Huskers Renew Old Rivalry with No. 25 Mizzou

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0)
vs. #25 Missouri Tigers (1-0)
Monday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network
Lincoln - B107.3 FM, Omaha - CD105.9 FM
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App
Live Video Stream: BTN Plus

Huskers Renew Rivalry with Mizzou in WNIT
The Nebraska women’s basketball team will face one of its oldest rivals when the Huskers play host to No. 25 Missouri in the second round of the 2016 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Monday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

Tip-off between the Huskers and Tigers is set for 7 p.m., and fans can purchase tickets at Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Tickets are also available in person at the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office across the street from Memorial Stadium during regular business hours on Monday, and at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Fans can also follow the action live on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha and on select stations across the Husker Sports Network. Free live audio of Monday’s game will be available on Huskers.com and through the Huskers App.

A live video stream will be available for BTN Plus subscribers as a BTN Student U production.

Nebraska advanced to the Preseason WNIT second round with a 71-53 victory over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Preseason All-Big Ten forward Jessica Shepard led the Huskers with 17 points and 15 rebounds, while senior center Allie Havers added 10 points and seven boards.

A balanced Nebraska attack and a stingy defense that kept 2016 Western Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year Shawnte’ Goff in check, gave Coach Amy Williams her first win as Nebraska’s coach. The former Husker (Amy Gusso, 1995-98) led South Dakota to 32 victories and a Postseason WNIT Championship last season. Williams was a two-time Summit League Coach of the Year at South Dakota, while leading the Coyotes to the conference tournament title game in each of her four seasons in Vermillion.

Missouri comes to Lincoln for the first time since the 2010-11 season when the Tigers suffered a 76-34 loss to the Huskers on their old home court at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The 24th-ranked Tigers went 22-10 overall and 8-8 in the SEC on their way to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

Toys For Tots Collection Set for Monday
Nebraska Athletics and the U.S. Marines will partner to help local children enjoy a happier holiday season. The Marines will be collecting toys and monetary donations near entrances around Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday, Nov. 14, prior to Nebraska’s second game of the Preseason WNIT. Tip time for that game against No. 24 Missouri is set for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy or cash donation.

The Huskers will also be honoring active and former military members in their annual Veteran’s Day and Military Salute. The event is sponsored by University of Nebraska Registered Student Organization Semper Fi Society. Active and former military members and veterans can receive one free general admission ticket to Monday’s game with valid ID. All guest tickets must be purchased.

Military personnel/Veterans must show valid military ID (Active Duty Military, Reserve Military, Retired Military photo ID cards; VA Medical ID card, Legion or VFW card; DD214 Form.)

Monday’s Match-up
Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 17.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 10.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 7.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 6.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Jr. - G - 3.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
First Season at Nebraska (1-0); 10th Season Overall (194-109)

Missouri Tigers (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
4 - Cierra Porter - 6-4 - So. - F - 10.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg 
3 - Sophie Cunningham - 6-1 - So. - G - 13.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg 
11 - Lindsey Cunningham - 6-0 - RSr. - G - 2.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
23 - Amber Smith - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 4.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
24 - Sierra Michaelis - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Off the Bench
1 - Lianna Doty - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 12.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
10 - Jordan Chavis - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
13 - Hannah Schuchts - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Head Coach: Robin Pingeton (St. Ambrose, 1990)
Seventh Season at Missouri (102-89); 22nd Season Overall (437-246)

Scouting No. 25 Missouri
The No. 25 Missouri Tigers come to Lincoln for the first time since joining the Southeastern Conference. One of Nebraska’s oldest and most frequent opponents, Missouri made its last visit to Lincoln on Feb. 22, 2011, when the Huskers rolled to a 76-34 win over its fellow Big 12 foe at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska joined the Big Ten for the 2011-12 season, while Missouri joined the SEC the same year. Overall, Nebraska owns a 40-31 advantage in the series with the Tigers, including four wins in the last five meetings.
Missouri opened Robin Pingeton’s seventh season as the Tigers’ coach with a 52-46 win over defending Southland Conference champion Abilene Christian on Friday in Columbia, Mo. Sophomore Sophie Cunningham led four Tigers in double figures with 13 points. Cunningham was the SEC Freshman of the Year and MU’s leading scorer in 2015-16, averaging 14.0 and 5.8 rebounds per contest.

