-
2015-16 Schedule/ReSultSDate Opponent Time/ResultNov. 1
Nebraska-Kearney (exhibition) W, 92-54Nov. 8 Winona State
(exhibition [BTN Plus] W, 96-66Nov. 14 Arkansas-Pine Bluff
[HuskersNside] W, 96-46Nov. 16 North Florida [BTN Plus] W,
91-46Nov. 21 North Carolina Central [HuskersNside] W, 88-47Nov. 23
Southern [HuskersNside] W, 89-38Nov. 28 at #1 UConn [ESPN3] L,
46-88Dec. 3 NC State (Big Ten/ACC) [BTN Plus] W, 88-67Dec. 6
Creighton [BTN Plus] W, 65-63Dec. 8 Evansville [BTN Plus] W,
85-40Dec. 12 at #22 California [Pac-12 Networks] L, 80-87 OTDec. 19
Northern Arizona [BTN Plus] W, 90-67Dec. 21 Arkansas State [BTN
Plus] W, 79-71Dec. 31 Iowa^ [BTN Plus] L, 68-74Jan. 3 at #14
Northwestern^ [BTN] L, 62-85Jan. 7 at #8 Maryland^ [BTN] L,
50-89Jan. 10 Illinois^ [NET/BTN Plus] 2 p.m.Jan. 13 at Penn State^
[BTN Plus] 6 p.m.Jan. 16 Rutgers^ [BTN] 5:30 p.m.Jan. 20 at Purdue^
[BTN Plus] 6 p.m.Jan. 24 at Michigan^ [BTN Plus] 1 p.m.Jan. 27
Wisconsin^ [BTN Plus] 7 p.m.Jan. 30 at Rutgers^ [BTN Plus] 1
p.m.Feb. 2 Penn State^ [BTN] 7 p.m.Feb. 7 at Indiana^ [BTN Plus] 1
p.m.Feb. 11 at Minnesota^ [BTN Plus] 7 p.m.Feb. 14 Michigan State^
(Pink Game) [BTN] 3 p.m.Feb. 18 at Ohio State^ [BTN] 5 p.m.Feb.
20/21 Purdue^ [BTN or BTN Plus] TBAFeb. 24 Indiana^ [BTN Plus] 7
p.m.Feb. 28 Northwestern^ (Senior Day) [BTN or BTN Plus] TBAMarch
2-6 at Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis) TBAMarch 18-21 NCAA 1st
& 2nd Rounds (Host sites) TBAMarch 25-28 NCAA Regionals
TBAApril 3-5 NCAA Women’s Final Four (Indianapolis) TBA
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; [HuskersNside]-Live Video Streams
Get ticketS Now huSkeRS.com /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 CornhUskers (9-5, 0-3)vs. illinois fiGhtinG illini
(7-7, 0-3)Sunday, Jan. 10, 2 p.m. - Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln,
Neb.)Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)
B107.3 FM, Lincoln; ESPN 590 AM, Omaha; KRVN 880 AM,
LexingtonTelevision: NET (Larry Punteney, Meghin Williams)Live
Video: BTN Plus Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
2015-16 NeBRaSka RoSteR & StatiSticSNo. Player Ht. Cl. Pos.
G-GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG4 Kyndal Clark 5-7 Sr. G 14-14 5.3 3.1 2.1
1.6 0.15 Natalie Romeo* 5-7 So. G 14-13 14.6 2.2 3.9 1.5 0.211
Esther Ramacieri** 5-7 Jr. G 7-0 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.4 0.012 Emily Wood*
5-5 So. G 12-0 1.5 0.9 0.7 0.2 0.022 Allie Havers** 6-5 Jr. C 14-5
7.1 6.1 1.0 0.4 1.124 Maddie Simon 6-2 Fr. G 8-1 6.1 1.0 1.5 0.1
0.331 Anya Kalenta* 6-3 Sr. F 14-0 4.9 4.6 0.5 0.2 0.532 Jessica
Shepard 6-4 Fr. F 14-14 18.6 8.4 1.9 1.1 0.833 Rachel Theriot***
6-0 Sr. G 14-14 12.2 3.9 6.6 1.1 0.434 Jasmine Cincore* 5-8 So. G
14-0 3.7 1.9 1.1 0.8 0.243 Rachel Blackburn 6-3 Fr. F 11-9 5.7 6.5
1.7 0.5 0.550 Darrien Washington 6-2 RFr. F 4-0 3.0 3.0 0.3 0.3
0.052 Alicia Ostrander 6-3 Sr. F Nebraska Volleyball (Out for
Season-Achilles)
huSkeRS Face FamiliaR FiGhtiNG illiNi SuNday The Nebraska
women’s basketball team returns home to Pinnacle Bank Arena hungry
for its first Big Ten Conference win when the Huskers take on the
Fighting Illini of Illinois on Sunday. Tip-off between the Huskers
(9-5, 0-3 Big Ten) and the Illini (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten) is set for 2
p.m. (central) with live statewide television coverage by NET.
Larry Punteney and former Husker Meghin Williams will be on the
call. The live Husker Sports Network radio call of Matt Coatney and
Jeff Griesch can be heard on B107.3 FM (Lincoln), ESPN 590 AM
(Omaha), KRVN 880 AM (Lexington) and for free on Huskers.com. While
the Huskers are hungry for a win after dropping their first three
Big Ten games to ranked opponents, the Fighting Illini will be
equally eager for victory. Illinois has opened conference play 0-3,
beginning with a loss to Maryland, before suffering setbacks to
Purdue and Minnesota. Nebraska is led by 6-4 freshman forward
Jessica Shepard from Fremont, Neb., who is averaging team bests
with 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The Illini are led by
6-3 sophomore center Chatrice White from Shelby, Neb., who is
averaging team bests with 18.1 points and 9.6 boards per contest.
Nebraska welcomed the return of one its top players off the bench
with Maddie Simon scoring nine points at Maryland. The 6-2 freshman
out of Lincoln Pius X is averaging 6.1 points per game, despite
missing six contests with a broken arm. One of the Illini’s top
players off the bench has been 5-7 guard Brooke Kissinger from
Minden, Neb., who is averaging 5.4 points per game. LaKale Malone,
a former assistant under Coach Connie Yori at Nebraska (2003-04 to
2006-07), is the associate head coach for the Illini.
womeN’S BaSketBall Game NoteS Game 15 - vS. illiNoiS - JaN.
10
Record9-5
Big Ten 0-3
Record7-7
Big Ten 0-3
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2 2015-16 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
fast five: hUsker QUiCk hitters#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Sr., G,
Middleburg Heights, Ohio (12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 6.6 apg) • Rachel
Theriot ranks 10th nationally with 6.6 assists per game. She is a
Naismith Trophy, All-America, Lieberman Award, Senior CLASS Award,
Academic All-America and WBCA Allstate Good Works Team candidate as
a senior. • A two-time preseason first-team All-Big Ten choice
(2014, 2015), Theriot was an honorable-mention AP All-American as a
sophomore in 2014, after leading the Big Red to their first Big Ten
Tournament title as the MVP. She was a first-team All-Big Ten pick
in 2014, and a Big Ten All-Freshman pick as a starter on Nebraska’s
2013 NCAA Sweet 16 team. • Theriot set the Nebraska single-season
record with 234 assists as a sophomore in 2013-14. Her 15 assists
at California on Dec. 12 marked the second-best performance of her
career and tied for the fourth-best single-game total in school
history. She owns 537 in her career, moving her within 26 assists
of Nicole Kubik (563, 1997-2000) at No. 4 on the Nebraska career
chart. • Theriot is averaging 12.2 ppg as a senior, and ranks No.
18 in career points at Nebraska with 1,194. She needs 49 points to
catch Brooke Schwartz (No. 17, 1,243, 1997-2000) on NU’s all-time
scoring list. • Theriot produced her seventh career double-double
and second of the season with 17 points and 15 assists at Cal on
Dec. 12. She also had 20 points and 11 assists in NU’s win over NC
State on Dec. 3. She owns 13 career 20-point efforts and nine
career double-digit assist games. Her four career games with 12 or
more assists are the most by a Husker in history.
#4, Kyndal Clark, 5-7, Sr., G, Webb City, Mo. (5.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg,
2.1 apg, 1.6 spg) • The 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of
the Year as a junior, Kyndal Clark was a two-time all-conference
player at Drake (2013, 2014). She was also an MVC All-Defensive
choice as a sophomore in 2013, after earning a spot on the Valley
All-Freshman Team in 2012. She was a member of the 2015 WBCA
Allstate Good Works Team. • Clark suffered a season-ending knee
injury in the first game of her senior season at Drake (vs. South
Dakota, Nov. 14, 2014). She graduated from Drake in May of 2015,
after majoring in information systems. • She produced a breakout
performance with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from three-point
range in the win over Evansville. Clark added a season-high four
steals against the Purple Aces and matched that mark the next time
out at California on Dec. 12. She put up three double-figure
efforts in non-conference play, including a season-high 22 points
in NU’s win over Arkansas State on Dec. 21. • She owns 75 career
double-figure scoring performances, including 25 20-point games and
four career 30-point efforts with a career high of 41. • She scored
1,418 points and hit 222 three-pointers in her three seasons plus
one game at Drake. She averaged 19.3 points per game and set the
Missouri Valley Conference single-season record with 116 threes in
2013-14.
#5, Natalie Romeo, 5-7, So., G, Martinez, Calif. (14.6 ppg, 2.2
rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.5 spg) • A high-energy guard who brings intensity
and toughness to both ends of the court, Natalie Romeo is growing
into one of the Big Ten’s most explosive players. Romeo opened the
season with 30 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting against
Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. She has added three other 20-point
games this season, including 24 points and six more threes in her
return home to the Bay Area in an overtime loss at No. 22 Cal on
Dec. 12. She closed non-conference play with 20 points and eight
assists in a win over Arkansas State. • Romeo ranks 18th nationally
with 2.9 threes per game while leading the Huskers with 41 threes
on 41.8 percent shooting from long range. Romeo is just the sixth
sophomore in Nebraska history to hit 40 or more threes in a season,
and moved into a tie for fifth (K.C. Cowgill, 41, 2001-02) among NU
sophomores with her three at Maryland on Thursday. She has been
Nebraska’s Big Ten Player-of-the-Week nominee four times in the
first eight weeks of the season. • Romeo started Nebraska’s final
10 games of 2014-15 in place of the injured Rachel Theriot,
beginning with a start against No. 5 Maryland at the XFINITY Center
on Feb. 8, 2015. She managed eight points in that game. Over the
final eight games of 2014-15, she led the Big Red with 15.4 points
per game.
BiG Red BiG Five - SuNday’S StaRteRS
#33-Rachel Theriot6-0, Sr., G
Middleburg Heights, Ohio
#5-Natalie Romeo5-7, So., G
Martinez, Calif.
#4-Kyndal Clark5-7, Sr., G
Webb City, Mo.
#22-Allie Havers6-5, Jr., C
Mattawan, Mich.
