Huskers Close Home Stand with Eagles

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

vs. NC Central Eagles (0-3, 0-0 MEAC)

Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, Noon (CT)

Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska

Tickets: Huskers.com / 800-8-BIG-RED
Live Video: B1G+ (subscription required)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (11:45 a.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (B107.3 FM), Omaha (CD 105.9 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Halftime Performance: The Amazing Sladek

Huskers Close Five-Game Home Stand with Eagles

The Nebraska women’s basketball team wraps up its five-game season-opening home stand by playing host to North Carolina Central on Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the Huskers (4-0) and the Eagles (0-3) is set for Noon (CT), with live video provided for B1G+ subscribers with UNL students Grant Hansen and Hailey Ryerson on the call. The Huskers Radio Network call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch can be heard in Lincoln on B107.3 FM and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha. The free audio can be heard on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. 

Nebraska has opened its home stand with a 4-0 record, including a 67-62 win over in-state rival Creighton at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday night. 

All-Big Ten guard Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) helped the Big Red close out the win with 13 of her team-high 15 points in the second half. She added five rebounds, five assists and three steals, while sinking the game-clinching free throws with 5.4 seconds left. Haiby is averaging 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-high 4.8 assists through four games.

All-Big Ten forward Isabelle Bourne (Canberra, Australia) has led the Huskers in scoring through four games, averaging 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Bourne produced double figures in each of Nebraska’s first three wins, including a career-high 23 points against Alabama A&M (Nov. 14).

Fellow Australian Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) has added double-digit production with 10.5 points while leading the Huskers with 8.3 rebounds per game. The 5-9 point guard is also tied for the team lead with five blocks and has matched Haiby for the team lead with seven steals.

Alexis Markowski, the 2021 Nebraska High School Player of the Year out of Lincoln Pius X, has played big for the Big Red. The 6-3 freshman is averaging 10.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in less than 15 minutes per game off the bench.

Nebraska will be gunning for its second five-game winning streak to open a season since 2019-20. The Huskers lead the Big Ten in scoring margin (43.3 ppg), thanks in part to a solid defense that has held opponents to just 29 percent shooting from the field. NU’s field goal percentage defense also leads the Big Ten.

The Big Red also leads the conference in total rebounds (48.5 rpg), while ranking second in scoring (91.3 ppg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.83) and blocked shots (6.0 bpg).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

14 – Bella Cravens – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – So. – F – 14.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg

0 – Ashley Scoggin – 5-7 – RSo. – G – 9.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – So. – G – 10.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 9.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Off the Bench

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – Fr. – F/C – 10.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – Fr. – F/G – 5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg 

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 5.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg    

11 – Ruby Porter – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg

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

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 3.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg

5 – MiCole Cayton – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Sixth Season at Nebraska (76-75); 15th Season Overall (269-184)

North Carolina Central Eagles (0-3, 0-0 MEAC)

22 – Tianna Carter – 6-1 – RSo. – F – 8.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg

44 – Ashlyn Lockard – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 8.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg

0 – Paris McBride – 5-6 – So. – G – 3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg

4 – Necole Hope – 5-10 – Sr. – G – 8.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg

12 – Kira Lowery – 5-8 – RJr. – G – 3.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg

Off the Bench

1 – Diamond Thomas – 5-4 – Fr. – G – 6.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg

5 – Nia Ford – 5-11 – Fr. – G – 4.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg

3 – Morgan Callahan – 6-1 – So. – F – 4.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg

11 – Madalyn Anderson – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg

2 – Taylor Williams – 5-9 – RSo. – G/F – 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg

32 – Simone Edmundson – 6-0 – Jr. – C – 2.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg

21 – Breonna Mayfield – 6-5 – Sr. – C – 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg

Head Coach: Trisha Stafford-Odom (California, 1992)

Fifth Season at NC Central (35-75); Eighth Season Overall (72-120) 

Scouting The North Carolina Central Eagles

• Coach Trisha Stafford-Odom brings her fifth North Carolina Central team into the 2021-22 season. The Eagles come to Lincoln with an 0-3 record after taking a 66-37 loss to Virginia Commonwealth at home in Durham, N.C., on Wednesday night.

• North Carolina Central opened the season with a 73-56 loss at Illinois (Nov. 9), before suffering an 80-66 loss at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. (Nov. 14). 

• Starting forward Tianna Carter has been a leader early for the Eagles. The 6-1 redshirt sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., leads the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). The transfer played 13 games for UNLV last season. 

