Huskers Back on Road to Face No. 15 Buckeyes

Nebraska Cornhuskers at #15 Ohio State Buckeyes
Sunday, Jan. 29, 11 a.m. (CT)
Value City Arena (Columbus, Ohio)
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 Back on Road to Face No. 15 Buckeyes
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team wraps up a stretch of four road games in five contests when the Huskers travel to No. 15 Ohio State on Sunday. Tip-off between the Huskers (5-16, 1-8 Big Ten) and the Buckeyes (18-5, 8-1 Big Ten) at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, is set for 11 a.m. (CT).
• Sunday’s game at Ohio State will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with Lisa Byington and Vera Jones 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 ESPN 590 AM in Omaha. Free audio also can be found on Huskers.com, the Huskers App and the TuneIn App.
• The young Huskers have been challenged by the toughest schedule in school history through the first 21 games. Nebraska’s strength of schedule ranks No. 12 nationally. Ohio State will be the 17th Husker opponent with 13 or more wins this season, led by No. 1 UConn (19-0), No. 3 Maryland (20-1), Michigan (17-5) and No. 19 Virginia Tech (16-4). OSU will be NU’s 10th foe with 15 or more wins.
• Nebraska owns victories over a pair of 14-win teams - Colorado State (15-5) and UTRGV (14-8).
• The active Husker roster has combined for 170 career starts, while the Ohio State active roster has started 316 career games, not including 101 collegiate starts by Stephanie Mavunga (North Carolina, 69), Linnae Harper (Kentucky, 17), Sierra Calhoun (Duke, 13) and Shayla Cooper (Georgetown, 2).
• The Huskers are led by 6-4 sophomore forward Jessica Shepard, who is averaging a double-double with 18.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She owns 20 career double-doubles, including 10 this season, after going for 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19). 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 Nicea Eliely (7.6 ppg) and Hannah Whitish (7.1 ppg) could become the first pair of Husker freshmen to both average more than 7.0 points per game since 1983-84.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-16, 1-8 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 18.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 6.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 7.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 7.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 3.0 ppg, 0.9 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Jr. - G - 2.0 ppg, 0.7 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 (5-16); 10th Season Overall (198-125)

#15 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-5, 8-1 Big Ten)
1 - Stephanie Mavunga - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 11.7 ppg, 11.6 rpg 
32 - Shayla Cooper - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg
3 - Kelsey Mitchell - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 22.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
4 - Sierra Calhoun - 6-0 - So. - G - 9.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
23 - Kiara Lewis - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 7.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Off the Bench
15 - Linnae Harper - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg
0 - Tory McCoy - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 7.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
20 - Asia Doss - 5-7 - So. - G - 5.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
22 - Alexa Hart - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 4.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg
24 - Makayla Waterman - 6-2 - So. - F - 3.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg
33 - Jensen Caretti - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
5 - Chelsea Mitchell - 5-11 - So. - G - 1.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Kevin McGuff (St. Joseph’s College, 1992)
Fourth Season at Ohio State (85-42)
15th Season Overall (340-141)