#32-Jessica Shepard6-4, Fr., F
Fremont, Neb.
sUnday’s lineUPsNeBRaSka coRNhuSkeRS(9-5, 0-3 biG ten)No. Player
Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG RPG32 Jessica Shepard 6-4 Fr. F 18.6 8.422 Allie
Havers 6-5 Jr. C 7.1 6.14 Kyndal Clark 5-7 RSr. G 5.3 3.15 Natalie
Romeo 5-7 So. G 14.6 2.233 Rachel Theriot 6-0 Sr. G 12.2 3.9Off the
Bench24 Maddie Simon 6-2 Fr. G 6.1 1.043 Rachel Blackburn 6-3 Fr. F
5.7 6.531 Anya Kalenta 6-3 Sr. F 4.9 4.634 Jasmine Cincore 5-10 So.
G 3.7 1.950 Darrien Washington 6-2 RFr. F 3.0 3.012 Emily Wood 5-5
So. G 1.5 0.911 Esther Ramacieri 5-8 Jr. G 0.8 0.9Head Coach:
Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)14th Season at Nebraska (271-158)26th
Season Overall (466-298)
illiNoiS FiGhtiNG illiNi(7-7 overall, 0-3 biG ten)No. Player Ht.
Yr. Pos. PPG RPG35 Alex Wittinger 6-1 Fr. F 8.6 5.532 Chatrice
White 6-3 So. C 18.1 9.60 Sarah Hartwell 5-10 RSr. G 7.6 4.415
Kyley Simmons 5-7 RSr. G 11.6 2.632 Kennedy Cattenhead 5-10 So. G
6.6 4.4Off the Bench21 Brooke Kissinger 5-7 So. G 5.4 0.823 Jaelyne
Kirkpatrick 5-7 Fr. G 4.8 2.312 Ashley McConnell 5-9 Jr. G 1.2
0.913 Eriel Davis 5-6 Sr. G 0.7 0.75 Cierra Rice (OUT) 5-9 Fr. G
13.6 4.5Head Coach: Matt Bollant (Winona State, 1994)Fourth Season
at Illinois (50-58) 14th Season Overall (332-113)
huSkeR NuGGetS• Nebraska leads the all-time series with
Illinois, 9-3, including five consecutive wins. The Huskers took
three games from the Illini last season, including a 59-57 win at
Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 29. In that game, Natalie Romeo hit a
game-winning three-pointer from the corner to propel the Big Red to
victory. In the conference tournament, Romeo tied a school record
with seven threes to shoot Nebraska to an 89-71 win at Sears Centre
Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The Huskers added a 58-53 win at the
State Farm Center in Champaign on Jan. 11.• Nebraska is 6-1 against
Illinois as Big Ten foes with the Illini’s lone win coming at the
Devaney Center (62-52) on Jan. 17, 2013.• Nebraska has not started
conference play 0-3 since three straight losses to open Big 12 play
in 2008-09. The only other time a Connie Yori-coached Nebraska team
has opened league play 0-3 came in her first season with the
Huskers in 2002-03.• Jessica Shepard earned her fifth Big Ten
Freshman-of-the-Week award on Dec. 28. She swept the Big Ten Player
and Freshman honors on Dec. 21, before being named the USBWA
National Freshman of the Week (Dec. 22) and one of the “Starting
Five” by NCAA.com (Dec. 23).• Shepard’s 35-point effort against
Northern Arizona set the Nebraska freshman record, surpassing the
34-point performance by Debra Powell against Notre Dame on Feb. 25,
1982. Shepard also attempted a school-record 20 free throws.•
Shepard scored 28 points against Iowa in her Big Ten Conference
debut, before adding her fifth double-double with 12 points and a
career-high 14 rebounds at Northwestern Jan. 3. She leads NU with
18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, both on pace to be Nebraska
freshman records (15.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg).
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3HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
iNSide the RoSteR
hUsker PronUnCiation GUideJasmine Cincore
........................................SIN-coreAllie Havers
.............................................. HAY-versAnya Kalenta
........................................... AWN-yuhAlicia Ostrander
................................ OH-strand-erEsther Ramacieri
........................RAH-muh-CherryRachel Theriot
........................................ TERRY-ohDarrien Washington
................................DERRY-in
huSkeR homeSThe 13 members of the 2015-16 Husker women's
basketball team came to Nebraska from seven U.S. states and two
foreign countries (Canada, Belarus).California (2): Natalie Romeo,
Darrien WashingtonKansas (2): Rachel Blackburn, Emily WoodMichigan
(1): Allie HaversMissouri (1): Kyndal ClarkNebraska (3): Alicia
Ostrander, Jessica Shepard, Maddie SimonOhio (1): Rachel
TheriotTennessee (1): Jasmine CincoreBelarus (1): Anya
KalentaCanada [Quebec] (1): Esther Ramacieri
huSkeRS By claSSSeniors (4): Kyndal Clark, Anya Kalenta, Alicia
Ostrander, Rachel TheriotJuniors (2): Allie Havers, Esther
RamacieriSophomores (3): Jasmine Cincore, Natalie Romeo, Emily
WoodRedshirt Freshman (1): Darrien WashingtonFreshmen (3): Rachel
Blackburn, Jessica Shepard, Maddie Simon
huSkeRS By maJoRBroadcasting: Jasmine Cincore, Allie
HaversBusiness Administration: Esther RamacieriChemistry: Anya
KalentaChild, Youth & Family Studies: Rachel TheriotCriminology
& Criminal Justice: Natalie RomeoManagement: Emily
WoodPolitical Science: Alicia OstranderSurvey Research &
Methodology (Graduate): Kyndal ClarkUndeclared: Rachel Blackburn,
Jessica Shepard, Maddie Simon, Darrien Washington
• Romeo finished with 51 threes in 2014-15 to produce the
second-highest total by a freshman in NU history, trailing only
school-record holder Jordan Hooper (67, 2010-11). Romeo achieved
her total despite going 3-for-9 in non-conference play while
missing eight games with a foot injury, (Nov. 28-Dec. 29, 2014).
She has hit six or more threes five times in 37 career games,
including twice in 13 games this season. • Romeo led Nebraska by
averaging 20.0 points in a pair of Big Ten Tournament games,
including a season-high 26 points in a win over Illinois March 5.
She tied a school record with seven threes against the Illini to
set Nebraska’s all-time conference tournament record. She also tied
the Nebraska NCAA Tournament record with five threes in a 72-69
loss to Syracuse on March 20, 2015.
#32, Jessica Shepard, 6-4, Fr., F, Fremont, Neb. (18.6 ppg, 8.4
rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg) • A five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week
and the first freshman in school history to be named to a national
player-of-the-year watch list (Naismith), Jessica Shepard won her
first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award on Dec. 21. She added
National Freshman-of-the-Week honors from the USBWA on Dec. 22,
while adding a spot on the NCAA.com Starting Five. She won those
honors after scoring a Nebraska freshman record 35 points against
Northern Arizona on Dec. 19, when she also set a career high with
four steals. Shepard owns six 20-point efforts, 12 double-figure
scoring performances and five double-doubles. • Shepard is
averaging 15.3 points and 10.0 rebounds in Big Ten play, including
28 points and eight rebounds (Dec. 31) against Iowa and 12 points
and a career-high 14 rebounds at No. 14 Northwestern (Jan. 3). •
Shepard reached the 100-point (5 games) and 200-point (11 games)
scoring marks faster than any Husker freshman in history. Shepard,
who made her Big Ten debut with 28 points against Iowa (Dec. 31),
owns 260 points. Only six freshmen in school history have reached
the 400-point mark. She leads NU in scoring (18.6 ppg) and
rebounding (8.4 ppg), and both season numbers would be Nebraska
freshman records (Debra Powell, 15.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1981-82). • The
top recruit in Nebraska history, Shepard was the No. 1 post and No.
3 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN last season. A first-team
Parade All-American as a senior despite missing nearly all of her
final year (ACL tear, Dec. 29, 2014), Shepard was the 2013 and 2014
Nebraska High School Player of the Year. • Shepard averaged 12.8
points and 3.8 rebounds while helping the USA Basketball U18 Team
to a 5-0 record and a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas
Championship.
#22, Allie Havers, 6-5, Jr., C, Mattawan, Mich. (7.1 ppg, 6.1
rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 bpg) • One of the tallest Nebraska women’s
basketball players in history, Allie Havers is turning up her
production with 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-leading 1.1
blocks through 14 games as a junior. Havers made the first five
starts of her career in place of Rachel Blackburn against Northern
Arizona (Dec. 19), Arkansas State (Dec. 21), Iowa (Dec. 31), at No.
14 Northwestern (Jan. 3) and at No. 8 Maryland. • Havers had a
career-high 18 points at No. 22 Cal on Dec. 12, when she played a
career-high 37 minutes off the bench. That followed on the heels of
her first career double-double 14 points while adding career bests
with 12 rebounds in a win over Evansville (Dec. 8). She added eight
points against Creighton (Dec. 6), NC State (Dec. 3) and North
Carolina Central (Nov. 21), when she pitched in 10 rebounds and a
career-high three assists. • Her 16 blocked shots and 14 assists
are both the top season totals of her career. She has achieved
those totals in 299 minutes, compared to 472 minutes a year ago and
347 minutes as a freshman. • Havers, who averaged 4.9 points and
3.0 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game as NU’s top post off the
bench in 2014-15, owns nine double-figure scoring games in her
career, including five as a sophomore last season. Two of her
double-figure efforts have come in the Big Ten Tournament,
including a career-high 17 points in a semifinal win over No. 19
Michigan State on March 8, 2014. • Havers was NU’s top post off the
bench as a true freshman in 2013-14, averaging 3.2 points and 2.6
rebounds while playing in all 33 games. She averaged just over 10
minutes per contest.
2015-16 nebraska CornhUskers (9-5, 0-3 biG ten)No. Name Pos. Ht.
Cl. Hometown (High School/Other School) Worth Noting 4 Kyndal Clark
G 5-7 RSr. Webb City, Mo. (Webb City/Drake) 2014 MVC Player of the
Year; MVC-record 116 3FG (2013-14); 22 pts vs. Ark. St.5 Natalie
Romeo* G 5-7 So. Martinez, Calif. (Carondelet) Career-high 30
points vs. UAPB most ever scored by a Husker in a season opener11
Esther Ramacieri** G 5-8 Jr. Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (Dawson)
Fourth Canadian to play for Huskers under Coach Yori; 1st career FG
vs. NCCU12 Emily Wood* G 5-5 So. Salina, Kan. (Salina Central) 2015
Nebraska Teammate Award; Walk-on earned scholarship in 14-15; 2 3FG
vs. UNF22 Allie Havers** C 6-5 Jr. Mattawan, Mich. (Mattawan)
Career-high 18 pts at #22 Cal (12/12/15); 14 pts, 12 reb. vs.
Evansville (12/8/15)24 Maddie Simon G 6-2 Fr. Lincoln, Neb. (Pius
X) 2015 Nebraska HS POY; missed 6 gms with broken arm, returned
with 9 pts at Maryland31 Anya Kalenta* F 6-3 Sr. Minsk, Belarus
(Vincennes/General Secondary #21) 2014 NJCAA 3rd Team All-American;
4.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, Career-high 14 reb. vs. NAU32 Jessica Shepard F
6-4 Fr. Fremont, Neb. (Fremont) No. 1 post recruit in nation;
Naismith Trophy Candidate; 5-Time Big Ten Freshman of the Week33
Rachel Theriot** G 6-0 Jr. Middleburg Heights, Ohio (Midpark) 2014
AP HM All-American; 1st Team All-Big Ten; Big Ten Tournament MVP34
Jasmine Cincore* G 5-10 Fr. Arlington, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
2-Time Tennessee Class 2A POY; More than twice the points (52) than
last year (25)43 Rachel Blackburn F 6-3 Fr. Leavenworth, Kan.
