Nebraska Cornhuskers at Northwestern Wildcats Thursday, February 21, 2019, 7 p.m. (CT) Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039) - Evanston, Illinois 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 Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn
Huskers Play for Series Split at Northwestern • The Nebraska women’s basketball team shoots for a season series split with Northwestern when the Huskers tangle with the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., on Thursday night. • Tip off between Nebraska (12-14, 7-8 Big Ten) and Northwestern (15-11, 8-7 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m. (CT). Live radio coverage (beginning at 6:45 p.m.) can be heard in Lincoln on B107.3 FM, in Omaha on ESPN 590 AM and across the state on the Husker Sports Network. Free live audio can be found at Huskers.com, the Huskers App and on TuneIn. • A live video stream also will be available to BTN Plus subscribers. • Nebraska dropped a tight 58-54 decision to Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Jan. 24. That game is the difference between the two teams in the Big Ten standings right now, and if the Huskers can even the series they can also pull even with the Wildcats in the conference race at 8-8. • Nebraska is coming off one of its best efforts of the season with an 82-71 win over No. 24 Michigan State in Lincoln on Sunday. Junior Hannah Whitish led five Huskers in double figures with 16 points and five assists, as Nebraska built a 22-point lead against the Spartans. It was NU’s second win over a top-25 team in the past month, joining a a 63-57 win over No. 23 Minnesota (Jan. 20). Northwestern also defeated Michigan State (70-62, Jan. 3) but lost two close games to Minnesota. • Nebraska owns wins over five of the six teams immediately ahead of the Huskers in the Big Ten standings, including Michigan, Purdue (2), Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan State. The only team between third place and ninth place in the standings the Huskers have not beaten is Northwestern. • Although Nebraska is below .500 on the season, the Huskers have fought hard down to the wire, with a school-record 12 games decided by two possessions or less. Unfortunately, the Huskers are just 3-9 in games decided by six or fewer points, including 2-6 in Big Ten play. Northwestern is 2-4 in its Big Ten games decided by two possessions, including a four-point win at Nebraska (Jan. 24) and a six-point win at Indiana (Jan. 16). The Wildcats are coming off a 61-58 loss at Purdue. • Both Nebraska (85) and Northwestern (93) headed into the week ranked among the nation’s top 100 teams in the RPI according to RealTimeRPI.com. Both teams own six top-100 victories on the season.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-14, 7-8 Big Ten) 44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 3.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg 31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 7.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg 3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg 5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg 33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg Off the Bench 32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 10.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg 4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 9.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg 13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 7.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg 24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 6.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg 14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.1 ppg, 1.2 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 (40-47); 12th Season Overall (233-156)
Northwestern Wildcats (15-11, 8-7 Big Ten) 14 - Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 10.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg 44 - Abi Scheid - 6-2 - Jr. - F/C - 11.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg 10 - Lindsey Pulliam - 5-10 - So. - G - 16.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg 12 - Veronica Burton - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 7.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg 24 - Jordan Hamilton - 5-8 - So. - G - 9.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg Off the Bench 21 - Abbie Wolf - 6-4 - Jr. - F/C - 4.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg 4 - Bryana Hopkins - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 3.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg 3 - Sydney Wood - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg 22 - Byrdy Galernik - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg 32 - Amber Jamison - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 1.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg Head Coach: Joe McKeown (Kent State, 1979) 10th Season at Northwestern (176-169); 33rd Season Overall (685-343)
