Huskers Aim for Upset of No. 3 Buckeyes

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten)

vs. 3/3 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten)

Saturday, January 14, 2023, 1:30 p.m. (CT)

Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska

Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live TV: BTN (Sloane Martin, Brenda VanLengen)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (1:15 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Special Event: Red Cross Day

Huskers Shoot for Upset of No. 3 Ohio State

The Nebraska women’s basketball team takes aim at an upset when the Huskers battle unbeaten and No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln.

Tip-off between the Huskers (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) and the Buckeyes (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten) is set for 1:30 p.m. (CT) with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com. A live telecast will be provided by the Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin and Brenda VanLengen on the call. The game also can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

Saturday’s game will be Red Cross Day at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Members of the Red Cross and volunteers will be located at the North and South entrances of the arena and throughout the concourse collecting donations on game day.

The game marks the second straight trip for Ohio State to Lincoln as a nationally ranked and unbeaten team. Nebraska knocked off undefeated (7-0) and then-No. 15 Ohio State, 63-55, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 16, 2021, as Kate Cain (22 points, 12 rebounds, 9 blocks) and Sam Haiby (11 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds) both nearly notched triple-doubles for the Huskers.

Nebraska already owns a pair of top-20 wins this season, most recently an 85-79 3OT victory over No. 20 Kansas at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Dec. 21, 2022). The Huskers also defeated No. 20 Maryland (90-67) in College Park (Dec. 4, 2022).

Last season, the Huskers posted three wins over top-10 teams, including a 72-55 victory over then-No. 5 Indiana at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Feb. 14, 2022). The Big Red also claimed a home win over then-No. 8 Michigan (79-58, Jan. 4, 2022) and against then-No. 10 Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis (March 4, 2022) for NU’s most recent win over a top-10 team.

The highest ranked team Nebraska has ever defeated was eventual national champion Baylor when the Bears were ranked No. 2 on Jan. 12, 2005. The Huskers outlasted Baylor 103-99 in 3OT at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska owns 13 wins over top-10 foes in school history, including three over top-five opponents. Two weeks ago, the Huskers pushed No. 4 Indiana to overtime at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, before falling 74-62.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten)

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 11.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – So. – C/F – 12.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 14.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

42 – Maddie Krull – 5-9 – So. – G – 4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Off the Bench

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – So. – F – 6.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg

44 – Maggie Mendelson – 6-5 – Fr. – F/C – 5.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg

14 – Callin Hake – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 4.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – So. – G – 3.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – So. – F/G – 2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg

2 – Trinity Brady – 5-11 – Jr. – G – 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg

3 – Allison Weidner (Out) – 5-10 – So. – G – 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Seventh Season at Nebraska (107-90); 16th Season Overall (300-199)

3/3 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten)

32 – Cotie McMahon – 6-0 – Fr. – F – 12.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg

23 – Rebeka Mikulasikova – 6-4 – Sr. – F – 13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg

1 – Rikki Harris – 5-10 – RJr. – G – 7.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg

2 – Taylor Thierry – 6-0 – So. – G/F – 12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg

24    Taylor Mikesell – 5-11 – Sr. – G – 18.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg

Off the Bench

4 – Jacy Sheldon – 5-10 – Sr. – G – 16.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg

0 – Madison Greene – 5-8 – RJr. – G – 10.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg

3 – Hevynne Bristow – 6-1 – Sr. – G – 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg

22 – Eboni Walker – 6-0 – Sr. – F – 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

5 – Emma Shumate – 6-1 – So. – G – 1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg

11 – Kaia Henderson – 5-6 – Fr. – G – 1.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg

12 – Mya Perry – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 1.0 ppg, 0.2 rpg

20 – Kaitlyn Costner – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg

Head Coach: Kevin McGuff (St. Joseph’s, Ind., 1992)

10th Season at Ohio State (161-95); 21st Season Overall (416-191)

Nebraska Notables

Nebraska is coming off an 80-51 win Wednesday over Penn State to improve to 8-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season. Freshman Callin Hake led five Huskers in double figures with a career-high 16 points – her third double-figure scoring effort off the bench in Big Ten play.

Alexis Markowski notched her seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Jaz Shelley added her first double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 assists. Shelley just missed her second career triple-double by adding a season-high nine rebounds.

Isabelle Bourne pitched in 10 points and became the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Husker history with her layup in the fourth quarter. Bourne also became just the 22nd player in NU history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,000 points (1,001) and 500 rebounds (545) joining teammate Sam Haiby (1,430 points, 560 rebounds) in that prestigious group.

Maddie Krull contributed 14 points for her second straight game in double figures. 

