
Kate Cain has blocked at least one shot in each of the first 15
games of her career. She has 14 games with two or more blocks,
including 11 straight games.
NEBRASKA IN BIG TEN STATISTICSTEAM (Through games Jan. 1)Scoring
Offense - 7th (70.7 ppg)Scoring Defense - 9th (64.7 ppg)Scoring
Margin - 9th (+5.9 ppg)Free Throw Pct. - 14th (.617) Field Goal
Pct. - 11th (.418)Field Goal Pct. Defense - 3rd (.359)3FG Pct. -
8th (.337)3FG Pct. Defense - 6th (.309)Total Rebounds - 6th (43.0
rpg)Rebounds Allowed - 12th (38.5 rpg)Rebound Margin - 7th (+4.5
rpg)Blocked Shots - 3rd (5.4 bpg)Assists - 5th (17.3 apg)Steals -
8th (7.7 spg)Turnover Margin - 10th (-0.3 pg)Assist-to-Turnover
Ratio - 5th (1.1)Offensive Rebounds - 4th (14.6 rpg)Defensive
Rebounds - 5th (28.4 rpg)Offensive Rebound Pct. - 7th
(.367)Defensive Rebound Pct. - 10th (.679)3FG Made - 4th (7.7
pg)INDIVIDUAL (Through games Jan. 1)Scoring - Hannah Whitish -
T18th (13.1 ppg)Rebounding - Kate Cain - T14th (7.6 rpg)Field Goal
Pct. - Kate Cain - 7th (.580)Defensive Rebounds - Kate Cain - 9th
(5.5 rpg)Blocked Shots - Kate Cain - 1st (3.6 bpg)3FG Pct. - Emily
Wood - 3rd (.464)3FG Made - Hannah Whitish - T13th (2.1 pg)FT Pct.
- Hannah Whitish - 12th (.783)Assists - Hannah Whitish - 4th (5.3
apg)Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - Hannah Whitish - 7th
(2.4)Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - Jasmine Cincore - T10th (2.2)Steals
- Jasmine Cincore - T14th (1.6 spg)
NEBRASKA IN NCAA RANKINGSTEAM (Through games Jan. 1)Win-Loss
Pct. - 94th (.667)Scoring Offense - 101st (70.7 ppg)Scoring Defense
- 163rd (64.7 ppg)Scoring Margin - 120th (5.9 ppg)FG Pct. - 119th
(.418)FG Pct. Defense - 42nd (.359)FT Pct. - 321st (.617)Rebounds
Per Game - 35th (43.0)Rebound Margin - 93rd (+4.5 rpg)3FG Per Game
- 64th (7.7 pg)3FG Pct. - 100th - (.337)3FG Pct. Defense - 156th
(.309)3FG Attempted - 28th (344)Assists Per Game - 32nd (17.3
apg)Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - 59th (1.1)Turnovers Per Game - 141st
(15.7 pg)Turnover Margin - 203rd (-0.27 pg)Fewest Turnovers - 258th
(236)Steals Per Game - 188th (7.7 spg)Blocked Shots - 15th
(81)Blocked Shots Per Game - 28th (5.4 bpg)Personal Fouls Per Game
- 187th (17.7 pg)Fewest Fouls - 310th (265)INDIVIDUAL (Top 100
rankings through Jan. 1)Blocked Shots Per Game - Kate Cain - 3rd
(3.6 bpg)Blocked Shots - Kate Cain - 3rd (54) Triple-Doubles - Kate
Cain - T3rd (1)Field Goal Pct. - Kate Cain - .580 (21st)Rebounds -
Kate Cain - 97th (114)Assists - Hannah Whitish - 23rd
(80)Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - Hannah Whitish - 50th (2.42)Assists
Per Game - Hannah Whitish - 42nd (5.3 apg)
-
12 2017-18 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
• Hannah Whitish has posted at least one assist in 17
consecutive games, and has three or more assists in 14 games this
season, including 11 straight. • Whitish has knocked down a
three-pointer in 12 consecutive games. • Taylor Kissinger has
knocked down at least one three-pointer in eight consecutive games.
• Kissinger has at least three rebounds in each of her nine games
this season. • The Huskers have knocked down at least one
three-pointer in 295 straight regular-season games dating back to a
loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. • Nebraska has hit at least two
three-pointers in 174 consecutive games.
