The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home for another clash with postseason-caliber competition when the Huskers battle Bakersfield Saturday afternoon.
Tip-off between the Huskers (8-1) and Roadrunners (6-2) is set for 2 p.m. (central) at Pinnacle Bank Arena and tickets are available now at Huskers.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box beginning at noon on Saturday.
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. A live premium video stream will be available to subscribers of BTN Plus.
The Huskers are coming off a thrilling 60-57 win at Creighton on Thursday night. Nebraska built a 16-point halftime lead then withstood a pair of furious CU rallies in the second half. Senior forward Hailie Sample hit three free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the win.
Fellow senior forward Emily Cady notched her fourth double-double of the year and 26th of her career with a team-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Junior All-America point guard Rachel Theriot added 16 points and a season-high nine assists, while senior guard Brandi Jeffery pitched in five points, four assists and a career-high 12 rebounds.
The Huskers will be challenged by a speedy and experienced bunch of Roadrunners from Bakersfield. All-American guard Tyonna Outland leads a small but explosive squad that was picked to win the Western Athletic Conference this season. Outland, a 5-9 redshirt senior, is averaging 17.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She is joined by fellow senior guard Brooklynn Hinkens, who is contributing 14.0 points per game and shooting 44.9 percent from three-point range. Junior point guard Alyssa Shannon carries one of the nation’s top assist-to-turnover ratios, while helping CSUB carry a plus-8.8 team turnover margin.
#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 6.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 13.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 12.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 9.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 17.7 ppg, 4.8 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 – 4.0 ppg, 3.6 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, 0.3 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 (249-143); 25th Season Overall (444-283)
Bakersfield Roadrunners (6-2, 0-0 WAC)
15 – Erika Williams – 6-0 – So. – G/F – 5.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg
24 – Hali Ford – 6-1 – Jr. – G/F – 2.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg
1 – Alyssa Shannon – 5-2 – Jr. – G – 7.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg
11 – Brooklynn Hinkens – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
44 – Tyonna Outland – 5-9 – Sr. – G/F – 17.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Off the Bench
5 – Batabe Zempare – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 8.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg
3 – Shaquita Smith – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 6.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg
2 – Brittany Sims – 6-3 – So. – F – 4.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg
4 – Lunden Junious-Reliford – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 1.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg
22 – Airica Carmon – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Head Coach: Greg McCall (Bakersfield, 1991)
4th Season at CSUB (44-53); 4th Season Overall (44-53)