Huskers Shoot for Sweet 16 at No. 12 Oregon State

The No. 6 seed Nebraska women’s basketball team hunts for the third NCAA Sweet Sixteen bid in school history when the Huskers square off with No. 3 seed Oregon State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Corvallis, Ore.

 

Tip-off between the Huskers (23-11, 11-7 Big Ten) and the Beavers (25-7, 12-6 Pac-12) is set for 3 p.m. (CT)/1 p.m. (PT) at Gill Coliseum. 

 

The game will be televised live by ESPN with Jason Ross Jr. and Aja Ellison on the call.

 

Fans also can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha along with free live audio on Huskers.com and the Huskers App with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action. Pregame will start at 2:30 p.m. (CT). 

 

The Huskers notched their first NCAA Tournament win since 2014 (Fresno State at UCLA) with a 61-59 victory over 11th-seeded Texas A&M on Friday. The Big Red built a 47-30 third-quarter advantage but had to rally in the final 15 seconds after the Aggies stormed back to take a 59-58 lead. Freshman Logan Nissley, who led the Huskers with a Nebraska NCAA Tournament-freshman record 16 points, hit a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to give Amy Williams her first career NCAA Tournament victory as a head coach.

 

Jaz Shelley, who helped Oregon to the 2021 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, added a steal with three seconds left before giving Nebraska its final point at the free throw line. Shelley managed five points, five rebounds and six assists to give the Huskers their ninth all-time NCAA Tournament victory.

 

First-team All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski matched Nissley with a team-high 16 points to go with a team-high six rebounds, while graduate guard Darian White pitched in eight points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench for the Big Red. 

 

Nebraska is 9-3 over its last 12 games with six wins over NCAA Tournament teams, including an 82-79 win over then-AP No. 2 and NCAA No. 1 seed Iowa (Feb. 11). Nebraska’s losses during the last 12 games came at No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa in overtime in the Big Ten Championship Game at Minneapolis and a one-point loss at NET Top 50 Illinois to end the regular season.

 

In 2013, Nebraska competed as the No. 6 seed and defeated No. 11 Chattanooga in the first round before upsetting No. 3 seed and AP No. 9 Texas A&M at Reed Arena in College Station to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

 

Nebraska advanced to its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a No. 1 seed in 2010.

 

#6 Nebraska Cornhuskers (23-11, 11-7 Big Ten)
at #3 Oregon State Beavers (25-7, 12-6 Pac-12)
Sunday, March 24, 2024, 3 p.m. (CT)/1 p.m. (PT)
Gill Coliseum - Corvallis, Oregon
Television: ESPN (Live Stream ESPN+)
Jason Ross Jr. (PBP), Aja Ellison (Analyst)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (2:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
B107.3 FM (Lincoln), 590 AM (Omaha), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Live Stats: Huskers.com

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (23-11, 11-7 Big Ten - NCAA NET 25)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 10.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Jr. - C/F - 15.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 13.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 7.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Off the Bench
0 - Darian White - 5-6 - Gr. - G - 6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - So. - G - 6.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 3.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 3.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 2.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Eighth Season at Nebraska (137-110); 17th Season Overall (330-219)

 

12/15 Oregon State Beavers (25-7, 12-6 Pac-12 - NCAA NET 17)
15 - Raegan Beers - 6-4 - So. - F - 17.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg
30 - Timea Gardiner - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg
4 - Donovyn Hunter - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
11 - AJ Marotte - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
22 - Talia von Oelhoffen - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Dominika Paurova - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 5.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg
53 - Kelsey Rees - 6-5 - Jr. - F - 5.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg
2 - Lily Hansford - 6-2 - So. - G - 4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg
24 - Adlee Blacklock - 6-0 - So. - G - 3.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg
1 - Kennedie Shuler - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Scott Rueck (Oregon State, 1991)
14th Season at Oregon State (296-153); 28th Season Overall (584-241)

 

Coach Scott Rueck leads No. 3 seed Oregon State into Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second-round game after a 73-51 win over No. 14 seed Eastern Washington in Friday’s first game in Corvallis.

 

Rueck is trying to lead the AP No. 12 Beavers (25-7) to their fifth NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 2016, and their sixth overall in program history.

