Huskers Back Home to Battle Penn State Sunday

The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home after facing three consecutive top-15 foes on the road to take on Penn State in an important Big Ten battle in Lincoln on Sunday afternoon.

Tip-off between the Huskers (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten) and the Lady Lions (9-5, 0-3 Big Ten) on Alumni Day at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 2 p.m. (CT).

Live statewide television coverage will be provided by Nebraska Public Media with Larry Punteney and Kara Graham on the call. The statewide production will be shared by video stream with B1G+ subscribers.

Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will be on the radio call with pregame beginning at 1:30 p.m. (CT).

After opening the season 10-1 and ranked in the AP top 25 for seven straight weeks, the Huskers lost three straight games to teams currently ranked among the top 15 in the country. The rugged road stretch began with a 72-61 loss at No. 13 and unbeaten Georgia Tech (Dec. 21), before a 91-54 loss at No. 1 and unbeaten UCLA (Dec. 29). The Huskers are coming off a 75-55 loss to No. 4 and 13-1 USC in Los Angeles (Jan. 1). The combined record of those three foes - 42-1.

While Nebraska knows the quality of its three previous foes was upper echelon, the Huskers also know they have to play better basketball if they want to beat a quality Penn State squad.

All-America candidate Alexis Markowski continues to lead Nebraska in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg) despite facing two of the nation's tallest and most athletic lineups the last two games. She heads into Sunday's game with a school-record 45 career double-doubles. She has pushed her career totals to 1,553 points and 1,066 rebounds. The Naismith, Wooden and Lisa Leslie Award candidate is one of just four Huskers in history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds - joining only first-team All-Americans Karen Jennings (1993), Kelsey Griffin (2010) and Jordan Hooper (2014). All three of those Huskers have their jerseys retired and are in Nebraska’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate Britt Prince is off to a strong start, ranking second among the Huskers in scoring (12.4 ppg) while leading the team in assists (3.2 apg) and steals (1.5 spg) while adding 4.2 rebounds. The two-time Nebraska High School Player of the Year has put up double figures in nine of her 13 games including 10 points and a career-high-tying eight rebounds to go with a team-leading four assists at No. 4 USC on New Year's Day.

Fellow freshman Amiah Hargrove led Nebraska with 12 points off the bench at UCLA, after making her first career starts against Chattanooga (Dec. 15) and at unbeaten Georgia Tech. Although she has not started a Big Ten game, Hargrove leads the Huskers in scoring (8.7 ppg) while ranking third in rebounding (4.3 rpg) in less than 15 minutes per game in conference play. Hargrove is averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds on the season while trying to help the Huskers overcome the loss of 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts to a season-ending knee injury against North Alabama (Nov. 19). Potts was Nebraska's leading scorer (17.5 ppg) and rebounder (8.0 rpg) through four games. She underwent surgery on Dec. 4 and is expected to regain the season of eligibility.

Nebraska Cornhuskers
vs. Penn State Lady Lions
Sunday, January 5, 2025, 2 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Special Event: Alumni Day
Television/Live Stream: NPM/B1G+
Larry Punteney (PBP), Kara Graham (Analyst)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (1:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Live Stats: Huskers.com (statbroadcast - public)

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten)
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - So. - F - 4.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Sr. - C/F - 13.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - So. - G - 7.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 12.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - Alberte Rimdal - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg
44 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - Fr. - F/C - 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - RJr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Gr. - F/G - 2.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts [Out] - 6-2 - So. - F - 14.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg
4 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - Fr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Ninth Season at Nebraska (147-114); 18th Season Overall (340-223)

Penn State Lady Lions (9-5, 0-3 Big Ten)
22 - Alli Campbell - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
44 - Gracie Merkle - 6-6 - RSo. - C - 18.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg
0 - Gabby Elliott - 5-10 - Gr. - G - 10.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg
3 - Moriah Murray - 5-8 - RSo. - G - 13.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg
12 - Jayla Oden - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 9.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Off the Bench
7 - Grace Hall - 6-2 - RJr. - F - 5.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg
5 - Tamera Johnson - 5-11 - Gr. - F - 4.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
20 - Talayah Walker - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 3.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg
1 - Cam Rust - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 2.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg
10 - Vitoria Santana - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 1.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg
2 - Shaelyn Steele - 5-6 - Fr. - G - 1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg
24 - Jill Jekot - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 - Ariana Williams - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Carolyn Kieger (Marquette, 2006)
Sixth Season at Penn State (72-91); 11th Season Overall (171-155)

Scouting the Penn State Lady Lions
• Penn State comes to Lincoln trying to snap a three-game losing streak of its own after suffering an 80-68 loss to No. 23 Iowa on its home court in University Park, Pa., on New Year's Day. That loss followed a 90-54 drubbing at Minnesota (Dec. 28), after a 68-65 loss at Kansas (Dec. 15).

• The Lady Lions also lost 75-60 to Indiana in their Big Ten home opener (Dec. 7), just days after a 72-67 home loss to St. John's to tip off December. Penn State's lone win in the past five weeks came at Providence (68-51).

