Huskers Face Sacred Heart in Battle of Big Reds

Nebraska closes out its two-game stay at the South Point Shootout by taking on Sacred Heart on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Tip-off between the Big Red from Nebraska (6-1) and the Big Red from Sacred Heart (3-3) is set for 5:30 p.m. (CT) at South Point Arena.

Live radio coverage for Saturday's game with Sacred Heart can be heard on 1400 AM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha beginning at 5:15 p.m. (CT). Stations across the state will also carry the broadcast on the Learfield-IMG College Husker Sports Network. Free live audio can be found at Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

A free live video stream will be provided by the South Point Shootout through Vimeo Livestream.

Nebraska opened the tournament with a 67-54 win over USC on Friday night. Sophomore Leigha Brown led the Huskers with 16 points, while senior Nicea Eliely added 12 points and junior center Kate Cain pitched in 10 points.

The Huskers went to the fourth quarter tied at 52 with USC, before holding the Trojans without a field goal in the final period, outscoring USC 15-2 in the last 10 minutes, including an 11-0 run to close the game. NU also held the Trojans without an offensive rebound in the fourth quarter, while the Huskers committed just one fourth-quarter turnover.

Sacred Heart notched its third win of the year with a 66-60 victory over Detroit Mercy to open the tournament on Friday. 

Leigha Brown continues to lead the Huskers in scoring with 15.4 points per game on the season. Brown, who has come off the bench in all seven games this season, has produced double figures in all seven contests and owns eight straight games with double-digit scoring.

Fellow sophomore Sam Haiby ranks second on the squad in scoring with 11.3 points per game, while adding nearly three assists per contest.

Sophomore Ashtyn Veerbeek has pitched in 9.7 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per contest. Veerbeek and Haiby have joined each other in NU's starting five for all seven games this season alongside seniors Hannah Whitish (7.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.3 apg) and Nicea Eliely (8.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and junior Kate Cain (9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.0 bpg).

Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Huskers and Pioneers.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1) vs. Sacred Heart Pioneers (3-3)
Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, 5:30 p.m. (CT)
South Point Arena - Las Vegas, Nevada
Live Video: Vimeo Livestream
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (5:15 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln-1400 AM KLIN; CD 105.9 FM
Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - So. - F - 9.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 7.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - So. - G - 11.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 8.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Off the Bench
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - So. - F - 15.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 4.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 2.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg
11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - RSr. - G - 1.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
1 - Makenzie Helms - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Fourth Season at Nebraska (48-50); 13th Season Overall (241-159)

Sacred Heart Pioneers (3-3, 0-0 Northeast)
24 - Jessica Woods - 6-2 - Jr. - C - 12.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
22 - Adrianne Hagood - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 18.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg
3 - Nikki Johnson - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg
10 - Olivia Dabney - 5-10 - Jr. - G/F - 7.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
12 - Allyson Murphy - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Off the Bench
2 - Sonia Smith - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
4 - Jayla Davis - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 6.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
0 - Marie-Laeticia Ziba - 5-11 - Fr. - G/F - 1.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg
13 - Carly Stroemel - 6-2 - Fr. - F/C - 1.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
23 - Madison Cheatham - 6-4 - Sr. - C - 0.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
33 - Savannah Marshall - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Head Coach: Jessica Mannetti (Concordia, N.Y., 2001)
7th Season at Sacred Heart (101-92); 7th Season Overall: (101-92)

