Huskers Wrap Home Stand with Wyoming

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 1-0 Big Ten)

vs. Wyoming Cowgirls (4-4, 0-0 Mountain West)

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, Noon (CT)

Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska

Tickets: Huskers.com / 800-8-BIG-RED
Halftime Performance: Red Panda
Live Video: B1G+ (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (11:45 a.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (ESPN 590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Close Non-Conference Play with Cowgirls 

The Nebraska women’s basketball team wraps up its three-game pre-holiday home stand by playing host to Wyoming on Wednesday afternoon in Lincoln.

Tip-off between the Huskers (11-0, 1-0 Big Ten) and the 2021 NCAA Tournament-qualifying Cowgirls (4-4) is set for Noon (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena with a live video stream available to subscribers of B1G+ with the Huskers Radio Network call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch. The game can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network (B107.3 FM, Lincoln; ESPN 590 AM, Omaha), Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

Nebraska is coming off an impressive 89-68 win over Drake on Sunday in Lincoln. Five Huskers scored in double figures, led by the second straight double-double by Alexis Markowski (15 points, 10 rebounds), who earned her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week award for the performance. During the current home stand, the 6-3 forward/center from Lincoln is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds while connecting on 11-of-14 field goal attempts, including a pair of threes. 

The win over the Bulldogs extended Nebraska’s winning streak to 11 games, making the 2021-22 Huskers just the second NU team to ever win 11 straight games, joining the 2009-10 Big Red.

The victory over Drake was Nebraska’s seventh this season by 20 or more points.

Nebraska’s success is making waves nationally, with the Huskers at No. 6 in the NET Rankings (Dec. 20). NU is one of just seven remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.

The Huskers rank No. 2 nationally in scoring margin (+29.6 ppg), No. 3 in defensive rebounds per game (32.4 rpg), No. 4 in field goal percentage (.480), No. 5 in free throws made and No. 6 in both scoring offense (84.5 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.325). Overall, Nebraska ranks among the top 25 teams in the nation in 17 statistical categories. 

Sophomore transfer Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) continues the outstanding start to her Husker career by averaging team bests of 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks while hitting 32-of-51 threes (.525). The 5-9 point guard also ranks third among the Huskers with 6.2 rebounds.

Shelley is the only Big Ten player to rank among the top 20 in the conference in all five major statistical categories: scoring (16th), rebounding (15th), assists (9th), blocks (3rd), steals (12th).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 1-0 Big Ten)

14 – Bella Cravens – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 7.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg

34 – Isabelle Bourne – 6-2 – So. – F – 10.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg

0 – Ashley Scoggin – 5-7 – RSo. – G – 9.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg

1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – So. – G – 14.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg

4 – Sam Haiby – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 9.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg

Off the Bench

40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – Fr. – F/C – 9.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg

21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg    

3 – Allison Weidner – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg

32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – Fr. – F/G – 4.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg

5 – MiCole Cayton – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 2.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg

11 – Ruby Porter – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 3.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg

15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 2.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg

10 – Whitney Brown – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Sixth Season at Nebraska (83-75); 15th Season Overall (276-184)

Wyoming Cowgirls (4-4, 0-0 Mountain West)

4 – Grace Ellis – 6-0 – So. – F – 7.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg

11 – Alba Sanchez Ramos – 6-0 – Sr. – G – 5.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg

12 – McKinley Bradshaw – 5-11 – Jr. – G – 13.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg

14 – Quinn Weidemann – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg

24 – Tommi Olson – 5-6 – Sr. – G – 2.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Off the Bench

45 – Allyson Fertig – 6-4 – Fr. – C – 9.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg

30 – Ola Ustowska – 5-10 – So. – G – 5.5 ppg, 0.6 rpg

10 – Paula Salazar – 6-3 – So. – F – 4.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg

2 – Emily Mellema – 5-11 – Fr. – G – 3.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg

21 – Landri Hudson – 5-9 – So. – G – 0.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg

23 – Lexi Bull – 6-0 – So. – G/F – 0.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg

5 – Tess Barnes – 6-2 – Fr. – G/F – 0.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Head Coach: Gerald Mattinson (Weber State, 1981)

Third Season at Wyoming & Overall (35-26)

Scouting The Wyoming Cowgirls

• Wyoming comes to Nebraska as the defending Mountain West Tournament champions. The Cowgirls earned a trip to the 2021 NCAA Tournament with a 59-56 win over Fresno State in the conference title game, capping a string of four wins in four days after entering the tournament as the No. 7 seed. Wyoming won its Mountain West Tournament games by 15.5 points per contest. 

