Huskers Search for Road Win at Wisconsin

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Wisconsin Badgers
Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. (CT)
Kohl Center (Madison, Wisconsin)
Live Video Stream: BTN Plus
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 Search for Road Win at Wisconsin
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team takes aim at its first road win of the season when the Huskers travel to Wisconsin on Thursday. Tip-off between the Huskers (5-18, 1-10 Big Ten) and the Badgers (5-18, 0-10 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center in Madison is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
• 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.
• Nebraska has been challenged by the toughest schedule in school history. Nebraska’s strength of schedule ranks No. 13 nationally, which trails only Minnesota’s No. 9 strength of schedule among Big Ten Conference teams. Nebraska and Minnesota are the only schools in the Big Ten with top-30 schedule strengths this season.
• The Huskers are led by 6-4 sophomore forward Jessica Shepard, who is averaging a double-double with 18.3 points and 10.1 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• Shepard heads to Wisconsin needing just four points to become the 32nd player in Husker history to reach 1,000 career points. She will become 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 could reach 1,000 points faster than any player in Husker history. Hooper achieved 1,000 in her 60th career game. Shepard will be playing her 55th career game on Thursday at Wisconsin.
23• Shepard needs two rebounds to become just the fourth Husker in history to reach 500 as a sophomore.
• Nebraska freshmen Nicea Eliely (7.4 ppg) and Hannah Whitish (7.4 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.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-18, 1-10 Big Ten)
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - So. - F - 18.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Sr. - C - 6.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 7.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
2 - Rylie Cascio Jensen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Jr. - G - 2.1 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 (5-18); 10th Season Overall (198-127)

Wisconsin Badgers (5-18, 0-10 Big Ten)
33 - Courtney Fredrickson - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
40 - Avyanna Young - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 10.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg
35 - Kendall Shaw - 6-4 - Sr. - F/C - 3.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg
10 - Kendra Van Leeuwen - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
23 - Cayla McMorris - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 12.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Off the Bench
11 - Marsha Howard - 5-10 - So. - F - 7.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg
3 - Suzanne Gilreath - 5-4 - Fr. - G - 6.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
24 - Malayna Johnson - 6-4 - Jr. - F/C - 5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
30 - Gabby Gregory - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 3.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg
4 - Ashley Kelsick - 5-7 - So. - G - 3.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg
5 - Roichelle Marble - 5-7 - So. - G - 1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg
14 - Abby Laszewski - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 1.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg
15 - Lexy Richardson - 5-9 - So. - G - 0.9 ppg, 0.4 rpg
20 - Taylor Kuhn - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 0.1 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Jonathan Tsipis (North Carolina, 1996)
First Season at Wisconsin (5-18); Fifth Season Overall (100-56)

Scouting Wisconsin
• Coach Jonathan Tsipsis has guided Wisconsin to a 5-18 overall record that includes an 0-10 Big Ten mark in his first season with the Badgers.
• Wisconsin has lost its first 10 Big Ten games by an average of 21.8 points per game and is 0-5 in home conference action at the Kohl Center this season.
• The Badgers are averaging just 55.4 points per game in Big Ten play and 61.0 points per contest overall this season. They have lost their five Big Ten home games by an average of 23.0 points.
• In Big Ten play, Wisconsin is shooting just 34.6 percent from the field, including 29.9 percent from three-point range and 66 percent from the free throw line.
• Wisconsin owns a plus-1.2 team rebounding margin in Big Ten play, but a devastating minus-8.1 team turnover margin against conference foes.
• Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference prior to the 2011-12 season, Wisconsin has never won more than five conference games in a season and owns a cumulative Big Ten mark of 21-75 (.219) in that span. The Badgers are 51-119 (.300) since Nebraska joined the conference while the Huskers are 119-67 (.640), including 54-41 (.568) in Big Ten action.
• Prior to Nebraska joining the Big Ten, Wisconsin had posted five consecutive winning seasons including a pair of 20-win campaigns from 2006-07 to 2010-11. The Badgers were 95-68 overall in those five seasons, including 42-38 in the Big Ten.
• Junior guard Cayla McMorris is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game on the season. She also leads the Badgers with 9.3 points per game in conference play. McMorris is shooting 27.3 percent from the field in Big Ten play, including 11.8 percent (4-34) from three-point range. In Saturday’s loss to Ohio State, McMorris went 0-for-9 from the field but still tied for the team scoring lead by going 14-for-14 at the free throw line.
• Senior forward Avyanna Young is the only other Badger averaging in double figures on the season with 10.2 points per game. Young has started only two conference contests, including Saturday’s loss to Ohio State, and is averaging 7.6 points per game in league play.
• Freshman Suzanne Gilreath, a 5-4 guard, ranks second among the Badgers with 8.0 points per game in Big Ten action, while ranking fourth overall with 6.9 points per contest. Gilreath has knocked down a team-best 45 three-pointers on the season. The rest of the Badger roster has combined for just 77. In Big Ten play, Gilreath has just 11 rebounds, five assists and one steal in 159 minutes. She has hit only four two-point field goals in Big Ten play.
• Marsha Howard, a 5-10 sophomore forward, has contributed 6.7 points and a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game in Big Ten action.
• Courtney Fredrickson, a 6-2 freshman forward, has started all 10 Big Ten games and has been Wisconsin’s second-most active shooter behind only McMorris. However, Fredrickson is shooting just 25.1 percent from the field on the season, including 14-of-59 threes. McMorris and Fredrickson combined to go 0-for-15 from the field Saturday against Ohio State. Fredrickson is averaging 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on the year.
• Fellow freshman Kendra Van Leeuwen has joined Fredrickson in Wisconsin’s starting five for all 10 Big Ten games alongside McMorris. Van Leeuwen is averaging 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on the season. The 5-10 guard leads Wisconsin with 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. However, she is shooting just 40 percent at the free throw line. Van Leeuwen and McMorris are the only two Badgers to start all 23 games this season.
• Kendall Shaw, a 6-4 senior transfer from Vanderbilt, is averaging 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds.
• Malayna Johnson (5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg), Roichelle Marble (1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg) and Taylor Kuhn (0.1 ppg, 0.3 rpg) have all started multiple games for Wisconsin this season. Gabby Gregory (3.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg) and Abby Laszewski (1.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg) also get regular playing time off the bench for a Wisconsin team that has had 14 different players compete in at least 10 games this season.

