Huskers Take on No. 20 Terps Sunday

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3)

at 20/21 Maryland Terrapins (7-2)

Sunday, December 4, 2022, Noon (CT)

Xfinity Center – College Park, Maryland
Live Video: B1G+
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (11:45 a.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM)
Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Open Big Ten Play at No. 20 Maryland Sunday

The Nebraska women’s basketball team begins Big Ten Conference play when the Huskers take on No. 20 Maryland on Sunday in College Park. 

Tip-off between the Huskers (5-3) and the Terrapins (7-2) is set for Noon (CT) at the Xfinity Center. A live video stream will be provided to subscribers of B1G+.

Nebraska’s game with Maryland 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 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

The clash with the No. 20 Terps will be Nebraska’s third game against a top-20 opponent this season – all on the road – and it completes a two-game East Coast road trip following Thursday’s 85-54 loss at unbeaten and No. 9 Virginia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Isabelle Bourne led the Huskers in Blacksburg, producing team highs of 15 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, while Annika Stewart added her third double-figure scoring effort of the year with 10 points – all coming in the second quarter. 

Maryland carries a three-game winning streak into Sunday’s game following a 74-72 road upset of previously unbeaten and No. 7 Notre Dame on Thursday in South Bend, Ind. Diamond Miller led the Terps with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Shyanne Sellers added 17 points and five boards.

Preseason All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski leads Nebraska in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) on the season. The 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year is a preseason candidate for the Lisa Leslie Award.

Bourne, a three-year captain for the Huskers at forward, has added 11.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while fellow Australian Jaz Shelley gives Nebraska three players averaging in double figures with 11.8 points and a team-best 7.4 assists per game. Shelley is a preseason candidate for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. 

The Huskers have been without the services of fifth-year graduate guard Sam Haiby for all but six minutes so far this season. Haiby suffered a preseason leg injury that was thought to be season ending. However, the injury was later determined to be less severe, and Haiby has been rehabilitating for a return this season. The two-time All-Big Ten guard returned for six minutes against Tarleton (Nov. 22) but has not played in Nebraska’s past three games, including wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Mississippi State at the Puerto Rico Clasico (Nov. 25-26).

Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese shoots for career win No. 600 Sunday. Frese secured career win No. 500 (Jan. 8, 2019) and Maryland win No. 500 (Feb. 14, 2021) against the Huskers in Lincoln.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3, 0-0 Big Ten)

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 11.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – So. – C/F – 12.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg

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

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – So. – G – 9.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Off the Bench

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – So. – F – 8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg

42 – Maddie Krull – 5-9 – So. – G – 4.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – So. – G – 4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg

14 – Callin Hake – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 3.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – So. – F/G – 2.8 ppg, 2.0 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 (101-87); 16th Season Overall (294-196)

20/21 Maryland Terrapins (7-2, 0-0 Big Ten)

13 – Faith Masonius – 6-1 – Sr. – G/F – 7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg

0 – Shyanne Sellers – 6-2 – So. – G – 12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg

1 – Diamond Miller – 6-3 – Sr. – G – 19.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg

10 – Abby Meyers – 6-0 – Sr. – G – 14.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg

12 – Elisa Pinzan – 5-8 – Gr. – G – 4.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg

Off the Bench

5 – Brinae Alexander – 6-0 – Sr. – G/F – 7.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg

11 – Gia Cooke – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 4.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg

3 – Lavender Briggs – 6-1 – Sr. – G – 4.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg

15 – Mila Reynolds – 6-3 – Fr. – G/F – 1.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg

24 – Bri McDaniel – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 1.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg

2 – Ava Sciolla – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg

21 – Emma Chardon – 6-2 – So. – F – 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Head Coach: Brenda Frese (Arizona, 1993)

21st Season at Maryland (542-142); 24th Season Overall (599-172)

National Award Candidates Set to Go Head-to-Head

A pair of preseason national award candidates are ready to go head-to-head at the Xfinity Center on Sunday when Nebraska battles No. 20 Maryland in College Park.

Ann Meyers Drysdale Award candidates Jaz Shelley (Nebraska) and Diamond Miller (Maryland) will try to lead their teams to victory. Shelley (11.8 ppg, 7.4 apg) produced a 32-point, eight-assist effort in an overtime win over Mississippi State in Puerto Rico (Nov. 26). Miller is coming off a 31-point, 12-rebound performance in a win at No. 7 Notre Dame Thursday. Shelley was a second-team All-Big Ten choice and a member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team in her first season at Nebraska in 2021-22. Miller joined Shelley as a second-team All-Big Ten pick last season.

Nebraska sophomore center Alexis Markowski (12.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Maryland sophomore Shyanne Sellers will also be featured award candidates in Sunday’s game. Markowski, a Lisa Leslie Award candidate, is a preseason first-team All-Big Ten choice after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors a year ago. Markowski was the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Sellers, a 6-2 sophomore, is a Cheryl Miller Award candidate at small forward. She is averaging 12.4 points and 4.0 rebounds this season after being named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year last season. Sellers also joined Markowski on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Scouting the Maryland Terrapins

Coach Brenda Frese brings her Terps into Sunday’s game riding a three-game winning streak following a 74-72 win at No. 7 Notre Dame in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday night.