• The 2020-21 Cowgirls finished with a 14-10 overall record that included a 69-48 loss to UCLA in the NCAA first round in Austin, Texas (March 22).

• Head Coach Gerald Mattinson, who is in his third season leading the Cowgirls, took Wyoming to the Big Dance for the first time since 2008. An assistant at Wyoming from 2003 to 2019, Mattinson has been a part of 10 postseason teams at Wyoming, including eight trips to the Postseason WNIT. 

• Quinn Weidemann, a 5-9 senior guard out of Omaha Westside High School, is a leader for the Cowgirls. The 2021 Mountain West Tournament MVP, Weidemann is averaging 9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 2021-22. In the 2021 Mountain West Tournament, Weideman averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while knocking down 12-of-22 threes. 

• A member of the 2021 Mountain West All-Defensive Team, Weidemann has 14-of-30 threes (.467) this season. She was the 2018 Nebraska Gatorade High School Player of the Year while leading Westside to the Class A state title as a senior. She averaged 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

• McKinley Bradshaw leads this season’s Cowgirls in scoring with 13.8 points per game, while ranking second on the squad with 5.4 rebounds. She also ranks No. 2 among the Cowgirls with 10 made threes, but is shooting just 25 percent from long range. The 5-11 junior led Wyoming in scoring (11.7 ppg) a year ago despite coming off the bench most of the season. She shot nearly 43 percent from long range and knocked down 35 threes on the season.

• Spaniard Alba Sanchez Ramos returns to Wyoming’s lineup after starting all 24 games last season. The 6-0 senior also started all 29 games for the Cowgirls as a sophomore. She is averaging 5.5 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds, while ranking second on the team with 2.6 assists. Last season, she averaged 10.3 points and a team-best 6.3 boards. Sanchez Ramos notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UCLA in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

• Senior Tommi Olson joins Sanchez Ramos and Weidemann in giving Wyoming three returning starters. Olson, who joined Weidemann on the Mountain West All-Tournament Team, posted a tournament-record 17 steals in four games. She averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4.3 steals. She ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West last season in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6), steals (55) and steals per game (2.3) while ranking third in assists (4.2).

• Olson is averaging 2.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals this season, but she is hitting just 28 percent of her shots from the field, including 2-of-10 three-pointers.

• Australian Grace Ellis (7.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) rounds out Wyoming’s probable starters. The 6-0 sophomore from Brisbane has made seven starts and has hit 85 percent (17-20) at the free throw line.

• Another Australian, 6-2 freshman Tess Barnes, has also contributed early this season for Wyoming. 

• Allyson Fertig, a 6-4 freshman center has produced big numbers with 9.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 13 minutes per game off the bench. The two-time Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year at Douglas High School, was also a two-time state shot put champion.

• A member of Poland’s National Team program, Ola Ustowska provides Wyoming with a long-range threat off the bench. Ustowska (5.5 ppg) has hit 44.4 percent (8-18) of her threes in 2021-22.

• Spaniard Paula Salazar, a 6-3 sophomore, has pitched in 4.1 points and 2.0 rebounds, while 5-11 freshman Emily Mellema has averaged 3.5 points while playing in all eight games.

• As a team, Wyoming has held its eight opponents to just 54.3 points per game, but has managed just 62 points per contest. The Cowgirls are hitting just 39.6 percent of their shots from the field, including just 29.2 percent of their three-pointers. They have been strong at the line (.746) and they also own a plus-4.4 rebound margin and a plus-0.9 turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Wyoming Series History

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Wyoming 7-0, but the two teams have not met since the 2006 Postseason WNIT. The Huskers, led by All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy (21 points) and freshman Kelsey Griffin (10 points, 7 rebounds), outlasted the Cowgirls 72-67 in Laramie on March 22, 2006.