(Leavenworth) Strong offseason; started first 9 gms, limited by
illness/injury last 5; 5.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg50 Darrien Washington F 6-2
RFr. Oakland, Calif. (Skyline) Solid redshirt year in 2014-15; 3.0
ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 mpg in 2015-1652 Alicia Ostrander F 6-3 RSr.
Gordon, Neb. (Gordon-Rushville) Torn Achilles in first practice
Dec. 26; Helped Nebraska volleyball team to NCAA title* denotes
letters earned Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986), 466-298
(26th season overall) 271-158 (14th season at Nebraska) - 2010 Big
12 & National Coach of the Year - 2013 & 2014 Big Ten Coach
of the YearAssistant Coaches: Britney Brown, First Season
(Oklahoma, 2007); Ashley Ford, First Season (Nebraska, 2009); Amy
Stephens, Second Season (Nebraska, 1991)Director of Operations:
Dayna Finch, First Season (Creighton, 2004); Administrative
Assistant/Video Coordinator: Katie Adams, First Season (Rutgers,
2008)Graduate Assistant Manager: Meghin Williams, Second Season
(Nebraska, 2014); Women’s Basketball Strength Coach: Rusty
Ruffcorn, 10th Season (Nebraska-Omaha, 2004)Women’s Basketball
Athletic Trainer: Julie Tuttle, Fifth Season (Creighton, 1991)
-
4 2015-16 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
coNNie yoRi(CreiGhton, 1986)(271-158, 14th Season at
NU)(466-298, 26th Season Overall)Kay Yow Award (2010) Naismith
Coach of the Year (2010)USBWA Coach of the Year (2010)AP National
Coach of the Year (2010)WBCA National Coach of the Year (2010)Big
Ten Coach of the Year (2013, 2014)Big 12 Coach of the Year
(2010)Missouri Valley Coach of the Year (2002)NCAA Division
IIISeason School Won Lost Pct.1990-91 Loras College 10 15
.4001991-92 Loras College 15 10 .600Totals 2 seasons 25 25 .500NCAA
Division I1992-93 Creighton 20 8 .7141993-94 Creighton 24 7
.7741994-95 Creighton 18 9 .6671995-96 Creighton 15 13 .5361996-97
Creighton 8 19 .2961997-98 Creighton 16 12 .5711998-99 Creighton 16
14 .5331999-00 Creighton 12 15 .4442000-01 Creighton 17 11
.6072001-02 Creighton 24 7 .7742002-03 Nebraska 8 20 .2862003-04
Nebraska 18 12 .6002004-05 Nebraska 18 14 .5632005-06 Nebraska 19
13 .5942006-07 Nebraska 22 10 .6882007-08 Nebraska 21 12
.6362008-09 Nebraska 15 16 .4842009-10 Nebraska 32 2 .9412010-11
Nebraska 13 18 .4192011-12 Nebraska 24 9 .7272012-13 Nebraska 25 9
.7352013-14 Nebraska 26 7 .7882014-15 Nebraska 21 11 .6562015-16
Nebraska 9 5 .643Div. I Totals 24th season 441 273 .618Overall 26th
season 466 298 .610
yori in the PostseasonYear (Tournament) Results 2015 (NCAA) L,
vs. Syracuse, 69-722014 (NCAA) L, vs. BYU, 76-80 W, vs. Fresno
State, 74-552013 (NCAA) L, vs. Duke, 45-53 W, at Texas A&M,
74-63 W, Chattanooga, 73-592012 (NCAA) L, Kansas, 49-572010 (NCAA)
L, Kentucky, 67-76 W, UCLA, 83-70 W, Northern Iowa, 83-442009
(WNIT) L, at New Mexico, 43-542008 (NCAA) L, at Maryland, 64-76 W,
Xavier, 61-582007 (NCAA) L, Temple, 61-642006 (WNIT) L, at Kansas
State, 63-77 W, at Wyoming, 72-67 W, Drake, 62-592005 (WNIT) L,
Iowa, 67-71 W, Marquette, 66-572004 (WNIT) L, Oregon State, 67-75
W, Drake, 73-602002 (NCAA) L, Fla. International, 58-731999 (WNIT)
L, at Kansas State, 60-711994 (NCAA) W, Bowling Green, 84-73 L,
Texas Tech, 65-75
NotiNG coach yoRilWinningest Coach in Nebraska historylLed NU to
11 postseason bids (2004-2010, 2012-15)l14 all-time postseason
tournament appearanceslNine NCAA Tournament appearanceslLed NU to
Two NCAA Sweet Sixteens (2010, 2013)lLed Huskers to school-record
32 wins (2010)lLed Nebraska to seven 20-win seasons (2007, 2008,
2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)lLed NU to an average of 21.2 wins
past 12 seasonslCoached Huskers to 12 first-team all-conference
awards over past 12 seasonslHuskers earned Nebraska Life Skills
Team Awards (2004, 2006) for being most committed NU team to all
areas of life skills and community involvement
ScoutiNG the FiGhtiNG illiNi oF illiNoiS Coach Matt Bollant
brings the Fighting Illini of Illinois to Lincoln hungry for a win
after falling to 0-3 in Big Ten play with a 106-75 loss to
Minnesota at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Thursday. The
loss dropped Illinois to 7-7 overall, including Big Ten setbacks to
No. 6 Maryland (Dec. 31) and at Purdue (Jan. 3) to open conference
play. Three of the Illini’s top players have Nebraska ties, led by
sophomore Chatrice White. The 6-3 center from Shelby, Neb., leads
Illinois in scoring (18.1 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg) and blocked
shots (2.3 bpg), ranking among league leaders in all three
categories. She also ranks second among the Illini with 20 steals
on the year. Kyley Simmons, a redshirt senior has joined White in
the starting five for all 14 games. The 5-7 guard from Council
Bluffs, Iowa, has added 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and team bests
with 50 assists and 24 steals. Simmons, who played club basketball
for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars, also leads Illinois with 39
three-pointers. Brooke Kissinger, a 5-7 sophomore guard out of
Minden, Neb., has come off the bench to play in all 14 games for
the Illini. She has managed 5.4 points per game while knocking down
38.8 percent (19-49) of her threes. She is one of only six players
on the Illinois roster to play in every contest. Alex Wittinger, a
6-1 freshman from Delano, Minn., has contributed 8.6 points and 5.5
rebounds. She recently joined the starting five after an injury to
Cierra Rice, another talented freshman. Rice, a 5-9 guard from
Grosse Point, Mich., ranked second among the Illini with 13.6
points per game, while adding 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists, before
suffering a knee injury against South Dakota on Dec. 22. Rice was a
three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, twice sharing the award
with Nebraska’s Jessica Shepard. Sarah Hartwell, a 5-10 redshirt
senior guard from Tacoma, Wash., rounds out the Illinois starting
five. She has managed 7.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Kennedy Cattenhead (6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Jaelyne Kirkpatrick (4.8
ppg, 2.3 rpg) also have been significant contributors for Illinois
in the first half of the season. Cattenhead has made 12 starts, but
the 5-10 sophomore has struggled to hit just 4-of-24 threes early
in the season. The 5-7 freshman Kirkpatrick has been more
consistent from long range (12-for-33). Ashley McConnell and Eriel
Davis round out the 10 players available on the Illinois roster. As
a team, Illinois is averaging 73.1 points, while allowing 69.2
points per game. The Illini are shooting 41.8 percent from the
field, including 33.4 percent from three-point range. They also
have hit 69.2 percent of their free throws. Illinois carries a
minus-3.7 rebounding margin, but owns a plus-3.2 team turnover
margin. In Big Ten play, the Illini have been outrebounded by 14.0
boards per game, but carry a plus-2.0 turnover margin. However,
they have hit just 39.0 percent of their shots from the floor, 27.8
percent of their threes and 67.5 percent of their free throws early
in Big Ten play. Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois,
9-3, including five consecutive wins. The Huskers took three games
from the Illini last season, including a 59-57 win at Pinnacle Bank
Arena on Jan. 29. In that game, Natalie Romeo hit a game-winning
three-pointer from the corner to propel the Big Red to victory. In
the conference tournament, Romeo tied a school record with seven
three-pointers to shoot Nebraska to an 89-71 win at Sears Centre
Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The Huskers added a 58-53 win at the
State Farm Center in Champaign on Jan. 11. Nebraska is 6-1 against
Illinois as Big Ten foes with the Illini’s lone win coming at the
Devaney Center (62-52) on Jan. 17, 2013.
hUskers PUttinG UP Points at PinnaCle Nebraska is averaging 83.9
points per game at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season, including three
games with 90 or more points. The Huskers own six games with 88 or
more points at home this season, the most since the Huskers did it
six times in 2009-10. The first, last and only time Nebraska scored
88 or more at home seven times in a season came in 1982-83.
Nebraska is shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 38 percent
from three-point range at home and carry a plus-8.8 rebounding
margin (45.3-36.5) and a plus-6.4 turnover margin. Overall, the Big
Red is averaging 76.9 points through 14 games this season, and has
reached 80 points eight times. Last season, the Huskers scored 80
points just six times. Nebraska has not scored 80 points more than
eight times in the regular season since 2009-10 (13).
BiG Red StRoNG iN aSSiSt-to-BaSket Nebraska has shared the ball
well early in 2015-16, producing 281 assists on 413 made baskets
(68.0 percent), recording an assist on nearly seven out of 10 made
field goals through 14 games. No other Big Ten team has assisted on
65 percent of its made baskets this year, and only three other
teams have reached 60 percent - Purdue (.649), Michigan State
(.633) and Northwestern (.615). Iowa (.599) and Maryland (.596) are
near 60 percent, while Rutgers (.567), Minnesota (.561), Michigan
(.540), Illinois (.539), Wisconsin (.524) and Penn State (.512) all
have recorded assists on more than half their field goals. Indiana
(.493) and Ohio State (.448) round out the conference in that
category, with Indiana ranking 11th in the league in scoring
offense (70.3 ppg), while Ohio State ranks second (86.2 ppg).
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5HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
NeBRaSka’S hiStoRy oF home SucceSS Nebraska is 9-1 at Pinnacle
Bank Arena this season after going 12-3 (13-3 at home) last season.
