Huskers Take on Wake in B1G/ACC

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-0)

at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-0)

Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, 6 p.m. (CT)

LJVM Coliseum – Winston-Salem, N.C.

Live Video: Watch ESPN (Tom Werme, Tabitha Turner-Wilkins)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (5:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (105.9 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Head to Wake Forest for B1G/ACC Challenge

The Nebraska women’s basketball team continues its four-game non-conference road swing when it travels to Wake Forest Wednesday for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Tip-off between the Huskers (7-0) and Demon Deacons (7-0) is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Live video is available through the Watch ESPN App with Tom Werme and Tabitha Turner-Wilkins on the call. The Huskers Radio Network call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch can be heard on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha, along with free live audio on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. 

Wednesday’s battle of unbeatens in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge will be the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Wake Forest in women’s basketball.

The Huskers head to Winston-Salem, N.C., after working their way to a title at The Dana on Mission Bay Holiday Tournament in San Diego (Nov. 26-27). The Big Red beat 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifier and Colonial Athletic Association champion Drexel (65-53) before knocking off the hosts from San Diego (64-56) on Saturday at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Sophomore transfer Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) continued an outstanding start to her Husker career by erupting for 30 points on 8-of-9 shooting (6-7 3FG) in the win over Drexel. She added 16 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting in the win over San Diego. The 5-9 guard is shooting a sizzling 62.2 percent (23-37) from long range while leading the Huskers in scoring (14.6 ppg), assists (4.6 apg), steals (11) and blocked shots (12). She also ranks second on the squad in rebounding (7.4 rpg).

Fellow Australian Isabelle Bourne ranks second among the Huskers in scoring with 11.4 points while adding 5.0 rebounds per game. The 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice as a sophomore last season. 

Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) has played big in Nebraska’s toughest wins against Creighton and San Diego. The 2021 second-team All-Big Ten choice had 15 points and five assists in Saturday’s win over the Toreros. She also had 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in NU’s victory over in-state rival Creighton (Nov. 17).

Returning starters Ashley Scoggin (10.1 ppg, 16-32 3FG) and Bella Cravens (7.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg) continue to play major roles for NU at both ends of the court. The Big Red also features a deep bench, including 2021 Nebraska High School Player of the Year Alexis Markowski (8.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg), who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Nov. 29).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

14 – Bella Cravens – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 7.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – So. – F – 11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg

0 – Ashley Scoggin – 5-7 – RSo. – G – 10.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg

1 –  Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – So. – G – 14.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Off the Bench

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – Fr. – F/C – 8.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg    

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 5.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – Fr. – F/G – 4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg 

11 – Ruby Porter – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 3.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 2.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg

10 – Whitney Brown – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 2.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg

5 – MiCole Cayton – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Sixth Season at Nebraska (79-75); 15th Season Overall (272-184)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-0, 0-0 ACC)

14 – Niyah Becker – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 6.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg 

20 – Olivia Summiel – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 6.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg

23 – Christina Morra – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 8.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg

24 – Jewell Spear – 5-10 – So. – G – 19.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg

21 – Elise Williams – 5-9 – Fr. – G – 8.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Off the Bench

32 – Alexandria Scruggs – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 9.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg

25 – Demeara Hinds – 6-2 – So. – F – 4.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg

00 – Alyssa Andrews – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 4.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg

11 – Raegyn Conley – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 2.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg

2 – Kaia Harrison – 5-7 – Jr. – G – 2.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg

5 – Malaya Cowles – 6-3 – Fr. – G – 1.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg

3 – Mack Maier – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 0.3 rpg

Head Coach: Jen Hoover (Wake Forest, 1991)

10th Season at Wake Forest (133-153); 11th Season Overall (153-166) 

Scouting The Wake Forest Demon Deacons

• Wake Forest brings a perfect 7-0 record into its Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against Nebraska on Wednesday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

• Last season, the Demon Deacons made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1987-88, when current head coach Jen Hoover was a freshman on the court for Wake Forest. Hoover, who scored 1,728 points and grabbed 1,006 rebounds during her playing career for the Deacs, was a three-time All-ACC selection from 1987 to 1991. She helped Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament bid in 1987-88. She ended the school’s 22-year NCAA Tournament drought last season. 

• The 2020-21 Demon Deacons advanced to the Big Dance despite finishing with a losing record (12-13), after going 8-10 in the ACC. Close losses were normal for Wake Forest last season, with seven coming by single digits. However, they fell 84-61 to Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament first round, after losing 65-53 to No. 5 Louisville in the ACC Tournament. 

