Huskers Back Home for Rematch with No. 12 Buckeyes

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Thursday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Live Video Stream: BTN Plus
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 Home for Rematch with Buckeyes
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home Thursday for another battle against a top-25 foe when the Huskers face No. 12 Ohio State. Tip-off between the Huskers (5-19, 1-11 Big Ten) and the Buckeyes (22-5, 12-1 Big Ten) at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
• Tickets are available now at Huskers.com and doors open 90 minutes prior to tip-off.
• 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 Huskers are led by 6-4 sophomore forward Jessica Shepard, who is averaging a double-double with 18.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She owns 21 career double-doubles, including 11 this season, after tying her season high with 28 points and adding 13 rebounds at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29). It was her fifth 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 four-time All-Big Ten choice Emily Cady (2013-14, 2014-15).
23• At Wisconsin (Feb. 9), Shepard became the 32nd player in Husker history to reach 1,000 career points. She became just the second sophomore to accomplish the feat, joining All-American and current WNBA forward Jordan Hooper (1,078, 2010-11/2011-12).
23• Shepard reached 1,000 points faster than any player in Husker history. Shepard accomplished the milestone in her 55th career game. Hooper achieved 1,000 in her 60th career game.
23• Shepard also became just the fourth Husker in history to reach 500 rebounds as a sophomore, after pulling down five boards at Wisconsin. She enters the Ohio State game with 1,010 points and 503 rebounds.
• Nebraska freshmen Nicea Eliely (7.6 ppg) and Hannah Whitish (7.6 ppg) could become the first pair of Husker freshmen to both average more than 7.0 points per game since 1983-84. Whitish was the 2016 Wisconsin Gatorade High School Player of the Year.
• Junior guard Jasmine Cincore has produced double figures in three straight games. She had just four double-figure scoring efforts in her first 72 career games prior to the stretch.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-19, 1-11 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 18.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 6.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 7.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 7.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.4 ppg, 3.1 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 (5-19); 10th Season Overall (198-128)

#12 Ohio State Buckeyes (22-5, 12-1 Big Ten)
0 - Tori McCoy - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
32 - Shayla Cooper - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 9.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg
3 - Kelsey Mitchell - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 23.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg
4 - Sierra Calhoun - 6-0 - So. - G - 9.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg
23 - Kiara Lewis - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 7.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Off the Bench
1 - Stephanie Mavunga - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 11.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg 
15 - Linnae Harper - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg
20 - Asia Doss - 5-7 - So. - G - 5.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg
22 - Alexa Hart - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 4.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
24 - Makayla Waterman - 6-2 - So. - F - 3.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
33 - Jensen Caretti - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg
5 - Chelsea Mitchell - 5-11 - So. - G - 1.6 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Kevin McGuff (St. Joseph’s College, 1992)
Fourth Season at Ohio State (89-42); 15th Season Overall (344-141)

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. 12 Buckeyes to a 22-5 overall record and a 12-1 Big Ten mark this season.
• The Buckeyes are riding an eight-game winning streak and have won 13 of their last 14 games.
• 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 23.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.0 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 had 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists in Ohio State’s 95-75 win over the Huskers in Columbus on Jan. 29.
• Mitchell ranks No. 7 in Big Ten Conference history with 2,384 points heading into Thursday’s game with Nebraska. She needs 16 points to reach 2,400 and 21 points to catch former Purdue great MaChelle Joseph (1989-92) in a tie for sixth place on the Big Ten career scoring list at 2,405.
• 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 near 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 11.8 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds to go along with a team-high 48 blocks. However, Mavunga did not play in Sunday’s 88-81 win over Iowa and is not expected to play against the Huskers on Thursday.
• Mavunga had 13 points and six rebounds in the first meeting with the Huskers this season.
• 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 9.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Her 53 three-pointers also rank second on the team behind only Mitchell’s 89. 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 5.8 rebounds per game this season.
• Cooper is closing in on 1,000 career points as a collegian, entering Thursday’s game with 971, while adding 610 career rebounds.
• Cooper had seven points and nine boards in this season’s first meeting with Nebraska, and is coming off a strong 20-point, eight-rebound effort that included five assists against Iowa.
• Freshman Kiara Lewis has started Ohio State’s past seven games and is averaging 7.4 points per game on the season. The 5-8 guard from Chicago adds strong perimeter defense with 34 steals to lead the Buckeyes. She leads OSU in steals despite ranking fifth 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 185.
• Doss, a 5-7 junior guard from Detroit, started Ohio State’s first 20 games this season before giving way to Lewis in the week prior to the first meeting with the Huskers. Doss is averaging 5.7 points per game this season and owns 580 career points and 261 assists in 96 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 Kiara Lewis at Whitney Young High School. The 5-8 Harper owns 731 points and 413 rebounds in her collegiate career.
• Freshman Tori 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 87.2 points per game, while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. The Buckeyes have hit 33.9 percent of their threes and 70.3 percent of their free throws. Ohio State owns a plus-6.1 team rebounding margin and plus-2.7 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, Jan. 10).