The Huskers are 37-6 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. Nebraska’s 16 home wins in 2013-14 tied
the school record for single-season home victories. The Huskers
played the first regular-season basketball game in the history of
the arena against USA Today No. 25 UCLA (Nov. 8) 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. 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. NU won
its first-ever Big Ten home game with a 66-65 thriller over
Northwestern Jan. 2, before an 88-85 win over Minnesota on Jan. 16,
2014, marked the first overtime game in Pinnacle Bank Arena
history. NU suffered its first loss at the arena to Washington
State (76-72) on Nov. 30, 2013. The Huskers are 425-136 (.758)
all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 162-40 (.802) over the last
12-plus seasons, posting double-figure home victory totals in each
of the last 11 years. 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.
hUskers more than fair in foUl dePartment Through 14 games in
2015-16, the Huskers are committing 14.3 fouls per game, which
ranks 15th nationally. NU was whistled for just six fouls against
Creighton Dec. 6. The Huskers ended last season ranked No. 5 in the
final NCAA Division I statistics for fewest personal fouls per
game. Nebraska committed just 13.2 fouls per game, including a
school-record four fouls in the win over Bakersfield Dec. 13.
Nebraska’s 422 total fouls on the season were the fewest in school
history. In 2013-14, NU led the Big Ten and ranked second
nationally by committing just 13.1 fouls per game. Nebraska
continued a non-fouling trend from 2012-13. The Huskers were
whistled for a school-record 12.8 fouls per game in 2012-13,
including 11 fouls per game in Big Ten regular-season games. In
Nebraska’s loss at No. 22 California on Dec. 12, the Huskers were
whistled for 23 fouls, which marked the highest foul total by an NU
team since registering 26 fouls in the season opener against
Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 12, 2011. That was the only other time
in the last 200 games that the Huskers had been called for 23 or
more fouls. Nebraska’s 11-foul differential at Cal was even more
rare. In fact, it tied for the second-worst foul differential in
Coach Connie Yori’s 14-year coaching career at Nebraska, a span of
429 games. The only game that was worse came with minus-12 (21-9)
at Iowa State on Jan. 14, 2006 - 318 games earlier. Only four times
in 429 games under Coach Yori has Nebraska experienced a negative
double-digit foul differential. The Huskers have produced positive
double-digit foul differentials in 12 of the past 79 games and 28
times in Yori’s 429 games at Nebraska, including plus-12 (27-15)
against Northern Arizona Dec. 19 and plus-10 against Arkansas State
on Dec. 21.
settinG the staGe for shePard Nebraska’s record book could be
under assault this season from freshman Jessica Shepard. Here’s a
few of the most vulnerable records: Freshman Game Records Points,
Game: 35, Jessica Shepard vs. Northern Arizona, Dec. 19, 2015
(90-67) Rebounds, Game: 22, Angie Miller, UMKC, Dec. 7, 1983
Points, Season Opener: 24, Jessica Shepard, vs. Arkansas Pine
Bluff, Nov. 14, 2015 Rebounds, Season Opener: 13, Jessica Shepard,
vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff, Nov. 14, 2015 Double-Double, Season
Opener: 24 points, 13 rebounds vs. UAPB, Nov. 14, 2015 (first in NU
history) Free Throw Attempts: 20, Jessica Shepard, Northern
Arizona, Dec. 19, 2015 (overall school record) Freshman Season
Records Total Points: 461, Debra Powell (1981-82) Points Per Game:
15.4, Debra Powell (1981-82) Total Rebounds: 277, Kathy Hagerstrom
(1979-80) Rebounds Per Game: 7.6, Debra Powell (1981-82)
Double-Doubles: 9, Debra Powell (1981-82) Fastest to 100 Points: 5
games; Jessica Shepard (2015-16) Fastest to 200 Points: 11 games;
Jessica Shepard (2015-16) Field Goals Made: 201, Darcy Williamson
(1975-76) Field Goal Percentage: .582 (78-134), Charlie Rogers
(1996-97) Free Throws Made: 121, Kelsey Griffin (2005-06)
NeBRaSka 2015-16 QUiCk faCts
Institution .......................... University of Nebraska
Location ............................................. Lincoln,
Neb.Population .................................................
268,738Enrollment
.................................................. 25,260Founded
.........................................................
1869Nickname .............................Cornhuskers,
HuskersColors ........................................ Scarlet and
CreamHome Arena .......................... Pinnacle Bank
ArenaCapacity.......................................................
15,000Conference
..................................................Big TenDirector
of Athletics .......................Shawn Eichorst2015-16 Overall
Record .................................... 9-5 Home Record
................................................ 9-1 Away Record
................................................. 0-4 Neutral
Record .............................................. 0-0 Big Ten
Record ............................................... 0-3Head
Coach .......................................... Connie Yori Alma
Mater/Year ....................... Creighton/1986 Record at
Nebraska ........ 271-158 (14th season) Career Record
................ 466-298 (25th season) NCAA Div. I Record .........
441-273 (23rd season) Home Record
.......................................... 168-51 Big Ten
Conference Record ....................... 44-25 Big Ten Home Record
................................ 23-11 Big Ten Road
Record.................................. 21-14 Big Ten Tournament
Record .......................... 8-3 NCAA Tournament Record
....7-9 (6-7 Nebraska)Assistant Coaches:
...............................Britney Brown
........................................................Ashley Ford
....................................................Amy
StephensDirector of Operations ........................Dayna
FinchAdministrative Assistant .................... Katie
AdamsGraduate Assistant Manager ...... Meghin WilliamsStrength
Coach ................................Rusty RuffcornAthletic
Trainer ..................................... Julie
TuttleBasketball 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 Home Phone
...................(402) 328-8992Griesch’s E-mail
.................. [email protected] Fax
......................(402) 472-2005Best Time to Contact Yori
............Through GrieschStarters Returning/Lost
....................................2/4Letterwinners Returning/Lost
..........................7/5Returning All-American (1)
.................................. Rachel Theriot (HM, Associated
Press, 2014)Returning All-Big Ten Player (1)
............................ Rachel Theriot (2nd Team, 2015; 1st
Team, 2014; Big Ten Tourney MVP, 2014; All-Freshman, 2013)Returning
Starters (2, 2014-15 Stats) ................... Rachel Theriot,
Sr., G (16.5, 4.2 rpg, 5.2 apg) Natalie Romeo, So., G (9.0 ppg, 1.5
rpg)Starters Lost (4, 2014-15 Stats) ............................
Tear’a Laudermill, G (13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) HM All-Big Ten, 2015; 2nd
Team All-Big Ten, 2014 Emily Cady, F (12.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg) 2nd Team
All-Big Ten, 2014, 2015; HM All-Big Ten, 2012, 2013 Brandi Jeffery,
G (7.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) Hailie Sample, F (7.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) Big Ten
All-Defensive, 2014Other Returning Letterwinners (5, 2014-15 Stats)
Allie Havers, Jr., C (4.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg) Anya Kalenta, Sr., F (3.2
ppg, 1.4 rpg) Jasmine Cincore, So., G (1.3 ppg, 0.2 rpg) Emily
Wood, So., G (0.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg) Esther Ramacieri, Jr., G (0.1 ppg,
0.5 rpg)2015-16 Newcomers (6) ........................Rachel
Blackburn, 6-3, Fr., F/C ................................ Kyndal
Clark, 5-7, RSr., G ........................... Alicia Ostrander,
6-3, RSr., F .......................... Jessica Shepard, 6-4, Fr.,
F/C ...............................Maddie Simon, 6-2, Fr., G
............................Darrien Washington, RFr., F
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6 2015-16 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
best of the fresh: biG red freshman Classes Nebraska’s
four-player freshman class of Jessica Shepard, Rachel Blackburn,
Maddie Simon and Darrien Washington could be poised to be the most
productive in school history. The quartet combined for 38 points
and 26 rebounds in NU’s season-opening win, producing the
third-most productive performance by a freshman class in an opener
in school history. The only two other classes (1981-82, 1999-2000)
with more points, each had seven players in the class. The freshmen
combined for more against North Florida, joining forces for 46
points and 28 rebounds in just 66 minutes against the Ospreys.
Through 14 games, the 2015-16 freshmen have combined for 384
points, 208 rebounds, 57 assists, 18 blocks and 23 steals, despite
three rookies missing a combined 19 games (Washington, 10; Simon,
6; Blackburn, 3). The group is averaging 27.4 points and 14.9
boards per game. Consider Nebraska’s 2011-12 freshman class of
Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Hailie Sample led
the Big Ten by a significant margin with 26.5 points and 17.7
rebounds per game in their first season, before becoming the most
successful class in NU history with four NCAA Tournament bids. That
group, which also included redshirt freshman Katie Simon, is the
only freshman class at Nebraska under Coach Connie Yori to average
20 points and 15 rebounds per game. In fact, the only other
freshman class to combine to average a double-double was the
2005-06 group featuring first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin,
which managed 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. The 2003-04
class averaged 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, while featuring
three-time first-team All-Big 12 shooting guard Kiera Hardy and
future Canadian Olympian Chelsea Aubry. 2015 SeNioRS leave BiG
ShoeS to Fill Nebraska’s seven returning letterwinners and six
newcomers will look to overcome significant losses in all areas of
production in 2015-16 following the departures of the Huskers’ four
senior starters. The four seniors (Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery,
Tear’a Laudermill, Hailie Sample) accounted for 61.9 percent of
Nebraska’s points (1,330 of 2,148) in 2014-15. They also pulled
down 66.2 percent (869 of 1,313) of NU’s rebounds on the year,
while accumulating 61.7 percent of the Big Red’s assists. The 2015
seniors amassed 72.2 percent (138 of 191) of Nebraska’s 2014-15
steals and 63.3 percent (57 of 90) of NU’s blocks, while playing
63.3 percent (4,068 of 6,425) of the Huskers’ minutes in
2014-15.
PUmP UP the ProGram • Nebraska set a season ticket sales record
with 4,011 season tickets sold as of Nov. 18, 2015. It marks the
first time in school history the Huskers have sold 4,000 season
tickets. • Nebraska earned its fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid
and its seventh in the past nine seasons in 2015. NU is one of just
21 Division I teams to earn four consecutive NCAA Tournament bids.
• The Huskers also have owned a perfect 100 percent Graduation
Success Rate every season they have been in the NCAA Tournament
under Coach Connie Yori (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
• Nebraska Coach Connie Yori owns more wins (271) than any other
women’s basketball coach in school history. She has averaged 20
victories per season in her first 13 seasons at the helm of the
Huskers. • The Huskers have produced seven 20-win seasons in the
last nine years. Prior to Coach Connie Yori’s arrival in Lincoln in
2002-03, Nebraska had nine 20-win seasons in the first 28 years of
the program. • Nebraska is the only team in the Big Ten to record
10 or more league wins in each of the last four years. The Huskers
are the only team to post four straight winning Big Ten regular
seasons (2012-15). • The Huskers, who joined the Big Ten in 2011-12
for the start of the careers of its 2015 seniors, are a 44-25 in
Big Ten regular-season play the last five years. The Big Red have
added a conference-best eight Big Ten Tournament wins for 52 total
victories over Big Ten foes. • Nebraska has ranked No. 11
nationally in average home attendance in each of the Huskers’ first
two seasons at Pinnacle Bank Arena. NU has averaged more than 6,000
fans per game at the arena. • Every Husker on the roster has earned
a spot on Nebraska’s Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in each of the
first two years of NU’s all-sports, community service recognition
program.
theriot named to naismith troPhy list aGain Rachel Theriot is a
Naismith Trophy candidate in 2016, and is a contender for the 2016
Allstate Good Works Team. She is also expected to be a candidate
for CoSIDA Academic All-America and Senior CLASS Award accolades.