• Penn State is led by transfer center Gracie Merkle. The 6-6 redshirt sophomore from Bellarmine is averaging team bests of 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds while hitting 67.3 percent of her shots from the field. She also leads PSU with 27 blocks on the year. Although Merkle ranks fifth overall in the conference in both scoring and rebounding, in three Big Ten games she has averaged just 9.7 points and 6.7 boards despite hitting 75 percent (12-16) of her field goal attempts.

• Graduate guard Gabby Elliott has been the driving force of the Penn State offense through three league games, averaging 21.3 points per game. Elliott, a former Michigan State Spartan, has hit 59.5 percent of her shots, including a scorching 62.5 percent (10-16) of her threes in Big Ten play. She hit a career-best 7-of-11 threes on her way to a career-high 32 points in Wednesday's loss to Iowa. In PSU's 11 non-conference games, Elliott averaged just 7.7 points and hit just 8-of-25 (.320) three-point attempts. In her last two games, she is 10-for-15 from beyond the arc after going a combined 3-for-15 from long range the previous eight games.

• Moriah Murray, a redshirt sophomore guard, ranks second among the Lady Lions in scoring on the season at 13.1 points per game. She also ranks among Big Ten leaders with 3.1 made threes per game, connecting on a team-high 44-of-114 threes (.386) on the year. However, the 5-8 Murray is averaging just 2.7 points in Big Ten play and is 0-for-13 from beyond the arc.

• Senior Jayla Oden, a former Illinois guard, has contributed 9.4 points and 3.1 assists. She has increased her scoring average to 12.3 points per game in Big Ten play but is just 1-for-8 from three-point range. In fact, other than Elliott's 10-for-16 three-point shooting, the Lady Lions are a combined 3-for-41 from beyond the arc in league play.

• Graduate Alli Campbell has pitched in 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds while leading PSU with 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals. The 6-0 guard has hit just 27.6 percent from the field, including 1-of-12 threes in league play, while also being held to just 2.7 assists.

• Big Ten opponents are hitting 53.3 percent of their shots, including 39.4 percent (26-66) of their threes against Penn State, while knocking down 79.4 percent of their free throws. PSU is minus-2.0 on the glass and minus-5.3 in turnover margin in the league.

Nebraska vs. Penn State Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Penn State, 11-9, but the Lady Lions recorded an 82-73 victory over the Huskers in University Park in the most recent meeting (Jan. 21, 2024). Alexis Markowski led Nebraska with 16 points and 19 rebounds, but Ashley Owusu answered with 20 points in a start for Penn State.

• Markowski is the only returning starter for the Huskers from last year's game, while none of the five Penn State starters are back this year. Nebraska returns players who combined for 105 of the 200 minutes in last year's game (Markowski-31:21; Callin Hake-24:57; Jessica Petrie-17:14; Kendall Moriarty-17:08, Kendall Coley-7:19; Logan Nissley-7:14) while Penn State returns 26 total minutes, including current starters Alli Campbell (19:37), Jayla Oden (3:16) and Moriah Murray (0:42) and reserve Grace Hall (2:30) who combined for five points. Nebraska returns 39 points and 29 rebounds.

• The Huskers have won eight consecutive home games against Penn State at Pinnacle Bank Arena dating back to an 82-67 loss to the Lady Lions in Nebraska’s final home game at the Bob Devaney Sports Center (March 3, 2013).

• Nebraska rolled to an 80-51 win over Penn State in the last meeting at PBA (Jan. 11, 2023). Markowski notched a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, while Callin Hake erupted for a then-career-high 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting off the bench.

• Penn State won five of the first six all-time meetings, dating back to a 102-66 win over the Huskers in University Park on Jan. 2, 1993.

• Nebraska is 8-2 all-time against Penn State in Lincoln, including 8-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. PSU owns a 6-3 advantage all-time in the series at University Park.

• Fourteen of the 20 meetings in the series have been decided by double digits.

Markowski In NU's 1,500-Point/1,000-Rebound Club
• Alexis Markowski has increased her career totals to 1,553 points and 1,066 rebounds. She is just the fourth Nebraska player to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.

• The quality of that short list is undeniable. Karen Jennings (2,405 points/1,000 rebounds, 1990-93) won the 1993 Wade Trophy, was a first-team All-American and the 1993 Big Eight Player of the Year.

• Kelsey Griffin (2,033 points/1,019 rebounds, 2006-10) won the 2010 Senior CLASS Award, was a first-round WNBA Draft pick, a first-team All-American and the 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year.

• Jordan Hooper (2,357 points/1,110 rebounds, 2011-14) was a first-team All-American, the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year and the first pick of the second round in the 2014 WNBA Draft.

Markowski Joins Elite Rebounders in NU History
• Nebraska All-America candidate Alexis Markowski joined one of the most elite groups in Husker history by pulling down her 1,000th career rebound in the fourth quarter at Creighton (Nov. 22).

• The 6-3 center from Lincoln became just the sixth Husker women’s basketball player and just the eighth Nebraska men’s or women’s player to reach the 1,000 milestone on the boards.