Scouting Ohio State
• Coach Kevin McGuff has Ohio State chasing a Big Ten title again in his fourth season with the Buckeyes. The former Xavier and Washington head coach and Notre Dame assistant, has led the No. 15 Buckeyes to an 18-5 overall record and an 8-1 Big Ten mark this season.
• Last year, Ohio State finished 26-8 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten, after going 24-11 and 13-5 in the conference in his second season at OSU in 2014-15. In his first season at OSU, the Buckeyes went 17-18 overall and 5-11 in the conference.
• All-American Kelsey Mitchell, a 5-8 junior guard from Cincinnati, is averaging 22.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals. Last season, Mitchell averaged 26.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals. She averaged 24.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals as the 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• Mitchell ranks No. 9 in Big Ten Conference history with 2,287 points heading into Sunday’s game with Nebraska. She passed Gopher great Lindsay Whalen at No. 9 (2,285) in Thursday’s 88-76 win at Minnesota. She needs 16 points to catch Ohio State legend Jessica Davenport in eighth (2,303, 2004-07) on the Big Ten career list.
• The Big Ten career scoring mark is held by Minnesota’s Rachel Banham with 3,093 points in her five-year career from 2011 to 2016. Mitchell, who is in the middle of her junior season, is on track to match Banham in 33 games - or midseason of 2017-18.
• Fellow junior Stephanie Mavunga has added a strong presence inside in her first season on the court with the Buckeyes. The 6-3 forward is averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 11.6 rebounds to go along with a team-high 42 blocks.
• Mavunga played her first two collegiate seasons as a starter at North Carolina before sitting out 2015-16 as a transfer to Ohio State. On Dec. 4, 2013, Mavunga had eight points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals as a freshman starter to lead No. 18 North Carolina to a 75-62 win over No. 15 Nebraska in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill.
• Mavunga owns 1,110 points and 849 rebounds in 90 career collegiate games.
• Another Division I transfer playing her first season for the Buckeyes, Sierra Calhoun has contributed 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Her 42 three-pointers also rank second on the team behind only Mitchell’s 75. The 6-0 sophomore started 13 games at Duke in 2014-15, before transferring to Ohio State. She averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds at Duke.
• OSU’s lone senior, Shayla Cooper is a third Division I transfer in the Buckeye starting five. The 6-2 forward started her career at Georgetown before joining the Buckeyes. She has been a signicant contributor at Ohio State the past three seasons and is averaging 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season.
• Cooper is closing in on 1,000 career points as a collegian, entering Sunday’s game with 931, while adding 585 career rebounds.
• Freshman Kiara Lewis has started Ohio State’s past three games and is averaging 7.3 points per game on the season. The 5-8 guard from Chicago adds strong perimeter defense with 32 steals to lead the Buckeyes. She leads OSU in steals despite ranking sixth on the team in minutes played.
• In addition to a starting lineup that features significant experience at four different major NCAA Division I schools, the Buckeyes have the most experienced bench in the Big Ten. In fact, reserves Asia Doss (74), Alexa Hart (73) and Linnae Harper (17) have combined for 164 career collegiate starts, while Nebraska’s entire active roster has just 170.
• Doss, a 5-7 junior guard from Detroit, started Ohio State’s first 20 games this season before giving way to Murphy last week. Doss is averaging 5.8 points per game this season and owns 560 career points and 246 assists in 92 games at Ohio State.
• Hart, a 6-3 junior forward from Columbus, has started just seven games this season after starting 66 of 69 games in her first two years with her hometown Buckeyes. After averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds through her first two seasons, Hart is averaging just 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 15.2 minutes per game this season.
• Linnae Harper, who started 17 games as a sophomore at Kentucky in 2014-15, has added 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season. Harper was a prep teammate of OSU freshman Tiara Murphy at Whitney Young High School. The 5-8 Harper owns 731 points and 413 rebounds in her collegiate career.
• Freshman Tory MCoy, a 6-4 forward has added a major presence inside with 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. McCoy is shooting 62.6 percent from the field, but just 50 percent (24-48) from the free throw line.
• Arguably the most explosive offensive team in the Big Ten, Ohio State is averaging 86.4 points per game, while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. The Buckeyes have hit 33.5 percent of their threes, but just 69.4 percent of their free throws. Ohio State owns a plus-7.0 team rebounding margin and plus-2.2 team turnover margin.
• Four of Ohio State’s five losses this season are to top-20 teams, including 82-63 at No. 1 UConn, 85-68 against No. 2 Baylor, 92-80 against No. 5 South Carolina and to No. 17 Miami, 94-89 in overtime.
• Ohio State’s lone Big Ten loss came at Michigan State (94-75).

Nebraska vs. Ohio State Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Ohio State 7-6, but the Buckeyes have won back-to-back meetings including a 96-70 win over the Huskers last season in Columbus on Feb. 18, 2016.
• The Huskers also suffered a 78-60 loss to Ohio State at Pinnacle Bank Arena on March 1, 2015.
• Nebraska recorded five consecutive wins in the series with Ohio State from Feb. 26, 2012 through Feb. 20, 2014.
• In the first meeting between the two schools as Big Ten foes, No. 10 Ohio State notched an 82-68 win over No. 20 Nebraska at Value City Arena on Jan. 19, 2012. Just over one month later, No. 23 Nebraska rolled to a 71-57 win over No. 8 Ohio State at the Devaney Center. A week later, the No. 24 Huskers ran to a 77-62 win over the No. 14 Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on March 3.
• The next season, the Huskers swept the season series with a 62-53 win in Columbus, before powering their way to a 58-39 win in Lincoln on Valentine’s Day 2013.
• Nebraska added a 67-59 win at Value City Arena on Feb. 20, 2014, in the only meeting between the two teams in 2013-14. That was OSU Coach Kevin McGuff’s first season in Columbus.
• The series between the Huskers and Buckeyes dates to a 63-54 win by Nebraska in Columbus on Dec. 2, 1990. Overall, the Huskers are 3-4 against Ohio State in Columbus.
• Nebraska is 3-2 against the Buckeyes in Lincoln, including a 60-55 win on Dec. 12, 2003. The Huskers and Ohio State will meet at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Feb. 16.