Fellow sophomore Cierra Porter, a 6-4 forward, added a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Porter averaged 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds as a freshman starter for the Tigers in 2015-16. Porter was an SEC All-Freshman selection a year ago.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis gave MU three starters in double figures with 11 points and five boards. Michaelis averaged 8.5 points and 2.4 boards as a starter a year ago.

Fifth-year senior Lianna Doty pitched in 12 points off the bench as part of an eight-player rotation on Friday. Last season, Doty averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

In addition to Sophie Cunningham, Cierra Porter and Sierra Michaelis, Missouri’s fourth returning starter is guard Lindsey Cunningham. The fifth-year senior and older sister to Sophie, averaged 4.4 points and a team-high 3.3 assists last season. She opened 2016-17 with two points and two assists against Abilene Christian.

The Tigers, who went 22-10 overall last season, including an 8-8 SEC mark that was good for a tie for seventh in the conference, returned all five starters from a team that advanced to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. However, Missouri has encountered early season adversity with injuries to returning starter Jordan Frericks (12.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg in 2015-16) and key reserve Bri Porter (2.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg in 2015-16), the older sister of Cierra.

With the injury to her older sister, Cierra is wearing Bri’s jersey No. 4 this season, rather than the No. 21 she wore a year ago. Cierra also had offseason foot surgery.

The Tigers are also dealing with a hamstring injury to junior forward Kayla McDowell, who averaged 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds last season. Touted freshman Jordan Roundtree injured a knee in practice last week, but was expected to play against Abilene Christian. She did not.

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Missouri 40-31 in one of the longest and oldest series in school history, dating back to a 67-61 Husker win over the Tigers on Jan. 21, 1977.
• Nebraska has won four of the last five meetings between the two teams, including a 76-34 win over the Tigers in the most recent meeting between the teams at the Devaney Center on Feb. 22, 2011.
• The Huskers reeled off 19 consecutive victories in the series with the Tigers from Jan. 30, 1991 to Jan. 3, 1999.
• Nebraska is 41-2 all-time in regular-season home openers with its last loss coming to South Dakota State (68-49) on Nov. 19, 2005. The Huskers’ only other home-opening loss came to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.
• In their second home game of the season, the Huskers own a 16-game winning streak.
• Jessica Shepard produced her 11th career double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds in a Preseason WNIT first-round win over UTRGV. Her next double-double will put the sophomore in a tie for 12th on Nebraska’s career double-double list.
• Shepard’s 15 rebounds against the Vaqueros on Saturday marked her third career game with 15 or more boards and her 11th career game with double-figure rebounds.
• Jessica Shepard and Allie Havers both hit the first three-pointers of their careers in Nebraska’s season-opening win over UTRGV. Havers, a 6-5 center, was 0-for-6 in her career before knocking down a first-half three. Shepard, a 6-4 forward, was 0-for-2 in her career before hitting two first-half threes against the Vaqueros. Her second was a 60-footer at the buzzer to end the half.
• Freshman guard Hannah Whitish also hit the first three of her career against UTRGV, while senior guard Esther Ramacieri set a career high by hitting two threes against the Vaqueros. Ramacieri entered the game with three career three-pointers in 52 career games.

Shepard Leads Big Red on B1G Stage
• Sophomore Jessica Shepard led the Huskers with her 11th career double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds to go along with three assists and one steal in Nebraska’s season-opening win over UTRGV on Saturday. Shepard hit the first two three-pointers of her career against the Vaqueros, including a 60-footer at the first-half buzzer.
• Shepard earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors when the conference announced its preseason awards on Oct. 24. Shepard was one of two sophomores on the coaches preseason all-conference team, joining Penn State guard Teniya Page. Shepard was the lone sophomore honored by the media on its 10-player preseason team.
• Shepard became the first freshman in Nebraska history to earn first-team all-conference honors. Shepard produced school freshman-record averages of 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in 2015-16.
• Shepard became the first Husker in history to earn conference freshman-of-the-year accolades. The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., joined Emily Cady (2012) and Rachel Theriot (2013) as Huskers who earned spots on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in Nebraska’s first five seasons in the conference.
• Shepard set a conference record by winning 10 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards.