Nebraska hit 13-of-28 threes in the win over Penn State, the ninth time this season NU has connected on double-digit threes. The Huskers also dominated the glass, 52-33, against PSU.

Kendall Moriarty put the exclamation point on Wednesday’s win with a running, half-a-hook three from beyond halfcourt in the closing seconds to beat the shot clock. Moriarty’s improbable shot was Scott Van Pelt’s “The Best Thing I Saw Today” Wednesday night on ESPN.

Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia – pronounced MO-ee) has been Nebraska’s most potent and reliable weapon throughout the season. The 5-9 guard is averaging 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and team-bests of 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals on the season. 

Shelley opened Big Ten play with 29 points in a road upset at No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4), before pumping in 31 points in a win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7). She added 21 points and five assists in a loss to No. 14 Michigan (Dec. 28).

Preseason All-Big Ten center and 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) is one of the Big Ten’s top rebounders, averaging 9.4 boards to go along with her 12.2 points per contest. The 6-3 center owns seven double-doubles on the season and leads the Huskers with 19 blocks while ranking second on the team with 19 steals.

Last season, Markowski had 23 points and 15 rebounds in an 80-70 loss at then-No. 21 Ohio State (Feb. 10, 2022). 

Nebraska has recently lost starters Allison Weidner (10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.4 apg) and Trinity Brady (2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg) to injuries. Weidner (leg) was injured in the fourth quarter of Nebraska’s 85-79 3OT win over No. 20 Kansas (Dec. 21) and is out for the season. Brady (concussion) was injured in the first half of NU’s loss at No. 9 Virginia Tech (Dec. 1) and has missed the past nine games.

The injuries to Weidner and Brady have helped hasten the return of three-year starter Sam Haiby to Nebraska’s lineup. Haiby, who has more than 1,400 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in her Husker career, produced double figures off the bench in the win over Kansas, and in a starting role at No. 4 Indiana and Rutgers. She is averaging 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 19 minutes per game since returning from her own leg injury suffered in the preseason (Sept. 12).  

In five career games against Ohio State, Sam Haiby has averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists. 

In three career games against Ohio State, Isabelle Bourne has averaged 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. She did not play in Nebraska’s win over the unbeaten Buckeyes two seasons ago in Lincoln because of COVID-19 protocols.

Scouting the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes

Coach Kevin McGuff brings his unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes to Lincoln with a 17-0 record that includes a 6-0 Big Ten mark following an 87-81 come-from-behind overtime win over current-No. 24 Illinois last Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus.

The Buckeyes trailed 47-37 at the half to Illinois before rallying to send the game to overtime. The road loss to the Buckeyes propelled Illinois into the top 25 for the first time in 22 years.

Ohio State is one of just three remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I women’s basketball, joining defending national champion South Carolina and LSU.

Ohio State has been led throughout the season by fifth-year senior and two-time transfer Taylor Mikesell, who is averaging 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. One of the nation’s top three-point shooters throughout her career, Mikesell led OSU with 31 points on 7-of-14 three-point shooting in the win over Illinois. She owns 55 threes on the year and 393 in her career. Both those totals rank No. 2 in the nation in Division I. She is also just 46 points away from 2,000 in her career, as her 1,954 career points rank No. 10 among active players. Her career has spanned 139 games, including two seasons at Maryland (2018-20), one at Oregon (2020-21) and two at Ohio State (2021-23).

Mikesell was a first-team All-Big Ten choice last season when she led the conference in three-point percentage (.475), threes made (114) and seventh in scoring (18.6 ppg).

Mikesell is far from a one-woman show for an Ohio State team that has six players averaging in double figures, including a pair of starters (Jacy Sheldon, 16.0 ppg; Madison Greene, 10.9 ppg) currently out of the lineup with injuries. Sheldon was a first-team All-Big Ten pick and a member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team for the Buckeyes last season, when she ranked sixth in the league in scoring (19.7 ppg), fourth in steals (1.9 spg) and eighth in assists (4.2 apg).

Senior Rebeka Mikulasikova adds 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. The 6-4 forward ranks second among the Buckeyes with 28 made three-pointers.

Taylor Thierry, a 6-0 sophomore, has added 12.3 points and team bests of 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. She is hitting 66.7 percent of her field goal attempts, which ranks No. 3 nationally.

True freshman Cotie McMahon has contributed 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals, while joining Mikesell, Mikulasikova and Thierry in the starting five for all 17 games.

Hevynne Bristow (4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Eboni Walker (3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Emma Shumate (1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg) round out Ohio State’s current eight-player rotation.

