Huskers Head to Rutgers Saturday

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten)

at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten)

Saturday, January 7, 2023, 1 p.m. (CT)

Jersey Mike’s Arena – Piscataway, New Jersey

Live TV: BTN
Mike Hall (PBP), Christy Winters Scott (Analyst)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (12:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (105.9 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Big Red Returns to Big Ten Road Action at Rutgers

The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to the road in Big Ten play Saturday, as the Huskers take on Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway.

Tip-off between Nebraska (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) and the Scarlet Knights (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten) is set for 1 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage from BTN with Mike Hall and Christy Winters Scott calling the action. The game also can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on 107.3 FM in Lincoln, 105.9 FM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

Nebraska will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back Big Ten losses, after a 74-62 overtime setback at No. 4 Indiana on New Year’s Day in Bloomington. The Huskers led 62-60 with two minutes left in regulation but went scoreless for the final 7:20. 

Nebraska Notables

Isabelle Bourne led Nebraska with 15 points and seven rebounds, including the steal and full-court layup that gave the Huskers their final lead at Indiana. Bourne is 18 points away from reaching 1,000 in her Nebraska career. The 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia heads to New Jersey averaging 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season.

Fellow Australian Jaz Shelley has been Nebraska’s most potent and reliable weapon throughout the season. The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia (pronounced MO-ee) is averaging 15.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and team-bests of 6.4 assists and 1.6 steals on the season. She has been even better in Big Ten play, averaging 21.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals. 

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), before being limiting to five points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in the loss at No. 4 Indiana (Jan. 1).

Preseason All-Big Ten center and 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski is one of the Big Ten’s top rebounders, averaging 9.4 boards to go along with her 12.8 points per contest through 15 games. The 6-3 center from Lincoln, Neb., owns six double-doubles on the season and also leads the Huskers with 16 blocks while ranking second on the team with 17 steals on the year.

Saturday Storylines

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 seven games.

The injuries to Weidner and Brady have helped speed 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. She is averaging 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per game since returning from her own leg injury suffered in the preseason (Sept. 12).

Callin Hake has stepped up in Weidner’s absence as well. The 5-9 freshman from Victoria, Minn., scored a career-high 11 points against No. 14 Michigan before adding double figures with 10 points at No. 4 Indiana. Hake is averaging 6.0 points and is tied with Bourne for second among the Huskers with six total three-pointers in Big Ten play.

Fellow freshman Maggie Mendelson has given Nebraska an additional option inside since the conclusion of volleyball season. The two-sport athlete has averaged 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 11 minutes per game through the first four games of her career dating back to her first appearance on the basketball court in a win over Wyoming (Dec. 18).

Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams will take aim at her 300th career win in Saturday’s game at Rutgers.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten)

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 11.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – So. – C/F – 12.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 15.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 6.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg

42 – Maddie Krull – 5-9 – So. – G  – 3.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg

Off the Bench

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – So. – F – 6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg

44 – Maggie Mendelson – 6-5 – Fr. – F/C – 5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – So. – G – 4.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg

14 – Callin Hake – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – So. – F/G – 2.4 ppg, 1.7 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 (106-89); 16th Season Overall (299-198)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten)

54 – Chyna Cornwell – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 9.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg

22 – Kassondra Brown – 6-2 – Sr. – C – 8.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg

2 – Kaylene Smikle – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 16.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

11 – Awa Sidibe – 5-11 – Sr. – G – 10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg

20 – Erica Lafayette – 6-0 – Jr. – G/F – 7.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Off the Bench

24 – Kai Carter – 6-0 – Sr. – G – 6.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg

31 – Abby Streeter – 5-11 – Gr. – G – 4.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg

4 – Antonia Bates – 6-3 – Fr. – G/F – 2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg

Head Coach: Coquese Washington (Notre Dame, 1992)

First Season at Rutgers (6-10); 13th Season Overall (215-179)

Scouting The Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Coquese Washington leads Rutgers in her first season as the head coach for the Scarlet Knights.  The three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014) returns to the conference after guiding the Penn State program for 12 seasons (2007-19). From 2010-11 to 2013-14, Washington led Penn State to a 101-31 record, including six NCAA Tournament wins and a pair of Sweet Sixteens.

