Markowski Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Alexis Markowski was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the first time in her career, and sophomore Jaz Shelley claimed a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll for the second consecutive week when the conference announced its weekly women’s basketball awards on Monday, Nov. 29.

Markowski, a 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 in a pair of wins at The Dana on Mission Bay Holiday Tournament in San Diego (Nov. 26-27). 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 the host Toreros. 

Markowski opened the tournament 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.

Markowski is Nebraska’s first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honoree since Sam Haiby captured the award on Feb. 4, 2019.

Shelley, a 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia, averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in a pair of tournament wins in San Diego. For the season, she 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).

Shelley erupted for 30 points on 8-of-9 shooting (6-7 3FG) against Drexel (Nov. 26). She added seven rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots in the 65-53 win over the Dragons. Shelley followed with 15 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).

Shelley, Markowski and the unbeaten Huskers (7-0) head to Winston-Salem, N.C., Wednesday to battle unbeaten Wake Forest (7-0) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off in the first-ever meeting between the Huskers and Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. (CT) with live video available through the Watch ESPN App.

Big Ten Women’s Basketball Weekly Awards (Nov. 29)

Player of the Week: Naz Hillmon, Sr., F, Michigan

Freshman of the Week: Alexis Markowski, Fr., F/C, Nebraska

Honor Roll

Jaz Shelley, So., G, Nebraska

Nia Clouden, Sr., G, Michigan State

Jacy Sheldon, Jr., G, Ohio State