The No. 16 Nebraska women’s basketball opens the 2014-15 regular season with back-to-back home games against Pepperdine (Saturday, 11 a.m.) and Alcorn State (Sunday, 5 p.m.) at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tickets for both games can be purchased by visiting Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Tickets also will be available at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office before the game. Reserved seats are just $10, while adult general admission tickets are just $5. Youth and seniors receive discounted rates, while UNL students with ID are admitted free.

A live premium video stream of Nebraska’s opener with Pepperdine will be available from BTN Plus, while Sunday’s game against Alcorn State will be streamed live to HuskersNside subscribers. Free live audio of both games will be available at Huskers.com, featuring the Husker Sports Network radio broadcast of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch.

The games can be heard over the air on 107.3 FM in Lincoln, 93.3 FM (Pepperdine) and 1110 KFAB (Alcorn State) in Omaha, and other stations across the network.

The Huskers have opened with a pair of solid exhibition wins over NCAA Division II top-10 opponents Wayne State (84-43) and Concordia-St. Paul (78-46). Nebraska returns four All-Big Ten starters who led the Big Red to a 26-7 record, a Big Ten Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament second round.

Honorable-mention AP All-American and first-team All-Big Ten point guard Rachel Theriot rejoins seniors Emily Cady (second-team All-Big Ten), Tear’a Laudermill (second-team All-Big Ten) and Hailie Sample (Big Ten All-Defensive) in 2014-15. Theriot, a 6-0 junior from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, claimed preseason first-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 assists per game as a sophomore. She averaged 18.7 points and a tournament-record 10.0 assists as the 2014 Big Ten Tournament MVP.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (26-7, 12-4 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 6.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 11.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 3.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Off the Bench
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 3.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – JUCO
2 – Kaylee Page – 6-2 – Fr. – F – High School
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – High School
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – High School
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – High School
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (241-142); 25th Season Overall (436-282)

Pepperdine Waves (6-25, 1-17 WCC)
24 – Krista Pettepier – 6-2 – So. – F – 2013-14 Redshirt
51 – Keitra Wallace – 5-11 – Jr. – G/F – 12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
10 – Bria Richardson – 5-8 – Sr. – G – 16.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg
11 – Ea Shoushtari – 5-8 – Sr. – G – 12.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg
22 – Allie Green – 5-10 – So. – G – 11.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Off the Bench
25 – Tessa Emerson – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 6.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg
44 – Kelsey Brockway – 6-1 – Jr. – F – 4.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg
2 – Layana White – 5-9 – Jr. – G – 2013-14 Redshirt
42 – Haley Videckis – 6-0 – So. – F – 2013-14 Redshirt
0 – Kameron Johnston – 5-8 – Fr. – G – High School
1 – Whitney Williams – 5-8 – So. – G – High School
3 – Kim Jacobs – 5-10 – Fr. – G – High School
14 – Devin Stanback – 6-3 – Fr. – C – High School
30 – Olivia Ogwumike – 5-11 – Fr. – G – High School
Head Coach: Ryan Weisenberg (Cal Poly, 1997)
2nd Season at Pepperdine (6-25); 2nd Season Overall (6-25)

Alcorn State Braves (8-22, 7-11 SWAC)
3 – Henrietta Wells – 6-2 – So. – F – 2.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg
32 – Angelica Wilson-Reid – 6-0 – So. – F – 7.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg
11 – Jasmine Cunningham – 5-8 – So. – G – 2.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg
20 – Olivia Brown – 5-7 – Jr. – G – JUCO
21 – Ashton McNichols – 5-6 – Sr. – G – 8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Off the Bench
10 – Lindsey Littlejohn – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg
14 – Shaqueria Dubose – 5-4 – Fr. – G – High School
15 – Ather Cep – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
22 – Lauren Turner – 5-9 – Fr. – G – High School
23 – Zhane Stigler – 5-8 – Fr. – G – High School
24 – Jazmin Strane – 6-0 – Jr. – G – JUCO
30 – Dayshanay Russell – 6-1 – Jr. – F – JUCO
44 – Misha Jones 6-4 Sr. F 3.4 4.1
Head Coach: Tonya Edwards (Tennessee, 1990)
7th Season at Alcorn (50-129); 7th Season Overall (50-129)

Husker Seniors Begin Pursuit of Fourth Straight NCAA Bid
Nebraska’s four-player senior class of Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery form the heart of the Husker lineup in 2014-15, after helping the Big Red to the most successful three-year stretch in school history.

