Minneapolis - Jaz Shelley scored 28 of her career-high 37 points in the second half, but Minnesota got a three-pointer in the corner with 1.1 seconds left to escape with a 95-92 women's basketball win over Nebraska on Wednesday night at Williams Arena.

The Huskers (14-12, 6-9 Big Ten) suffered their third straight loss, while Minnesota (10-16, 3-12 Big Ten) got its first home victory of 2023 thanks to a game-winning three-pointer from Isabelle Gradwell, who finished with eight points off the bench.

Shelley's performance for Nebraska included 17 in the fourth quarter, including four three-pointers. Her last came with 40 seconds left, which included the fifth foul of the game by Minnesota point guard Amaya Battle. Shelley completed the four-point play to tie the game at 92. Nebraska then got a stop, and Sam Haiby was fouled as the Huskers inbounded the ball from the sideline with 15 seconds left. But Haiby missed both free throws with 12 seconds left to set up Minnesota's decisive play.

The Huskers trailed 67-64 after three quarters, and Gradwell opened the fourth with a bucket to push the lead to five, before Shelley completed a rare five-point play with 8:49 left to tie the score at 69. Nebraska then got four straight free throws from Alexis Markowski, who finished with nine points and 14 rebounds, and Haiby, who finished with nine points, to match its biggest lead of the game at 73-69 with 8:07 left and cap a 9-0 Husker run. 

Both teams then scored on nearly every possession the rest of the way. Nebraska outscored Minnesota 61-57 in the highest scoring second half (118 combined points) in school history, but it was not enough to overcome a 38-31 halftime deficit after the Huskers fell behind by as much as 32-20 midway through the second quarter.

Shelley led all scorers with her career-high 37 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 7-of-13 threes, and 8-of-8 free throws. The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia added five assists. Isabelle Bourne added a season-high 21 points, including 15 in the first half. Bourne pitched in seven rebounds. Maddie Krull put three Huskers in double figures with 13 points, including nine points as part of a 33-point third quarter for the Big Red.

Nebraska finished 27-of-68 from the floor (.397), including 10-of-24 threes (.417). The Huskers hit 8-of-15 threes in the second half. They also knocked down 28-of-35 free throws (.800) and won the battle of the boards, 43-40.

Mara Braun led Minnesota with 28 points, including 18 in the second half. The freshman went 9-of-13 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from long range, while connecting on 7-of-8 free throws. Alanna Micheaux added to the five Gophers in double figures with 16 points, while Katie Borowicz added 15 points off the bench in just 20 minutes before fouling out. Battle added 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists before fouling out, while Angelina Hammond contributed 12 big points off the bench. Minnesota's bench outscored Nebraska's bench 37-3.

The Golden Gophers hit 32-of-63 shots (.508) from the floor on the night, including 8-of-16 threes. They also connected on 23-of-31 free throws, while winning the turnover battle 10-9.

Nebraska had to fight back from a 38-31 halftime deficit, after Minnesota outscored the Huskers 24-16 in the second period. NU led 15-14 at the end of the first quarter after getting eight big points from Bourne. She continued to carry Nebraska in the second period, adding seven points to finish the first half with 15. But the Gophers used a 16-3 surge in a four-minute span to claim a 32-20 lead. The Huskers cut the Minnesota margin back to 36-31 in the closing seconds of the half, before Hammond scored on a putback with two seconds left to send the Golden Gophers to halftime with a seven-point lead.

In addition to 15 first-half points from Bourne, Nebraska got nine points from Shelley. The Huskers hit 11-of-30 shots (.367) from the floor, including 2-of-9 threes (.222), while connecting on 7-of-10 free throws. NU outworked Minnesota 21-20 on the boards, but the Gophers won the turnover battle 5-4.

Micheaux and Braun both put up 10 first-half points to lead Minnesota, while Battle contributed six points, six rebounds and three assists. Borowicz also pitched in seven points off the bench despite committing three first-half fouls. Minnesota hit 16-of-34 shots (.471), including 3-of-8 threes (.375). The Gophers went 3-of-6 at the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes.

The Huskers return home to take on No. 7 Iowa on Saturday. Tip-off at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 1 p.m. with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com for the special Pack PBA and Play4Kay (Pink Game) events. The game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network stations, the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

Huskers Set for Season Debut at San Diego

NEBRASKA at SAN DIEGO
Feb. 17-20, 2023
Fowler Park | San Diego, Calif.
 
