Tipoff: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Williams Arena, Minneapolis
Television: Big Ten Network (PBP Kevin Kugler, analyst Debbie Antonelli)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch)
Live Stats and Internet Radio: huskers.com
Tonight, the Husker women (19-4, 8-3) face Minnesota (12-14, 4-8) in Minneapolis. Nebraska holds a 6-5 edge in meetings between the teams, but they've never defeated the Gophers at Williams Arena.
Minnesota will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak. They're tough at home, beating top-ten Ohio State 76-65, and losing to a ranked Penn State team by just three. Minnesota gets balanced scoring from Rachel Banham (15.9 ppg), Kiara Buford (13.6), and 6-4 Jr.
Katie Loberg (10.0). The team is one of the conference's better three-point shooting teams, hitting 44% at home, and they convert 79% of their free throws.
Nebraska is coming off an ugly loss to Michigan Thursday night, shooting a season-low 25.8% from the field. Connie Yori's young team showed a lot of pluck, though, coming back from 27-down to lose by 11. When the Huskers and Gophers met in January, NU won 64-49.
With a win tonight, Nebraska will get it's 13th 20-win season in school history, and the fourth 20-win season in the last 6 years. In the
conference standings, NU is tied for third, and Minnesota is tied for eighth.
Now, on to the game...and to hell with the imagined CN gamethread jinx. It does not exist!
Nebraska (19-4, 8-3) starters:
3 Hailie Sample 6-1-Fr - 3.0 ppg
23 Emily Cady 6-2 Fr - 9.9
35 Jordan Hooper 6-2 So - 19.7
00 Lindsay Moore 5-9 Jr - 16.7
5 Kaitlyn Burke 5-7 Sr - 5.0
Minnesota (12-14, 4-8) starters:
5 Kiona Kellogg 6-1 So - 5.5 ppg
25 Katie Loberg 6-4 Jr - 10.0
1 Rachel Banham 5-9 Fr - 15.9
11 Leah Cotton 5-8 Jr - 6.5
30 Kiara Buford 5-11 Sr - 13.6