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Abdullah and Gregory Named AP All-Americans

Lincoln – Nebraska senior I-back Ameer Abdullah and junior defensive end Randy Gregory were each named Associated Press All-Americans on Tuesday, as Abdullah was a second-team pick and Gregory was a third-team selection.

The honor was Abdullah’s fourth over the last week, after also being named a second-team running back honoree by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, CBS Sports.com and Scout.com.

Gregory was tabbed as a third-team All-American after earning first-team All-Big Ten honors each of the past two seasons. An impressive feat considering Gregory missed nearly four games in 2014.

A senior from Homewood, Ala., Abdullah rushed for 1,523 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2014, including four 200-yard rushing games. Abdullah also became Nebraska’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards, while ranking second on the school’s career rushing yardage list.

Abdullah was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, and has also received All-Big Ten honors for the past three seasons. Abdullah was a third-team AP All-American in 2013.

One of the most feared pass rushers in the Big Ten, Gregory had 50 total tackles, including seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, while adding a team-high 16 quarterback hurries. He also blocked two field goals, broke up three passes and had an interception. Gregory is the first two-time all-conference honoree on the defensive line at Nebraska since Ndamukong Suh in 2008 and 2009.

This Month in Nebraska Athletics

Dec. 15-21

FridayDec. 19                 Academics                   Graduate Commencement                              Pinnacle Bank Arena       3 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 20            Academics                   Undergraduate Commencement                   Pinnacle Bank Arena       9:30 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 20            Women’s Basketball  High Point (BTN Plus)                                        Pinnacle Bank Arena       3 p.m.

Dec. 22-28

MondayDec. 22              Men’s Basketball          at Hawaii (Diamond Head Classic) (ESPNU)      Honolulu, Hawaii                11:59 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 23             Men’s Basketball          vs. Wichita State or Loyola Marymount           Honolulu, Hawaii                TBA

Thursday, Dec. 25            Men’s Basketball          vs. TBA (Diamond Head Classic)                     Honolulu, Hawaii                TBA

Saturday, Dec. 27             Football                          vs. USC (Holiday Bowl) (ESPN)                        San Diego, Calif.                7 p.m.

 

Dec. 29Jan. 4

MondayDec. 29              Women’s Basketball   at Minnesota (BTN)                                              Minneapolis, Minn.             8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 31       Men’s Basketball        Indiana (BTN)                                                       Pinnacle Bank Arena       4:30 p.m.

ThursdayFriday, Jan. 1-2     Wrestling                        at Southern Scuffle                                              Chattanooga, Tenn.           8 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 3               Women’s Basketball  Maryland (CBS)                                                   Pinnacle Bank Arena       3 p.m.

Jan. 5-11

MondayJan. 5                 Men’s Basketball          at Iowa (BTN)                                                        Iowa City, Iowa                    8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 8               Women’s Basketball   at Michigan State (BTN)                                      East Lansing, Mich.            7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 8              Men’s Basketball        Rutgers (ESPNU)                                                Pinnacle Bank Arena       8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 9                    Wrestling                       Omaha Skutt HS vs. Blue Springs (Mo.) HS      Devaney Center                5 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 9                    Wrestling                       Grand Island HS vs. Staley (Mo.) HS              Devaney Center                5 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 9                    Wrestling                       Purdue (Tumble N’ Rumble)                             Devaney Center                7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 9                    Women’s Gymnastics  Lindenwood (Tumble N’ Rumble)                   Devaney Center                7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 10             Swimming & Diving     at Florida Gulf Coast                                           Fort Myers, Fla.                   10 a.m.

Sunday, Jan. 11                Women’s Basketball   at Illinois (BTN Plus)                                            Champaign, Ill.                   2 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 11               Men’s Basketball        Illinois (BTN)                                                         Pinnacle Bank Arena       7:30 p.m.

Huskers’ Season Comes to an End in Elite Eight

Nebraska-Volleyball-HuskersSEATTLE, Wash. – The 14th-seeded Nebraska volleyball team’s run through the NCAA Tournament came to an end late Saturday night in Alaska Airlines Arena, as the Huskers fell to upset-minded BYU 3-0 (21-25, 20-25, 21-25) in the Seattle Regional Final.

The Huskers finished the season 23-10 and came up one match shy of the NCAA Semifinals for the third straight season. Nebraska has been in four regional finals since its last NCAA Semifinals appearance in 2008 but has been unable to advance each time.