Friday, Feb. 17 - 8 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Emmett Olson (0-0) vs. RHP James Sashin (0-0)
TV/Streaming: WCC Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Saturday, Feb. 18 - 7 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Jace Kaminska (0-0) vs. RHP Garrett Rennie (0-0)
TV/Streaming: WCC Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Sunday, Feb. 19 - 3 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Caleb Clark (0-0) vs. RPH Ivran Romero (0-0)
TV/Streaming: WCC Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (105.3 The Bone), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Monday, Feb. 20 - 2 p.m. CT
Pitching: TBA vs. RHP Morgan Lunceford (0-0)
TV/Streaming: WCC Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
 
Nebraska opens the 2023 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17 at Fowler Park in San Diego, with the first of four games against the San Diego Toreros. First pitch of the season opener is set for 8 p.m. CT.
 
The teams continue the series on Saturday and Sunday, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. CT and 3 p.m. CT, respectively. The four-game series wraps up on Monday at 2 p.m. CT.
 
All four games this weekend will be video streamed on the WCC Network. Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action this weekend on the Huskers Radio Network. Sunday's game will be carried on 105.3 The Bone, while the remaining three games will be carried on KLIN (1400 AM, 99.3 FM) in Lincoln and KSXP (590 AM) in Omaha. Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.
 
Nebraska vs. San Diego
• Through four games, the all-time series between the Huskers and Toreros is locked at 2-2.
• Nebraska is 0-2 against the Toreros at Fowler Park, falling 12-11 on Feb. 21, 2020 and 17-5 on Feb. 16, 2016.
• The Huskers' two victories over San Diego came in a 5-4 win on March 12, 2004 at PETCO Park in San Diego and in a 16-9 slugfest on Feb. 21, 1980 in Las Vegas.
 
Opening Day
• In three seasons under head coach Will Bolt, Nebraska is 1-2 in season openers after falling to Sam Houston 8-5 in Huntsville, Texas, to begin the 2022 season.
• Friday's contest at San Diego marks the first time since 2019 the Huskers will be opening the season in The Golden State after debuting the last three seasons in Texas.
• The Big Red are 10-8 in California since 2015, most recently winning three of its four games at UC Riverside in 2019.
 
Season Opener Success
• Nebraska is searching for its seventh win in the last 10 season openers after going 6-3 in season openers since 2014.
• The Huskers had three consecutive season-opening victories with wins over Pacific (2014), UNLV (2015) and College of Charleston (2016) before UC Riverside slipped by the Big Red in 2017 with a 4-3 win.
• Nebraska reeled off victories against UC Riverside (2018-19) and Baylor (2020), while falling to Purdue and Sam Houston in the last two season openers.
• The Huskers open the season in the state of California for the first time since winning three of four games in a season-opening series at UC Riverside in 2019.
 
What's Returning?
HITTING
At-bats*: 1,135/1,746 (65.0%)
Runs*: 202/310 (65.2%)
Hits*: 294/441 (66.7%)
Doubles*: 53/79 (67.1%)
Triples*: 9/13 (69.2%)
Home Runs*: 32/51 (62.7%)
RBI*: 180/274 (66.2%)
Walks: 124/224 (55.4%)
Steals*: 33/56 (58.9%)
 
PITCHING
Wins: 9/23 (39.1%)
Saves: 3/8 (37.5%)
Starts*: 33/53 (62.3%)
Innings*: 245/458 (53.5%)
Strikeouts*: 233/437 (53.3%)
*Indicates team leader in category returns
 
New Faces on the Bump this Weekend
• This weekend's starting rotation includes two players making their first start at Nebraska. Out of NU's three announced starters this weekend, only Emmett Olson has started a game as a Husker.
• Opening-day starter Emmett Olson takes the mound after transitioning from the bullpen to the starting rotation last season. The Des Plaines, Ill., native went 3-3 with a save and a 2.86 ERA in 19 appearances, including eight starts and one complete game as a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2022.
• Jace Kaminska gets the nod on Saturday after spending the last two seasons at Wichita State. Kaminska was a First-Team Freshman All-American and the AAC Newcomer Pitcher of the Year in 2021 after going 8-1 with a 2.32 ERA and two complete-games in 12 appearances, including 10 starts.
• Caleb Clark is scheduled to make his Husker debut on Sunday. The true freshman was ranked one of the top five Canadian prospects according to Perfect Game and was a two-year member of the Canadian Junior National Team.
• Olson and Kaminska are ranked No. 11 and No. 17 on D1Baseball's list of the top Big Ten prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft, while Caleb Clark was No. 10 on the Top 20 Impact Freshmen List.
 