 

Oregon State’s seven losses this season have all come to top-25 opponents from the Pac-12, while the Beavers notched five wins over top-25 Pac-12 foes, including regular-season sweeps of Colorado (No. 3/4) and Utah (Nos. 16/20) and a home win over No. 9 UCLA.

 

The Beavers are 12-0 against non-conference opponents this season.

 

Oregon State prides itself on its defense, holding 11 Pac-12 foes to 10 or more points below their season scoring averages, including four season lows in 2023-24. The Beavers have allowed just 59.5 points per game, while scoring 71.7 points per contest.

 

Oregon State is led by All-Pac-12 forward Raegan Beers. The 6-4 sophomore is averaging team bests of 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, including 19 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes in the win over Eastern Washington. Beers rolled her right ankle in the final seconds of the third quarter against the Eagles and did not play in the fourth quarter. She has hit 66.2 percent of her field goal attempts. She also leads the Beavers with 34 blocked shots and 36 steals on the season.

 

Beers leads the youngest lineup Nebraska has faced this season. OSU starts two juniors in Talia von Oelhoffen (10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.8 apg) and AJ Marotte (5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg) alongside the sophomore Beers and true freshmen Donovyn Hunter (6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.6 apg) and Pac-12 Sixth Player-of-the-Year Timea Gardiner (11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg). Gardiner contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the victory over Eastern Washington.

 

Oregon State’s top scorer off the bench is freshman Dominika Pourova (5.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg), who pumped in a career-high 17 points on 3-of-4 three-pointers in Friday’s win over Eastern Washington. Junior Kelsey Rees (5.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg) has moved to a key reserve the past six games after starting 26 contests. The 6-5 forward can spell Beers in the post or provide the Beavers with twin towers alongside Beers to create match-up problems for opponents.

 

Sophomores Lily Hansford (4.8 ppg) and Adlee Blacklock (3.7 ppg) round out the top nine players in the OSU rotation.

 

von Oelhoffen is an excellent decision maker with a 2.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while backcourt mate Hunter has been even better in that category with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Their choices have helped lead an efficient OSU offense that is shooting 46.4 percent from the field, including 36 percent from three-point range. 

 

Gardiner is the most active three-point shooter for the Beavers, connecting on 61-of-151 threes (.404) off the bench as OSU’s No. 2 scorer. The 6-3 forward also hits 88.7 percent of her free throws.

 

Hansford is even more accurate from long range, connecting on 46.5 percent (40-86) of her three-point attempts.

 

Rees is a solid 37.7 percent (23-61) from long range, while providing size and defensive stability inside. Marotte, a 6-1 guard, is also a capable shooter from beyond the arc (24-74, .324) while going a perfect 14-for-14 at the free throw line this season.

 

Overall, Oregon State features eight shooters who have hit double-digit threes on the season. The balanced shooting and strength inside allows the Beavers to spread the floor. It also has helped OSU become a dominant rebounding team with a plus-7.6 margin (40.1-32.5) on the glass, even though opponents average nearly one more offensive rebound per game.

 

The Beavers also carry a minus-4.1 turnover margin, forcing just 9.2 turnovers per contest.

 

Sunday’s game will be the first between Nebraska and Oregon State in 20 years, dating back to a 75-67 loss to the Beavers in the second round of the Postseason WNIT at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on March 22, 2004.

 

Nebraska is 0-3 all-time against Oregon State, dating back to an 84-71 loss to the Beavers at the California Invitational (Dec. 5, 1980) in Berkeley.

 

Nebraska made its only trip in history to Corvallis in 1995-96, when the Huskers lost at No. 17 Oregon State, 89-65, on Dec. 2, 1995 in the Gazette Times Classic. Current Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams was on the Husker roster but did not play in the game.

 

Nebraska has not played a Pac-12 opponent since facing USC at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas (Nov. 29). Texas A&M’s Endyia Rogers was a guard on that USC roster. That win snapped a six-game losing streak to Pac-12 teams for the Huskers. Prior to that six-game losing streak, the Huskers had won 11 of 12 games against the Pac-12.

 

The Huskers have not played a Pac-12 opponent in a true road game since falling 87-84 in double-overtime at Washington State on Nov. 16, 2018.

 

The Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball teams both won at least 23 games in the same season for the first time in school history, as both teams advanced to March Madness for the first time together since 2014. The Husker men (23-11) earned the No. 8 seed but lost in the first round to Texas A&M at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn..

