Huskers Tip 2018-19 Season with UNK Saturday

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Nebraska-Kearney Lopers
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 - 4 p.m.
Pinnacle Bank Arena
Live Video: BTN Plus
Live Audio: Huskers.com/Huskers App
Live Radio: B107.3 FM (Lincoln); CD 105.9 FM (Omaha)

Huskers Tip 2018-19 Exhibition Play with UNK
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team tips off the 2018-19 campaign by taking on the University of Nebraska-Kearney in an exhibition game at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.

• Tip time for Nebraska’s lone exhibition game of the season is set for 4 p.m. (CT) with live audio coverage on the Husker Sports Network (B107.3 FM, Lincoln; CD 105.9 FM, Omaha) at 3:45.

• The Huskers return their top five scorers from their 2018 team that finished with a 21-11 overall record and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red finished 11-5 to tie for third in the Big Ten Conference and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

• Nebraska produced the nation’s top turnaround last season by improving 14 games in the win column over its 7-22 campaign in Coach Amy Williams’ first season at Nebraska in 2016-17.

• Williams, who enters her third season leading her alma mater at Nebraska, was the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year and a semifinalist (1 of 10) for Naismith National Coach-of-the-Year honors.

• Junior Hannah Whitish is expected to be a leader on the court for the Huskers in 2018-19. The 5-9 guard from Barneveld, Wis., earned preseason first-team All-Big Ten honors after claiming second-team all-conference accolades as a sophomore. Whitish led the Huskers in scoring (12.6 ppg), assists (4.7 apg), steals (1.3 spg) and three-pointers made (73) last season. The only Husker to start all 32 games last year, she carried a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as Nebraska’s point guard.

• Kate Cain also will be counted on to play a big role for the Huskers in 2018-19. The 6-5 sophomore from Middletown, N.Y., is one of 20 preseason candidates for the Lisa Leslie National Center-of-the-Year Award presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association of America. Cain led the Big Ten with 3.1 blocks per game last year and ranked among the top 10 players in the nation with a school-record 100 blocks. She averaged 9.9 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per contest on her way to spots on the Big Ten All-Defensive and Big Ten All-Freshman teams.

• Lincoln native Maddie Simon is the only fourth-year senior in the Husker program this season. The 6-2 forward was one of the Big Ten’s most improved players last season, averaging 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in her first season as a starter.

• Nebraska adds five newcomers to its group of six returning players in 2018-19. Freshmen Leigha Brown, Sam Haiby, Kayla Mershon and Ashtyn Veerbeek were ranked among the top 20 recruiting classes in the nation a year ago by ESPN. The Huskers also added graduate transfer point guard Kristian Hudson from Florida International.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (21-11, 11-5 Big Ten, 2017-18)
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 9.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 10.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Off the Bench
11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 2.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Third Season at Nebraska (28-33); 12th Season Overall (221-142)

Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (21-7, 13-6 MIAA, 2017-18)
11 Jaymie Bernbeck - 6-0 - Sr. - F - 4.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg
25 Shiloh McCool - 5-11 - Fr. - G/F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
10 Cierra Dvorak - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
22 Adreon Bell - 5-6 - So. - G - 3.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg
32 Kelsey Sanger - 5-8 - So. - G - 7.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
3 Shelby Megyeri - 5-7 - So. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
5 Elisa Backes - 6-1 - Fr. - G/F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg 
12 Aspen Jansa - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
15 Maegan Holt - 6-0 - Fr. - G/F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
20 Klaire Kirsch - 5-11 - Fr. - G/F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
21 Jordan Peitz - 6-0 - Fr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
23 Lauren O’Connell - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg 
45 Brooke Carlson - 6-1 - Fr. - C - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Carrie Eighmey (Hastings, 2004)
Fourth Season at UNK (49-37); Seventh Season Overall (117-68)

Scouting Nebraska-Kearney
• Coach Carrie Eighmey brings her fourth UNK team into the 2018-19 season. The Lopers went 21-7 last season, including a 13-6 mark in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).

• The Lopers will have a whole new look in 2018-19, with nine newcomers including seven freshmen on their roster.

• UNK lost its top three scorers from a year ago, including Michaela Barry (17.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg) and McKenzie Brown (14.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) who were the only two Lopers to start all 28 games last season. Brown (66) and Barry (47) combined for 113 three-pointers last season. The rest of UNK’s roster hit 63.

• Nebraska-Kearney also must replace Alyssa Frauendorfer, who averaged 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest.

• Sophomore guard Kelsey Sanger is UNK’s top returning scorer after averaging 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season. She is the only returning Loper who averaged more than five points per contest a year ago. Sanger went scoreless in 18 minutes as a starter in UNK’s 100-68 setback to Creighton in exhibition play on Oct. 23 in Omaha.

• The Lopers may rely on the leadership of 6-0 forward Jaymie Bernbeck. UNK’s only senior, Bernbeck started 26 games last season and averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds. Bernbeck managed eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the exhibition game against Creighton.

• UNK’s only other returning player with significant experience is sophomore Adreon Bell. The 5-6 guard averaged 3.3 points while competing in 23 games off the bench last season. Bell led the Lopers with 10 points in 17 minutes as a starter in UNK’s exhibition loss to Creighton.

• Junior college transfer Cierra Dvorak earned a start against Creighton and produced six points, three rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes. Dvorak was a two-year starter at point guard for North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene. Originally from Lake City, Utah, Dvorak averaged 14.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game as a sophomore for the Cardinals.