Cady and Sample have started all 100 games over the past three years, helping the Huskers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 25 wins per season. NU’s .750 winning percentage over the past three years represents the most successful stretch in school history.

In 2014-15, returning starters Cady, Sample and Laudermill and three-year contributor Jeffery will try to become the first class in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA tournaments.

Big Red Begins Season at No. 16 in AP, Coaches Polls
The Huskers open the 2014-15 season at No. 16 in both the Associated Press Preseason Poll and the USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25. Nebraska closed the 2013-14 campaign at No. 13 in the AP rankings, which did not include NCAA Tournament results.

NU, which went 26-7 last season and 12-4 in the Big Ten before winning its first Big Ten Tournament title, ended the season at No. 17 in the final USA Today Coaches Top 25. Both Nebraska’s final AP and Coaches Top 25 rankings were the second-best year-end rankings in school history. The Huskers have finished the season in the AP Top 25 four times in the past five years.

The Huskers finished No. 19 in the official NCAA RPI, which was its third-best RPI finish in history – all in the last five seasons.

Before Nebraska Coach Connie Yori came to Nebraska for the 2002-03 season, the Huskers had never finished a season ranked in the top 25 in either of the major polls or the RPI.

Nebraska Opened Basketball Season with Big Red Tip-Off
The Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball programs hit the floor for the first time together on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Big Red Tip-Off at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The fun family-friendly event included 15-minute scrimmages by both the men’s and women’s teams and a head-to-head three-point contest between the two programs.

Nebraska women’s basketball Coach Connie Yori and men’s basketball Coach Tim Miles both addressed the thousands of fans who filled the arena for the free event.

The two teams wrapped up the night with an autograph session at the arena.

Husker Season Ticket Sales Reach Another All-Time High
Nebraska’s second season inside the spectacular Pinnacle Bank Arena promises to be packed with action from start to finish, and Husker women’s basketball fans are showing that they want to see it all in person this season.

Heading into their final exhibition game with Concordia-St. Paul on Sunday, Nov. 9, Nebraska had sold a school-record 3,909 season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign.

In their first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, Nebraska shattered its previous season ticket sales record with more than 3,700. The previous record came in 2010-11, when NU sold approximately 2,700 season tickets.

Last season, Nebraska ranked No. 11 nationally with an average home attendance of 6,161 fans per game. The Huskers ranked No. 8 nationally in total attendance with 110,892 fans flocking to the arena to watch the Big Red roll to a 16-2 home record.

Theriot Claims Preseason All-Big Ten Honors
Nebraska junior Rachel Theriot captured preseason first-team All-Big Ten team announced at Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Media Day on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Theriot, a 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, joined senior point guards Rachel Banham (Minnesota) and Samantha Logic (Iowa) on the five-player honor squads of both the conference coaches and media. Michigan State sophomore Aerial Powers and Northwestern sophomore Nia Coffey rounded out the coaches top five. Sophomores Amanda Zahui from Minnesota and Lexie Brown from Maryland, along with junior Ameryst Alston from Ohio State claimed spots on the media’s six-player team.

As a team, Nebraska was picked No. 3 in the conference by the media, trailing Maryland and Michigan State. Iowa earned the No. 3 spot ahead of the Huskers in the coaches ranking of the top three teams.

Scouting the Pepperdine Waves
Coach Ryan Weisenberg brings an experienced Pepperdine team to Lincoln for the 2014-15 season opener. The Waves return five starters from Weisenberg’s first Pepperdine squad that struggled to a 6-25 overall record last season, including a 1-17 mark and a 10th-place finish in the West Coast Conference.

Although they struggled to find wins last season, Pepperdine’s starting five were balanced and productive. Senior Bria Richardson averaged a team-best 16.9 points to go along with 3.7 rebounds per game. The 5-8 guard from Hawthorne, Calif., hit nearly 45 percent of her three-pointers, dished out 3.6 assists and notched 2.6 steals per game. Richardson started all 17 games she played before being sidelined by injury.

Fellow senior Ea Shoushtari gives the Waves an experienced backcourt. The 5-8 guard added 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds while leading the team with 95 assists (3.1 apg). Shoushtari also hit a team-best 59 threes (.324) while playing a team-high 35.1 minutes per contest.

Sophomore Allie Green also returns to the Wave backcourt. The 5-10 guard contributed 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while hitting 25 threes last season. Keitra Wallace, a 5-11 junior, added 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season. A slasher, Wallace hit just eight threes on the year but attempted a team-best 196 free throws.

