Huskers Close Non-Conference Play with No. 1 UConn

Nebraska Cornhuskers
vs. #1 UConn Huskies
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Television: BTN
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - B107.3 FM, Omaha - CD 105.9 FM
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App

Huskers Close Non-Conference Play with No. 1 UConn
The Nebraska women’s basketball team closes its non-conference schedule by taking on unbeaten and No. 1 UConn Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

Tip-off between the Huskers (4-7) and the Huskies (10-0) is set for 8 p.m., with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Tickets also will be available Wednesday night at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office beginning 90 minutes prior to tip-off.

The game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler and Brenda VanLengen on the call. A live radio broadcast will be available from the Husker Sports Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha. Free audio also can be found on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

Nebraska is coming off an 80-64 loss at Creighton on Sunday. Sophomore Jessica Shepard led the Huskers with her third consecutive double-double and sixth of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., is averaging team bests of 19.4 points and 11.1 rebounds and owns 16 career double-doubles for the Huskers. She also leads the Huskers with 13 three-pointers this season.

Freshman Nicea Eliely has added 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-leading 1.7 steals per game for the Huskers. The 6-1 guard from Colorado Springs, Colo., also leads the Huskers in field goal percentage (.500) while starting all 11 games.

The Huskers also will honor 2016 Olympian Danielle Page on Wednesday. Page, who was a four-year letterwinner at Nebraska from 2005 to 2008, became the first Husker basketball player in history to earn an Olympic medal by helping Serbia to bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Page averaged 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in helping Serbia to its first-ever women’s basketball medal. Page ranks No. 3 in Husker history with 207 blocks, including a single-season record 78 as a senior in 2008.

Page will be available for autographs in the main lobby at Pinnacle Bank Arena during pregame from 7 to 7:45 p.m. She will be honored on the court between the first and second quarters.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-7, 0-0 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 19.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 6.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 8.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 3.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 5.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Jr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
First Season at Nebraska (4-7); 10th Season Overall (197-116)

#1 UConn Huskies (10-0, 0-0 American Athletic)
15 - Gabby Williams - 5-11 - Jr. - F - 10.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg 
24 - Napheesa Collier - 6-1 - So. - G/F - 20.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg 
33 - Katie Lou Samuelson - 6-3 - So. - G/F - 20.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg
11 - Kia Nurse - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 12.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
5 - Crystal Dangerfield - 5-5 - Fr. - G - 7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Off the Bench
12 - Saniya Chong - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 4.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
51 - Natalie Butler - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 3.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg
10 - Molly Bent - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 1.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg
25 - Kyla Irwin - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 0.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg
20 - Tierney Lawlor - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.4 rpg
Head Coach: Geno Auriemma (West Chester, 1981)
32nd Season at UConn (965-134); 32nd Season Overall (965-134)

Scouting UConn
Nebraska closes its 12-game non-conference schedule when the Huskers take on the unbeaten and No. 1 UConn Huskies at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday. Although the Huskies have never faced the Huskers in Lincoln, UConn has won a pair of games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

In 2014, UConn advanced to the NCAA Women’s Final Four by winning the NCAA Lincoln Regional with wins over BYU and Texas A&M.

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma was so impressed with Pinnacle Bank Arena, the city of Lincoln and the hospitality shown by Husker fans, that he arranged for a home-and-home series with the Big Red.

“The people are phenomenal. The building is spectacular,” Auriemma said. “This is really, really nice. There’s no doubt in my mind there will be another regional here, no question. Most places are fans of their team, not necessarily fans of the game. Here I think they take tremendous pride in their team, their school and the community, and they showed it.”

Since leaving Lincoln on March 31, 2014 , the Huskies have captured three consecutive national titles and won 88 of 89 games with their only loss coming in overtime at Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014. Since that setback, UConn has reeled off 85 straight wins. The Huskies have won each of their last nine games by double digits after opening this season with a 78-76 win at then-No. 12 Florida State.

Auriemma also led the United States to an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with former Huskies Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart making up nearly half of the U.S. roster.
The 11-time national champion Huskies are riding one of the most amazing stretches of success in basketball history with four consecutive NCAA championships to their credit.

Perhaps even more amazingly, UConn has advanced to nine consecutive NCAA Women’s Final Fours among its 17 overall trips to the Final Four under Auriemma. The last time UConn failed to advance to the Final Four, Nebraska Coach Amy Williams was in her final season as an assistant coach at Tulsa (2007).