• UNK’s other junior college transfer, Lauren O’Connell, played 17 scoreless minutes against Creighton. A 5-9 guard from Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, O’Connell averaged 15.9 points and 3.7 rebounds as a sophomore. She had a pair of 30-point games and nine other 20-point performances last year. She played her freshman season at Utah State-Eastern in Price, Utah, where she averaged 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds.

• Freshman Shiloh McCool earned a start for the Lopers in the exhibition game against Creighton and scored seven points in 19 minutes. The 5-11 wing added two rebounds and an assist. 

• Brooke Carlson, a 6-1 freshman center out of Elkhorn High School, had the biggest impact of the UNK newcomers against Creighton. Carlson finished with nine points and a game-high six rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.

• Freshman Klaire Kirsch, a 5-11 wing from Rapid City, S.D., led UNK’s 13-player roster in minutes against the Jays, playing 21 minutes. She managed three points on just 1-of-7 shooting. All 13 Lopers played against Creighton, and only 6-0 freshman forward Jordan Pietz played fewer than 10 minutes.

• Saturday’s meeting between UNK and Nebraska will be the first for the two teams since Nov. 1, 2015. The Huskers defeated the Lopers, 92-54. Maddie Simon is the only current Husker who played in that game, producing six points, three rebounds and two rebounds as a starter in her first-ever appearance in a Nebraska uniform as a true freshman. No current Lopers participated in the game.

• Saturday’s game will mark the 14th exhibition meeting between the Huskers and Lopers since 2002. The Big Red played UNK for 12 straight seasons from Nov. 17, 2002 through Nov. 3, 2013. The Huskers have never lost to the Lopers in exhibition play or in six regular-season games played between Nov. 25, 1974 and Dec. 8, 1982.

Big Red Return Young, Hungry Huskers in 2018-19
• Although Nebraska loses three key seniors (Jasmine Cincore, Janay Morton, Emily Wood) from the 2017-18 campaign, the 2018-19 version of the Huskers will feature several experienced weapons.

• In fact, Nebraska will return each of its top five scorers from 2017-18, led by second-team All-Big Ten point guard Hannah Whitish (12.6 ppg). Forward Maddie Simon (10.1 ppg), guard/forward Taylor Kissinger (10.0 ppg), center Kate Cain (9.9 ppg) and guard/forward Nicea Eliely (8.2 ppg) all return for the Huskers in 2018-19.

• Overall, the Huskers are scheduled to return more than 70 percent of their scoring (70.4%) and rebounding (70.2%), and nearly 65 percent (64.7%) of their assists from the 2017-18 roster. Nebraska also returns 147 of its school-record 163 blocks from 2017-18.  The previous school block record was 147.

• In 2018-19, Nebraska is scheduled to return 160 of its school-record 250 three-pointers (64%) from 2017-18, including 73 from Hannah Whitish and 50 from Taylor Kissinger. It will mark the first time in school history that Nebraska returns two players from the previous season who each hit 50 or more threes.

• Nebraska posted a plus-2.4 rebound margin in 2017-18. The Huskers are scheduled to return five of the six players who averaged 4.0 or more rebounds in 2017-18. • Nebraska’s 2018-19 freshman class was ranked No. 20 in the nation by the ESPN, giving the Huskers back-to-back top 20 classes.

• Ashtyn Veerbeek, a 6-2 forward out of Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa, was ranked as the No. 55 player in the nation by Blue Star, No. 66 by Prospects Nation and No. 68 by ESPN, which also ranked Veerbeek as the No. 9 forward in the Class of 2018. As a senior, Veerbeek was named one of the 50 greatest girls players in Iowa history by the Des Moines Register. She led the state in rebounding (14.4 rpg) while ranking third in scoring (25.8 ppg) and eighth in blocked shots (86) across all players and classes. She finished her career with 1,871 points, 1,041 rebounds, 227 blocks, 203 assists and 99 steals.

• Leigha Brown, a 6-1 forward out of DeKalb High School in Indiana, averaged 28.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game as a senior in 2017-18 to finish her career with 1,798 points, 810 rebounds, 325 assists, 161 steals and 86 blocks. Brown was ranked as the No. 21 forward nationally by ESPN.

• Sam Haiby was ranked as the No. 122 player in the country by Prospects Nation, No. 125 by Blue Star and as the No. 28 guard nationally by ESPN. The 5-9 guard at Class 4A Moorhead High School scored well over 2,000 points in her high school career while averaging 25.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the Spuds despite being limited by injury as a senior.

• A North Tartan club teammate of Haiby’s, Kayla Mershon comes to Lincoln as one of the top players in Minnesota. The 6-3 forward from Chanhassen, Minn., was ranked as the No. 132 overall player in the country by Prospects Nation and the No. 14 wing nationally by ESPN. As a senior at Minnetonka High School, Mershon averaged 12.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

Cain Named to Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
• Nebraska’s Kate Cain claimed one of 20 spots on the preseason watch list for the 2019 Lisa Leslie Award announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on Oct. 26.

• The Lisa Leslie Award is in its second season of recognizing the top centers in NCAA Division I women’s college basketball. It is named after the three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year. The award will be announced by ESPN at the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa.

• Cain, a 6-5 sophomore from Middletown, N.Y., made an instant impact as a freshman for the Nebraska women’s basketball team in 2017-18. She was one of five players across the conference to capture first-team Big Ten All-Freshman honors, while being the only freshman or sophomore named to the five-player Big Ten All-Defensive Team. 

