Huskers Run Past Mavs

Lincoln - Alexis Markowski set the school career record with her 41st double-double to lead six Huskers scoring in double figures, as the No. 23 Nebraska women's basketball team rolled to an 88-48 season-opening win over Omaha on Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Playing in front of 8,106 fans in a noon tip-off at PBA on opening day of the college basketball season, the Huskers got team highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes from the three-time All-Big Ten center Markowski. The Lisa Leslie and Naismith Trophy candidate hit 7-of-8 shots from the floor while adding two assists and a block for the Big Red.

Markowski's 10th rebound to secure the record-setting double-double came on a hustle play when she dove to the floor near the three-point line and passed the ball ahead while lying on her back to create an uncontested transition layup for teammate Natalie Potts with 6:45 left in the game.

Markowski added an offensive rebound and a putback 45 seconds later to end her day with six minutes left and Nebraska leading 75-36.

Potts, the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, matched Markowski with 14 points while hitting 6-of-8 shots including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first half. The 6-2 sophomore added six rebounds while helping set the tone for the Huskers with stifling defense in the opening 20 minutes. Potts' three-pointer to close the half gave Nebraska a 47-15 lead at the break and put her in double figures with 10 first-half points.

Logan Nissley added 12 points in just 11 minutes off the bench, scoring on four three-point possessions despite hitting just one three-pointer while going 3-for-3 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. The sophomore guard, who was a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team a year ago, added three assists, two steals and a block.

Freshman Petra Bozan contributed 12 points of her own in just 12 minutes. The 6-3 forward/center from Croatia went 5-for-7 from the field, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, while grabbing four rebounds for the Big Red.

Allison Weidner pitched in 11 points, three rebounds and two steals in her return to the starting lineup after a 55-game absence following a pair of season-ending knee injuries. Weidner hit 4-of-7 shots from the field while joining Potts and freshman guard Britt Prince in suffocating the Mavs with pressure defense.

Prince put six Huskers in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in her regular-season collegiate debut. The 5-11 guard out of Elkhorn North High School also dished out a game-high five assists and added two steals.

As a team, Nebraska hit 57.6 percent (34-59) of its shots from the field, including 5-of-15 (.333) three-pointers. The Big Red also knocked down 15-of-20 free throws. The Huskers won the rebounding battle, 38-30, and claimed the turnover war, 24-20.

The Huskers jumped out to an 18-2 lead, before the Mavs cut the margin to 21-11 at the end of the first quarter. Nebraska then posted a dominant 26-4 margin in the second quarter to take a 47-15 lead to halftime. The Big Red won the third quarter 17-15, before closing out the win with a 24-18 edge in the final period.

Omaha's Alana Powell led all scorers with 15 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting, while Grace Cave put two Mavs in double figures with 11 points. 

Nebraska returns to home action on Saturday, when the Huskers take on Southeastern Louisiana. Tip-off with the Lady Lions is set for 1 p.m. (CT) with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game will be available to subscribers of B1G+ and can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network. SLU features three returning All-Southland Conference players and have averaged 20 wins over the last two years, including a trip to the 2023 NCAA Tournament under conference coach-of-the-year Ayla Guzzardo.

Game Notes

• Nebraska's game with Omaha followed the annual Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which included more than 3,800 middle grade students and accompanying adults from 75 schools across the state. 
• The 75 schools were a record for the event, which is in its sixth year being associated with a women's basketball game. A group of 15 came from Hemingford, Neb., which is a 385-mile drive to Lincoln. 
• Nebraska's attendance of 8,106 marked the second-largest season-opening crowd in school history, trailing only a crowd of 9,750 against UCLA to open Pinnacle Bank Arena on Nov. 8, 2013. That game included the first Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally associated with women's basketball.
• Nebraska put six players in double figures for the first time since a 108-35 win over UNC Wilmington at PBA on Dec. 5, 2023 (Jaz Shelley-19, Alexis Markowski-18, Logan Nissley-18, Jessica Petrie-11, Natalie Potts-11, Darian White-11, Callin Hake-11).
• Nebraska improved to 48-3 all-time in its home season opener, including six consecutive victories.