Huskers Continue Home Stand with Spartans

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. San Jose State Spartans Saturday, December 8, 2018, Noon (CT) Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska Halftime Performance: Air Elite Dunkers Live Video: BTN Plus Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (11:45 a.m.) Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst) Lincoln-B107.3 FM; Omaha-ESPN 590 AM; Lexington-880 AM KRVN Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn  Live Stats

Huskers Continue Home Stand with Spartans • The Nebraska women’s basketball team continues its three-game home stand by taking on San Jose State on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. • Tip off between the Huskers (3-5) and the Spartans (1-6) is set for Noon (CT) in Lincoln. Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, beginning at 11:45 a.m. on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha. Free live audio can also be found at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and on TuneIn. A live video stream will be provided by BTN Plus Student U.  • Saturday’s meeting will complete a three-game series with the Spartans. Nebraska rolled to an 83-61 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 9, 2016, before running to an 81-55 victory over the Spartans in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 17, 2017. • The Huskers opened their three-game home stand with a 58-52 win over long-time rival Kansas on Wednesday in Lincoln. The Big Red crashed the boards to one of the top-five totals in school history - pulling down 64 rebounds including 24 on the offensive end. • Sophomore Taylor Kissinger notched her second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Kansas. Freshman Ashtyn Veerbeek added a career-high 11 rebounds of her own, while fellow freshman Kayla Mershon pitched in a career-best seven boards. • Preseason All-Big Ten guard Hannah Whitish matched Kissinger with a team-high 11 points against Kansas. Whitish has produced double figures in five games for the Big Red, including a season-high 15 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29).  • Freshman guard Sam Haiby also has produced double figures five times this season, including a career-high 20 points at Washington State. Haiby has put up double digits against nationally ranked teams Miami (14), Drake (13) and Louisville (12) along with 17 points at Creighton. She is averaging a team-best 11.8 points to go along with 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. • Four of Nebraska’s five losses early this season have come against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams, including Final Four participant and 2018 ACC champion Louisville, Creighton (NCAA second round), Miami and Drake. Both the Hurricanes (25th) and Drake (21st) are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 along with No. 5 Louisville. • Senior Maddie Simon ranks second among the Huskers in scoring with 9.0 points per game, including a season-high 16 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29). The 6-2 forward from Lincoln scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting in last year’s win over the Spartans in San Jose. • Junior wing Nicea Eliely has been efficient in all areas early this season. Eliely is averaging 8.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a team-best 1.5 steals. She is shooting 43.8 percent (7-16) from three-point range and 83.3 percent (15-18) at the free throw line. She also ranks third among the Huskers with six blocked shots, including a career-high four in the win over Kansas on Wednesday. • Sophomore Kate Cain continues to be one of the nation’s premier shot-blockers for the Big Red. The 6-5 center owns 19 blocks on the season and is averaging 8.4 points and team bests of 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Cain, who owns 119 blocks in just 40 career games, needs seven blocks to climb to No. 4 on Nebraska’s career block list (126).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-5, 0-0 Big Ten) 24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg 31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 8.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg 3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 8.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg 5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg 33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg Off the Bench 4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg 13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg 32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 6.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg 11(out) - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg 44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg 14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998) Third Season at Nebraska (31-38); 12th Season Overall (224-147)

San Jose State Spartans (1-6, 0-0 Mountain West) 30 - Megan Anderson - 6-0 - So. - G - 8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg  35 - Cydni Lewis - 6-0 - So. - F - 11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg 0 - Raziya Potter - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg  4 - Fieme’a Hafoka - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 10.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg 22 - Danae Marquez - 5-5 - So. - G - 7.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg Off the Bench 5 - Analyss Benally - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 6.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg 32 - Mikaylah Wilson - 5-10 - So. - F - 5.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg 33 - Courtesy Clark - 5-10 - So. - G - 2.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg 2 - Andrea Kohlhaas - 5-11 - Sr. - F - 2.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg 24 - Alexis Harris - 6-3 - Jr. - C - 2.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg 1 - Nefer Leon - 5-5 - Fr. - G - 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg Head Coach: Jamie Craighead (Oregon, 2002) Sixth Season at San Jose State (58-103); 10th Season Overall (109-173)

