Huskers Meet Midland to Tip 2021-22

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Midland Warriors
Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m. (CT)

Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska

Live Video: B1G+ (subscription required)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (7 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)

Lincoln (B107.3 FM & 1400 AM-KLIN), Omaha (ESPN 590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Meet Midland to Tip 2021-22 Season

The Nebraska women’s basketball team tips off its 2021-22 season by playing host to Midland University in exhibition action at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday, Nov. 1.

Tip-off between the Huskers and Warriors in their first meeting since 1979 is set for 7:30 p.m. (CT), with a live video stream provided for subscribers of B1G+. A live radio broadcast will be produced by the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call together for the 21st season. The radio broadcast also can be accessed for free on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. 

Nebraska returns five starters and 10 letterwinners from its 2020-21 team that advanced to the round of 16 in the Postseason WNIT after knocking off five top-25 opponents during the regular season. The Huskers finished with a 13-13 overall record that included a 9-10 Big Ten mark.

Nebraska’s top two returning players are second-team All-Big Ten guard Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) and honorable-mention All-Big Ten forward Isabelle Bourne (Canberra, Australia). 

Haiby was the only Big Ten player to rank among the conference’s top 15 in scoring (11th, 16.8 ppg), rebounding (15th, 6.8 rpg) and assists (8th, 4.4 apg) in 2020-21. 

Bourne showed her versatility in a breakout 2020-21 season, averaging 13.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. One of the top power forwards in the Big Ten, Bourne also started games on the wing when the Huskers were short-handed because of injuries midway through the 2020-21 season.

The Big Red do not expect to be short-handed again in 2021-22. Ashley Scoggin (Dallas, Ore.) returns to the backcourt after starting every game in her first year at Nebraska. She averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 assists while leading Nebraska with 43 three-pointers.

Bella Cravens (Laie, Hawaii) also returns to the starting five after averaging 6.4 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds as one of the Big Ten’s most athletic post defenders.

Ruby Porter (Adelaide, Australia) also returns for her second season at Nebraska after making 11 starts a year ago. She averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds despite being limited by injuries.

Other returning letterwinners for Nebraska include Trinity Brady, Whitney Brown, MiCole Cayton, Annika Stewart and 2021 early enrollee Kendall Coley.

Coley was also part of the 2020-21 signing class that includes Nebraska high school stars Alexis Markowski and Allison Weidner, that was ranked among the top 25 in the nation.

Possible Starters

Nebraska Cornhuskers  (2020-21 statistics)

14 – Bella Cravens – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – So. – F – 13.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg

0 – Ashley Scoggin – 5-7 – RSo. – G – 8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – So. – G – 4.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 16.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)/Sixth Season at Nebraska

Midland Warriors [2-0] (2021-22 statistics) 

4 – Peyton Wingert – 5-11 – Sr. – G – 10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg

32 – Sam Shepard – 6-0 – Sr. – G – 8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg

34 – Erin Prusa – 6-1 – Jr. – P – 10.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg

10 – Lexi Kraft – 5-5 – Jr. – G – 3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg

23 – Emma Shepard – 5-8 – Jr. – G – 7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg

Head Coach: Shawn Gilbert (Nebraska-Kearney, 1991)/Ninth Season at Midland 

Scouting the Midland Warriors

Coach Shawn Gilbert, a former member of the women’s basketball staff at Nebraska (2008-12), brings his ninth Midland team into tonight’s exhibition game, after the Warriors opened their regular season at the C3 Tip-Off Classic against Haskell Indian Nations (Oct. 29) and Presentation College (Oct. 30) in Hastings, Neb. 

 

Last season, the Warriors posted a 15-11 overall record that included a 12-10 mark in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). In 2018-19, Gilbert led Midland to its first winning season (15-14) since going 16-13 in 2003-04.

Midland, which is located in Fremont, Neb., features three players from Fremont High School, including Sam and Emma Shepard, the younger sisters of former Nebraska 1,000-point scorer and current WNBA forward Jessica Shepard (Minnesota Lynx).

Sam Shepard, one of three seniors on the Warrior roster, played in 11 games with three starts last season before suffering an injury before the holiday break. Emma Shepard appeared in 22 games and averaged 7.4 points and 2.0 rebounds.

