Taylor Kissinger Season 2019-20

Q&A with Taylor Kissinger

Honors & Awards

• Big Ten 3FG Pct. Leader (.456, 2019)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2019, 2020)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020; Spring 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
• Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award (2021)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
• No. 26 Player in the Nation (Prospects Nation, 2016)
• No. 38 Player in the Nation (ESPN, 2016)
• No. 44 Player in the Nation (Blue Star, 2016)
• All-Nebraska (First Team, USA Today High School Sports, 2016)
• Nebraska Super-State (First Team, Lincoln Journal Star, 2017)
• All-Nebraska (Second Team, Omaha World-Herald, 2016, 2017)
• Nebraska Super-State (Second Team, Lincoln Journal Star, 2016)
• All-Nebraska (Third Team, Omaha World-Herald, 2015)
• Nebraska Super-State (Third Team, Lincoln Journal Star, 2015)
• Nebraska Class C-1 (First Team, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Nebraska Class C-1 (Second Team, 2014)

Feature Story - Huskers. Together. (Taylor Kissinger, 2020)

Junior (2019-20)
One of the nation’s most accurate long-range shooters, Taylor Kissinger battled a pair of early season injuries before being forced out for the year prior to Nebraska’s game with Oral Roberts (Dec. 14). Kissinger, who battled a hip injury throughout preseason and non-conference play, underwent season-ending hip surgery on Jan. 3, 2020. She is expected to regain her junior season of eligibility in 2020-21 after appearing in just five games in her third season as a Husker.

Kissinger had four points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds off the bench in Nebraska’s season-opening win over Alabama A&M (Nov. 6), then entered the concussion protocol after a collision in practice (Nov. 8). She missed Nebraska’s next four games. Prior to succumbing to the hip injury, Kissinger tied a career high with six three-pointers to finish with a team-high 19 points in a win over Duke (Dec. 4). She also tied a career high with four assists against the Blue Devils.

She scored 11 points in a win over over Sacred Heart (Nov. 30), after putting up eight points in a win over USC (Nov. 29). Kissinger returned to action against Creighton (Nov. 24), but had just one full practice leading up to the game.

Sophomore (2018-19)
Kissinger led the Big Ten by tying the Nebraska season three-point field goal percentage record (.456, 62-136). Her 62 threes were also the fifth-best total by a sophomore in Husker history.

Kissinger averaged 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists while starting NU’s first 24 games. She missed starts at No. 7 Maryland (Feb. 14) and No. 24 Michigan State (Feb. 17) while recovering from illness. 

She came off the bench the final six games, producing double figures in three of those six games, including a 15-point effort on 5-of-10 three-point shooting in the Big Ten Tournament against Purdue (March 7). Her five threes were the third-best total by a Husker in Big Ten Tournament history.

She closed the regular season with 14 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting in a road win at Penn State (March 2). She also had 12 points off the bench in a win over No. 24 Michigan State.

Kissinger had a record-setting effort against USC Upstate (Nov. 11) when she went a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range on her way to a season-high 22 points. 

She had 18 points in a win over Denver (Dec. 15), after getting 17 in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 8). 

Kissinger posted her second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in a win over KU (Dec. 5). She added double figures with 12 points at Arkansas (Dec. 18). 

She notched 12 double-figure efforts on the year, including 15 points at Wisconsin (Jan. 27), 12 at Michigan (Feb. 7).

Freshman (2017-18)
Kissinger made an instant impact on the Nebraska roster as a freshman in 2017-18,  averaging a team-best 14.0 points per game through NU's first seven contests before suffering a knee injury late in a one-point loss to Clemson (Nov. 30). 

She missed six consecutive games for the Huskers to close non-conference play, including a loss to Washington State (Dec. 22).

Kissinger helped the Huskers jump to a 3-0 start by averaging 16.0 points and 4.7 rebounds through three games, including career highs with 25 points and eight rebounds in a win over Arkansas (Nov. 16). She added 18 points in a win over UMKC (Nov. 14), before producing double figures in three straight games capped by 17 points and six rebounds against Clemson (Nov. 30).

Kissinger, who missed nearly three weeks of practice, returned to the court after just two practices to open Big Ten play against No. 12 Ohio State (Dec. 28). She managed eight points in 15 minutes against the Buckeyes, and gradually saw her playing time increase during Big Ten play. However, she played just eight minutes while battling the flu in Nebraska's overtime loss to No. 23 Michigan (Jan. 16).

For the season, Kissinger averaged 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25 games with seven starts. She shot 40.8 percent from the field, including 36.2 percent from three-point range, while knocking down 71.7 percent of her free throws. She joined Kate Cain (9.9 ppg) as the first pair of Husker freshmen to both average 9.9 points per game since Debra Powell and Crystal Coleman in 1981-82.

In Big Ten play, Kissinger averaged 8.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.4 minutes per game off the bench.