• Cain shattered the Nebraska single-season blocked shot record with 100 on the season, while leading the Big Ten in blocks per game. She ranked among the top 10 players nationally in blocked shots. Cain also smashed Nebraska’s single-game block record with 11 against Florida Atlantic on Dec. 17, 2017, when she became the first Husker in history to produce a triple-double in points (22), rebounds (14) and blocks (11).

• During the season, Cain’s growth on the court helped the Huskers produce one of the nation’s top turnarounds, improving 14 games in the win column to capture a bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Cain finished the season by averaging 9.9 points and team bests of 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.

• Cain is one of five Big Ten Conference centers who make up a combined one quarter of the preseason national watch list for the Lisa Leslie Award. Cain is the youngest Big Ten center on the list, joining Iowa senior Megan Gustafson, Michigan senior Hallie Thome, Illinois senior Alex Wittinger and Purdue junior Ae’Rianna Harris in representing the conference.

• Cain is scheduled to go head-to-head against those Big Ten centers seven times during the 2018-19 conference season, including twice each against Gustafson, Thome and Harris, who will all play the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season. Cain is also set to face another center on the list - Louisville’s Sam Fuehring in the ACC/B1G Challenge in Kentucky on Nov. 29.

• Overall, Cain is one of just four sophomores nationally on the Lisa Leslie Award watch list, joining North Carolina’s Janelle Bailey, Duke’s Jade Williams and IUPUI’s Macee Williams. No freshmen start the season on the award watch list, but centers can play their way onto or off the list at any point during the season.

• The inaugural winner of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award was A’ja Wilson from South Carolina in 2018.

• The selection committee for the Lisa Leslie Award is composed of media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. In mid-February, the watch list will be narrowed to a list of 10 centers. In March, five finalists for the award will be announced. Fans will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite finalist at www.hoophallawards.com.

• The Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award is part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Starting Five awards, which include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award. The WBCA also presents the annual Wade Trophy, which honors the overall national player of the year. In 1993, Nebraska’s Karen Jennings won the Wade Trophy.

Whitish Earns Preseason All-Big Ten Honors
• Nebraska’s Hannah Whitish was named to the 12-player All-Big Ten Team by the conference coaches when the annual preseason honors were announced on Oct. 22.

• The announcement of the preseason teams marked the tip-off of Big Ten Women’s Basketball Media Week (@B1GWBBall) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

• Whitish, a 5-9 junior guard from Barneveld, Wis., led Nebraska in scoring (12.6 ppg) and assists (4.7 apg) as a sophomore in 2017-18. She owned a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as Nebraska’s point guard while also ranking among the Big Ten’s best three-point shooters. Whitish played a major role in lifting Nebraska to the nation’s top turnaround in the win column last season, as the Huskers recorded 14 more victories (21) in 2017-18 than in 2016-17 (7). She captured second-team All-Big Ten accolades at the end of last season while helping Nebraska to the NCAA Tournament.

• Whitish was the lone Husker honored by the league in preseason voting of the conference coaches.

• The Big Ten Conference does not rank its team’s No. 1 through No. 14 in preseason voting, instead the coaches and select media members each choose their projected top-three teams in the league. Maryland is the preseason pick of the coaches and the media to win the Big Ten, while Iowa was picked No. 2 by both the coaches and media. The league coaches chose Michigan in the No. 3 spot, while the conference media selected Minnesota. Iowa senior center Megan Gustafson, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, was chosen by the coaches to repeat that honor. Gustafson, Maryland’s Kaila Charles, Michigan’s Hallie Thome and Minnesota’s Kenisha Bell were all unanimous preseason all-conference selections by the coaches.

Whitish Sparked Husker Backcourt Growth
• Nebraska’s growth in the backcourt in 2017-18 started with Hannah Whitish, who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore in her first full season as a starter. The 5-9 guard from Barneveld, Wis., led the Huskers in scoring (12.6 ppg), assists (4.7 apg), steals (1.3 spg) and three-pointers (2.3 pg), as the only Husker to start all 32 games in 2017-18. • She scored in double figures a team-leading 18 times in 2017-18 for a balanced Big Red attack.

• The Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 11), Whitish averaged 29.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals to lead NU 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.

• She notched her fourth career 20-point game with 20 points on a career-high six threes in the road win at Illinois (Jan. 10).

• Whitish put up an 18-point, five-assist effort in Nebraska’s win over No. 20 Iowa (Jan. 16), and added 16 points and a six assists to help the Huskers complete a season sweep of the Hawkeyes (Jan. 28).

• She helped power Nebraska to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals by scoring 17 points while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds in a win over Michigan in the quarterfinals (March 2).

• Whitish pumped in 17 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting while adding five rebounds, five assists and two steals in a key Big Ten road win at Michigan State (Feb. 14).

• She had 16 points and seven assists in the win at Northwestern (Jan. 7). She had 14 points with five assists in the win at Minnesota (Dec. 31) and 14 more to close the regular season at No. 13 Maryland (Feb. 25).

• In her first NCAA Tournament appearance, Whitish scored 12 points and hit a pair of three-pointers against Arizona State (March 17) in Austin, Texas.

• She had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists against No. 12 Ohio State (Dec. 28). She added 16 points and five assists against No. 23 Michigan (Jan. 13)

• Whitish was solid against Washington State (Dec. 22) with 18 points, six assists and three steals.

• She had a strong game with 17 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a steal in a win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19). Whitish had 15 points against Buffalo (Nov. 23) and 14 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 tied a career high with eight rebounds while adding nine points and a game-high five assists in the win over Penn State (Feb. 22).