Huskers Search for Solid Starting Five
• One of Coach Amy Williams’ primary objectives early in the season will be to find a starting five from a relatively inexperienced group of Huskers. Only six players on Nebraska’s active roster have ever started a game for the Huskers, with four of them starting seven or fewer contests.
Although Jessica Shepard is just a sophomore, she owns a team-high 30 career starts, including 29 in 31 games as a freshman.
• A three-year contributor on the court, 6-5 senior Allie Havers adds 22 career starts to Nebraska’s level of experience to begin 2016-17.
• Only three other returning Huskers have ever started a game for Nebraska, including Jasmine Cincore (7), Maddie Simon (5) and Esther Ramacieri (5), while true freshman Nicea Eliely added her first career start in the win over UTRGV. Overall, Nebraska owns just 70 career starts.
• Nebraska sent nine different starting lineups onto the floor in 2015-16.
• The longest stretch Nebraska was able to play with a consistent starting five in 2015-16 was eight games (Game 2 vs. North Florida, Nov. 16 - Game 9 at California, Dec. 12).
• Three times (2003-04, 2006-07, 2011-12) in the last 14 seasons, Nebraska’s starting five has hit the floor for every game together, and five more times the Huskers have only featured six different starters in a season (2005-06, 2007-08, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2013-14).

Nebraska Ranks Near Top in Attendance
Nebraska closed the 2015-16 season ranked No. 9 nationally in total attendance (102,682) and No. 12 in NCAA Division I in average home attendance (5,404). It marked the third consecutive season inside Pinnacle Bank Arena that the Big Red have ranked among the top 12 nationally in both categories.

In 53 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own an impressive 44-9 record (.830 winning percentage) while averaging 5,818 fans per game (308,365 total fans/53 games).
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.

Huskers Move to Preseason WNIT Second Round
After opening the 2016 Preseason WNIT with a 71-53 win over UTRGV on Saturday, Nebraska advances to the second round of the 16-team tournament to take on No. 24 Missouri. NU’s win over UTRGV marked the Huskers’ first home appearance in women’s college basketball’s premier regular-season tournament since exactly 12 years earlier when the Big Red defeated Western Illinois (74-71) at the Devaney Center on Nov. 12, 2004.

After that win over Western Illinois, the 2004-05 Huskers traveled to then-No. 10 Notre Dame on Nov. 14, 2004, and suffered a defeat. The 2016-17 AP Preseason No. 1 Fighting Irish are back in the 16-team tournament again this year, and are scheduled to host all four rounds, if they win.

Nebraska is guaranteed to host at least three rounds - win or lose - during the nine-day tournament.

If the Huskers can muster a win over Missouri,Nebraska will host the winner of a second-round game between Colorado State and preseason No. 17 Washington. The Huskies, who advanced to the 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four, play host to the Rams in Seattle in the second round. Colorado State won 31 games a year ago as the Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament champions. Nebraska’s third game in the Preseason WNIT is set for Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.

Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success
Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ home court. NU notched its 41st season-opening win with a 71-53 victory over UTRGV on Nov. 12. NU is 4-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in season openers, including a 96-46 victory over Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 14, 2015, a 100-65 win over Pepperdine on Nov. 15, 2014, and a 77-49 win over UCLA in the first regular-season basketball game in the history of the building on Nov. 8, 2013. Nebraska’s last loss in a home opener came to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss was to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.

Nebraska has been strong in its first six home games every season. In fact, NU is 218-34 in the past 43 years in its first six home contests (.865), including 36-6 in Game No. 2. The Huskers have won 16 straight in their second home games of the year. Nebraska is 34-8 in Game No. 3, 36-6 in Game No. 4, 37-5 in Game No. 5 and 34-7 in Game 6. The Huskers only played five total home games in their first season in 1974-75.

Big Red To Battle one of Nation’s Best Schedules
Nebraska will likely face the toughest overall schedule in school history in 2016-17. The Huskers could play as many as 11 games against NCAA Tournament teams and as many as 11 more against Postseason WNIT teams in 2016-17.
Nebraska’s appearances in the 2016 Preseason WNIT to open the year will feature at least three and possibly four 2016 postseason foes.

Virginia, Virginia Tech, Drake and Creighton all competed in the 2016 WNIT and the Huskers will play three of those games on the road. Nebraska closes non-conference play at home against UConn, which has won four consecutive NCAA titles.

A total of 13 of Nebraska’s 16 Big Ten Conference games will come against postseason foes, including seven games against NCAA qualifiers and six more against WNIT teams from a year ago.
Nebraska’s 16-game regular-season home schedule will likely feature 13 games against postseason teams, including all eight Big Ten Conference home games.