 

Nebraska and Texas A&M were two of just 22 schools to place both their men’s and women’s teams in the 2024 NCAA Basketball Tournaments and the only schools to play each other in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. The only other Big Ten school with both teams in the field was Michigan State. The Spartan women lost to North Carolina in the opening round, while the MSU men advanced to the second round. Both Michigan State teams were No. 9 seeds.

 

The 2024 season marks the fourth time in school history that both the Husker men’s and women’s teams have made the NCAA fields together, joining the 1993, 1998 and 2014 seasons. The Husker women won NCAA Tournament games in each of those four seasons.

 

The Husker women are making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three years, joining a trip as a No. 8 seed in 2022. The Huskers lost 68-55 to No. 9 seed Gonzaga in Louisville, Ky. (March 18, 2022).

 

Before notching a 61-59 win over Texas A&M on Friday in Corvallis, Nebraska’s most recent NCAA Tournament win came exactly 10 years earlier against Fresno State (74-55, March 22, 2014) at UCLA in the 2014 NCAA First Round.

 

The Huskers have advanced to a pair of NCAA Sweet Sixteens in school history, with the most recent coming in 2013 as a No. 6 seed through No. 3 seed Texas A&M in College Station. Nebraska advanced to its first-ever NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2010, when the Huskers earned a No. 1 seed.

 

Nebraska is making its 16th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its fourth as a No. 6 seed. The Huskers are 9-15 all-time in the Big Dance and 4-3 as a No. 6 seed. The Huskers won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game as a No. 6 seed with an 81-58 win over San Diego in Lincoln (March 17, 1993). The 1993 Huskers followed with a loss at No. 3 seed USC in Los Angeles.

 

The No. 6 Huskers lost to No. 11 Kansas in 2012 in Little Rock, before advancing to the 2013 NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a No. 6 seed with wins over No. 11 Chattanooga and No. 3 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

 

Nebraska made its only previous trip in history to Corvallis in 1995-96, when the Huskers lost at No. 17 Oregon State, 89-65, on Dec. 2, 1995 in the Gazette Times Classic. Current Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams was on the Husker roster but did not play in the game.

 

The only other trip to Oregon the Huskers have ever made came with a 73-67 loss at Oregon in Eugene on Jan. 3, 1985 - the only meeting in history with the Ducks.

 

Nebraska is 0-3 all-time against Oregon State, dating back to an 84-71 loss to the Beavers at the California Invitational (Dec. 5, 1980). NU’s most recent meeting with Oregon State ended with a 75-67 loss to OSU in the WNIT on March 22, 2004 at the Devaney Center in Lincoln.

 

Jaz Shelley, who spent her first two collegiate seasons (2019-20, 2020-21) at Oregon, is averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and team bests of 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals for Nebraska.

 

Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski is making history as the top double-double producer in the history of Husker basketball. Markowski has notched 19 double-doubles in 34 games this season to join first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (2011-14) atop the Husker career double-doubles list with 40. Griffin and Hooper both produced their school records in four full seasons of starting every game for the Big Red, while Markowski is closing her third season.

 

Markowski’s next double-double will put her alone atop Nebraska’s career double-doubles list and will give her 20 on the season, matching Griffin’s school-record 20 as a first-team All-American and National Player of the Year finalist in 2009-10.

 

A first-team All-Big Ten selection, Markowski produced her most recent double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds in Nebraska’s Big Ten Championship Game overtime loss to No. 3 Iowa in Minneapolis (March 10).

 

The Big Ten All-Tournament choice also posted a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Michigan State (March 8).

 

Markowski, who earned her second appearance on the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 10.6 boards per game, including 11.5 in conference play. She also ranks seventh in the league in scoring at 15.9 points per game.

 

She produced the biggest double-double of her career with 20 points and 21 rebounds in a 77-65 road win at Purdue (Feb. 17). It was just the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound performance in Husker history. She added 12 points and 10 boards in a win over Northwestern (Feb. 20), before contributing 10 points and 12 boards in a win over Minnesota (Feb. 24).

 

Markowski has scored in double figures 32 times in 34 games this season, including eight 20-point performances. She was held to nine points and 16 rebounds at No. 2 Ohio State (Feb. 14) and had nine points and 13 rebounds in a Big Ten semifinal win over Maryland (March 9).

