University Park, Pa. - Nebraska cut a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to five points with 2:26 left, but the Huskers were unable to complete the comeback in an 82-73 women's basketball loss to Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon.

Alexis Markowski produced a huge double-double with 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, but Nebraska slipped to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten, while Penn State improved to 13-5 and 4-3 in the conference.

Jaz Shelley added 12 points for Big Red, including nine in the fourth quarter on a pair of threes and a traditional three-point play in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter to fuel Nebraska's late rally. She also recorded a career-high six steals in the game.

Darian White also contributed 12 points for her second straight double-figure scoring effort, including 10 points in the fourth quarter. Kendall Moriarty also pitched in a fourth-quarter spark with six points on 3-for-3 shooting to finish with seven for the game.

Despite jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead with all the scoring from Markowski, Nebraska headed to the second quarter tied at 12. Penn State took control in the second quarter with eight points from Ashley Owusu, who made her first start in her third game as a Lady Lion. Owusu finished with a game-high 20 points.

Shay Ciezki, who led Penn State with 10 points in the first half, added five points in the second quarter including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to help Penn State take a 36-26 lead to halftime. Ciezki finished with 17 points on 3-of-6 three-point shooting and a 6-for-6 effort at the free throw line.

Leilani Kapinus added 13 points, including nine in the third quarter to help Penn State take its biggest lead of the day at 21 late in the period.

The Huskers went to the fourth down 64-45 before Ali Brigham gave the Lady Lions their biggest lead at 66-45 in the open moments of the final period. She finished with seven points.

Nebraska responded with a layup by Moriarty, a three-pointer by White and a three-point play from Shelley with 7:12 left to show signs of life.  PSU got three points at the free throw line before back-to-back threes by Shelley and Annika Stewart, who finished with seven points, and a layup by Moriarty capped another 8-0 NU run to trim the margin to 69-61 with 3:50 left. 

After a pair of Ciezki free throws, Shelley hit another three and Moriarty scored on another layup and was fouled to cut the margin to 71-66 with 2:26 left. Moriarty was unable to connect on the free throw, and Penn State made the plays down the stretch to secure the win.

For the game, the Huskers hit just 35.8 percent (25-68) of their shots from the field, including 9-of-29 three-pointers (.310). NU also hit 14-of-20 free throws. Nebraska won the battle of the boards 44-37, including a plus-11 margin in the second half. PSU was plus-four in turnovers, 18-14.

Penn State, which is one of the nation's leaders in team field goal percentage, finished at 46.2 percent (29-62), including 28.0 percent (7-25) from long range. The Lady Lions connected on 17-of-22 free throws.

Nebraska will enjoy the midweek off before returning to Big Ten road action at No. 2 Iowa on Saturday. Tip-off between the Huskers and Hawkeyes in Iowa City is set for 1 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage by BTN. The game will also be carried on the Huskers Radio Network.

HUSKERS TOP PURDUE, 27-14

Lincoln, Neb. - Behind three bonus-point victories, the Nebraska wrestling team grabbed its second-straight conference victory with the 27-14 victory over Purdue in front of 2,527 fans on Sunday afternoon. 

With the win, the Huskers improved to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in dual competition, while Purdue dropped to 5-6 and 0-3 in Big Ten play. 

In his dual debut, Alan Koehler took on No. 2 Matt Ramos at 125. After the first three minutes, Koehler trailed Ramos 4-1. With an escape, in the second period, Koehler earned an escape to bring the score to 4-2. Ramos got the scoring going in the final period, grabbing the technical fall in 2:48.

No. 19 Jacob Van Dee used a first-period takedown, a second-period reversal and the riding time point to secure the 133 win over Dustin Norris. Throughout the bout, Norris only managed two escapes.

Blake Cushing (141) grabbed his second-career dual win in a 7-5 decision over No. 32 Greyson Clark. With a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second period, Cushing jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Clark tallied a pair of escapes and a takedown, but Cushing got one more takedown to win the bout and put Nebraska in front, 6-5 in the team score.

Top-ranked Ridge Lovett dominated from start-to-finish at 149, pinning Marcos Polanco in 6:12. With a pair of takedowns, Lovett took the 6-1 advantage in the opening period. Continuing the momentum into the second period, Lovett recorded a reversal and two takedowns to increase his lead to 14-4, before grabbing the win by fall in the final minute.

No. 3 Peyton Robb battled No. 16 at Joey Blaze at 157, taking a 2-1 lead into the final period. In an attempt to pin Blaze, Robb ended up on his back, losing by fall in 6:22.

No. 18 Antrell Taylor got the Huskers back on track at 165 with a bonus points win. He took down Stoney Buell twice in the first period, while recording an escape to lead 7-4 after the first three minutes. Throughout the final two periods, Taylor used two takedowns and an escape to get the 14-6 major decision.

