Huskers Battle Bluejays Wednesday – University of Nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0)

vs. Creighton Bluejays (1-1)

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, 7 p.m. (CT)

Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska

Tickets: Huskers.com / 800-8-BIG-RED
Live Video: B1G+ (subscription required)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (B107.3 FM), Omaha (ESPN 590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Unbeaten Huskers Battle BlueJays Wednesday in Lincoln

The Nebraska women’s basketball team plays its biggest game of its five-game season-opening home stand when the Huskers collide with Creighton on Wednesday in Lincoln.

Tip-off between the Huskers (3-0) and the Bluejays (1-1) is set for 7 p.m. (CT), with live video provided for B1G+ subscribers. The Huskers Radio Network audio of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will accompany the video and can be heard across statewide affiliates, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha. The free audio can be heard on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. 

Nebraska has opened its home stand with a 3-0 record that has included the most prolific three-game offensive stretch in school history. The Huskers totaled 298 points through the first three games and produced a combined scoring margin of 168 points – more than 30 points greater than any other three-game span in NU history. 

Nebraska’s production came against three NCAA Division I opponents that combined for a 30-23 overall record a year ago, including defending America East Conference regular-season champion Maine. The Big Red beat Maine 108-50, before the Black Bears returned home to battle Creighton’s BIG EAST counterpart Providence on Nov. 13. Maine lost to the Friars in overtime (66-61) after the Black Bears led 17-3 at the end of the first quarter.

In NCAA statistics (Nov. 15), Nebraska ranked fifth nationally in scoring margin (56.0 ppg, sixth in scoring (99.3 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.553). The Huskers also ranked in the top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 2.09) and assists (8th, 24.3 apg). On the other end, the Big Red ranked in the top 10 in defensive rebounds (5th, 36.3 rpg), rebound margin (9th, +22.7 rpg), while also ranking 18th in field goal percentage defense (.276) and 19th in scoring defense (43.3 ppg).

Isabelle Bourne led the Huskers during their opening barrage by averaging a team-best 17.7 points per game. The 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia was the only Husker to produce double figures more than once last week, capped by her career-high 23-point performance in Sunday’s victory over Alabama A&M. Bourne hit a scorching 71.9 percent of her field goal attempts, including 3-of-7 three-pointers.

Fellow Australian Jaz Shelley was the only other Husker to average in double figures last week, putting up 12.7 points and team bests of 8.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.5 blocks.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

14 – Bella Cravens – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 8.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – So. – F – 17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg

0 – Ashley Scoggin – 5-7 – RSo. – G – 9.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – So. – G – 12.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 8.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg

Off the Bench

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – Fr. – F/C – 9.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – Fr. – F/G – 6.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg 

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 7.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg    

11 – Ruby Porter – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg

10 – Whitney Brown – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 4.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 3.7 ppg, 0.7 rpg

5 – MiCole Cayton – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Sixth Season at Nebraska (75-75); 15th Season Overall (268-184)

Creighton Bluejays (1-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)

22 – Carly Bachelor – 6-0 – Jr. – G/F – 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg

31 – Emma Ronsiek – 6-1 – So. – F – 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

2 – Tatum Rembao – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg

15 – Lauren Jensen – 5-10 – So. – G – 12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

33 – Payton Brotzki – 5-11 – Sr. – G – 5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Off the Bench

30 – Morgan Maly – 6-1 – So. – G/F – 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

14 – Mallory Brake – 6-0 – So. – F – 8.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg

21 – Molly Mogensen – 5-7 – So. – G – 4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

12 – Jayme Horan – 5-10 – So. – G – 4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

13 – Rachael Saunders – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 2.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg

24 – Chloe Dworak – 5-6 – Sr. – G – 1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg

Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)

20th Season at Creighton (357-244); 20th Season Overall (357-244) 

Scouting The Creighton Bluejays

• Coach Jim Flanery brings his 20th Creighton team into Wednesday’s game at Nebraska with a 1-1 record after battling to a 71-51 win over Omaha at Sokol Arena on Saturday afternoon. Creighton opened with an 82-79 loss at Drake (Nov. 10). 

• The Jays finished with a 10-12 overall record lat season, including a sixth-place BIG EAST finish with a 6-7 conference mark.