Scouting the San Jose State Spartans • San Jose State comes to Lincoln to complete a three-game series with the Huskers over the past three seasons. The Spartans carry a 1-6 record with them to Pinnacle Bank Arena after taking a 76-64 loss at Colorado on Thursday night in Boulder. • This week’s trip to Colorado and Nebraska marks the first venture off the West Coast for the Spartans, who notched an 82-72 home win over Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 24. SJSU opened with losses to San Francisco State and San Francisco, and also took home losses to Pacific and UC Irvine. The Spartans’ only other trip outside of California came in an 80-51 loss at Portland State (Nov. 11). • Coach Jamie Craighead is in her sixth season leading the Spartans and 10th season overall as a head coach. While many of the names on the San Jose State roster will be familiar to the Huskers from the 81-55 win over the Spartans in San Jose on Dec. 17, 2017, SJSU is a young team with only one senior on the roster. • Sophomore Cydni Lewis leads the Spartans in scoring and rebounding. The 6-0 forward is averaging  11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds after getting 18 points and five boards at Colorado Thursday. Lewis has shot a team-high 30 free throws in seven games and is 7-for-14 from three-point range, including 4-of-5 in Boulder. She just missed a double-double against the Big Red last season, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds. • Fieme’a Hafoka has added 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, while also hitting 12 threes. The 5-9 junior guard led SJSU with 12 points and four assists in last year’s meeting with Nebraska. Hafoka averaged 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds last season. • True freshman Raziya Potter is coming into her own early for the Spartans. The 5-10 guard is averaging 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, after getting 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes at Colorado. Potter is an aggressive penetrator who has found her way to the free throw line early. • Sophomore starter Megan Anderson has pitched in 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The 6-0 guard has knocked down 12 three-pointers and is 9-for-10 at the free throw line. Anderson started but did not score in 16 minutes against the Huskers last season. • A third sophomore starter, 5-5 point guard Danae Marquez is averaging 7.7 points and a team-best 4.3 assists per game. The diminutive Marquez also ranks second on the squad with 4.7 rebounds per contest after going for eight points, eight rebounds and six assists at Colorado. Marquez had nine points, including a pair of threes, and four rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench against NU last year. • The Spartans have gotten contributions from six players off the bench, including 5-8 junior guard Analyss Benally who is averaging 6.6 points and 2.0 boards per contest. Benally scored three points on 1-of-7 three-point shooting last year against Nebraska. She hit 3-of-11 threes at Colorado to finish with nine points, while SJSU finish 14-of-37 from long range against the Buffaloes. • Mikaylah Wilson, a 5-10 sophomore forward, has started a pair of games and is averaging 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while fellow sophomore Courtesy Clark has contributed 2.4 points and 2.2 boards per contest. Wilson had four points and two rebounds in 16 minutes as a starter last year in the loss to Nebraska in San Jose, but she did not play at Colorado on Thursday. • San Jose State’s only senior, Andrea Kohlhaas has managed 2.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in just under 14 minutes per contest. • The tallest player on the San Jose State roster is 6-3 junior center Alexis Harris, who has managed in 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in less than 10 minutes per game. Harris, who is the only Spartan listed as taller than 6-0, had three rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench against the Big Red last season. • Freshman guard Nefer Leon has seen the least playing time for the Spartans, averaging 1.7 points and 1.0 rebound in less than six minutes per game. • As a team, San Jose State has averaged 65.6 points, while surrendering 78.7 points per game. The Spartans have been out-muscled on the boards, 47.9-36.7, and also carry a minus-2.1 team turnover margin. SJSU is shooting just 35.3 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range, but the Spartans have held their opponents to just 26.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Nebraska vs. San Jose State Series History • Nebraska leads the all-time series with San Jose State, 2-0, with both meetings coming over the past two seasons.  • Last year, Nebraska ran to an 81-55 victory over the Spartans in San Jose, Calif., as Maddie Simon erupted for a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Nicea Eliely added 13 points and five rebounds, while Kate Cain gave the Huskers three players in double figures with 10 points and nine boards. Nebraska out-rebounded San Jose State, 52-41, while also winning the turnover battle, 19-6. • The Huskers also rolled to an 83-61 win over the Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 9, 2016. Eliely supplied a strong effort with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Hannah Whitish (3) and Maddie Simon (2) are the only other active Huskers who scored in the first meeting with the Spartans. • Fieme’a Hafoka (4) and Andrea Kohlhaas (3) are the only current Spartans that scored in the first meeting with the Huskers.

Husker Nuggets • Nebraska’s 64 total rebounds against Kansas on Wednesday tied for the fourth-highest total in school history and was NU’s second-best total ever against a Power Five Conference team, trailing only 66 rebounds against USC (Nov. 18, 2011). • San Jose State is allowing an average of 48.2 rebounds per game. Kansas was allowing just 38.3 boards per contest before coming to Lincoln. • Nebraska is averaging 73 points per game through eight contests in 2018-19. Last season the Big Red averaged 68.8 points on the year. • Nebraska is shooting 70.8 percent (102-144) from the free throw line through eight contests in 2018-19, after shooting just 64.1 percent from the line in 2017-18. Through the first eight games of 2017-18, the Huskers hit just 57.9 percent (70-121) from the line. • Freshman Sam Haiby led Nebraska with 13 points in a season-opening loss to Drake on Nov. 7. Haiby became the first Husker freshman to lead NU in scoring in an opener since Kelsey Griffin had 18 points in a loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005.  • Sam Haiby led Nebraska in scoring in four of the first seven games this season. Last year as a freshman, Taylor Kissinger led the Huskers in scoring in four of the first seven games before being injured and missing NU’s next six contests including the game at San Jose State. • Nicea Eliely leads Nebraska’s active roster with 63 career starts as a Husker. Hannah Whitish (56) 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 (86) as a Husker than any other current active player. Junior Hannah Whitish is second on that list with 69.