At 174, No, 29 Bubba Wilson fell to Purdue’s Brody Baumann in a 7-2 decision. The bout was within a point, with Baumann leading 3-2 after two periods, but a third-period takedown secured the win for the Boilermakers. The Huskers led Purdue 16-14 heading into the eighth match of the day.

No. 3 Lenny Pinto started the 184 bout with a takedown over James Rowley. In the second period, Rowley tabbed an escape, but Pinto got another takedown to take the 6-1 lead. With a third period escape, Pinto captured the 7-1 decision.

No. 15 Silas Allred put the team score out of reach for Purdue with a technical fall over Ben Vanadia at 197. Five takedowns for Allred in the first period gave Allred a commanding 15-4 lead. An escape and a takedown in the first 30 seconds of the second period ended the bout at 3:28.

At heavyweight, Nash Hutmacher got his second win of the season as he defeated Purdue’s Tristan Ruhlma. Hutmacher got a reversal, two stall points and the riding time for the 5-0 decision and the 27-14 team win. 

Up next, Nebraska hits the road to take on Northwestern on Jan. 26, beginning at 7 p.m. (CT). The meet will be streamed on B1G+.

#6 Nebraska 27, Purdue 14
125: #2 Matt Ramos (PUR) tech. fall Alan Koehler (NEB) 19-4 (2:48) (PUR 5, NEB 0)
133: #19 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) dec. Dustin Norris (PUR) 6-2 (PUR 5, NEB 3)
141: Blake Cushing (NEB) dec. #32 Greyson Clark (PUR) 7-5 (NEB 6, PUR 5)
149: #1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) pinned Marcos Polanco (PUR) (6:12) (NEB 12, PUR 5)
157: #16 Joey Blaze (PUR) pinned #3 Peyton Robb (NEB) (6:22) (NEB 12, PUR 11)
165: #18 Antrell Taylor (NEB) maj. dec. Stoney Buell (PUR) 14-6 (NEB 16, PUR 11)
174: Brody Baumann (PUR) dec. #29 Bubba Wilson (NEB) 7-2 (NEB 16, PUR 14)
184: #3 Lenny Pinto (NEB) dec. James Rowley (PUR) 7-1 (NEB 19, PUR 14)
197: #15 Silas Allred (NEB) tech. fall Ben Vanadia (PUR) 19-4 (3:28) (NEB 24, PUR 14)
HWT: Nash Hutmacher (NEB) dec. Tristan Ruhlman (PUR) 5-0 (NEB 27, PUR 14)

HUSKERS FINISH FIFTH AT THE NORTHEAST CLASSIC

New Castle, Del. – The Nebraska bowling team claimed a fifth-place finish at the Northeast Classic on Sunday and finished with an 10-3 overall record.

After five baker total pinfall matches and five traditional matches on Friday and Saturday, the Huskers bowled three best four-of-seven baker matches on Sunday for a chance to repeat as tournament champions after taking the crown last year.

In the first round of bracket play, the Huskers faced No. 3 Youngstown State with a starting lineup of Desiree Buchert, Lani Breedlove, Breanna Hartzler, Kayla Verstraete and Jillian Martin. The Penguins took two of the first three games of the contest, despite the Huskers winning game two (204-187). NU then grabbed game four (247-235) and game five (255-178) to take a 3-2 overall advantage in the match. However, Youngstown State responded with victories in game six (177-215) and game seven (188-245) as the Huskers fell, 3-4, to the Penguins before moving onto the second round of match play. 

NU then met No. 6 Arkansas State in another best four-of-seven baker match. Arkansas State took the first game (178-237) and the second game (176-189). NU came back in game three with a 212-170 victory before the Red Wolves won game four (242-161) to take a 3-1 overall lead. The Huskers won the next game, 266-178, but fell 4-2 to Arkansas State (183-238) to secure a spot in the fifth-place game.

In the fifth-place game, the Huskers took on No. 5 Tulane. Nebraska took the first game (257-246) but the Green Wave responded with a victory in the second game (184-226). NU came back with wins in game three (227-188) and game four (186-183) to grab a 3-1 lead. Tulane won the next two games, 214-225, 159-213, to force a winner take all seventh game where NU battled and defeated Tulane (215-184) to finish fifth.

Individually, Buchert led the way for the Huskers with a 4th place finish and an average of 223.0. Verstraete was 10th (219.8), Breedlove finished 33rd (205.8), Hartzler was 41st (203.0) and Martin rounded out the group with a 195.4 average.

Up next, the Huskers travel to Arlington, Texas, on Friday, Jan. 26 through Sunday, Jan. 28, for the Prairie View A&M Invite.

HUSKERS SWEEP OMAHA, CREIGHTON ON SUNDAY

Lincoln, Neb. - The Nebraska men’s tennis team improved to 4-0 on Sunday as the Huskers defeated Omaha and Creighton in the second double header of the season at Dillon Tennis Center.