Nebraska Streaks
• Nebraska has won 11 consecutive regular-season home openers dating back to a 68-49 loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005.
• Nebraska is 4-0 in home openers since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena for the start of the 2013-14 season. NU’s average margin of victory in its regular-season home openers at Pinnacle Bank Arena is 29.8 points per contest.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 252 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 131 consecutive games.
• Nebraska has had at least two players earn first- or second-team All-Big Ten honors in each of its first five seasons in the Big Ten.
• Nebraska has won 31 consecutive exhibition games dating back to an 81-58 loss to the Australian Institute of Sport on Nov. 12, 2000.
• Nebraska finished with a 9-9 Big Ten record to mark the fifth consecutive season the Huskers have posted a .500 or better Big Ten record. Nebraska is the only Big Ten team with a .500 or better record in each of the last five seasons. In fact, no other Big Ten team has had four straight .500 marks. The only other team with three straight .500 or better Big Ten seasons is Minnesota, which went 11-7 in both 2015 and 2016 after going 8-8 in 2014.

Pump up the Program
• Nebraska earned its fifth straight postseason tournament bid with a trip to the 2016 WNIT. The Huskers were one of only 21 Division I teams to earn four consecutive NCAA Tournament bids from 2012 through 2015.
• The Huskers have produced seven 20-win seasons in the last 10 years. Nebraska owns 16 20-win seasons in program history.
• Nebraska is the only team in the Big Ten to post a .500 or better conference mark in each of the last five years. Minnesota is the only other Big Ten team to do it each of the last three seasons.
• The Huskers, who joined the Big Ten in 2011-12, have averaged 10.6 conference wins per season since joining the conference. The Big Red have added eight Big Ten Tournament wins for 61 total victories over Big Ten foes during the past five years (12.2 wins per season).
• Nebraska has ranked among the top 12 schools nationally in average home attendance in each of the Huskers’ first three seasons at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Big Red have ranked among the top 10 nationally in total home attendance in each of the first three seasons at the arena, including 102,682 fans in 2015-16.
• Nebraska set a season ticket sales record with 4,032 season tickets sold as of Jan. 31, 2016. It marked the first time in school history the Huskers sold 4,000 season tickets. Nebraska’s season ticket number for 2016-17 was 3,947 as of Nov. 1, 2016.
• Nebraska featured six first-team academic All-Big Ten selections in 2015-16, including returning Huskers Jasmine Cincore, Allie Havers and Emily Wood.

Huskers to Learn Day-by-Day, Minute-by-Minute
• First-year Nebraska Coach Amy Williams and her staff will try to guide an extremely inexperienced Husker team through the 2016-17 season.
• Senior center Allie Havers was the most experienced Husker with 96 career games and 1,583 career minutes entering the season. Havers is the only active Husker who has played more than 1,000 collegiate minutes. In fact, she had played more minutes than senior guard Esther Ramacieri (282 minutes, 52 games), junior guard Jasmine Cincore (653 minutes, 51 games), junior guard Emily Wood (158 minutes, 31 games), sophomore guard Maddie Simon (299 minutes, 21 games) and sophomore forward Darrien Washington (39 minutes, 10 games) combined (1,331 minutes) entering the 2016-17 campaign.
• Sophomore forward Jessica Shepard ranked second among active Huskers in career minutes with 884 entering the year. In all, Nebraska returns just 3,798 minutes of active collegiate experience, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten. Only Illinois (3,108), Wisconsin (2,985) and Rutgers (2,253) have fewer minutes of returning experience to their respective teams than Nebraska.
• Nebraska’s returning players combined for just under 19 full 40-minute games of experience entering the season.
• Northwestern has three seniors (Nia Coffey, Ashley Deary and Christen Inman) who each played more than 3,000 career minutes for the Wildcats, combining for 9,620 minutes entering the year. As a team, Northwestern returns 14,195 minutes on the court, which does not include 413 minutes for Oceana Hamilton who played two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Northwestern and sitting out 2015-16.
• Indiana returns 10,671 minutes and that does not include 3,497 minutes from transfers Amber Deane (2,697, Dayton) and Tia Elbert (800, Marquette) who are both eligible to play this year for the Hoosiers.
• Michigan senior guard Sierra Thompson played 3,517 career minutes entering 2016-17, while Iowa senior Ally Disterhoft played 3,346. Northwestern’s Ashley Deary (3,319), Nia Coffey (3,231) and Christen Inman (3,070) join Michigan State’s Tori Jankoska (3,209) as the six returning players in the Big Ten who have played more than 3,000 career minutes entering the season.