• The win over Wyoming in the second round of the 2006 Postseason WNIT came after defeating Drake, 62-59, in the WNIT first round at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on March 16, 2006.

• The Huskers are 2-0 all-time against Wyoming in Lincoln, with the most recent meeting on Dec. 20, 1997, when Nebraska rolled to a 92-41 win over the Cowgirls. Nebraska head coach Amy Williams scored one point and had two rebounds as a senior guard for the Huskers in that game.

• The Big Red also defeated Wyoming 92-84 in Lincoln on Dec. 18, 1982.

• The Huskers are 3-0 all-time in Laramie and 2-0 on neutral courts against the Cowgirls dating back to the first meeting between the two schools on Nov. 18, 1976, when Nebraska rolled to an 81-35 victory in the first game of the AIAW Regional in Boulder, Colo.

Nebraska Numbers to Watch

• Through games Dec. 19, the Huskers ranked among the top 10 teams nationally in win-loss percentage (1.000, 1 of 7), scoring margin (2nd, +29.6 ppg), defensive rebounds per game (3rd, 32.4 rpg), field goal percentage (4th, .480), free throws made (5th, 179), scoring offense (6th, 84.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (6th, .325), three-point field goal percentage (7th, .390), assists (8th, 211), free throw attempts (9th, 251), and assists per game (10th, 19.2 apg).  

• Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley ranks among the top 16 players in the Big Ten in scoring (16th, 14.5 ppg), rebounding (15th, 6.2 rpg), assists (9th, 4.5 apg), blocked shots (3rd, 1.4 bpg), steals (12th, 1.6 spg), three-point field goal percentage (2nd, .525), three-pointers made per game (2nd, 2.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 2.4).

• Huskers Jaz Shelley (2nd, 2.9 pg) and Ashley Scoggin (12th, 2.2 pg) rank among the top players in the Big Ten in three-point field goals made per game. Nebraska is one of only three teams in the nation with two shooters ranked among the top 50 (Shelley,10th; Scoggin, 32nd) in three-point percentage, joining Utah (Brynna Maxwell, Kennedy McQueen) and Kent State (Casey Santora, Lindsey Thall).

• Nebraska’s backcourt has taken care of the ball while creating opportunities. Sam Haiby (2.5) and Jaz Shelley (2.4) rank No. 3 and 4 in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio based on the NCAA minimum of 3.0 assists per game. Husker reserves Allison Weidner (3.4) and Ruby Porter (3.0), who don’t meet the NCAA minimums, own better assist-to-turnover ratios than Haiby (39th) and Shelley (46th), who both rank among the top 50 in the NCAA.

• The only other teams in the nation with two players ranked among the top 50 in assist-to-turnover are Baylor, Colorado and Kansas State. None of those three teams have other guards with better assist-to-turnover ratios than their ranked players.

• Nebraska ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense with 84.5 points per game. The only time in the last 25 years NU 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 68 total rebounds in 295 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 15 blocked shots through 11 games, nearly tripling her two-year total at Oregon (6) in 55 games with 12 starts. 

Nebraska Streaks

• Nebraska heads into Wednesday’s game with Wyoming on an 11-game winning streak, marking just the second time in school history the Huskers have opened a season 11-0, joining NU’s 2009-10 squad that started 30-0, won the Big 12 title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Nebraska’s last 11-game winning streak came from games No. 20 through No. 30 in 2009-10.

• The Huskers are riding an eight-game home winning streak, dating back to an 87-72 victory over Penn State in last year’s regular-season home finale at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 21, 2021. 

• The last time Nebraska had a nine-game home winning streak came in 2015-16.

• Sam Haiby has scored in 93 of 96 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. 

• Haiby has scored in double figures in three straight games, NU’s longest active streak.

• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 409 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 288 consecutive games.

Husker Nuggets

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten in scoring margin (+29.6 ppg), scoring defense (54.9 ppg), rebound margin (+10.5 rpg), total rebounds (45.3 rpg), defensive rebounds (32.4 rpg), 3FG percentage defense (.249), FG percentage defense (.325) and assists (19.2 apg).

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes eight times in the last 18 games, including five times in 11 games in 2021-22. 

• 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 (591 games).