Huskers Set for Battle with Boilermakers

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Purdue Boilermakers
Thursday, Jan. 26, 5 p.m. (CT)
Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Indiana)
Live Television: BTN
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - B107.3 FM, Omaha - ESPN 590 AM
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App/TuneIn App

Huskers Set for Battle with Boilermakers
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to the road this week for two more Big Ten contests, beginning with a Thursday tussle at Purdue. Tip-off between the Huskers (5-15, 1-7 Big Ten) and Boilermakers (13-8, 4-3 Big Ten) at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., is set for 5 p.m. (CT).
• Thursday evening’s game at Purdue will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Shelley Till on the call.
• A live radio broadcast will be produced by the Husker Sports Network. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will call 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.
• An inexperienced team of Huskers and a group of first-year coaches led by former Nebraska player Amy Williams has been challenged by the toughest schedule in school history through the first 20 games this season. Nebraska’s strength of schedule ranks No. 10 nationally. Purdue will be the 16th Husker opponent with 13 or more wins this season, led by No. 1 UConn (18-0), No. 3 Maryland (19-1), No. 19 Virginia Tech (16-3) and Michigan (16-5).
• Nebraska owns victories over a pair of 13-win teams - Colorado State (14-5) and UTRGV (13-8).
• The active Husker roster has combined for 165 career starts, while the Purdue active roster has started 258 career games.
• The Huskers are led by 6-4 sophomore forward Jessica Shepard, who is averaging a double-double with 18.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She owns 20 career double-doubles, including 10 this season, after going for 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State last Thursday. It was her fourth double-double in Big Ten play this season.
• Shepard is just the fourth Husker in history to produce double-digit double-doubles in two seasons in her career, joining first-team All-Americans Jordan Hooper (2011-12, 2013-14) and Karen Jennings (1990-91, 1992-93) and Emily Cady (2013-14, 2014-15).
• Nebraska freshmen guards Nicea Eliely (8.0 ppg) and Hannah Whitish (7.4 ppg) are the first pair of Husker freshmen to both average more than 7.0 points per game since 1983-84.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-15, 1-7 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 18.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 6.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 7.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 2.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Jr. - G - 2.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
First Season at Nebraska (5-15); 10th Season Overall (198-124)

Purdue Boilermakers (13-8, 4-3 Big Ten)
13 - Bridget Perry - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 10.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg 
20 - Dominique McBryde - 6-2 - So. - F - 7.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg
1 - Ashley Morrissette - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 15.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg
10 - Andreona Keys - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg
11 - Dominique Oden - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 10.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Off the Bench
32 - Ae’Rianna Harris - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 6.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg
40 - Lamina Cooper - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 3.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
12 - Nora Keisler - 6-6 - So. - C - 2.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg
5 - Miracle Gray - 5-6 - Fr. - G - 0.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg
2 - Abby Abel - 5-5 - So. - G - 0.8 ppg, 0.0 rpg
3 - Tiara Murphy (Out) - 5-7 - So. - G - 3.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg
22 - Bree Horrocks (Out) - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Sharon Verysp (Purdue, 1989)
11th Season at Purdue (227-128); 17th Season Overall (344-193)