The Waves add another experienced starter in Tessa Emerson. The 6-2 senior forward/center averaged 6.0 points and and 2.8 rebounds per game while making 21 starts. Kelsey Brockway, a 6-1 junior forward, added 4.5 points and 4.3 boards per game last year, while earning 17 starts.

While Emerson and Brockway return inside, sophomore Krista Pettepier earned a start in Pepperdine’s exhibition win over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Nov. 8. The 6-2 forward from Ankeny, Iowa – the same hometown as Nebraska Head Coach Connie Yori – sat out as a transfer to Pepperdine last year after playing her freshman season at Pittsburgh. Pettepier had a game-high 14 rebounds in the Waves’ 79-68 win over CSU Dominguez Hills.

Richards led Pepperdine against CSU Dominguez Hills with 21 points, five assists and four steals, while Wallace added 18 points and eight boards. Green contributed a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards, while Shoushtari rounded out the starting five with nine points and five assists.

Kim Jacobs, a 5-10 freshman guard, was the only newcomer to play in the exhibition. Jacobs hit all four of her shots from the field, including a pair of threes to finish with 11 points in 13 minutes.

The Waves’ class of newcomers is highly regarded, led by Devin Stanback from Chaminade High School in California. The 6-3 freshman was a finalist for Ms. Basketball in California and a second-team All-CIF pick. She had 27 points and 10 rebounds in a state championship game win over power Archbishop Mitty.

Stanback is one of four freshmen on the Pepperdine roster, including Jacobs, Kameron Johnston and Olivia Ogwumike, the younger sister of WNBA All-Stars Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike. The Waves also gain the services of Pac-12 transfers Layana White (Arizona) and Haley Videckis (Arizona State) who redshirted last season with the Waves.

Last year, the Waves averaged just 64.4 points, while surrendering 75.6 points per game. Pepperdine hit just 38.3 percent of its shots from the floor, including 32.6 percent of its threes. The Waves were outrebounded by an average of six boards per contest and were a minus-0.8 in turnovers per game. They were a solid 70.2 percent at the free throw line.

Nebraska vs. Pepperdine History
Nebraska will meet Pepperdine for the first time since Nov. 27, 1993, when the two teams go head-to-head Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers own a 2-1 lead in the series, including a 68-50 win over the Waves at the Devaney Center in the last meeting.

NU defeated Pepperdine 102-89 in Malibu in the first meeting on Jan. 11, 1984, before dropping a 65-63 decision to the Waves in California on Dec. 28, 1991.

Scouting Alcorn State Lady Braves
Nebraska will face Alcorn State for the first time in school history when the two teams meet on Sunday at 5 p.m. The Lady Braves open their season with a Saturday afternoon contest at Nebraska-Omaha before coming to Lincoln.

In her seventh season, Coach Tonya Edwards guides an experienced group of four returning starters for Alcorn State. The Lady Braves will be led by senior guard Ashton McNichols, who averaged 8.6 points and 3.8 boards per game last season. Sophomore Jasmine Cunningham, another returning starter, added 2.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

Inside, sophomore forward Angelica Wilson-Reid averaged 7.0 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game last season, while fellow sophomore Henrietta Wells contributed 2.8 points and 3.7 boards.

Those four returning starters are likely to be joined in the starting five by junior college transfer Olivia Brown, who averaged 13 points per game as a guard at Eastern Oklahoma State last season. Freshman Shaqueria Dubose, who averaged 19 points per game at Houston Eisenhower High School last season, could also draw a start. Junior guard Lindsey Littlejohn, who is Alcorn State’s top returning three-point shooter, could also contend for a starting role.

Although Alcorn State returns solid production from a team that went 8-22 overall and 7-11 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season, the Lady Braves must replace sisters Tierro and Kierro Frost. Tierro averaged 18.1 points per game and hit a team-high 35 threes. She also attempted 240 free throws last season. Kierro pitched in 5.3 points per contest.

Husker Hot Shots – Nebraska’s Starting Five

#23, Emily Cady, 6-2, Sr., F, Seward, Neb. (12.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.1 apg)
• One of the Big Ten’s most versatile forwards, Emily Cady earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2014. She joined Hailie Sample in sharing Nebraska’s Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award for the second straight season, while Cady also claimed the team’s Husker Award.

• Cady produced double-doubles in both of NU’s exhibition wins, averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per game.

• Cady tied Jordan Hooper for second in the Big Ten with 14 double-doubles, while ranking third in the league with 9.2 rebounds per game. She ranked 24th overall in scoring (12.7 ppg), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5-to-1), seventh in free throw percentage (.858), eighth in field goal percentage (.495) and 12th in assists (3.1 apg). In Big Ten games-only, Cady ranked third with her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio trailing only Husker point guard Rachel Theriot (2.7) and Iowa point guard Samantha Logic (2.2). Cady also ranked eighth in conference play in assists (4.1 apg). She had eight double-doubles in 16 conference games.

