Huskers Add Experience with Morton

Nebraska women's basketball coach Amy Williams announced the addition of Janay Morton to the Huskers' 2016-17 roster on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Morton, who spent her first three collegiate seasons at Eastern Michigan, will redshirt while sitting out her first season in Lincoln due to NCAA transfer rules. She is expected to have one season of eligibility as a fifth-year senior for the Huskers in 2017-18.

"We are very excited about adding an experienced guard like Janay to our team," Williams said. "We think she has a great opportunity to use her redshirt season to learn our system and get comfortable with college life at Nebraska, before hitting the floor at full speed for her senior season in 2017-18. Janay can score off the dribble, shoot the three and she is an aggressive defender who can get steals without fouling."

One of the top players in the Mid-American Conference the past three seasons, Morton averaged 13.0 points per game as a three-year starter at Eastern Michigan before electing to transfer. The 5-10 guard from Brooklyn Park, Minn., amassed 1,341 points, 364 rebounds, 249 assists and 223 steals. She also knocked down 203 three-pointers for the Eagles in her three-year career. 

Morton's 223 career steals ranked among the top 10 totals in Eastern Michigan history, while her 96 steals in 2015-16 marked the third-best single-season total in school history. Her 96 steals as a junior were 18 more than any other player in the MAC, as she earned a spot on the first-ever MAC All-Defensive Team. She was a third-team All-MAC choice as a junior, after earning a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team in 2013-14.

In 103 collegiate games, Morton has made 94 starts. She has scored in double figures 68 times, including 16 games with 20 or more points. She has scored a career-high 34 points on two occasions.

Last season, Morton ranked second among the Eagles and 15th in the MAC by averaging 13.5 points per game. She led Eastern Michigan with 76 three-pointers on the season, while hitting 37.8 percent of her long-range attempts which ranked sixth in the MAC.

She also led the Eagles with MAC-best 96 steals. No other player in the conference had more than 78 steals in 2015-16. She had six or more steals on five occasions as a junior, including a season-high seven against Texas Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 21. She had six steals in her final game as an Eagle against TCU in the second round of the Postseason WNIT, when she added 20 points and four assists, while hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers.

Morton produced double figures in each of her last five games, while knocking down 17-of-29 three-pointers (.586). She averaged 15.4 points per game and hit 50 percent (25-50) of her shots from the floor overall during the stretch.

Morton added 3.4 rebounds per contest, while dishing out 2.9 assists per game. She helped Eastern Michigan to a 22-12 overall record.

As a sophomore, Morton was the second-leading scorer for an Eastern Michigan team that finished with a 24-13 overall record. She averaged 12.6 points per game, while adding 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. She also led the Eagles with 78 steals on the season, while her 2.1 steals per game ranked second in the MAC. She also ranked second among the Eagles with 63 three-pointers. She played in all 37 games with 35 starts.

She matched a career best by erupting for 34 points against Central Michigan on March 7, 2015. Her effort included 13-for-13 free throw shooting. She notched her first career double-double by dishing out 10 assists in a win over Akron on March 12.

Morton finished her sophomore season strong, producing double figures in nine of her final 10 games. She averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals during the 10-game season-ending stretch, while hitting 21-of-58 threes (.362).

Morton made an immediate impact as a true freshman at Eastern Michigan, ranking second on the team with 13.0 points per game. She added 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists. She played in all 32 games for the 18-14 Eagles, including 26 starts. She led EMU with 64 three-pointers, while ranking third on the team with 49 steals.

She produced seven 20-point performances as a freshman, including a career-high 34 points against Buffalo on Jan. 18, 2014. She hit a career-high 7-of-11 three-pointers against the Bulls. She earned MAC West Player-of-the-Week honors on Dec. 16, 2013.

A four-time all-conference performer as a high school basketball player, Morton earned honorable-mention all-state recognition as a senior at Osseo High School in 2012-13. She scored more than 1,000 career points while helping Osseo to a state runner-up finish as a junior and a semifinal appearance as a senior. She also participated in volleyball during her high school career.