Huskers Take Aim at No. 19 Hawkeyes

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-6, 2-0 Big Ten)
at 19/20 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) Thursday, January 3, 2019, 7 p.m. (CT)
Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) - Iowa City, Iowa
Live Video: BTN Plus
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (6:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln-B107.3 FM; Omaha-ESPN 590 AM; Lexington-KRVN 880 AM
Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn
Live Stats

Huskers Take Aim at High-Flying No. 19 Hawkeyes
• The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens the 2019 calendar year with its second straight Big Ten road game when the Huskers take on No. 19 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday.
• Tip off between Nebraska (7-6, 2-0 Big Ten) and the Hawkeyes (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Iowa City. Live radio coverage (beginning at 6:45 p.m.) can be heard in Lincoln on B107.3 FM, in Omaha, ESPN 590 AM, and in Lexington on 880 AM KRVN, and across the state on Husker Sports Network stations. Free live audio can also be found at Huskers.com, the Huskers App and TuneIn.
• A live video stream will be provided to BTN Plus subscribers.
• The Huskers enter Thursday’s game with the Hawkeyes in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings with 2-0 Rutgers and 2-0 Indiana. Michigan State (1-0), which defeated Iowa 84-70 on Sunday in East Lansing, is the only other Big Ten unbeaten through the first week of conference play.
• Nebraska is coming off its first road win of the season, a 78-69 come-from-behind win at defending Big Ten champion Ohio State on New Year’s Eve.
• Junior Nicea Eliely led Nebraska’s second straight fourth-quarter comeback by scoring 10 of her 14 points in the final period, as the Huskers outscored the Buckeyes 27-16 in the fourth. The 6-1 wing from Colorado Springs, Colo., is averaging 14.0 points in Big Ten play, including 12.0 points in the fourth quarter in Nebraska’s two Big Ten wins.
• Freshman Leigha Brown kept the Huskers within striking distance of the Buckeyes by scoring a career-high 19 points through the first three quarters. Through two Big Ten games, Brown is averaging a team-best 15.0 points in just 18.5 minutes per game off the bench.
• Nebraska’s only active senior, Maddie Simon is averaging 13.0 points in just 20.0 minutes in two Big Ten games. The 6-2 forward out of Lincoln Pius X High School has hit 11-of-18 shots (.611) in conference play.
• Freshman Sam Haiby has averaged 10.0 points per game off the bench in Nebraska’s two Big Ten wins. The 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., is NU’s leading scorer overall at 10.8 points per game.
• Overall, Nebraska’s top two scorers on the season are both freshmen reserves, as Sam Haiby (10.8 ppg) and Leigha Brown (9.6 ppg) help give the Huskers eight players averaging better than 8.0 points per game. A third freshman off the bench, Ashtyn Veerbeek has contributed 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Veerbeek, a 6-2 forward from Sioux Center, Iowa, ranks second on the team in rebounding and blocked shots.
• Iowa is led by 2019 Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American Megan Gustafson. The 6-3 senior is averaging 26.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-6, 2-0 Big Ten)
24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 8.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 8.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 9.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Off the Bench
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 10.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 9.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 8.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 2.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg
11(out) - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Third Season at Nebraska (35-39); 12th Season Overall (228-148)

No. 19/20 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten)
21 - Hannah Stewart - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg
10 - Megan Gustafson - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 26.8 ppg, 12.6 rpg
3 - Mackenzie Meyer - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 10.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
11 - Tania Davis - 5-3 - Sr. - G - 11.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg 
22 - Kathleen Doyle - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - Alexis Sevillian - 5-5 - So. - G - 7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg 
43 - Amanda Ollinger - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 3.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg
25 - Monika Czinano - 6-3 - Fr. - F/C - 3.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg
24 - Zion Sanders - 5-8 - So. - G - 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg
1 - Tomi Taiwo - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
23 - Logan Cook - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 1.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
31 - Paula Valino Ramos - 6-3 - So. - F/C - 0.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Head Coach: Lisa Bluder (Northern Iowa, 1983)
19th Season at Iowa (376-213); 35th Season Overall (732-355)