Scouting Sacred Heart
• Sacred Heart comes into Saturday's game against Nebraska with a 3-3 record after a 66-60 win over Detroit Mercy in the opening game of the South Point Shootout on Friday morning. 
• The Fairfield, Conn., school went 19-13 overall and 14-4 as the Northeast Conference runner-up in Jessica Mannetti's sixth season at the helm in 2018-19. The Pioneers ended their season in the first round of the Postseason WNIT.
• Junior guard Adrianne Hagood averaged 11.2 points per game last year, and has been even better early this season averaging a team-best 18.8 points per game. Hagood has hit 17-of-32 three-pointers (.531), while also going 12-for-24 from inside the arc. Hagood erupted for 29 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting in a win over Bridgeport on Nov. 20. She added 21 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting in Friday's win over Detroit Mercy.
• Fellow juniors Jessica Woods, Nikki Johnson and Olivia Dabney give the Pioneers an experienced starting five alongside senior Allyson Murphy. 
• Woods, a 6-2 center, is averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds, but struggled with four points, three rebounds and four turnovers against Detroit Mercy.
• Johnson, a 5-9 guard, gives the Big Red three players averaging double figures with 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and team-bests of 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Johnson had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win over Detroit Mercy.
• Dabney has contributed 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game to go along with a team-best 12 blocks from her wing position. Dabney had eight points and a game-high seven rebounds against Detroit Mercy.
• Murphy, a 5-5 guard, has managed 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while starting all six games alongside Woods, Johnson and Dabney. 
• A fifth junior, Jayla Davis, provides even more experience off the bench. The 5-7 guard is averaging 6.3 points and 2.0 rebounds, while 6-4 senior center Madison Cheatham can provide more size.
• The rest of Sacred Heart's rotation has been filled with a four-player freshman class, led by 5-7 guard Sonia Smith (6.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg). No other Pioneer is averaging two points per game.
• As a team, Sacred Heart is averaging 65 points per game while allowing 64. The Pioneers are shooting 40.5 percent from the field, including 34.4 percent from three-point range after going 10-for-22 beyond the arc in a win over Detroit Mercy Friday. They have held their opponents to 38.6 percent shooting from the floor, but the opposition has knocked down 33.3 percent of their three-pointers.
• Sacred Heart has been out-rebounded, 37.8-35.0 (-2.8), and carry a minus-2.3 turnover margin through six games.
• Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Sacred Heart in women's basketball.

Nebraska Streaks
• Kate Cain owns Nebraska's longest streak of consecutive starts (68).
• Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska's second-longest streak of starts (63).
• Eliely was the only Husker to score in all 30 games last season, and the only Husker to score in all of Nebraska's games against Big Ten Conference foes. She has scored in 41 consecutive games overall. She did not score in a win over Penn State on Feb. 22, 2018, the only time in the past three seasons (including 2019-20, 69 games) that Eliely was shut out.
• Leigha Brown has scored in double figures in all seven games to open the season. She has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games overall - the longest active streak by a Husker.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 349 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 228 consecutive games.

Numbers to Watch 
(2) Nicea Eliely is two assists away from 200 in her career.
(3) Leigha Brown is three points away from 400 in her career.
(7) Kate Cain is seven blocks from No. 3 on the Nebraska career list (207, Danielle Page, 2005-08).
(7) Hannah Whitish is seven assists away from becoming just the eighth Husker in history with 400 career assists.
(7) Kristian Hudson needs seven assists to reach 400 in her career (383 at FIU).
(11) Kristian Hudson needs 11 rebounds to reach 400 in her career (372 at FIU).

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska's trip to the South Point Shootout is its second to the tournament in the last four seasons. The Huskers went 0-2 with losses to Washington State (79-65) and Virginia (73-51) at the tournament, Nov. 25-26, 2016 - Coach Amy Williams' first season at the helm of the Huskers.
• Through seven games, Nebraska is allowing an average of 58.1 points per game while holding opponents to 31.9 percent shooting from the field and 26.6 percent success from three-point range.
• Last season, Nebraska allowed an average of 70.1 points per game, while opponents shot 41.1 percent from the field and 33.4 percent from long range.
• Nebraska has held five opponents to 55 points or less through seven games this season. Last year, NU held only two foes (Radford-39, Kansas-52) to 55 or less.
• In 2017-18, Nebraska held 11 of 32 opponents to 55 points or less.
• Nebraska's bench has outscored the opposing bench in all seven games this season. The Huskers have outscored the opponent bench in 35 of the last 37 games.
• The Husker bench has outscored the opponent bench by double digits 26 times in the last 37 games, including a 30-1 edge in a loss to 2019 NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Iowa (Feb. 25, 2019).
• Overall, Nebraska's bench outscored opposition benches 950-492 (31.7-16.4 ppg) for a plus-15.3 margin in 2018-19.
• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 15 times in the last three seasons (including 2019-20, 69 games). Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women's basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game only six times (311 games).