Huskers Aim for Upset at No. 19 Wildcats

The Nebraska women's basketball team shoots for an upset on Sunday afternoon, when the Huskers travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on No. 19 Northwestern. Tip-off between the Huskers (16-9, 6-8 Big Ten) and the Wildcats (21-3, 11-2 Big Ten) is set for 2 p.m. (CT) at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Live radio coverage of Sunday's game can be heard on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha beginning at 1:45 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 on TuneIn.

Live video will be provided by Northwestern for BTN+ subscribers.

Nebraska snapped a four-game losing skid on Thursday with a 75-58 win over Penn State at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Leigha Brown led four Huskers in double figures with 20 points, while adding six rebounds and three assists off the bench. A leading candidate for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, Brown leads all conference reserves in scoring at 13.8 points per game, while adding 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. 

Fellow sophomores Sam Haiby (10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg) and Ashtyn Veerbeek (7.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) added double-digit scoring nights against the Lady Lions, while freshman forward Isabelle Bourne also pitched in 11 points and four boards off the bench.

Kate Cain continues to rewrite the Nebraska record book for blocked shots. The 6-5 center from Middletown, N.Y., has smashed the Husker career mark with 265 blocks in 87 games. The previous record, which stood for 38 years, was 238 blocks in 136 games by Janet Smith (1979-82).

Cain had six blocks to go along with six points and eight rebounds in the win over Penn State. Cain has pushed her Nebraska junior season record total to 86 - the second-best season total in school history, trailing only her 100 blocks as a freshman in 2017-18. Cain, who leads the Big Ten with 3.4 blocks per game, is averaging 6.0 blocks over the past five games with five straight games of five or more blocks. Her 86 total blocks rank third nationally this season.

Cain enters Sunday's game needing three blocks to match the career total (268) of her mother, Alison (Martinsky) Cain during her four-year career at Fairfield. Kate is also nine blocks away from joining the Big Ten's all-time top 10 (274).

Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 19/21 Northwestern Wildcats
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, 2 p.m. (CT)
Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039) - Evanston, Illinois
Live Video: BTN+ 
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (1:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - B107.3 FM; Omaha - ESPN 590 AM
Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn

Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-9, 6-8 Big Ten)
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - So. - F - 7.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 9.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - So. - G - 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 8.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Off the Bench
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - So. - F - 13.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 6.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 1.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg
11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - RSr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg
1 - Makenzie Helms - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 1.0 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 (58-58); 13th Season Overall (251-167)

No. 19/21 Northwestern Wildcats (21-3, 11-2 Big Ten)
21 - Abbie Wolf - 6-4 - Sr. - F/C - 11.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg
44 - Abi Scheid - 6-2 - Sr. - F/C - 11.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg
10 - Lindsey Pulliam - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 19.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
12 - Veronica Burton - 5-9 - So. - G - 10.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg 
3 - Sydney Wood - 5-11 - So. - G - 4.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Off the Bench
24 - Jordan Hamilton - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 4.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg
15 - Courtney Shaw - 6-0 - So. - F - 4.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg
22 - Byrdy Galernik - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 3.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg
0 - Jess Sancataldo - 6-0 - So. - G - 0.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg
2 - Lauryn Satterwhite - 5-7 - So. - G - 0.8 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Head Coach: Joe McKeown (Kent State, 1979)
11th Season at Northwestern (203-176); 34th Season Overall (712-350)

