Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten)
at 10/8 Iowa Hawkeyes (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten)
Saturday, January 28, 2023, Noon (CT)
Carver-Hawkeye Arena - Iowa City, Iowa
Live TV: FOX 
Brandon Gaudin (PBP), Sarah Kustok (Analyst)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (11:45 a.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (105.9 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Face No. 10 Hawkeyes Saturday on FOX
The Nebraska women's basketball team takes on its ninth top-20 opponent of the season when the Huskers open their season series at No. 10 Iowa on Saturday afternoon in Iowa City.

Tip-off between the Big Red (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) and the Hawkeyes (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten) is set for Noon (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Live national television coverage will be provided by FOX with Brandon Gaudin and Sarah Kustok on the call. 
The game also can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha, Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

Saturday's game will not only be Nebraska's ninth this season against an Associated Press Top 25 foe at game time, it will also be NU's sixth against a top-15 foe and fourth against an AP Top 10 opponent. Through games Jan. 23, the only team in the NCAA NET Top 100 that had played more games against NCAA NET quad 1 opponents than Nebraska (10) was North Carolina (11), according to WarrenNolan.com. In fact, in a loaded Big Ten this season, Iowa (9) is the only other NET Top 100 conference foe to play as many as eight games against quad 1 foes.

According to the NCAA NET rankings, Northwestern's opponent success ranks No. 1 in the nation, while Nebraska's comes in at No. 6, Iowa's at No. 9 and Maryland's at No. 10. Nebraska plays Iowa, Maryland and Northwestern twice this season in league play.

Nebraska is coming off a 69-54 loss to No. 11 Maryland last Sunday, as the Terrapins salvaged a season split with the Huskers. Nebraska rolled to a 90-67 victory over then-No. 20 Maryland at College Park (Dec. 4) to open Big Ten play - one of two Nebraska wins over top-20 foes this season.

Alexis Markowski, the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, has been a leader for the Huskers throughout the season. The 6-3 center who is on the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List has averaged 12.2 points and ranks second in the Big Ten with 9.4 rebounds per game. She also ranks seventh in the conference with 1.1 blocks per contest. Markowski has produced eight double-doubles this season. Last season at Iowa, Markowski hit a career-high six three-pointers on seven attempts to finish with a career-high 27 points.

Jaz Shelley, who joined Markowski as a second-team All-Big Ten choice last season, leads Nebraska in scoring (12.7 ppg), assists (6.3 apg) and steals (1.6 spg) while adding 4.2 rebounds per game. The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia (pronounced MO-ee) is one of the Big Ten's top three-point shooters.

Sam Haiby continues to provide increased production since rejoining the starting lineup (Dec. 28 vs. Michigan). Over the past six games, the 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., is averaging 11.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals. She just missed a double-double with nine points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds against No. 11 Maryland (Jan. 22). Haiby missed 10 of Nebraska's first 11 games while recovering from a leg injury that required surgery in October.

Three-time team captain and two-time All-Big Ten performer Isabelle Bourne has added 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds in her third season as a starter for the Huskers. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten)
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 10.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - So. - C/F - 12.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 8.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - So. - G - 5.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Off the Bench
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - So. - F - 6.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 5.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - So. - G - 3.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
44 - Maggie Mendelson - 6-5 - Fr. - F/C - 3.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - So. - F/G - 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner (Out) - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Seventh Season at Nebraska (108-92); 16th Season Overall (301-201)

10/8 Iowa Hawkeyes (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten)
14 - McKenna Warnock - 6-1 - Sr. - G/F - 11.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg
25 - Monika Czinano - 6-3 - Sr. - F/C - 18.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg
20 - Kate Martin - 6-0 - RSr. - G - 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
22 - Caitlin Clark - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 26.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg
24 - Gabbie Marshall - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 4.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Off the Bench
45 - Hannah Stuelke - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
1 - Molly Davis - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 4.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
3 - Sydney Affolter - 5-11 - So. - G - 2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
44 - Addison O'Grady - 6-4 - So. - F/C - 1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg
2 - Taylor McCabe - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 3.5 ppg, 0.6 rpg
34 - AJ Ediger - 6-2 - So. - F - 2.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Head Coach: Lisa Bluder (Northern Iowa, 1983)
23rd Season at Iowa (479-246); 39th Season Overall (835-388)

Injuries Altering Nebraska's Season
While Nebraska is squarely in the hunt for a second straight NCAA Tournament bid (NET No. 43), the Huskers have had their journey through the season challenged with several injuries to key players.

In contrast to Iowa having its first starting lineup adjustment of the year with an injury to McKenna Warnock prior to the Hawkeyes' win at No. 2 Ohio State on Monday, the Huskers have used five different starting fives through the first 20 games this season.