True Freshman in Opening Weekend Rotation
• Set to get the ball for game three on Sunday, Caleb Clark will become the 10th true freshman to start a game on the mound for the Huskers on opening weekend since 1999.
• In the previous nine starts by a true freshman, Nebraska is 6-3 with wins in their last two games against UC Riverside in 2019 and 2017.
 
NU True Freshman Starts on Opening Weekend
Colby Gomes at UC Riverside - Feb. 17, 2019
- 4.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Paul Tillotson vs. UC Riverside - Feb. 17, 2017
- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Derek Burkamper vs. Gonzaga - Feb. 16, 2014
- 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Kyle Kubat vs. Gonzaga - Feb. 19, 2012
- 5.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Jon Keller vs. Air Force - Feb. 19, 2011
- 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Tom Lemke at Fresno State - Feb. 22, 2010
- 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Johnny Dorn at Hawaii-Hilo - Feb. 19, 2005
- 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Shane Komine vs. New Mexico State - Feb. 5, 1999
- 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Brent Potter vs. San Diego State - Feb. 7, 1999
- 2.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
 
Schanaman Returns to the Bullpen
• Senior Shay Schanaman returns to the bullpen for the Huskers after spending the last two seasons in NU's starting rotation.
• Schanaman transitioned to a starting role in 2021, compiling a 7-10 record with a 4.74 ERA in 25 starts and 144.1 innings of work in the last two seasons.
• The Grand Island native was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List in 2020 after his work out of the bullpen in 2019.
• As a freshman in 2019, he tied for third on the team with 19 relief appearances while pitching 22.2 innings with a 1-2 mar and 3.18 ERA. Schanaman didn't allow an earned run in his first 10 outings, which spanned 9.1 innings.
 
Schanaman Closing in on All-Time Charts
• Shay Schanaman enters his final season with the Big Red nearing the Top 10 all-time list in two pitching categories at Nebraska.
• Schanaman is 17 appearances away from tying John Lepley (1985-88) and is 15 strikeouts short of Zack Kroenke (2003-05) for 10th-best in program history.
• Lepley is 10th all-time in program history with 70 career pitching appearances, while Kroenke ranks 10th with 196 career strikeouts as a Husker.
 
Garza Adds Versatility to NU Pitching Staff
• Michael Garza joins the Huskers after playing four seasons at Incarnate Word, where he saw time as a closer and a starter on Friday night.
• The Corpus Christi, Texas, native made 50 appearances, including 27 starts on the mound, totaling a 9-12 record and six saves with a 5.60 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 172 innings.
• Garza led the Southland Conference with 81 strikeouts and earned third-team all-conference recognition in 2022, while posting three outings of at least seven innings.
• The Incarnate Word transfer had a 3-4 mark with six saves in 19 appearances in his junior campaign in 2021.
 
Burnham Brings Depth, Experience to Outfield
• Casey Burnham comes to Nebraska as a graduate transfer from Kansas, where he spent four years roving the KU outfield.
• The Grand Island, Neb., native is NU's active career leader in games played and games started after making 100 starts and playing in 111 games in his four years at Kansas.
• A career .257 hitter, Burnham has totaled 86 hits, 20 doubles, three triples and two homers in his career.
• Along with games played and started, Burnham is NU's active career leader in doubles (20), times by hit by pitch (14) and stolen bases (25).
 
Numbers to Know
6 – Nebraska is 50-8 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs. The Big Red went 5-2 in 2020 and had records of 26-2 in 2021 and 19-4 in 2022 when reaching the six-run mark.
66 – The Huskers return 66 percent of their production in runs, hits and runs batted in this season from last year's squad.
74 – The Big Red have scored first in 74 of the 116 games since Bolt's first year in Lincoln in 2020. In that 74-game stretch, the Huskers are 48-26.
23 – With nine freshmen and 14 transfers, 23 players on the NU roster have never appeared in a game as a Husker. Additionally, just nine have more than one year of experience with the Big Red.

Husker Relays Make All-Time List on Day One

Nebraska swimming and diving tabbed a pair of ninth-place relay finishes on Wednesday during the first session of the 2023 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.