• Dynamic sophomore Jewell Spear leads Wake Forest on the court. A 2021 ACC All-Freshman and ACC All-Tournament selection, Spear is the only Demon Deacon averaging double figures (19.4 ppg). The 5-10 guard from The Colony, Texas, also leads Wake from long range (18-48, .375) and at the free throw line (34-40, .850) while playing 32 minutes per game early this season.

• Spear erupted for a career-high 32 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting in a 64-42 win over Cornell (Nov. 12).

• Another 5-10 guard, junior Alexandria Scruggs, provides punch off the bench with 9.0 points and a team-leading 1.4 steals per game. Scruggs ranks second on the squad with six made threes.

• Elise Williams, a 5-9 freshman guard has solidified the starting backcourt with 8.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-best 2.9 assists per game. Williams also leads Wake with seven blocks.

• A trio of 6-2 forwards – Christina Morra (8.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Niyah Becker (6.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Olivia Summiel (6.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg) make Wake hard to guard and harder to keep off the glass.

• Although the Demon Deacons have hit just 42.7 percent of their field goal attempts, including just 29.9 percent from three, they own a plus-13.7 team rebound margin. They have allowed the opposition fewer than 30 rebounds per game, including less than eight offensive boards per contest. 

• Wake has held all seven of its opponents to 55 points or less, surrendering an average of just 48.7 points per game. The Demon Deacons have averaged 69.9 points per game.

Nebraska vs. Wake Forest Series History

• Wednesday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Wake Forest in women’s basketball. The only other current member of the ACC that the Huskers have never faced is Pittsburgh.

• Nebraska posted a win in its last game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with an 83-79 victory over Duke (Dec. 4, 2019) at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

• The Huskers are 3-6 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge since joining the Big Ten Conference for the 2011-12 season. Nebraska’s first win came with a 60-54 win over Duke (Dec. 3, 2014), before the Huskers added an 88-67 win over NC State (Dec. 3, 2015). 

• Nebraska is 0-4 on the road in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games, including losses at Georgia Tech (73-57, Nov. 30, 2011), at North Carolina (75-62, Dec. 4, 2013), at Virginia Tech (76-67, Dec. 1, 2016) and at Louisville (85-68, Nov. 29, 2018).

• No Big Ten/ACC Challenge was held in 2020-21 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Nebraska is 13-17 all-time against current ACC members. The Huskers own four all-time road wins against current ACC schools with the last coming at Florida State on Nov. 27, 2011 (66-63).

Markowski Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

• Alexis Markowski was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for her performances in helping Nebraska capture The Dana on Mission Bay Holiday Tournament title in San Diego (Nov. 26-27). 

• The 6-3 forward/center out of Lincoln Pius X High School averaged 6.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 15 minutes per game off the bench for the Big Red.

• She closed the tournament with seven points and seven rebounds to go with her first career assist and a blocked shot in 14 minutes in a championship game win over San Diego. 

• Markowski opened with five points on 2-of-2 shooting to go along with a career-high nine rebounds and a block in a 65-53 win over 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifier Drexel.

• Through the first seven games of her college career, the 2021 Nebraska High School Player of the Year has averaged 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. Her production equates to 23.4 points and 17.2 rebounds per 40 minutes.

Shelley Earns Second Big Ten Weekly Honor Spot

• Jaz Shelley earned her second straight appearance on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll after leading Nebraska to The Dana on Mission Bay Holiday Tournament championship in San Diego (Nov. 26-27). 

• Shelley averaged 23 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in a pair of tournament wins. For the season, the 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia, leads the Huskers in scoring (14.6 ppg), assists (4.6 apg), steals (1.6 spg) and blocks (1.7 bpg) while ranking second on the team in rebounding (7.4 rpg).

• She erupted for 30 points on 8-of-9 shooting (6-7 3FG) against Drexel (Nov. 26). Shelley added seven rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots in the 65-53 win over the Dragons.

• Shelley followed with 16 points and a career-high four steals in a 64-56 win over San Diego (Nov. 27). She hit 5-of-8 three-point attempts against the Toreros.

• Shelley earned her first Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll spot (Nov. 22) after producing just the fourth triple-double in Nebraska history with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over North Carolina Central (Nov. 20).

Nebraska Numbers to Watch

• Through seven games, Nebraska has put itself among the national leaders up and down the NCAA statistical rankings. Through games Nov. 28, the Huskers ranked among the top five teams nationally in defensive rebounds per game (1st, 36.3 rpg), rebounds (2nd, 348), rebounds per game (2nd, 49.7 rpg), three-point field goal percentage (2nd, .436), assists (3rd, 142), assists per game (3rd, 20.3 apg), scoring margin (4th, +35.4 ppg), field goal percentage defense (4th, .295), rebound margin (4th, 15.7 rpg) and scoring offense (5th, 86.7 ppg). 

