Huskers Face Tough Tests in Puerto Rico

The Nebraska women's basketball team travels to San Juan for a pair of stiff challenges over the Thanksgiving holiday break at the Puerto Rico Clasico at the Coliseo Roberte Clemente in San Juan, Nov. 25-26. 

The Huskers 3-2 open tournament play on Friday by battling Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 12:30 p.m. (CT). The Islanders (2-3) tipped off the tournament with a 63-58 loss to Stony Brook on Thanksgiving Day.

A live video stream of NU's game with the Islanders will be available to subscribers of FloSports (FloHoops). Fans can listen to the call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the Huskers Radio Network (107.3 FM, Lincoln and 105.9 FM, Omaha), the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

On Saturday, the Huskers wrap up tournament play by taking on Mississippi State (4-1) at 12:30 p.m. (CT). The Bulldogs hit the court for the first time in San Juan against Georgetown on Friday at 10 a.m., in a game immediately preceding Nebraska's game with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. 

Nebraska is making its first trip to Puerto Rico since the San Juan Shootout over the Thanksgiving break of 2001. The Huskers went 2-1 with wins over Colgate (86-45) and Northern Iowa (80-74) and a loss to Tulane (84-78), Nov. 23-25. That trip came in Coach Paul Sanderford's final year at Nebraska.

It was the second straight trip to San Juan made by the Huskers, who also appeared at the 2000 Shootout (Dec. 18-21), where they lost to Auburn (74-55) and Arizona (79-68) around a win over UPR-Mayaguez (99-43).

Nebraska was scheduled to travel to Puerto Rico over the Thanksgiving holiday for the San Juan Shootout in 2017-18, but category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico in September of 2017, causing extensive long-term damage to the island. Nebraska competed in the San Juan Shootout, which relocated to Daytona Beach (Nov. 23-24). The Huskers fell to Buffalo (82-72) before defeating Coastal Carolina (55-47).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-2)
vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2-3)
Friday, November 25, 2022, 12:30 p.m. (CT)
Coliseo Roberto Clemente - San Juan, P.R.
Live Video: FloHoops
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (12:15 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (105.9 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - So. - C/F - 15.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - So. - G - 3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Off the Bench
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 6.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - So. - G - 5.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 3.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 4.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 0.0  ppg, 4.0 rpg
24 - Nailah Dillard - 5-10 - Gr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
44 - Maggie Mendelson - 6-5 - Fr. - F/C - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Seventh Season at Nebraska (99-86); 16th Season Overall (292-195)

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (2-3, 0-0 Southland)
13 - Alecia Westbrook - 6-1 - Sr. - F/C - 8.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg
14 - Bruna Anguera - 6-2 - Fr. - C - 5.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
20 - Makinna Serrata - 6-0 - RSr. - G - 10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg
24 - Violeta Verano - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 5.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
25 - Mireia Aguado - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Jaeda Whitner - 5-5 - So. - G - 5.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg
11 - Paige Allen - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
21 - Maya Ellis - 6-0 - So. - F - 3.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg
15 - Sasha Shishkina - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 3.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
30 - Annika Willstedt - 5-9 - So. - G - 2.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
23 - Kristen Daniels - 5-11 - Gr. - G - 1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
10 - Hayle Campbell - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 1.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
35 - Justis Odom - 6-2 - Jr. - C - 1.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
32 - Nabaweeyah McGill - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg
2 - Deja Williams - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Royce Chadwick (SW Oklahoma St., 1980)
11th Season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (146-148); 39th Season Overall (709-269)

Scouting the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
Head Coach Royce Chadwick takes Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to the Puerto Rico Clasico with a 2-3 record following a 63-58 loss to Stony Brook on Thanksgiving Day. The Islanders headed to Puerto Rico following back-to-back wins, including a 63-46 victory over Western Colorado at the Dugan Wellness Center in Corpus Christi on Sunday.

The Islanders also own a 70-38 win over Texas Lutheran, following opening-week losses at Texas Tech (69-49, Nov. 7) and Texas A&M (69-45, Nov. 10).

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is led by 6-1 senior forward Alecia Westbrook who averages 8.2 points and team bests of 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Westbrook was held scoreless but still managed eight rebounds before fouling out in just 19 minutes of action in the loss to Stony Brook.