Scouting Purdue
• Coach Sharon Versyp leads a scrappy bunch of Boilermakers into Thursday’s game with Nebraska at Mackey Arena.
• Purdue improved to 4-3 in the Big Ten with a 76-66 win at Michigan State on Sunday. The Boilermakers completed a season series sweep of the Spartans (66-54, Jan. 4) with the victory. The Boilermakers also own Big Ten wins over Penn State (64-51) and at Wisconsin (79-57), while suffering losses at Northwestern (76-60), at Indiana (74-60) and at home to Ohio State (61-56).
• At 13-8 overall, Purdue has climbed to No. 87 in the RPI.
• Ashley Morrissette, a 5-9 senior guard, leads the Boilers with 15.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She also has knocked down a team-leading 36 threes (.353). She matched her career high with 31 points in Sunday’s win at Michigan State, while adding five rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
• Fellow senior Bridget Perry, a 6-2 forward, has added 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Perry and Morrissette have combined for 150 career starts for the Boilermakers, nearly matching the 165 starts of the entire Nebraska roster.
• Freshman Dominique Oden, a 5-8 guard from Atlanta, Ga., ranks second among the Boilermakers with 10.5 points per game. She also ranks second on the team with 31 threes. Oden is a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Nov. 29, Dec. 19).
• Junior Andreona Keys, a 5-10 guard from Atlanta, has added 9.6 points and 5.6 boards per game. Keys also ranks second on the team with 3.5 assists and is the only Boilermaker to join Morrissette in Purdue’s starting five for all 21 games this season.
• Keys and Oden are two of four Georgia natives on the Purdue roster, joining 6-5 junior center Bree Horrocks (Buford) and freshman guard Miracle Gray (Stone Mountain).
• Dominique McBryde, a 6-2 sophomore from Bedford, Ind., rounds out Purdue’s starters with 7.3 points and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds per game. McBryde joins Perry (Mooresville) as Indiana natives in the Purdue starting five. In all, six Boilermakers are Indiana natives.
• Purdue’s roster has been slashed by injuries this season, including season-ending knee injuries to Bree Horrocks and sophomore Tiara Murphy. Horrocks underwent knee surgery (patella) on Dec. 12, while Murphy suffered a torn ACL against Colgate (Dec. 4).
• Freshman Ae’Rianna Harris leads the Boilermaker reserves with 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The 6-1 forward also leads Purdue with 37 blocked shots on the season, while shooting a team-best 53.2 percent from the field. Her field goal percentage is actually higher than her free throw percentage (.500, 15-30).
• Fellow freshman Lamina Cooper, a 5-9 guard, has contributed 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds. The 5-9 Cooper was a high school teammate of Harris at Lawrence North in Indianapolis.
• Nora Keisler, a 6-6 sophomore center who is the tallest player in Purdue women’s basketball history, has managed 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds despite missing six games with injury.
• Purdue is averaging just 65.5 points per game on the season, including 65.9 in Big Ten play. Defensively, the Boilermakers have surrendered 57.1 points per contest, including 62.7 in conference action.
• Purdue is shooting 42.9 percent from the field, including 32.1 percent from three-point range, but has knocked down just 28.4 percent (29-102) of its three attempts in Big Ten play.
• The Boilermakers own a plus-2.9 rebound margin and a plus-1.3 turnover margin, but are minus-3.7 on the boards and plus-2.3 in turnover margin in Big Ten action.

Husker Nuggets
• Jessica Shepard became the second Husker in history to record 10 or more double-doubles in back-to-back seasons when she notched 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19).
• Shepard leads the Huskers with averages of 18.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She produced her 20th career double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19).
• Shepard owns 10 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), 22 points and 13 rebounds at Creighton (Dec. 18), 22 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Rutgers (Jan. 10), 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win over UTRGV (Nov. 12) and 15 points and 12 rebounds at Michigan State (Jan. 7).
• Shepard owns 10 20-point scoring efforts in 20 games, including season highs of 28 points at Iowa (Dec. 31) and vs. San Jose State (Dec. 9). She owns 26 career 20-plus scoring games in 51 career contests.
• Shepard ranks second among the Huskers in three-point field goals made (22), 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.
• Nebraska freshman Nicea Eliely leads the Huskers in assists (52), steals (37) and blocks (15), while ranking second in scoring (8.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (.458). Eliely has started all 20 games this season as a true freshman.
• Freshman Hannah Whitish is averaging 10.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in eight Big Ten games as a starter. Whitish also leads the Huskers with 32 three-pointers on the season. She ranks fifth among freshmen in Husker history with 32 threes and needs one more to catch Kaitlyn Burke in fourth (33, 2007-08).

Nebraska vs. Purdue Series History
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska 6-3, including a 68-50 win in the last meeting between the two teams in Lincoln on Feb. 21, 2016. The Huskers won last year in West Lafayette, escaping from Mackey Arena with a 62-61 victory on Jan. 20, 2016.
• The Huskers won the first-ever meeting between the teams with an epic 93-89 triple-overtime win at Mackey Arena on Feb. 2, 2012.
• The Boilermakers avenged that loss with a 74-70 double-overtime victory over the Huskers in the Big Ten Championship Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 4, 2012.
• The following season, Purdue notched a 69-66 overtime win over the Huskers on Jan. 5, 2013, producing the sixth overtime period in the first three games in series history.
• Purdue added a 77-64 win over Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on March 9, 2013, before the Huskers advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
• Five of the nine all-time meetings between the Huskers and Boilermakers have been decided by four points or less, including three overtime games.