The Big Red faced Omaha first, the 46th matchup between NU and Omaha. No. 3 doubles Shunya Maruyama and Leo Linquet got an early lead in their set, up 5-0. After dropping a game to Mavericks Quintan Van Wijk and Mikel Garmendia, the Husker pair took the match-winning game to finish it 6-1. On Court Two, Calvin Mueller and Nikolay Sysoev defeated Omaha’s Gabe Whiston and Ethan Gaubert, 6-2. No. 1 Anton Shepp and Nic Wiedenhorn faced Mavericks Mikhail Korkunov and Bryan Kuntz in an unfinished 5-3 match on Court One.

In singles, senior Rudi Christiansen cleaned up on Court Six, defeating Omaha’s Whiston 6-0, 6-0. Next to finish was Linquet in the No. 4 slot, taking down Ethan Gaubert 6-1, 6-2. Shepp took the next singles point on Court Two, where he defeated Quintan Van Wijk 6-3, 6-2. Wiedenhorn took on Maverick Mikel Garmienda and won 6-2, 6-4. Mueller and Maruyama were the last on, competing in the No. 1 and No. 3 slots respectively. Mueller defeated Korkunov 7-5, 6-2, and Maruyama won his match against Bryan Kunta 6-4, 6-2. The Huskers won the dual 7-0, its 36th win in the series. 

Next up, the Huskers took on the Creighton Bluejays for the second time in the 2023-24 season. Linquet and Maruyama grabbed a quick 6-3 win on Court Three against CU’s Gandini and Daijima. Court One pushed into a 6-6 tiebreak, where Shepp and Wiedenhorn could not outlast Lanahan and Maline, dropping the seventh game, final score 6-7, [7-9]. Down to Court Two for the doubles point, Mueller and Sysoev secured the win 7-5.

In singles, Shepp took the first singles win in the No. 2 slot against Lanahan. Lanahan’s match against Mueller in the previous matchup between the teams went three sets. Shepp defeated Lanahan 6-4, 6-2. Next to finish was Mueller on Court One, defeating Patel 6-0, 6-2. 

With only one point to go for the win, Maruyama competed in the No. 3 slot and took on Bluejay Gandini. After being down 1-4 in the first set, the senior came back to win six games in a row to take a 6-4, 1-0 lead. Maruyama defeated Gandini 6-4, 6-1 to secure the third singles point, and match winning point for the Big Red. NU won the dual 4-0 and improved to 4-0 on the season. 

Up next, the Huskers hit the road for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend held in Lexington, Ky. NU will face Alabama first on Jan. 26, and either #10 Kentucky or Notre Dame the following day. Times are TBA, and more live video and stats information will be shared as it becomes available. Stay tuned to team social media and Huskers.com for updates and content. The rest of the 2023-24 Nebraska Men’s Tennis Schedule can be found here.

Nebraska 7, Omaha 0

Singles competition
1. Calvin Mueller (NEB) def. Mikhail Korkunov (UNO) 7-5, 6-2
2. Anton Shepp (NEB) def. Quintan Van Wijk (UNO) 6-3, 6-2
3. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Bryan Kuntz (UNO) 6-4, 6-2
4. Leo Linquet (NEB) def. Ethan Gaubert (UNO) 6-1, 6-2
5. Nic Wiedenhorn (NEB) def. Mikel Garmendia (UNO) 6-2, 6-4
6. Rudi Christiansen (NEB) def. Gabe Whiston (UNO) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Anton Shepp/Nic Wiedenhorn (NEB) def. Mikhail Korkunov/Bryan Kuntz (UNO) 5-4
2. Calvin Mueller/Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) def. Gabe Whiston/Ethan Gaubert (UNO) 6-2
3. Shunya Maruyama/Leo Linquet (NEB) def. Quintan Van Wijk/Mikel Garmendia (UNO) 6-1

Nebraska 4, Creighton 0

Singles competition
1. Calvin Mueller (NEB) def. Kirtan Patel (CU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Anton Shepp (NEB) def. Matthew Lanahan (CU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Zachary Kuo (CU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Leo Linquet (NEB) vs. Alejandro Gandini (CU) 7-5, 1-3, unfinished
5. Rudi Christiansen (NEB) vs. Ethan Neil (CU) 6-1, 5-4, unfinished
6. Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) vs. Yuma Daijima (CU) 6-3, 5-1, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Matthew Lanahan/Zack Maline (CU) def. Anton Shepp/Nic Wiedenhorn (NEB) 7-6 (9-7)
2. Calvin Mueller/Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) def. Shin Inoue/Zachary Kuo (CU) 7-5
3. Shunya Maruyama/Leo Linquet (NEB) def. Alejandro Gandini/Yuma Daijima (CU) 6-3