The No. 22 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home after an extended East Coast road trip to take on No. 14 Iowa on Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Tip-off between the Big Red (17-6, 7-5 Big Ten) and the Hawkeyes (19-4, 10-2 Big Ten) is set for 8 p.m. (CT), with single-game tickets available in advance at Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Tickets are also available the night of the game at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office, beginning at 6 p.m.
The game will be televised live nationally by the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler and Stephanie White on the call.
Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Jeff Griesch and Ben McLaughlin calling the action on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, 93.3 FM in Omaha and 880 AM in Lexington.
Nebraska looks to get back on the winning track after suffering back-to-back losses at No. 21 Rutgers and No. 5 Maryland last week. Those two road losses and a 78-72 overtime loss at then-No. 20 Iowa on Jan. 26 marked the first time since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12 that the Huskers have lost three straight road games. It also marked the only time since joining the conference that the Big Red have played three straight top-25 teams on the road.
Last week’s losses came without starting All-Big Ten point guard Rachel Theriot, who missed both games with an ankle injury. The 6-0 junior from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, ranks sixth in the Big Ten in scoring (16.5 ppg), third in assists (5.2 apg) and leads the conference with 37.5 minutes per game. She could be a game-time decision on Thursday.
Tear’a Laudermill has led the Huskers in scoring in six straight games, averaging 18.3 points per contest over the stretch. On Sunday at Maryland, she became the third active Husker to reach the 1,000-point mark in her career, joining Theriot (1,023) and senior forward Emily Cady (1,335). Cady produced 19 points and 18 rebounds in the first meeting with the Hawkeyes this season.
#22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-6, 7-5 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 7.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 16.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
or 30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
or 5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 5.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg
or 22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 4.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Off the Bench
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 4.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.8 ppg, 0.3 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – Redshirting
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (258-148); 25th Season Overall (453-288)
#14 Iowa Hawkeyes (19-4, 10-2 Big Ten)
2 – Ally Disterhoft – 6-0 – So. – G/F – 16.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg
51 – Bethany Doolittle – 6-4 – Sr. – C – 13.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg
21 – Melissa Dixon – 5-8 – Sr. – G – 15.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg
22 – Samantha Logic – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 12.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg
15 – Whitney Jennings – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 9.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Off the Bench
25 – Kali Peschel – 6-1 – Jr. – G – 4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg
1 – Alexa Kastanek – 5-10 – So. – G – 3.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
23 – Christina Buttenham – 6-0 – Fr. – F – 2.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
4 – Chase Coley – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
3 – Claire Till – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
34 – Carly Mohns – 6-1 – Fr. – F – 0.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Head Coach: Lisa Bluder (Northern Iowa, 1983)
15th Season at Iowa (297-170); 31st Season Overall (653-312)
Connecticut, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Tennessee would be the top seeds in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament if the season was over.
