The No. 16 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to Big Ten road action in search of their fifth straight win when the Huskers take on Wisconsin Thursday night in Madison.
Tip-off between the Big Red (14-3, 4-2 Big Ten) and the Badgers (7-10, 3-4 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m. (central) with live premium video by BTN Plus.
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, 93.3 FM in Omaha and 880 AM in Lexington. Free live audio also will be available on Huskers.com.
Nebraska is coming off its fourth straight win with a 69-59 victory over Purdue on Monday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. All-American Rachel Theriot led four Huskers in double figures with 16 points and seven assists, closing out the win with nine points in the final three minutes.
Senior Hailie Sample added a strong performance with 15 points, while fellow senior Brandi Jeffery produced one of the best all-around games of her career with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tear’a Laudermill, who scored 21 points and hit five threes in last year’s 71-70 overtime win at Wisconsin, pitched in 10 first-half points for the Big Red against the Boilermakers.
Nebraska’s win over Purdue snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with the Boilers. On the flip side, the Huskers own a five-game winning streak against Wisconsin. The series has been defined by close games, including NU’s one-point OT win last year and a 55-53 win on Feb. 28, 2013. Four of NU’s five wins have been by single digits with all three wins in Madison decided by six points or less.
Thursday night’s game will mark the third straight meeting in the series in Madison, and the seventh time in 11 games that the teams have met on Wisconsin’s home court.
The Badgers bring a 7-10 record and a 3-4 Big Ten mark into the contest. Wisconsin is coming off a 73-63 loss to No. 24 Rutgers at the Kohl Center on Sunday, but notched a 65-56 win over Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Jan. 15. Wisconsin is 5-3 at the Kohl Center this season, including decisive Big Ten wins over Michigan (63-53) and Penn State (65-46).
#16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-3, 4-2 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 11.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 8.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 17.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Off the Bench
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 5.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 4.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 2.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – Redshirting
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (255-145); 25th Season Overall (450-285)
Wisconsin Badgers (7-10, 3-4 Big Ten)
35 – Jacki Gulczynski – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 9.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg
43 – Cassie Rochel – 6-4 – RSr. – F – 5.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg
1 – Dakota Whyte – 5-8 – Jr. – G – 10.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg
4 – Nicole Bauman – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 12.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg
22 – Tessa Cichy – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 7.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Off the Bench
3 – AnnMarie Brown – 6-0 – Sr. – G/F – 2.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
23 – Cayla McMorris – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 6.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg
24 – Malayna Johnson – 6-4 – So. – F – 3.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg
30 – Carly Truesdale – 5-9 – So. – G – 0.2 ppg, 0.2 rpg
25 (Out) – Michala Johnson – 6-3 – RSr. – F – 12.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Head Coach: Bobbie Kelsey (Stanford, 1996)
4th Season at UW (38-68); 4th Season Overall (38-68)
No. 13 Nebraska (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) battles 12th-ranked Illinois on the road before hosting No. 21 Rutgers at the Devaney Center this weekend.