Shepard Sets Big Red Records as Freshman
• Jessica Shepard set a Nebraska freshman record with 574 points, shattering Debra Powell’s previous NU freshman mark of 461 (1981-82) by 113 points. Shepard’s 18.5 points per game smashed Powell’s Husker freshman mark of 15.4 points per game.
• Shepard’s 8.6 rebounds per game broke Powell’s previous Nebraska freshman mark of 7.6 per game (1981-82). With 266 total rebounds, Shepard finished 11 shy of Kathy Hagerstrom’s freshman mark of 277 (1979-80). Shepard amassed her rebounds in 31 games. Hagerstrom pulled down her 277 in 40 games.
• Shepard produced one of the best individual performances in Nebraska history with a freshman-record 35 points to go along with 20 rebounds in a win at Michigan on Jan. 24. It is the only 30-point/20-rebound performance in Nebraska women’s basketball history.
• Shepard owns the Nebraska freshman record with 10 double-doubles. She had six double-doubles in Big Ten play. She is just the eighth Husker in history to produce 10 double-doubles in a season.
• Shepard’s 228 made field goals were a Nebraska freshman record.
• Her 203 free throw attempts set the Nebraska freshman record in that category in 2015-16.
• Shepard’s 20 free throw attempts against Northern Arizona (Dec. 19) were the most by any Husker in a game in history, regardless of class.
• Shepard produced a record-setting regular-season debut with 24 points and 13 rebounds against Arkansas Pine Bluff Nov. 14. She became the first freshman in history to notch a double-double in an opener and her 24 points and 13 rebounds were the most by a freshman in school history in a season-opening game.

Shepard Shoots For More as Sophomore
• Jessica Shepard has her sophomore season off to a strong start with a 17-point, 15-rebound performance in the WNIT opening-round win over UTRGV on Nov. 12. It marked Shepard’s 11th career double-double, which moved her into a tie for 12th on the Nebraska career list.
• Shepard hit the first two three-pointers of her career against UTRGV, including a buzzer-beating 60-footer to close the first half.
• She had 30 points and 13 rebounds in an exhibition win over Southwest Baptist on Nov. 6.
• Nebraska’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Shepard became the first Husker in history to earn first-team all-conference honors as a freshman in 2015-16. During the season, she set a conference record by winning 10 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards. She was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 21, Jan. 25).
• One of only two freshmen on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 in 2015-16, Shepard was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Dec. 22, 2015; Jan. 26, 2016). Shepard was the espnW and College Sports Madness National Player of the Week (Jan. 25).
• Shepard finished 10th overall in the Big Ten in scoring (18.5 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (8.6 rpg), including fourth on the offensive glass (3.1 rpg) and 10th on the defensive boards (5.5 rpg). She ranked 13th in conference field goal percentage (.510).
• The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., finished with Nebraska freshman record averages of 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Her 574 total points were a Nebraska freshman record, while her 266 rebounds ranked second among freshmen in Husker history.
• She amassed 16 games with 20 or more points as a freshman, including 11 in Big Ten play. She produced the first of two 35-point performances against Northern Arizona Dec. 19, 2015. She added 35 points at Michigan, Jan. 24. She scored in double figures 25 times.
• Shepard averaged just 4.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20 minutes per game over the final two games of the season as she battled a stress reaction in her foot. She did not practice March 1-17, while she rested the injury.
• Shepard was not cleared for her first full practice until Oct. 27, 2015, after suffering an ACL tear as a high school senior on Dec. 29, 2014. On Nov. 1, she had 29 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney in NU’s exhibition opener. She added 42 points and 12 rebounds in just 25 minutes in a second exhibition against Winona State on Nov. 8.
• She was the top recruit in Nebraska history, as the No. 1 post and No. 3 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN. A first-team Parade All-American as a high school 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.