• Markowski finished the game with 1,001 career boards to push past 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings into the No. 5 spot on the Husker women’s basketball career chart.

• Markowski has pushed her career rebound total to 1,066, passing first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin at No. 4 on Nebraska’s career rebound list. Markowski enters the Penn State game 54 rebounds behind first-team All-American and 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Hooper (1,110) at No. 3 on the Nebraska all-time rebound list. Hooper grabbed her rebounds in 4,030 career minutes (11.0 rp40), while Markowski’s boards have come in just 2,948 minutes (14.5 rp40).

Prince Battling for Big Ten All-Freshman Honors
• Britt Prince is off to one of the best starts by a freshman in the Big Ten Conference in 2024-25. The 5-11 point guard from Omaha ranks second among the Huskers with 12.4 points, while adding 4.2 rebounds and team bests with 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals.

• The two-time Gatorade and MaxPreps Player of the Year has produced double-figure points eight times, including a career-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in Nebraska’s record-setting 113-70 win over South Dakota (Nov. 16). She added four assists and two steals in front of a sellout crowd at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

• She added the second 20-point effort of her career with 20 points and six rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes in the loss at Creighton (Nov. 22).

• Prince produced a game-high 19 points to go with five rebounds in a low-scoring win over Tarleton State (Dec. 11). She hit a career-high three threes against the Texans while also going a career-best 6-for-6 at the free throw line.

• Prince contributed 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a win over Kansas City (Nov. 26), before notching her fifth straight double-digit performance with a game-high 14 points in a win over Lindenwood (Dec. 3). She also had 13 points and a career-high six assists against North Alabama (Nov. 19) during the five-game stretch. Prince added a career-high two blocks against the Lions.

• Prince added her ninth double-digit effort of the season with 10 points, a career-high-tying eight rebounds and four assists at No. 4 USC (Jan. 1).

• She became the first Husker freshman point guard in history to reach 100 points through her first eight games, when she put up seven points and a career-high seven rebounds in a win over Minnesota (Dec. 8). The only other Husker point guard to score 100 points in 10 or fewer games was Nicole Kubik (10 games, 1996-97).

• One of Nebraska’s most efficient players, Prince is shooting 48.8 percent from the field, including 40 percent (16-40) from three-point range, and 89.3 percent (25-28) at the free throw line.

• Prince, who won four consecutive Nebraska Class B state high school championships at PBA while playing for her mother, Ann Prince at Elkhorn North (2021-22-23-24), was the No. 16 recruit in the country according to Prospects Nation and No. 28 according to ESPN.

• An honorable-mention high school All-American last year by the Naismith award and MaxPreps, Prince produced one of the best senior seasons in Nebraska high school history in 2023-24. She averaged 27.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.9 steals. She led the state in both scoring and assists as a senior on her way to finishing with a Class B record 2,491 points, surpassing Husker All-American Jordan Hooper’s previous mark of 2,078.

• Prince also matched Hooper for No. 2 in state tournament history with 271 career points.

• In addition to being a four-time Super-State selection in basketball, Prince was a six-time gold medalist and two-time silver medalist at the Nebraska State Track & Field Championships.

• She was the 2024 Nebraska Girls Athlete of the Year across all sports.

• Prince missed Nebraska’s win over Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 9) with a lower leg injury, but returned for six points, four assists and three steals as a starter in a win over Southern (Nov. 12).

Husker Freshmen Featuring Efficiency
• Britt Prince is the leader of a talented freshman trio for Nebraska. While Prince has earned headlines by starting at point guard and putting up some of the best numbers in history by a Big Red rookie, fellow freshmen Amiah Hargrove and Petra Bozan have been dynamic inside.

• Hargrove erupted for a career-high 13-point effort in a career-high 21 minutes in the win over Tarleton State (Dec. 11). Hargrove hit 5-of-6 shots from the floor, including a three-pointer, while adding three rebounds and a steal. Most recently, she led Nebraska with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting at No. 1 UCLA (Dec. 29). It was Hargrove’s fourth double-digit scoring effort, including a 10-point performance that included a career-high eight rebounds in a Big Ten-opening win over previously unbeaten Minnesota (Dec. 8). The 6-1 forward from Christopher, Ill., added 10 points and seven rebounds in a win over Kansas City (Nov. 26). She made back-to-back starts against Chattanooga (Dec. 15) and No. 17 Georgia Tech (Dec. 21).

• Bozan, a 6-5 center from Croatia, also owns three-double digit scoring efforts early this season, including 12 in an opening-day win over Omaha and 11 against Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 9). She went a combined 9-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-4 from three-point range in those two games. Bozan added 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in a win over Lindenwood (Dec. 3), before getting nine points and five rebounds in her Big Ten debut against Minnesota (Dec. 8). She added seven points at UCLA (Dec. 29), as the Husker freshmen provided three of NU's top four scorers against the top-ranked Bruins.

• On the season, Bozan has produced per 40 minute averages of 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds while hitting 49.2 percent of her shots from the field, including 35.7 percent (5-14) of her threes.