Huskers Face Tough Thanksgiving Tests in Miami

Nebraska Cornhuskers at 24/22 Miami Hurricanes Friday, November 23, 2018, 2 p.m. (CT) Watsco Center (Coral Gables, Fla.) Live Video: ACC Network+ (Watch ESPN) Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (1:45 p.m.) Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst) Lincoln-B107.3 FM; Omaha-CD 105.9 FM Huskers.com & Huskers App

Huskers Face Tough Thanksgiving Tests in Miami • The Nebraska women’s basketball team shoots for a breakthrough win away from home when the Huskers take on No. 24/22 Miami on Friday in Coral Gables, Fla. • Tip off between the Huskers (1-2) and the nationally ranked Hurricanes (4-1) is set for 2 p.m. (CT) in the first game of the Miami Thanksgiving Classic at the Watsco Center. Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, beginning at 1:45 p.m. on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha. Free live audio can also be found at Huskers.com and on the Huskers App. A live video stream will be provided by ACC Network Extra and the Watch ESPN App. • The Huskers will try to rebound from an 87-84 double-overtime loss at Washington State on Friday, Nov. 16. The Huskers trailed by 13 points late in the third quarter before rallying to send the game to overtime tied at 70. Nebraska built a pair of four-point leads in the first OT, but WSU got a layup with two seconds left to send it to a second overtime, where the Cougars prevailed. • Freshman Sam Haiby led the Huskers with a career-high 20 points, which all came after halftime for the 5-9 guard. Sophomore Kate Cain added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Hannah Whitish pitched in 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. • Miami also will be looking to rebound from a disappointing road loss. The Hurricanes fell 75-52 in the Preseason WNIT Championship game to Iowa State in Ames on Sunday afternoon. Miami, which hit 43.7 percent of its threes in its first four games, went just 2-for-20 from long range at Hilton Coliseum. • Haiby and sophomore Taylor Kissinger lead the Huskers early in the season with 12.3 points per game, while Cain has contributed 10.0 points and team bests of 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per contest. • Junior Hannah Whitish earned preseason first-team All-Big Ten honors after claiming second-team all-conference accolades as a sophomore. 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 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. She had a string of 50 straight starts and 60 consecutive games with at least a point snapped by USC Upstate. Whitish did not start while nursing a minor leg injury. She dished out four assists but did not score in 15 minutes off the bench. • Kate Cain is expected 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 Cornhuskers (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten) 24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 9.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg 31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 10.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg 3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 7.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg 5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg 33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg Off the Bench 4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 12.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg 13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg 32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg 11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg 44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg 14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 2.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998) Third Season at Nebraska (29-35); 12th Season Overall (222-144)

24/22 Miami Hurricanes (4-1, 0-0 ACC) 21 - Emese Hof - 6-3 - Sr. - F/C - 11.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg 32 - Beatrice Mompremier - 6-4 - Jr. - F - 15.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg 1 - Laura Cornelius - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 6.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg 5 - Mykea Gray - 5-4 - So. - G - 10.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg 20 - Kelsey Marshall - 5-9 - So. - G - 7.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg Off the Bench 12 - Sarah Mortensen - 6-1 - Jr. - G/F - 7.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg 13 - Taylor Mason - 5-9 - So. - G - 6.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg 3 - Endia Banks - 5-9 - So. - G - 5.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg 15 - Jamir Huston - 6-0 - Fr. - F - 1.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg 23 - Rebecca Ripley - 6-0 - RFr. - G/F - 1.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg Head Coach: Katie Meier (Duke, 1989) 14th Season at Miami (256-164); 18th Season Overall (332-209)