• Nebraska adds more top 10 rankings in free throw attempts (6th, 174), free throws made (7th, 120), assist-to-turnover ratio (10th, 1.41), while ranking in the top 25 in three-point field goals made (12th, 65), blocked shots (12th, 41), three-point field goals made per game (17th, 9.3 pg), blocked shots per game (19th, 5.9 bpg) and scoring defense (21st, 51.3 ppg).

• Through games Nov. 28, Nebraska leads the Big Ten Conference in scoring defense (51.3 ppg), rebound margin (+15.7 rpg), total rebounds (49.7 rpg), defensive rebounds (36.3 rpg), field goal percentage defense (.295), three-point field goal percentage (.436) and three-point field goals made (9.3 pg), while ranking second in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+35.4 ppg), assists (20.3 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.41), blocked shots (5.9 bpg) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.242).

• Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley ranks among the top 15 players in the Big Ten in scoring (15th, 14.6 ppg), rebounding (10th, 7.4 rpg), assists (8th, 4.6 apg) and blocked shots (2nd, 1.7 bpg), while leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.622). She also ranks 17th in steals (1.6 spg).

• Husker shooters Jaz Shelley (2nd, 3.3 pg) and Ashley Scoggin (8th, 2.3 pg) both rank among the top 10 players in the Big Ten in three-point field goals made per game.

• Nebraska’s backcourt has been strong taking care of the ball while creating opportunities for their teammates, as Jaz Shelley (5th, 2.7), Sam Haiby (8th, 2.5) and reserve guard Allison Weidner (1st, 5.8) all rank among the top 10 players in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. Reserve guard Ruby Porter also owns a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (12-3) but does not meet the league minimum in assists.

• Through seven games, Nebraska ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense with 86.7 points per game. The only time in the last 25 years that Nebraska has averaged more than 75 points per game in a season came in 2009-10 (77.4 ppg). That Husker team went unbeaten in the regular season, won the Big 12 regular-season title and advanced to Nebraska’s first NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Point guard Jaz Shelley has pulled down 52 total rebounds in 180 minutes this season. In two seasons (971 minutes) at Oregon (2019-20, 2020-21), the 5-9 Shelley totaled 70 rebounds.

• Jaz Shelley leads Nebraska with 12 blocked shots through seven games, doubling her two-year total at Oregon (6) in 55 games with 12 starts. 

Nebraska Streaks

• Nebraska heads into the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on a seven-game winning streak, marking the first time the Huskers have opened a season 7-0 since 2014-15. NU has not opened a season 8-0 since 2009-10, when the Huskers started 30-0.

• Nebraska’s last eight-game winning streak came from Jan. 20-Feb. 28, 2013, when the Huskers reeled off 10 consecutive Big Ten Conference victories.

• Sam Haiby has scored in 89 of 92 games in her Husker career. She had scored at least two points in 53 consecutive games for Nebraska before being held scoreless without a field goal attempt against Drexel (Nov. 27). The last time she had been held scoreless also came at a Thanksgiving Tournament against 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 405 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 284 consecutive games.

Marginal Differences

• Nebraska enters the game against Wake Forest with a combined seven-game victory margin of 248 points – the largest of any seven-game stretch in school history by 35 points, surpassing the 213-point combined victory margin in NU’s first seven games of 2009-10.

Husker Nuggets

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (51.3 ppg), rebound margin (+15.7 rpg), total rebounds (49.7 rpg), defensive rebounds (36.3 rpg), field goal percentage defense (.295), three-point field goal percentage (.436), and three-point field goals made per game (9.3 pg). 

• Nebraska’s 113 points in the win over North Carolina Central tied for the fourth-most points in NU history and gave the Huskers their third 100-point game of 2021-22 – the first time NU has reached 100 three times in the same season.

• 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).

• The Huskers have scored 30 or more in a quarter four times in 2021-22. In the previous six years combined, NU produced nine 30-point periods.

• Sam Haiby is the 35th 1,000-point scorer in Husker history and has increased her career total to 1,093 to rank No. 27 all time at NU. She needs just eight points to climb into the top 25 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list.

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes six times in the last 14 games, including three times in the first seven contests of 2021-22. NU buried 14-of-28 threes against North Carolina Central (Nov. 20), 11-of-22 against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 11) and 10-of-19 in the win over San Diego (Nov. 27).  

• Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women’s basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (312 games).