The Warriors return a pair of starters, led by Peyton Wingert. The 5-11 senior guard averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds while knocking down 44 three-pointers last season.

Lexi Kraft, a 5-5 junior guard out of Millard North High School, started all 26 games for the Warriors last season and averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 assists.

Other returning players who were significant contributors last season include Erin Prusa, a 6-1 junior post from Howells, Neb., who played in all 26 games and averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds, and Kennedy Darner, a 5-10 sophomore out of Millard West who averaged 5.6 points and knocked down 38 threes in 23 games.

The Warriors will be bolstered by graduate transfer Karlee McKinney, a 5-8 guard who earned honorable-mention All-GPAC recognition by averaging 13.7 points per game last season at Mount Marty in Yankton, S.D.

Nebraska vs. Midland Series History

The last time Nebraska met Midland in women’s basketball came during the 1979-80 season, when the Huskers defeated Midland 85-54 at the Devaney Center on Nov. 16, 1979. The all-time regular-season series is tied, 3-3.

The series with Midland dates back to the earliest days of women’s basketball as a varsity sport at Nebraska, including a 46-39 loss to the Warriors in Lincoln on Feb. 7, 1975 – prior to the Devaney Center being built. It was the eighth official women’s basketball game in Nebraska history. The Huskers also suffered a 56-54 loss to Midland in Fremont on Dec. 10, 1975, before getting a 64-60 win over the Warriors in Lincoln on Jan. 30, 1976.

Nebraska has won 34 consecutive exhibition games dating back to an 81-58 loss to the Australian Institute of Sport on Nov. 12, 2000.

Regular-Season Opener with Maine to Feature Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally

With the return of fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena for Nebraska women’s basketball games in 2021-22, the Huskers also are excited for the return of the Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally in advance of their season-opening game with Maine on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

The 2021 Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which is co-sponsored by the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame, features positive messages from Husker student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators to nearly 1,500 students from 27 school districts across the state of Nebraska. The students and accompanying staff are also provided with complimentary water from Pepsi along with pizza from Nebraska Athletics .

The Sportsmanship Pep Rally will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the main court at Pinnacle Bank Arena and will feature messages from Nebraska Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics Trev Alberts, Head Coach Amy Williams, All-Big Ten guard Sam Haiby, Husker volleyball players Madi Kubik and Kenzie Knuckles, Nebraska baseball players Max Anderson and Brice Matthews and All-American and NCAA Champion bowler Cassidy Ray.

The Pep Rally, which includes schools from as far away as Kimball (5 1/2 hours from Lincoln), along with schools from Northeast Nebraska, Central Nebraska and Southeast Nebraska, will last from approximately 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., and will also include a special performance from the Master of Simon Sez (Steve Max).

Because of the Sportsmanship Pep Rally, doors to Pinnacle Bank Arena will not be open to the public until 11 a.m. for Nebraska’s Noon tip-off with Maine.

The 2021 opener will mark the third time (also 2013 and 2019) that Pinnacle Bank Arena and Nebraska women’s basketball have teamed with the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame to host the Pep Rally for 3rd through 8th grade students from around the state of Nebraska.

Haiby Hits for Big Numbers in Big Games

Sam Haiby produced 10 20-point scoring efforts in 2020-21, including a career-high 33 points in a Big Ten-opening win over Illinois (Dec. 10). Haiby added a 28-point effort against Iowa (Feb. 11), and 27 points and nine boards in a two-point loss at then-No. 15 and unbeaten Michigan (Jan. 7). She notched 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists against No. 7 Maryland (March 11) and game highs with 24 points and five assists in a win over Wisconsin (Jan. 28). She had 22 points in a win at Illinois (Jan. 25). She also put up 25 points against Minnesota (Jan. 19), before getting 22 against the Golden Gophers (Feb. 24). She had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists against Colorado in the WNIT (March 20).

Haiby notched the first three double-doubles of her career in consecutive games against No. 23 Michigan State (11 points, 12 rebounds, Jan. 10), No. 15 Ohio State (11 points, 10 assists, Jan. 16) and Minnesota (25 points, 12 rebounds).