Huskers Establishing Solid Starting Five
• One of Coach Amy Williams’ primary objectives early in the season was to find a starting five from a relatively inexperienced group of Huskers. Only seven players on Nebraska’s active roster have ever started a game for the Huskers, with five of them starting 30 or fewer contests.
• Although Jessica Shepard is just a sophomore, she owns a team-high 49 career starts, including 29 in 31 games as a freshman.
• A three-year contributor on the court, 6-5 senior Allie Havers adds 41 career starts to Nebraska’s level of experience in 2016-17.
• Only three other returning Huskers had ever started a game for Nebraska before this season, including Jasmine Cincore (25 career), Esther Ramacieri (16) and Maddie Simon (5), while true freshmen Nicea Eliely (20) and Hannah Whitish (8) have made their first career starts this season.
• Overall, Nebraska owns just 165 career starts. Purdue (258) carries nearly 100 more career starts from its active roster, including Ashley Morrissette (79), Bridget Perry (71) and Andreona Keys (63) who have started more games than any Husker.
• Nebraska sent nine different starting lineups onto the floor in 2015-16.
• 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).
Shepard leads Big Red on B1G Stage
• Sophomore Jessica Shepard owns 20 career double-doubles, including 10 this season. Her most recent double-double came with 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19). She had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Rutgers (Jan. 10), which followed 15 points and 12 rebounds at Michigan State (Jan. 7). She also had 17 points and 15 rebounds against Northwestern (Dec. 28). She had 22 points and 11 rebounds at Creighton (Dec. 18). She had a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 9). She added 23 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drake (Dec. 6). It followed a 25-point, 14-rebound performance in a loss at then-unbeaten Virginia Tech (Dec. 1). She had 24 points and 13 rebounds in Nebraska’s 62-59 win over Colorado State (Nov. 17). She opened the season with 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win over UTRGV (Nov. 12).
• Through 20 games, Shepard is averaging team bests of 18.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She also ranks second on the team with 22 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.
• 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 64 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own a 48-16 record (.750 winning percentage) while averaging 5,636 fans per game (360,675 total fans/64 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 Battling one of Nation’s Best Schedules
• Nebraska is facing 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.
• Nebraska’s strength of schedule ranked No. 10 nationally through games Jan. 22. NU’s 20 opponents owned a combined record of 258-134 (.658 winning percentage), including current top-25 opponents No. 1 UConn (18-0), No. 3 Maryland (19-1) and No. 19 Virginia Tech (16-3).
• Purdue (13-8) will be Nebraska’s 16th opponent with 13 more wins this season, joining UConn (18-0), Maryland (19-1), Virginia Tech (16-3), Michigan (16-5), Northwestern (15-4), Drake (15-4), California (15-5), Colorado State (14-5), Creighton (14-5), Penn State (13-6), Virginia (13-6), Iowa (13-7), Michigan State (13-7), Missouri (13-7) and UTRGV (13-8). Next up for Nebraska after Purdue is 17-5 Ohio State.
• Only four Husker opponents currently have losing records, including Washington State (8-11, RPI 65), Illinois (8-12, RPI 171), Rutgers (6-15, RPI 172) and San Jose State (6-13, RPI 206). Omaha (10-10, RPI 155) gives Nebraska 17 opponents with .500 or better records through 21 games (including Purdue) this season.
• San Jose State and UTRGV (RPI 245) are the only teams on Nebraska’s schedule that are in the bottom half of the 349 NCAA Division I teams in the RPI.
• Nebraska’s non-conference Strength of Schedule was ranked No. 8 by the NCAA (Jan. 1). NU’s non-conference schedule strength trailed only Minnesota in the Big Ten. Nebraska, Minnesota and Rutgers were the only three Big Ten teams to enter conference play with a top-25 strength of schedule. Six Big Ten teams entered league play with strength of schedules below 100, including Purdue (204), Maryland (203), Indiana (176), Northwestern (167), Ohio State (155) and Wisconsin (114).
• 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.