• Lauren Jensen, a 5-10 sophomore from Lakeville, Minn., and an Iowa transfer, has scored a team-best 24 total points through two games. Jensen scored a game-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists in Saturday’s win over Omaha. She is averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals through two games.

• Emma Ronsiek, a 6-1 sophomore forward from Sioux Falls, S.D., has added 12.0 points per game but did not play in the win over the Mavs because of a shoulder injury. Ronsiek added four rebounds and four blocked shots in the loss at Drake. Ronsiek was the South Dakota Gatorade High School Player of the Year at Sioux Falls O’Gorman in 2019-20.

• Morgan Maly stepped into the starting five in place of Ronsiek against the Mavs. The 6-1 wing out of Crete High School managed eight points against Omaha after leading the Jays with 15 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting in just 17 minutes off the bench at Drake. Maly was 2-for-7 from long range against the Mavs.

• Super-senior Tatum Rembao is the elder stateswoman of the Creighton lineup. The 5-9 guard is averaging 10.0 points, a team-leading 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a team-best 2.0 steals in a team-leading 31 minutes per game early this season. Rembao owns 562 career points in 85 career games with 47 career starts. She played just 11 of CU’s 22 games a year ago.

• Senior Payton Brotzki out of Platteview High School has played 81 games in a Creighton uniform. She has started both games this season and has managed 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. She has scored 304 points in her CU career.

• Junior Carly Bachelor rounds out an experienced CU starting five. The 6-0 wing has averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds and has been the most efficient Jay, hitting 7-of-8 field goals, including both of her three-point attempts. She is also 2-for-2 at the free throw line and has not committed a turnover. She will be playing her 50th career game and is expected to make her 18th career start.

• Creighton is bolstered by seniors Rachael Saunders and Chloe Dworak off the bench. The duo has combined for 133 games played at Creighton, including 30 starts between them. Dworak is a Lincoln Christian High School graduate.

• Sophomores Mallory Brake (8.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Molly Mogensen (4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.0 apg) and Jayme Horan (4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) provide Creighton with reliable depth and the framework for the future.

• As a team, Creighton is averaging 75.0 points through two games while hitting 41.8 percent from the field and 35.5 percent (22-62) of its three-pointers. The Jays have also knocked down 80 percent (16-20) of their free throws. They own a plus-3.0 rebound margin and a plus-3.0 turnover margin.

• In the loss at Drake, CU hit 14-of-39 (.359) threes and 17-of-38 (.447) two-point field goals. Drake hit 32-of-65 field goals, including 8-of-18 threes, while outscoring CU at the free throw line, 10-3. Creighton outscored Drake 47-36 in the second half, after trailing 46-32 at the half.

Nebraska vs. Creighton Series History

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton 30-16, but the Jays have won the last five meetings against the Huskers. Nebraska is 20-3 all-time against CU in Lincoln.

• Last season, Creighton posted a 78-62 win over the Huskers in Omaha (Dec. 14) in the fourth game of the season for NU. The Huskers, who entered the game 3-0, played without starter Trinity Brady who went down with an ankle injury in game No. 2. NU also lost guard Ruby Porter early in the first half to an ankle injury and finished the game with just six scholarship players. CU led 42-21 at the half and played 14 Jays in the game.

• Sam Haiby led the Huskers with 18 points and eight rebounds while Annika Stewart contributed 10 points and six boards off the bench. Creighton hit 13-of-38 threes, including 7-of-15 in the second quarter. Temi Carda and Tatum Rembao led CU with 18 apiece while Rachael Saunders added 13 points. That trio combined to go 8-of-18 from long range.

• In 2019-20 in Lincoln, Creighton hit 14-of-32 three-pointers in a 79-74 win. Jaylyn Agnew led CU with 26, while Carda and Olivia Elger each added 18 points. That trio combined to hit 12-of-23 threes-point attempts. Sam Haiby had 17 points and seven rebounds while Kate Cain led the Big Red with 18 points and seven boards.

• During Creighton’s five-game winning streak in the series, the Jays are 58-of-156 (.372) from three-point range, while Nebraska is just 16-of-76 (.211). CU is averaging 11.6 made threes per game during the streak, while NU is averaging 3.2.

• Creighton has connected on double-digit threes against Nebraska in five of the last seven meetings, including a 15-of-38 effort on Dec. 18, 2016.