Fifth-year senior Makinna Serrata, a 6-0 guard, took over the team lead in scoring (10.4 ppg) from Westbrook after putting up a team-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds in 24 minutes in the loss to Stony Brook. Serrata has added 5.0 rebounds per game. Bruna Anguera, a 6-2 freshman center, has pitched in 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds, while fellow Spaniard Violeta Verano, a 5-9 junior guard, has joined Anguera, Serrata and Westbrook in the starting five for each of the first five games. Verano is averaging 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-best 2.2 assists. She also leads the Islanders with five three-pointers, including one against Stony Brook on her way to seven points.

Maya Ellis (3.8 ppg), Paige Allen (3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Mireia Aguado (4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg) have split starting assignments as well. Aguada made her second start of the season in the loss to Stony Brook and finished with eight points before fouling out. Jaeda Whitner also came off the bench for eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, against Stony Brook. She moved into a tie with Verano for the team lead with five three-pointers.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi carries a 15-player roster that features five international players, including four from Spain and one Russian (Sasha Shishkina). All 15 players have competed in at least four games for the Islanders this season.

The Islander roster includes three Texans (Makinna Serrata, Deja Williams, Hayle Campbell) and  two players from Kansas City, Missouri (Alecia Westbrook, Paige Allen).

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has been solid defensively, holding opponents to just 57 points per game. Islander foes have hit just 39.5 percent of their field goals, including a dismal 24 percent (23-96) of their three-pointers. The Islanders also own a plus-3.2 rebound margin but a minus-0.8 turnover margin after suffering a minus-eight margin (17-9) in the loss to Stony Brook.

Offensively, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has struggled to score just 57 points per game while hitting just 37.5 percent of its shots from the floor, including 29.4 percent (25-85) three-pointers. The Islanders have also hit just 60.4 percent of their free throws.

Nebraska is 2-0 all time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with the last meeting coming in a 76-64 Husker win at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 27, 2005. The Huskers also defeated the Islanders 76-58 in Lincoln on Dec. 8, 2001.

Williams Shoots for 100th Husker Win
Amy Williams will take aim at her 100th win as Nebraska's head coach when the Huskers face Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Friday in San Juan, P.R.

Williams could become the third Nebraska women's basketball coach in history to reach the 100-win mark, joining Connie Yori (280) and Angela Beck (191).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-2)
vs. Mississippi State (4-1)
Saturday, November 26, 2022, 12:30 p.m. (CT)
Coliseo Roberto Clemente - San Juan, P.R.
Live Video: FloHoops
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (12:15 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-1, 0-0 SEC)
4 - Jessika Carter - 6-5 - RSr. - F/C - 12.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg
0 - Anastasia Hayes - 5-7 - Gr. - G - 10.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg
1 - Ahlana Smith - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 6.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
2 - JerKaila Jordan - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 11.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
21 - Debreasha Powe - 6-1 - Fr. - G/F - 11.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Asianae Johnson - 5-8 - Gr. - G - 9.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
25 - Denae Carter - 6-0 - So. - F - 7.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg
23 - Ramani Parker - 6-4 - Jr. - F - 5.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg
11 - Kourtney Weber - 5-10 - Gr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
5 - Alasia Hayes - 5-7 - RSo. - G - 2.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
24 - Nyayongah Gony - 6-4 - RSo. - F - 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
22 - Charlotte Kohl - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Sam Purcell (Auburn, 2003)
First Season at Mississippi State (4-1); First Season Overall (4-1)

Scouting the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Head Coach Sam Purcell brings his first Mississippi State team to Puerto Rico with a 4-1 record after back-to-back wins over Alabama State (81-46) and Colorado State (71-66).

Purcell was an assistant to Head Coach Jeff Walz at Louisville from 2013 to 2022, helping the Cardinals to the NCAA Women's Final Four last season. That followed a successful stint at Georgia Tech from 2007 to 2013.

Purcell was also an assistant coach alongside Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams at Tulsa in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

The Bulldogs, who went 15-14 under interim head coach Doug Novak last season, were the 2019 SEC Champions under Vic Schaefer. He led the Bulldogs to NCAA Championship Game appearances in 2017 and 2018 before taking Mississippi State to a third straight NCAA Elite Eight in 2019. Schaefer, now the head coach at Texas, spent his last season at MSU in 2019-20 before Nikki McCray-Penson briefly took the reins of the program for the 2020-21 season. McCray-Penson is now an assistant at Rutgers.