Since coming up short of winning the NCAA title in 2008, Auriemma has guided the Huskies to an astounding 308-12 record with six NCAA titles.

Despite losing the only four-time NCAA Tournament MVP in history, Breanna Stewart, and All-Americans Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck, the young Huskies have continued to fire on all cylinders early in 2016-17. Sophomores Katie Lou Sameulson (20.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Napheesa Collier (20.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) lead four Huskies averaging in double figures, including junior guard Kia Nurse (12.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and junior forward Gabby Williams (10.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg).

Freshman Crystal Dangerfield, a 5-5 point guard out of Murfreesboro, Tenn., has started UConn’s past two games with senior point guard Saniya Chong (4.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg) sitting out after suffering a concussion. Dangerfield is averaging 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds so far this season.

UConn’s game with Nebraska will be its second in a three-game Big Ten swing. The Huskies defeated No. 12 Ohio State, 82-63 in Hartford, Conn., on Monday night before traveling to Lincoln. UConn concludes its Big Ten stretch by battling No. 4 Maryland in College Park on Thursday, Dec. 29. The game with Maryland will be UConn’s seventh against a top-15 opponent at game time in 12 pre-conference contests.
UConn leads the all-time series with Nebraska 2-0, including an 88-46 win over the Huskers in Hartford on Nov. 28, 2015.

Nebraska Coach Amy Williams was a senior on the 1997-98 Nebraska team that lost to UConn 71-61 in the Preseason WNIT Championship Game at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn., on Nov. 21, 1997. Williams played seven minutes off the bench against UConn.

Huskers to Honor Olympian Page
Former Husker Danielle Page will be honored by the Nebraska Athletic Department during Wednesday’s game. Page, who was a four-year letterwinner at Nebraska from 2005 to 2008, became the first Husker basketball player in history to win a medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., captured a bronze medal as a member of the Serbian Olympic Team, helping her adopted country to its first-ever Olympic medal in women’s basketball.

Page, who spent the 2008 WNBA season with the Connecticut Sun after making the roster as a free agent, is taking a year off from professional basketball overseas after undergoing knee surgery this fall. She has been one of the top players in France the past several years, and overall has spent eight professional seasons in Europe.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Page averaged 10.6 points and team bests with 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots over eight games for Serbia. Page scored in double figures in six of Serbia’s eight games, including 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a win over France in the bronze-medal game on Aug. 20.

During her career at Nebraska, Page made a name for herself as one of the top shot blockers in Husker history. She ranks No. 3 in NU history with 207 blocks, including a single-season school record 78 as a senior in 2007-08. As a senior, she ranked among the top 20 scorers and rebounders in the Big 12 with 12.0 points and 6.5 boards per game to earn honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades.

Page played a major role in leading Nebraska to back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids in 2007 and 2008.

Husker Nuggets
• UConn will be the fourth Husker opponent this season to be a preseason pick to win its conference. The Huskies are the preseason selection to win the American Athletic Conference. They join Creighton (BIG EAST), Drake (Missouri Valley) and Colorado State (Mountain West).
• UConn is Nebraska’s third unbeaten opponent in the last six games, joining current top-25 teams from Virginia Tech and California. At 10-0 after Monday night’s win over No. 12 Ohio State, the Huskies join 11-0 Virginia Tech and 10-0 California as Husker non-conference foes who remain unbeaten in 2016-17.
• Jessica Shepard leads the Huskers with averages of 19.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. She produced her 16th career double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds Sunday at Creighton. Shepard ranks 10th in school history with 16 double-doubles.
• Shepard owns six double-doubles this season, including a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds against San Jose State (Dec. 9). She had 23 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drake (Dec. 6), 25 points and 14 rebounds at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1), 24 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Colorado State (Nov. 17), and 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win over UTRGV (Nov. 12).
• Shepard owns six 20-point scoring efforts through 11 games, including a season-high 28 points against San Jose State (Dec. 9). She owns 22 career 20-plus scoring games in 42 career contests.
• Shepard leads Nebraska in three-point field goals made (13), including a game-clinching three with one minute left in the win over Colorado State on Nov. 14, and a 60-foot heave at the first-half buzzer in the win over UTRGV on Nov. 12. She also beat the first-half buzzer with a three at Creighton (Dec. 18).
• Nebraska freshman Nicea Eliely ranks second on the team in scoring (8.9 ppg), third in rebounding (4.0 rpg), second in assists (2.7 apg) and first in steals (1.6 spg), field goal percentage (.500) and three-point field goal percentage (.444) through the first 10 games of her collegiate career.