Theriot earned preseason All-Big Ten honors for the second straight
year when the conference announced its preseason awards on Oct. 14.
Theriot, a senior point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, was
one of nine players to earn recognition from both the coaches and
media on their 10-player teams. Theriot, who was a first-team
preseason All-Big Ten choice in 2014-15, averaged 16.5 points, 4.2
rebounds and 5.2 assists while starting Nebraska’s first 21 games a
year ago. Theriot led the Huskers to a top-15 national ranking and
a 17-4 record heading into February, before suffering a
season-ending ankle injury in practice on Feb. 3. She was a
second-team All-Big Ten choice a year ago despite missing the
second half of the conference season. Theriot, a preseason
candidate for the Wade, Naismith and Wooden national
player-of-the-year awards in 2014-15, was a first-team All-Big Ten
selection as a sophomore for the Huskers in 2013-14. She led
Nebraska to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after earning
Big Ten Tournament MVP honors
huSkeR caReeR hiGhSScoRiNGPlayer (Game, Date) PointsJessica
Shepard (vs. Northern Arizona, 12/19/15) 35Rachel Theriot (vs.
Minnesota, 1/16/14) 33Natalie Romeo (vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff,
11/14/15) 30Kyndal Clark (vs. Arkansas State, 12/21/15) 22Allie
Havers (at California, 12/12/15) 18Rachel Blackburn (vs.
Evansville, 12/8/15) 14Anya Kalenta (vs. Pepperdine, 11/15/14)
14Maddie Simon (vs. Southern, 11/23/15) 11Jasmine Cincore (at
Maryland, 1/7/16) 9Darrien Washington (vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff,
11/14/15) 6Emily Wood (vs. North Florida, 11/16/15) 6Esther
Ramacieri (Four Times, at Northwestern, 1/3/16) 2
ReBouNdiNGPlayer (Game, Date) ReboundsAnya Kalenta (vs. Northern
Arizona, 12/19/15) 14Jessica Shepard (at Northwestern, 1/3/16)
14Allie Havers (vs. Evansville, 12/8/15) 12Rachel Blackburn (vs. NC
State, 12/3/15) 11Kyndal Clark (at California, 12/12/15) 9Rachel
Theriot (at UCLA, 11/28/14) 8Natalie Romeo (Three Times, vs.
Arkansas State, 12/21/15) 5Darrien Washington (vs. UNF, 11/16/15;
vs. UAPB 11/14/15) 5Jasmine Cincore (vs. NC State, 12/3/15; vs.
UAPB, 11/14/15) 4Esther Ramacieri (vs. High Point, 12/20/14)
3Maddie Simon (vs. North Florida, 11/16/15) 3Emily Wood (vs.
Evansville, 12/8/15) 3
aSSiStSPlayer (Game, Date) AssistsRachel Theriot (vs. Minnesota,
3/7/14) 18Natalie Romeo (vs. Northern Arizona, 12/19/15) 10Emily
Wood (vs. Evansville, 12/8/15) 5Jessica Shepard (vs. NC State,
12/3/15) 4Kyndal Clark (at California, 12/12/15; vs. Southern,
11/23/15) 4Anya Kalenta (vs. North Carolina Central, 11/21/15)
4Maddie Simon (vs. North Florida, 11/16/15) 4Jasmine Cincore (Four
Times, vs. Evansville, 12/8/15) 3Allie Havers (Three Times, at
Northwestern, 1/3/16) 3Rachel Blackburn (Three Times, vs.
Evansville, 12/8/15) 3Esther Ramacieri (FourTimes, at Maryland,
1/7/16) 1Darrien Washington (vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff, 11/14/15)
1
StealSPlayer (Game, Date) StealsRachel Theriot (vs. BYU,
3/24/14) 5Jasmine Cincore (vs. North Florida, 11/16/15) 4Kyndal
Clark (at California, 12/12/15; vs. Evansville, 12/8/15) 4Natalie
Romeo (Three Times, vs. Iowa, 12/31/15) 4Jessica Shepard (vs.
Northern Arizona, 12/19/15) 4Rachel Blackburn (vs. North Carolina
Central, 11/21/15) 2Allie Havers (vs. Northern Arizona, 12/19/15)
2Anya Kalenta (Three Times, vs. Iowa, 12/31/15) 1Esther Ramacieri
(Three Times, vs. Southern, 11/23/15) 1Maddie Simon (vs. North
Florida, 11/16/15) 1Emily Wood (vs. Southern, 11/23/15; vs. UNF,
11/16/15) 1
Blocked ShotSPlayer (Game, Date) BlocksAllie Havers (vs.
Evansville, 12/8/15; Michigan St., 3/8/14) 3Anya Kalenta (vs. NAU,
12/19/15; vs. NC Central, 11/21/15) 3Jessica Shepard (vs. NC State,
12/3/15) 3Rachel Theriot (at Northwestern, 1/3/16; vs. Purdue,
1/5/13) 2Rachel Blackburn (at Cal, 12/12/15; vs. NC State, 12/3/15)
1Jasmine Cincore (Three Times, vs. Northern Arizona, 12/19/15)
1Kyndal Clark (at Northwestern, 1/3/16) 1Natalie Romeo (Three
Times, vs. Southern, 11/23/15) 1Maddie Simon (vs. Southern,
11/23/15; vs. UAPB, 11/14/15) 1
minUtes PlayedPlayer (Game, Date) MinutesRachel Theriot 45(Four
Times, most recent at California, 12/12/15) Natalie Romeo (at
California, 12/12/15) 42Kyndal Clark (at California, 12/12/15)
41Jessica Shepard (vs. Iowa, 12/31/15) 39Allie Havers (at
California, 12/12/15) 37Rachel Blackburn (vs. NC State, 12/3/15)
30Anya Kalenta (vs. NAU, 12/19/15; vs. Alcorn St., 11/16/14)
26Jasmine Cincore (vs. Evansville, 12/8/15) 23 Maddie Simon (at
Maryland, 1/7/16; vs. Southern, 11/23/15) 23Emily Wood (vs.
Evansville, 12/8/15) 23Esther Ramacieri (vs. High Point, 12/20/14)
13Darrien Washington (vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff, 11/14/15) 8
three-Pointers madePlayer (Game, Date) 3FG MadeNatalie Romeo
(vs. Illinois, 3/5/15) 7Kyndal Clark (vs. Evansville, 12/8/15)
5Rachel Theriot (at Purdue, 3/2/14) 4Anya Kalenta (vs. Alcorn
State, 11/16/14) 2Emily Wood (vs. North Florida, 11/16/15) 2Jasmine
Cincore (Three Times, at Maryland, 1/7/16) 1Maddie Simon (Four
Times, at Maryland, 1/7/16) 1
Nu’S BeSt FRoShuNdeR yoRiSeason PPG, RPG2015-16 27.4,
14.92011-12 26.5, 17.72003-04 19.5, 9.02005-06 18.8, 11.02010-11
18.5, 8.52007-08 13.4, 5.8 2006-07 10.2, 4.8
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7HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
in 2014. She averaged 18.0 points and a Big Ten-record 10.0
assists while leading the Huskers to their first-ever conference
tournament title in 2014. She was also an honorable-mention
Associated Press All-American after setting the Nebraska
single-season record with 234 assists in 2013-14. Preseason Big Ten
Player of the Year Kelsey Mitchell from Ohio State led the voting,
while her backcourt mate Ameryst Alston also earned a spot.
Defending Big Ten champion and preseason favorite Maryland added a
pair of honorees with Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.
Michigan State’s Aerial Powers, Northwestern’s Nia Coffey, Kahleah
Copper from Rutgers and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham were all chosen
to both teams. Banham was the 2014-15 Big Ten Preseason Player of
the Year, before suffering a season-ending knee injury early in her
senior season with the Gophers. Iowa’s Ally Disterhoft added
recognition from the conference coaches, while Tori Jankoska earned
a spot on the media’s preseason team.
shePard only freshman on naismith watCh list Nebraska’s Jessica
Shepard was the only freshman among 50 players named to the
Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List on Dec. 9. She is averaging
team bests with 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. She had a
Nebraska freshman record 35 points to go along with eight rebounds
and a career-high four steals in the Huskers win over Northern
Arizona on Dec. 19 to earn USBWA National Freshman-of-the-Week
honors. She swept Big Ten Player and Freshman-of-the-Week awards
for her performance, before being named the NCAA.com “Starting
Five” as one of the National Players of the Week on Dec. 23. Prior
to 2015-16, Shepard was named the Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the
Year by College Sports Madness. Since earning that award, she has
claimed five of the first seven Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors
from the conference. A Naismith Trophy Preseason National High
School Player-of-the-Year candidate in 2014-15, Shepard earned
first-team Parade All-America honors in 2015. In nine games as a
high school senior, Shepard averaged 33.0 points and 14.3 rebounds.
She scored 132 points in four games at the Nike Tournament of
Champions, including 36 against national power Long Beach Poly.
Shepard, a 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., is the highest ranked
recruit in Nebraska history and arguably the best high school
player the state has ever produced, Shepard competed on the
gold-medal winning USA Basketball team at the 2014 FIBA Americas
U18 Championships. She was the No. 3 overall recruit in the
freshman class of 2015-16, according to ESPN. A two-time Nebraska
Gatorade Player of the Year (2013, 2014) and four-time first-team
Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star) and All-Nebraska (Omaha
World-Herald) selection, Shepard missed most of her senior season
after suffering an ACL tear on Dec. 29, 2014. As a high school
senior, she shot 71 percent from the field, including 41 percent
from three-point range. Despite missing most of her senior season,
Shepard finished fourth in Nebraska high school history with 2,227
career points, which was the Class A (largest) all-time record. She
also finished No. 15 in state history with 1,031 rebounds, just 16
shy of the Nebraska Class A career record. As a junior in 2013-14,
Shepard averaged a Class A state record 30.4 points per game to go
along with 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in leading Fremont to a
22-4 record and a state tournament berth for Coach Tony Weinandt.
Her performances included four 40-point games, including a
career-high 46.
romeo retUrns: soPh shoots for sUPer season Sophomore Natalie
Romeo produced the best scoring effort by a Husker in a season
opener in school history with 30 points in 26 minutes off the bench
in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. She hit
11-of-18 shots from the floor, including 6-of-9 threes, to produce
her first career 30-point game and the first 30-point performance
in an opener in 42 seasons. Through 14 games, she ranks second
among the Huskers in scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg) while
leading the team in three-pointers (41). She owns four 20-point
games, including 24 in her return to the Bay Area against No. 22
Cal on Dec. 12. Romeo hit six threes against the Golden Bears,
marking the fifth time in 38 career games that she has knocked down
six or more threes. Only Kiera Hardy (6) owns more games with six
threes in her Nebraska career than Romeo. Only eight Huskers in
history have hit six or more threes in a game, including current NU
assistant Amy Stephens (4) and 2014 first-team All-American Jordan
Hooper (3) - Nebraska’s career three-point leader (295). Romeo has
been Nebraska’s Big Ten Player-of-the-Week nominee four times in
the first eight weeks of 2015-16, earning a spot on the Honor Roll
on Nov. 16. Big production is nothing new to Romeo. Over Nebraska’s
final eight games of 2014-15, Romeo led the Huskers in scoring with
15.4 points per game. The 5-7 guard from Martinez, Calif., added
3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in a team-best
35.8 minutes per contest down the stretch in her freshman campaign.
