Huskers to Clash with Spartans in San Jose

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3) at San Jose State Spartans (2-7)
Sunday, Dec. 17, 2 p.m. (CT)
Event Center (San Jose, Calif.)
Live Video: Mountain West Network
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
Live Stats

Huskers Clash with Spartans in San Jose Sunday
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team tries to complete a perfect three-game non-conference road swing when the Huskers travel to San Jose State on Sunday. Tip-off between the Big Red (7-3) and the Spartans (2-7) is set for 2 p.m. (CT) at the Event Center in San Jose.

• A live radio broadcast will be produced by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch teaming up for their 17th season together on the call. The game will be carried live for free on Huskers.com and over the air on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha. Free audio also can be found on the Huskers App and the TuneIn App. 

• A live video stream will be available from the Mountain West Networks.

• Nebraska is coming off a dramatic 89-84 double-overtime win at 2017 Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake on Saturday in Des Moines. It was just Drake’s second home loss (both in multiple overtimes) in its last 24 games at the Knapp Center. 

• The win at Drake gave Nebraska back-to-back true road non-conference wins for the first time since the start of the 2014-15 season - a year that Nebraska featured four senior starters (Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill, Brandi Jeffery) and returning All-America point guard Rachel Theriot in wins at Washington State (82-61) and UCLA (71-66).

• A win over San Jose State would give Nebraska a perfect 3-0 record this season in true road non-conference games. The last time the Huskers finished non-conference play unbeaten in true road games was 2009-10 (4-0), when Nebraska finished the regular season 29-0 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. NU also went unbeaten in true road non-conference play in 2003-04 (1-0) and 1996-97 (2-0).

  • A win at San Jose State would also give Nebraska a four-game winning streak away from home for the first time since 2013-14. Those four straight road wins came on neutral courts with three at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis on the way to a conference title and the fourth over Fresno State at UCLA in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

• Sophomore Hannah Whitish scored a career-high 29 points in back-to-back road wins at Kansas (66-49) and Drake (89-85 2OT) last week. Her 58 points in the two games combined were just 11 fewer than the 69 points she had scored through Nebraska’s first eight games this season. Whitish leads the Huskers with 50 assists while committing just 19 turnovers for a 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3, 0-0 Big Ten)
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 8.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Fr. - C - 10.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - So. - G - 12.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - So. - G - 7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-10 - Sr. - F - 6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 14.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg
15 - Bria Stallworth - 5-6 - So. - G - 5.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - So. - F - 3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
13 - Janay Morton - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - So. - F - 2.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Second Season at Nebraska (14-25)
11th Season Overall (207-134)

San Jose State Spartans (2-7, 0-0 Mountain West)
23 - Hallie Gennett - 5-11 - Sr. - F - 6.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg
32 - Mikaylah Wilson - 5-10 - Fr. - F - 5.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg 
1 - Myzhanique Ladd - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 12.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg
3 - Taylor Turney - 5-8 - So. - PG - 14.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg
5 - Analyss Benally - 5-9 - So. - G - 7.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Off the Bench
22 - Danae Marquez - 5-5 - Fr. - PG - 6.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
4 - Fiemae’a Hafoka - 5-9 - So. - G - 6.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
2 - Andrea Kohlhaas - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 6.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
35 - Cydni Lewis - 6-0 - Fr. - F - 4.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg
30 - Megan Anderson - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg
24 - Alexis Harris - 6-3 - So. - C - 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
33 - Courtesy Clark - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
42 - Chinwe Ezeonu - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 1.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg
0 - Heleyna Hill - 5-6 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.4 rpg
Head Coach: Jamie Craighead (Oregon, 2002)
Fifth Season at San Jose State (52-81)
Ninth Season Overall (103-151)

Scouting The San Jose State Spartans
• Coach Jamie Craighead leads San Jose State against the Huskers for the second straight season. Nebraska defeated the Spartans 83-61 (Dec. 9) last season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

• Nebraska’s Nicea Eliely had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in last season’s win.

• San Jose State has traditionally featured a high-powered offense focused on shooting a lot of three-pointers. Through nine games this season, the Spartans are attempting 25.9 three-pointers per game while shooting 35.6 percent from long range. San Jose State is averaging 73.0 points per game.

• At the defensive end, the Spartans are surrendering a whopping 89.1 points per contest while opponents are shooting 46.8 percent from the field, including 33.1 percent from three-point range. San Jose State has also been outscored by an averagae of 3.3 points per game at the free throw line.

• A San Jose State squad that does not feature a starter taller than 5-11, has been outrebounded by 12.1 boards per game, while the Spartans have managed a positive turnover margin (17.7-16.9).

• Sophomore point guard Taylor Turney leads the Spartans with 14.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. Turney is an aggressive, drive-first point guard who leads San Jose State with 11.1 field goal attempts per game. Of her 100 field goal attempts, 85 of them are from two-point range. She is also better than a 90 percent (29-32, .906) free throw shooter. Turner scored two points at the free throw line in eight minutes off the bench last year against the Huskers

. • Senior guard Myzhanique Ladd is San Jose State’s No. 2 option, averaging 12.0 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game. Ladd loves to drive and crash the offensive boards, but she can also shoot the three (8-17, .471). She leads the Spartans with 49 free throw attempts while hitting 73.5 percent (36-49) of her shots at the stripe. Ladd had four points and a team-high 11 rebounds as a starter against the Huskers a year ago. She is the only returning starter for the Spartans from that game.

