Huskers Close Big Ten Road Action at Wisconsin

Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-7, 9-7 Big Ten)

vs. Wisconsin Badgers (7-19, 4-12 Big Ten)

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, 6:30 p.m. (CT)

Kohl Center – Madison, Wisconsin

Live Video: B1G+
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)

Lincoln (107.3 FM & 1400 AM KLIN), Omaha (ESPN 590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Close Big Ten Road Action at Wisconsin

The Nebraska women’s basketball team will shoot for a series sweep of Wisconsin while closing Big Ten regular-season road action in Madison on Wednesday night.

Tip-off between the Huskers (20-7, 9-7 Big Ten) and the Badgers (7-19, 4-12 Big Ten) is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) p.m. at the Kohl Center. Live video will be provided to subscribers of B1G+, while Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch describe the action on the Huskers Radio Network (B107.3 FM & 1400 AM KLIN Lincoln; ESPN 590 AM, Omaha), the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year front-runner Alexis Markowski continues to build an impressive season as the only true freshman in the conference to lead her team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). The seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week won her most recent award on Monday (Feb. 21) after averaging 16.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games last week. In 14 games as a Big Ten starter, Markowski is averaging 17.0 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Markowski is the only Power Five conference freshman to average at least 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds this season.

While Markowski had 15 points and nine rebounds in Sunday’s 93-70 run past Minnesota to give Nebraska its 18th 20-win campaign in school history, it was fellow freshman Allison Weidner who led the Big Red with a career-high 23 points. In her third career start, Weidner went 8-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three-point range. The 5-10 guard from Humphrey, Neb., is averaging 12.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists over her three starts.

Captains Sam Haiby and Isabelle Bourne have increased their production down the stretch. Haiby, a second-team All-Big Ten guard last season, is averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds while scoring in double figures each of the past four games. Bourne, an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice a year ago, is averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds the past four games. She has scored in double figures in seven straight contests.

Jaz Shelley continues to be the only Big Ten player to rank among the top 20 in the league in scoring (20th, 12.0 ppg), rebounding (10th, 7.0 rpg), assists (5th, 5.0 apg), steals (7th, 1.8 spg) and blocked shots (3rd, 1.2 bpg). She had a career-high 12 assists in Sunday’s win over Minnesota. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-7, 9-7 Big Ten)

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – So. – F – 10.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – Fr. – F/C – 13.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – So. – G – 12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 7.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Off the Bench

14 – Bella Cravens – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 5.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – Fr. – F/G – 2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg

5 – MiCole Cayton – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 2.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg

11 – Ruby Porter – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 2.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg

10 – Whitney Brown – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 1.7 ppg, 0.5 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Sixth Season at Nebraska (92-82); 15th Season Overall (285-191)

Wisconsin Badgers (7-19, 4-12 Big Ten)

2 – Katie Nelson – 5-8 – Gr. – G – 7.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg

3 – Brooke Schramek – 6-0 – So. – G – 8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg

5 – Julie Pospisilova – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 13.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg

10 – Halle Douglass – 6-1 – So. – G – 5.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg

14 – Krystyna Ellew – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 7.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Off the Bench

41 – Sara Stapleton – 6-3 – Jr. – F/C – 4.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg

40 – Tara Stauffacher – 5-11 – Jr. – F – 2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg

23 – Lexi Duckett – 5-11 – RSo. – F/C – 0.9 ppg, 0.4 rpg

24 – Natalie Leuzinger – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.2 ppg, 0.2 rpg

Head Coach: Marisa Moseley (Boston U, 2004)

First Season at Wisconsin (7-19); Fourth Season Overall (52-48)

Nebraska Numbers to Watch

• Nebraska has produced its second 20-win season under Coach Amy Williams, joining the 2017-18 squad that finished with 21 victories. NU has a total of 18 20-win seasons in program history.

• Nebraska is 15-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena with a pair of wins over top-10 foes (No. 5 Indiana, Feb. 14; No. 8 Michigan, Jan. 4). It marks NU’s most home wins since going 15-4 at PBA in 2015-16. The school record for home wins in a season is 16 (3 times, 1997-98, 2009-10, 2013-14).

• Nebraska’s two wins over top-10 opponents represent the second time in school history that the Huskers have posted multiple wins over top-10 teams in the same season, joining the 2009-10 campaign when NU recorded three top-10 victories.

• Through games Feb. 20, the Huskers ranked among the top 25 teams nationally in assists (5th, 476), total rebounds (8th, 1,163), scoring offense (9th, 78.7), assists per game (13th, 17.6 apg), scoring margin (14th, +16.0), three-point field goals made (14th, 228), assist-to-turnover ratio (14th, 1.23), rebounds per game (14th, 43.1 rpg), defensive rebounds per game (18th, 29.5 rpg) and three-point field goals made per game (24th, 8.5 pg).