• However, Nebraska’s lack of success from long range against Creighton is not limited to the last five games. In fact, Nebraska has not made more than five threes in a game against Creighton since a 75-67 Husker win in Omaha on Nov. 17, 2008 when the Big Red went 9-for-21. On the flip side, Creighton has made at least five threes every game against Nebraska since going 4-for-13 at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha on Dec. 3, 2000. Creighton won that game, 66-57. NU went 5-for-10.

• In the last 26 meetings combined, Nebraska has hit 83-of-301 (.276) for an average of just 3.2 made threes per game. Creighton has hit 193-of-588 (.328) for an average of 7.4 made threes in the same 26 games. Nebraska owns a 17-9 series edge during that span.

Husker History of Home-Opening Success

• Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ home court. NU improved to 45-3 in home season openers with a 108-50 victory over defending America East Conference regular-season champion Maine on Nov. 9, 2021. 

• NU is 8-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in season openers, including a win over Alabama A&M (Nov. 6, 2019). The lone loss came on Nov. 7, 2018, with an 83-77 setback to Drake. In the first regular-season game in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena, Nebraska powered its way to a 77-49 win over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013.

• Nebraska’s only season-opening home losses have come to Drake (2018), South Dakota State (Nov. 19, 2005) and Kansas (Nov. 21, 1980).

• Nebraska has been strong in its first four home games every season. In fact, NU is 166-25 (.869) over 48 seasons in its first four home contests, including 41-7 in Game No. 2. 

• Nebraska is 39-9 in Game No. 3 and 41-6 in Game No. 4.

Nebraska Streaks

• Sam Haiby has scored in 87 of 89 games in her Husker career. She has scored at least two points in 52 consecutive games for Nebraska, dating back to being held scoreless by USC at the South Point Shootout on Nov. 29, 2019. The Huskers won that game 67-54. She was also held scoreless in a 70-69 loss at Wisconsin on Jan. 27, 2018.

• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 401 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 280 consecutive games.

• Nebraska has hit seven or more three-pointers in 11 consecutive games, including four games with double-digit threes made during that stretch. 

• The Huskers have scored 70 or more points in eight consecutive games dating back to a 73-63 loss at Minnesota on Feb. 24, 2021.

Nebraska Numbers to Watch

• The largest combined four-game scoring margin in school history came in the first four games of the 2015-16 season, when the Huskers outscored Arkansas-Pine Bluff (96-46), North Florida (91-46), NC Central (88-47) and Southern (89-38) by a total of 187 points to open the season.

• Nebraska enters the Creighton game with a combined three-game margin of 168 points – the largest of any three-game stretch in school history.

• Jaz Shelley needs one blocked shot to match her previous career total (6) in two seasons (55 games, 12 starts) at Oregon. Shelley also needs nine rebounds to match the 33-game total from her freshman season at Oregon in 2019-20.

Husker Nuggets

• Nebraska’s 58-point margin of victory over Maine matched the largest margin ever by the Huskers in a season opener, tying a 58-point win (104-46) over Wofford (Nov. 21, 2003).

• NU’s 55-point margin in the win over Prairie View A&M gave the Huskers a 113-point combined spread in the first two games – the largest in a pair of season-opening contests in NU history.

• Nebraska’s 55-point margin in the win over Alabama A&M marked the first time in school history that NU had produced a 50-plus point spread in three consecutive games.

• The Huskers have scored 30 or more third-quarter points in four consecutive regular-season home games. Prior to the streak Nebraska had never scored 30 points in the third quarter.

• Nine different Huskers have scored in double figures through the season’s first three games. Isabelle Bourne is the only Husker to score in double digits in more than one contest.

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten in scoring (99.3 ppg), scoring margin (56.0 ppg),  field goal percentage (.553), field goal percentage defense (.276), three-point field goal percentage (.474), total rebounds (50.7 rpg), rebound margin (22.7 rpg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.09).

• NU’s 33 points allowed tied for for the ninth fewest by an opponent in Husker history and just the second time since 1977 that an opponent scored less than 35 points.

• Sam Haiby is the 35th 1,000-point scorer in Husker history and has increased her career total to 1,063 to rank No. 31 all time at NU. She needs just six points to match Kate Galligan at No. 30 and 11 points to catch Tina McClain at No. 29. Haiby will be presented a commemorative 1,000-point ball by Coach Amy Williams prior to Wednesday’s tip-off with Creighton.