Huskers Hope to Honor Seniors with Win

The Nebraska women's basketball team will complete its 2019-20 regular-season home schedule by playing host to Illinois on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Tip-off between the Huskers (16-11, 6-10 Big Ten) and the Fighting Illini (11-15, 2-13 Big Ten) is set for 2 p.m. (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com.

Live radio coverage of Saturday'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 Nebraska's BTN Student U for BTN+ subscribers.

Saturday's game will mark the final regular-season home game for four Nebraska seniors - Nicea Eliely, Kristian Hudson, Grace Mitchell and Hannah Whitish. Eliely, Mitchell and Whitish have each played more than 100 games in Husker uniforms since joining the Nebraska program as freshmen in 2016-17. The trio also helped the Huskers earn a trip to the 2018 NCAA Tournament and hopes to help Nebraska to another postseason bid in 2020. Hudson is in her second season as a graduate transfer for the Huskers after playing her first three seasons at Florida International.

The quartet of Nebraska seniors will be honored on the court during postgame ceremonies.

Nebraska is coming off a 65-52 setback at RPI No. 22 Ohio State on Wednesday. The Huskers struggled with their shooting strokes through the first three quarters but continued to fight and play solid defense against the Buckeyes, who averaged 84 points through their previous five games.

The Huskers have held four straight Big Ten foes to 65 or fewer points. At the same time, Nebraska has failed to score 65 points of its own in four of the last five contests.

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 274 blocks in 89 games. The previous record, which stood for 38 years, was 238 blocks in 136 games by Janet Smith (1979-82). 

Cain's two blocks at Ohio State Wednesday also placed her in a tie for 10th on the Big Ten career block list with former Illinois forward Alex Wittinger (2016-19).

Cain has pushed her Nebraska junior season record total to 95 blocks - the second-best season total overall in school history, trailing only her 100 blocks as a freshman in 2017-18. Cain leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with 3.5 blocks per game. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, 2 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,000) - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com
Live Video: BTN+ (Student U)
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 (16-11, 6-10 Big Ten)
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - So. - F - 7.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 9.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 8.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - So. - G - 10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Off the Bench
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - So. - F - 13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 5.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 1.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - RSr. - G - 0.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg
1 - Makenzie Helms - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.8 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 (58-60); 13th Season Overall (251-169)

Illinois Fighting Illini (11-15, 2-13 Big Ten)
44 - Kennedi Myles - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 8.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg
50 - Ali Andrews - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
1 - Brandi Beasley - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 8.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg
10 - Jeanae Terry - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 6.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg
13 - Petra Holesinska - 5-9 - RJr. - G - 13.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Off the Bench
11 - Jada Peebles - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 5.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg
30 - Courtney Joens - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 5.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
23 - Mackenzie Blazek - 6-3 - So. - F - 4.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg
0 - J-Naya Ephraim - 5-9 - So. - G - 2.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg
5 - Cierra Rice - 5-9 - RSr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 0.7 rpg
21 - Nancy Panagiotopoulou - 6-3 - RSo. - F - 1.2 ppg, 0.8 rpg
2 - Lyric Robins - 5-11 - Jr. - F - 0.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg
4 - Carolyn Weleski - 5-10 - So. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
12 - Taylor Edwards - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 0.4 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Nancy Fahey (Wisconsin, 1981)
Third Season at Illinois (30-57); 34th Season Overall (767-190)