• Whitish owns a team-best 31 career double-figure scoring efforts, including 18 in 2017-18. She owns four career 20-point performances, including three in 2017-18.

Big Red Rules @B1GWBBall Media Week
• The Nebraska women’s basketball program made a big impression during @B1GWBBall Media Week, Oct. 22-26.

• As of Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. (CT), the media views for video interviews of Big Ten coaches and players smashed record highs, and Nebraska was the clear leader in the 14-team conference.

• Overall, video views of coach interviews on Twitter alone surpassed 68,700 while video views of Big Ten players surpassed 56,300, accounting for more than 125,000 views on only the Twitter platform. Over all platforms and all videos, media weeks attracted more than 207,000 views, nearly tripling its total from a year ago and more than doubling the previous media week record of just over 91,000 set in the first year in 2016. 

• Nebraska Coach Amy Williams’ five-minute video interview with BTN’s Elise Menaker set the tone for the record-breaking exposure of media week with more than 19,600 views on Twitter - more than doubling the views of any other Big Ten coach. Michigan’s Kim Barnes Arico received nearly 8,800 views of her interview, while Ohio State’s Kevin McGuff added nearly 5,900 views. A total of 12 of the 14 Big Ten coaches each received at least 1,500 views with six surpassing 4,000 each.

• Husker senior forward Maddie Simon led all Big Ten players in video views on Twitter with 10,400. Simon was one of five Big Ten players to receive more than 5,000 video views, including Big Ten Player-of-the-Year Megan Gustafson from Iowa received nearly 5,700 views.

• Overall, Williams and Simon received the top two video view totals of @B1GWBBall Media Week on Twitter, combining for more than 30,000 of the 125,000 total views - 24 percent of the Big Ten’s overall video exposure from coaches and players on Twitter.

• @B1GWBBall Media Week included many other view graphics and media features that pushed the conference’s overall exposure to nearly 1.15 million crushing the more than 907,000 exposures of the 2017-18 preseason media week.

Big Picture Look at the Big Red
• Nebraska Coach Amy Williams completed her second season rebuilding the Husker program, and a year after the Big Red experienced the worst overall record in school history (7-22), Nebraska jumped ahead of schedule by making the 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

• The Huskers, who returned just 52.6 percent of their offense from 2016-17, are expected to return their top five scorers for 2018-19 - junior guard Hannah Whitish (12.6 ppg), senior forward Maddie Simon (10.1 ppg), sophomore guard/forward Taylor Kissinger (10.0 ppg), sophomore center Kate Cain (9.9 ppg) and junior guard Nicea Eliely (8.2 ppg).

• Nebraska went 20-8 with Maddie Simon on the court in 2017-18. Simon missed four games (Creighton, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Clemson) with a significant ankle sprain suffered in warm-ups before the game with Creighton (Nov. 19). Simon missed the rest of NU’s games in November and the Huskers went 1-3.

• Taylor Kissinger missed Nebraska’s final six non-conference games with a knee injury suffered late in the game with Clemson (Nov. 30). Kissinger averaged a team-best 14.0 points per game through the first seven contests in 2017-18. She also suffered an upper body injury (SC Joint sprain) in the first quarter of Nebraska’s regular-season finale at Maryland (Feb. 25). She played just four minutes before the injury in the two-point loss at Maryland, and missed Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament win over Michigan (March 2) and played just two minutes in the Big Ten Tournament loss to Maryland (March 3). She returned to score 15 points in 21 minutes against Arizona State (March 17) in the NCAA Tournament.

• Nicea Eliely missed Nebraska’s first three games in 2017-18 with a foot/ankle injury that kept her off the court for the last two weeks of October and the first two weeks of November.

Nebraska Streaks
• Junior guard Hannah Whitish (49) owns the longest current streak of consecutive starts by a Husker. Nebraska’s second-longest streak is 31 games by sophomore Kate Cain. 

• Whitish was the only Husker to start all 32 games in 2017-18. 

• Nebraska featured the same starting lineup for each of the final 24 games of 2017-18. That will change for the opener of the 2018-19 season with the graduation of guard Jasmine Cincore. 

• Cain has at least two rebounds in every game of her Nebraska career (32).

• Whitish has hit multiple three-pointers in four consecutive games heading into 2018-19.

• Whitish hit her last seven free throws of 2017-18, dating back to a miss against Penn State (Feb. 22).

• Maddie Simon made her final seven free throws of 2017-18, dating back to a miss against Penn State (Feb. 22).

• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 312 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008.

• Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 191 consecutive games.

Simon Shoots for Strong Senior Season
• With depth and experience creating a positive for the Nebraska backcourt, Maddie Simon changed her focus to the power forward position in 2017-18.

• The 6-2 Lincoln Pius X High School grad was a significant contributor in the NU backcourt her first two years, including a starting role late in the regular season of 2015-16.

• Through two seasons, she averaged 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game. She made five starts for the Huskers as a freshman, before coming off the bench in all 29 games in 2016-17.

• With the loss of Nebraska’s starting frontcourt, and inexperience and injuries challenging the inside game, Simon ran into a more prominent role at power forward in 2017-18.

• In 28 games with 27 starts at power forward, Simon was one of the most improved players in the Big Ten by averaging 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 2017-18. The Huskers went 20-8 with Simon on the court with their only losses to No. 11/13/17 Maryland (3), No. 12 Ohio State, No. 23 Michigan, Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament, at WNIT Champion Indiana, and Washington State.