She also hit 39.7 percent (31-78) of her threes while averaging 3.9
threes per game. During the summer of 2015, Romeo averaged a
team-best 19.8 points per game, while adding 4.3 rebounds and 3.5
assists during Nebraska’s four-game tour of Australia (Aug. 1-12).
In her first season as a Husker, Romeo averaged 9.0 points and 2.5
rebounds over 24 games. She missed eight games in mid-season with a
stress reaction in her foot (Nov. 28-Dec. 29). Romeo started
Nebraska’s final 10 games in place of the injured Rachel Theriot.
In 12 games as a starter in 2014-15, Romeo averaged 13.7 points per
game, while adding 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. She produced
double figures in seven of her starts, including each of Nebraska’s
final three games. She erupted for a season-high 26 points with a
school-record-tying seven three-pointers in a Big Ten Tournament
win over Illinois March 5. She added 21-point efforts in wins over
Wisconsin (Feb. 15) and Minnesota (Feb. 24). She hit six threes
against Penn State (Jan. 15) and Minnesota (Feb. 24).
huSkeRS By the NumBeRSNU leads after 1st quarter 7-1NU trails
after 1st quarter 2-4NU tied after 1st quarter 0-0NU leads at the
half 7-0NU trails at the half 2-5NU is tied at the half 0-0NU leads
after 3rd quarter 7-0NU trails after 3rd quarter 2-5NU tied after
3rd quarter 0-0NU in overtime 0-1
NU attempts more FG than opponent 5-1NU attempts fewer FG than
opponent 4-4NU attempts same number of FG as opponent 0-0
NU makes more FG than opponent 7-1 NU makes fewer FG than
opponent 1-3NU makes same number of FG as opponent 1-1
NU has better FG Pct. than opponent 9-1NU has worse FG Pct. than
opponent 0-4
NU shoots 50 percent or better from field 5-0NU shoots less than
50 percent from field 4-5
NU shoots 40 percent or better from field 9-1NU shoots less than
40 percent from field 0-4
NU shoots more FT than opponent 7-1NU shoots fewer FT than
opponent 2-4NU shoots same number of FT as opponent 0-0
NU makes more FT than opponent 7-1NU makes fewer FT than
opponent 2-4NU makes same number of FT as opponent 0-0
NU has more total rebounds than opponent 7-0NU has fewer total
rebounds than opponent 2-5NU has same number of total rebounds as
opp. 0-0
NU has more offensive rebounds than opponent 6-1NU has fewer
offensive rebounds than opponent 3-4NU has same number of off. rbs.
as opponent 0-0
NU has more assists than opponent 9-2NU has fewer assists than
opponent 0-3NU has same number of assists as opponent 0-0
NU has more turnovers than opponent 1-4NU has fewer turnovers
than opponent 7-1NU has same number of turnovers as opponent
1-0
NU has more steals than opponent 6-1NU has fewer steals than
opponent 3-4NU has same number of steals as opponent 0-0NU has more
blocked shots than opponent 6-0NU has fewer blocked shots than
opponent 3-4NU has same number of blocks as opponent 0-1NU commits
more fouls than opponent 2-3NU commits fewer fouls than opponent
6-2NU commits same number of fouls as opponent 1-0Games are decided
by 20 or more points 7-3Games are decided by 10 or more points
7-1Games are decided by 9 or fewer points 2-2Games are decided by 5
or fewer points 1-0Games are decided by 3 or fewer points
1-0Overtime Games 0-1Playing on Monday 3-0Playing on Tuesday
1-0Playing on Wednesday 0-0Playing on Thursday 1-2Playing on Friday
0-0Playing on Saturday 3-2Playing on Sunday 1-1Playing in November
4-1Playing in December 5-2Playing in January 0-2Playing in February
0-0Playing in March 0-0
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8 2015-16 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Romeo tied a school record and smashed the Nebraska conference
tournament record with seven threes against the Fighting Illini.
She hit seven of her first nine attempts in the first 24 minutes of
the game against the Illini. The previous NU conference tournament
record was four, which had been accomplished four times (Jordan
Hooper, Lindsey Moore, Amanda Went, Amy Stephens). Romeo added four
threes against Iowa at the Big Ten Tournament on March 6. Her 11
threes match Nebraska’s career Big Ten Tournament record. She is
11-for-22 in two career games. Romeo tied Nebraska’s single-game
NCAA Tournament record with five threes against Syracuse on March
20.
claRk eaRNS way iNto StaRtiNG Five Kyndal Clark transferred from
Drake after earning her bachelor’s degree from the Des Moines,
Iowa, school. She joined the Huskers for a fifth season of
eligibility, coming to Nebraska in the middle of a long rehab from
surgery after suffering a microfracture of her kneecap in the first
game of her senior season at Drake on Nov. 14, 2014. Unable to run
when she first arrived at the Hendricks Training Complex, Clark
excelled in August, September and October, earning a spot in
Nebraska’s starting five. Clark entered Big Ten play after scoring
a season-high 22 points while knocking down four threes in
Nebraska’s win over Arkansas State on Dec. 21. Clark added 17
points and a season-high five threes against Evansville on Dec. 8.
A talented all-around player, the 5-7 Clark led the Huskers with
nine rebounds and four steals at No. 22 Cal on Dec. 12. She leads
the Huskers with 22 steals on the season. She produced her first
double-figure scoring night as a Husker with 10 points, four
rebounds and three assists in a win over North Florida on Nov. 16.
It marked the 100th collegiate start of her career. As a collegian,
Clark owns 75 double-figure scoring efforts (3 at Nebraska),
including 25 20-point efforts (1 at Nebraska). She scored 30 or
more on four occasions at Drake, including a career-high 41 points
against Northern Iowa on March 2, 2014. Clark knocked down 222
threes in 98 career starts at Drake, finishing with 1,418 points.
She was the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, a
two-time All-MVC selection, a member of the MVC All-Defensive Team
(2013), and she was honored on the 2012 MVC All-Freshman Team in
her only season playing for current Nebraska assistant coach Amy
Stephens at Drake.
freshman blaCkbUrn earns starts with shePard The least heralded
of Nebraska’s three freshmen in 2015-16, Kansas prep star Rachel
Blackburn earned a starting role alongside fellow rookie post
Jessica Shepard through the first nine games for the Big Red. The
6-3 Blackburn averaged 6.3 points and 7.6 rebounds with three
double-digit rebound games as a starter. Blackburn missed
Nebraska’s final two non-conference games (illness) and the
Huskers’ Big Ten opener with Iowa (illness/knee strain) before
returning in a reserve role at No. 14 Northwestern and No. 8
Maryland. Blackburn produced a career-high 14 points against
Evansville on Dec. 8, when she added six rebounds and three
assists. She just missed double-doubles against North Florida (8
points, 10 rebounds) and North Carolina Central (9 points, 9
rebounds), while dishing out three assists in both games. She added
a dominant defensive effort by taking four charges while grabbing
nine defensive boards and a steal in NU’s win over NC State on Dec.
3. Blackburn made the most of her opportunity this summer,
averaging 7.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes per game
while shooting a team-best 65 percent over four games in Australia.
The 6-3 forward out of Leavenworth High School was ranked as the
No. 63 player in the nation by Blue Star and No. 69 by
ProspectsNation. ESPN ranked her as the No. 17 post in the country.
Blackburn averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds as a junior for the
2014 Class 5A state champions, while also leading the Sunflower
League in the number of charges drawn. A talented athlete,
Blackburn set the Leavenworth school record with a javelin throw of
125-7 as a sophomore in 2013. She won the Sunflower League title
and qualified for the state meet in the event.
BiG Red BeNeFit FRom SummeR dowN uNdeR Nebraska completed a
12-day Australian Tour (Aug. 1-12) that allowed the young Huskers
to come together as a team, experience a new culture and practice
throughout the summer. The Big Red, who went 1-3 on the tour
against a collection of Australian professional and
semi-professional teams, played without 2014 All-American Rachel
Theriot, 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Kyndal
Clark, and the No. 1 recruit in Nebraska history, Jessica Shepard,
during the journey down under. All three made the trip but did not
play while recovering from major injuries in 2014-15. Despite
missing three of its top offensive weapons, the Huskers still
performed well overseas. Nebraska was led on the tour by sophomore
Natalie Romeo. The 5-7 guard from Martinez, Calif., averaged 19.8
points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Fellow sophomore
guard Jasmine Cincore added a solid tour, averaging 10.0 points,
4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, including a breakout
15-point, nine-rebound, four-assist effort in the win over Sydney
on Aug. 10. Freshman Rachel Blackburn provided big contributions
for the Big Red as the team’s third-leading scorer and rebounder.
The 6-3 forward from Leavenworth, Kan., averaged 7.5 points and 6.8
rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game.
