Huskers Close Home Campaign with Minnesota Saturday

The Nebraska women’s basketball team closes regular-season home action when the Huskers play host to Minnesota Saturday afternoon in Lincoln.

 

Tip-off between the Big Red (18-9, 10-6) and the Golden Gophers (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten) at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 4 p.m. (CT), with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED.

 

Nebraska’s game with Minnesota will be streamed live for subscribers of B1G+ with BTN Student U announcers Grant Hansen and Jacob Schrantz on the call.

 

Fans also can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action. Pregame starts at 3:30 p.m. (CT). 

 

The Huskers will celebrate Senior Day for Jaz Shelley, Maddie Krull, Annika Stewart, Darian White and managers Emily Aden, Cameron Eisenhauer and Emme Pruit in postgame ceremonies. 

 

The Huskers enter Saturday’s game in search of their 11th Big Ten win of the season, which would match Coach Amy Williams’ highest conference win total in eight seasons leading the Big Red. Williams also led NU to 11 league wins in 2018 and 2022. The only Nebraska team to win more than 12 conference contests was the 2009-10 squad that went 16-0 in the Big 12.

 

Nebraska, which has won four of its last five games including a 75-50 win over Northwestern on Tuesday, will be looking to avenge a 62-58 loss at Minnesota (Jan. 14).

 

Nebraska sits fourth in the Big Ten and No. 30 in the NCAA NET rankings. The Huskers own six wins over current NET Top 50 foes, including No. 5 Iowa, at No. 22 Michigan State, No. 31 Maryland, No. 44 Illinois and a sweep of No. 48 Michigan. Eight of Nebraska’s nine losses have come to NET Top 55 foes (including No. 51 Minnesota), with six of those coming away from home.

 

Preseason first-team All-Big Ten selections Alexis Markowski and Jaz Shelley have fueled Nebraska’s surge in the conference, along with Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year contender Natalie Potts. Markowski, who leads the league with 16 double-doubles, produced 20 points and 21 rebounds in the win at Purdue, which was just the fifth 20/20 effort in Husker history. Shelley added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists at Purdue, after she was Nebraska’s first AP National Player of the Week (Feb. 13). Shelley earned her first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week honor with 23 points in the win over No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11). Potts, a six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, led the Huskers with 18 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double in the win over Northwestern (Feb. 20).

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-9, 10-6 Big Ten)
vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten)
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, 4 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Television: B1G+
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (3:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
B107.3 FM (Lincoln), 590 AM (Omaha), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Events: Senior Day / Retro Day
Live Stats: Huskers.com

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-9, 10-6 Big Ten - NCAA NET 30)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Jr. - C/F - 16.1 ppg, 10.7 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 12.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 3.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Off the Bench
0 - Darian White - 5-6 - Gr. - G - 7.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - So. - G - 6.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 2.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Eighth Season at Nebraska (132-108); 17th Season Overall (325-217)

 

Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten - NCAA NET 51)
24 - Mallory Heyer - 6-1 - So. - F - 10.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg
1 - Ayianna Johnson - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 3.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg
3 - Amaya Battle - 5-11 - So. - G - 10.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg
25 - Grace Grocholski - 5-10 - Fr. - G/F - 11.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
30 - Janay Sanders - 5-11 - Gr. - G - 7.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Off the Bench
52 - Sophie Hart - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 10.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg
41 - Niamya Holloway - 6-0 - RFr. - F - 3.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg
5 - Maggie Czinano - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
10 - Mara Braun (OUT) - 6-0 - So. - G - 17.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Head Coach: Dawn Plitzuweit (Michigan Tech, 1995)
First Season at Minnesota (15-11); 17th Season Overall (380-152)

 

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Minnesota 17-14, but the Golden Gophers have won back-to-back games in the series - both tight games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. In fact, five of the last six games in the series have been played away from Lincoln, with the series split at 3-3 during that stretch. 

 

In the first meeting this season, Minnesota worked its way to a 68-52 win behind 16 points and seven rebounds from Mallory Heyer and 11 points apiece from Amaya Battle and Janay Sanders. Alexis Markowski led Nebraska with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Jaz Shelley added 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Natalie Potts put three Huskers in double figures with 10 points and six boards, while Callin Hake contributed eight points off the bench. 

 

Nebraska won the last meeting at Pinnacle Bank Arena, 93-70 (Feb. 20, 2022). The only current Gopher at that game was Maggie Czinano, who played three minutes and did not record a statistic.

 

Five of the last six games in the series have been played away from Lincoln, including Nebraska’s 72-61 win at the 2021 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.

 

Nebraska owns a 12-4 all-time edge in Lincoln and is 2-0 at the Big Ten Tournament, but the Huskers are 3-10 against the Gophers in Minneapolis. NU owns a 12-9 advantage as Big Ten foes.