Scouting The Miami Hurricanes • Coach Katie Meier and the No. 24/22 Miami Hurricanes settled for a runner-up trophy in the Preseason WNIT after a 75-52 loss at Iowa State in the championship game on Sunday. • Meier has built Miami into a consistent ACC contender in her 14 seasons leading the Hurricanes. Miami has made nine straight postseason trips, including seven NCAA appearances during that span. She was the 2013 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year and the 2011 AP National Coach of the Year. Last season, Miami overcame several key injuries to finish with a 21-11 record that included a 10-6 ACC mark to tie for sixth in the conference and earn an NCAA bid. • Miami’s run to the title game included an impressive 63-55 win over No. 19 Marquette in Coral Gables on Thursday, Nov. 15. In that win, junior transfer Beatrice Mompremier produced game highs with 24 points and 21 points to carry the Canes. • Mompremier, who was a unanimous choice to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team at Baylor in 2015-16 after averaging 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, leads the Hurricanes with 15.2 points and 12.2 rebounds through five games. • However, in Sunday’s loss to the Cyclones, Mompremier was held to just five points and eight rebounds while committing four turnovers in just 17 minutes after being strapped by foul trouble. • Mompremier, who averaged 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds for Baylor in 2016-17 before electing to transfer to play for her hometown Hurricanes, sat out 2017-18 due to NCAA transfer rules.  • At 6-4, Mompremier gives Miami a potentially dominant front line alongside senior Emese Hof, a 6-3 forward from Utrecht, Netherlands. Hof is averaging 11.6 points and 8.0 boards per game after averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds a year ago. • Hof led the Hurricanes in points (14), rebounds (9) and blocks (5) at Iowa State. She is averaging a team-best 2.6 blocks per game on the season. • Through five games, Miami has outscored the opposition by an average of 73.0-59.0, while posting a dominant edge on the glass of 45.4-33.8 (+11.6). The Hurricanes carry a minus-1.8 turnover margin. • The Canes are shooting 44.8 percent from the field but just 58 percent at the free throw line. • Miami has hit 37.4 percent (40-107) of its threes but the Hurricanes were shooting a sizzling 43.7 percent through the first four games this season before going 2-for-20 against Iowa State. • Laura Cornelius, a 5-8 fourth-year junior guard from Groningen, Netherlands, adds experience to the backcourt while averaging 6.4 points and a team-leading 4.0 assists per game. Cornelius, who missed all of last season with a left leg injury, earned a spot on the Miami Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team as a sophomore in 2016-17. Also a member of the Dutch National Team, Cornelius averaged 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds primarily coming off the bench as a sophomore in 2016-17. A dangerous three-point shooter, Cornelius has hit nearly 40 percent of her threes in her career, including a pair of 6-for-6 shooting nights from long range. • Mykea Gray brings young talent to the Miami backcourt. The 5-4 point guard was an ACC All-Freshman selection last year and earned a spot on the Miami Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team. She is averaging 10.0 points and 2.2 assists this season after averaging 11.7 points and 2.3 assists as a freshman. Gray and Hurricane teammate Khaila Prather, are from the same hometown (Upper Marlboro, Md.) as Nebraska men’s basketball star James Palmer Jr. • Another sophomore, Kelsey Marshall rounds out Miami’s starting five. The 5-9 guard is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds this season after putting up similar numbers off the bench last year. A Miami native, Marshall joined Gray as an ACC All-Freshman pick a year ago. Marshall, Gray and Cornelius have all hit at least 40 three-pointers in each of their seasons at Miami and have combined to shoot at better than a 34 percent clip from long range to open the 2018-19 season. • Junior wing Sarah Mortensen adds offense and versatility off the bench for the Canes. The 6-1 shooter from Copenhagen, Denmark is averaging 7.6 points per game this season while hitting a blistering 11-for-16 (.688) from three-point range. In 56 games through her first two seasons at Miami, Mortensen had knocked down 31-of-91 threes, while averaging approximately three points per game. She opened this season 11-for-13 through three games while averaging 12.0 points per game. She has scored just two total points over the last two contests. • Sophomore guards Taylor Mason (6.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Endia Banks (5.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg) provide Miami with depth. Banks started all 32 games as a true freshman in place of the injured Cornelius a year ago. Banks (Duluth) and Mason (Norcross) both provide a Georgia flavor to the Hurricane roster. • Freshmen Jamir Huston (1.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Rebecca Ripley (1.0 ppg) round out the list of early season contributors for the Canes. • Khaila Prather, a fifth-year senior, underwent surgery on Oct. 30 but is expected back for the Hurricanes this season. She has played 93 games for Miami in her career but has been limited by injuries - missing all of last season and the 2017 postseason because of injuries.

Nebraska vs. Miami Series History • Nebraska leads the all-time series with Miami 3-0, with the last meeting coming at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on Nov. 17, 2010. The Huskers, behind big performances from Dominique Kelley and Lindsey Moore, ran to a 99-85 win. That Miami team advanced to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, while the Huskers struggled with a season-ending injury to Kelley soon after the win over Miami. • The 2010 win in Lincoln was part of a home-and-home series between the Huskers and Canes that began with Nebraska’s 76-71 win in Coral Gables on Dec. 5, 2009. That Nebraska team went on to an undefeated regular season, a Big 12 Conference title, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the program’s first NCAA Sweet Sixteen. • The first meeting between the Huskers and Hurricanes came at the Miami Dial Classic on Dec. 30, 1982, when Nebraska scratched out a 78-74 win over Miami in Coral Gables.