Despite Nebraska returning five starters (Isabelle Bourne, Alexis Markowski, Jaz Shelley, Allison Weidner, Sam Haiby) from last year's team that went 24-9 overall and 11-7 in the Big Ten, Haiby missed 10 of the first 11 games this season with a leg injury suffered in practice (Sept. 12).

Trinity Brady, a fourth-year guard, started the first eight games in place of Haiby, before Brady suffered a concussion in the first half of a loss at No. 9 Virginia Tech (Dec. 1). Brady has missed the last 12 games.

Despite the loss of Brady and the absence of Haiby, Nebraska notched an impressive 90-67 road win at No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4) in the first start by Maddie Krull as a Husker.

However, prior to Nebraska's next game with Wisconsin (Dec. 7), the Huskers lost Isabelle Bourne to an upper body injury suffered in practice. Bourne missed three games, as Annika Stewart made the first three starts of her career. Nebraska went 3-0 with wins over Wisconsin, Samford and Wyoming.

Bourne returned to the starting lineup for a 3OT win over Kansas (Dec. 21), but Allison Weidner suffered a season-ending leg injury early in the fourth quarter of the victory over the Jayhawks. Weidner has missed Nebraska's last seven games and underwent season-ending surgery (Jan. 10).

Weidner's injury hastened the return of Sam Haiby to the starting lineup for Nebraska's Big Ten loss to No. 14 Michigan (Dec. 28).

Nebraska was forced to make another adjustment to its starting five in a win at Purdue (Jan. 18), when Maddie Krull missed a start because of illness. Freshman Callin Hake make her first career start and played well with eight points and three rebounds. Krull also played huge off the bench, overcoming illness for one of her best performances of the season, finishing with 15 points in the victory over the Boilermakers.

The only two Huskers to start all 20 contests this season are Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski, despite Markowski battling multiple nagging injuries from preseason to the present. Shelley ranks second in the Big Ten with 34.8 minutes played.

Huskers Face Historic Strength of Schedule
Nebraska's game with No. 10 Iowa will be its ninth this season against an AP Top 25 team at game time, and the Huskers are scheduled to face four more current top-25 foes. If those numbers hold, it would give NU a school-record 13 games against AP Top 25 teams. No other Nebraska team has ever faced more than 11 AP Top 25 opponents (2000-01). 

Since entering the Big Ten (2011-12), the Huskers have never played more than eight games in a season against AP Top 25 foes.

Nebraska's game with Iowa will also be its fourth against an AP Top 10 team this season. The Huskers have never faced more than five AP Top 10 teams in the same season, and the Huskers will meet Iowa again on Feb. 18 in Lincoln, after playing current No. 13 Michigan in Ann Arbor (Feb. 12).

Nebraska Notables
Isabelle Bourne recently became the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Nebraska history, achieving the milestone in the fourth quarter of NU's win over Penn State (Jan. 11). She is just the 22nd player in NU history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,000 points (1,022) and 500 rebounds (556) joining teammate Sam Haiby (1,469 points, 583 rebounds) in that prestigious group.

Sam Haiby is one of just four players in Nebraska history to rank among the school's top 20 in points (13th, 1,469), rebounds (20th, 583) and assists (8th, 437). Haiby joins Maurtice Ivy, Anna DeForge and Emily Cady as the only other Huskers on that elite list.

Preseason All-Big Ten center and 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) is one of the Big Ten's top rebounders, averaging 9.4 boards to go along with her 12.2 points per contest. The 6-3 center owns eight double-doubles on the season and leads the Huskers with 22 blocks.

Jaz Shelley opened Big Ten play with 29 points in a road upset at No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4), before pumping in 31 points in a win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7). She also had 21 points and five assists in a loss to No. 14 Michigan (Dec. 28). She just missed a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a win over Penn State (Jan. 11).

Opponents have quieted Jaz Shelley from three-point range over the last seven Big Ten games. In Nebraska's first two conference wins (Maryland, Wisconsin) Shelley went 13-for-22 (.591) from beyond the arc, including 6-for-10 against the Terps (Dec. 4) and a season-best 7-for-12 against the Badgers (Dec. 7). Since getting those 13 threes in a four-day span, Shelley has hit 15-of-47 (.319) over the last 10 games, including eight threes in seven Big Ten contests (8-33, .242). 

Nebraska has knocked down 10 or more threes on nine occasions this season and is 9-0 when hitting double-digit threes. Nebraska's most recent double-digit three-point effort came on 13-of-28 shooting against Penn State (Jan. 11). 