• Cady enters her senior season with 1,054 points, 787 rebounds, 219 assists and 109 steals. She is just the third player in Nebraska history with 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 career steals, joining Maurtice Ivy and Anna DeForge.

• Cady ranks 10th in NU history with 85 career blocks. She needs three more to catch Casey Leonhardt (88, 2000-01) in ninth on the Husker career chart. Only seven Huskers have 100 career blocks.

• No player in Husker history has 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks.

• Cady enters her senior season in 2014-15 tied for fifth with Janet Smith (1979-82) with 22 career double-doubles. Cady notched 14 double-doubles as a junior and needs 18 double-doubles as a senior to match the Husker record of 40 held by Jordan Hooper (2011-14) and Kelsey Griffin (2006-10).

• Cady’s 1,054 career points rank No. 25 in Husker history. She is just 47 points away from joining NU’s top 20, and 230 points away from the No. 15 spot on the Husker career list (Janet Smith, 1,284).

• Cady enters her senior season ranked seventh all-time at Nebraska with 787 rebounds. She has averaged nearly 263 rebounds per season in her first three years on the court and needs 213 boards to become the fifth Husker in history with 1,000 rebounds, joining Smith (1,280), Hooper (1,110), Griffin (1,019) and Karen Jennings (1,000).

• The best passing forward in the Big Ten, Cady’s 102 assists led all conference forwards in 2013-14. Her 1.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio also led all players in the conference at the position. In Big Ten play, her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio was better than every starting guard except first-team All-Big Ten point guards Rachel Theriot (Nebraska) and Samantha Logic (Iowa).

#33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 7.1 apg)
• Rachel Theriot claimed preseason All-Big Ten honors in 2014-15 from both the conference coaches and media. Theriot was chosen the No. 13 player in the nation by ESPN in rankings announced on Nov. 5. She was named a fourth-team All-American (one of nation’s top 20 players) by College Sports Madness in preseason rankings.

• Theriot averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a pair of Nebraska exhibition wins to open 2014-15.

• Theriot earned honorable-mention All-America accolades from the Associated Press as a sophomore. She joined Jordan Hooper (2nd Team) on the AP All-America squad, marking the second straight season the Huskers had produced a pair of All-Americans (Hooper, Lindsey Moore, HM, 2013).

• Theriot earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after ranking second among the Huskers with 15.6 points per game in conference play. She also averaged a team-best 7.3 assists in Big Ten action, which ranked second in the league. Overall, Theriot finished her sophomore season with 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.

• Theriot ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with 7.1 assists per game, including 7.3 assists per game in Big Ten play. She led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7-to-1) and ranked 17th nationally.

• Theriot finished with a Nebraska single-season record 234 assists in 2013-14, smashing the previous mark of 195 set by Meggan Yedsena (1991-92) and matched by Lindsey Moore (2012-13). Theriot’s 335 career assists rank ninth in Husker history. She needs 109 assists to join Nebraska’s career top five.

• Theriot produced four points-assists double-doubles in 2013-14, including 10 points and 12 assists in the Big Red’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Fresno State. Her 12 assists were the most by a Husker in history in an NCAA Tournament game. It was the fifth time in 2013-14 she dished out 11 or more assists in a game. No other Husker has distributed 11 or more assists more than four times in a career.

• Theriot led Nebraska to its first conference tournament title as the Big Ten Tournament MVP. She averaged 18.7 points and a tournament-record 10.0 assists per game, with 30 total assists and just seven turnovers. She hit 56.4 percent of her shots, including 5-of-10 threes, and went 7-for-8 at the line.

• Theriot’s 30 assists in the Big Ten Tournament were a Nebraska single-season conference tournament record. She produced arguably the best passing game in Big Ten history in Nebraska’s Big Ten quarterfinal win over Minnesota March 7, dishing out a tournament-record-shattering 18 assists against just one turnover. The previous tournament record was 12 set by Helen Darling of Penn State against Illinois in 2000. The most assists by a Big Ten player against a Big Ten opponent came with 16 from Maggie Acuna of Illinois against Wisconsin in 2006.