Nebraska vs. Ohio State Series History
• Nebraska’s all-time series with Ohio State is tied, 7-7, but the Buckeyes have won three straight meetings including a 95-75 win over the Huskers in Columbus on Jan. 29.
• The Huskers suffered a 78-60 loss to Ohio State in the last meeting 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 3-5 against Ohio State in Columbus.
• Nebraska is 3-2 against the Buckeyes in Lincoln, including a 60-55 win on Dec. 12, 2003.

Husker Nuggets
• Jessica Shepard is the second Husker in history to record 10 or more double-doubles in back-to-back seasons. She owns 11 double-doubles in 2016-17, including 28 points and 13 rebounds at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29).
• Shepard leads the Huskers with averages of 18.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She has 21 career double-doubles, which is tied for seventh in Husker history.
• Shepard became the 32nd Husker in history to score 1,000 career points (at Wisconsin, Feb. 9) and just the second to achieve the milestone as a sophomore, joining All-American Jordan Hooper (1,078, 2010-11, 2011-12).
• Shepard reached the 1,000-point milestone in fewer games (55) than any Husker in history.
• Shepard owns 12 20-point scoring efforts in 22 games, including season highs of 28 points at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29), at Iowa (Dec. 31) and San Jose State (Dec. 9). She owns 28 career 20-plus scoring games in 55 career contests.
• Shepard ranks second among the Huskers in three-point field goals made (23), 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 steals (38), blocks (15) and field goal percentage (.447), while tying for second in scoring (7.6 ppg). Eliely has started all 24 games this season as a true freshman.
• Freshman Hannah Whitish is averaging 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 12 Big Ten games as a starter. Whitish also leads the Huskers with 40 three-pointers on the season to rank fourth among freshmen in Husker history. She needs six more to catch Anna DeForge in third (46, 1994-95).