• Statistically, Simon was one of the Big Ten’s most improved players, increasing her scoring (+6.0 ppg) and rebounding averages (+3.0 rpg) from 2016-17. She more than doubled her points (282-118), rebounds (147-67) and assists (55-24) and nearly doubled her steals (23-12) from 2016-17.

• Simon produced double figures 14 times in 2017-18. She entered the season with five career double-figure scoring efforts in 50 games.

• She had the best game of her career with 18 points, eight rebounds, a career-high five assists and a career-high-tying three steals in a win at Minnesota (Dec. 31). Simon scored 16 of her team-high 18 points in the second half, including the go-ahead shot in the lane with 29.8 seconds left, before grabbing a defensive rebound, getting fouled and making two free throws with 12.9 seconds left to help seal a 79-74 win in which Nebraska trailed by eight points late in the third quarter on the road. 

• Simon erupted for a team-high 19 points including a season-best 3-for-4 three-point shooting in a win over No. 20 Iowa (Jan. 16). She added 19 more points and a team-best eight rebounds to complete a season sweep of the Hawkeyes at Iowa (Jan. 28).

• Simon scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting at San Jose State (Dec. 17). Her 20 points at San Jose State came in just 24 minutes.

• Her effort at San Jose State followed a then-career-high 17 points to go along with six boards, four assists and two steals in a win at Drake (Dec. 9). She added 13 points against Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19).

• The Big Red opened the season 3-0 with Simon in the starting lineup. She averaged 6.7 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds through three games. She had 11 points and eight rebounds in a win over UMKC (Nov. 14), before managing five points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). 

• She suffered an ankle sprain in pregame warmups prior to Nebraska’s game with Creighton (Nov. 19) and did not play against the Bluejays. Simon missed four straight games with the injury.

• The 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the Year, Simon was a two-time first-team Super-State selection while leading Lincoln Pius X to the 2015 Class B state championship. She was the No. 149 player in the nation according to Blue Star and the No. 22 guard by ESPN in 2015. A tremendous all-around athlete, Simon won the Class A 100- and 300-meter hurdles championships at the 2015 Nebraska State Track & Field Championships. 

• Simon earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second time in 2018.

• Her mother, Nicole Ali Simon, was a CoSIDA Academic All-American as a member of Coach Gary Pepin’s national champion Huskers in 1983 and 1984.

Big Red Locked Down on Defense in 2017-18 
• Nebraska showed drastic improvement on defense in 2017-18. In 2016-17, Nebraska ranked 14th in the Big Ten by allowing 76.3 points, including 80.4 points per game in league play. Prior to 2015-16, the Huskers had not allowed 65 points per game since 2004-05.

• In 2017-18, Nebraska allowed 63.6 points per game. • Over the last 14 games, the Huskers allowed just 61.7 points per game, despite playing 11 games against postseason teams, including seven against NCAA Tournament teams.

• Nebraska led the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.371) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.299). NU’s Big Ten field goal percentage defense was a school record, while the Huskers held opponents to under 30 percent three-point shooting for just the fourth time in school history.

• In 2016-17, Nebraska allowed 82.8 points per game to go 0-13 away from home. In 2017-18, the Huskers allowed 66.3 points per game while going 11-5 away from Pinnacle Bank Arena. Ten of NU’s 16 road games came against postseason qualifiers, including eight against NCAA Tournament teams.

• Compared to 2016-17, Nebraska was 6.0 points per game better offensively (68.8-62.8 ppg) and 12.7 points per game better defensively (63.6-76.3 ppg).

• Nebraska allowed just 42 points at No. 25 Rutgers, the lowest point total by an opponent in Coach Amy Williams’ two seasons at NU and the fewest points surrendered by the Huskers since holding Creighton to 38 on Dec. 14, 2013. It was also the fewest points allowed by the Huskers in a road game since holding Michigan to 39 points on Feb. 21, 2013, in Ann Arbor.

• Nebraska held 11 foes to 55 points or less, including 42 at No. 25 Rutgers, 47 to Illinois (Feb. 1) and Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24), 48 to Wisconsin (Feb. 11), 49 at Kansas (Dec. 6), 51 to Purdue (Jan. 24) and Penn State (Feb. 22), 52 to Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2), 53 to SIUE (Nov. 11), 54 to No. 24 Michigan at the Big Ten Tournament and 55 at San Jose State (Dec. 17).

• In 2016-17, the Huskers held just two foes to 55 or less.

• The Huskers held two opponents (Illinois, 2nd, 0-12, Feb. 1; at Kansas, 4th, 0-14, Dec. 6) without a field goal in a quarter in 2017-18. They are the only two times Nebraska has held an opponent without a field goal since the advent of the quarter system. 

• Nebraska held Illinois (Feb. 1) to just 10 points in the first half - the lowest total by an opponent in a first half in school history. Illinois managed just one point in the second quarter.

• Nebraska held Kansas (Dec. 6) to just 13 points in the second half, the fewest points ever scored in a half by a Husker road opponent on their homecourt.

• The Huskers limited a potent Michigan offense to just 14 second-half points (4 field goals), including five points in the third quarter, to take the No. 23 Wolverines to overtime (Jan. 13).

• Since accomplishing it the first time in the first quarter (8 points) against Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24), Nebraska held opponents to single digits in a quarter a total of 13 times, including seven times in Big Ten Conference games. The Huskers held Michigan (3rd, 4th), Rutgers (1st, 4th) and Illinois (1st, 2nd) to single digits twice in the same game.