 

The 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Markowski earned her second straight appearance on the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List this year. Last season, as the only sophomore on the list, she advanced to the Midseason Top 10 for the award.

 

Markowski ranks sixth on the Nebraska career rebound list with 948.

 

With six rebounds in Nebraska’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Texas A&M (March 22), Alexis Markowski pushed her season total to 361 to hold the No. 3 spot on Nebraska’s single-season rebounding list.

 

Markowski’s 361 rebounds are the second-highest total by a junior in school history, trailing only 417 boards by Janet Smith (1980-81).

 

Markowski also set Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament rebounding record with 45 boards in four tournament games in 2024, including three straight double-figure rebound games to close the tournament. She has pulled down double-figure boards in eight of Nebraska’s last 11 contests.

 

She has averaged 11.7 rebounds over the last 11 games to help the Huskers to an 8-3 record down the stretch, including five wins over NCAA Tournament teams, beginning with a win over then-No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11).

 

Markowski, who owns 21 double-digit rebound performances on the season, owns 948 career rebounds in three seasons to rank No. 6 in Husker history. 

 

Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski produced two of the best individual performances by Huskers in conference tournament history to earn spots on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team following Nebraska’s appearance in the championship game (March 10) at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

 

Shelley set the Nebraska conference (Big Ten, Big 12, Big Eight) tournament scoring record with 82 points (20.5 ppg), breaking the mark set by first-team All-American and 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Hooper who scored 79 points in leading the Huskers to a championship game appearance in 2012.Shelley also broke NU’s tournament assist record with 34 (8.0 apg), breaking the mark of 30 set by 2014 Big Ten Tournament MVP Rachel Theriot. Shelley also smashed Nebraska’s conference tournament season (16) and career (35) three-point records. The previous conference tournament three-point mark was held by Hooper, who hit 20. Hooper hit her 20 threes in four seasons as a starter, while Shelley has played just three seasons at Nebraska.

 

Shelley set the Big Ten Tournament single-game three-point record with nine threes against Illinois on her way to 32 points in a win over Illinois in 2022. The nine threes are also an overall Nebraska individual three-point record.

 

Markowski added a record performance of her own with 45 rebounds (11.3 rpg) over four conference tournament games. Her 45 boards were not only a Nebraska record but the second-highest total by any player in Big Ten Tournament history. Markowsk’s 66 points were the fifth-most ever scored by a Husker in a conference tournament, while her 15 assists were also the fifth-most by a Husker in a conference tournament. The only players with more assists in conference tournament history than Markowski are the three best point guards in school history (Lindsey Moore, Jaz Shelley and Rachel Theriot).

 

Markowski Named First-Team All-Big Ten
Alexis Markowski led an impressive hardware haul by the Huskers when All-Big Ten teams were announced on Tuesday, March 5. The 6-3 center from Lincoln, Neb., captured first-team all-conference honors for the first time after claiming second-team accolades in 2023 and 2022, when she was also the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

 

Markowski, who ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding (10.6 rpg) and seventh in scoring (15.9 ppg), has produced 19 double-doubles during the season, including 11 in Big Ten play and two more in the Big Ten Tournament. She was named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll seven times in 2023-24. 

 

Jaz Shelley, a 2023 first-team All-Big Ten selection, claimed second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second time in three seasons at Nebraska. The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia (pronounced MO-ee) was a second-team All-Big Ten choice in 2022, when she was also a member of the media’s Big Ten All-Defensive Team. 

 

Shelley ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (13.5 ppg), while leading the team in assists (5.6 apg), steals (1.6 spg) and made three-pointers (82). She has added 4.3 rebounds per game.

 

Shelley and Markowski were both preseason first-team All-Big Ten heading into the 2023-24 season, and Markowski was also preseason first-team All-Big Ten in 2022-23.

 

Natalie Potts capped an outstanding first season at Nebraska by being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches on Tuesday, March 5.

 

The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., claimed her eighth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (March 4), before earning NU’s third Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year honor in the last eight years.

 

The Big Ten’s most consistent freshman from start to finish since earning the league’s first freshman-of-the-week honor (Nov. 13), Potts claimed at least one weekly award in all five months of the campaign. Her eight weekly honors matched teammate Alexis Markowski’s award total from her 2022 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year campaign.

 

A two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year, Potts averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals over the last two weeks of the regular season.