In the premier event at the Canham Natatorium, Gabby Donahue, JoJo Randby, Caitlin Cairns and Emily Haimes joined together to clock the third-fastest 200 medley relay time in school history (1:39.55), placing ninth.

Shannon Stott, Lexi Kucera, Gena Jorgenson and Giulia Marchi teamed up in the 800 freestyle relay to place ninth with the fourth-best time in Nebraska history (7:12.14).

Tomorrow marks the first full day of competition, with Session II kicking off at 9 a.m. (CT).

2023 Big Ten Championships
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
February 15-18, 2023
Prelims at 9 a.m. (CT), Finals at 4 p.m. (CT)

Order of Events
Thursday
500 Freestyle
200 IM
50 Freestyle
One-Meter
400 Medley Relay

Friday
100 Butterfly
400 IM
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
Three-Meter
200 Freestyle Relay

Saturday
1,650 Freestyle
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
Platform Diving
400 Freestyle Relay

Huskers Ready for Challenge at TaxAct Clearwater Invitational

Husker Trio Snags Big Ten Preseason Honors

Nebraska's Emmett Olson, Max Anderson and Brice Matthews each claimed spots on the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, announced by the conference on Thursday.

Olson, a second-team All-Big Ten selection last season, went 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA and a save in 19 appearances, including eight starts in 2022. The Des Plaines, Ill., native totaled 65 strikeouts in 66 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .238 batting average. Olson had five starts with at least six innings and notched seven outings with at least five strikeouts, including a season-high seven strikeouts in two games.

Anderson, a junior infielder, batted .299 with a team-high 12 doubles and 10 home runs last season, while also leading the Huskers with 45 RBI and 47 runs as a sophomore. The Omaha native tallied 18 multi-hit games, including a pair of four-hit games. Anderson went 4-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and two runs at UT Arlington, before having a 4-for-5 day at the plate with two home runs, a double and four RBI in the season finale vs. Michigan State.

Matthews, a junior infielder, appeared in 45 games as a sophomore last season, making 44 starts for the Huskers. The Humble, Texas, native hit .261 at the plate with eight doubles, seven home runs, 29 RBI and 31 runs scored. Matthews recorded 10 multi-hit games and had a team-high 12 stolen bases, while compiling nine multi-RBI games and posting a season-best reached base streak of 22 games.

The Big Ten also released its preseason coaches' poll on Thursday. Nebraska is picked to finish fifth in the conference, behind Maryland, Rutgers, Iowa and Illinois. Rounding out the preseason poll, Indiana was tabbed sixth.

2023 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Maryland
2. Rutgers
3. Iowa
4. Illinois
5. Nebraska
6. Indiana

Nebraska's 2023 Big Ten Preseason Honors List
Emmett Olson (Junior LHP)
Max Anderson (Junior INF)
Brice Matthews (Junior INF)

Huskers Host Tri-Meet with OU, Simpson

NU is set to take on No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 15 Simpson in a home tri-meet this Friday, Feb. 17. The meet will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with a live video stream for B1G+ subscribers. Following the competition, the gymnast will be signing post-meet autographs giveaway with a team autograph session following the competition. General admission to the meet and Pepsi products are $1 as a part of the Pepsi Pack the House promotion.

Last Time Out
The Huskers fell to Michigan (406.250-407.400) at their home opener in a Big Ten regular-season matchup. Despite the loss, NU highlighted the competition with four event titles: Taylor Christopulos in the all-around (81.55), Cooper Giles on pommel horse (14.10), Chris Hiser on rings (14.15), and Donte McKinney on high bar (14.05).

National individual rankings highlight Christopulos in fourth on vault (14.717) and fifth on floor (14.367), Cooper Giles in fifth on pommel horse (14.067), Chris Hiser in eighth on rings (14.083), and on high bar, Donte McKinney in third (14.083) and Zac Tiderman in fifth (13.983).

Ahead of the meet, No. 6 NU ranks among the top five on events including third on pommel horse (66.067) and high bar (67.233), and fourth on rings (67.917).

Scouting the Competition
No. 2 Oklahoma took down No. 1 Stanford along with No. 11 William & Mary on Saturday evening. Oklahoma's performance was led by junior Zach Nunez notching an 83.55 in the all-around and freshman Ignacio Yockers earning a 15.10 on pommel horse to score their best team score since 2019 (418.900). Nationally, OU ranks first on floor and pommel horse, second on vault and high bar, third on parallel bars, and fifth on rings.