• The Huskers held each of the Big Ten’s top five scoring offenses to double digits less (in regulation) than their regular-season averages, including Ohio State (85.0 ppg - 73, Lincoln, Dec. 28), Minnesota (84.9 ppg - 74, Minneapolis, Dec. 31), Maryland (79.6 ppg - 64, Lincoln, Feb. 4; 66, Indianapolis, March 3), Iowa (78.7 ppg, 65, Lincoln, Jan. 13) and Michigan (74.9 ppg - 62, Lincoln, Jan. 13; 54, Indianapolis, March 2). 

• In a season sweep of Iowa, the Huskers held the high-scoring Hawkeyes to just 1-for-19 from three-point range combined. In the first first meeting, Iowa went 0-for-7 with multiple air balls and had two attempts blocked by Huskers. 

Cain Key on Block, Earns Big Ten All-Defensive Award
• Kate Cain was the only player to capture spots on both the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and Big Ten All-Defensive Team in 2017-18. Both five-player teams were chosen by the league coaches.

• She averaged 9.9 points and team bests of 7.0 rebounds and a Big Ten-best 3.1 blocks per game in 2017-18. 

• Cain’s 100 total blocks were a school record, while her seven blocks in a win over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (March 2) and nine total blocks in two tournament games were both Nebraska conference tournament records.

• Cain’s 56.6 field goal percentage ranked as the second-best mark by a Nebraska freshman in school history. • Her 223 total rebounds ranked fourth among freshmen in Husker history, and she was just the sixth Husker freshman ever to grab 200 rebounds.

• She is the only Husker freshman ever to record 300 points, 200 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season.

• Cain is the only player in Nebraska history to record a points (22), rebounds (14) and blocked shots (11) triple-double, which she accomplished in a win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19). Her points, blocks and assists (3) were all career highs against the Owls. • Cain’s performance was one of only two points-rebounds-blocks triple-doubles in the Big Ten (Alex Wittinger, Illinois vs. Penn State, Jan. 23) in 2017-18.

• Cain, who set the Nebraska record with 11 blocks against Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19) smashed Olympic bronze medalist Danielle Page’s previous school record of nine set against Baylor on Feb. 3, 2007.

• Cain became just the sixth player in Big Ten Conference history to record 11 or more blocks and just the 10th Big Ten player to notch double-digit blocks in a single game.

• Cain captured four Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards (Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 26) during the non-conference season.

• Cain added a monstrous double-double with 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in a win over Penn State (Feb. 22). Her 20 rebounds tied for the sixth-highest individual total in school history and helped the Huskers to a plus-29 rebound margin against the Lady Lions. Cain added three blocks.

• Cain owns five career double-doubles, including 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 had 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.

• Cain notched her first career double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). She also had two assists against the Razorbacks.

• Cain finished No. 8 nationally in blocks (100) and No. 7 in blocks per game (3.1 bpg).

• Cain recorded a block in each of the first 31 games of her career before going without a block in the NCAA Tournament first round loss to Arizona State (March 17). She had multiple blocks in 26 of 32 games as a freshman. 

• She owns 15 double-figure scoring efforts, six double-figure rebounding games and one double-digit block game in the first 32 games of her career. She has made 31 straight starts. 

• Cain, who previously tied the Nebraska freshman record with six blocks against Clemson (Nov. 30), had 15 games with three or more blocks in 2017-18, including five games with five or more blocks - Clemson (6, Nov. 30), Kansas (5, Dec. 6), Florida Atlantic (11, Dec. 19), Northwestern (5, Jan. 7), Iowa (5, Jan. 16).

Kissinger Provided Pop Off Big Red Bench
• A newcomer to the Nebraska backcourt in 2017-18, Taylor Kissinger was one of the top three-point shooters in the nation coming out of high school and was ranked among the nation’s top 50 overall players. The four-time all-state selection for the Whippets had both her junior and senior seasons of high school cut short by hand/arm injuries.

• The 6-1 guard from Minden, Neb., had an excellent summer and progressed quickly in Nebraska’s program, gaining strength and making an impact in practice.

• As a freshman, Kissinger finished third on the team in scoring with 10.0 points per game, while adding 4.1 rebounds per contest. She also ranked second on the team with 50 three-pointers, which was the fourth-highest total by a freshman in Nebraska history.

• Kissinger played in 25 games with seven starts on the year, while missing seven games due to injuries. She scored in double figures 12 times, while adding one double-digit rebound game with her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench at Indiana (Feb. 17).

• In the NCAA Tournament, Kissinger scored 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench, after missing all but six minutes over the three previous games with a sprained SC joint suffered in the first quarter of a loss in the regular-season finale at No. 13 Maryland (Feb. 25).

• Kissinger produced the best performance of her young career with a game-high 25 points to lead Nebraska to an 80-69 win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). Kissinger hit 9-of-15 shots from the floor, including 4-of-7 threes, and 3-of-4 free throws against the Razorbacks. She added career highs with eight rebounds and four assists against the Hogs to go along with a steal.

• Kissinger joined Hannah Whitish as the only two Huskers to start each of the first seven games in 2017-18, Kissinger did not play in wins over Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2), at Kansas (Dec. 6), at Drake (Dec. 9), at San Jose State (Dec. 17) or over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19) after suffering a minor knee injury late in the game against Clemson (Nov. 30). She also missed a loss to Washington State (Dec. 22).

• Kissinger opened her career as a starter and managed five points and three rebounds despite battling foul trouble in a win over SIUE (Nov. 11). She scored Nebraska’s first three points of the season.