Freshmen Eliely, Whitish Give Huskers Hope
• Nebraska freshmen Nicea Eliely and Hannah Whitish have helped solidify the Huskers’ starting five, while providing hope for the future for a young Husker roster.
• Eliely, a 6-1 guard from Colorado Springs, Colo., has started all 20 games and ranks second on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game. She also leads the Huskers in assists (52), steals (37) and blocked shots (15). She also ranks second in field goal percentage (.458) and minutes per game (26.8).
• Eliely has produced four double-figure scoring efforts, including 10 points and a career-high-tying four steals against Michigan (Jan. 22). She had a career-high 19 points against California (Dec. 4).
• Whitish, 2016 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year at Barneveld High School, ranks third on the team in scoring (7.4 ppg), including 10.1 points per game in Big Ten play. She leads the Huskers with 32 threes, which ranks as the fifth-best total by a freshman in school history. Whitish also ranks third overall in assists (43) and steals (17) despite ranking fifth in minutes per game (21.1).
• In Big Ten play, Whitish leads the Huskers in assists (26), three-pointers (17) and three-point percentage (.395), while ranking second on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg) and steals (11). She has produced double figures five times in Big Ten play and seven times overall this season. She had career highs of 16 points and four three-pointers at Illinois (Jan. 15).
• Eliely and Whitish have a chance to become the first pair of Husker freshmen since 1983-84 to both average better than 7.0 points per game. The last two Husker freshmen to each average better than 7.0 points per game were Angie Miller (14.6 ppg) and Stacy Imming (9.9 ppg) in 1983-84.
• Since 2010, Nebraska has had five freshmen earn spots on conference all-freshman teams, including Lindsey Moore (Big 12, 2010), Jordan Hooper (Big 12, 2011), Emily Cady (Big Ten, 2012), Rachel Theriot (Big Ten, 2013) and Jessica Shepard (Big Ten, 2016).

Freshman Cascio Jensen Also Emerging
• Nebraska’s 2016 Gatorade High School Player of the Year at Fremont, Rylie Cascio Jensen is providing the Huskers with more minutes and more production in Big Ten play.
• The 5-10 guard erupted for a career-high 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting with two threes and a 7-for-7 effort at the free throw line at Penn State (Jan. 19).
• In Big Ten play, Cascio Jensen ranks sixth among the Huskers in scoring with 3.9 points per game, while ranking second on the team in three-point percentage (.353, 6-17). She is also a team-best 9-for-9 at the free throw line in Big Ten action.
• Cascio Jensen, Nicea Eliely and Hannah Whitish give the Huskers three freshmen among their top six scorers through eight Big Ten Conference games.
• For the season, Cascio Jensen is averaging 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Freshmen Leading Huskers at Free Throw Line
• Traditionally one of the Big Ten’s best free throw shooting teams, Nebraska has struggled this season at the line. However, NU’s free throw numbers are on the way up thanks to solid shooting by the Husker freshmen.
• Nebraska’s freshmen are 35-of-41 (.854) at the free throw line in Big Ten play, while the Huskers as a team are shooting 64.4 percent.
• Rylie Cascio Jensen has hit 11 consecutive free throws, including 9-for-9 in Big Ten play, including 7-for-7 at Penn State (Jan. 19).
• Nicea Eliely has hit hit 10 consecutive free throws, dating back to a miss against Maryland on Jan. 4. She hit four free throws in the final 37 seconds in the win over Rutgers (Jan. 10).
• Hannah Whitish has hit four straight free throws including the final two to seal the win over Rutgers (Jan. 10).
• Grace Mitchell also hit both of her free throws against Rutgers.
• As a team, Nebraska has hit 69.1 percent (56-81) of its free throws over the past four games. In the first four Big Ten games, the Huskers hit just 58.5 percent (38-65) of their free throw attempts.

Nebraska Streaks
• Nebraska senior Allie Havers has competed in 116 consecutive games since the first game of her freshman season in 2013-14. The Huskers own a 70-46 record in those contests over the last four years.
• Junior Jasmine Cincore owns the longest streak of consecutive starts among the Huskers with 25. Havers has made 23 straight starts, while freshman Nicea Eliely and sophomore Jessica Shepard have each started 20 straight games this season. Hannah Whitish has made eight straight starts.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 271 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 150 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 3,980 as of Dec. 21, 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 18.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She has produced 10 double-doubles, including four in Big Ten play after her 20-point, 12-rebound effort at Penn State (Jan. 19). She had 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a season-high three steals in Nebraska’s win over Rutgers (Jan. 10). That followed 15 points and 12 rebounds at Michigan State (Jan. 7). She had 17 points and 15 rebounds in Nebraska’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern (Dec. 28). She had 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 20 career double-doubles to rank ninth on Nebraska’s career chart in that category.
• She eclipsed 900 career points with her 25-point effort at Illinois (Jan. 15). She heads into the Purdue game with 933 points, 470 rebounds and 94 assists in her career.
• Shepard has 10 20-point efforts this season, including a season-high 28 points in the win over San Jose State (Dec. 9). She matched her season high with 28 points to go along with eight rebounds at Iowa (Dec. 31). She had 25 points at Illinois (Jan. 15), 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). She had 20 points at Penn State (Jan. 19). Shepard owns 26 career 20-point games in her first 50 games as a Husker.
• Shepard ranks second among the Huskers with 22 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.
• 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.