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten in scoring margin (+16.0 ppg), total rebounds (43.1 rpg), field goal percentage defense (.374) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.267).

• Alexis Markowski is a seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 11).

• Alexis Markowski leads all Power Five conference freshmen in total rebounds (208) while ranking third in points (351). She is the only Power Five freshman averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

• Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley is the only player to rank among the top 20 players in the Big Ten in scoring (20th, 12.0 ppg), rebounding (10th, 7.0 rpg), assists (5th, 5.0 apg), blocked shots (3rd, 1.2 bpg) and steals (7th, 1.8 spg).

• Nebraska ranks ninth nationally in scoring offense with 78.7 points per game. The only time in the last 25 years NU has averaged more than 75 points per game in a season came in 2009-10 (77.4 ppg). That Husker team went unbeaten in the regular season, won the Big 12 regular-season title and advanced to Nebraska’s first NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.    

• Sophomore point guard Jaz Shelley has pulled down 183 total rebounds in 780 minutes this season. In two seasons (971 minutes) at Oregon (2019-20, 2020-21), the 5-9 Shelley totaled 70 rebounds.

• Jaz Shelley leads Nebraska with 30 blocked shots in 26 games. She had six blocks in 55 games over two seasons at Oregon.

• In 27 games in 2021-22, Nebraska has far surpassed its season steals total (120, 26 games) from a year ago. The Huskers own 202 steals this season. The last time NU had 200 steals in a season came with 221 in 2018-19.

• Nebraska’s minus-21 foul disparity (28-7) at Iowa (Jan. 16) marked the largest foul differential in program history (by NU or opponent) in 1,455 games over 48 seasons. It marked the first time in history that a Husker team held a negative foul differential of greater than 17. In NU’s other 26 games this season, the Huskers own a positive foul differential of +1.6.

• Nebraska has hit 228 threes this season, which ranks fifth in school history. NU’s record for made threes came with 250 (2017-18) when the Huskers earned their last NCAA Tournament bid.

Scouting The Wisconsin Badgers

• Marisa Moseley has led Wisconsin to a 7-19 record and a 4-12 Big Ten mark in her first season. 

• Wisconsin dropped a 77-44 decision at Nebraska (Jan. 27) when the Huskers returned from a 10-day pause caused by health and safety protocols. Sydney Hilliard led Wisconsin with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first meeting, but she left the program just days later following a 57-55 loss at Minnesota (Jan. 30). Hilliard averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18 starts this season.

• Julie Pospisilova has led a more balanced Badger attack since Hilliard’s departure. UW has gone 2-4 the past six games, including a 54-52 win over Purdue (Feb. 13) that included one of the largest second-half comebacks in Big Ten history. Wisconsin also notched a 70-62 win over Illinois (Feb. 6).

• Pospisilova is averaging 12.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 37.5 minutes per game the past six contests. The 6-0 guard from the Czech Republic has hit 10-of-28 threes (.357). She had 12 points in the first meeting this season at Nebraska.

• Sophomore Brooke Schramek, a teammate of Nebraska’s Kendall Moriarty at Benet Academy, has added 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds the past six games, nearly doubling her scoring average from the first 20 games this season.  

• Graduate transfer Katie Nelson is also averaging double digits with 10.0 points, while adding 3.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals the past six games. She is the only Badger to start all 26 games this season.

• Sophomore Halle Douglass (8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) also has nearly doubled her production the past six games. Freshman Krystyna Ellew has moved into the starting five in Hilliard’s absence and is averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while matching Douglass with 12 threes over the past six contests. Ellew has hit 44.4 percent (12-27) from long range, while Douglass has been scalding hot at 63.2 percent (12-19) over the past six contests.

• Tara Stauffacher (2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg), Sara Stapleton (1.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and Natalie Leuzinger have all seen action in each of the past six games off the bench.

• Wisconsin is averaging just 54.3 points the past six games, while allowing 66.8. The Badgers are also minus-9.0 on the boards (27.2-36.2) and minus-3.7 in turnover margin, but they are shooting an impressive 40.2 percent (47-117) from three-point range. Over the past six games. UW has hit just 36.6 percent (67-183) of its two-point field goal attempts.

Nebraska vs. Wisconsin Series History

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Wisconsin 13-7, including a four-game winning streak. Alexis Markowski led NU with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Sam Haiby added 11 points in a 77-44 Husker win in Lincoln (Jan. 27). Eleven different Huskers scored at least three points in the win, and NU held UW to 3-for-22 three-point shooting. Nebraska hit 8-of-25 threes. 

• The Huskers have won eight consecutive home games against the Badgers in a streak that started at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with a 68-59 win on Feb. 19, 2012. Nebraska is 13-2 against Wisconsin as Big Ten foes.

• Wisconsin notched its last win in the series with a 70-69 victory on a controversial buzzer-beater at the Kohl Center on Jan. 27, 2018. The series is even at 5-5 in Madison.

