Huskers Travel to Rutgers Sunday

The Nebraska women's basketball team returns to Big Ten Conference road action this weekend, as the Huskers take on Rutgers Sunday afternoon in New Jersey. Tip-off between the Huskers (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) and the Scarlet Knights (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) is set for 1 p.m. (CT) in a game that will impact the top tier of the Big Ten standings, as both teams enter the contest in a tie for second place in the conference race.

Live radio coverage for Sunday's game can be heard on B107.3 FM in Lincoln along with ESPN 590 AM in Omaha beginning at 12:45 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, the Huskers App and TuneIn.

Nebraska notched its third Big Ten win with an impressive 65-50 victory over Wisconsin on Thursday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Leigha Brown led Nebraska with 15 points off the bench, while fellow sophomore Sam Haiby added 11 points, a season-high seven assists, and three steals. Freshman forward Isabelle Bourne also contributed career highs with 11 points, eight boards and two blocks in an outstanding effort for a Big Red bench that outscored the Badger reserves 29-9.

Kate Cain, a Lisa Leslie Award candidate, has been a leader early for the Huskers in Big Ten play, averaging 12.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and a Big Ten-best 3.3 blocks through four games. Cain, a 6-5 junior from Middletown, N.Y., opened league play with three straight double-doubles. 

Cain claimed her first spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (Jan. 6) by averaging 14.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocks last week. She hit 70 percent (14-20) of her shots from the field.

Two-time All-Big Ten guard Hannah Whitish is averaging 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal in league play. The 5-9 senior guard is the first Husker in history to reach the combined career milestones of 1,000 points (1,092), 400 assists (420) and 200 three-pointers (225).

Sophomore Sam Haiby leads Nebraska in scoring (14.3 ppg), assists (3.5 apg) and steals (2.5 spg) in Big Ten play. The 5-9 guard is the only Husker to produce double figures in each of Nebraska's four Big Ten games. She has scored in double figures in six straight games overall.

Fellow sophomore Leigha Brown is a leading contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year honors. The 6-1 guard/forward is averaging 13.7 points per game (10.8 ppg B1G) and is the only Big Ten player to rank among the top 30 in the league in scoring without making a start.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, 1 p.m. (CT)
The RAC (8,000) - Piscataway, N.J.
Live Video: BTN+ 
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (12:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - B107.3 FM; Omaha - ESPN 590 AM; Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn

Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten)
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - So. - F - 8.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 10.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - So. - G - 11.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Off the Bench
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - So. - F - 13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 1.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg
11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - RSr. - G - 1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg
1 - Makenzie Helms - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Out for Season
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Fourth Season at Nebraska (55-51); 13th Season Overall (248-160)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten)
13 - Mael Gilles - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 7.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg
44 - Jordan Wallace - 6-3 - Sr. - C - 6.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg
31 - Tekia Mack - 6-1 - Jr. - F/G - 13.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg
12 - Khadaiza Sanders - 5-7 - Gr. - G - 10.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg
24 - Arella Guirantes - 5-11 - RJr. - G - 19.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Off the Bench
15 - Maori Davenport - 6-4 - Fr. - C - 4.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg
1 - Zipporah Broughton - 5-7 - So. - G - 3.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
20 - Joiya Maddox - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg
5 - Danielle Migliore - 5-7 - Gr. - G - 2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
22 - Tyia Singleton - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 2.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
0 - Alexis Morris - 5-6 - RSo. - G - 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: C. Vivian Stringer (Slippery Rock, 1971)
25th Season at Rutgers (512-279); 49th Season Overall (1,032-414)