Simpson ranks No. 15 in the NCAA standings leading into week six of competition. Despite the fall against Greenville (373.350- 359.200), Simpson was led by freshman Michelangelo Villani earning the all-around title (71.350) and freshman Alex Catchpole taking the parallel bars event title (12.70).

Follow the Huskers
Fans can follow @NebraskaMensGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet. The meet will also be live- streamed on BTN+ for subscribers beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Huskers Aim for NCAA Bid

The No. 7 Nebraska Rifle team will head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 10 Akron and No. 12 Ohio State at an NCAA Qualifier match this Saturday, Feb. 18.

The match is slated to start at 8 a.m. (central) and results can be found at https://results.megalink.no/#!/. A livestream is available at https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/live-rifle/. 

NU is looking for its 19th NCAA bid since 2000 and third in the last four years. NU qualified in both 2020 and 2021, but the Coronavirus pandemic canceled the NCAA Championships in 2020.  Eight teams will qualify for the NCAA tournament, along with individuals from non-qualifying teams, in the smallbore and air rifle.

Eight teams will qualify for the NCAA tournament, along with individuals from non-qualifying teams, in the smallbore and air rifle.

Saturday's score will determine 50% of the score that determines if teams qualify for the NCAA Championships. It will be combined with the average of NU's top-three team scores from this season. Those scores are 4,726 (at Alaska-Fairbanks, 11/13/22), 4,724 (at PRC Championships, 2/5/23) and 4,719 (at Morehead State, 1/14/23). Those three scores combine for an average of 4,723.

Junior All-American and team captain Cecelia Ossi qualified for the NCAA Championships last year in the smallbore and placed ninth out of 45 shooters.

"This weekend is another chance for the team to replicate another great score, like they have been doing all season," said Head Coach Mindy Miles. "We are shooting head-to-head with Akron and Ohio State. The team should be comfortable and confident going into this weekend."

The six athletes traveling to the NCAA Qualifier match are juniors Ossi and Madelynn Erickson, sophomore Mackenzie Strauch and freshmen Emma Rhode, Vittoria Watts and Camilla Johannessen.

Ossi has either tied or set new career bests in all three events this season. She shot a 592 in the smallbore on Nov. 12 against No. 2 Alaska-Fairbanks and on Jan. 14 against No. 15 Morehead State. She tied her personal-best air rifle score of 597 against UTEP on Nov. 20, and her career-best aggregate score of 1,187 came at the PRC Championships on Feb. 5.

Erickson has also set personal-bests in all three events over the course of the season. She posted a 589 in the smallbore against No. 8 Air Force on Oct. 22. Against Morehead State on Jan. 14, she shot a 597 in the air rifle and recorded a 1,185 in the aggregate, both of which were career bests.

Strauch has become a mainstay in the Husker lineup in 2022-23. She posted a career-best 587 in the smallbore against Ohio State on Jan. 28, Where she also shot her best aggregate score of 1,179. She has recorded a personal best of 592 in the air rifle five separate times this season. 

Rhode has made an immediate impact for NU as a freshman. She shot a 598 in the air rifle at Alaska-Fairbanks on Nov. 13 – a school record. She posted her smallbore best of 590 against No. 19 The Citadel, and it is the highest smallbore score that a Husker freshman has shot. Her season-best aggregate – 1,187 – also came at The Citadel.

Watts has also been a strong contributor as a freshman. She joined Rhode in shooting a record 598 air rifle score against Alaska-Fairbanks on Nov. 13. Her personal-best smallbore score of 587 and personal-best aggregate of 1,185 also came against Alaska-Fairbanks on the same day.

Johannessen recorded all three of her season-bests against Alaska-Fairbanks on Nov. 13. She shot a 578 in the smallbore, a 595 in the air rifle and a 1,173 in the aggregate.

The Huskers are coming off a third-place finish at the Patriot Rifle Conference (PRC) Championships on Feb. 4-5. There, Nebraska recorded its second-highest team aggregate (4,724) and smallbore (2,348) scores of the season and in NU Rifle history. Ossi qualified for the final in both the smallbore and the air rifle. In the smallbore final, she defeated TCU's Julie Johannessen to place first. Johannessen had set an NCAA record earlier in the day. Ossi placed second in the air rifle final on day two.

The NCAA Championships will take place on March 10-11 in Akron, Ohio.