After upsetting No. 3 Washington on Friday to snap the Huskies’ 34-match home win streak, the Huskers couldn’t muster the same performanceon Saturday to top the Cougars. 

BYU (29-4) entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 12th in the nation but was unseeded. The Cougars reeled off a second-round win over No. 11 Arizona and a Sweet 16 win over No. 6 Florida State on Friday before knocking off the Huskers on Saturday. BYU will take on No. 2 Texas in one NCAA Semifinal in Oklahoma City, Okla. next Thursday. The other semifinal pits top seed Stanford against fifth-seed Penn State.

Amber Rolfzen led the Huskers with 11 kills. Kadie Rolfzen had 10 kills and 15 digs for her fourth double-double of the NCAA Tournament. Kelsey Fien added nine kills. Senior setter Mary Pollmiller capped her Husker career with 38 assists for a career total of 5,230, which ranks fourth among current DI setters. Justine Wong-Orantes had 22 digs in a solid defensive effort. 

The Husker game plan of limiting BYU’s 6-7 hitter Jennifer Hamson worked. After posting 30 kills Friday vs. Florida State, Hamson was held to nine kills and .132 hitting by the Huskers. But the rest of her teammates stepped up, led by Alexa Gray’s 11 kills and .310 hitting. Tambre Nobles had 10 kills, and Amy Boswell added eight while hitting .438.

BYU showed why its the top blocking team in the nation, tallying 12 blocks to eight for the Huskers. NU had a 70-57 advantage in digs but committed four service errors and four reception errors to allow the Cougars to gain an edge.

Nebraska opened up an 11-9 lead early on in set one, but the Cougars used a 3-0 spurt to take a 12-11 lead. The teams engaged in a sideout battle before BYU took a 20-18 lead after Hamson’s first kill and a Husker hit off the antenna. After a Husker timeout, BYU’s Ciara Parker served an ace to make it 21-18 and Hamson killed again for a 22-18 lead, causing another Husker timeout. Kadie and Amber Rolfzen struck for back-to-back kills to cut it to 22-20 before BYU took a timeout. The Huskers then committed a service error and a reception error to fall down 24-20. The Cougars ended it at 25-21 on their fifth block of the set. BYU outhit NU .333 to .214.

Nebraska went up 5-3 in the second set on stuffs from Hall and Kadie Rolfzen and then Meghan Haggerty and Amber Rolfzen. But BYU went on a 5-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. Alohi Robins-Hardy started it with a set kill and a joust win. Two Husker attacking errors and a Boswell kill gave the Cougars the three-point edge. A Cecilia Hall kill and Pollmiller ace trimmed the deficit to 10-9. NU then fell behind 14-10 before stringing together a 4-0 run by picking up its defense. Haggerty and Kadie Rolfzen combined for a block to even the set after Wong-Orantes and Annika Albrecht produced key digs. The Huskers took a 17-16 lead after BYU hit wide. But the Huskers broke down defensively, committing passing and reception errors to help BYU to a 22-18 lead. Hamson had two kills down the stretch to help BYU finish the 25-20 win.

Melanie Keil provided a spark off the bench in set three with two kills to tie it 8-8 before Hall and Fien combined for a block for a 9-8 Husker lead. The Huskers led 11-10, but BYU rallied for a 14-11 lead a kill by Hamson and kill and block by Boswell. The Cougars began to pull away, going up 19-14 on a Husker service error, attack error and Hamson kill. The Huskers continued to fight, as a Fien kill and Pollmiller ace cut it to 20-17 and forced a BYU timeout. NU thought it had cut the lead to one when Hamson’s blast went long, but it was ruled to have tipped off a Husker’s fingers and instead made the score 21-18. The Cougars went up 23-19 after the Huskers hit long and they ended the sweep with a 25-21 win.

All-Tournament Team
Nicole Walch, Florida State
Krista Vansant, Washington
Kadie Rolfzen, Nebraska
Mary Pollmiller, Nebraska
Amy Boswell, BYU
Alexa Gray, BYU
Jennifer Hamson, BYU (Most Outstanding Player)

Nebraska Holds Off Cincinnati 56-55 in 2 OT

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Benny Parker’s pull-up jumper gave Nebraska the lead with 1:03 left, and the Cornhuskers survived a scrambling finish to defeat Cincinnati 56-55 in double overtime Saturday night.

The Cornhuskers (6-3) bounced back from a stinging loss to transitioning Division I team Incarnate Word with a rough-and-tumble victory against a Cincinnati team that was playing its first true road game.

Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields scored 13 points apiece to lead Nebraska. Troy Caupain had 13 points, six assists and a career-high five steals for the Bearcats (6-2).

Nebraska somehow won after making only four field goals after the 11:54 mark in the second half and committing a season-high 22 turnovers.

Parker’s winning shot came after Shields had launched an air ball that teammate Tai Webster rebounded. Webster got the ball to Parker, who gave the Huskers a one-point lead.

Cincinnati’s Octavius Ellis missed two free throws with 53.3 seconds left.

Husker Wrestling Stunned by Badgers, 23-14

UNLLincoln, Neb. – No. 8 Nebraska (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday night as the Huskers fell to Wisconsin, 23-14, at the Devaney Center.

No. 1 Robert Kokesh got NU started on the right track with his 16-5 major decision over Frank Cousins in the opening bout at 174 pounds. The senior All-American raced out to a 9-1 lead after the first period and never looked back before adding a point for riding time. Kokesh, who ascended to the top spot at 174 pounds in every major poll this week, improves to 15-0 on the season.

Ranked Huskers Tim Lambert (No. 18 at 125), Anthony Abidin (No. 20 at 141) and James Green (No. 2 at 157) also posted victories for the Huskers. Lambert shutout Johnny Jimenez in the fifth match of the night, scoring a takedown in the first period before a reversal from the bottom position in the second period. He tacked on a riding time point in his 5-0 decision.

Abidin took an early lead against Jesse Thielke before a dominant third period gave the Husker junior an 11-2 major decision. Abidin earned three takedowns in the match and added a point for riding time.

Green, a three-time All-American, collected three takedowns in the first period against Jarod Donar and built a 9-3 lead midway through the second stanza before holding off the pesky Badger for a 9-7 win. Green is 13-1 on the season and holds a 5-0 record in duals.

Following Kokesh’s win in the opening match, Nebraska’s TJ Dudley (184), Aaron Studebaker (197) and Collin Jensen (HWT) each lost as the Badgers gained a 10-4 advantage. Eric Montoya fell to No. 18 Ryan Taylor at 133 pounds, while No. 19 Justin Arthur dropped an 8-7 decision to Rylan Lubeck at 149 pounds and Austin Wilson (165) was pinned by No. 7 Isaac Jordan in the final match of the dual.

The Huskers return to action Jan. 1-2 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. More event information will be available on Huskers.com closer to the tournament.

White Edges Red in Annual Intrasquad Meet, McGuire Wins 3200

UNLLincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska track and field team competed in the annual Intrasquad meet on Saturday at the Devaney Center Indoor Track. The White team earned the narrow victory over the Red team by a 156-137 margin. During competition, both teams took down five meet records.
Sophomore Kadecia Baird broke the first Intrasquad meet record Saturday, as she won the women’s 200 meter dash in a time of 23.69, breaking the previous meet record that she set last season (23.85).
Shortly after Baird set her record mark, senior Ricco Hall broke the meet record in the men’s 200 meter dash for the Red team, as Hall posted a blazing time of 21.11. Hall’s mark broke the previous record set by former Husker sprinter Dexter McKenzie last season (21.16).
Slovenia native Marusa Cernjul also broke a meet record, as the senior broke the women’s high jump mark, jumping 6’2”. The previous record holder was Carrie Braness in the 1999 season.
Senior London Hawk started off the Intrasquad meet with an excellent performance in the 600 meter run for the White team. Hawk ran a 1:18.08 in the race, placing first and just missing out on beating the overall meet record of 1:18.05 that he set last season.
High jumper James White made a valiant return for the Huskers in his senior campaign, after sitting out all of last season due to injury. White won the men’s high jump for the white team, jumping a remarkable 6’11”.
True freshman Landon Bartels of Ashland, Mo., also made a splash at high jump, as the newcomer recorded a high jump of 6’11” as well, but finished behind White due to jump attempts.
Junior Grandview, Mo., native Oladapo Akinmoladun performed well for the Nebraska men, as Akinmoladun won the men’s 60 meter hurdles race with a time of 8.11. Akinmoladun came out blazing in the prelims of the 60 meter hurdles, as he recorded a time of 7.99, just off of the meet record he set in his freshman campaign (7.80).
True freshman and Lincoln North Star product Moujtaba Mohammed ran well in his first race as a Husker, as Mohammed won the men’s 1,000 meter run with a time of 2:29.88, just two seconds off of the meet record (2:27.27). Senior captain Shawnice Williams took home the crown in the women’s 1,000 meter race for the White team, running a time of 2:58.64.
The final two meet records that were broken happened in the final two races of the competition, as both the men’s and women’s 4×400 meter relay teams broke previous meet records.
The meet also offered the opportunity for young Husker fans to get out onto the same track that the Huskers run on, and they were able to run in both the Little Husker 100-meter and 60-meter dashes.
Former North Platte Bulldog and freshman Wyatt McGuire helped the White team earn the win by placing first in the 32oo Meter run. McGuire posted a time of 9:15.29 to edge out Peter Spinks, who ran a 9:16.73 for the Red team.
The Huskers will now continue to prepare for the start of the 2015 track and field season, as they are set to open at home on Friday, Jan. 16 with the two-day Holiday Inn Invitational. Fans interested in tickets should go to Huskers.com or call the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8BIGRED.​