• Kissinger pumped in 18 points and four three-pointers in Nebraska’s win over UMKC (Nov. 14).

• She averaged 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games at the San Juan Shootout in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 23-24. She also established a career high with three steals vs. Buffalo (Nov. 23).

• She set a career high with five threes, scoring 15 points in a win over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24).

• Kissinger led Nebraska with 17 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal before sustaining a knee injury late in the game against Clemson (Nov. 30). 

• Nebraska’s leading scorer through the first seven games as a starter (14.0 ppg), Kissinger averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game off the bench in Big Ten play, including a personal conference-best 18 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting against No. 11 Maryland (Feb. 4).

• She had 14 points with four three-pointers to go along with three rebounds and two assists in a road win at Northwestern (Jan. 7).

• Kissinger came up big in Nebraska’s upset of No. 20 Iowa (Jan. 16), scoring 12 points while grabbing a eight rebounds off the bench in the win over the Hawkeyes.

• She played a strong all-around game with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting while adding three rebounds, three assists and a steal in a road win at Michigan State (Feb. 14).

• She had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench in a low-scoring win over Wisconsin (Feb. 11). • Kissinger’s older twin sisters were both Division I guards, with Brooke entering her third season at Creighton in 2018-19 after spending her first two seasons at Illinois. Jamie completed her eligibility at San Diego in 2017-18.

Eliely Made Strides During Sophomore Season
• Nicea Eliely joined Hannah Whitish as a returning starter in the backcourt in 2017-18. Eliely, a 6-1 wing from Colorado Springs, Colo., started all 29 games for the Huskers as a true freshman, averaging 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a team-leading 1.6 steals per game.

• Eliely was Nebraska’s top defender throughout her freshman season, and with a year of experience under her belt, the Huskers saw even better defensive play from the long, athletic wing.

• However, Eliely suffered a foot/ankle injury in mid-October that sidelined her late in preseason. She made a full recovery after missing the first three games and being limited in her first three games back in 2017-18.

• Eliely has been healthy during the 2018 offseason and is looking to be a lockdown defender while adding more offensive consistency in 2018-19.

• Eliely has played in 29 consecutive games, including 26 straight starts. 

• For the season, Eliely averaged 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals, while shooting a strong 46.9 percent from the field, including 38 percent (19-50) from three-point range.

• She recorded 20 blocks, giving her back-to-back seasons with 20 or more blocks (team-leading 21 in 2016-17) - the first Husker to do that feat since Emily Cady in 2013-14 (27) and 2014-15 (30).

• Eliely put up her 20th career double-figure scoring effort and 12th of 2017-18 with 12 points, six rebounds and two steals in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Michigan (March 2). 

• It followed 11 points, five rebounds and four assists at No. 13 Maryland (Feb. 25). She added 12 points and five rebounds at Indiana (Feb. 17), after producing a season-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a road win at Michigan State (Feb. 14). 

•  She had 14 points to go with six rebounds in a win at Minnesota (Dec. 31) and had a team-high 13 points in a win over Purdue (Jan. 24). She added a team-high 11 points in a win over Illinois (Feb. 1). She managed 10 points against No. 23 Michigan (Jan. 13) and 10 more at Northwestern (Jan. 7). 

• She had 10 points, a career-high-matching nine rebounds, three assists and a block in a win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19).

Mitchell Works to Contribute Inside
• Grace Mitchell found ways to be productive for the Huskers in 2017-18, and should be a contributor again in Nebraska’s 11-player rotation in 2018-19. 

• The 6-2 junior forward from Wellington, Kan., played in 29 games with two starts as a sophomore, after appearing in 29 games as a freshman.

• Mitchell averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore, including a career-high 10 points to go along with three rebounds in a win over UMKC (Nov. 14).

• Mitchell added a nine-point, five-rebound performance in 16 minutes off the bench at San Jose State (Dec. 17). 

• She had four first-half points to go along with a career-high six rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s win over Arkansas (Nov. 16).

• Mitchell made her first career start against Creighton (Nov. 19) in place of Maddie Simon who was injured in pregame warmups. Mitchell played well against the Jays with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting while adding five rebounds in a season-high 20 minutes.

• She also started in a win over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24). She had four points and three rebounds against the Chanticleers. • Mitchell had four straight points to close the first quarter to turn an 11-8 Nebraska deficit into a 12-11 lead to close the quarter in Nebraska’s win over Purdue (Jan. 24).

• Mitchell had four points and four rebounds in 11 minutes against Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 2), knocking down her first three-pointer of the season.

• She added four big first-half points in a road win at Illinois (Jan. 10), before pitching in four points, a rebound, a block and a steal against No. 23 Michigan (Jan. 13). Mitchell scored Nebraska’s only overtime points against the Wolverines to give Nebraska a 64-62 lead.

• Mitchell earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time in 2018.

2018-19 Schedule Provides Challenges
• Nebraska’s 29-game regular-season schedule will feature 18 games against 2018 postseason tournament qualifiers (NCAA, WNIT), including 12 contests against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams. 

• Nine of Nebraska’s 14 road games will come against postseason qualifiers, including seven games against NCAA Tournament teams.

• Nine of Nebraska’s 15 home games will feature opponents who qualified for 2018 postseason play, including five NCAA Tournament qualifiers.

• Nebraska will face a tough road schedule in 2018-19, including a trip to 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four qualifier Louisville for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Nov. 29). The game against the ACC Champion Cardinals will be the fourth of a five-game road trip that starts at Washington State (Nov. 16) - a team that has defeated Nebraska each of the last two seasons.

