The No. 18 Nebraska women’s basketball team will bid farewell to its five-game home stand by ushering in the New Year with its Big Ten Conference opener against Northwestern on Thursday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the Huskers (10-2) and Wildcats (10-3) is set for 8 p.m. (CT), with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised live nationally by the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler and Mary Murphy on the call.

Nebraska, which was the preseason pick of media and coaches to win the 2014 Big Ten title, closed non-conference play with a 10-2 record after rolling to an 89-53 win over Oral Roberts on Dec. 29. It was NU’s fourth straight win by 20 or more points during its current home stand.
The Big Red played one of the best halves of basketball in school history against ORU, erupting for a school-record 62 first-half points. Nebraska opened the game on a 24-0 run and built the lead to 35-2 in the first 10 minutes.

All-American Jordan Hooper unleashed the most productive and efficient game of her career with 30 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals in just 20 minutes. She hit 11-of-15 shots, including 4-of-8 threes, and all four of her free throws. The 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., also moved ahead of Kiera Hardy into No. 5 on Nebraska’s career scoring list. A two-time first-team All-Big Ten choice, Hooper enters her final Big Ten season with 1,933 points and 941 rebounds. Hooper is just 100 points and 78 rebounds shy of the career production of Nebraska’s 2010 first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin.

Coach Joe McKeown and Northwestern bring a young and athletic lineup to Lincoln. The Wildcats recently ran to an 84-54 win over ORU on Dec. 16.