NEBRASKA’S HISTORY OF HOME SUCCESS • Nebraska opened 2017-18
with a 62-53 win over SIU Edwardsville for its 12th consecutive
season-opening win at home. The Huskers closed their 2016-17 home
season with a 76-74 overtime win over Michigan State on Feb. 26 to
finish 7-9 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2016-17. It snapped a streak
of 13 consecutive seasons with double-figure home victories for the
Big Red. • The Huskers are 5-4 at home in 2017-18. • Nebraska
posted three home wins over top-50 RPI teams in 2016-17, including
a 62-59 non-conference victory over Colorado State in the Preseason
WNIT, and late-season wins over Indiana and Michigan State. • The
Huskers went 15-4 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2015-16 after going
12-3 (13-3 at home) in 2014-15. The Huskers are 54-22 (.711)
all-time at Pinnacle Bank Arena since the building opened for the
2013-14 campaign. The Big Red went 16-2 at home in 2013-14,
suffering their only Big Ten loss to Purdue, 77-75, on Jan. 19,
2014. NU’s 16 home wins in 2013-14 tied the school record for
single-season home victories. • The Huskers played the first
regular-season game in the history of the arena against USA Today
No. 25 UCLA (Nov. 8, 2013) and rolled to a 77-49 win over the
Bruins. NU’s first win over an AP Top 25 team came with a 76-56 win
over No. 24 Michigan State on Feb. 8, 2014. The Huskers added their
first-ever win over an AP Top 10 team at the arena with a 94-74
victory over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24, 2014. • NU won its
first-ever Big Ten home game at Pinnacle Bank Arena with a 66-65
thriller over Northwestern Jan. 2, 2014, before an 88-85 win over
Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2014, marked the first overtime game. • NU
suffered its first loss at the arena to Washington State (76-72) on
Nov. 30, 2013. • The Huskers are 444-152 (.745) all-time at home.
The Huskers have gone 180-56 (.763) over the last 15 seasons,
posting double-figure home victory totals 13 times. • Nebraska
played in the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, and
added one appearance at Devaney against Utah on Nov. 23, 2014. The
Huskers own a 389-130 record at the Devaney Center, including
146-88 (.624) mark in conference play.
NEBRASKA RANKS NEAR TOP IN ATTENDANCE • Nebraska ranked No. 17
nationally with an average home attendance of 4,712 in 2017-18. •
Nebraska has ranked among the top 20 nationally in average home
attendance in each of its first four seasons inside Pinnacle Bank
Arena. • In 76 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the
Huskers own a 54-22 record (.711 winning percentage) while
averaging 5,408 fans per game (410,985 total fans/76 games). •
Nebraska attracted a Pinnacle Bank Arena non-conference record
crowd of 9,750 to open its stay in the arena with a win over UCLA
on Nov. 8, 2013. • Nebraska set its all-time single-game record
with a sellout crowd of 13,595 fans against Missouri at the Devaney
Center on Feb. 27, 2010. NU drew 10 straight crowds of more than
10,000 fans at the Devaney Center in 2009-10. • Nebraska has ranked
among the top-25 teams nationally in average home attendance for
eight consecutive seasons, including a program-best No. 7
nationally with a record 7,390 fans per game at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center in 2009-10. The Huskers went 16-0 at the Devaney
Center on their way to a perfect 29-0 record, a Big 12 title and a
No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
HUSKER SPORTS NETWORK COVERS WORLD The Husker Sports Network is
in its 24th season producing and marketing the live broadcasts of
Nebraska women’s basketball in 2017-18. Women’s basketball
play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff
Griesch are teaming up for their 17th season together as the
Huskers’ broadcast team. The Husker Sports Network and Nebraska
women’s basketball have teamed up for well over a decade to take
every game, home and away, around the world for free on
Huskers.com. In addition to carrying every women’s basketball game
free on Huskers.com, the Husker Sports Network flagship stations
B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln) and ESPN 590 AM-KXSP (Omaha) provide
strong signals for Husker women’s basketball. When a network
conflict occurs in Omaha, the Huskers also could be heard on
CD105.9 FM-KKCD. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM
signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations
carry the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage
across the state and the Midwest. Inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, fans
can access the direct radio call of the game at 87.7 FM.
NCAA DIVISION IMOST IMPROVED TEAMSNebraska is putting together
one of the nation’s top turnarounds under second-year Coach Amy
Williams. The Huskers are already plus-three in the win column
heading into Sunday’s game at Northwestern. The only team in the
country that has seen a greater increase in the win column through
games Jan. 2 is fellow Big Ten Conference school Rutgers (+8).
The Huskers also own wins over two of the nation’s other most
improved teams, at Kansas (66-49, Dec. 6) and Florida Atlantic
(86-69, Dec. 19). Both the Jayhawks and Owls have won two more
games than their final record a year ago.
Nebraska and Rutgers have shown the most improvement on the road
this season. Last year, the Huskers (0-10) and Scarlet Knights
(0-14) combined to go 0-24 in true road games. In 2017-18, the two
teams are a combined 8-0.
Team 2016-17 2017-18 (+)1. Rutgers 6-24 14-2 (+8)2. Nebraska
7-22 10-5 (+3) Alabama A&M 2-25 5-7 (+3) Butler 6-25 9-5 (+3)
Denver 6-24 9-7 (+3) UC Irvine 5-26 8-6 (+3)7. Florida Atlantic
4-25 6-5 (+