• Analyss Benally, a 5-9 sophomore, is San Jose State’s top three-point threat. She has hit 20-of-56 threes (.357) while attempting just five two-pointers. Benally, who ranks third on the team in scoring with 7.3 points per game, is averaging one rebound and less than one assist per game, while managing two steals on the year. She was scoreless in seven minutes off the bench last season against the Huskers.

• Hallie Gennett is the tallest starter for the Spartans. At 5-11, the senior forward has managed 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while ranking second on the squad with 43 three-point attempts. She is shooting 30.2 percent (13-43) from long range and is averaging less than one assist and one steal. Gennett was scoreless in 13 minutes last season against the Huskers, going 0-for-5 from the field.

• Mikaylah Wilson, a 5-10 freshman forward, rounds out SJSU’s probable starting five with 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Wilson is 0-for-5 from three-point range and just 9-for-21 at the line.

• San Jose State has shared playing time across its entire roster with 10 different players averaging more than 12 minutes per game and none averaging 30 minutes per contest.

• Freshman Danae Marquez, a 5-5 point guard, has managed 6.1 points, 3.7 assists and a team-best 2.0 steals in 18 minutes per game. Sophomore guard Fiemae’a Hafoka and junior guard Andrea Kohlhaas have each contributed 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Kohlhaas (10-25, .400) and Hafoka (7-15, .467) are both hitting 40 percent or better from three-point range.

• Sophomore center Alexis Harris provides the Spartans with their only real size at 6-3, but she has played a total of just 50 minutes this season.

• A total of seven freshmen could see playing time for the Spartans, as Cydni Lewis (4.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Megan Anderson (3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg), Courtesy Clark (1.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg), Chinwe Ezeonu (1.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg) and Heleyna Hill have played at least seven games alongside Mikaylah Wilson and Danae Marquez.

Husker Nuggets
• A win for Nebraska at San Jose State would be the Huskers’ eighth win of the season, giving the Big Red one more than the seven they totaled all of last season.

• Hannah Whitish captured her first career Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award (Dec. 11) after averaging 29.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game to lead Nebraska to road wins over Kansas and Drake.

• Whitish scored 25 of her career-high 29 points in the second half of the win at Kansas (Dec. 6). She personally outscored KU 25-13 in the half, giving her the largest individual margin over an entire team in a Division I half this season.

• Center Kate Cain has claimed back-to-back Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards and three honors through five weeks this season. Cain leads the Huskers with 34 blocked shots through 10 games, which ranks as the third-best season total by a freshman in school history.

• Cain’s 3.4 blocks per game and 34 total blocks ranked No. 3 nationally through games Dec. 10. The last time the Huskers had a player average 1.0 block per game in a season was Catheryn Redmon in 2010-11.

• Cain’s six blocks against Clemson tied the Nebraska single-game freshman record and were the most blocks by a Husker freshman since NU career leader Janet Smith had six against Oklahoma State on Jan. 12, 1979.

• Freshman guard Taylor Kissinger leads the Huskers with 14.0 points per game and 21 made three-pointers. The 6-1 Kissinger has added 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Big Red. She has missed the last three games with a minor knee injury.

• Nebraska is 6-0 with Maddie Simon in the lineup.

Whitish Starting to Shine as Sophomore
• Nebraska’s growth in the backcourt is expected to start with sophomore Hannah Whitish. The 5-9 guard from Barneveld, Wis., is the Big Red’s top returning scorer after averaging 9.0 points per game a year ago. Whitish, who started every Big Ten game for Nebraska, averaged 11.1 points in conference play, while shooting a sizzling 41.8 percent (38-91) from three-point range. She was also Nebraska’s top playmaker, averaging 3.7 assists in Big Ten action.

• Whitish’s play blossomed throughout the season, as she produced double figures in each of Nebraska’s last four games including a season-high 24-point performance in an overtime upset of NCAA Tournament-bound Michigan State on Feb. 26, 2017. Whitish knocked down 5-of-8 three-pointers against the Spartans while adding five rebounds and five assists in 44 minutes of work.

• The reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, Whitish averaged 29.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals to lead Nebraska to a pair of road wins at Kansas (Dec. 6) and Drake (Dec. 9).

• She erupted for a career-high 29 points, including 25 in the second half, to carry Nebraska offensively in a road win at Kansas (Dec. 6). Whitish outscored the previously unbeaten Jayhawks 25-13 after halftime to help the Huskers rally from a 13-point late-second-quarter deficit to a 17-point victory.

• Whitish matched her career high with 29 points in the next game at Drake (Dec. 9) to lead Nebraska to an 89-85 double-overtime victory. She added six rebounds, six assists, two steals and her first block of the season against the Bulldogs.