 

She added 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in helping the Huskers to the Big Ten Championship Game, where she finished with 21 points and nine rebounds against No. 3 Iowa.

 

For the season, she led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (.500), while ranking second in scoring (10.4 ppg). She also ranked among freshman leaders in free throw percentage (.829).

 

A unanimous choice by the coaches to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, Potts has produced five double-doubles, including 15 points and 11 rebounds in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Michigan State (March 8). She also had game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Northwestern (Feb. 20), on her way to her seventh Big Ten weekly freshman honor.

 

Potts, who has started all 34 games for the Big Red, was named the No. 14 impact freshman in the nation by ESPN on Dec. 22. 

 

Potts is just the 10th freshman in school history to start every game of her first season, and she will set the Husker record for consecutive starts by a freshman currently shared with 2013 WNBA first-round draft pick Lindsey Moore (34, 2009-10).

 

Potts managed four points while matching Alexis Markowski for the team high with six rebounds in Nebraska’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Texas A&M (March 22).

 

Potts owns 20 double-figure scoring games on the season, including her second 20-point effort of the year with 21 points in the Big Ten Championship Game against No. 3 Iowa. She scored a season-high 22 points against Lamar (Nov. 23).

 

She earned her sixth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award with 14 points and six rebounds in Nebraska’s 82-79 upset of No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11). She produced eight points and five rebounds in helping the Huskers outscore the Hawkeyes 27-10 in the decisive fourth quarter. It followed a 12-point performance in a huge road win at Michigan (Feb. 6). 

 

Potts had 11 points, six rebounds and a career-high four steals in a win over Purdue (Jan. 31). 

 

Potts produced her third career double-double with game highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Michigan (Jan. 17).

 

She posted her second double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in NU’s win over Maryland (Dec. 31), including 13 points and 12 boards in the second half. 

 

Potts scored all 16 of her points in the second half in a win at Wisconsin (Jan. 4). She opened league play with 10 points, five boards and two blocks in a win at Michigan State (Dec. 9). 

 

Potts had 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes in a win over UNCW (Dec. 5). 

 

Potts won her second Big Ten Freshman award (Nov. 22) after averaging 14.0 points in two games at the St. Pete Showcase. She opened the week with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, in a 75-61 win over Lamar.

 

She opened another strong week by notching her first double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29). She followed with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a win over Georgia Tech (Dec. 2).

 

Potts averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn her first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (Nov. 13).

 

She backed up her opening week with 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in her second week, including 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19). She had seven points, 11 rebounds and a career-high three blocks in a win over Alcorn State (Nov. 14).

 

Nebraska freshman Logan Nissley made a late-season push to earn Big Ten All-Freshman honors from both the coaches and media (March 5). The 6-0 guard from Bismarck, N.D., played a major role in NU’s success in February, averaging 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists over seven games, helping NU to a 5-2 record in the month.

 

Nissley has joined the starting lineup the past nine games, helping the Huskers to a 7-2 record. She has scored in double figures five times as a starter, including a team-high 16 points with four three-pointers in Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament win over Oregon State (March 22).

 

Nissley had 13 points and five assists in a career-high 34 minutes against No. 3 Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game (March 10). She also had 11 points - all in the third quarter - in Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Michigan State (March 8). 

 

She is averaging 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while hitting 21-of-48 three-pointers (.438) as a starter.

 

In her first career start, Nissley tied a career high with 18 points to help the Huskers to a road win at Purdue (Feb. 17). She helped NU rally from a 10-point first-quarter deficit by scoring 11 first-half points and the first six points of the second half.

 

She added 12 points in her second start by tying her career high with four three-pointers while dishing out a career-high six assists in a win over Northwestern (Feb. 20).

 

Nissley’s efforts in her first two starts followed a breakout performance with 15 points and a career-high seven rebounds in Nebraska’s 82-79 win over No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11).

 

She owns 12 double-figure scoring efforts on the season, including six in the past 11 games. For the season, Nissley is averaging 7.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing in all 34 games. 

 

Nissley, who has hit 59-of-147 three-pointers, ranks No. 2 in Nebraska history in made threes by a freshman. Nissley’s .401 three-point percentage also ranks fourth among freshmen in Husker history.

 

Nebraska has produced its third 20-win season under Coach Amy Williams and its second in the past three years behind three wins at the Big Ten Tournament.