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 53 career starts, including 29 in 31 games as a freshman.
• A three-year contributor on the court, 6-5 senior Allie Havers adds 45 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 (30 career), Esther Ramacieri (16) and Maddie Simon (5), while true freshmen Nicea Eliely (24) and Hannah Whitish (12) have made their first career starts this season.
• Overall, Nebraska owns just 185 career starts. Ohio State is one of the Big Ten’s most experienced teams with 336 career starts at Ohio State and 101 additional starts from players on its active roster that played previously at other NCAA Division I 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 21 career double-doubles, including 11 this season. Her most recent double-double came with a season-high 28 points and 13 rebounds at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29). She had 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 24 games, Shepard is averaging team bests of 18.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She also ranks second on the team with 23 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 65 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own a 48-17 record (.738 winning percentage) while averaging 5,623 fans per game (365,468 total fans/65 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 has ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation throughout the season until the Huskers’ last road trip to Wisconsin knocked NU to No. 30 in the most recent SOS rankings (Feb. 14). However, each of Nebraska’s final four regular-season games will come against teams currently in the top 55 in the RPI.
• Through games Feb. 13, NU’s 24 opponents owned a combined record of 376-230 (.620 winning percentage), including current top-25 opponents No. 1 UConn (25-0), No. 2 Maryland (25-1), No. 12 Ohio State (22-5), No. 20 Michigan (21-5) and No. 25 Drake (20-4). Colorado State (19-6), Creighton (18-6), Northwestern (17-8), Penn State (17-8), California (17-9), Missouri (17-9), Michigan State (16-9), Virginia Tech (16-9), Virginia (16-9), UTRGV (16-10), Iowa (15-10) and Purdue (15-11) give Nebraska 17 opponents with 15 or more victories in 2016-17.
• Minnesota (14-12), Omaha (12-13), Washington State (10-15), San Jose State (8-16), Illinois (8-17), Rutgers (6-19) and Wisconsin (6-19) are the only Husker opponents with fewer than 15 wins this season.
• Nebraska’s game Thursday against Ohio State will be the Huskers’ 20th game this season against a top 100 RPI opponent and its 15th against an RPI Top 60 foe. Each of NU’s final four regular-season games will come against current RPI Top 60 teams.
• 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 24 games and ranks second on the team in scoring with 7.6 points per game. She also leads the Huskers in steals (38) and blocked shots (15) and field goal percentage (.447). She ranks second in minutes per game (26.3).
• Eliely has produced five double-figure scoring efforts, including 12 points at Wisconsin (Feb. 9) and 10 points along with 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, is tied with Eliely for second on the team in scoring (7.6 ppg), including 9.7 points per game in Big Ten play. She leads the Huskers with 40 threes, which ranks as the fourth-best total by a freshman in school history. Whitish also leads the Huskers in assists (62) and ranks third in steals (23), despite ranking fifth in minutes per game (23.0).
• In Big Ten play, Whitish leads the Huskers in assists (45) and three-pointers (25), while ranking second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg), steals (17) and three-point percentage (.373). She has produced double figures seven times in Big Ten play and nine times overall this season. She had career highs of 16 points and four three-pointers at Illinois (Jan. 15). She added 13 points and tied a career best with four threes at Wisconsin (Feb. 9).
• 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).

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 43-of-53 (.811) at the free throw line in Big Ten play, while the Huskers as a team are shooting 65.2 percent.
• Rylie Cascio Jensen has hit 11 consecutive free throws, including 9-for-9 in Big Ten play and 7-for-7 at Penn State (Jan. 19).
• Nicea Eliely had hit 14 consecutive free throws, dating back to a miss against Maryland on Jan. 4, before missing a pair late against Minnesota. 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.
• Junior guard Jasmine Cincore owns a team-best 12 consecutive free throws made, including 6-for-6 at Wisconsin (Feb. 9).

Nebraska Streaks
• Nebraska senior Allie Havers has competed in 120 consecutive games since the first game of her freshman season in 2013-14. The Huskers own a 70-50 record in those contests over the last four years.
• Junior Jasmine Cincore owns the longest streak of consecutive starts among the Huskers with 29. Havers has made 27 straight starts, while freshman Nicea Eliely and sophomore Jessica Shepard have each started 24 straight games this season. Hannah Whitish has made 12 straight starts.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 275 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 154 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.

Shepard Shoots For More as Sophomore
• Jessica Shepard is averaging 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She has produced 11 double-doubles, including five in Big Ten play after her 28-point, 13-rebound performance at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29). She had 20 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State (Jan. 19), after going for 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a season-high three steals in a 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 21 career double-doubles to tie for seventh on Nebraska’s career chart in that category.
• She heads into the Ohio State game with 1,010 points and 503 rebounds in her career.
• Shepard has 12 20-point efforts this season, including season highs of 28 points against San Jose State (Dec. 9), at Iowa (Dec. 31) and at No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 29). 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 28 career 20-point games in her first 55 games as a Husker.
• Shepard ranks second among the Huskers with 23 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.

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 48-17 (.738) 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 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 at Pinnacle Bank Arena 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.
• NU suffered its first loss at the arena to Washington State (76-72) on Nov. 30, 2013.
• The Huskers are 437-147 (.748) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 173-51 (.772) 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.