Kendall Moriarty put the exclamation point on the win over Penn State (Jan. 11) with a running, half-a-hook three from beyond halfcourt in the closing seconds to beat the shot clock. Moriarty's improbable shot, which came on a Nebraska baseline inbounds play, was Scott Van Pelt's "The Best Thing I Saw Today" on ESPN. 

Scouting the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes
Coach Lisa Bluder brings one of her most talented and experienced Hawkeye teams in Saturday's game with Nebraska. Iowa is riding a five-game winning streak to improve to 16-4 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten after handing No. 2 Ohio State its first loss of the season (83-72) on Monday in Columbus.

Iowa's starting five has combined for 547 games and 432 career starts as Hawkeyes entering Saturday's game, totaling 6,789 points, 2,500 rebounds and 1,511 career assists together.

As a comparison, Nebraska's starting five have made 266 starts in 354 combined games as Huskers.

National Player-of-the-Year candidate Caitlin Clark leads the Hawkeyes with 26.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.7 steals after producing 28 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in the victory at Ohio State. Clark has started 82 games as a Hawkeye and needs two points to reach 2,200 in her career.

Fellow National Player-of-the-Year candidate Monika Czinano has added 18.2 points and 6.5 rebounds on the season. One of the most efficient scorers in the country, Czinano is hitting better than 66 percent of her shots from the field after an 11-for-13 effort against Ohio State. A fifth-year player, Czinano has startted 109 games over the last four seasons and has totaled 2,126 points and 670 rebounds.

Senior guard McKenna Warnock gives the Hawkeyes a talented and versatile third option on the offensive end while providing a solid defensive presence. Warnock is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds this season. Warnock, who missed the win over Ohio State with an injury, started the first 19 games this season alongside Clark, Czinano, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall. Warnock has started 78 games as a Hawkeye and owns 1,112 points and 656 rebounds in her career.

Kate Martin has made 82 starts the past three seasons and is averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds this year. The gritty, scrappy guard has scored 637 points, grabbed 413 rebounds and dished out 311 assists in 106 games in her four-year career.

Senior guard Gabbie Marshall rounds out one of the most experienced lineups in Big Ten history. The defensive specialist has started 81 games among her 110 games in an Iowa uniform. She has totaled 716 points, 174 rebounds and 182 assists.

Senior guard Molly Davis made her first start in the win over Ohio State in place of Warnock. Davis, a three-year starter at Central Michigan, is averaging 4.5 points on the season.

Freshman Hannah Stuelke, a 6-2 forward, has been Iowa's most productive player off the bench with 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Sydney Affolter, a 5-11 sophomore, adds versatile off the bench with 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in Iowa's regular eight-player rotation.

Iowa possesses one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, averaging 87.7 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three-point range. Iowa carries a plus-17.0 scoring margin, a plus-6.4 rebound margin and a plus-1.1 turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Iowa Series History
Iowa leads the all-time series with Nebraska 20-15, including six straight wins. The Hawkeyes notched three wins over the Huskers last season, including a 93-83 win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa also eliminated NU from the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (83-66).

Nebraska won the first eight games in the series with Iowa upon joining the Big Ten (2011-12 to 2013-14). The Huskers capped that three-year run with a 72-65 win over the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis (March 9, 2014).

The win by the Huskers in the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game marked the third consecutive season that Nebraska eliminated the Hawkeyes from the conference tournament.

Iowa won the next five meetings and is 6-3 over the past nine contests.

The Huskers are 6-8 all-time against Iowa in Lincoln, dating back to a 67-66 win over the Hawkeyes at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Dec. 22, 1979.

The Huskers are 4-9 all-time against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. 

Nebraska is 5-3 all-time against Iowa on neutral courts dating back to the first meeting in the series, a 71-63 Husker win at the Jennies' Classic in Warrensburg, Mo.

Husker Numbers to Watch
Jaz Shelley is five three-pointers away from 129 in her Husker career, which would move her into the top 10 on Nebraska's career three-point list. Shelley has 124 made threes in 52 games (2.4 pg) as a Husker. The only player in NU's top 10 to hit threes at a faster clip in her career is Natalie Romeo, who connected on 155 threes in 55 games (2.8 pg) as a Husker (2014-15, 2015-16). Amy Stephens, one of the greatest shooters and scorers in Nebraska history, hit 129 threes in 57 games (2.3 pg) in the first two seasons of the three-point shot in women's college basketball (1987-88, 1988-89). Nebraska's all-time three-point leader, All-American and 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Hooper, hit 295 threes in 131 career games (2.3 pg).

Sam Haiby is 72 points away (1,469) from matching Angie Miller for No. 12 on Nebraska's all-time scoring list (1,541 points, 1984-87).

Sam Haiby needs 28 rebounds to climb to No. 19 by matching Pyra Aarden (611, 1993-96) on Nebraska's career rebound list. 