As a team, Ohio State has created offense from its defense. The Buckeyes own a nation-leading plus-10.4 turnover margin, forcing 23.9 turnovers while committing just 13.6 miscues per game. OSU ranks No. 4 nationally in steals (13.8 spg).

OSU is averaging 87.0 points per game, which ranks No. 5 nationally, while hitting 48.5 percent of its shots (9th nationally), including 35.1 percent of its three-point attempts.

Ohio State has held opponents to 63.2 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting from the field, including just 27.1 percent from three-point range. The opposition has out-rebounded OSU by a narrow margin (37.2-36.8), and the Buckeyes are shooting just 69.5 percent from the free throw line. However, OSU has outscored the opposition, 251-154, at the stripe.

Nebraska vs. Ohio State Series History

Ohio State leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 12-9, but the Huskers defeated the Buckeyes 63-55 in the most recent meeting at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 16, 2021. 

Nebraska’s Kate Cain nearly notched a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots, while going 10-for-14 from the field, as the Huskers knocked off then-No. 15 and unbeaten Ohio State (7-0). 

Sam Haiby also threatened a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds despite going 2-for-11 from the field.

Ohio State won the turnover battle 19-6 in the game and attempted 81 field goals, compared to just 58 for Nebraska. But the Big Red out-rebounded the Buckeyes 54-44 and held OSU to just 27.2 percent (22-81) shooting, including 5-for-27 (.185) from three-point range.

Ohio State avenged that loss with an 80-70 win over the Huskers in Columbus, Ohio last season (Feb. 10, 2022). Taylor Mikesell led the then-No. 21 Buckeyes with 21 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, while Rebeka Mikulasikova added 15 points on a trio of threes. As a team, Ohio State connected on 9-of-21 threes, while Huskers went just 6-for-23 from long range.

Alexis Markowski led the Big Red with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Jaz Shelley contributed 14 points and five assists. Isabelle Bourne put three Huskers in double figures with 12 points and six boards, as NU won the rebounding battle, 48-34.

Nebraska and Ohio State have split the past four meetings, including a 78-69 Husker win in Columbus on Dec. 31, 2018. Sam Haiby (8 points) is the only current player on either roster to play in that game.

Nebraska reeled off a five-game winning streak in the series from 2012 to 2014, but Ohio State answered with five straight wins from 2015 to 2017. The series dates back to a 63-54 Nebraska win in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 2, 1990. OSU won the first meeting between the teams as Big Ten foes, 82-68, in Columbus on Jan. 19, 2012.

Williams Claims 300th Career Win

Amy Williams claimed career head coaching victory No. 300 when the Huskers defeated Penn State, 80-51, on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. She owns 107 wins at Nebraska, 96 at South Dakota and 97 at Rogers State.

Williams has collected a trio of century club victories this season. She notched her 200th career NCAA Division I victory against Samford (Dec. 10). The milestone win followed closely behind claiming her 100th victory as Nebraska’s head coach with a 73-44 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Puerto Rico Clasico (Nov. 25).

Husker Numbers to Watch

Isabelle Bourne is expected to compete in her 100th career game as a Husker on Saturday against Ohio State. Bourne recently became Nebraska’s 36th career 1,000-point scorer and will move into sole possession of No. 35 on NU’s scoring list with her next point. Issie’s older sister, Callie, recently reached the 1,000-point mark in her fifth season at Idaho State, achieving the milestone at San Diego (Nov. 25) in career game No. 118.

Jaz Shelley is eight three-pointers away from 129 in her Husker career, which would move her into the top 10 on Nebraska’s career three-point list. Shelley has 121 made threes in just 49 games (2.5 pg) as a Husker. The only player in NU’s top 10 to hit threes at a faster clip in her career is Natalie Romeo, who connected on 155 threes in 55 games (2.8 pg) as a Husker (2014-15, 2015-16). Amy Stephens, one of the greatest shooters and scorers in Nebraska history, hit 129 threes in 57 games (2.3 pg) in the first two seasons of the three-point shot in women’s college basketball (1987-88, 1988-89). Nebraska’s all-time three-point leader, All-American and 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Hooper, hit 295 threes in 131 career games (2.3 pg).

Jaz Shelley is 48 points away from 1,000 in her college career (656-Nebraska; 296-Oregon).

Sam Haiby is three points away (1,430) from matching Diane DelVigna for No. 14 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list (1,433 points, 1978-79, 1979-80).

Kendall Moriarty has already surpassed her season point total (66-45) from a year ago while more than tripling her three-point total (11-3) and nearly tripling her season rebound total (35-12). She also has more than tripled her steals total (11-3), more than quadrupled her made free throws (9-2) and matched her season block total (3) from a year ago.