 

Although women’s basketball was not a full varsity sport at Nebraska until 1975-76, a women’s team from Nebraska suffered its first defeat at Minnesota in 1904 after going unbeaten in 1897 and 1903. Two weeks after the first meeting with Minnesota, Nebraska beat the same team in Lincoln.

 

Minnesota’s Laura Coenen scored 42 points for the Gophers in a 90-79 win over the Huskers on Nov. 30, 1984. That effort is tied for the most points by any opponent individual against the Huskers.

 

Alexis Markowski earned her seventh spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll this season with her monster 20-point, 21-rebound performance in Nebraska’s 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.

 

She followed with 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes in a win over Northwestern (Feb. 20), marking her Big Ten-leading 16th double-double of the season. Markowski ranks third in Husker history with 37 career double-doubles.

 

Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski is producing double-doubles at one of the top rates in the nation through 27 games in 2023-24. The 6-3 junior center from Lincoln, Neb., has recorded a Big Ten-leading 16 double-doubles on the year, including 10 through the first 16 conference games for the Big Red.

 

Markowski, who earned her second appearance on the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 10.7 boards per game, including 11.8 in conference play. She also ranks seventh in the league in scoring at 16.1 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 for her 16th double-double against Northwestern (Feb. 20).

 

Markowski owns 37 career double-doubles, trailing only first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2010) and Jordan Hooper (2014) who share the Nebraska school record with 40 career double-doubles.

 

Markowski has scored in double figures 26 times in 27 games this season, including six 20-point performances. She was held to nine points and 16 rebounds at No. 2 Ohio State (Feb. 14).

 

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 877.

 

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 also earned the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career (Feb. 12).

 

Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski captured preseason All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and media when the conference announced its honors on Oct. 4.

 

Nebraska joined Ohio State (Cotie McMahon, Jacy Sheldon) as the only schools in the conference to place two players on the Preseason All-Big Ten teams.

 

Shelley, a 2023 first-team All-Big Ten selection, averaged 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-leading 6.2 assists while also ranking among Big Ten leaders with 79 three-pointers last season.

 

The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia (pronounced MO-ee) was a second-team All-Big Ten choice in her first season with the Huskers in 2021-22. She was also a member of the media’s Big Ten All-Defensive Team, helping Nebraska to a 2022 NCAA Tournament berth. She was the only Big Ten player to rank among the top 20 in all five major statistical categories - scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), assists (5.0 apg), steals (1.8 spg) and blocked shots (0.9 bpg) in 2021-22.

 

Markowski claimed Preseason All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season. The two-time second-team All-Big Ten choice averaged 11.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Huskers in 2022-23. 

 

The 6-3 center led the Big Ten with 322 total rebounds and was the only conference player to average a double-double (12.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg) during regular-season Big Ten action a year ago. She also led all league post players with 15 double-doubles.

 

The 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Markowski averaged 12.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while becoming a starter during the conference season. She helped the Huskers to three wins over AP Top 10 teams and a trip to the Big Ten semifinals before advancing to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

 

Shelley and Markowski were both among the preseason candidates for the 2024 Naismith and Wooden national player-of-the-year awards.

 

Two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year Natalie Potts has made an instant impact on Nebraska’s lineup. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., has claimed six of the first 13 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards with the most recent coming on Feb. 12.

 

In addition to her conference honors, Potts was named the No. 14 impact freshman in the nation by ESPN on Dec. 22. She ranks second among all Big Ten freshmen in scoring (10.3 ppg), while leading league freshmen in rebounding (5.3 rpg), field goal percentage (.522) and free throw percentage (.855). She also leads the Huskers with 16 blocked shots through 27 games. 

 

Potts produced her 16th double-figure scoring effort and fourth double-double with game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds in Nebraska’s win over Northwestern (Feb. 20). She erupted for 13 points in the third quarter against the Wildcats.

 

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). In a head-to-head matchup with Purdue’s Mary Ashley Stevenson, the Boilermaker starting freshman managed just two points and one rebound before fouling out. Purdue’s other outstanding freshman, Rashunda Jones, managed four points and five rebounds, as Potts matched their rebounding production and nearly doubled their scoring in approximately half their total minutes.

 

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 produced 10 points and six rebounds at Minnesota (Jan. 14), while Gopher freshman Grace Grochalski was held scoreless while managing just two rebounds.

 

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).

 

In Nebraska’s 71-52 road win at Wyoming, Potts was a catalyst at both ends of the court, erupting for 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while adding two steals and a blocked shot. She was a menace defensively, creating easy offensive opportunities with deflections at the front of Nebraska’s press to help turn an early Husker deficit into a double-digit road victory over the Cowgirls.

 

In her regular-season collegiate debut, Potts had 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field in a 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).

 

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).

 

Through 27 games, Potts has hit 96-of-154 (.623) two-point field goal attempts.

 

Nebraska has received an immediate boost in the backcourt from three-time first-team All-Big Sky guard Darian White.

 

White is averaging 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists with 23 starts in 26 games. She missed Nebraska’s win at Michigan (Feb. 6) with a leg injury, but returned to score four points off the bench in NU’s 82-79 win over No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11). 