• Theriot’s 18 assists were the second-most in a game in Nebraska history, trailing only 19 assists by Kathy Hawkins on Feb. 17, 1976 against Kearney State (now Nebraska-Kearney). Theriot’s assists are the most ever by a Husker against an NCAA Division I opponent, and the most in the last 37 seasons, covering nearly 1,200 games. Theriot’s 18 assists were the most in an NCAA Division I game in 2013-14.

• In Nebraska’s final 11 games of 2013-14, Theriot averaged 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. She produced four 20-point efforts and three double-digit assist marks during the stretch. She also had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5-to-1 (90-26).

• Over the final 15 games of 2013-14, Theriot produced six double-digit assist games. In the first 1,203 games in Nebraska history, every other Husker had combined to produce just 41 double-digit assist games.

• Theriot shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent (25-50) from three-point range in Big Ten play as a sophomore. Her three-point shooting percentage led the Big Ten.

• Theriot finished with 25 double-figure scoring efforts in 2013-14, pushing her career total to 30. She had a career-high 33 points in an overtime win over Minnesota (Jan. 16). She had 28 points at Utah (Nov. 15), when she added seven rebounds. She posted all six 20-point scoring games of her career in 2013-14.

• In Big Ten play, Theriot led the league with 39.5 minutes per game and her 1,204 minutes were the most played by a Husker in a season in school history, surpassing Lindsey Moore’s 1,170 in 34 games in 2012-13. Theriot went the distance 13 times in 33 games in 2013-14, including the full 45 minutes in both of NU’s overtime wins over Minnesota (Jan. 16) and Wisconsin (Feb. 5).

#1, Tear’a Laudermill, 5-9, Sr., G, Moreno Valley, Calif. (11.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg)
• Tear’a Laudermill emerged as a rising star for the Huskers to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior. She finished the season with career-best averages of 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while her 62 three-pointers ranked as the 10th-best season total in NU history.

• She averaged 10.5 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in Nebraska’s exhibition wins.

• Over the last 17 games of 2013-14, Laudermill scored in double figures 13 times after managing double digits 11 times in her first 77 games, including just four times in her first two seasons at NU. She produced 20 double-digit games in 2013-14 to push her career total to 24.

• Laudermill averaged 15.2 points per game over the last 17 contests of 2013-14, including the first five 20-point games of her career. She closed the season with 22 points against BYU, including 12 points in the final 2:30. She added 20 points in NU’s Big Ten semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State and a career-high 27 points in the Big Red’s home win over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24.

• Laudermill tied a school record with seven threes in Nebraska’s 94-74 win over No. 8 Penn State Feb. 24. She hit her first six threes in the first half and closed the night 7-of-10 to lead Nebraska to one of the best three-point shooting nights (16-22, .727) in school history.

• Laudermill averaged 13.5 points in Big Ten play, while shooting a sizzling 44.3 percent from three-point range, which ranked fourth in Big Ten games-only. Her 2.4 three-pointers per game also tied for fifth in league action. She led the Big Red with 21 steals in conference action.

• Laudermill is Nebraska’s No. 1 active career three-point shooter with 99 makes, which ranks 10th on the Husker career list. Her 62 threes in 2013-14 ranked third by a junior in school history trailing only Jordan Hooper (2012-13) and Kiera Hardy (2005-06), who share the junior single-season record with 81.

#3, Hailie Sample, 6-0, Sr., F, Flower Mound, Texas (6.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)
• Hailie Sample earned a spot on the 2014 Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She was Nebraska’s Defensive MVP in 2013-14 and joined Emily Cady as the Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award winner for the second straight season.

• Sample enters her senior season having started 100 consecutive games alongside Cady.

• Sample averaged 5.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 steals in NU’s two exhibition wins.

• She produced her third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA second-round game against BYU on March 24. It was her second career double-double in the NCAA Tournament and her second double-double in a three-game span, joining 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament Championship Game win over No. 23 Iowa on March 9.

• Sample averaged 7.5 points and a team-leading 10.0 rebounds in the Big Ten Tournament. Her 30 total rebounds and 16 offensive boards led the tournament.

• Sample’s 15 rebounds in the Big Ten Championship Game were a Nebraska Big Ten Tournament record and tied Nafeesah Brown (vs. Kansas, 1993, Big Eight) for the second-highest rebounding total ever by a Husker in a conference tournament game. Only Shelly Block (16 vs. Oklahoma State, 1987, Big Eight) pulled down more boards in a league tournament game than Sample.

• In the NCAA Tournament, Sample averaged 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to push her season averages to 6.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. She ranked 15th overall in the Big Ten in rebounding (6.4 rpg), while ranking seventh in the Big Ten on the offensive glass (2.5 rpg).

