The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to action Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena to take on South Dakota.
Tip-off between the No. 19 Huskers (8-2) and the Coyotes (6-5) is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT). Tickets are available now at Huskers.com or can be purchased during regular business hours Monday-Friday from the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Because of commencement exercises at Nebraska on Saturday (9 a.m.) doors to Pinnacle Bank Arena will not open until 1:30 p.m. (60 minutes prior to tip-off).
The game can be heard live on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and The Wolf 93.3 FM in Omaha. Free live audio is available on Huskers.com. Live premium video coverage will be provided to subscribers of BTN.com All-Access.
Nebraska has Finals Week (Dec. 16-20) off from competition after flying to a 63-38 win over Creighton on Dec. 14. Emily Cady led the Huskers with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a strong all-around effort. Fellow junior forward Hailie Sample added a season-high 13 points, while junior guard Brandi Jeffery contributed a season-high 11 points and a career-high-tying four assists.
Nebraska got contributions up and down its lineup, and played its cleanest game of the season with season bests of 10 turnovers, seven personal fouls and six blocked shots.
All-American Jordan Hooper, who had five points and a season-high 15 rebounds against Creighton, leads the Big Ten with 11.2 rebounds per game, while ranking third in the conference with 19.9 points per contest. Hooper, a 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., needs 16 points against South Dakota to reach 1,900 for her career. She enters the game with 1,884 points and 923 rebounds, which both rank among the top 10 totals for active NCAA Division I players.
South Dakota comes to Lincoln following a Thursday night contest in Vermillion against the College of Saint Mary. The Coyotes, under the direction of former Husker Amy (Gusso) Williams, enter Thursday night’s game on a four-game winning streak, including impressive wins over Utah State, Wyoming and Northern Iowa. USD has scored at least 80 points in each of its past four games after averaging 66.6 points in going 2-5 through its first seven contests, including losses to Creighton, Iowa State and Drake.