• In 2017-18, Whitish is the only Husker to start all 10 games, while averaging 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, a team-high 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She tied her career high with three steals in three straight games (Clemson, UAPB, Kansas). 

• Whitish owns 50 assists and 19 turnovers for a 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks in the top 40 nationally among all Division I players.

• Whitish tied her career high with five three-pointers at Drake (Dec. 9).

• She scored 15 points on three threes against Buffalo (Nov. 23).  

• Whitish scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Creighton (Nov. 19).

• She tied a career high with nine assists while adding eight points and five rebounds in a win over UMKC (Nov. 14).

• Whitish owns a team-best 17 career double-figure scoring efforts, including four this season. She has produced a trio of 20-point performances, including back-to-back games heading to San Jose State.

Freshman Cain Showing She’s Able Inside
• The newest addition to Nebraska’s post game is freshman Kate Cain. The 6-5 center from Middletown, N.Y., decided to join the Huskers on June 23, 2017, after originally signing her National Letter of Intent with Delaware.

• After a coaching change at Delaware, Cain reopened her recruitment and the No. 82 player in the nation, according to ESPN, landed in Lincoln. She is trying to become just the second Husker women’s basketball letterwinner from the state of New York, joining Monet Williams (Brooklyn, 1997-98, 1998-99).

• Cain, whose parents were both outstanding Division I players on the East Coast, has brought an immediate defensive presence to the Huskers while also providing scoring and rebounding on the block.

• Cain has won three Big Ten Conference Freshman-of-the-Week awards (Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 11).

• She enters the San Jose State game as Nebraska’s third-leading scorer (10.9 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (7.3 rpg) while leading the Huskers with 3.4 blocks per game. The last Husker to average 1.0 block per game in a season was Catheryn Redmon (2.5 bpg) in 2010-11.

• Through games Dec. 10, Cain ranked No. 3 nationally in blocks per game (3.4) and total blocks (34).

• Cain’s 34 blocked shots through 10 games already rank third on Nebraska’s freshman single-season block list. She needs eight blocks to move into a tie for second on that list with Kathy Hagerstrom (42, 1979-80). The Husker freshman record is held by Janet Smith (54, 1978-79).

• Cain tied a Nebraska freshman record with six blocked shots against Clemson (Nov. 30). That record was set by career block leader Janet Smith against Oklahoma State in 1979.

• Cain’s block total against Clemson tied for seventh overall on NU’s single-game block list. She added five blocks in a dominant defensive effort to go along with five points and nine boards in the win at Kansas (Dec. 6).

• Cain owns three double-doubles, including career highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds in a double-overtime win at Drake (Dec. 9). She had four blocks and a steal against the Bulldogs. • She notched her first career double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). She also had two assists against the Razorbacks.

• Cain added another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2). She added three blocked shots against the Lady Lions. • She owns six double-figure scoring efforts and three double-figure rebounding games in the first 10 games of her career. She has blocked at least one shot in all 10 games and has multiple blocks in nine of 10 contests. She has recorded at least three blocks in five straight games.

• She has produced four or more blocks fives times as a freshman, including Arkansas (4, Nov. 16), Coastal Carolina (4, Nov. 24), Clemson (6, Nov. 30), Kansas (5, Dec. 6) and Drake (4, Dec. 9).

• In her regular-season debut, Cain erupted for 18 points and game highs of nine rebounds and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the bench in a win over SIUE (Nov. 11).

• She made her first career start in Nebraska’s win over UMKC (Nov. 14), producing eight points, two rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Cain has made nine straight starts for the Huskers.

Nebraska Streaks 
• Sophomore guard Hannah Whitish (27) owns the longest current streak of consecutive starts by a Husker. Nebraska’s second-longest streak is nine games by freshman Kate Cain. 

• Whitish is the only Husker to start all 10 games this season.

• Nebraska is 5-0 with Maddie Simon as a starter and 6-0 in games played by Maddie Simon. 

• Nebraska owns a three-game road winning streak, including two straight wins in true road games.

• Kate Cain has blocked at least one shot in each of the first 10 games of her career. She has nine games with two or more blocks, including six straight games.

• Cain has blocked three or more shots in five consecutive games.

• Jasmine Cincore has notched at least one assist in 19 consecutive games dating back to a game at Purdue on Jan. 26, 2017. She went without an assist against Michigan (Jan. 22, 2017).

• Hannah Whitish has posted at least one assist in 12 consecutive games, and has three or more assists in nine games this season, including six straight.

• Taylor Kissinger has knocked down at least one three-pointer in six consecutive games.

• Kissinger has at least three rebounds in each of her seven games this season.

• Whitish has a steal in eight consecutive games - the longest active streak by a Husker. She has recorded at least two steals in four consecutive games

. • Whitish has knocked down a three-pointer in seven consecutive games.

• Nicea Eliely has hit a three-pointer in five straight games, recorded a steal in five straight games and notched an assist in six consecutive games for the Big Red.

• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 290 straight regular-season games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.

• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 169 consecutive games.