Scouting the Iowa Hawkeyes
• In her 35th season as a collegiate head coach, including her 17th at Iowa, Lisa Bluder brings an explosive and experienced Iowa team into Thursday’s meeting with Nebraska.
• The 9-3 Hawkeyes are averaging 83.6 points per game with all five starters averaging in double figures, led by All-American and 2019 Preseason Big Ten Player-of-the-Year Megan Gustafson.
• Gustafson, a 6-3 senior forward, is averaging 26.8 points and 12.6 rebounds in 32 minutes per contest while shooting a remarkable 72.9 percent from the field and 79.2 percent at the free throw line. She has won six of the eight Big Ten Player-of-the-Week awards this season, most recently on Christmas Eve after exploding for 44 points and 14 rebounds in a 91-82 win at Drake (Dec. 21).
• She added 30 points and 14 rebounds in a Big Ten-opening loss at Michigan State on Dec. 30.
• Last season, Gustafson averaged 25.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. In two losses against Nebraska in 2017-18, Gustafson averaged 27.5 points and 14.0 rebounds.
• Gustafson became Iowa’s all-time basketball scoring leader in the loss at MSU, pushing her career total to 2,124 points. She has added 1,130 rebounds in 111 career games.
• Fellow senior forward Hannah Stewart is enjoying her best season, averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field and 79.2 percent at the line in her first year as a starter. Stewart and Gustafson have not attempted a three-pointer this season. Last year, Stewart averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench in two meetings with the Huskers. She averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 boards per game on the year.
• Senior guard Tania Davis has had each of the last two seasons cut short by injuries. She has returned this year to average 11.2 points and 4.6 assists through 12 games. The 5-3 Davis is shooting 37.7 percent from three-point range and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Junior guards Kathleen Doyle and Mackenzie Meyer round out one of the Big Ten’s most experienced starting fives.
• Doyle, who recently returned from a broken left hand, has averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 assists over the last five games after missing the first seven games of the year with the injury. She averaged 12.0 points and 4.5 assists in a pair of losses to Nebraska last year.
• Meyer has pitched in 10.6 points and a team-leading 4.8 assists per game, while leading the Hawkeyes with 23 three-pointers (.324). Meyer is also a perfect 18-for-18 at the free throw line. Meyer did not play against Nebraska in Lincoln last season because of an arm injury but recorded nine points, four assists and three steals in the loss to the Huskers in Iowa City.
• Sophomore guard Alexis Sevillian gives Iowa a sixth experienced starter. In her first two seasons on the court, Sevillian has made 32 starts and is averaging 7.7 points and 3.2 assists this season. Sevillian scored just two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 57 total minutes as a starter against the Huskers last season.
• Junior Amanda Ollinger has spelled Gustafson and Stewart inside as the Hawkeyes have played just a seven-player rotation in recent games. Ollinger is averaging 3.2 points and 4.1 rebounds. Last year in Lincoln, Ollinger had 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench, before being held scoreless in the rematch in Iowa City.
• In addition to averaging 83.6 points per game, the Hawkeyes are shooting a blistering 51.8 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three-point range and 79.6 percent at the free throw line. Iowa also carries a plus-7.0 rebound margin and averages a whopping 22.1 assists per game. The Hawkeyes do own a minus-1.1 turnover margin, but eight Hawkeyes carry positive assist-to-turnover ratios.
• On the defensive side, Iowa is surrendering 71.2 points per game with opponents shooting better than 40 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from three-point range.
• In the loss at nationally ranked Michigan State on Dec. 30, Iowa was out-rebounded by the Spartans, 48-34, as MSU senior Jenna Allen earned Big Ten Player-of-the-Week honors by going for 20 points and 17 rebounds head-to-head against Gustafson.

Nebraska vs. Iowa Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa, 14-12, including a season sweep of the Hawkeyes in two games last year.
• The Huskers completed the sweep with a 92-74 win on Jan. 28, 2018, after the Huskers built a 36-point lead midway through the third quarter. Nebraska led 56-26 at the half, and the 56 points were the most ever allowed by the Hawkeyes in a first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Prior to last year’s rout by Nebraska in Iowa City, each of the previous seven meetings between the Huskers and Hawkeyes had been decided by single digits, including a 75-72 Iowa win at Carver-Hawkeye on Dec. 31, 2016.
• The Huskers are 4-5 all-time against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City with four of the last six games being decided by two possessions or less, including one overtime finish (Iowa 78, Nebraska 72, Jan. 26, 2015).
• Nebraska defeated then-No. 20 Iowa 74-65 in last season’s first meeting at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 16, 2018. The Huskers snapped Iowa’s five-game series winning streak despite 29 points and 18 rebounds from Hawkeye All-American Megan Gustafson.
• The Huskers are 5-5 all-time against Iowa in Lincoln, dating back to a 67-66 win over the Hawkeyes at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Dec. 22, 1979.
• Nebraska is 5-2 all-time against Iowa on neutral courts dating back to the first meeting in the series, a 71-63 Husker win at the Jennies’ Classic in Warrensburg, Mo., on Jan. 13, 1978.
• The Huskers dominated the series in its first years in the Big Ten. From 2011-12 through 2013-14 (three seasons) the Huskers went 8-0 against the Hawkeyes, culminating with a 72-65 victory in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament Championship Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska’s bench outscored the opposition 149-53 over the final four non-conference games, including a season-high 45 points at Arkansas. NU’s bench posted a season-best scoring differential (+37) in its last non-conference home game by outscoring Denver’s bench, 40-3.
• The Husker bench has outscored opponents in each of NU’s 13 games this year, including double-digit advantages in 10 games.
• Nebraska’s bench has scored 40 or more points four times, including 45 at Arkansas, 42 points against San Jose State, 41 points against Drake and 40 against Denver.
• Overall, Nebraska’s bench has outscored opposition benches 429-194 (33-14.9 ppg) for a plus-18.1 margin.
• In Nebraska’s Big Ten-opening win over Michigan (Dec. 28), the Husker bench outscored the Wolverine bench 28-10, including 14-0 in the fourth quarter.
• Nebraska’s 34 points in the fourth quarter against San Jose State tied for the most in any quarter in school history. It joined 34 in the second quarter at Iowa and 34 in the fourth quarter against Florida Atlantic in games last season.
• The Huskers added 33 points in the fourth quarter in the win over Michigan (Dec. 28), outscoring the Wolverines 33-13 in the period.
• NU’s 62 points in the second half against San Jose State tied for the fifth-most points scored in any half by the Huskers in school history.
• Freshman Sam Haiby led Nebraska with 13 points in a season-opening loss to Drake (Nov. 7). Haiby is the first Husker freshman to lead NU in scoring in an opener since Kelsey Griffin’s 18 in a loss to South Dakota State (Nov. 19, 2005).
• Haiby has been Nebraska’s scoring leader in five of 13 games this season and has produced double figures a team-best seven times.