Freshmen Contributing Early for Huskers • Nebraska has received production early and often from its 2018-19 freshman class. The four-player class, which was ranked among the top 20 recruiting classes in the nation by ESPN last season, features Sam Haiby (11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), Ashtyn Veerbeek (6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Leigha Brown (6.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and Kayla Mershon (2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg). • Haiby, a 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., leads Nebraska with 11.8 points per game off the bench. She has led the Huskers in scoring in four games, including against nationally ranked Drake (13) and Miami (14), while also scoring a career-high 20 points at Washington State and adding 17 points at Creighton. She owns five double-figure scoring efforts overall, including 12 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29). • Haiby also ranks third among the Huskers in assists (2.3 apg). • Ashtyn Veerbeek ranks second among the Husker freshmen with 6.9 points per game, while leading the group and ranking second on the team with 6.1 rebounds. Veerbeek produced a career-high 13 points in a win over Radford (Nov. 25) and added career bests of 11 rebounds and three blocks in a win over Kansas (Dec. 5). • Leigha Brown also scored a career-high 13 points against Radford to match Veerbeek for team-high scoring honors. Brown is averaging 6.4 points per game. The 6-1 wing from Auburn, Indiana leads the freshmen with five three-pointers and has hit 82.4 percent (14-17) of her free throws. • Kayla Mershon has pitched in 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game for the Huskers, including a career-high seven rebounds in the win over Kansas (Dec. 5). The 6-3 forward from Chanhassen, Minn., also has dished out five assists and has committed a team-best two turnovers through eight games. • The freshmen have combined for 38.3 percent (216-of-564) of Nebraska’s points in just 32.5 percent of the team’s total minutes (536-of-1,650) on the season. They also have accounted for just 26.5 percent (36-of-136) of Nebraska’s turnovers. • Nebraska’s four freshmen are combining to average 27.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, while NU’s two sophomores (Kate Cain, Taylor Kissinger) have combined to average 16.6 points and 9.6 boards per contest. Nebraska’s six underclassmen have combined for 59.8 percent of NU’s scoring and 56.0 percent of the team’s rebounding through eight games.

Nebraska Streaks • Sophomore Kate Cain owns the longest streak of consecutive starts by a Husker with 39. • Junior Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska’s second-longest streak of starts with 34, while senior Maddie Simon has started 32 consecutive games. • Kate Cain has at least two rebounds in every game of her Nebraska career (40), and she has blocked at least one shot in 38 of 40 games (no blocks in 2018 NCAA Tournament vs. Arizona State and no blocks at Creighton, Dec. 2, 2018). • Sophomore Taylor Kissinger is 8-for-8 at the free throw line to open the season and owns the longest active free throw streak by a Husker. Kissinger also hit eight consecutive three-pointers over a three-game stretch earlier this season. • The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 320 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 199 consecutive games.

Nebraska’s History of Home Success • Nebraska had its streak of 12 consecutive season-opening wins snapped with an 83-77 loss to current top-25 team and two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake on Nov. 7. However, the Huskers still have an outstanding history of success at home, including a 2-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena to open 2018-19. • 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 62-25 (.713) 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 arena history 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 451-155 (.744) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 187-59 (.760) over the last 16 seasons (including 2018-19), 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 87 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own a 62-25 record (.713 winning percentage) while averaging 5,293 fans per game (460,508 total fans/87 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. • Inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, fans can access the direct radio call of the game at 87.7 FM.

Boosters Plan Big Ten Bus Trips • Husker fans who would like an opportunity to follow the Nebraska women’s basketball team on the road during Big Ten Conference play have a pair of opportunities coming up in January. • The first scheduled Big Ten trip comes Thursday, Jan. 3, when the Huskers travel to Iowa City to take on Iowa. A bus will leave Lincoln at 2 p.m. and arrive at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a scheduled tip-off at 7 p.m. The bus will return to Lincoln immediately following the game, with an arrival time at approximately at 2 a.m. The cost ($60-70) will include round-trip transportation and a game ticket. • The second booster trip will include an overnight stay in Wisconsin, round-trip bus transportation and a game ticket for Nebraska’s game against the Badgers on Sunday, Jan. 27. The bus will leave from Lincoln on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 8 a.m. Husker fans will enjoy a hotel stay Saturday night ($220/person or $160/person double-occupancy), transportation, game tickets and food as part of the package. Tip at Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 27, is set for 2 p.m., and the bus will return to Lincoln immediately following the game with an expected arrival around 2 a.m. (Monday). • To book your trip or for more information, contact Doug Fry at (402) 617-7039.