• Sample produced double figures in points nine times in 2013-14, and enters her senior season with 15 career double-digit scoring games. She also owns six career double-figure rebound games, including three in 2013-14.

• Sample enters her senior season ranked No. 26 on the Nebraska career rebound list with 495.

#13, Brandi Jeffery, 5-7, Sr., G, Vacherie, La. (3.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)
• Jeffery enters her senior season with 95 career games played and nine career starts. One of four seniors on the roster, including Emily Cady, Hailie Sample and Tear’a Laudermill, Jeffery has helped the Huskers to a 75-25 record and three NCAA Tournaments over the past three seasons.

• Off to a strong start in 2014-15, Jeffery is averaging 11.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4.0 steals in 24.5 minutes in a pair of exhibition starts.

• She hit 9-of-17 field goals, including 2-of-6 threes in exhibition play.

• Jeffery needs just five assists to reach 100 for her career.

• She owns 47 career three-pointers.

Big Red, Big Picture
• Nebraska’s No. 13 final national ranking in 2014 the Associated Press Poll was the second-highest final ranking in school history, trailing only NU’s No. 4 AP finish in 2010. The AP produces its final ranking at the end of the regular season and does not do another poll during or after the NCAA Tournament.

• Nebraska was ranked No. 19 in the final regular-season NCAA RPI heading into the NCAA Tournament.

• Nebraska’s 2013-14 recruiting class is ranked No. 9 nationally by ESPN.

• Nebraska’s No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament marked the second-best seed the Huskers ever earned in the Big Dance, trailing only NU’s No. 1 seed in 2010.

• Nebraska retired 2010 All-American Kelsey Griffin’s jersey at the Michigan game (Jan. 29). The 2010 Senior CLASS Award winner and Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year had her number raised at Pinnacle Bank Arena, but not permanently retired. Current Husker Emily Cady shares Griffin’s No. 23. Griffin, a five-year WNBA veteran, made a return trip to Lincoln from her club team in Australia.

• NU has earned NCAA Tournament trips six of the past eight seasons (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014).

• The Huskers have advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 twice in the last five seasons (2010, 2013).

• Coach Connie Yori is the winningest coach in Husker history (241 victories) and has won conference coach-of-the-year honors in the Big Ten (2013, 2014), Big 12 (2012) and Missouri Valley (2002). She was the national coach-of-the-year in 2010.

Nebraska Posts Perfect GSR for 10th Straight Season
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori would be the first to say that nobody’s perfect. However, in the eyes of the NCAA’s Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), that’s exactly what her Husker program has been for 10 consecutive years. Nebraska is the only program among the 14 Big Ten Conference schools to accomplish the perfect score for 10 straight years.

The NCAA announced the release of its annual Graduation Success Rate report on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Nebraska was a national leader in women’s basketball for the 10th straight season, dating back to to 2004-05.

Yori, who is entering her 13th season at Nebraska, joined Coach Robin Krapfl’s women’s golf program, Coach Scott Jacobson’s women’s tennis program and Coach John Cook’s volleyball program as Nebraska teams who have produced perfect 100 percent rates each of the last 10 years.

Nebraska was one of five Big Ten women’s basketball programs to post 100 percent rates in 2013-14, joining Penn State, Purdue, Michigan and Illinois. All 14 Big Ten women’s programs posted GSR rates above 80 percent last season.

Huskers Seek Seventh NCAA Bid in Last Nine Years
Nebraska made its 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its sixth in the last eight seasons in 2014. The 2014 Huskers also became the first Nebraska team in history to advance to the NCAA second round in back-to-back seasons, after a 2014 first-round win over Fresno State.

Over the past six years, the Huskers have produced six NCAA Tournament wins under Coach Connie Yori, after the program notched just two NCAA wins in the first 25 years of the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska’s No. 4 seed was its second-highest in school history, trailing only the No. 1 seed the Huskers earned on their way to their first NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010. NU earned its second NCAA Sweet 16 spot as a No. 6 seed in 2013, following wins over No. 11 seed Chattanooga and third-seeded Texas A&M in College Station in 2013.

The Huskers notched their first NCAA Tournament win under Coach Yori with a 61-58 victory over Xavier at College Park, Md., in 2008.

Lincoln – University of Nebraska men’s basketball coach Tim Miles announced Wednesday evening that three high school seniors have signed National Letters-of-Intent to join the Husker basketball program.

The three-member class consists of guard Glynn Watson Jr. (Dellwood, Ill.) and forwards Michael Jacobson (Waukee, Iowa) and Edward Morrow Jr. (Chicago, Ill.). The trio all signed with the Huskerson Wednesday, the opening day of the fall signing period.