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 (1 0.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg), Leigha Brown (9.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 apg) Ashtyn Veerbeek (8.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Kayla Mershon (2.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg).
• Haiby, a 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., leads Nebraska with 10.8 points per game off the bench. She has led the Huskers in scoring in five 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 also had 16 points to lead the Huskers at Arkansas (Dec. 18). She owns seven double-figure scoring efforts overall, including 12 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29) and 12 more in Nebraska’s Big Ten-opening win over Michigan (Dec. 28).
• Haiby also ranks second among the Huskers in assists (2.8 apg).
• Leigha Brown ranks second overall among the Huskers in scoring with 9.6 points per game after erupting for a career-high 19 points at Ohio State (Dec. 31). Brown is leading the Huskers in Big Ten play with 15.0 points per game, including 11 points and a career-high five rebounds in the win over Michigan (Dec. 28). She had 18 points in the win over San Jose State (Dec. 8), before adding 17 points and a career-high five assists in the win over Denver (Dec. 15). The 6-1 wing from Auburn, Indiana owns five double-figure scoring efforts and has led the Big Red in scoring three times.
• Ashtyn Veerbeek ranks third among the Husker freshmen in scoring with 8.2 points per game, while leading the group and ranking second on the team with 6.3 rebounds. Veerbeek produced her first career double-double with career highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 8). She matched her career high with 14 points in just 14 minutes in the win over Denver (Dec. 15). She added 14 points for the third straight game at Arkansas (Dec. 18) for her fourth double-digit scoring effort of the year. She also ranks second among the Huskers with 12 blocks.
• Kayla Mershon has pitched in 2.5 points and 2.5 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 10 assists and has committed a team-best four turnovers through 13 games. She has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 10-to-4 (2.5-to-1) while adding six steals and four blocks.
• The freshmen have combined for 40.2 percent (404-of-1,004) of Nebraska’s points in just 35 percent of the team’s total minutes (927-of-2,650) on the season. They also have accounted for just 27.9 percent (57-of-204) of Nebraska’s turnovers.
• Nebraska’s four freshmen are combining to average 31.1 points and 14.7 rebounds per game, while NU’s two sophomores (Kate Cain, Taylor Kissinger) have combined to average 17.7 points and 10.5 boards per contest. Nebraska’s six underclassmen have combined for 63 percent of NU’s scoring and 59.6 percent of the team’s rebounding through 13 games.

Nebraska Streaks
• Sophomore Kate Cain owns the longest streak of consecutive starts by a Husker with 44.
• Junior Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska’s second-longest streak of starts with 39, while senior Maddie Simon has started 37 consecutive games.
• Nebraska’s bench has outscored the opponent reserves in 13 consecutive games this season.
• Nebraska has featured the same starting lineup - Maddie Simon/Kate Cain/Hannah Whitish/Nicea Eliely/Taylor Kissinger for 11 consecutive games.
• Kate Cain has at least two rebounds in every game of her Nebraska career (45), and she has blocked at least one shot in 43 of 45 games (no blocks in 2018 NCAA Tournament vs. Arizona State and no blocks at Creighton, Dec. 2, 2018).
• Sophomore Taylor Kissinger is 14-for-14 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.
• Junior Grace Mitchell had appeared in 13 consecutive games off the bench, including the first 11 contests this season, before missing the Big Ten opener against Michigan (Dec. 28) with a foot injury. Mitchell is listed as day-to-day with the injury.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 325 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 204 consecutive games.

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 was chosen by the coaches as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Gustafson, Maryland’s Kaila Charles, Michigan’s Hallie Thome and Minnesota’s Kenisha Bell were all unanimous preseason all-conference selections by the coaches.

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 faced another center on the list - Louisville’s Sam Fuehring in the ACC/B1G Challenge 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.