Jessika Carter, a 6-5 redshirt senior forward/center, is the only remaining member of Mississippi State's 2019 NCAA Elite Eight and SEC Championship team under Schaefer. She played in 36 games off the bench. She leads Mississippi State in scoring (12.0 ppg), rebounding (7.6 rpg) and blocked shots (3.2 bpg) this season. She joins Nebraska's Alexis Markowski on the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List this season.

Carter is joined by a pair of experienced graduate guards in Anastasia Hayes (10.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.6 apg) and Ahlana Smith (6.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg). Hayes (24), who was a freshman at Tennessee in 2017-18, transferred to Mississippi State alongside her younger sisters, Aislynn (22, Middle Tennessee) and Alasia (Notre Dame) prior to the 2021-22 season. Smith came to Mississippi State from Louisville after playing two seasons for the Cardinals.

Junior JerKaila Jordan returns to the Bulldogs after starting all 29 games last season. She averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals for MSU last season. The 5-9 guard has averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-best 2.2 steals early this season. Jordan was the AAC Freshman of the Year at Tulane in 2020-21.

Freshman Debreasha Powe rounds out Mississippi State's starting five. The 6-1 wing was the No. 84 prospect in the nation by ESPN and the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year at Meridian High School last season. Powe is averaging 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while leading MSU with 10 three-pointers.

Asianae Johnson, a 5-8 graduate guard, adds more experience and explosiveness off the bench. Johnson, who started 107 career games and scored more than 1,400 points in her four seasons at St. Bonaventure, is averaging 9.8 points and 3.4 assists. Johnson was second-team All-Atlantic 10 in 2022 and third-team All-A10 in 2021.

Sophomore Denae Carter, a 6-0 forward also packs punch off the bench. A member of the 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team, Carter is averaging 7.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game off the bench. She suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Texas A&M (Jan. 30, 2022).

Mississippi State's roster also includes Nyayongah Gony, a 6-4 redshirt sophomore forward out of Lincoln High School who spent her first two seasons at Miami.

The Bulldogs, who open the Puerto Rico Clasico by taking on Georgetown on Friday morning, are averaging 79.0 points while allowing just 52.4 points per game. MSU carries a plus-8.4 rebound margin and a plus-4.0 turnover margin. Mississippi State is hitting 45.7 percent of its shots from the field including 33.6 percent (38-113) of its three-pointers. 

MSU has held opponents to just 33.1 percent shooting, including 26.9 percent (29-108) from three-point range.

Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Mississippi State.

Markowski, Bourne Power Huskers Past Tarleton
Alexis Markowski and Isabelle Bourne both posted double-doubles to power Nebraska to a 71-53 win over Tarleton at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday night.

Markowski erupted for a season-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting while adding a career-high 18 rebounds. The 6-3 center out of Lincoln Pius X High School also matched career bests with three blocks, three steals and two assists. It was Markowski's second 20-point scoring performance and second double-double of the season.

Bourne, a 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia, added her first double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Markowski and Bourne helped Nebraska outscore Tarleton 50-14 in the paint, while the Huskers also claimed a season-high plus-27 rebound margin (53-26) against the Texans.

The strong play inside allowed Nebraska to overcome an eye injury to starting guard Allison Weidner in the opening minute of the game. Weidner took a shot to her left eye while getting an offensive rebound before scoring Nebraska's first points. She left the game and did not return. Weidner did make the trip to Puerto Rico and could be available for Friday's game with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Trinity Brady and Kendall Moriarty both stepped up with season highs of eight points in Weidner's absence, while Jaz Shelley added eight points of her own to go along with a career-high-tying 12 assists.

The Huskers welcomed the return of graduate guard Sam Haiby against the Texans. Haiby, a three-year starter, missed Nebraska's first four games while recovering from a leg injury. She played six minutes off the bench against Tarleton and managed four rebounds, an assist and a steal. She left the game midway through the third quarter and did not return. She did make the trip to Puerto Rico and could be available for Friday's game with the Islanders.