Huskers Face Badgers in Big Ten Battle

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten)

Live Video: B1G+
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (105.9 FM)
Huskers.com, Huskers App
Special Event: Marines Toys for Tots Collection

Huskers Return Home for Big Ten Battle with Badgers

The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home for the first time in 15 days when the Huskers play host to Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Tip-off between the Huskers (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten) and Wisconsin (3-7, 0-1 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. A live video stream will be provided to subscribers of B1G+ with Big Ten Student U announcers Connor Clark and Peyton Thomas on the call. The game also can be heard live on the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

Nebraska, which opened the year in the preseason top 25 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls, is receiving votes in both polls this week following a 90-67 victory over No. 20 Maryland in College Park on Sunday. It was Nebraska’s first-ever win over the Terrapins. The Huskers outscored the Terps 59-31 in the second half, including 30-11 in the fourth quarter at the Xfinity Center.

Jaz Shelley led the Huskers with 29 points, five assists and three steals at Maryland. An explosive scorer, Shelley scored 22 points in an 11-minute span that turned a 36-25 deficit with one minute left in the first half, into a 60-56 NU lead heading to the fourth quarter. The 5-9 shooting guard from Moe, Australia, is leading the Huskers with 13.7 points, 7.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She also leads the Big Red with 20 three-pointers and is hitting 95 percent of her free throws.

Preseason All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski has added 12.8 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds through nine games in 2022-23. Markowski managed 14 points and six rebounds in the win at No. 20 Maryland, despite battling foul trouble. The 6-3 center from Lincoln Pius X also leads the Huskers with seven blocks and ranks second on the team with 1.4 steals per contest.

Isabelle Bourne, a 6-2 junior forward from Canberra, Australia, has added 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds, including 18 points, six boards and a season-high four assists at No. 20 Maryland. Bourne hit a career-high four threes, as she teamed with Shelley on 10-for-15 three-point shooting against the Terps. Bourne notched her second double-double of the year with 15 points and 12 rebounds at No. 9 Virginia Tech (Dec. 1). Over the last three games, Bourne is averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Allison Weidner added a breakout performance with 13 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and five assists in the win at Maryland. The 5-10 guard from Humphrey, Neb., scored all 13 of her points and grabbed eight rebounds in the second half at Maryland. Weidner had been bothered for three games by an eye injury suffered in Nebraska’s last home game against Tarleton (Nov. 22), when she was knocked out of the game just 59 seconds into the contest.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten)

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 12.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – So. – C/F – 12.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 13.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – So. – G – 9.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg

42 – Maddie Krull – 5-9 – So. – G – 4.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Off the Bench

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – So. – F – 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – So. – G – 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg

14 – Callin Hake – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 3.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – So. – F/G – 2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg

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

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

24 – Nailah Dillard – 5-10 – Gr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

44 – Maggie Mendelson – 6-5 – Fr. – F/C – 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Seventh Season at Nebraska (102-87); 16th Season Overall (295-196)

Wisconsin Badgers (3-7, 0-1 Big Ten)

25 – Serah Williams – 6-4 – Fr. – F – 12.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg

3 – Brooke Schramek – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 9.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg

5 – Julie Pospisilova – 6-0 – Sr. – G – 14.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg

11 – Maty Wilke – 5-10 – RFr. – G – 13.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg

12 – Avery LaBarbera – 5-6 – Gr. – G – 9.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Off the Bench

30 – Sydney Hilliard – 5-11 – Sr. – G – 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

14 – Krystyna Ellew – 5-10 – So. – G – 6.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg

4 – Lily Krahn – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 3.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg

20 – Sacia Vanderpool – 6-4 – RFr. – F – 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg

22 – Tessa Towers – 6-5 – Fr. – C – 1.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg

15 – Sania Copeland – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 1.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg

24 – Natalie Leuzinger – 5-8 – Jr. – G – 1.2 ppg, 0.8 rpg

13 – Ronnie Porter – 5-4 – Fr. – G – 1.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg

2 – Savannah White – 6-2 – Fr. – F – 0.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg

44 – Mary Ferrito – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg

Head Coach: Marisa Moseley (Boston U, 2004)

Second Season at Wisconsin (11-28); Fifth Season Overall (56-57)

Toys for Tots Collection Wednesday at PBA

The Nebraska women’s basketball program will join the annual U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Drive Wednesday, Dec. 7, when the Huskers take on Wisconsin at the Pinnacle Bank Arena at 7 p.m.

Husker fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to the game. Cash donations for the cause are also encouraged and accepted.

The Marines will be stationed near entrances throughout PBA to accept donations that will brighten the holiday season for children in need.

This holiday season marks the 75th anniversary of the Marine Toys for Tots program. Since 1947, the Marines have distributed 627 million toys to 281 million children.

For more information, visit ToysforTots.org.

Scouting The Wisconsin Badgers

Coach Marisa Moseley guides her second Wisconsin team to Lincoln with a 3-7 overall record and an 0-1 Big Ten mark after a 102-71 loss to No. 10 Iowa in Madison on Sunday afternoon. Four of Wisconsin’s seven losses have come by single digits, including five-point losses to Florida State (92-87) and at Illinois State (62-57) and eight-point setbacks to Georgia (68-60) and VCU (75-67).