Scouting the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
• Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer brings 1,032 career wins with her into Sunday afternoon's game against Nebraska at the RAC in Piscataway. Stringer's 25th Rutgers team is contending for a spot in the top 25 in the national polls. The Scarlet Knights are 13-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. They are coming off an impressive 75-51 win at Illinois on Thursday night, and Rutgers also owns league wins at Wisconsin (64-61) and Purdue (59-53) along with a home loss to No. 12 Indiana (66-56).
• Rutgers always starts with defense and the Scarlet Knights are allowing just 52.1 points while holding opponents to 31.9 percent shooting through 15 games. Rutgers owns a plus-6.7 rebound margin and a plus-1.7 turnover margin.
• So far this season, Rutgers has also featured a consistent offensive punch from a group of five regular starters. As a team, Rutgers is averaging 69.9 points per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, including 32.8 percent (84-256) from three-point range. RU is shooting 69.4 percent at the free throw line.
• The Scarlet Knights' offense features the Big Ten's leading scorer in redshirt junior Arella Guirantes. The 5-11 guard who transferred from Texas Tech two years ago, is averaging 19.9 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game. Those numbers are roughly double her production from her first season as a starter at Rutgers last year. Guirantes is a knock-down shooter, connecting on 41.9 percent (18-43) of her three-point attempts, but 76 of her 94 field goals have been from two-point range this year. She also leads Rutgers at the line at 77.7 percent (73-94). Guirantes leads Rutgers in minutes played (35.2 mpg), and blocks (1.1 bpg) while ranking second on the team in assists (3.9 apg). Guirantes had 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in Thursday's win at Illinois.
• While Guirantes is the featured scorer, senior Khadaiza (KK) Sanders is the motor that drives the Scarlet Knights on offense and defense. Sanders, who missed last season, is averaging 10.1 points and team bests of 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals. She ranks third on the team with 12 threes.
• Junior Tekia Mack has also emerged for Rutgers. The 6-1 wing ranks second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg) and steals (1.9 spg). She has hit an impressive 51 percent of her shots, while also knocking down 11 threes. Mack, who had 10 points, eight boards and three steals at Illinois Thursday, has added 2.1 assists per game. Her scoring numbers have nearly tripled from a year ago, when she averaged 5.3 points. She had seven points in last year's win over NU.
• Senior Jordan Wallace, a 6-3 center, has provided size and stability inside for the Scarlet Knights. Wallace is averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while hitting 56 percent of her shots from the field. She ranks second on the team with 13 blocks. She does struggle at the free throw line, hitting just 7-of-18 attempts (.389) at the stripe this season.
• Wallace has split time in the post with talented freshman Maori Davenport. The 6-4 center is averaging 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds while adding 10 total blocks. She is shooting 54 percent from the field.
• Mael Gilles has also stepped into her own at power forward for the Scarlet Knights. Gilles, a 6-1 junior, is an outstanding three-point shooter (15-35, .429) and a tremendous defender, ranking fourth on the team with 21 steals. She is also Rutgers' best free throw shooter (17-20, .850). She is not a high volume offensive player, but she does little things all over the court on both the offensive and defensive ends to make Rutgers a better basketball team. She had 12 points on 4-of-9 three-point shooting in the win at Illinois Thursday.
• Sophomore Zipporah (Zippy) Broughton adds talented depth at the guard spots, averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, along with true freshman Joiya Maddox (2.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg).
• Danielle Migliore, a graduate transfer from St. Bonaventure, is the only Rutgers player outside of their regular starting five to make a start this season. The 5-7 Migliore started one game in place of Guirantes during non-conference play. Migliore is averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds after averaging 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds last year for the Bonnies. She hit 112 threes in her three-year career at St. Bonaventure and averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in nearly 33 minutes per game as a sophomore. She hit two of RU's 12 threes at Illinois on Thursday.
• Tyia Singleton, a 6-2 redshirt freshman forward, has contributed throughout the season, averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds while hitting 60.9 percent of her field goal attempts.
• Redshirt sophomore Alexis Morris, a transfer from Baylor, was recently added to the Rutgers active roster. Morris transferred in midseason of 2018-19. She arrived in Piscataway in January of 2019 and had to sit out one year due to NCAA transfer rules, making her first appearance as a Scarlet Knight in 10 minutes off the bench in the win at Wisconsin. She has averaged close to 11 minutes per game in four Big Ten contests. She scored her first points as a Scarlet Knight with a two-pointer at Illinois. She has six assists, four steals, four rebounds and six turnovers through four games.
• Sophomore Noga Peleg Pelc, a 5-7 guard from Israel, was a consistent contributor for Rutgers last year (5.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg) and averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds through seven games this season. However, she has missed the last eight games for the Scarlet Knights. 