• Fellow starting forward Ashlyn Lockard got off to a strong start, averaging 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while hitting 61.5 percent of her field goal attempts against Illinois and Appalachian State. However, the 6-2 senior from Tracy, Calif., was held scoreless by VCU. She averages 8.0 points and 7.0 rebounds on the year while adding three assists, five steals and two blocks.

• On the perimeter, the Eagles are led by Necole Hope. The 5-10 senior guard is averaging 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Hope started 13 games for the Eagles last year after transferring from East Carolina.

• Sophomore point guard Paris McBride, a product of prep power Riverdale Baptist, has pitched in 3.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-leading 2.7 assists. Redshirt junior Kira Lowery, who was an NJCAA All-American at Dyersburg State before spending the 2020-21 season as a part-time starter at Auburn, has contributed 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. 

• Hope, Lowery and McBride all started NC Central’s first two games, before giving way to Diamond Thomas, Nia Ford and Madalyn Anderson in the starting five against VCU. Anderson leads the Eagles with three three-pointers (3-11), while Ford (2-7) and Thomas (2-14) have both added a pair.

• As a team, North Carolina Central is averaging 53 points per contest while shooting 28.7 percent from the floor. The Eagles are also hitting just 18.0 percent (9-50) of their three-point shots. 

• In an abbreviated 2020-21 season, North Carolina Central struggled to a 4-12 overall record. It came after the Eagles posted an NCCU NCAA Division I-best 13 victories in 2019-20. NC Central also went 9-7 in the MEAC, its best conference mark since rejoining the league in 2011-12.

Nebraska vs. NC Central Series History

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with North Carolina Central 1-0 with the lone meeting coming in an 88-47 Husker victory on Nov. 21, 2015.

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 42-6 in Game No. 4.

Nebraska Streaks

• Sam Haiby has scored in 88 of 90 games in her Husker career. She has scored at least two points in 53 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 402 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 281 consecutive games.

• Nebraska had hit seven or more three-pointers in 11 consecutive games, including four games with double-digit threes made during that stretch, before being held to five threes against Creighton. 

• The Huskers had scored 70 or more points in eight consecutive games dating back to a 73-63 loss at Minnesota on Feb. 24, 2021, before being held to 67 in the win over Creighton on Wednesday.

Nebraska Numbers to Watch

• Point guard Jaz Shelley has led Nebraska in rebounding for three consecutive games and owns 33 total rebounds in 95 minutes on the season. As a freshman at Oregon in 2019-20, the 5-9 Shelley grabbed 33 rebounds over 33 games the entire season (584 minutes).

• 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.

• Nebraska carries a collective 84-to-46 (1.83-to-1) assist-to-turnover ratio through four games. Sam Haiby leads the Huskers with a 19-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio while Jaz Shelley owns a 17-to-4 ratio. True freshman Allison Weidner has performed at a similar level with a 13-to-4 ratio, while Ruby Porter carries an 8-to-2 ratio.

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 scored 30 or more third-quarter points in four consecutive regular-season home games before outscoring Creighton 20-19 in the third quarter Wednesday. Prior to the streak Nebraska had never scored 30 points in the third.

• Nine different Huskers have scored in double figures through the season’s first four games. Isabelle Bourne, Sam Haiby and true freshman Alexis Markowski are the only Huskers who have scored in double digits in more than one contest.

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten in scoring margin (43.3 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.290),  and total rebounds (48.5 ppg). The Huskers also rank second in the league in scoring (91.3 ppg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.83) and blocked shots (6.0 bpg).

• Sam Haiby is the 35th 1,000-point scorer in Husker history and has increased her career total to 1,078 to rank No. 29 all time at NU. She needs just seven points to match former teammate Kate Cain at No. 28 (1,085) and 11 points to catch Nafeesah Brown at No. 27 (1,089). 

Marginal Differences

• Nebraska enters the NC Central game with a combined four-game victory margin of 173 points – the second-largest of any four-game stretch in school history, trailing only the 177-point margin through the first four games of 2015-16. That stretch included North Carolina Central in the third game (88-47).

• The largest combined five-game scoring margin in school history came in 1978-79 when the Huskers defeated Missouri Western, Cal State Fullerton, Wichita State, Wayne State and South Dakota State by a combined 178 points in Games 9-13 (Dec. 8-30, 1978). That stretch included three non-Division I opponents (Missouri Western, Wayne State, South Dakota State). 

• The greatest six-game scoring margin in school history came with a combined 189-point edge in Games 3-8 (Dec. 5-28) for Nebraska’s 1992-93 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and featured Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings. That six-game stretch included wins over Northwestern, Illinois, Howard, Eastern Washington, Creighton and James Madison.