The class comes in as one of the most highly regarded in program history, as all three players are ranked among the top 200 players in the country by at least one recruiting service. Illinois natives Edward Morrow Jr. (No. 62) and Glynn Watson Jr. (No. 66) are both rated among the top 100 players by ESPN.com, marking the first time that Nebraska has signed a top 100 player out of high school going back to the mid-1990s.

For Tim Miles, this year’s recruiting class is another important step for building the Husker basketball program, as Nebraska looks to continue momentum after reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and selling out the first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena. All three members of the class are from the Midwest, and Nebraska’s move into the Big Ten has brought more exposure to the program in the region. The three signees will join transfer Kansas transfer Andrew White, who was a top-50 player coming out of high school, as newcomers on the 2015-16 Nebraska roster, as the Huskers look to replace a trio of seniors.

“I’m extremely excited about our recruiting class,” Miles said. “When you look at these three young guys and the addition of Andrew White, I believe the future of Husker basketball is in good hands. These are guys who are driven to win, highly competitive and very talented, and they want to be at Nebraska and help build a winner. That is exactly what you want as a coach.”

The No. 21 Huskers open the 2014-15 season against Northern Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m.

Player                               Pos.      Ht.          Wt.         Hometown                   High School
Michael Jacobson          F            6-8          220         Waukee, Iowa               Waukee High School
Edward Morrow Jr.        F            6-7          215         Chicago, Ill.                    Simeon Career Academy
Glynn Watson Jr.            G           5-11        160         Dellwood, Ill.                 Saint Joseph High School

Michael Jacobson
Michael Jacobson comes to Nebraska from Waukee, Iowa, where he is one of the top prospects in the Midwest in the class of 2015. A three-year starter for Head Coach Justin Ohl at Waukee High School, Jacobson is ranked among the top 200 players in the nation by some recruiting services and is rated the top player in the state of Iowa by 247Sports. He is a consensus three-star selection by Rivals, Scout and 247Sports. As a junior, he earned second-team all-state honors from the Des Moines Register and first-team All-Central Iowa Metropolitan League accolades, averaging 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. A very smooth shooter for his size, Jacobson also shot 81.4 percent from the foul line and averaged nearly a 3-pointer per game that season.  As a sophomore, he was a Class 4A all-state pick, averaging 14.6 points and 10.5 rebounds while totaling more than 70 blocked shots. Over the summer, he played for the MoKan Elite program for Coach Rodney Perry and is one of five players from the program signing Division I scholarships during the fall signing period. Jacobson was recruited by Iowa, Iowa State, Harvard, Princeton, and UTEP among others and also by Iowa State in football before selecting Nebraska. He is the starting tight end at Waukee High School which has advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs in 2014. An exceptional student, Jacobson has a 3.96 GPA entering his senior season.  Michael is the son of Bill and Katie Jacobson. His father, Bill, played college basketball at the University of Nebraska at Omaha for four seasons (1983-86), helping the Mavericks to a pair of Division II playoff appearances during his career. The elder Jacobson was also a three-time Academic North Central Conference selection at UNO.

Miles on Michael Jacobson:
“Michael is a highly-skilled player who played for a premier AAU program with the MoKan Elite. He is well prepared by his high school coach Justin Ohl, who was a college player and coach. Michael has 3-point range, makes free throws and has a knack for rebounding and steals. He has great size and could be taller than we thought. His dad played basketball at UNO, so the Nebraska connection continues with the Jacobson family, and we are happy to have Michael join us.”