Scouting The Northwestern Wildcats • Northwestern shoots for a series sweep of Nebraska on Thursday, after escaping from Lincoln with a 58-54 victory over the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 24. Lindsey Pulliam led three Wildcats in double figures in the first meeting, pouring in 21 points to go along with eight rebounds, while senior forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah added a big double-double with 10 points, 19 rebounds, four blocks and three assists. • Sophomore Jordan Hamilton added 12 points, including 3-of-5 three-point shooting in the first meeting with Nebraska. Hamilton suffered an injury midway through Sunday’s loss to Purdue and did not return to the game, after returning to the bench on crutches. The 5-8 guard is averaging 9.5 points and a team-high 3.3 assists. She ranks second on the team with 30 threes (.367) on the year. • If Hamilton is unable to start, the Wildcats could turn to freshman Sydney Wood. The 5-11 guard has been a solid ball-handler and reliable defender in Big Ten play. In Sunday’s loss at Purdue, Wood had five points, two rebounds and two assists in nearly 28 minutes off the bench. She is averaging 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds while playing in all 15 conference games. • Junior Abi Scheid did not play for the Wildcats in their win in Lincoln. She ranks second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg) while leading the Wildcats with 34 three-pointers on the season. The 6-2 forward/center is shooting 41 percent from long range. • Pulliam, a 5-10 sophomore guard, leads the Wildcats with 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. She has struggled from long range this year, hitting just 11-of-58 threes (.190) including 6-for-29 in Big Ten play. However, she is averaging 18.0 points per game in conference action. Pulliam is a solid penetrator and a deadly mid-range shooter, who also lives at the free throw line (99-128, 77.3%). Pulliam scored 16 points points in Sunday’s 61-58 last-second loss at Purdue. • Kunaiyi-Akpanah continues to provide a dominant inside presence with 10.8 and 11.1 rebounds, while leading Northwestern with 43 blocks. She also ranks second on the team with 42 steals. Akpanah managed just five points but grabbed 11 rebounds and four steals Sunday at Purdue. • Freshman guard Veronica Burton rounds out Northwestern’s starting backcourt with 7.7 points and a team-leading 2.4 steals per game. In Big Ten play, Burton is averaging 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, a team-best 3.9 assists and a team-best 2.2 steals. She has hit 18-of-58 threes (.310) in league play, while connecting on 87.5 percent (28-32) of her free throws. Her 502 minutes on the court in Big Ten play rank second among the Wildcats to only Pulliam’s 543. • Junior Abbie Wolf, a 6-4 forward/center, can provide Northwestern with traditional size inside. She is averaging 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds off the bench in Big Ten play. • Bryana Hopkins, a 6-2 junior forward made several starts when Scheid was out of action, including Northwestern’s win at Nebraska. She had four points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 35 minutes against the Huskers. She is averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in Big Ten play. • Byrdy Galernik, a 5-8 junior guard, has made seven starts this year and could step into a starting role if Jordan Hamilton is out of the lineup. However, Galernik played just three minutes at Purdue and just eight minutes in Northwestern’s win at Nebraska. Galernik is averaging 2.0 points while appearing in 11 of Northwestern’s conference contests this year. • As a team, Northwestern is averaging 64.5 points while hitting 39.9 percent of its shots in Big Ten play. The Wildcats have hit 35 percent (69-197) of their threes and 67.1 percent of their free throws in league action. The last four games, NU has hit just 61.8 percent (34-55) of its free throws. The Wildcats were 7-for-12 at Nebraska, but sank free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Northwestern has played solid defense in the conference, allowing just 60.1 points and holding foes to just 37.8 percent shooting, including just 31.1 percent from three-point range. Northwestern’s Big Ten opponents have hit 67.3 percent of their free throws. • The Wildcats own a plus-1.8 rebound margin in conference play and a plus-1.8 turnover margin.
Nebraska vs. Northwestern Series History • Nebraska leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 9-7, including a 69-59 win over the Wildcats in last season’s only meeting with the other NU on Jan. 7, 2018, in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern defeated the Huskers 58-54 on Jan. 24, 2019 in Lincoln. • Hannah Whitish led the Huskers with 16 points and seven assists, while Taylor Kissinger pumped in 14 points off the bench. Whitish and Kissinger both hit four threes as Nebraska knocked down 10-of-21 long range attempts at Evanston Township High School last season. Maddie Simon and Nicea Eliely both added 10 points in the win, as the Huskers shot a season-best 54.9 percent overall from the field. • Lindsey Pulliam and Jordan Hamilton led the Wildcats with 15 points apiece last season against the Big Red, while Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah added 11 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and three blocks last season in Evanston. • Nebraska is 4-3 all-time against Northwestern in Lincoln, but the Wildcats have won the last two meetings at Pinnacle Bank Arena. • The Huskers are 4-4 all-time against Northwestern in Evanston and 1-0 at the Big Ten Tournament (88-56, 2012, Indianapolis).