Sam Haiby is seven assists away from No. 7 on the NU career list (444, Amy Stephens, 1985-89).

Isabelle Bourne ranks No. 23 on the Nebraska career rebound list with 556 and needs 18 rebounds to catch Nafeesah Brown at No. 22 (574).

Isabelle Bourne is 13 points away from catching Alexa Johnson at No. 34 on NU's scoring list (1,035, 2001-04). Issie's older sister, Callie, recently reached the 1,000-point mark in her fifth season at Idaho State, achieving the milestone at San Diego (Nov. 25) in career game No. 118.

Jaz Shelley is 28 points away from 1,000 in her college career (676-Nebraska; 296-Oregon).

Kendall Moriarty has already surpassed her season point total (74-45) from a year ago while quadrupling her three-point total (12-3) and more than tripling her season rebound total (39-12). She also has more than tripled her steals total (11-3), hit six times as many free throws (12-2) and matched her season block total (3) from a year ago.

Huskers Begin Road Trip at Maryland on Saturday

The Nebraska men's basketball team begins a two-game road trip this Saturday, as the Huskers travel to College Park for a matchup with the Maryland Terrapins. Tipoff from the Xfinity Center is set for 3:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be carried on BTN. It will also be available on the Fox Sports app.

The Huskers (10-11, 3-7 Big Ten) are coming off a 78-63 loss to Northwestern on Wednesday evening. Junior guard Keisei Tominaga led Nebraska with 22 points, one off his career high, but Northwestern shot 52 percent from the field and got a career-high 26-point effort from Ty Berry to pace three Wildcats in double figures. Northwestern used a 21-5 surge to close the first half with a 13-point lead, and added a 14-2 burst in the second half to take control.
With season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel over the past two weeks, some of the young Huskers have taken advantage on expanded roles and more playing time. Jamarques Lawrence made his first start against Northwestern and the freshman had career highs in points (12), 3-pointers (four) and minutes (33), while walk-on guard Sam Hoiberg came off the bench and had six points and six rebounds in 18 minutes after playing just 12 minutes all season to that point.
  

Game 22: at Maryland

Date: Saturday, Jan. 28 Tipoff:  3:30 p.m. (CT)  Location: College Park, MD. Arena: XFINITY Center  On the Air Radio: Saturday's game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington and will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. The pregame show begins an hour before tipoff. TV/Online: Saturday's game will be televised on BTN with Jason Ross Jr. and Robbie Hummel on the call. The game will also be available online on the Fox Sports app.

Maryland (13-7, 4-5 Big Ten) comes off a 73-55 home win over Wisconsin on Wednesday night. The Terrapins shot 60 percent in the second half in breaking open a four-point halftime lead. Jahmir Young led all scorers with 22 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists, while Julian Reese and Donta Scott added 14 points apiece. Maryland is 10-1 at home this season with the only home loss coming to No. 8 UCLA in December. 

Following Saturday's game, the Huskers will head straight to Illinois to prepare for Tuesday's matchup with the Fighting Illini. That game will close a stretch where NU played six of nine games on the road during January. 

Worth Noting
• A win on Saturday at Maryland would allow the Huskers to exceed their win total from last season and match Nebraska's number of Big Ten wins from a year ago. It would also give Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg his 150th collegiate victory. 

• Nebraska will look for its first win in College Park since a 67-65 win on Jan. 1, 2017. In that game, Nebraska trailed 65-53 with 6:02 left before closing the game on a 14-0 run. 

• Sixth-year senior Derrick Walker is the only Husker who played in Nebraska's last trip to Maryland in 2021.

• With Jamarques Lawrence and Denim Dawson in the starting lineup against Northwestern, it marked the first time NU has had a pair of freshmen in the starting lineup this season. Last year, NU had six games with multiple freshmen in the lineup with Bryce McGowens and either Keon Edwards or C.J. Wilcher. Both Edwards and Wilcher were second-year freshmen who took advantage of the NCAA eligibility freeze because of COVID-19 in 2020-21.
In Fred Hoiberg's first season, NU started multiple freshmen on four occasions (Penn State, at Michigan, at Minnesota, vs. Indiana).

• With his career-high 12 points against Northwestern on Wednesday, Jamarques Lawrence became the ninth Husker to reach double figures this season. 

• Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the Huskers have had 21 freshmen (true, redshirt or covid year) start at least one game, and Lawrence joins Bryce McGowens (25 vs. Western Illinois, 2021) as the only two to score double figures in their first career start. 

• Nebraska is down to nine active scholarship players with season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary (shoulder), Emmanuel Bandoumel (knee) and Quaran McPherson (knee) while freshman Ramel Lloyd Jr. is redshirting this year. In addition, Blaise Keita has played just eight minutes since suffering an ankle injury against Queens on Dec. 20.  In Wednesday's game, freshmen accounted for nearly 37.4 percent of Nebraska's total minutes. 