The Badgers have outscored (71.5-71.1) and outshot (.434-.411 FG/.350-.341 3FG/.759-.751 FT) the opposition, but carry a negative rebound margin (-0.9 rpg) and turnover margin (-1.4 pg).

Moseley, a long-time assistant at UConn, posted a 45-29 record in three seasons as the head coach at Boston University, before taking the Wisconsin job prior to last season. The Badgers finished 8-21 overall and 5-13 in the Big Ten a year ago.

While Moseley is making over the UW lineup, the Badgers have several familiar pieces. Senior guard Julie Pospisilova continues to lead Wisconsin with 14.2 points per game. One of the Big Ten’s best long-range shooters, the 6-0 guard from the Czech Republic has hit 44.2 percent (23-52) of her threes early this season. She also leads UW with 4.2 assists and ranks second among the Badgers with 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while adding 4.6 rebounds.

Junior guard Brooke Schramek has added 9.6 points and 3.1 rebounds as a returning starter. Schramek is also tied for second among the Badgers with 2.9 assists per game. Schramek was a high school teammate of Nebraska sophomore Kendall Moriarty at Benet Academy in Illinois.

Maty Wilke leads three newcomers to the Badger starting five. The 5-10 redshirt freshman from Beaver Dam, Wis., ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.8 points, while leading UW with 24 made three-pointers. She also leads Wisconsin with 1.8 steals on the season. She put up 13 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting in the loss to No. 10 Iowa on Sunday.

True freshman Serah Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has give the Badgers an immediate boost inside. The 6-4 forward ranks third on the team in scoring at 12.7 points while leading the starters with 5.5 rebounds per game. Williams also leads UW with 1.4 blocks while adding 1.0 steal. She led Wisconsin with 15 points against Iowa.

Graduate transfer Avery LaBarbera rounds out Wisconsin’s starting five with 9.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The 5-6 guard spent her first four seasons at Holy Cross, where she was the 2022 Patriot League Player of the Year. The four-time All-Patriot League pick ranked third in the conference with 16.5 points and fifth in the league with 4.0 assists in 2021-22. She scored 1,478 points while adding 660 rebounds and 364 assists in 107 games in her four seasons as a Crusader.

In addition to the three new faces in the starting five, Wisconsin also has six true freshmen and a redshirt freshman coming off the bench.

While the youngsters have added a fresh look for the Badgers, the return of senior Sydney Hilliard may be significant. Hilliard, a 5-11 guard, stepped aside from UW program late last season for personal reasons. She underwent offseason knee surgery, but returned to action for the Badgers last week and has averaged 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds off the bench, including 11 points in 23 minutes in Sunday’s loss to No. 10 Iowa and seven points and five boards in a loss to Florida State. Hilliard finished second among the Badgers with 12.8 points and a team-leading 4.7 rebounds last season through 18 games. She owns nearly 900 career points at Wisconsin.

Sophomore Krystyna Ellew was also a significant contributor last season and is averaging 6.4 points per game off the bench this year. Ellew averaged 7.6 points per game and ranked second on the team with 36 made threes last season. She started 15 games a year ago.

Junior captain Halle Douglass, who was lost for the 2022-23 season to a knee injury in a loss at Illinois State on Nov. 20, averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds while starting 18 games last year. She was averaging 3.2 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds through the first five games this season.

Nebraska vs. Wisconsin Series History

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Wisconsin 14-7, including a five-game winning streak. The Huskers were 2-0 against the Badgers last season, including a 77-44 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Jan. 27, 2022) and an 80-70 win at Wisconsin (Feb. 23, 2022).

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 14-2 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. Nebraska leads the series 6-5 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. NU’s first win came with a 75-69 victory at Madison (Jan. 12, 2012).

Aussies Putting Up Numbers in Last Three Games

Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) and Isabelle Bourne (Canberra, Australia) combined for 47 points and nine assists on 10-of-15 three-point shooting in Sunday’s win at No. 20 Maryland.

Nebraska’s Aussie duo has increased production in NU’s past three games against Power Five Conference schools (Mississippi State-SEC, Virginia Tech-ACC, Maryland-Big Ten) on the road.

Shelley is averaging 21.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.0 steal, while knocking down 13-of-27 threes over the last three contests.

Bourne has been NU’s most consistent player the last three contests, averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds while hitting 56.8 percent (21-37) from the field, including 6-of-12 three-pointers (.500).

Husker Numbers to Watch

With her next rebound, Jaz Shelley will secure No. 300 in her college career (230 at Nebraska). Shelley made her 100th three-pointer as a Husker and the 100th free throw of her college career in Nebraska’s win at No. 20 Maryland on Sunday.

Shelley is four games away from 100 in her college career (41 at Nebraska/55 at Oregon).

Allison Weidner needs 9 assists to reach 100 in her career.

Isabelle Bourne is 49 points away from 1,000 in her career. She is six games away from her 100th career game as a Husker. Her 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.

Nebraska’s Amy Williams is two wins from her 200th career victory as an NCAA Division I head coach. She has 102 victories at Nebraska, after notching 96 wins at South Dakota (2012-16).

Williams is five wins away from the 300th of her collegiate head coaching career, including 97 victories at Rogers State (NAIA, 2007-12).

Nebraska is three home victories away from 500 in program history. The Huskers enter the Wisconsin game with 497 all-time home wins.