 

The Huskers own 19 20-win seasons in school history, including a top victory total of 32 in 2009-10. Nebraska owns eight 20-win campaigns from 2009-10 to 2023-24.

 

The Nebraska men’s basketball program also owns a 20-win season in 2023-24, giving the two teams 20-win seasons in the same year for the first time since 2017-18, when the men finished 22-11, and the women went 21-11.

 

The Husker men’s and women’s teams had never achieved 22 wins in the same season before 2023-24. Both teams (men, 23-11) and women (23-11) have recorded 23 wins this season.

 

Jaz Shelley was named the Associated Press National Player of the Week (Feb. 13) following Nebraska’s 82-79 upset of No. 2 Iowa at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Feb. 11). Shelley scored a team-high 23 points, including 10 in Nebraska’s decisive 27-10 fourth quarter, to help the Huskers rally from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit over the Hawkeyes.

 

Shelley’s three-pointer with 31 seconds gave Nebraska its first lead of the game against Iowa. Her fifth three-pointer preceeded four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win that matched the highest-ranked opponent the Huskers had ever defeated (Baylor, 103-99 3OT, Jan. 12, 2005). 

 

Shelley, who became Nebraska’s first-ever AP National Player of the Week, also earned the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career (Feb. 12).

 

Alexis Markowski earned her seventh spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll this season with her monster 20-point, 21-rebound performance in a win at Purdue (Feb. 17).

 

The 21 rebounds were not only a career high, but matched the fourth-highest total by a Husker in history. They were the most rebounds in a game by a Nebraska player since Kelly Hubert pulled down 23 boards against Wisconsin on Dec. 7, 1990. It was just the 11th 20-rebound performance in Husker women’s basketball history.

 

Markowski’s effort at Purdue was just the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game by a women’s basketball player in Husker history. 

 

 

 

• Natalie Potts will set the Nebraska school record for starts by a freshman held by Lindsey Moore (34, 2009-10) with a start against Oregon State. Potts has started all 34 games, matching the consecutive starts by Moore. Only 10 freshmen in Nebraska history have started every game during a season.

 

• Alexis Markowski will tie the Nebraska single-season double-double record (20) with her next double-double and break the Nebraska career record (40). Markowski owns 19 double-doubles in 2023-24 and 40 double-doubles in her three-year career.

 

• Jaz Shelley (558) needs five assists to match Husker great Nicole Kubik for No. 5 on Nebraska’s career assist list with 563. Shelley is nine assists away from catching Jina Johansen (567) at No. 4 on that same list. 

 

• Shelley (192) is eight assists shy of becoming the first Husker in history to record a pair of 200-assist seasons. She notched 206 assists in 2022-23.

 

• Markowski needs 11 rebounds to match the No. 2 single-season total (372) in school history. She enters the game with 361 boards on the season.

 

• Nebraska has set the school record with 288 three-pointers on the year and needs 12 more triples to become the first Husker team in school history with 300 threes in a season. The Huskers have produced the top five three-point totals in school history in the past seven seasons under Coach Amy Williams.

 

•  Jaz Shelley has become the most prolific three-point shooter in conference tournament history for NU. She owns a school-record 32 triples in seven Big Ten Tournament games, surpassing the 20 career threes by first-team All-American Jordan Hooper in Big Ten and Big 12 Tournament games.

 

•  Shelley climbed to No. 2 on Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament career scoring list with 165 points. All-American Jordan Hooper (184) sits atop Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament scoring list.

 

• Shelley (650) and Darian White (532) both own 500 assists in their college careers. Only five previous Huskers in history had totaled 500 collegiate assists (Lindsey Moore, Meggan Yedsena, Rachel Theriot, Jina Johansen, Nicole Kubik). 

 

• Darian White has scored in double figures 105 times in her college career (97, Montana State; 8, Nebraska). She scored a season-high 16 points against TCU (Nov. 25).

 

• Nebraska features one of the Big Ten’s best freshman classes with Natalie Potts (354/192), Logan Nissley (237/70) and Jessica Petrie (133/70) combining for 724 points and 332 rebounds. All three freshmen have played in all 34 games for the Big Red and all three are averaging double-figure minutes.

 

• Nebraska, which owns 14 wins this season over NET Top 75 teams including eight since Feb. 1, is 7-2 the last nine games with Big Ten All-Freshman Team pick Logan Nissley as a starter.