The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to road action Thursday when the Huskers head to Omaha for their annual clash with Creighton.
Tip-off between the Huskers (7-1) and Bluejays (4-4) in the 40th meeting between the two teams is set for 8 p.m. (central) at D.J. Sokol Arena with live national television coverage from Fox Sports 1. Eric Collins and LaChina Robinson will be on the call for Nebraska’s first-ever appearance on Fox Sports 1.
Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 93.3 FM in Omaha. Free live audio also will be available on Huskers.com.
Nebraska will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 53-51 setback to Alabama at Tuscaloosa on Sunday. Senior guard Tear’a Laudermill led the Big Red with 25 points on a school-record-tying seven three-pointers. Her final three came with 18.1 seconds left to tie the game at 51, after the Huskers battled back from a 50-42 deficit with four minutes left. However, Alabama’s Nikki Hegstetter hit a putback with 2.5 seconds left to seal the win for the Crimson Tide, who improved to 8-3.
Laudermill (12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) is one of three Huskers who enter the game averaging in double figures. Wade Trophy and Wooden Award candidate Rachel Theriot leads the Big Red with 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 6-0 junior point guard has produced double figures in seven of NU’s first eight games, including three 20-point performances. Senior Emily Cady has added 13.4 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game. Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., is the Big Ten’s active rebound leader and owns 25 career double-doubles, including three this season.
Creighton heads into Thursday’s game with a 4-4 record after rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to win 58-56 at Northern Iowa on Monday night. Nebraska will be the third top-15 foe on Creighton’s schedule so far this season, joining road losses at UConn and California.
#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 6.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 13.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 17.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Off the Bench
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (248-143); 25th Season Overall (443-283)
Creighton Bluejays (4-4, 0-1 BIG EAST)
11 – Bailey Norby – 6-2 – Fr. – F – 2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
23 – Marissa Janning – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 16.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg
45 – Alexis Akin-Otiko – 6-0 – So. – F – 10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
3 – MC McGrory – 5-8 – So. – G – 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg
14 – Sydney Lamberty – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Off the Bench
50 – Brianna Rollerson – 6-0 – So. – F – 6.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg
22 – Taylor Johnson – 5-11 – Jr. – G/F – 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
5 – Sammy Jensen – 5-5 – Sr. – G – 4.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg
12 – Lauren Works – 5-7 – So. – G – 4.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
1 – Jade Owens – 5-6 – Fr. – G – 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
2 – Myah Mellman – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
20 – Tessa Leytem – 5-11 – Jr. – G – 0.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
33 – Kylie Brown – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 0.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)
13th Season at Creighton (239-155); 13th Season Overall (239-155)