Havers Looked to for Senior Leadership
• One of the tallest Huskers in history, 6-5 center Allie Havers will be looked to for senior leadership in 2016-17. She got her senior season off to a solid start with 10 points and seven rebounds in the WNIT first-round victory over UTRGV on Nov. 12.
• The senior from Mattawan, Mich., is the most experienced active Husker, competing in 97 career games with 22 starts. In fact, senior Esther Ramacieri (53) and junior Jasmine Cincore (52) are the only other Huskers who have played in more than 50 career games entering 2016-17.
• Havers, who was a freshman on Nebraska’s 2014 Big Ten Championship team and helped the Huskers to NCAA Tournament appearances in her first two seasons in Lincoln, will need to draw on her experience to help an extremely young Husker squad with a group of first-year coaches this season.
Last season, Havers stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up her production as a junior.
• Havers tied for 15th in the Big Ten with 6.6 rebounds per game, while her 1.0 blocked shots per game tied for 14th in the conference.
• Her scoring numbers increased throughout the season, finishing at 8.3 points per game - her highest average at any point during the season. Over the final five games, Havers averaged 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds while hitting 70.7 percent of her shots from the field in 27.8 minutes per game. In the first five games of 2015-16, Havers averaged just 4.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game, while hitting just 36 percent of her shots from the floor.
• Havers scored in double figures 11 times as a junior, including each of the final five games of the season. She has 19 career double-figure scoring efforts, including a career-high 18 points at California on Dec. 12, 2015.
• She also produced five double-figure rebound games, including a career-high 14 against Wisconsin on Jan. 27, 2016. Havers notched four double-doubles in 2015-16, including back-to-back games against Northwestern (Feb. 28) and Rutgers (March 3).
• Havers also stepped up her passing production, totaling 34 assists in 31 after managing just 21 assists in the first 65 games of her career.
• Havers added her second academic All-Big Ten award for the Huskers in 2016.

Home Grown Huskers at Heart of Nebraska
• Nebraska’s 11-player active roster features a trio of Huskers who combined forces to win the last four Nebraska Gatorade High School Player-of-the-Year honors. Sophomore Jessica Shepard claimed state high school honors in 2013 and 2014, before fellow Husker sophomore Maddie Simon earned state player-of-the-year accolades as a senior at Lincoln Pius X High School in 2015. Shepard’s high school teammate, freshman Rylie Cascio Jensen, was named the state player of the year at Fremont High School in 2016.
• Shepard, a two-time state high school player of the year (2013, 2014), earned Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year honors as a Husker in 2015-16. The graduate of Fremont High School started 29 games for the Big Red as a freshman and averaged team highs and Husker freshman records of 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
• Simon opened 2016-17 with six points and a career-high matching seven rebounds off the bench in Nebraska’s win over UTRGV on Nov. 12.
• She started Nebraska’s final four regular-season games in 2015-16, before missing the Postseason WNIT with a severe ankle sprain suffered in practice on March 14. The 6-2 guard out of Pius X High School in Lincoln also started the season opener for the Huskers on Nov. 14. In five games as a starter, Simon averaged 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 23.8 minutes per game. For the season, she averaged 5.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 14.2 minutes over 21 contests.
• In her last two games of 2015-16, Simon averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist, while hitting 9-of-16 shots from the floor, including 4-of-9 threes. She had career highs of 16 points and seven rebounds in Nebraska’s win over Northwestern on Feb. 28. She also hit a career-high three three-pointers against the Wildcats. Simon notched three double-figure scoring performances on the season.
• Over her last seven games of 2015-16, Simon hit 8-of-19 (.421) of her three-point attempts, finishing at 12-for-35 (.343) on the season.
• Simon missed 10 games, primarily because of injuries, in 2015-16. She suffered a broken left (non-shooting) arm in a non-basketball accident on Dec. 7, 2015. She also suffered a strain in her right arm in the same fall, and a severe ankle sprain in practice before the 2016 Postseason WNIT.
• The 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the Year, Simon was a two-time first-team Super-State selection while leading Lincoln Pius X to the 2015 Class B state championship. She was the No. 149 player in the nation according to Blue Star and the No. 22 guard by ESPN in 2015. A tremendous all-around athlete, Simon won the Class A 100- and 300-meter hurdles championships at the 2015 Nebraska State Track & Field Championships.
• Her mother, Nicole Ali Simon, was a CoSIDA Academic All-American as a member of Coach Gary Pepin’s national champion Huskers in 1983 and 1984.
• Cascio Jensen averaged 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals to lead Fremont High School to the Class A quarterfinals as a senior in 2015-16. The 5-10 guard hit 40.7 percent of her three-point attempts and 78.2 percent of her free throws, including a Class A state record 34 straight free throws as a senior.
• As a junior in 2014-15, Cascio Jensen averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. She led Fremont to the district final despite the loss of Shepard in December to an ACL tear. At the time of her injury, Shepard was averaging 33.0 points and 14.3 rebounds per game.