Husker Nuggets • Nebraska is averaging 82.0 points per game through three contests in 2018-19. Last season the Big Red averaged 74.0 points through three games while starting the season 3-0. • Nebraska is shooting 40.6 percent (28-69) from three-point range through three contests. Last season, the Huskers opened the first three games of the year by shooting 34.8 percent (23-66). • Nebraska is shooting 78.3 percent (36-46) from the free throw line through three contests in 2018-19, after shooting just 64.1 percent from the line in 2017-18. Through the first three games of 2017-18, the Huskers hit just 60.4 percent (29-48) from the line. • Overall, Nebraska is shooting 45.3 percent from the field through three games this season after shooting just 41.9 percent from the floor a year ago. Through the first three games of 2017-18, the Huskers were shooting just 43.4 percent. • The Huskers have hit seven or more three-pointers in seven consecutive games dating back to last season. • Taylor Kissinger has hit seven consecutive three-point attempts over the last two games. • Nebraska has hit 75 percent or better from the free throw line in each of its first three games this season. Last year it took Nebraska 22 games to achieve that statistical mark. • The Huskers have not won a true road game in November since knocking off UCLA in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2014. • Nicea Eliely leads Nebraska’s active roster with 58 career starts as a Husker. Hannah Whitish (51) is the only other Husker with as many as 50 starts at Nebraska. • Kristian Hudson leads Nebraska with 88 collegiate starts, including her first start as a Husker against USC Upstate (Nov. 11). • Senior Maddie Simon has played more games as a Husker than any other player with 81, while fellow senior Kristian Hudson has played in 92 career collegiate games, including three at NU.

Nebraska Streaks   • Sophomore Kate Cain owns the longest streaks of consecutive starts by a Husker with 34.   • Junior Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska’s second-longest streak of starts with 29, while senior Maddie Simon has started 27 consecutive games. • Kate Cain has at least two rebounds in every game of her Nebraska career (35), and she has blocked at least one shot in 34 of 35 games (no blocks in 2018 NCAA Tournament vs. Arizona State). • Maddie Simon has hit 13 straight free throws, dating to a miss against Penn State (Feb. 22). • Hannah Whitish has hit nine straight free throws, dating back to a miss vs. Penn State (Feb. 22). • Freshman Sam Haiby has hit nine consecutive free throws to open her career. • The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 315 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 194 consecutive games.

Huskers Sign Three in Early Period • Coach Amy Williams and the Nebraska women’s basketball program received National Letters of Intent from three outstanding young players on the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018. • Australian Isabelle Bourne brings an impressive international resume’ with her to Nebraska. The 6-2 forward won a pair of gold medals in 2017 while representing Australia at the Oceania Championship in Guam and at the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup 3-on-3 tournament in Mongolia.  • “Isabelle Bourne will be a fantastic addition to our program,” Williams said. “She has been training with high-level coaches and high-level players at the Australian Institute of Sport and has become a skilled and versatile forward.  She is crafty around the basket and effective as a weapon on the perimeter.  Her experiences competing internationally for Australia have prepared her to transition seamlessly to Nebraska.” • Trinity Brady, a 5-11 guard from Indianapolis, was one of the top players in Indiana at Lawrence North High School in 2017-18, before transferring to national power Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn., for her senior season. Brady is a big, powerful guard who has the potential to be a strong rebounder and potent scorer at the Big Ten level. As a junior at Lawrence North, she earned a spot on the IBCA Subway Supreme 15 Underclass All-State Team after averaging 21.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. • “We are thrilled that Trinity Brady will be joining the Nebraska women’s basketball family and living out her dream to play in the Big Ten Conference,” Williams said. “She spends a great deal of time in the gym working on her game, and it shows in her skill level.  She is dangerous with the ball in her hands and can score comfortably at all three levels. Her size and strength combined with her basketball IQ, make her a valuable addition for our program.” • While Bourne and Brady will provide Nebraska with size and strength, guard Makenzie Helms is expected to be a play-maker at the point. Helms averaged 17.5 points and 7.2 assists as a junior at East Haven High School to earn a spot on the USA Today All-Connecticut team. She was ranked as the No. 27 point guard in the class of 2019 by ESPN. • “We are excited to add Makenzie to the Husker women’s basketball family,” Williams said. “She has incredible court vision and creates offense for her teammates with tempo and passing ability. Combining that with her confident scoring mentality and her ability to score at all three levels, Makenzie is a great fit for the versatility we like in our system. She is an intense competitor, and we are eager to have her fighting for the Huskers.”