Scouting The Northwestern Wildcats
• One of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten this season, Northwestern is in the hunt for the Big Ten regular-season title. The Wildcats enter Sunday's game ranked No. 19 by the Associated Press and No. 21 by the USA Today Coaches with a 21-3 overall record and an 11-2 Big Ten mark.
• Although the Wildcats were coming off a 21-win season that culminated with a runner-up finish in the 2019 Postseason WNIT, they were not projected to finish among the top five teams in the Big Ten by either the coaches or the media in the preseason.
• The Wildcats have won four straight games following a 66-60 win at Michigan Thursday to complete a season sweep of the Wolverines. Northwestern's streak started with an 81-73 victory over Michigan.
• Northwestern's only Big Ten losses have come at Big Ten leader and current No. 10 Maryland (70-61, Jan. 26) and to the Big Ten's third-place team and current No. 17 Iowa (77-51, Jan. 5) in Evanston. The Wildcats also own an 81-58 win over the Terps in Evanston (Dec. 31), and NU knocked off current AP No. 20 Indiana, 71-69 in OT in Bloomington (Jan. 16). 
• Northwestern's only other loss came to current No. 13 DePaul (70-68, Dec. 1) at Welsh-Ryan.
• For Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland, their only losses this season are to current top-25 foes.
• Junior Lindsey Pulliam leads a balanced Wildcat lineup. A first-team All-Big Ten choice in 2019, the 5-10 guard ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring overall (19.0 ppg) and in conference play (20.0 ppg). Pulliam is the focal point of the offense but she is far from alone.
• Senior Abi Scheid is having a remarkably efficient season, averaging 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. The 6-2 forward/center is shooting a sizzling 50 percent (58-116) from three-point range, including 55.4 percent (31-56) in Big Ten play. Scheid is shooting 56.4 percent from the field in league play and averaging 12.5 points and nearly three assists per Big Ten contest.
• Joining Scheid in giving Northwestern one of the most formidable inside games in the Big Ten is senior Abbie Wolf. A 6-4 forward/center, Wolf is one of the Big Ten's most improved players, averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. For the season, Wolf is shooting 54.5 percent from the field. She also has nearly a 1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and leads the Wildcats with 32 blocked shots. Last season, Wolf averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
• While Wolf's numbers pop off the page, sophomore Veronica Burton might be the most significant reason for Northwestern's emergence. The 5-9 point guard is averaging 10.8 points, 5.0 assists and a Big Ten-best 3.5 steals per game. Burton has a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while also grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. She also ranks second among the Wildcats with 16 blocked shots. In 232 fewer minutes played than last season, Burton already has more rebounds (124-121), assists (121-113) and steals (83-81) than a year ago. She also needs just nine points to match last year's total.
• Fellow sophomore Sydney Wood has rounded out NU's starting five, averaging 4.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals. Wood scored a season-high 14 points on a perfect shooting night to go along with three rebounds, three assists and three steals in Thursday's win at Michigan.
• Long-time head coach Joe McKeown can also rely on three steady and experienced contributors off the bench in junior guard Jordan Hamilton (4.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg), sophomore forward Courtney Shaw (4.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and senior guard Byrdy Galernik (3.1 ppg).
• As a team, Northwestern is averaging 70.8 points per game. The Wildcats feature a stingy defense that surrenders just 56 points per contest. Northwestern also owns the Big Ten's best turnover margin (+6.5), while matching the opposition on the glass. The Wildcats are shooting a solid 43.4 percent from the field, including an outstanding 35.3 percent from three-point range. They have hit 68.7 percent of their free throws on the year, and that number has improved to 72.2 percent in Big Ten play.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 10-7, including a 71-64 win over the Wildcats in last season's meeting at the renovated Welsh-Ryan Arena (Feb. 21). The Huskers have won two straight in Evanston, including a 69-59 win at Evanston Township High School (Jan. 7, 2018).
• Hannah Whitish led the Huskers with 19 points and five threes to go with five assists in Evanston last season. Sam Haiby added 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench, while departed senior Maddie Simon contributed 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including two threes.
• Departed Northwestern senior Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah led the Wildcats with 19 points and 13 rebounds in the loss, while Lindsey Pulliam added 14 points but went just 5-for-21 from the field. Veronica Burton had eight points, nine assists and three steals.
• Nebraska is 4-3 all-time in Lincoln, but Northwestern has won the last two at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
• The Huskers are 5-4 against the Cats in Evanston, and 1-0 at the Big Ten Tournament (2012).

Nebraska Streaks
• Kate Cain owns Nebraska's longest streak of consecutive starts (86).
• Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska's second-longest streak of starts (81).
• Nicea Eliely and Leigha Brown are the only Huskers to score points in each of Nebraska's first 25 games this season.
• Kate Cain and Isabelle Bourne are the only Huskers to record at least one rebound for Nebraska in all 25 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 59 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, 79 games) that Eliely was shut out.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 367 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 246 consecutive games.

Numbers to Watch 
(1) Kristian Hudson needs one assist to reach 400 in her career (383 at FIU).
(3) Hannah Whitish is three points away from 1,200 in her career.
(3) Kate Cain needs three blocks to match the career total of her mother, Alison (Martinsky) Cain, during her career at Fairfield. Alison finished with 1,071 points, 768 rebounds and 268 blocks (No. 2 in Fairfield history).
(9) Kate Cain needs nine blocks to crack the top 10 list in Big Ten Conference history.
(13) Kate Cain is 13 rebounds away from 600 in her career.
(14) Kate Cain is 14 blocks away from her own Nebraska single-season block record (100) set as a freshman in 2017-18. Cain owns the top three season block totals in school history.

Husker Nuggets
• Nebraska is No. 44 in the Massey Ratings (Feb. 14),  with 11 Big Ten teams in the top 64: Maryland (4), Northwestern (7), Indiana (15), Iowa (17), Michigan (28), Ohio State (31), Purdue (35), Rutgers (40), Nebraska (44), Minnesota (51) and Michigan State (57).
• In the official NCAA RPI (Feb. 14), 11 Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 100: Maryland (3), Iowa (9), Northwestern (14), Indiana (15), Ohio State (25), Michigan (35), Purdue (37), Rutgers (54), Minnesota (62), Nebraska (81), Michigan State (90).
• Through 25 games, Nebraska is allowing an average of 64.8 points per game, after allowing 70.1 points per game last season. NU's 2018 NCAA Tournament team allowed 63.6.
• Opponents are shooting 36.8 percent from the field and 30.7 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 21 of 25 games in 2019-20. The Husker bench has outscored opposing benches in 49 of the last 55 games, including double-digit edges 36 times.
• This season, NU's bench has outscored opposing benches 646-393 (25.8-15.7 ppg).
• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 19 times in the last three seasons (87 games), including four times in the last 16 contests. Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women's basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (311 games).