Cincore Hopes to Build on Strong Finish to 2015-16
• Jasmine Cincore emerged as a reliable and consistent contributor at both ends of the court throughout her sophomore season. One of five Huskers to play in all 31 games in 2015-16, Cincore made six starts in place of injured All-American Rachel Theriot, including five straight to close the campaign.
• Cincore opened 2016-17 with nine points and four rebounds in a win over UTRGV on Nov. 12.
• As a starter in 2015-16, Cincore averaged 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 35.5 minutes per game for the Huskers.
• The 5-10 guard from Arlington, Tenn., averaged 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18 minutes per game in 2015-16.
• Cincore produced the first double-digit scoring effort of her career with 16 points in a career-high 38 minutes against Indiana on Feb. 24. She closed the 2015-16 season with 10 points and a career-high-tying four rebounds to go along with three assists against Northern Iowa in the WNIT on March 17.
• A two-time Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the Year (2013, 2014), Cincore made her first career start in her 39th career game in Nebraska’s 93-81 win at Michigan Jan. 24. She had eight points, three assists, a block and a steal in 32 minutes against the Wolverines. She had nine points and a pair of threes at No. 5 Ohio State on Feb. 21, and nine points at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 7.
• Cincore earned academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time in 2016.

Former Walk-on Wood Emerging at Guard
• Nebraska junior Emily Wood is contending for a starting role in the Husker backcourt. The 5-5 guard from Salina, Kan., originally came to Lincoln as a walk-on, before earning a scholarship prior to her sophomore season in 2015-16.
• Wood earned a start in Nebraska’s exhibition win over Southwest Baptist on Nov. 6. She came off the bench to score three points while tying a career high with three rebounds in the Huskers’ regular-season opening victory over UTRGV on Nov. 12.
• As a sophomore, Wood competed in 21 of Nebraska’s 32 games, including 11 of 18 Big Ten contests. She averaged 1.4 points and 0.8 rebounds.
• Wood has proven herself as a smart, tough, consistent and hard-working player. She owns a 3.5-to-1 career assist-to-turnover (14-to-4) ratio.
• Wood also has proven to be a reliable three-point threat, knocking down 9-of-26 (.346) of her career three-point attempts, including 1-of-3 (.333) as a junior and 8-of-18 (.444) as a sophomore.
• A star off the court, Wood was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and an academic All-Big Ten selection in 2016. She also earned a prestigious Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award in 2016, and is a two-time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team selection (2015, 2016).
• In May of 2016, Wood participated in Nebraska’s second annual Service Trip Abroad, joining 19 other Husker student-athletes across all sports in an outreach journey to the Dominican Republic.
• Wood participated in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum in 2015.
• Wood was a Kansas Class 5A all-state selection at Salina Central High School. She averaged 16.0 points per game while hitting a school-record 91 three-pointers as a senior. Her 223 career threes were also a school record.

Freshmen Need to Contribute Early
• Nebraska’s four-player freshman class of Rylie Cascio Jensen, Nicea Eliely, Grace Mitchell and Hannah Whitish will be looked to for immediate contributions on the Huskers’ 11-player active roster.
• Cascio Jensen, a 5-10 guard from Fremont High School, was the 2016 Nebraska High School Player of the Year. She averaged 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game for the Tigers.
• Eliely, a 6-1 guard out of Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, earned her first career start in Nebraska’s season-opening win over UTRGV on Nov. 12. Eliely performed well with nine points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Vaqueros, while also drawing the primary defensive assignment on 2016 WAC Player-of-the-Year Shawnte’ Goff. Eliely was a Colorado Class 5A performer as a senior in 2015-16. Ranked as the No. 25 guard in the nation by ESPN and the No. 143 player in the nation by Blue Star, Eliely averaged 21.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 3.4 steals and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior for the Rams.
• Whitish, a 5-9 guard from Barneveld, Wis., was the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 24.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.5 steals as a senior. The five-time first-team All-Wisconsin selection led Barneveld High School to four consecutive state championship game appearances including a pair of state titles. She led her team to a 110-4 record in her career, while ranking among the top 10 in Wisconsin High School history in career points with well over 2,000. In her Husker debut, Whitish scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with a three-pointer, while adding two assists, one steal and no turnovers in the win over UTRGV on Nov. 12.
• Mitchell, a 6-2 forward/guard, was the Kansas Player of the Year as selected by USA Today High School Sports. She averaged 21.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks as a senior at Wellington High School. She also hit 48 percent of her three-pointers while setting a single-season school record with 533 points on her way to Kansas Class 4A Player-of-the-Year honors. She was ranked as the No. 51 wing in the nation by ESPN. She scored two points and grabbed two rebounds off the bench in her Husker debut against UTRGV.