• Nebraska has faced one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2022-23. As of Jan. 26, Nebraska's NET strength of schedule is third nationally. Nebraska's game at Maryland will be the Huskers' 11th Quad 1 game of the season. Of Nebraska's remaining 10 regular-season games, nine would be against current Quad 1 or 2 opponents.  Nebraska is one of three Big Ten teams with a top-10 NET SOS, joining Michigan State (seventh) and Wisconsin (10th) as of Jan. 26.

• Derrick Walker is averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game to rank 10th in the Big Ten in rebounding as of Jan. 26. It is on pace to be NU's highest rebounding average since the 2007-08 season. Since 2000, only five Huskers - Ed Morrow Jr. (2016-17), Aleks Maric (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08), Andrew Drevo (2002-03), Kimani Ffriend (1999-2000, 2000-01) - have averaged at least seven rebounds per game.  

• Walker needs just four rebounds on Saturday at Maryland to reach 500 rebounds for his career. 

• With more of an emphasis on positional size compared to previous Hoiberg-coached Husker teams, Nebraska has made significant improvement on the defensive end despite a whole new lineup and a myriad of injuries over the last month. The Huskers have held 12 of their 21 opponents to 70 points or less and have climbed nearly 130 spots in adjusted defense in KenPom compared to last season. NU ranks 37th nationally in defensive efficiency (Jan. 26).

• Nebraska has done an excellent job of not fouling this season. NU ranks 10th nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.6) entering Saturday's game with Maryland. 

• Nebraska's biggest strides have come in rebounding. NU is currently 10th in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +0.5 per game after ranking last in the conference with a -7.0 margin last season. In Big Ten play, NU is 3-0 when out-rebounding opponents, but winless in conference play when being out-rebounded. 

• Nebraska has been the one team to keep Zach Edey in check in 2022-23, holding the national player of the year frontrunner to just 11.5 points per game in two contests. Edey's two lowest scoring percentages came in the two games against Nebraska. 

• Derrick Walker is one of only two Big Ten players this year to have a game of at least 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he did against Minnesota on Jan. 7.  Jalen Pickett has done it twice (vs. Quinnipiac on Dec. 22 and Jan. 8 vs. Purdue). Over the last three seasons (2020-21 to 2022-23), it has happened just six times, including twice by Husker players.

• Nebraska's win over Ohio State on Jan. 18 marked the Huskers' first win over the Buckeyes in Lincoln since the 2014 campaign and marked the first time NU had beaten the Buckeyes in consecutive games. 

• The Huskers broke a couple of overtime losing streaks in the win at Minnesota on Jan. 7. The win snapped a six-game losing streak in overtime games dating back to the 2019-20 season and marked NU's first road OT win in conference play since Feb. 17, 2001. 

• Nebraska has totaled seven double-doubles (Derrick Walker-3; Sam Griesel-2; Juwan Gary-1; Blaise Keita-1) and all seven have been points/rebounds double-doubles. Last year, NU totaled 10 double-doubles in 32 games (6 pts./reb. and 4 pts./asst.)
.
Numbers to Know: 
4 - Jamarques Lawrence hit four 3-pointers in Wednesday's loss. It matched a season high for any Husker in 2022-23. As a team. NU hit nine 3-pointers against Northwestern, its highest total since Dec. 10.

17.5 - Derrick Walker has been a weekend warrior for the Huskers this season. In six weekend games (Saturday/Sunday), Walker is averaging 17.5 points per game on 61 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

2 - Nebraska's Sam Griesel is one of only two Big Ten players - and 20 players across all of Division I - averaging at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He joins Penn State's Jalen Pickett among Big Ten players to achieve the combined numbers.

12 - Derrick Walker is tied for the team lead with 12 double-figure games, including four 20-point games. Prior to this season, Walker's career scoring high was 16 points.

About Maryland
Kevin Willard is in his first season in charge of the Maryland program after spending the last 12 seasons at Seton Hall. The Pirates posted seven 20-win seasons in Willard's tenure, made five NCAA Tournaments and shared the Big East regular-season title in 2019-20. 

This season Maryland jumped out to an 8-0 record, including wins over Miami (Fla.) and Saint Louis before going 5-7 in the last 12 contests. Maryland has played well of late, sandwiching home wins over Michigan and Wisconsin around a three-point loss at now No. 1 Purdue. 