Nebraska vs. Wisconsin Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Wisconsin 8-5, with all eight Husker victories coming as Big Ten foes.
• The Huskers rolled to a 75-62 win over Wisconsin at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 27, 2016, in the only meeting between the two teams last season.
• Although the recent results have been in Nebraska’s favor, the two teams have played several thrillers at the Kohl Center, including NU’s 71-70 overtime win on Feb. 5, 2014, and a 55-53 Husker win on Feb. 28, 2013.
• In the Huskers’ first-ever win against the Badgers, Nebraska rallied for a 75-69 win on Jan. 12, 2012.
• Wisconsin won the first five meetings between the two schools with a pair of overtime victories over the Huskers at the Devaney Center and three wins in Madison. All five of the non-conference meetings between the schools were decided by 10 or fewer points.

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 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She has 21 career double-doubles, which is tied for seventh in Husker history.
• Shepard needs four points and two rebounds at Wisconsin to reach 1,000 points and 500 boards. She is poised to become the 32nd Husker in history to score 1,000 career points and just the second to achieve the milestone as a sophomore, joining All-American Jordan Hooper (1,078, 2010-11, 2011-12). Hooper reached the 1,000-point mark in her 60th career game.
• 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 54 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 (.434), while ranking second in scoring (7.4 ppg). Eliely has started all 23 games this season as a true freshman.
• Freshman Hannah Whitish is averaging 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 11 Big Ten games as a starter. Whitish also leads the Huskers with 36 three-pointers on the season to rank fourth among freshmen in Husker history. She needs 10 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 52 career starts, including 29 in 31 games as a freshman.
• A three-year contributor on the court, 6-5 senior Allie Havers adds 44 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 (29 career), Esther Ramacieri (16) and Maddie Simon (5), while true freshmen Nicea Eliely (23) and Hannah Whitish (11) have made their first career starts this season.
• Overall, Nebraska owns just 180 career starts. On paper, Wisconsin is one of two Big Ten teams (Rutgers) with less starting experience than Nebraska. The Badgers have combined to start just 157 for Wisconsin. However, Avyanna Young (31, Milwaukee), Ashley Kelsick (24, Boston College) and Kendall Shaw (1, Vanderbilt) combined for 56 starts at their previous NCAA Division I schools, giving UW 213 career collegiate starts.
• 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 23 games, Shepard is averaging team bests of 18.3 points and 10.1 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.

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. 13 nationally through games Feb. 5. NU’s 23 opponents owned a combined record of 348-179 (.660 winning percentage), including current top-25 opponents No. 1 UConn (22-0), No. 3 Maryland (23-1), No. 13 Ohio State (21-5) and No. 20 Michigan (19-5).
• Drake (18-4), Colorado State (18-5), Northwestern (17-6), Creighton (17-6), California (17-7), Michigan State (16-7), Virginia Tech (16-7), Missouri (16-6), Penn State (15-8), Virginia (15-8), Purdue (15-9) and UTRGV (15-9) give Nebraska 16 opponents with 15 or more victories in 2016-17.
• Minnesota (RPI 54) was Nebraska’s 14th opponent this season currently ranked in the RPI Top 60. It was Nebraska’s 18th game against a current RPI Top 100 team. Four of NU’s final five regular-season games will come against current RPI Top 60 foes.
• Only six Husker opponents have won fewer than 15 games, including Iowa (14-9, RPI 51), Minnesota (12-11, RPI 54), Omaha (11-13, RPI 165), Washington State (10-13, RPI 55), Illinois (8-16, RPI 193), San Jose State (7-15, RPI 206) and Rutgers (6-17, RPI 189). Wisconsin (5-18, RPI 204) will be Nebraska’s sixth opponent with a losing record this season.
• 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 23 games and ranks second on the team in scoring with 7.4 points per game. She also leads the Huskers in steals (38) and blocked shots (15) and field goal percentage (.434). She ranks second in minutes per game (26.3).
• 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 9.4 points per game in Big Ten play. She leads the Huskers with 36 threes, which ranks as the fourth-best total by a freshman in school history. Whitish also leads the Huskers in assists (58) and ranks third in steals (22), despite ranking fifth in minutes per game (22.4).
• In Big Ten play, Whitish leads the Huskers in assists (41) and three-pointers (21), while ranking second on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg), steals (16) and three-point percentage (.362). She has produced double figures six times in Big Ten play and eight 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).

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 41-of-49 (.837) at the free throw line in Big Ten play, while the Huskers as a team are shooting 66.7 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.
• As a team, Nebraska has hit 71.2 percent (84-118) of its free throws over the past seven 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 119 consecutive games since the first game of her freshman season in 2013-14. The Huskers own a 70-49 record in those contests over the last four years.
• Junior Jasmine Cincore owns the longest streak of consecutive starts among the Huskers with 28. Havers has made 26 straight starts, while freshman Nicea Eliely and sophomore Jessica Shepard have each started 23 straight games this season. Hannah Whitish has made 11 straight starts.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 274 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.
• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 153 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 18.3 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 to Wisconsin with 996 points, 498 rebounds and 103 assists 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 54 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.