• Wisconsin won the first five meetings in series history, dating back to a 79-74 win over the Huskers in Madison, Wis., on Jan. 5, 1979.

• Nebraska’s first series win came with a 75-69 victory at Madison on Jan. 12, 2012.

Markowski Makes Case for Freshman All-American

• Alexis Markowski is making her mark as a true freshman for her hometown Huskers. The 6-3 forward/center from Lincoln leads Nebraska with 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game – the only Big Ten freshman to lead her team in scoring and rebounding.

• A seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Markowski has increased her production to 17.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals over the past 14 games as a Big Ten starter. She has hit 56.8 percent from the field and 52 percent (13-25) from three-point range during that stretch

• Markowski has captured five of the past seven Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards and was named the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 11).

• Markowski ranks third among all Power Five conference freshmen in points (351) while leading all Power Five freshmen in rebounds (208). She is the only Power Five freshman averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

• Among all freshmen nationally, Markowski’s 253 points in conference play trail only DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow (412, BIG EAST), ORU’s Tirzah Moore (274) and Buffalo’s Georgia Woolley (268, MAC). Markowski’s 134 total rebounds in Big Ten action trail only Morrow (272) and Loyola Maryland’s Lex Therien (175, Patriot) among all freshmen nationally in their respective conferences.

• Markowski’s numbers compare favorably to the freshman campaigns of the three best forwards in Husker history, including 1993 Wade Trophy winner and first-team All-American Karen Jennings (13.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1989-90); 2010 first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin (13.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2005-06) and 2014 first-team All-American Jordan Hooper (14.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2010-11).

The Aussie Army Knife – Jaz Shelley

• A two-time choice to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (Nov. 22, Nov. 29) for her impressive performances early in the season, sophomore transfer Jaz Shelley has filled the stat sheet across all categories while leading the Huskers to a 20-7 record and a No. 20 NET ranking.

• While baseball has its rare five-tool talents, the 5-9 point guard from Moe (pronounced MO-ee), Australia is demonstrating her amazing skill level in all five major statistical categories in basketball. She is the only Big Ten player to rank among the conference’s top 20 in points (20th, 12.0 ppg), rebounds (10th, 7.0 rpg), assists (5th, 5.0 apg), blocks (3rd, 1.2 bpg) and steals (7th, 1.8 spg).

• In addition to her top-25 rankings in the sport’s five major statistical categories, Shelley also ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ration (2.0) and ninth in the Big Ten in three-point field percentage (.379).

• She missed Nebraska’s loss at Iowa (Jan. 16) because of COVID protocols, while fellow starting guard Sam Haiby missed the game with injury.

• A third Husker starter, Bella Cravens, missed her fourth straight start at Iowa because of injury but did return to play two minutes in the third quarter against the Hawkeyes (Jan. 16).

• Shelley is one of three members of the Australian National Program on the 2021-22 Nebraska roster, joining Isabelle Bourne and Ruby Porter. Bourne and Shelley were teammates for Australia’s silver medal-winning Gems at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Championships.

• Shelley was the only collegiate player for Australia at the 2021 Asia Cup in Amman, Jordan. She earned a bronze medal in early October. She joined the Huskers for the 2021-22 season, after completing the NCAA transfer process in mid-April. She spent two seasons at Oregon and has three seasons of eligibility at Nebraska.

Husker Nuggets

• Sam Haiby is the 35th 1,000-point scorer in Husker history and has increased her career total to 1,303 to rank No. 16 all time at NU.

• Sam Haiby needs two assists to match two-time WNBA All-Star and Niagara, Wis., native Anna DeForge for ninth (392) on Nebraska’s all-time assist list. Haiby is 10 assists away from 400 in her career.

• Haiby’s next rebound will be the 500th of her career. She needs just one rebound and 10 assists to become the first Husker in history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 11 times in the last 34 games, including eight times in 27 games in 2021-22. NU buried 14-of-28 threes against NC Central (Nov. 20), 14-of-30 threes at Iowa (Jan. 16), 12-of-29 vs. Drake (Dec. 19), 11-of-20 vs. Purdue (Jan. 30), 11-of-22 vs. Prairie View A&M (Nov. 11), 10-of-19 at San Diego (Nov. 27), 10-of-21 against Minnesota (Feb. 20) and 10-of-28 at Wake Forest (Dec. 1).  

• 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).

• The Huskers have hit at least one three in 425 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 304 consecutive games.

• The 2021-22 season marks the first time NU has reached 100 points in a game three times in the same season.

• The Huskers have scored 30 or more in a quarter six times in 2021-22. In the previous six years combined, NU produced nine 30-point periods.

• The 38 points NU allowed to Rutgers (Feb. 1) matched the fewest points the Huskers have ever allowed in a Big Ten game, joining a 67-38 win at Indiana (Jan. 10, 2013).