Edward Morrow Jr.
Edward Morrow Jr. is one of two highly regarded signees from the state of Illinois in Nebraska’s fall signing class. He hails from national power Simeon Career Academy in Chicago where he plays for Coach Robert Smith. The 6-foot-7 forward is one of the top players in the class of 2014, checking in at No. 62 nationally on ESPN’s top 100 list and is the highest-rated high school recruit Nebraska has signed in nearly two decades. He is considered a four-star recruit by Rivals and is rated among the nation’s top 150 players by the site. He was selected to for the Lebron James Skills Academy, which featured 80 of the top high school players in the nation, in the summer of 2014.  Simeon returns four starters, including three players expected to sign with Big Ten programs this week, and enters the 2014-15 season ranked 12th in USA Today Super 25 Preseason Poll. As a junior, Morrow helped the school go 23-4 in his first season as a starter, averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots per game. Despite being undersized in the post, he turned in a 24-point effort on Jahlil Okafor, the No. 1 player in the 2014 class, and had 22 points against Cliff Alexander, who was the No. 3 player in the 2014 class.  For his efforts, he was a second-team All-City honoree by the Chicago Sun Times and a second-team all-state pick by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. As a sophomore, he came off the bench and played a significant role for a team which went 30-3, won its fourth consecutive Class 4A state title and finished fifth in the country. He played behind five senior starters in 2012-13, including Milwaukee Bucks rookie Jabari Parker.  Morrow played for the Mac Irvin Fire AAU program and Coach Mike Irvin, averaging 14.1 points on 68 percent shooting, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 rebounds per game in the Nike EYBL last summer. Morrow also helped lead the Mac Irvin Fire to the Las Vegas Classic in July of 2014, as the program featured six Division I signees. Edward, who selected Nebraska over Iowa, is the son of Ed Sr. and Nafeesah Brown, as both of his parents were student-athletes at Nebraska. Ed Sr. played football for Tom Osborne and was a member of the Huskers’ 1994 national title team, while Nafeesah played three seasons for the Husker women’s basketball program, totaling 1,089 points and 574 rebounds. As a senior, she averaged 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game to earn first-team All-Big Eight honors.

Miles on Edward Morrow Jr.:
“The Morrow legacy continues and we are truly excited about that. Nafeesah and Ed Sr. were both student-athletes at Nebraska, and Nafeesah had an outstanding basketball career for the Huskers. Edward has such a great motor and a high ceiling. He is only going to improve and get better and better. He is a young guy who is dying to get better. He makes such an impact on the game, not only with his athleticism and his ability, but has a strong willpower. He runs the floor and rebounds, guards the opponent’s best player and make plays on the glass and in transition. I’m excited to have him in our program and help him become the player he wants to be. Being a part of Simeon Career Academy and being coached by Robert Smith and playing for the Mac Irvin Fire means he is among the elite. Simeon is one of the best high school basketball programs in the country, and Coach Smith will have him ready to play at this level.”

Glynn Watson Jr.
One of the nation’s top senior point guards, Glynn Watson Jr. hails from Dellwood, Ill., where he plays for legendary high school coach Gene Pingatore at Saint Joseph High School in Westchester, Ill. A consensus four-star prospect, Watson is ranked among the top 100 players in the country by every recruiting service and is ranked as high as 63rd nationally by Scout.com, which also ranks him as the sixth-best point guard in the class of 2015, and No. 66 on ESPN.com’s top-100 seniors. Watson earned an invitation to the USA men’s U18 National Team training camp in the summer of 2014. He joins fellow Big Ten signee Jordan Ash (Northwestern) in the St. Joseph backcourt in 2014-15 that is among the best in the state of Illinois. Watson, who is considered one of the top five players in the state of Illinois, earned third-team Class 3A all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and all-state special mention by the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette during his junior season. A first-team all-Catholic League pick, Watson averaged 15 points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals per game, while leading St. Joseph to a 25-8 record and the Class 3A Sectional semifinals in 2013-14. As a sophomore, he garnered honorable-mention Chicago Catholic League honors in his first season as a starter, helping St. Joseph to an 18-13 record and a sectional finals appearance. Watson also played for the Illinois Wolves and Head Coach Mike Mullins. He continues a tradition of strong guard play in his family as older brothers, Demetri and DeAndre McCamey, both also starred at St. Joseph. Demetri was a three-time All-Big Ten pick, earning first-team honors in 2009-10 before playing in Australia.  St. Joseph High School has the distinction of being the only school which has produced a pair of 1,000-point scorers for Nebraska, as Clifford Scales (1988-91) and Carl Hayes (1990-92) both played for Pingatore as he begins his 44th season at the school. The pair both scored 1,136 points at Nebraska and played major roles in the Huskers’ school-record 26-win team in 1990-91. Watson also looked at Creighton, Maryland, Purdue, Tennessee and West Virginia before choosing Nebraska. Glynn is the son of Glynn Watson Sr. and Sabrina Watson.

Miles on Glynn Watson Jr.:
“Glynn is a true difference maker. He is a playmaking point guard who knows how to make winning plays. He made numerous game-winning shots in high-level events on the summer circuit and really impressed me. Defensively, he has great hands and quickness. Offensively, he makes shots, makes plays and really has a knack to make his teammates better. Glynn played for the legendary Gene Pingatore at Saint Joseph High School, the same school that produced Isiah Thomas, Demetri McCamey and many other point guards. Playing at St. Joseph and for the Illinois Wolves program, we know he will be well prepared when he comes to Nebraska.”