Husker Nuggets • The Husker bench has outscored opponent benches in 24 of 26 games this year with the only exceptions coming in losses at Michigan (37-20, Feb. 7) and at No. 7 Maryland (22-19, Feb. 14). • Nebraska’s bench has outscored the opponent bench by double digits 18 times this year. • In two meetings with Purdue, the Husker bench outscored the Boiler reserves 79-26. • Overall, Nebraska’s bench has outscored opposition benches 816-428 (31.4-16.5 ppg) for a plus-14.9 margin. • 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. • Nebraska’s bench has scored 40 or more points six times, including 45 at Arkansas, 42 points against San Jose State, 41 points against Drake, 40 against Denver, 40 at Illinois (1/17) and most recently 40 at Purdue (1/31). • 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. • In Big Ten play, NU’s bench has outscored opponent benches 459-270 (30.6-18.0, +12.6 ppg), including 39-12 (+27) and 40-14 (+26) edges against Purdue and a 34-9 margin (+25) in a win over No. 23 Minnesota (Jan. 20). • Nebraska’s bench has scored at least 15 points in each of its 15 Big Ten games, including at least 35 points on five occasions. • Freshman Leigha Brown leads Nebraska in scoring with 10.1 points per game, while fellow freshman Sam Haiby ranks third among the Huskers in scoring at 9.5 points per game. • Both Brown and Haiby have come off the bench all season, although Brown started Nebraska’s last two games in place of sophomore Taylor Kissinger who was battling illness last week.
Nebraska Streaks • Sophomore Kate Cain owns the longest streak of consecutive starts by a Husker with 57. • Junior Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska’s second-longest streak of starts with 52. • Eliely is the only Husker to score in all 26 games this season, and the only Husker to score in each of Nebraska’s 15 Big Ten Conference contests. She has scored in 30 consecutive games overall. She did not score in a win over Penn State on Feb. 22, 2018, the only time in the past two seasons (55 games) that she has been shut out. • Junior Hannah Whitish scored in double figures seven straight games for Nebraska from Jan. 17 (at Illinois) to Feb. 7 (at Michigan) - the longest streak of the season for any Husker. • The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 338 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 217 consecutive games.
Nebraska Numbers to Watch • (1) Nicea Eliely’s next steal will give her a career-high 47 on the year and the most steals for a Husker in a season since All-American Lindsey Moore (60) in 2012-13. • (6) Ashtyn Veerbeek needs six blocks to tie for the No. 5 total by a freshman in school history (31). She enters the Northwestern game with 25 blocks on the season. • (6) Kate Cain is six blocks away from tying Catheryn Redmon (77, 2010-11) for the No. 3 single-season block total in Husker history. Cain owns 71 blocks through 26 games this season. • (7) Cain is seven blocks away from tying Danielle Page (78, 2007-08) for the No. 2 season block total at Nebraska. Cain owns the single-season school record with 100 blocks last year. She had seven blocks in Nebraska’s win over No. 24 Michigan State Sunday.