Cady Scores 13 Points, leads No. 12 Nebraska past CSUB 54-45

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Emily Cady had 13 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists to help No. 12 Nebraska come back and pull away from Cal State Bakersfield for a 54-45 victory on Saturday.

Rachel Theriot scored with 12:48 remaining to break a 34-all tie and spark a 20-9 run to seal it for Nebraska (9-1).

CSUB had held its largest lead, 24-13, after Alyssa Shannon drained a 3-pointer with 4:00 left in the first half. The Cornhuskers closed on a 9-0 run to pull within 24-22 at the break.

Cady finished on 5-of-13 shooting for her fifth double-double of the season and the 27th of her career. Hailie Sample scored 13 points and Theriot chipped in 11, all in the second half.

Shannon scored 14 points and Shaquita Smith added 13 for CSUB (6-3), who played without leading scorer Tyonna Outland, who was out with an ankle injury.

No. 12 Huskers Expect Difficult Test from Speedy Roadrunners

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballThe 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)

Huskers Host Cincinnati Saturday Night

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballNebraska looks to snap a two-game losing streak on Saturday night, as the Huskers host Cincinnati at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

A limited number of tickets for Saturday’s contest are available, beginning at $7, by visiting Huskers.com, calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIG RED or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office beginning Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Tipoff is set for 8:06 p.m. (central) and will be nationally televised on BTN with Cory Provus and Shon Morris on the call. Saturday’s game is also available online at BTN.com and BTN2Go on mobile platforms.

The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The Huskers are 5-3 on the season following a 74-73 loss to Incarnate Word on Wednesday. In that game, the Huskers saw a seven-point lead vanish in the final 2:32, as they were outscored 14-6 down the stretch. The Huskers were done in by 14 turnovers which led to 18 Incarnate Word points, including Kyle Hittle’s baseline jumper with 2.7 seconds left.

While Nebraska had three players finish in double figures, including a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds from junior Shavon Shields, the Huskers allowed Incarnate Word to shoot 48 percent from the field, including 57 percent in the second half. Prior to the two-game losing streak, Nebraska was holding opponents to 38 percent shooting, including 28 percent from 3-point range.

Without the services of Moses Abraham, who suffered a broken hand on Tuesday in practice, a pair of freshmen saw some of their most extensive action of the season on Wednesday. Nick Fuller played a career-high 13 minutes and had six points and a pair of assists, while Jake Hammond played six minutes after playing a total of 16 minutes in NU’s first seven contests.

Cincinnati will pose another tough test for the Huskers, as the Bearcats are 6-1 on the season, but have been off for exams since Dec. 2. The Bearcats rank sixth nationally in scoring defense (52.3 ppg) and are 18th in blocked shots (6.1 per game). UC has held five of its first seven opponents to under 60 points.

Cady, Sample help No. 12 Nebraska edge Creighton 60-57

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Emily Cady scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Hailie Sample made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 14 seconds Thursday night and No. 12 Nebraska held on to defeat in-state rival Creighton 60-57.

The Huskers (8-1) dominated the first half, building a 33-17 lead, but had to hold on as Alexis Akin-Otiko rallied the Bluejays (4-5) by hitting all six of her 3-pointers and 20 of her career-high 23 points in the second half.

Rachel Theriot had 16 points and 9 assists for Nebraska, which out-rebounded Creighton 36-23, with Brandi Jeffery grabbing 12.

MC McGrory had a career-high 14 points for Creighton, but leading scorer Marissa Janning was held scoreless in the first half and finished with five points, 11 below her averaging, ending a streak of 17 double-figure games.

Akin-Otiko entered the season with two 3-pointers and had 10 for her career entering the game.

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