Scouting The Illinois Fighting Illini
• Illinois and Coach Nancy Fahey come to Lincoln with an 11-15 overall record and a 2-13 Big Ten mark following an 80-59 loss at Michigan on Wednesday night. Illinois got its second Big Ten win with a 70-66 victory at Penn State on Feb. 9. Illinois' other Big Ten win came with a 74-71 victory over Minnesota (Jan. 12).
• A member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Fahey led Washington University in St. Louis to five NCAA Division III national championships in her 31 seasons as head coach of the Bears.
• Former Nebraska assistant LaKale Malone is the associate head coach for the Illini.
• Illinois is led by junior shooter Petra Holesinska, who is averaging 13.8 points and 2.9 rebounds. Holesinska ranks among the Big Ten's best long-range shooters, hitting 42.7 percent (67-157) of her threes, including 37.8 percent in league play.
• Holesinska is the only Illini player averaging in double figures, but Kennedi Myles has added 8.9 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds. Myles, a 6-2 freshman forward, averaged a double-double with 10.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in non-conference play, but her production has dipped to 7.4 points and 6.8 boards in her first season of league action.
• Senior Ali Andrews adds size, experience and a long-range threat for the Illini. The 6-2 forward is averaging 8.6 points and 3.7 rebounds. She is shooting 38.6 percent (34-88) from long range.
• Brandi Beasley joins Andrews as a senior in the starting five, averaging 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Beasley has started more than 100 games in her Illinois career and posted career numbers of more than 1,300 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists. She had 21 points, six rebounds and three assists in Wednesday's loss at Michigan.
• Freshman Jeanae Terry, a 5-11 guard, is averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while rounding out the starting five. Another freshman, 5-10 guard Jada Peebles, has started 11 games during the season, and has contributed 5.2 points.
• Seniors Courtney Joens (5.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Cierra Rice (2.7 ppg) and sophomores Mackenzie Blazek (4.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and J-Naya Ephraim (2.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg) complete the list of significant contributors for the Fighting Illini.
• In Big Ten play, Illinois has been outscored by an average of 18.8 points per game (76.6-57.8), taking 11 of its 13 Big Ten losses by double digits. The Illini have been out-rebounded 43.3-30.1 (-13.2 rpg) in conference action this season. Last year, Illinois was outscored by an average of 10 points (74.3-64.3) and out-rebounded by 6.9 points (39.4-32.5) in league play. The Illini have not had a winning season since 2012-13 (19-14, 9-7), which is the last time Illinois won more than six Big Ten games.

Nebraska vs. Illinois Series History
• Nebraska owns a 13-5 edge in the all-time series with Illinois, including a 77-67 win in the last meeting between the schools in Champaign on Jan. 17, 2019. Freshman Ashtyn Veerbeek led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
• The Huskers own a three-game series winning streak since losing to the Illini 79-70 in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (March 1, 2017). Hannah Whitish (16) and Nicea Eliely (14) combined for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists for Nebraska as freshmen in that game, but Illini freshmen Ali Andrews (24) and Brandi Beasley (20) joined forces for 44 points, 12 rebounds and six steals.    
• Overall, Nebraska is 6-2 against Illinois in Champaign, 1-2 on neutral courts and 6-1 against the Illini in Lincoln. Nebraska has won four straight games against Illinois in Lincoln.
• Nebraska's series with Illinois dates back to an 89-86 Husker win over the Illini at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on March 3, 1982.

Nebraska Streaks
• Kate Cain owns Nebraska's longest streak of consecutive starts (88).
• Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska's second-longest streak of starts (83).
• Kate Cain has recorded multiple blocks in 10 consecutive games and 21 of 27 games this season.
• Nicea Eliely and Leigha Brown are the only Huskers to score points in each of Nebraska's first 27 games this season.
• Kate Cain is the only Husker to record at least one rebound in all 27 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 61 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, 81 games) that Eliely was shut out.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 369 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 248 consecutive games.

Numbers to Watch 
(1) Kristian Hudson needs one assist to reach 400 in her career (383 at FIU).
(1) Leigha Brown's next assist will be the 100th of her career.
(2) Sam Haiby needs two rebounds to reach 200 in her career.
(3) Ashtyn Veerbeek needs three points to reach 400 in her career.
(4.0) Kate Cain and Kristian Hudson posted perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester of 2019.
(5) Kate Cain is five 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
• The Big Ten features 11 teams in the top 64 of the Massey Ratings: Maryland (4), Northwestern (7), Iowa (15), Indiana (16), Ohio State (28), Michigan (30), Purdue (34), Rutgers (36), Nebraska (48), Michigan State (53), Minnesota (59).
• The Big Ten has 11 teams in the NCAA RPI Top 100: Maryland (3), Northwestern (10), Iowa (12), Indiana (19), Ohio State (22), Michigan (35), Purdue (37), Rutgers (46), Minnesota (72), Nebraska (86), Michigan State (92).
• Through 27 games, Nebraska is allowing an average of 64.6 points per game, after allowing 70.1 points per game last season. NU's 2018 NCAA Tournament team allowed 63.6.
• Opponents are shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 31 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 22 of 27 games in 2019-20. The Husker bench has outscored opposing benches in 50 of the last 57 games, including double-digit edges 36 times.
• This season, NU's bench has outscored opposing benches 680-423 (25.2-15.7 ppg).
• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 19 times in the last three seasons (89 games), including four times in the last 18 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).