assoCiated PresstoP 25
(monday, Jan. 4, 2016)1-UConn (32) (11-0)
............................. 800 (1)2-South Carolina (13-0)
.......................... 765 (2)3-Notre Dame (13-1)
.............................. 735 (3)4-Texas (13-0)
......................................... 705 (5)5-Ohio State
(10-3) .............................. 630 (9)6-Baylor (14-1)
........................................ 627 (4)7-Mississippi State
(14-1) ....................... 616 (8)8-Maryland (12-2)
............................... 580 (6)9-Stanford (11-2)
.................................. 521 (11)10-Kentucky (11-1)
................................. 502 (7)11-Oregon State (10-2)
......................... 495 (10)12-Tennessee (9-3)
............................... 460 (13)13-Texas A&M (11-3)
............................ 416 (16)14-Arizona State
(10-3)......................... 356 (17)15-UCLA (10-3)
..................................... 243 (21)16-Northwestern
(12-2) ..................... 235 (14)17-Oklahoma (10-3)
............................. 229 (18)18-Duke (11-4)
...................................... 215 (12)19-Florida State
(10-4) .......................... 202 (15)20-Missouri (13-0)
................................ 198 (23)21-California (9-3)
............................. 183 (19) 22-South Florida (8-3)
.......................... 168 (20)23-Michigan State (10-3)
................... 109 (24)24-DePaul
(10-5)..................................... 94 (25)25-Seton Hall
(13-1) .............................. 78 (NR)Note: Nebraska 2015-16
opponents in italics.NU Opponents Receiving Votes: 29-Iowa (20);
T40-Rutgers (2); T40-Purdue (2)
uSa today coacheS toP 25
(tUesday, Jan. 5, 2016)1-UConn (11-0) (32)
............................. 800 (1)2-South Carolina (13-0)
.......................... 768 (2)3-Notre Dame (13-1)
.............................. 732 (3)4-Texas (13-0)
......................................... 703 (6)5-Ohio State
(10-3) .............................. 625 (9)6-Mississippi State
(14-1) ....................... 621 (8)7-Baylor (14-1)
........................................ 620 (4)8-Maryland (12-2)
............................... 602 (5)9-Kentucky (11-1)
................................... 516 (7)10-Texas A&M (11-3)
.......................... 500 (T13)11-Tennessee (10-3)
............................. 426 (16)12-Oregon State (10-3)
......................... 417 (10)13-Stanford (11-3)
................................ 363 (11)14-Arizona State
(11-3)......................... 359 (21)15-Florida State (10-4)
........................ 288 (T13)16-Duke (11-4)
...................................... 281 (12)17-Northwestern
(12-2) ..................... 235 (15)18-South Florida (8-3)
.......................... 233 (17)19-Oklahoma (10-3)
............................. 205 (19)20-Seton Hall (13-1)
............................. 201 (23)21-UCLA (11-3)
.................................... 181 (NR)22-Michigan State
(10-3) ................... 127 (22)23-Iowa (12-2)
................................... 116 (25)24-DePaul
(10-5)................................... 110 (24)25-Syracuse
(11-3) ................................. 92 (NR)Note: Nebraska
2015-16 opponents in italics.NU Opponents Receiving Votes:
26-California (74)
NeBRaSkaweek-By-week RaNkiNGS
Week AP USA TodayNov. 3/Oct. 28 NR RV (39th)Nov. 16/17 NR RV
(31st)Nov. 23/24 RV (T30th) RV (T29th)Nov. 30/Dec. 1 RV (T37th) RV
(34th)Dec. 7/8 RV (T35th) RV (29th)Dec. 14/15 RV (T36th) RV
(34th)Dec. 21/22 RV (36th) RV (T33rd)Dec. 28/29 RV (36th) RV
(34th)Jan. 4/5 NR NR
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9HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
Allie Havers, a 6-5 junior center from Mattawan, Mich., added
7.0 points and a team-best 10.0 rebounds per game, while 6-2
redshirt freshman forward Darrien Washington from Oakland, Calif.,
added 5.5 points and a whopping 7.3 boards in just 17.3 minutes per
contest. Maddie Simon, the 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the
Year out of Lincoln Pius X, contributed 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds
and 1.0 assist while playing nearly 30 minutes per game as the
Huskers’ fifth-leading scorer and rebounder on the trip. Sophomore
Emily Wood, a 5-5 former walk-on guard from Salina, Kan., added 4.8
points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while filling Theriot’s role
in Nebraska’s starting backcourt. Senior Anya Kalenta, a 6-3
forward from Minsk, Belarus, rounded out the Big Red contributors
on the tour with 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per
contest off the bench.
BiG Red add coRNhuSkeR State FlavoR Nebraska welcomed the
highest-ranked recruiting class in school history to Lincoln this
summer, as Coach Connie Yori’s three-player class was ranked No. 8
nationally by ESPN. The class featured the highest profile recruit
in Husker basketball history - two-time state Gatorade High School
Player of the Year Jessica Shepard - and 2015 Nebraska Gatorade
Player of the Year Maddie Simon. Shepard, who averaged 12.6 points
and 3.8 rebounds to help the USA Basketball U18 National Team to a
gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas Championships, was ranked as
the No. 3 overall player and the No. 1 post in the country by ESPN.
The 2013 and 2014 Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year, Shepard was
a three-time first-team All-Nebraska and Super-State selection. In
nine games as a senior, Shepard averaged 33.0 points and 14.3
rebounds. She scored 132 points in four games at the Nike
Tournament of Champions in December, including 36 against national
power Long Beach Poly. The 6-4 forward hit 71 percent of her field
goals and 41 percent of her threes in an injury-shortened season.
Shepard tore her ACL on Dec. 29, 2014, while her Fremont team
played at Lincoln North Star High School. Shepard, who committed to
Nebraska in 2011, averaged a Class A record 30.4 points per game as
a junior in 2013-14, while adding 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per
game for Fremont. She averaged 24.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5
assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals while leading Lincoln Southeast
to the 2013 Class A state title, before moving with her family to
Fremont in the summer of 2013. She averaged 17.8 points and 9.1
rebounds for the Class A runner-up Knights in 2012. Lincoln native
Maddie Simon captured Nebraska Gatorade High School Player of the
Year honors in 2015. Simon led Lincoln Pius X to the 2015 Class B
state title by averaging 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists
per game as a senior. A two-time first-team Super-State selection,
Simon finished as Pius X’s all-time leading scorer with 1,373
points. A 6-2 guard, Simon was ranked as the No. 22 player in the
nation at her position by ESPN, while being ranked No. 149 overall
by Blue Star Basketball. As a junior at Lincoln Pius X in 2013-14,
Simon averaged 19.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists to lead
Pius X to a Class B runner-up finish. A tremendous all-around
athlete, Simon added gold medals in the Class A 100- and 300-meter
hurdles at the 2015 Nebraska State Track and Field Championships in
Omaha.
SeaSoN ticket SaleS Reach all-time hiGh Nebraska women’s
basketball season ticket sales reached an all-time high with 4,011
sold (Nov. 17), an increase of 109 tickets over last year’s
previous record high of 3,902. In Nebraska’s first season at
Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, the Huskers shattered their
previous season ticket sales record with more than 3,700. The
previous record came in 2010-11, when NU sold approximately 2,700
season tickets.
hUsker sPorts network Covers world The Husker Sports Network is
its 22nd season of producing and marketing the live broadcasts of
Nebraska women’s basketball in 2015-16. Women’s basketball
play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff
Griesch team up for their 15th 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.
nebraska ranks near toP in attendanCe Nebraska closed the
2014-15 season ranked No. 11 nationally in average home attendance
with 5,857 fans per game. The Huskers averaged 6,483 fans per Big
Ten Conference game. The Huskers played 15 home games at Pinnacle
Bank Arena in 2014-15, averaging 6,026 fans per game in the new
arena. In 43 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the
Huskers own an impressive 37-6 record (.860 winning percentage)
while averaging 5,892 fans per game (253,354 total fans/43
games).
2015-16 BiG teN StaNdiNGSTeam Overall (Big Ten)1. Ohio State
11-3 (3-0) Purdue 12-2 (3-0)3. Maryland 13-2 (2-1) Iowa 12-3 (2-1)
Michigan State 11-3 (2-1) Rutgers 11-4 (2-1) Minnesota 10-4 (2-1)8.
Northwestern 12-3 (1-2) Michigan 9-5 (1-2) Indiana 9-6 (1-2) Penn
State 6-8 (1-2) Wisconsin 5-8 (1-2) 13. Nebraska 9-5 (0-3) Illinois
7-7 (0-3)
Preseason all-biG tencoacheSAlly Disterhoft, Jr., G, IowaBrionna
Jones, Jr., C, MarylandShatori Walker-Kimbrough, Jr., G,
MarylandAerial Powers, Jr., F, Michigan StateRachel Banham, Sr., G,
MinnesotaRachel Theriot, Sr., G, NebraskaNia Coffey, Jr., F,
NorthwesternAmeryst Alston, Sr., G, Ohio StateKelsey Mitchell, So.,
G, Ohio State (Player of Year)Kahleah Copper, Sr., F/G, Rutgers
toP three teams1. Maryland2. Ohio State3. Michigan State
mediaBrionna Jones, Jr., C, MarylandShatori Walker-Kimbrough,
Jr., G, MarylandTori Jankoska, Jr., G, Michigan StateAerial Powers,
Jr., F, Michigan StateRachel Banham, Sr., G, MinnesotaRachel
Theriot, Sr., G, NebraskaNia Coffey, Jr., F, NorthwesternAmeryst
Alston, Sr., G, Ohio StateKelsey Mitchell, So., G, Ohio State
(Player of Year)Kahleah Copper, Sr., F/G, Rutgers
toP three teams1. Maryland2. Ohio State3. Northwestern
biG ten Player of the weekNov. 16 - Mikayla Bailey, Minnesota
Honor Roll - Natalie Romeo, NebraskaNov. 23 - Ashley Deary,
NorthwesternNov. 30 - Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio StateDec. 7 - Shatori
Walker-Kimbrough, Maryland Honor Roll - Rachel Theriot,
NebraskaDec. 14 - Rachel Banham, MinnesotaDec. 21 - Jessica
Shepard, NebraskaDec. 28 - Tori Jankoska, Michigan StateJan. 4 -
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State
BiG teN FReShmaN oF the weekNov. 16 - Jessica Shepard,
NebraskaNov. 23 - Jessica Shepard, Nebraska/Cierra Rice,
IllinoisNov. 30 - Hallie Thome, MichiganDec. 7 - Jessica Shepard,
Nebraska/Cierra Rice, IllinoisDec. 14 - Alex Wittinger,
IllinoisDec. 21 - Jessica Shepard, NebraskaDec. 28 - Jessica
Shepard, NebraskaJan. 4 - Teniya Page, Penn State
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10 2015-16 NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Huskers also played one home game at Bob Devaney Sports
Center in 2014-15, drawing 3,321 fans for a game against Utah on
Nov. 23. The Utah game was not included in Nebraska’s 2014-15
season ticket package for logistical reasons. In 18 home games in
2013-14, the Huskers attracted 110,892 fans including 10 of the
top-16 largest home non-conference crowds in school history.
Nebraska’s total home attendance of 110,892 ranked No. 8
nationally, while NU’s average home attendance of 6,161 ranked 11th
in 2013-14. Nebraska attracted a non-conference school-record crowd
of 9,750 to open its stay in the building with a win over UCLA on
Nov. 8, 2013. The Huskers have averaged more than 5,000 fans per
non-conference game each of the first two seasons at Pinnacle Bank
Arena. Before moving to the new arena, NU had never averaged more
than 4,049 fans per game in non-conference home play.
nebraska Posts 11th straiGht PerfeCt Gsr Nebraska Coach Connie
Yori would be the first to say that nobody’s perfect. However, in
the eyes of the NCAA’s Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR),
that’s exactly what her Husker program has been for 11 consecutive
years. Nebraska is the only program among the 14 Big Ten Conference
schools to accomplish the perfect score for 11 straight years. The
NCAA announced the release of its annual Graduation Success Rate
report on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2015, and Nebraska was a national
leader in women’s basketball for the 11th straight season, dating
back to 2004-05. Yori, who is in her 14th season at Nebraska in
2015-16, joined Coach Robin Krapfl’s women’s golf program, Coach
Scott Jacobson’s women’s tennis program and Coach John Cook’s
volleyball program as Nebraska teams who have produced perfect 100
percent rates each of the last 11 years. Nebraska was one of six
Big Ten women’s basketball programs to post 100 percent rates in
2014-15, joining Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue and
Wisconsin. All 14 Big Ten women’s programs posted GSR rates above
80 percent last season. The Big Ten’s six teams with 100 percent
GSR scores led the Big Five conferences, ahead of five each for the
Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC, while the SEC managed four.
theriot’s triUmPhs • Nebraska’s Offensive MVP for the second
straight season, Rachel Theriot led the Huskers to a 17-4 record as
a starter in 2014-15. • Theriot’s 537 career assists rank fifth in
Husker history. She needs 26 assists to catch Husker great Nicole
Kubik (563, 1997-2000) at No. 4 on the NU career chart. • She hit
92.6 percent (63-68) of her free throws on the year, which ranked
as the second-best single-season average in Nebraska history. •
Theriot owns seven career points-assists double-doubles, including
17 points and 15 assists at No. 22 California on Dec. 12. She had
20 points and 11 assists in Nebraska’s win over NC State on Dec. 3.