Maryland has a balanced attack with four players averaging double figures. Charlotte transfer Jahmir Young has been a catalyst, averaging 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest.  Veterans Donta Scott (11.9 ppg), Hakim Hart (11.6 ppg) and Julian Reese (10.5 ppg) also average double figures, while both Hart and Reese shoot at least 50 percent from the field. As a team, Maryland averages 70.4 points per game and shoots 45 percent from the floor, while holding foes to 41 percent shooting. 

Series History: Saturday's meeting is the 14th between the two teams, all since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014-15. Maryland leads the series, 10-3, with seven of the 13 meetings decided by five points or less.  Maryland won the first five meetings before Nebraska snapped the string with a win in College Park on Jan. 1, 2017. Maryland has been ranked in seven of the previous 13 meetings, including three times in the top 10. In 2021, the teams played on consecutive days in College Park with Maryland winning both meetings. Nebraska looks to snap a four-game losing streak to Maryland and pick up its first win in College Park since 2017.

Last meeting: Bryce McGowens finished with a game-high 25 points, but Maryland used a 12-3 run to open the second half on its way to a 90-74 victory on Feb. 18, 2022.  McGowens posted his ninth 20-point game of the season, including 14-of-15 from the foul line, but Maryland shot 59 percent in the second half in breaking a five-game losing streak.  Fatts Russell had 23 points as the Terrapins put six players in double figures and shot 52.5 percent from the floor. The Terrapins committed just four turnovers, while converting 12 Husker turnovers into 21 points. In addition to McGowens, Alonzo Verge Jr. finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, while C.J. Wilcher had 10 points off the bench for Nebraska.

Last Time Out
Keisei Tominaga paced the Huskers with 22 points, but Nebraska was unable to keep up with Ty Berry and Northwestern, as the short-handed Huskers fell to the Wildcats, 78-63, on Jan. 25

Tominaga racked up 22 points, his second 20-point effort of the season, on 9-of-17 shooting for the Huskers. Jamarques Lawrence added a career-high 12 points, including four 3-pointers, in his first career start.
In all, the Huskers hit nine 3-pointers and shot 47.2 percent from the field, but Northwestern shot 52 percent and enjoyed a 35-23 advantage on the boards. 

Berry notched career-highs in points (26) and 3-pointers made (6), as Northwestern posted its second win in three days. Boo Buie added 17, while Chase Audige chipped in 15 points, as Northwestern took control with a 21-5 spurt in the final eight minutes of the first half. 

Making Strides On Defense
Nebraska has made significant improvement on the defensive end this season, which is a big reason why the Huskers have already matched their 2021-22 win total. 

• Nebraska has climbed from No. 178 to No. 47 nationally in defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was 35th in defensive efficiency entering the Penn State game when Emmanuel Bandoumel suffered a knee injury in the first half. 
• The jump is more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has played 10 games against teams currently in the top-40 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Jan. 26.
• Nebraska is one of only six teams nationally allowing at least 10 points less than last season, as NU's 10.7 ppg decrease is fifth nationally.
• Nebraska has held 11 opponents to 1.0 point per possession or less. 
• The Huskers held Ohio State to a season-low 60 points in NU's 63-60 win on Jan. 18.
• In the overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, Nebraska held the Boilermakers to 0.99 points per possession. Purdue is fourth nationally in offensive efficiency as of Jan. 26 (118.7)
• Nebraska held Iowa, which is currently eighth in offensive efficiency to 0.76 per possession and just 26 percent shooting on Dec. 29.
• In NU's win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4, the Huskers limited the Bluejays to 0.73 points per possession, the Huskers' best performance in a road game in over a decade. 

Gary, Bandoumel to Miss Remainder of 2022-23 season
The last two weeks have been tough on the injury front, as NU has two starters to season-ending injuries. 

• On Jan. 18, it was announced that Juwan Gary will have left shoulder surgery. Gary had started NU's first 17 games before suffering the injury against Illinois on Jan. 10. He was averaging 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and a team-high 1.4 steals per game.  He ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten in steals (seventh) and rebounding (15th) at the time of his injury and totaled nine double-figure games. He had a season-high 18 points in Nebraska's win at Minnesota on Jan. 7, and has three games with 10+ rebounds, most recently at Kansas State on Dec. 17. 
• Senior guard Emmanuel Bandoumel joined Gary on the sideline, as he suffered a knee injury in the first half of Nebraska's game at Penn State on Jan. 21. Bandoumel was the only Husker to start all 20 games and was averaging 8.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He was second on the team in minutes per game (31.1) and ranked third on the team in both assists and steals. He totaled nine double figure games this season, including 18 points apiece against Memphis and Omaha.
• Entering the Maryland game, NU players have missed a combined 38 games this season:  Quaran McPherson (21); Derrick Walker (5); Blaise Keita (5); Juwan Gary (4), Sam Griesel (2) and Emmanuel Bandoumel (1)

Hometown Kid Making Good
Senior Sam Griesel has enjoyed quite the homecoming, averaging 11.2 points, 4.1 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game from his point guard spot in replacing Alonzo Verge Jr., who led the Big Ten in assists per game last season. Griesel spent the last four seasons at North Dakota State, earning All-Summit League honors in 2021 and 2022 before returning to Lincoln for his senior year. 