Shepard Leads Big Red on B1G Stage
• Sophomore Jessica Shepard owns 16 career double-doubles, including six this season. Her most recent double-double came with 22 points and 11 rebounds at Creighton on Dec. 18. She had a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State on Dec. 9. She added 23 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drake on Dec. 6. It followed a 25-point, 14-rebound performance in a loss at unbeaten Virginia Tech on Dec. 1. She also had 24 points and 13 rebounds in Nebraska’s 62-59 win over Colorado State on Nov. 17. She opened the season with 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win over UTRGV on Nov. 12.
• Through 11 games, Shepard is averaging team bests of 19.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. She also has hit a team-best 13 three-pointers, including a game-clinching three with one minute left against Colorado State and a 60-footer at the first-half buzzer in the win over UTRGV. She added a first-half buzzer-beater at Creighton. The 6-4 sophomore forward had not hit a collegiate three-pointer prior to this season.
• 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. She 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.

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 59 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own an impressive 47-12 record (.797 winning percentage) while averaging 5,681 fans per game (335,198 total fans/59 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.

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 will play 10 games against NCAA Tournament teams and 11 more regular-season games against Postseason WNIT teams in 2016-17.
• Through Monday’s games, Nebraska’s 12 non-conference opponents owned a cumulative record of 88-41 (.682 winning percentage), including unbeaten records for No. 1 UConn (10-0), No. 23 Virginia Tech (11-0) and California (10-0).
• Through Monday’s games, Nebraska’s Strength of Schedule ranked No. 27 by RPIRatings.com. NU’s schedule strength was No. 2 in the Big Ten, just ahead of No. 29 Iowa and trailing No. 4 Minnesota. However, that schedule strength does not include the Huskers’ upcoming game with RPI No. 1 UConn, which also owns the No. 1 SOS in the country. Both Minnesota and Iowa close non-conference play against RPI 231 Kent State, which carries the No. 296 Strength of Schedule.
• Nebraska’s appearance in the 2016 Preseason WNIT to open the year featured three games against postseason foes, including NCAA Tournament teams Missouri and Colorado State.
• 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 feature 13 games against postseason teams, including all eight Big Ten Conference home games.

Nebraska Streaks
• Nebraska senior Allie Havers has competed in 107 consecutive games since the first game of her freshman season in 2013-14. The Huskers own a 69-38 record in those contests over the last four years.
• Junior Jasmine Cincore owns the longest streak of consecutive starts among the Huskers with 16. Havers has made 14 straight starts, while Esther Ramacieri has started 12 consecutive games dating back to the end of last season.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 262 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 141 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 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.

Shepard Shoots For More as Sophomore
• Jessica Shepard has her sophomore season off to a strong start averaging 19.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. She has produced six double-doubles, including 22 points and 11 rebounds against Creighton (Dec. 18). That followed a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds against San Jose State (Dec. 9), 23 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drake (Dec. 6), 25 points and 14 rebounds at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1), 24 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Colorado State (Nov. 17), and 17 points and 15 boards in a win over UTRGV (Nov. 12).
• Shepard owns 16 career double-doubles to rank 10th on Nebraska’s career chart in that category.
• Shepard has six 20-point efforts this season, including a season-high 28 points in the win over San Jose State (Dec. 9). She had 25 points at Virginia Tech (Dec. 1) and against Washington State (Nov. 25). She scored 24 points against Colorado State (Nov. 17), before going for 23 points, including 22 in the second half, against Drake (Dec. 6). Shepard owns 22 career 20-point games in her first 42 games as a Husker.
• Shepard leads the Huskers with 13 three-pointers on the season, including a game-clinching three in the win over Colorado State and a buzzer-beating 60-footer to close the first half in the win over UTRGV. She also hit a first-half buzzer-beater at Creighton. Shepard did not hit a three-pointer as a freshman.
• 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 (joining Cal’s Kristine Anigwe), 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 2015-16 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.

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 47-12 (.797) 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, 2013) and rolled to a 77-49 win over the Bruins. NU’s first win over an AP Top 25 team came with a 76-56 win over No. 24 Michigan State on Feb. 8, 2014. The Huskers added their first-ever win over an AP Top 10 team at the arena with a 94-74 victory over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24, 2014
• NU won its first-ever Big Ten home game with a 66-65 thriller over Northwestern Jan. 2, 2014, before an 88-85 win over Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2014, marked the first overtime game 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 436-142 (.754) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 172-46 (.789) 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.