Nebraska vs. Rutgers Series History
• Rutgers leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 4-3, including a 62-56 win over Nebraska in Lincoln last season (Jan. 13, 2019). That win stopped a two-game series winning streak for the Huskers, including a 52-42 victory over No. 25 Rutgers in their last trip to the RAC (Jan. 21, 2018). Kate Cain (Middletown, N.Y.) led the Huskers with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
• The Huskers are 2-1 all-time against Rutgers at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and 1-2 at the RAC, dating back to the first-ever meeting between the two teams on Feb. 5, 2015. The No. 21 Scarlet Knights earned a hard-fought 46-43 victory over the No. 19 Huskers. Rutgers went 0-for-2 from three-point range in that game.
• Rutgers eliminated Nebraska from the 2016 Big Ten Tournament with a 66-63 win in Indianapolis on March 3, 2016. 

Nebraska Streaks
• Kate Cain owns Nebraska's longest streak of consecutive starts (76).
• Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska's second-longest streak of starts (71).
• Kate Cain has recorded at least one block in all 15 games this season, and has blocked a shot in 17 straight games dating back to last season.
• As a team, Nebraska has blocked at least one shot in 84 consecutive games.
• Sam Haiby has produced double-figure points in six consecutive games, the longest active double-digit scoring streak among the Huskers. 
• Kate Cain, Nicea Eliely and Leigha Brown are the only Huskers to score points in each of Nebraska's first 15 games this season.
• Kate Cain, Nicea Eliely and Isabelle Bourne are the only Huskers to record at least one rebound for the Huskers in all 15 games this season.
• 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 49 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, 72 games) that Eliely was shut out.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 357 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 236 consecutive games.

Numbers to Watch 
(2) Kristian Hudson needs two assists to reach 400 in her career (383 at FIU).
(6) Leigha Brown is six points away from 500 in her career.
(7) Kristian Hudson needs seven rebounds to reach 400 in her career (372 at FIU).
(8) Hannah Whitish is eight points away from 1,100 in her career. Whitish, who is No. 26 on NU's career scoring list, is just 41 points away from the top 20 on that list (1,133).
(13) Kate Cain is 13 blocked shots away from matching the Nebraska career block record held by Janet Smith (238, 1979-82).
(24) Sam Haiby is 24 points away from 500 in her career.
(100) Nicea Eliely made her team-leading 100th career start in Thursday's win over Illinois.
(225) Career blocks for Kate Cain (No. 2 in Husker history) and career three-pointers for Hannah Whitish (No. 3 in Husker history).

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska's 13-2 start is its best 15-game start under Coach Amy Williams and NU's best start since opening 15-1, including 3-0 in the Big Ten during a 16-game conference season in 2011-12 - Nebraska's first season in the league.
• Nebraska ranks No. 14 nationally in total home attendance (46,601).
• Entering games Jan. 10, Nebraska and Rutgers were two of just 21 teams nationally (4 Big Ten) with 13 or more wins.
• Nebraska is No. 30 in the Massey Ratings (Jan. 7). Other Big Ten teams in the top 45 included: Indiana (8), Northwestern (19), Iowa (20), Maryland (21), Rutgers (22), Purdue (37), Ohio State (39), Michigan (43) and Minnesota (44).
• Through 15 games, Nebraska is allowing an average of 60.5 points per game (including 58.7 ppg in regulation), after allowing 70.1 points per game last season. NU's 2018 NCAA Tournament team allowed 63.6.
• Opponents are shooting 34.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three-point range against NU. Last year, Husker foes hit 41.1 percent, including 33.4 percent from three. In 2017-18, Nebraska led the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.371) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.299).
• Nebraska has held eight opponents to 55 points or less this season. Last year, NU held only two foes (Radford-39, Kansas-52) to 55 or less. NU held 11 opponents to 55 or less in 2017-18.
• NU's bench has outscored opponent reserves in 14 of the first 15 games (not Michigan State) in 2019-20. The Husker bench has outscored opposing benches in 42 of the last 45 games overall, including double-digit edges in 31 of the last 45 games.
• This season, NU's bench has outscored opposing benches 393-213 (26.0-14.2 ppg).