• He ranks eighth in the Big Ten in both assists and steals as of Jan. 26
• Griesel had been in double figures in each of the last seven games before he was held to eight points against Northwestern on Jan. 23. He has 11 double-figure games this season which is one off the team lead. 
• He has been active on the defensive end in recent games, totaling nine steals in the last two contests, including a career-high five at Penn State on Jan. 21.
• The senior came up big in the win at Minnesota with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, while going 6-of-6 from the foul line.
• Griesel collected his second double-double in the win over Iowa with 12 points and team highs in rebounds (10) and assists (five).
• The Huskers' first scholarship recruit from Lincoln since Jake Muhleisen in the early 2000s, Griesel keyed NU's win at No. 7 Creighton with 18 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and seven assists. 
• Against Maine, Griesel scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while also chipping in 18 points in the win over Omaha. 
• Griesel's 22-point effort against Maine in the season opener was one of the highest-scoring debuts by a Husker in the last 50 seasons. 

Walker Puts Together Strong Senior Season
Super senior Derrick Walker has made a significant impact on the Huskers since returning to action on Nov. 25. Walker has been a force, averaging 13.6 points on 60 percent shooting, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 forward was NU's only returning starter entering 2022-23 and has 12 double-figure efforts in 16 contests. 

• He is one of just 13 players nationally averaging at least 13 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as of Jan. 26.
• Walker ranks 17th in the Big Ten in scoring, 10th in rebounding and 11th in assists entering Saturday's game at Maryland. 
• Walker has a team-high three double-doubles (Memphis, Florida State and No. 4 Purdue) and six for his career. 
• He had his fourth career 20-point game at Penn State with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. 
• Walker had a strong performance at No. 4 Purdue with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists, while helping limit Zach Edey to 12 points on seven shots.
• Walker had one of the finest games of his career in NU's OT win at Minnesota on Jan. 7 with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He set or tied personal bests in both points and assists.
• His most recent double-double was a 14-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10.  He also helped limit Zach Edey to a season-low 11 points, snapping his streak of eight straight 20-point games. 
• He keyed NU's win over No. 7 Creighton with a career-high 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds against Ryan Kalkbrenner, the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Walker's efforts helped NU enjoy a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint. 
• Walker posted his first career 20-point game in a win over Florida State on Nov. 27, with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and matched his career high with 13 rebounds. 
• He made his 2022-23 debut against Memphis and had 15 points and 12 boards in a loss to the Tigers. 
• Walker averaged 9.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg in 2022, breaking NU's single-season field goal percentage mark by shooting 68.3 percent from the field.

Tominaga Moves into Starting Role
After being the Huskers' sixth man for most of the season, junior Keisei Tominaga moved into the starting lineup against Ohio State on Jan. 18. The 6-foot-2 guard is third on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game while averaging 21 minutes per contest. 

• Tominaga leads the Huskers in both 3-pointers (34) and 3-point percentage (.366).
• He has 12 double figure games, including eight off the bench, and was among the Big Ten's leaders in bench scoring before he was inserted in the lineup.
• Tominaga posted his second 20-point game of the year against Northwestern, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He scored NU's first 12 points and had 15 first-half points against the Wildcats. 
• He had 13 points at Penn State on Jan. 21 and has reached double figures in all four of his starts in 2021-22.
• Tominaga posted a 16-point effort at No. 3 Purdue on Jan. 13, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers. 
• He enjoyed one of his best efforts of the year in NU's 65-62 loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10 with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. He sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation. 
• Of Tominaga's 18 career double-figure games at Nebraska, 12 have come off the bench, including 23-point efforts against Boston College on Nov. 29 and against South Dakota last season.
• Tominaga shined in NU's win over Boston College on Nov. 30. He tied his career high of 23 points on just eight field goal attempts (7-8 FG, 4-5 3PT; 5-5 FT) for his second career 20-point game. He had 17 of his 23 markers in the first half, including 11 straight NU points.
• Tominaga also had a team-high 15 points at St. John's and a 19-point effort against Maine. In the game against Maine, he connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field in 20 minutes of work.
• Over the summer, Tominaga was with the Japanese National Team, making his debut in the FIBA World Cup Asia qualifier in early July and then starred for Japan in the 2022 Asia Cup. In seven games with the Senior National Team, Tominaga averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the 3-point line. His best performance came against Australia in the Asia Cup quarterfinals, when he poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range. 