She had one double-double as a junior with 18 points and 10 assists
at Minnesota on Dec. 29, 2014. • Theriot has dished out 11 or more
assists in a game seven times in her career. No other Husker has
done it more than four times. She owns nine career double-digit
assist games. • Theriot owns two career 30-point games (33, vs.
Minnesota, Jan. 16, 2004; 31 vs. High Point, Dec. 20, 2014). She
owns 13 career 20-point games and 61 career double-figure scoring
efforts. • She led Nebraska to its first conference tournament
title as the Big Ten Tournament MVP. She averaged 18.7 points and a
tournament-record 10.0 assists per game, with 30 total assists and
just seven turnovers. Theriot hit 56.4 percent of her shots,
including 5-of-10 threes, and went 7-for-8 at the line. • Theriot’s
30 assists in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament were a Nebraska
single-season conference tournament record. She produced arguably
the best passing game in Big Ten history in Nebraska’s Big Ten
quarterfinal win over Minnesota March 7, dishing out a
tournament-record-shattering 18 assists against just one turnover.
The previous tournament record was 12 set by Helen Darling of Penn
State against Illinois in 2000. The most assists by a Big Ten
player against a Big Ten foe came with Maggie Acuna’s 16 for
Illinois against Wisconsin in 2006. • Theriot’s 18 assists were the
second-most in a game in Nebraska history, trailing only 19 assists
by Kathy Hawkins on Feb. 17, 1976 against Kearney State (now
Nebraska-Kearney). Theriot’s assists are the most ever by a Husker
against an NCAA Division I opponent, and the most in the last 38
seasons, covering 1,250 games. Theriot’s 18 assists were the most
in an NCAA Division I game in 2013-14.
triPle threats: three thinGs to talk aboUt#11, Esther Ramacieri,
5-8, Jr., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg) • Esther
Ramacieri had two points and two rebounds in two minutes against
Northern Arizona on Dec. 19, in her return after missing four games
with a concussion. She hit her first field goal (37th career game)
in the closing minute of Nebraska’s win over North Carolina Central
on Nov. 21. She added her first Big Ten field goal with a layup
against No. 14 Northwestern on Jan. 3. She added an assist and two
rebounds in 10 minutes at No. 8 Maryland Jan. 7. Ramacieri appeared
in 17 games in each of her first two seasons, with one career start
(vs. Penn State, Jan. 15, 2015). • Ramacieri missed much of the
summer and preseason with a knee injury, but was cleared to play
for the start of the 2015-16 regular season. She missed Nebraska’s
wins over NC State, Creighton and Evansville with a concussion
suffered outside of competition/practice. She did not play at No.
22 California but was available. She missed the Big Ten opener
against Iowa (Dec. 31) with an Achilles strain, before returning at
No. 14 Northwestern on Jan. 3.
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
nU toP 25 wins Under yori (33)Opponent Final Location#9 Duke
(Dec. 3, 2014) 60-54 Pinnacle Bank Arena#23 Iowa (March 9, 2014)
72-65 Indianapolis, Ind.#19 Michigan St. (March 8, 2014) 86-58
Indianapolis, Ind.#8 Penn State (Feb. 24, 2014) 94-74 Pinnacle Bank
Arena#24 Michigan St. (Feb. 8, 2014) 76-56 Pinnacle Bank Arena#9
Texas A&M (March 25, 2013) 74-53 College Station, Texas#25
Michigan St. (Jan. 24, 2013) 59-54 Devaney Center#24 Florida State
(Dec. 8, 2012) 78-77 Devaney Center#14 Ohio State (March 3, 2012)
77-62 Indianapolis, Ind.#8 Ohio State (Feb. 26, 2012) 71-57 Devaney
Center#15 Purdue (Feb. 2, 2012) 93-89 3OT West Lafayette, Ind.#16
Penn State (Dec. 30, 2011) 71-63 University Park, Pa.#23 USC (Nov.
18, 2011) 68-50 Devaney Center#22 UCLA (March 23, 2010) 83-70
Minneapolis#11 Oklahoma (Feb. 24, 2010) 80-64 Norman, Okla.#13 Iowa
State (Feb. 17, 2010) 60-50 Devaney Center#12 Texas A&M (Feb.
6, 2010) 71-60 Devaney Center#10 Oklahoma St. (Feb. 3, 2010) 88-67
Devaney Center#9 Baylor (Jan. 17, 2010) 65-56 Waco, Texas#19 Texas
(Jan. 12, 2010) 91-79 Devaney Center#5 LSU (Dec. 20, 2009) 77-63
Devaney Center#20 Kansas St. (Feb. 25, 2009) 52-47 Devaney
Center#24 Arizona St. (Dec. 28, 2008) 62-58 Devaney Center#21 Texas
A&M (Jan. 23, 2008) 73-60 Devaney Center#15 Texas (Jan. 9,
2008) 56-45 Devaney Center#13 Baylor (Feb. 3, 2007) 76-67 Devaney
Center#25 Kansas State (Jan. 17, 2007) 70-63 Devaney Center#18 New
Mexico (Nov. 13, 2006) 66-59 Tempe, Ariz.#14 Iowa State (Feb. 12,
2005) 88-59 Devaney Center#2 Baylor (Jan. 12, 2005) 103-99 3OT
Devaney Center#9 Kansas State (Jan. 24, 2004) 81-63 Devaney
Center#13 Ohio State (Dec. 12, 2003) 60-55 Devaney Center#25
Cincinnati (Dec. 15, 2002) 65-55 Devaney Center
nU toP winninG PerCentaGesSeason Record (Pct.) Conference
(Pct.)1. 2009-10 32-2 (.941) 16-0 (1.000)2. 2013-14 26-7 (.788)
12-4 (.750)3. 1987-88 22-7 (.759) 11-3 (.786)4. 1992-93 23-8 (.742)
10-4 (.714)5. 2012-13 25-9 (.735) 12-4 (.750)6. 2011-12 24-9 (.727)
10-6 (.625)7. 1975-76 21-9 (.700) none8. 1997-98 23-10 (.697) 11-5
(.688)9. 2006-07 22-10 (.688) 10-6 (.625)10. 1996-97 19-9 (.679)
8-8 (.500)11. 2014-15 21-11 (.656) 10-8 (.556) 1991-92 21-11 (.656)
9-5 (.643)*bold indicates team coached by Connie Yori
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11HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERSWBB #HUSKERS
• Ramacieri is the fourth Canadian to play for the Huskers under
Coach Yori, including Chelsea Aubry (2004-07), Kaitlyn Burke
(2008-12) and Harleen Sidhu (2009-12).
#12, Emily Wood, 5-5, So., G, Salina, Kan. (1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg) •
Emily Wood is making solid, consistent and reliable contributions
as a sophomore, producing 18 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and
two steals in 76 minutes off the bench. She enjoyed a career night
with six points on the first two three-pointers of her career while
adding two rebounds, an assist and a steal in Nebraska’s win over
North Florida on Nov. 16. She added a three while notching career
highs of five assists, three rebounds and 23 minutes played against
Evansville on Dec. 8. • Wood played in 10 games as a freshman after
walking on to the Nebraska program. She claimed Nebraska’s Teammate
Award for her commitment to the Husker program in 2014-15. Wood had
two points and five rebounds in 29 minutes as a freshman. In the
summer of 2015, Wood started for NU on its four-game Australian
Tour, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26
minutes per game. • Wood was a first-team Kansas Class 5A all-state
selection as a senior at Salina Central High School in 2014. Wood
averaged 16.0 points per game as a senior, while hitting a
school-record 91 threes. She hit 42.1 percent of her threes and
86.2 percent of her free throws as a senior.
#24, Maddie Simon, 6-2, Fr., G, Lincoln, Neb. (6.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg,
1.5 apg) • Maddie Simon was growing her game quickly as a key
contributor in the Husker lineup before suffering a broken arm in a
fall outside of basketball activities on Dec. 7. Her recovery went
well and she returned to action at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7. After
missing six games, Simon scored nine points off the bench as one of
Nebraska’s leading scorers against the Terps. Simon produced two
double-figure efforts before the injury, including 11 points and
three assists in a win over Southern (Nov. 23) and 10 points and
three assists against NC State (Dec. 3). • Simon averaged 6.5
points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist during Nebraska’s four-game
summer tour of Australia in August of 2015. The 2015 Nebraska High
School Player of the Year, Maddie 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 the
first female CoSIDA Academic All-American in the history of
Nebraska athletics, competing for Coach Gary Pepin’s national
champion Huskers in 1983 and 1984.
#31, Anya Kalenta, 6-3, Sr., F, Minsk, Belarus (4.9 ppg, 4.6
rpg) • Anya Kalenta produced a strong seven-point, 14-rebound
effort in a win over Northern Arizona Dec. 19. She also had career
bests with three blocks and 26 minutes. She produced the fourth
double-figure scoring effort of her Nebraska career and second of
the season with 11 points and six rebounds in a season-high 21
minutes off the bench in NU’s win over NC State (Dec. 3). She had
10 points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes in a win over North
Florida (Nov. 16). She had eight points, eight rebounds, two
assists and her first career steal against Evansville (Dec. 8). She
notched career highs with four assists and three blocks against
North Carolina Central (Nov. 23) when she also had seven points and
six boards. • Kalenta owns more points (68/38), rebounds (65/17),
assists (7/1), blocks (7/3) and steals (3/0) than she had last
season. She appeared in 12 games at Nebraska in 2014-15, competing
in five of NU’s first six games before missing NU’s next nine games
with a stress fracture in her foot. She also suffered a broken nose
in preseason practice (Oct. 29, 2014), and battled anemia
throughout the year. She established career highs with 14 points
and eight rebounds in a season-opening win over Pepperdine Nov. 15,
2014. • Kalenta earned third-team NJCAA All-America honors in
2013-14 at Vincennes University in Indiana. She transferred to
Vincennes after spending her freshman season at Broward College in
Florida in 2012-13. She ranked in the NJCAA’s top 25 in scoring
(20.8 ppg, 13th), rebounding (10.7 rpg, 22nd) and blocked shots
(2.1 bpg, 20th) in her only season with the Trailblazers at
Vincennes in 2013-14.
#34, Jasmine Cincore, 5-10, So., G, Arlington, Tenn. (3.7 ppg,
1.9 rpg, 1.1 apg) • A two-time Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the
Year (2013, 2014), Jasmine Cincore battled ankle and foot injuries
to play in 20 games for the Huskers as a true freshman. She totaled
25 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 97 minutes on the season.
• Cincore has opened her sophomore season strong, producing 52
points, 26 rebounds and 15 assists in 187 minutes. She has set or
tied career bests in every category, including a career-high nine
points at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7. She had a career-high four
steals while matching a career-best with three assists against
North Florida on Nov. 16. She tipped off the year with six points
and three assists while adding career bests in rebounds (4) and
blocks (1) against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. • During
Nebraska’s 2015 summer tour of Australia, Cincore was NU’s
second-leading scorer with 10.0 points per game, while adding 4.0
rebounds and 2.3 assists in four games