 

She suffered the minor injury in the closing seconds of Nebraska’s loss to Rutgers (Feb. 3), after producing 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in a win over Purdue (Jan. 31). It was her eighth double-figure scoring effort of the season.

 

She scored a season-high 16 points against TCU (Nov. 25). 

 

White had 13 points and five rebounds in a win over Michigan (Jan. 17). She added 12 points and three assists at Penn State (Jan. 21), before getting seven points, four rebounds and three assists in just 14 minutes at No. 5 Iowa (Jan. 27). 

 

The 5-6 graduate student transferred into the Husker program during the summer after averaging 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals over 120 starts in four seasons at Montana State. 

 

The No. 2 scorer in Montana State history, White finished with 1,716 points, 612 rebounds, 449 assists and 260 steals.

 

White was the 2022 Big Sky Tournament MVP, leading the Bobcats to the conference title and a trip to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

 

She was also a two-time Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022) and the 2020 Big Sky Freshman of the Year.

 

White was the 2019 Idaho Gatorade High School Player of the Year and joins three-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year Logan Nissley, two-time Missouri MaxPreps Player of the Year Natalie Potts and Australian National Program forward Jessica Petrie in Nebraska’s group of four newcomers for 2023-24.

 

White produced her first Husker double-double with season highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19).

 

In her Nebraska regular-season debut, White scored 13 points, including six in a 16-0 run to start the game, while adding game highs of nine rebounds and three steals to go along with four assists in Nebraska’s 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).

 

She was strong in all phases of her first road game as a Husker, contributing 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in a 71-52 victory at Wyoming.

 

White had 11 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in 20 minutes in the win over UNCW (Dec. 5). 

 

She made her Big Ten debut with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and her first blocked shot of the season in an 80-74 win at NCAA NET No. 8 Michigan State (Dec. 9).

 

White took the court for the first time at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Nebraska’s exhibition win over Dakota Wesleyan (Oct. 29), producing 13 points, seven rebounds and game highs of eight assists and four steals.

 

• Jaz Shelley (595) needs five assists to reach 600 in her college career (503-Nebraska, 92-Oregon). Only three previous Huskers have recorded 600 assists as collegians: Lindsey Moore (699, 2010-13); Meggan Yedsena (696, 1991-94); Rachel Theriot (626, 2013-16).

 

• Markowski (290) is 10 rebounds shy of her second straight 300-rebound season. It would be just the 13th 300-rebound season in school history. Markowski, who led the Big Ten with 322 rebounds in 2022-23, would become just the fifth Husker to record two 300-rebound seasons.

 

• Markowski’s next double-double will be her 17th of the season, moving her ahead of Nafeesah Brown (1993-94) for the second-highest season total in school history. It will also be Markowski’s 38th career double-double, trailing only first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (2011-14) at 40.

 

•  Jaz Shelley (595) and Darian White (526) 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 is 86 points away from 2,000 in her college career.

 

• 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 (278/144), Logan Nissley (182/56) and Jessica Petrie (112/59) combining for 572 points and 259 rebounds. All three freshmen have played in all 27 games for the Big Red and all three are averaging double-figure minutes. 

 

Husker Nuggets
• Natalie Potts earned her conference-leading sixth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Feb. 12. No other league freshman has won more than three awards. Potts won the first weekly honor Nov. 13, before adding awards Nov. 27, Dec. 11, Jan. 8 and Jan. 15. She leads all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.3 rpg), field goal percentage (.522) and free throw percentage (.855) while ranking second in scoring (10.3 ppg). 

• Alexis Markowski has been named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll seven times in 2023-24. She also earned a spot on the St. Pete Showcase All-Tournament Team (Nov. 25). She ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding (10.7 rpg) and seventh in scoring (16.1 ppg).

• The Huskers had seven players produce double figures in points against UNCW, which is believed to be the first time that has been accomplished in school history. It is the second time this season the Huskers have had six players score in double figures in a game (Northwestern State, Nov. 6).

• Three Huskers (Alexis Markowski, Natalie Potts, Jaz Shelley) recorded double-doubles in the win over Maryland (Dec. 31), which is the first time a Husker trio notched doubles in the same game since Jordan Hooper (23 points, 11 rebounds), Emily Cady (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Rachel Theriot (10 points, 12 assists) did it in an NCAA first-round win over Fresno State in Los Angeles on March 22, 2014.
 
• The Huskers have hit at least one three in 491 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two threes in 370 consecutive games.

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 36 times in the last 99 games, including nine times in 2023-24. The Huskers hit a season-high 16 threes against UNCW (Dec. 5), and sank 12 triples vs. Southern (Dec. 17). NU hit 10 threes vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 6), Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29), Georgia Tech (Dec. 2), Michigan State (Dec. 9), Maryland (Dec. 31) and both games vs. Iowa (Jan. 27/Feb. 11).

• Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women’s basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (591 games).