Luff Claims Title, Ilves Sets All-Time Mark on Friday

Darius Luff captured the 60m hurdles title with a personal-best time of 7.66 during the first day of the Texas Tech Open & Multis at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas on Friday. Brithton Senior clocked a 7.82 to place third in the race.
 
Lishanna Ilves leaped a personal-best 21-3 1/4 (6.48m) to finish as runner-up in the women's long jump behind only Olympian Ruth Usoro. That is the fourth-best jump in school history and puts Ilves at first in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation this season in the event. 
 
In the men's long jump, Micaylon Moore placed second with a personal-best mark of 24-8 1/4 (7.52m). The only long jumper to top that mark was professional Jacob Fincham-Dukes at 25-8 1/4 (7.83m). Till Steinforth finished fifth in the event at 24-3 1/2 (7.40m). 

Maxwell Otterdahl added a second runner-up finish for the Big Red in the men's weight throw with a toss of 72-6 1/4 (22.10m). Taylor Latimer placed third in the women's weight throw with a mark of 68-4 1/4 (20.83m).

In other track events, Johanna Ilves finished 10th overall in the women's 60m hurdles (8.59), and Lorenzo Paissan was 15th in the men's 60m in 6.76. Julian Watson finished 14th for the Big Red in the 400m in 48.39. 

In the "B" section of the men's weight throw, Josh Marcy threw a personal-best 64-3 1/4 (19.59m) to take second in the section. Hannah Preissler cleared 12-8 3/4 (3.88m) to finish third in the "B" section of the women's pole vault. 

In the "B" section of the women's weight throw, Hillevi Carlsson was fourth with a throw of 61-3 (18.67m), and Tanessa Morris was fifth at 59-0 1/4 (17.99m). Zionn Pearson took sixth in the "B" section of the women's long jump (19-0 1/2, 5.80m). 

The Huskers continue action at the Texas Tech Open & Multis tomorrow. Field events begin at 10 a.m., with running events started at 11:30 a.m.

NU Defeats Western Michigan in Season Opener

Lincoln, Neb. - The Nebraska women's tennis team (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) opened its season with a 4-1 win against Western Michigan (1-1, 0-0 Mid-American) at the Dillon Tennis Center on Friday afternoon.
 
The Huskers faced the Broncos in three doubles matches and six singles matches. Action started with doubles play as the No. 1 team of Raphaëlle Lacasse and Ana Carmen Zamburek lost their opening match against Western Michigan's Lindsey Zieglar and Valeriya Monko 6-0. In the No. 3 spot, the duo of Lucy Loy and Isabel Adrover Gallego were down 5-2 before coming back and defeating Kaitlyn Rogosch and Maya Perkucin 7-6 (1). To finish doubles play, Samantha Alicea and Anfisa Danilchenko played in the No. 2 spot against Karin Hamilton and Audrey Smitek and fell 7-5. The doubles point was awarded to Western Michigan.
 
In singles play, Carmen Zamburek, making her Husker singles debut, defeated Zieglar 6-2, 6-1 on Court 3, giving NU its first overall match point. On Court 5, Loy defeated Smitek 7-5, 6-3, picking up a second match point for the Huskers. Alicea bested Perkucin on Court 4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. On Court 6, Sandberg clinched the win for the Huskers, defeating Souligny, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. 
 
The teams decided to conclude the match with Danilchenko and Adrover Gallego both leading on Courts 1 and 2. 
 
Up next, the Huskers will host Utah State on Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Dillon Tennis Center.

Singles competition

1. Anfisa Danilchenko (NEB) vs. Lindsey Zieglar (WMU) 7-6 (8-6), 5-4, unfinished
2. Isabel Adrover Gallego (NEB) vs. Karin Hamilton (WMU) 3-6, 6-2, 4-1, unfinished
3. Ana Carmen Zamburek (NEB) def. Valeriya Monko (WMU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Samantha Alicea (NEB) def. Maya Perkucin (WMU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0
5. Lucy Loy (NEB) def. Audrey Smitek (WMU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Vivien Sandberg (NEB) def. Ariane Souligny (WMU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Lindsey Zieglar/Valeriya Monko (WMU) def. Raphaëlle Lacasse/Ana Carmen Zamburek (NEB) 6-0
2. Karin Hamilton/Audrey Smitek (WMU) def. Samantha Alicea/Anfisa Danilchenko (NEB) 7-5
3. Lucy Loy/Isabel A. Gallego (NEB) def. Kaitlyn Rogosch/Maya Perkucin (WMU) 7-6 (7-1)

Match Notes:
Western Michigan 1-1
Nebraska 1-0
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,5,4,6) A-125