Blackburn to Redshirt after Surgeries
• Sophomore Rachel Blackburn will redshirt during the 2016-17 season after undergoing season-ending surgery on her knees on Oct. 4, 2016.
• The 6-3 forward from Leavenworth, Kan., averaged 6.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in nearly 24 minutes per contest in Nebraska’s first nine games as a true freshman in 2015-16. She was limited greatly in both practice and games in NU’s final 23 contests last season, missing seven games entirely, while averaging just 13 minutes per contest in 16 games the rest of the way. She averaged just 2.4 points and 4.0 boards in those games, while being limited by chronic knee pain.
• Blackburn underwent knee surgery soon after the 2015-16 season and was hoping to contribute in 2016-17. However, she continued to be limited during the summer and elected to try another procedure to alleviate knee pain this fall.

Huskers Sign Taylor Kissinger for 2017-18
• The top-ranked high school recruit in the state of Nebraska, Taylor Kissinger signed her National Letter of Intent to join the Nebraska women’s basketball team for the 2017-18 season on the first day of the fall signing period on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
• Kissinger, a 6-1 forward/guard from Minden, was ranked as the No. 26 player in the nation by Prospects Nation and continued to climb in the national player rankings after a strong summer of 2016. She is ranked as the No. 40 player in the nation by ESPN and No. 58 by Blue Star Basketball. Kissinger is the only prep player from the state of Nebraska ranked among the nation’s top 100 recruits in the 2017 signing class.
• She was also one of five Nebraska players on the 2016 USA Today High School Sports All-Nebraska team in 2015-16, joining future Husker teammate and 2016 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year Rylie Cascio Jensen.
• Kissinger, who missed nearly half of her junior season at Minden High School with a broken wrist in 2015-16, averaged 28.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Whippets following her return to the court. She earned second-team Super-State honors as a junior and is a two-time first-team Class C-1 all-stater (2015, 2016).
• In 2015, Kissinger became the first sophomore in history to be named the Kearney Hub Territory Player of the Year after averaging 25.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while hitting 62 three-pointers. She was also a third-team All-Nebraska selection as a sophomore in 2015.
• Kissinger claimed second-team Class C-1 all-state honors as a freshman in 2014 after averaging 16.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She also tied a Nebraska state tournament record by knocking down seven three-pointers in an opening-round win over Lincoln Lutheran.
• Kissinger’s older twin sisters are both Division I guards, with Brooke entering her first season at Creighton after spending her first two seasons at Illinois, and Jamie entering her third season at San Diego.
• Taylor Kissinger, who played her club basketball last season for the All-Iowa Attack after previously playing for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars, also was invited to compete in the USA Basketball U16 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs. She chose Nebraska over Oklahoma State and Creighton. She also received offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Iowa, Iowa State and Illinois among others.
• Kissinger’s parents, Brian and Amy, were both collegiate student-athletes, with Brian playing basketball and Amy playing volleyball at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Kearney. Taylor’s brother Derek played college basketball at NAIA Hastings College.

Pair of Transfers Preparing for 2017-18
• Nebraska added a pair of NCAA Division I transfers following the hiring of Coach Amy Williams in April of 2016. Senior Janay Morton (Eastern Michigan) and sophomore Bria Stallworth (UMass) both elected to leave their former schools after coaching changes at their schools.
• Morton, a 5-10 guard from Brooklyn Park, Minn., was a third-team All-Mid-American Conference selection in 2015-16. She was also a member of the 2016 MAC All-Defensive Team, and she was chosen to the MAC All-Freshman Team in 2014.
• In Morton’s three seasons at EMU, she amassed 1,341 points, 364 rebounds, 249 assists and 223 steals over 103 games with 94 starts. She averaged 13.5 points per game as a junior in 2015-16, while knocking down 76 three-pointers. She also led the MAC with 96 steals.
• Stallworth, a 5-6 guard from Chicago, Ill., earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team after leading all A-10 freshmen in scoring (13.1 ppg) and assists (3.8 apg). She also hit 35.1 percent of her three-pointers.
• Stallworth was ranked as the No. 33 point guard in the nation ESPN as a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Illinois.

Nebraska’s History of Home Success
Nebraska opened 2016-17 with a 71-53 win over UTRGV for its 11th consecutive season-opening win at home. The Huskers went 15-4 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2015-16 after going 12-3 (13-3 at home) in 2014-15. The Huskers are 44-9 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 432-139 (.757) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 169-43 (.797) over the last 14 seasons, posting double-figure home victory totals in each of the last 13 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.