Haiby made and attempted (120-147) more free throws over 26 games in 2020-21 than through 30 games as a starter in 2019-20 (62-81). She also had nearly double the number of offensive rebounds (49) than she had in 2019-20 (28) despite playing four fewer games.

Haiby has produced double-figure points 52 times as a Husker (21, 2020-21), including 12 20-point games. She had 16 double-figure efforts in 2019-20 and 15 as a freshman in 2018-19.

Haiby earned four spots on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (Dec. 14, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 25) and was the College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week (Jan. 4) after leading Nebraska to a pair of wins over No. 15 Northwestern (Dec. 31) and Rutgers (Jan. 3). She averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in those two low-scoring, one-possession wins for the Huskers.

Her game-winning put-back at the buzzer gave the Huskers a 65-63 win over No. 15 Northwestern and was ESPN SportsCenter’s Top Play (Dec. 31), capping a 19-point, eight-rebound, five-assist effort against the previously unbeaten and defending Big Ten champion Wildcats.

Bourne Earns Big Ten, National Recognition

A Nebraska captain last season alongside Sam Haiby and graduated senior Kate Cain, Isabelle Bourne put together a breakout second year at Nebraska in 2020-21. The 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia averaged 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds to go with 2.5 assists to earn honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition.

She produced the best week of her career by averaging 21.5 points and 14.0 rebounds in wins over No. 24 Northwestern (Feb. 17) and Penn State (Feb. 21) to not only be named the Big Ten Player of the Week but the College Sports Madness National Player of the Week (Feb. 22).

Bourne was also named one of 20 semifinalists for the NCAA Division I International Player of the Year by World Exposure Report News Services.

Bourne ranked 24th in the Big Ten in scoring and 11th in rebounding. She notched five double-doubles, including a career-high-tying 22 points to go with 11 rebounds in the win over Penn State (Feb. 21). She had three straight double-doubles, including 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at Northwestern (Feb. 17).

She missed four games last season with an ankle injury suffered in the final minute of Nebraska’s win at Michigan State (Jan. 10).

In addition to playing her true power forward position in 2020-21, Bourne also spent time on the wing as Nebraska struggled to overcome injuries in the backcourt to several players, including Trinity Brady, MiCole Cayton, Nailah Dillard and Ruby Porter.

Transfer Shelley Adds Talent, Experience

Australian National Team guard Jaz Shelley joined the Huskers for the 2021-22 season, after completing the NCAA transfer process in mid-April. The 5-9 guard from Moe (pronounced MO-ee), Australia, spent two seasons at Oregon and has three seasons of eligibility at Nebraska.

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.

Shelley played in 22 of 24 games for the Ducks with 11 starts in 2021-22. She missed Oregon’s first two NCAA Tournament games because of injury before competing against No. 8 Louisville in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. She had an assist and a steal in five minutes against the Cardinals.

In 2021-22, Shelley averaged 4.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. She scored in double figures three times, including a season-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in a win over USC (Jan. 1, 2021) when she also tied a career high with five assists. She added 11 points in wins over Utah (Dec. 6, 2020) and Washington State (Dec. 21, 2020).

Shelley appeared in all 33 games for Oregon as a true freshman in 2019-20, helping the Ducks to Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. She averaged 6.3 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 rebound while hitting 42 percent of her threes. 

In her only start as a freshman, Shelley finished with 32 points while setting the Oregon single-game record by going 10-for-14 from three-point range in a win over UC Riverside (Dec. 16, 2019). Her 10 threes tied for the second-best total in NCAA Division I in 2019-20, and she was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week following her performance.

She scored double figures six times, including 17 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting at Long Beach State. She added 14 points (4-for-4 3FG) in a win over Arizona State (Feb. 9, 2020), and had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a Pac-12 Tournament win over Utah (March 6, 2020).

Nebraska Streaks

Nebraska has won 34 consecutive exhibition games dating back to an 81-58 loss to the Australian Institute of Sport at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Nov. 12, 2000. Current Husker Isabelle Bourne is a recent product of the Australian Institute of Sport. 

Sam Haiby has scored in 84 of 86 games in her Husker career. She has scored at least two points in 49 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 398 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 277 consecutive games.