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 Leigha Brown (10.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 apg), Sam Haiby (9.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg), Ashtyn Veerbeek (7.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg) and Kayla Mershon (3.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg). • Leigha Brown, who earned Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors (Jan. 7) and a spot on the Big Ten Honor Roll after her 30-point outburst against Purdue (Feb. 10), leads the Huskers with 10.1 points per game, including 11.2 points per Big Ten game. She added 20 points at No. 19 Iowa (Jan. 3). It was her second straight game leading the Huskers, after scoring a then-career-high 19 points at Ohio State (Dec. 31). She added 18 points and a career-high six rebounds against Rutgers (Jan. 13). She also 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). • Brown, a 6-1 wing from Auburn, Indiana owns 10 double-figure scoring efforts and has led the Big Red in scoring six times this season, including four Big Ten games. • Haiby, a 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., ranks third overall among the Huskers with 9.6 points per game off the bench. Haiby, who was the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (Feb. 4), has led Nebraska in scoring in seven games, including 17 points against Indiana (Feb. 3). She also had 13 points in a road win at Purdue (Jan. 13). Haiby added 16 in a win over No. 23 Minnesota (Jan. 20). She scored a season-high 20 points at Washington State (Nov. 16), while also leading the Huskers with 16 at Arkansas (Dec. 18). She put up a 17-point effort at Creighton (Dec. 2), 14 at Miami (Nov. 23) and 13 against Drake (Nov. 7). • Haiby owns 11 double-figure scoring efforts overall, including 12 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29), 12 more in a win over Michigan (Dec. 28) and 11 at No. 7 Maryland (Feb. 14). • Haiby also ranks second among the Huskers in assists (2.6 apg). • Ashtyn Veerbeek ranks third among the Husker freshmen in scoring with 7.2 points per game, while leading the freshmen and ranking second on the team with 5.4 rebounds. Veerbeek erupted for a career-high 19 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds in the win at Illinois (Jan. 17). She produced her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 8). Veerbeek just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds in a road win at Purdue (Jan. 31). She had 14 points in 14 minutes in a win over Denver (Dec. 15) and added 14 points for the third straight game at Arkansas (Dec. 18). She owns six double-digit scoring efforts on the year. She also ranks second among the Huskers with 25 blocks. • Kayla Mershon has pitched in 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She has made 10 consecutive starts. Mershon scored a career-high eight points against No. 9 Maryland (Jan. 8) and added seven points against the Terps (Feb. 14). She also had seven points against Rutgers (Jan. 13). She had a career-high seven rebounds in a win over Kansas (Dec. 5) and matched that total against Northwestern (Jan. 24). The 6-3 forward from Chanhassen, Minn., owns 21 assists and has committed just 10 turnovers through 26 games. • The freshmen have combined for 41.0 percent (776-of-1,892) of Nebraska’s points in just 36.3 percent of the team’s total minutes (1,907-of-5,250) on the season. They also have accounted for just 30.0 percent (121-of-403) of Nebraska’s turnovers. • Nebraska’s four freshmen are combining to average 29.8 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
Whitish Heating Up in Big Ten Play • Preseason All-Big Ten guard Hannah Whitish is catching fire in conference action, including a season-high 28-point performance at Purdue (Jan. 31). Whitish added a career-high 12 assists to notch her first career double-double. She also tied a career high with six threes in the win over the Boilermakers. • Whitish’s 12 assists tied for the ninth-best total by a Husker in school history. Only three players in Nebraska history [Rachel Theriot (4), Kathy Hawkins (3), Stacy Imming (1)] have had more than 12 assists in a game. • Whitish’s career high of 29 points came last season in back-to-back non-conference wins at Kansas and Drake. • Whitish owns a team-best 47 career double-figure scoring efforts, including a team-high 16 in 2018-19 and 18 in 2017-18. She owns five career 20-point performances, including three in 2017-18. • Whitish is averaging a team-best 11.3 points per Big Ten game this season, and 10.0 points overall on the year. • She has climbed to No. 3 on the Nebraska career three-point list with 184, moving ahead of current WNBA guard Yvonne Turner (183, 2007-10). • Whitish leads the Huskers with 54 three-pointers on the season. • Whitish scored in double figures for seven straight games before being shut out by a focused defensive effort from Purdue (Feb. 10). In the seven-game stretch, Whitish averaged 15 points per game and shot 43.6 percent (24-55) from three-point range. She also averaged 5.3 assists over those seven contests. • Whitish has climbed to No. 9 on the Nebraska career assist list with 349, and she is 43 away from catching fellow Wisconsin native and state player of the year Anna DeForge at No. 8 on that list (392, 1995-98). • Nebraska’s growth in the backcourt in 2017-18 started with 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. • Whitish 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). • 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. • 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, 2018).