It was Maryland’s second win over a top-25 foe early this season, joining a 73-68 win at No. 17 Baylor on Nov. 20.

Maryland also owns double-digit wins over Pittsburgh, George Mason, Davidson and Towson, along with a seven-point win over Fordham. The Terrapins have suffered setbacks to defending national champion and current No. 1 South Carolina and a nine-point loss to DePaul (Nov. 25) at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

Maryland’s roster has received a massive makeover from a year ago. The Terps lost first-team All-Big Ten forward Angel Reese (LSU) to the transfer portal. Reese was also a member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She averaged 17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds a year ago.

Ashley Owusu also entered the transfer portal and landed at Virginia Tech – Nebraska’s last opponent. Owusu averaged 14.3 points per game for the Terps last season. Mimi Collins (NC State) also transferred after being one of the top Terps off the bench a year ago, when she averaged 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. 

Maryland also lost their most experienced starters Chloe Bibby (11.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Katie Benzan (10.2 ppg). Benzan led the Terps with 3.8 assists while hitting 44.5 percent (73-164) of her three-point attempts to rank second in the Big Ten in 2021-22. Bibby and Benzan both moved on after their eligibility expired.

But Maryland hasn’t focused on who they are not. Ann Meyers Drysdale Award candidate Diamond Miller has become the center of attention for the Terps, averaging 19.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. Miller also leads Maryland with 17 blocks.

Shyanne Sellers, the 2022 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, has added 12.4 points and 4.0 rebounds early this season, is the only other significant contributor from a year ago to return to the Terrapins.Sellers also leads the Terps with 16 steals.

Faith Masonius, who suffered a torn ACL midway through the 2021-22 season (at Indiana, Jan. 2), has moved from a supporting role into a starting assignment. Masonius is averaging 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds through nine games as a starter.

The biggest addition to Maryland’s roster has come from senior Abby Meyers. The 6-0 transfer guard from Princeton was the 2022 Ivy League Player of the Year. The 2022 honorable-mention All-American averaged 17.9 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Tigers last season. She ranks second among the Terps with 14.2 points and 5.9 boards this season. Meyers also leads Maryland with 19 three-pointers, while hitting 43.2 percent of her attempts. She also leads the Terps with 22 assists.

Eliza Pinzan, a graduate transfer from South Florida, rounds out Maryland’s starting five with 4.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

Off the bench, two of Maryland’s top contributors are also transfers, led by senior guard/forward Brinae Alexander (Vanderbilt) who is averaging 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds. Alexander has knocked down 48.4 percent (15-31) of her three-point attempts.

Briggs, a senior transfer from Florida, is averaging 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Maryland is averaging 75.4 points, while allowing 67.7 points per contest. The Terps are 7-2 despite giving up more rebounds (366-367) and assists (139-140) than their opponents. Maryland is hitting 42.4 percent of its shots from the field, including 35.3 percent of its threes. The Terps have also knocked down 77.5 percent of their free throws.

Nebraska vs. Maryland Series History

Maryland leads the all-time series with Nebraska 15-0.

The Terrapins have been ranked in the top 10 in eight of the 15 previous meetings, including an 83-73 Maryland win over the Huskers at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (March 11, 2021).      

The Terps have been ranked in the top 15 in either the AP or Coaches poll entering 13 of the previous 15 meetings, including Maryland’s 80-65 win at College Park last season (Feb. 6, 2022).         

Maryland has been ranked in the AP Top 20 in all 16 meetings (including Sunday) with the lowest ranking coming at No. 20 (twice, 2019-20 and 2022-23).

Nebraska took No. 13 Maryland to the wire at the Xfinity Center in College Park before falling 77-75 (Feb. 25, 2018). The Huskers trailed by 14 points in the third quarter before rallying to take a 75-74 lead with 48 seconds left. A Hannah Whitish three-pointer from the right wing in the closing seconds caught back iron and caromed off as Maryland survived. 

Nebraska’s first meeting with Maryland came in the 2008 NCAA Tournament second round in College Park – a 76-64 Maryland win. NU is 0-13 against the Terps as Big Ten foes.

Since 2014-15, Maryland’s first season in the Big Ten, the Terrapins have been Nebraska’s most frequent opponent from the Eastern Time Zone. Sunday’s game will be NU’s 14th against the Terps as conference foes. Other than Michigan (13 games), Nebraska has not played any other opponent from the Eastern Time Zone more than 11 times since 2014-15.

It will be Nebraska’s seventh trip to the Xfinity Center in league play, and Maryland will make its sixth trip to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Jan. 22, 2023 to complete this season’s home-and-home series. Lincoln and College Park are 1,205 miles apart.

Since Maryland entered the league (2014-15), Michigan State has only appeared on the court at Pinnacle Bank Arena three times, and the Huskers have played the Spartans nine times. Lincoln is 727 miles from East Lansing. NU is 9-5 all-time against Michigan State and 5-0 in Lincoln.