After leading the Lady Lions to three consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles from 2012 to 2014, PSU went just 67-88 in her last five seasons in State College.

Washington spent the past two seasons as an Associate Head Coach at Notre Dame, after spending the 2019-20 season as the Associate Head Coach at Oklahoma.

Washington, who on May 23, 2022, was named the third full-time head coach in the history of Rutgers women’s basketball, following Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer, leads a short Rutgers roster. 

The Scarlet Knights feature just eight players on their 2022-23 roster, including just three returning players (Chyna Cornwell, Erica Lafayette, Awa Sidibe) from a year ago.

Sidibe, a 5-11 senior from Mali by way of Salt Lake CC, has been solid for Rutgers, averaging 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. Last year, Sidibe started four games (including a loss at Nebraska) and managed 4.1 points and 2.6 boards. She played in 30 of the Scarlet Knights’ 31 games last season

Cornwell, who is averaging nearly a double-double with 9.4 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights this season, played in just 24 games for 11-20 Rutgers a year ago. The 6-3 forward averaged just 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Sidibe and Cornwell have joined each other in the Rutgers starting five for all 16 games in 2022-23. Sidibe is averaging 35.8 minutes per game.

Lafayette made one start and appeared in 17 games last year for Rutgers, managing just 11 total points, 12 rebounds and one assist in 75 total minutes on the year. This season, the 6-0 junior has averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds while starting 12 of 16 games. She has added 1.9 assists per contest.

Kaylene Smikle, a 6-0 freshman, leads the Scarlet Knights with 16.5 points per game, while adding 4.5 rebounds and a team-leading 1.6 steals. Smikle has connected on a team-best 30 three-pointers while hitting 37.5 percent of her attempts. She also leads Rutgers with 85 free thrtow attempts and has managed 1.5 assists.

Senior Kassondra Brown rounds out the Rutgers probable starting five. The 6-3 center is averaging 8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds, while leading the Scarlet Knights with 16 total blocks. Brown has the ability to step out and hit a three-pointer, going 7-for-12 from long range early this season, and she is an 83.3 percent free throw shooter. As a junior at St. Peter’s (Pa.) last season, Brown averaged 14.9 points and 10.1 rebounds with 13 double-doubles on the year.

Senior Kai Carter started 13 games for Rutgers this season, averaging 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds along with 2.0 assists. Carter, a 6-0 guard who was a second-team All-Big South pick at UNC Asheville in 2021, has hit just 5-of-21 threes this season and leads Rutgers with 77 turnovers. She averaged 14.8 points for UNC Asheville as a junior in 2021-22. She led the Bulldogs with 55 threes last season. 

Graduate transfer Abby Streeter also has started 10 games for the Scarlet Knights. The 5-11 guard has averaged 4.4 points while ranking second on the team with 20 three-pointers. She has hit only three other field goals this season and attempted just six free throws in 23.1 minutes per game. Last season, in her third year at Hartford, Streeter averaged 9.6 points with a team-leading 78 threes while shooting 41.7 percent from long range. She spent her first two seasons (2017-18, 2018-19) at Rhode Island.

Antonia Bates rounds out the Rutgers roster, averaging 2.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist while playing in all 16 games. The 6-3 freshman from Easton, Pa., spent last season at Rutgers Prep after competing at Notre Dame High School in Pennsylvania as a junior in 2020-21.

In four Big Ten games, Rutgers is averaging just 67.8 points, while surrendering 82.5 points per game. Rutgers has hit a solid 45.9 percent of its shots from the field, including 36.5 percent of its threes. The Scarlet Knights also have knocked down 79.4 percent of their free throws and won the rebounding battle by an average of 6.8 boards per game in their four Big Ten losses. 