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 18.1 points and 10.1 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 11 20-point scoring efforts in 21 games, including season highs of 28 points at Iowa (Dec. 31) and vs. San Jose State (Dec. 9). She owns 27 career 20-plus scoring games in 52 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), blocks (15) and field goal percentage (.448), while ranking second in scoring (7.6 ppg). Eliely has started all 21 games this season as a true freshman.
• Freshman Hannah Whitish is averaging 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in nine 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).

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 50 career starts, including 29 in 31 games as a freshman.
• A three-year contributor on the court, 6-5 senior Allie Havers adds 42 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 (27 career), Esther Ramacieri (16) and Maddie Simon (5), while true freshmen Nicea Eliely (21) and Hannah Whitish (9) have made their first career starts this season.
• Overall, Nebraska owns just 170 career starts. Ohio State is one of the most experienced teams in the Big Ten with 316 career starts at Ohio State and 101 more NCAA Division I starts from players on its active roster at other schools.
• 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 21 games, Shepard is averaging team bests of 18.1 points and 10.1 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.

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. 12 nationally through games Jan. 26. NU’s 21 opponents owned a combined record of 282-148 (.656 winning percentage), including current top-25 opponents No. 1 UConn (19-0), No. 3 Maryland (20-1) and No. 19 Virginia Tech (16-4).
• Ohio State (18-5) will be Nebraska’s 17th opponent with 13 or more wins this season, joining UConn (19-0), Maryland (20-1), Michigan (17-5), Virginia Tech (16-3), Drake (15-4), California (15-5), Colorado State (15-5), Northwestern (15-5), Missouri (15-7), Creighton (14-5), Virginia (14-6), Michigan State (14-7), Purdue (14-8), UTRGV (14-8), Iowa (13-7) and Penn State (13-7). Next up for Nebraska after Ohio State is 11-10 Minnesota.
• Only four Husker opponents currently have losing records, including Washington State (8-11, RPI 60), Illinois (8-13, RPI 165), Rutgers (6-15, RPI 172), Omaha (10-11, RPI 179) and San Jose State (6-14, RPI 216).
• San Jose State and UTRGV (RPI 246) are the only teams on Nebraska’s schedule that are outside the top 200 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 21 games and ranks second on the team in scoring with 7.6 points per game. She also leads the Huskers in assists (52), steals (37) and blocked shots (15) and field goal percentage (.448). She ranks second in minutes per game (26.6).
• 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 second overall in assists (45) and third in steals (18), despite ranking fifth in minutes per game (21.2).
• In Big Ten play, Whitish leads the Huskers in assists (28) and three-pointers (17), while ranking second on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg), steals (12) and three-point percentage (.362). 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 4.0 points per game, while leading the team in three-point percentage (.389, 7-18). 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 nine Big Ten Conference games.
• For the season, Cascio Jensen is averaging 3.0 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 64.8 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 (65-94) of its free throws over the past five 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 117 consecutive games since the first game of her freshman season in 2013-14. The Huskers own a 70-47 record in those contests over the last four years.
• Junior Jasmine Cincore owns the longest streak of consecutive starts among the Huskers with 26. Havers has made 24 straight starts, while freshman Nicea Eliely and sophomore Jessica Shepard have each started 21 straight games this season. Hannah Whitish has made nine straight starts.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 272 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 151 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.

Shepard Shoots for More as Sophomore
• Jessica Shepard is averaging 18.1 points and 10.1 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 Ohio State game with 954 points, 478 rebounds and 96 assists in her career.
• Shepard has 11 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 21 points and Purdue (Jan. 26) and 20 points at Penn State (Jan. 19). Shepard owns 27 career 20-point games in her first 52 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).
• Shepard was one of 28 players nationally named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year Midseason Watch List by the USBWA on Jan. 24, 2017.
• 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.