Kissinger produced 12 double-figure scoring efforts in 25 contests, including six in Big Ten play. She put up double digits in four straight games beginning with 18 points against No. 11 Maryland (Feb. 4), before back-to-back 11-point games in wins over Wisconsin (Feb. 11) and at Michigan State (Feb. 14). She also scored 10 points at Indiana (Feb. 17).

Kissinger hit 50 threes to rank among the top five freshman totals in Nebraska history. Her 36.2 three-point shooting percentage ranked her among the top 10 in the Big Ten.

Kissinger suffered an upper body sprain early in the first quarter in a loss at No. 13 Maryland (Feb. 25) to close the regular season. The injury kept her out of Nebraska's win over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (March 2). She returned to the court in a limited role against the Terps in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals (March 3). 

She finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting with a pair of threes against Arizona State (March 17) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Austin, Texas. She also grabbed four rebounds against the Sun Devils.

Before Nebraska
A three-time first-team Class C-1 all-stater (2015, 2016, 2017), Kissinger earned first-team Super-State honors from the Lincoln Journal Star as a senior in 2017. She averaged 24.2 points and 9.0 rebounds despite recovering from a wrist injury. 

She was the honorary captain of the Journal Star's Class C-1 team. 

Kissinger finished her high school career with 1,751 points, despite missing a combined 27 games as a junior and senior because of wrist injuries. She added 611 rebounds, 310 assists and 202 career steals. She hit 53 percent of her field goal attempts, including 37 percent of her career three attempts, while knocking down 78 percent of her free throws. She was one of five players on the 2016 USA Today High School Sports All-Nebraska team.

As a junior at Minden High School, Kissinger averaged 28.8 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Whippets following her return to the court from a broken wrist. She earned second-team Super-State honors from the Journal Star. She was also a second-team All-Nebraska pick by the Omaha World-Herald in both 2016 and 2017. In 2015, Kissinger became the first sophomore in history to be named the Kearney Hub Territory Player of the Year after averaging 25.6 points and 10.0 rebounds. She was a third-team All-Nebraska choice by the World-Herald in 2015.

Kissinger claimed second-team Class C-1 all-state honors as a freshman in 2014 after averaging 16.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She also tied a Nebraska state tournament record by knocking down seven three-pointers in an opening-round win over Lincoln Lutheran.

Kissinger played her club basketball for the All-Iowa Attack in 2015-16, after previously playing for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars. She was invited to compete in the USA Basketball U16 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs. She chose Nebraska over Oklahoma State and Creighton. She also received offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Iowa, Iowa State and Illinois among others.

Personal
The daughter of Brian and Amy Kissinger, Taylor was born March 10, 1999. Her parents were both collegiate student-athletes, with Brian playing basketball and Amy playing volleyball at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Kearney. Kissinger's older twin sisters were both Division I guards. Brooke completed her playing career at Creighton in 2018-19, after spending her first two seasons at Illinois. Jamie completed her eligibility at San Diego in 2017-18. Taylor's brother Derek played college basketball at NAIA Hastings College.

A mathematics education major, Taylor earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May of 2021. She was a two-time academic All-Big Ten selection and an eight-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. A Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award winner in 2021, she was also a four-time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team selection.

Kissinger chose Nebraska because of her familiarity with the program. 

“The more I got to know Coach Williams and her staff, the more comfortable I got, and I just really like the staff,” Kissinger said. “When I was a little kid I always thought about playing for the Huskers, so I want to make my dreams come true.”

Taylor Kissinger's Career Bests
Points - 25 vs. Arkansas, Nov. 16, 2017 
Rebounds - 11 vs. Kansas, Dec. 5, 2018 
Assists - 4 vs. Duke, Dec. 4, 2019; vs. Arkansas, Nov. 16, 2017 
Steals - 3 at Ohio State, Dec. 31, 2018; vs. Buffalo, Nov. 23, 2017
Blocks - 2 Three times, most recent, vs. Minnesota, Jan. 20, 2019
FGM - 9 vs. Arkansas, Nov. 16, 2017
FGA - 15 vs. Arkansas, Nov. 16, 2017
3FGM - 6 vs. USC Upstate, Nov. 11, 2018
3FGA - 14 vs. Buffalo, Nov. 23, 2017
FTM - 6 vs. Michigan State, Feb. 17, 2019
FTA - 6 vs. Michigan State, Feb. 17, 2019; at Iowa, Jan. 16, 2018

Kissinger's Career Statistics

Year	G-GS	FG-FGA	Pct.	3FG-3FGA	Pct.	FT-FTA	Pct.	TRB-Avg.	PF-D	A	TO	Blk	ST	Pts-Avg.
2017-18	25-7	84-206	.408	50-138	.362	33-46	.717	103-4.1	36-0	36	41	13	11	251-10.0
2018-19	30-24	87-203	.429	62-136	.456	30-34	.882	97-3.2	59-0	36	37	4	22	266-8.9
2019-20	5-0	14-33	.424	10-27	.370	4-8	.500	14-2.8	5-0	6	3	0	3	42-8.4
Career	60-31	185-442	.419	122-302	.404	67-88	.761	214-3.6	100-0	78	81	17	36	559-9.3