Big Red Return Young, Hungry Huskers in 2018-19 • Nebraska loses three key players (Jasmine Cincore, Janay Morton, Emily Wood) from 2017-18, but the 2018-19 version of the Huskers features several experienced weapons. • Nebraska returns 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 returned 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 record was 147. • Nebraska returns 160 of its school-record 250 three-pointers (64%) from 2017-18, including 73 from Hannah Whitish and 50 from Taylor Kissinger. It marks the first time in school history that Nebraska returns two players from the previous season who each hit 50 or more threes. • 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 blocks (86). She finished with 1,871 points, 1,041 rebounds, 227 blocks and 203 assists. • 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 in 2017-18. She finished her career with 1,798 points, 810 rebounds and 325 assists. She 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.

Nebraska Posts 14th 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 14 consecutive years. Nebraska is the only program among the 14 Big Ten Conference schools to accomplish the perfect score for 14 straight seasons. • The NCAA announced the release of its annual Graduation Success Rate report on Nov. 14, 2018, and Nebraska was a national leader in women’s basketball for the 14th straight season, dating back to the initial public tracking of the GSR since 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 14 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. • Overall, the Nebraska Athletic Department produced a record-high GSR for the sixth consecutive year, reaching 90 percent for the first time in school history. Nine Husker programs recorded perfect 100 percent GSR scores, including women’s basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, rifle, men’s and women’s gymnastics and men’s and women’s tennis.

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). • 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 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 the list at any point in 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.

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 3-0 with Simon in the starting lineup in 2017-18. She averaged 6.7 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds through three games. She had 11 points and eight boards in a win over UMKC (Nov. 14), before managing five points and a career-high 12 rebounds vs. 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.

Kissinger Off to Solid Start as Sophomore • Taylor Kissinger has her second season at Nebraska off to a strong start, averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She has hit 75 percent (9-12) of her three-pointers, including each of her last seven attempts.  • Kissinger set a Nebraska basketball record by going 6-for-6 from three-point range in the win over USC Upstate (Nov. 11). She led Nebraska with 22 points - the second 20-point performance of her career. It was the 13th double-digit scoring game of her career. • The 6-1 guard from Minden, Neb., finished third on the 2017-18 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 eight rebounds and four assists against the Hogs. • 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 hit a freshman season-high five threes 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 Opens Junior Season Strong  • Nicea Eliely is in her third season as a regular starter for the Huskers in 2018-19.  • Eliely ranks fifth on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.7 rpg), while ranking third in assists (3.0 apg). She is also second on the team in steals (1.3 spg) through three games. • Her 58 career starts at Nebraska are the most by any current Husker. She has started 29 consecutive games. • 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. • She missed three games and six starts with a foot/ankle injury to open the 2017-18 season. She started the season’s final 26 games and averaged 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals as a sophomore. She shot 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 21st career double-figure scoring effort  with 10 points in the 2018-19 season opener against Drake (Nov. 7). She followed with eight points and a career-high-tying six assists to go along with a team-high six rebounds against USC Upstate (Nov. 11). • Last season, Eliely produced a season-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a road win at Michigan State (Feb. 14).  • Eliely had 10 points, a career-high-matching nine rebounds in a 2017-18 win over Florida Atlantic (Dec. 19).

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 opened 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 Overtime Facts • Nebraska is 22-23 all-time in overtime games, including 12-11 at home, 7-9 in true road games and 3-3 on neutral courts in overtime.  • The Huskers are 0-1 in overtime early in 2018-19, following an 87-84 double-overtime loss at Washington State (Nov. 16). It marked the second straight season that Nebraska had participated in a multi-overtime game (also at Drake, Dec. 9, 2017). • The Huskers went 1-1 in overtime in 2017-18, including a 69-64 overtime loss to No. 23 Michigan at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Jan. 13). The Huskers won their first overtime game of 2017-18 with an 89-85 double-overtime win at Drake (Dec. 9).  • Nebraska was 1-1 in overtime in 2016-17, including a 76-74 win over Michigan State at Pinnacle Bank Arena to close the regular season (Feb. 26, 2017). The Huskers lost 79-69 in OT to Minnesota at the arena (Feb. 4, 2017). • The Huskers are 2-3 in overtime games under Coach Amy Williams. • Nebraska is 2-2 in overtime games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.  • Nebraska is 5-2 in multi-overtime games with its most recent loss coming in the 87-84 2OT setback at Washington State (Nov. 16) in Pullman. NU’s only other loss in a multi-overtime game came to Purdue in the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game, 74-70 in double-overtime. • The Huskers defeated Minnesota 88-85 in overtime on Jan. 16, 2014. It marked the first overtime game in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska’s first overtime game in the history of the Bob Devaney Sports Center also came against Minnesota - a 68-67 win for the Huskers on Dec. 30, 1977. • The Huskers have played 13 all-time overtime games against Big Ten opponents and own a 5-8 record. NU is 4-5 against Big Ten opponents in OT since joining the conference in 2011-12. • Nebraska’s most frequent overtime opponents are Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. The Huskers and Purdue have played three overtime games in 10 all-time meetings. NU’s six total overtimes against Purdue are the most against any team in school history.  • The Huskers also have played three overtime games against Minnesota, including two of the three overtime games in Pinnacle Bank Arena history. • In 14 all-time games with Wisconsin the Huskers have played three overtime contests. • Nebraska has never played back-to-back overtime games at home. The Huskers have played back-to-back overtime games only once in school history, an 83-81 loss to Texas A&M in College Station on Dec. 30, 1985, before returning to Lincoln for an 80-75 win over Eastern Kentucky at the Devaney Center on Jan. 2, 1986.