• The Huskers head across the country to face 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifier Miami at its Thanksgiving tournament (Nov. 23), before closing the tournament against 2018 Big South runner-up Radford, which advanced to the 2018 WNIT second round with a win at Penn State.

• After the game at Louisville (Nov. 29), the Huskers close their five-game road trip with in-state rival Creighton (Dec. 2). The Jays advanced to the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament with a win over Iowa at UCLA. 

• While Nebraska’s road schedule grabs headlines, the Huskers home schedule should provide plenty of challenges and opportunities, especially with a nine-game Big Ten home slate.

• Nebraska’s 14-game regular-season home schedule features NCAA Tournament-caliber competition from start to finish. The Huskers open the season with Drake (Nov. 7), which has earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids and has been unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play the last two seasons.

• After opening the season with back-to-back home games against Drake (Nov. 7) and USC Upstate (Nov. 11), the Huskers play five straight on the road before facing old Big Eight/Big 12 rival Kansas at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Dec. 5).  • The game with Kansas tips off a three-game home stand that includes San Jose State (Dec. 8) and Denver (Dec. 15).

• Nebraska’s nine-game home Big Ten schedule begins with 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Michigan (Dec. 28) and Maryland (Jan. 8) before facing traditional power Rutgers (Jan. 13). The Scarlet Knights matched Nebraska’s 14-game turnaround in the win column last year and just missed the NCAA Tournament.

• The Big Red battle 2018 NCAA qualifier Minnesota (Jan. 20), before taking on Northwestern (Jan. 24) and 2018 WNIT champion Indiana (Feb. 3). The Huskers collide with Purdue in the annual pink game (Feb. 10), before facing Michigan State (Feb. 17). Both Purdue and Michigan State advanced to the 2018 WNIT.

• Nebraska wraps up its regular-season home schedule by taking on 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifier Iowa on Senior Night (Feb. 25).

• In Big Ten road play, the Huskers open with defending conference champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Ohio State (Dec. 31), before heading to NCAA qualifier Iowa (Jan. 3). 

• NU faces Illinois (Jan. 17) and Wisconsin (Jan. 27) before closing January at Purdue (Jan. 31). 

• Nebraska completes its season series at Michigan (Feb. 7), before wrapping up season series at Maryland (Feb. 14) and Northwestern (Feb. 21).  • The Huskers close the regular season at Penn State (March 2). The Lady Lions advanced to the 2018 WNIT.

Nebraska’s History of Home Success
• Nebraska opened 2017-18 with a 62-53 win over SIU Edwardsville for its 12th consecutive season-opening win at home. 

• The Huskers were 10-6 at home in 2017-18, winning five of their final six home games.

• 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 60-24 (.714) 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. NU’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 449-154 (.745) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 185-58 (.761) over the last 15 seasons, posting double-figure home victory totals 14 times.

• 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.

Nebraska Ranks Near Top in Attendance
• Nebraska ranked No. 20 nationally with an average home attendance of 4,380 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2017-18. It marked the eighth consecutive year that the Huskers have ranked in the top 25 nationally in average home attendance.

• Nebraska has ranked among the top 20 nationally in average home attendance in each of its first five seasons inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

• In 84 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own a 60-24 record (.714 winning percentage) while averaging 5,351 fans per game (449,444 total fans/84 games). 

• Nebraska attracted a Pinnacle Bank Arena non-conference record crowd of 9,750 to open its stay in the arena with a win over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013.  

• Nebraska set its all-time single-game record with a sellout crowd of 13,595 fans against Missouri at the Devaney Center on Feb. 27, 2010. NU drew 10 straight crowds of more than 10,000 fans at the Devaney Center in 2009-10. 

• Nebraska produced its top attendance season in school history by ranking No. 7 nationally with a record 7,390 fans per game at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2009-10. The Huskers went 16-0 at the Devaney Center on their way to a perfect 29-0 record, a Big 12 title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Husker Sports Network Covers World
 • The Husker Sports Network enters its 25th season producing and marketing the live broadcasts of Nebraska women’s basketball in 2018-19. Women’s basketball play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff Griesch will team up for their 18th season together as the Husker broadcast team.

 • The Husker Sports Network and Nebraska women’s basketball have teamed up for well over a decade to take every game, home and away, around the world for free on Huskers.com. In addition to carrying every women’s basketball game free on Huskers.com, the Husker Sports Network flagship stations B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln) and ESPN 590 AM-KXSP (Omaha) provide strong signals for Husker women’s basketball.

 • When a network conflict occurs in Omaha, the Huskers also could be heard on CD105.9 FM-KKCD. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations carry the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage across the state and the Midwest. 

Nebraska Posts 13th Straight Perfect GSR
 • In the eyes of the NCAA’s Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), the Husker women’s basketball program has been perfect for 13 consecutive years. Nebraska is the only program among the 14 Big Ten Conference schools to accomplish the perfect score for 13 straight years. The NCAA announced the release of its annual Graduation Success Rate report on Nov. 8, 2017, and Nebraska was a national leader in women’s basketball for the 13th straight season (2004-05).

 • The Nebraska women’s basketball program joins the Husker women’s tennis and volleyball programs as Husker teams that have produced perfect 100 percent rates each of the last 13 years.

 • Nebraska was one of just 28 teams in the 64-team field of the 2018 NCAA Tournament to also boast a 100 percent Graduation Success Rate.