The key stat in Big Ten play for Rutgers has been turnover margin. The Scarlet Knights carry a minus-12.5 turnover margin, committing an average of 23.8 turnovers through the first four Big Ten games, while forcing just 11.3 turnovers by their opponents. Rutgers has lost all four of its league games by double digits, including home losses to nationally ranked Ohio State (82-70, Dec. 4) and Maryland (78-67, Jan. 2) and road losses at Illinois (80-62, Dec. 7) and Penn State (90-72, Dec. 30).

Nebraska vs. Rutgers Series History

Rutgers leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 6-5, but Nebraska notched a 50-38 win over the Scarlet Knights last season on Feb. 1, 2022 in Lincoln. Alexis Markowski led the Huskers with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Sam Haiby added 12 points and six boards in a low-scoring affair.

Awa Sidibe is the only current Scarlet Knight to play in last year’s game for Rutgers, getting six points and four rebounds in one of her four starts on the season.

Rutgers was victorious in Nebraska’s last trip to Jersey Mike’s Arena (the RAC) in Piscataway, claiming a 78-62 win over the Huskers on Feb. 7, 2021.

Nebraska is 4-1 all-time against Rutgers at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and 1-4 in Piscataway, dating back to the first meeting between the two teams (Feb. 5, 2015). The No. 21 Scarlet Knights earned a hard-fought 46-43 victory over the No. 19 Huskers. 

Rutgers defeated NU, 66-63, at the 2016 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (March 3, 2016). 

The largest margin of victory in the 11 games in the series is 16 points (78-62 Rutgers win, Feb. 7, 2021, Piscataway). Six of the 11 meetings have been decided by two possessions (6 points) or less. Rutgers also became the first team in the series to reach 70 points in a game.

Shelley Near Top of Big Ten Stats

Jaz Shelley is one of six Big Ten players averaging 20-plus points per game through Jan. 3. She leads Nebraska in scoring (21.5 ppg) and three-pointers made (16) through four games. Her 16 threes trail only Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (17) through four Big Ten contests.

Shelley opened Big Ten play with 29 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting in Nebraska’s historic 90-67 upset of No. 20 Maryland in College Park (Dec. 4).

The 5-9 shooting guard from Moe, Australia added 31 points on 7-of-12 three-point shooting in Nebraska’s 82-54 home win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7).

She added 21 points, including a pair of threes, against No. 14 Michigan.

Only eight Big Ten players hit double-digit threes through the first four conference games this season – Clark (17), Shelley (16), Makenna Marisa (Penn State, 14), Taylor Mikesell (Ohio State, 13), Maddie Nolan (Michigan, 12), Makira Cook (Illinois, 11), McKenna Warnock (Iowa, 11), Matilda Ekh (Michigan State, 10).

Shelley was a member of the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll twice in December (Dec. 12, Dec. 27) for her outstanding play during the previous weeks.

Williams Shoots for 300th Career Win

Amy Williams takes aim at career head coaching victory No. 300 when the Huskers take on Rutgers Saturday in Piscataway. She enters the contest against the Scarlet Knights with 299 wins (106-Nebraska; 96-South Dakota; 97-Rogers State).

Williams already has collected a pair 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

Nebraska’s Amy Williams is one win away from the 300th of her collegiate head coaching career, including 97 victories at Rogers State (NAIA, 2007-12), 96 at South Dakota (2013-16) and 106 at Nebraska (2016-present).

Isabelle Bourne is 18 points away from 1,000 in her career. She is three 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.

Jaz Shelley is 10 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 119 made threes in just 47 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 58 points away from 1,000 in her college career (646-Nebraska; 296-Oregon).

Sam Haiby is 20 points away 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 (63-45) from a year ago while more than tripling her three-point total (10-3) and nearly tripling her season rebound total (33-12). She also has tripled her steals total (9-3), more than quadrupled her made free throws (9-2) and matched her season block total (3) from a year ago.