Booster Bus Trip to Creighton • Nebraska women’s basketball boosters are organizing a bus trip to Omaha for the Huskers’ game with Creighton on Dec. 2. Tip-off between the Big Red and Blue Jays is set for 1 p.m. • The cost of the trip is $30, which includes round-trip bus transportation and one game ticket.  • If interested in joining the trip and to receive more details, contact Doug Fry at (402) 617-7039.

A Look Ahead at the Radford Highlanders • Radford heads to Miami with a 2-1 record after suffering a 75-58 loss at No. 17 NC State on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C. Radford opens the Miami Thanksgiving Classic by taking on Temple on Friday afternoon, prior to Nebraska’s game with Miami. • The Highlanders went 24-9 last season, including 15-3 in the Big South to finish as the conference runner-up. Radford advanced to the second round of the 2018 Postseason WNIT by defeating Penn State in University Park. • Radford is led by sixth-year head coach Mike McGuire, who owns a 92-69 record. • The Highlanders have been led early in the season by junior transfer Savannah Felgemacher. The 6-3 forward spent her first two seasons at James Madison. As a sophomore, Felgemacher started for JMU against Radford in the 2017 Postseason WNIT, notching a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds against the Highlanders. • Through three games this season, after sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules last season, Felgemacher is averaging team bests of 17.7 points and 15.7 rebounds, while adding 1.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. • Felgemacher recorded 21 points and 21 rebounds in 28 minutes in her Radford debut against South Carolina State on Nov. 7, and was named the Big South Player of the Week on Nov. 12. • Senior Destinee Walker returns as the most experienced Highlander. She is averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds through three games this season, after averaging 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds a year ago. The 5-11 wing earned honorable-mention All-Big South accolades last season. • An extremely experienced Radford starting five includes 5-7 junior guard Khiana Johnson, who is averaging 8.0 points in a team-high 36.3 minutes per game. Johnson averaged 9.2 points and 2.1 rebounds last season for Radford. She was a member of the Big South All-Freshman team in 2016-17 and started 18 games for the Highlanders last season. • Junior Lydia Rivers, a 6-2 forward, ranks third on the team in scoring with 9.7 points while ranking second on the team with 7.3 rebounds per contest. Rivers, who averaged 7.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season, was a Big South All-Freshman selection in 2015-16 before suffering a torn ACL as a true sophomore in 2016-17. Rivers is a preseason second-team All-Big South choice in 2018-19. • Point guard Jen Falconer had started 67 straight games for the Highlanders before missing the game with East Tennessee State with an injury. She also missed the loss to NC State. Falconer had four points, six rebounds and two assists in the opener before being injured. • Tina Lindenfeld, a 6-1 sophomore forward, has started each of the last two games in place of Falconer. Lindenfeld has averaged 6.7 points and 1.7 rebounds while leading the Highlanders from long range by going 6-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc. • Bryonna McClean (6.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg), Amele Ngwafang (4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Laney Corbin (2.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg) also have been significant contributors for Radford early this season.

Nebraska vs. Radford Series History • Sunday’s game will be the first meeting in history between Nebraska and Radford. • It will be Nebraska’s second meeting with a Big South school early this season, joining an 87-64 win over new Big South member USC Upstate (Nov. 11) at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. • Nebraska is 3-0 all-time against current members of the Big South, including an 83-57 win over High Point in Lincoln on Dec. 20, 2014. • The Huskers notched their first-ever win over a Big South school with a 72-54 victory over Hampton at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on Nov. 27, 2004. • The Big South includes 11 women’s basketball programs (USC upstate, Radford, Campbell, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, High Point, Longwood, Presbyterian, UNC Asheville and Winthrop) with all the schools making their homes in the Carolinas and Virginia.