Nebraska Husker Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – The No. 5 seed Nebraska women’s basketball team will take on No. 12 seed Purdue in the second round of the TIAA Big Ten Conference Tournament on Thursday in Minneapolis.
Purdue (13-17, 5-13 Big Ten) opened the tournament on Wednesday with a 78-72 victory over No. 13 seed Northwestern. The Boilermakers trailed by 12 points midway through the third quarter before building a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.
The Huskers (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten) will battle the Boilermakers at approximately 2 p.m. (CT) at the Target Center in a game televised by BTN with Sloane Martin, Christy Winters Scott and Meghan McKeown on the call.
Fans also can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action. Pregame is expected to start at 1 p.m. (CT).
Nebraska will take aim at its 20th win of the season, which would give the Huskers their 19th 20-win campaign in school history. It would be the second 20-win season in the past three years under Coach Amy Williams, who also led the Big Red to a 20-win campaign in 2018.
Williams, who was the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year, has led Nebraska to 11 Big Ten wins in three of the past seven years. Prior to that stretch, the Huskers had amassed 11 or more league wins on only five occasions since beginning regular-season Big Eight play in 1982-83 (35 seasons).
Nebraska entered the week at No. 29 in the NCAA NET rankings and went a combined 3-0 against Purdue (2-0) and Northwestern (1-0) during the regular season.
The Huskers own 10 wins over current NET Top 75 foes, including No. 5 Iowa, at No. 21 Michigan State, No. 35 Maryland, No. 48 Illinois, a sweep of No. 51 Michigan, No. 64 Minnesota, No. 70 Georgia Tech and a sweep of No. 72 Purdue. Eight of NU’s 10 losses have come to NET Top 50 opponents.
The Huskers are led by 2024 first-team All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski, who averaged a double-double with team highs of 15.8 points and 10.7 rebounds on the season. Markowski has produced 17 double-doubles this season, including a huge 20-point, 21-rebound effort in a win at Purdue (Feb. 17). Markowski was a second-team All-Big Ten choice in 2023 and 2022, when she was also the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Jaz Shelley added second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second-time in her career. The 5-9 junior from Moe, Australia averaged 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and team bests of 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals on the season. Shelley, who was a first-team All-Big Ten choice in 2023, also leads Nebraska with 66 three-pointers on the year.
Natalie Potts made a major impact on Nebraska’s Big Ten hardware haul by being named the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the league coaches. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., ranked second among Big Ten freshmen in scoring (10.5 ppg) and free throw percentage (.859) while leading league rookies in rebounding (5.4 rpg) and field goal percentage (.520). The eight-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week started all 29 games for the Big Red and scored in double figures 18 times, including four double-doubles. She was honorable-mention All-Big Ten by league media.
Logan Nissley joined Potts on the Big Ten All-Freshman teams. The 6-0 guard from Bismarck, N.D., moved into the starting lineup over the final four games of the regular season. Over the final six contests, Nissley averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds while hitting 44.8 percent of her threes. She increased her season averages to 6.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists while tying for the fifth-most threes (46) by a freshman in Husker history.
(5) Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten)at TIAA Big Ten TournamentThursday, March 7, 2024, 2 p.m. (CT)Target Center – Minneapolis, MinnesotaTelevision: BTN / FOX Sports AppSloane Martin (PBP), Christy Winters Scott (Analyst)Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (1 p.m.)Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)B107.3 FM (Lincoln), 590 AM (Omaha), Huskers.com, Huskers AppLive Stats: Huskers.com
Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten – NCAA NET 29)22 – Natalie Potts – 6-2 – Fr. – F/G – 10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg40 – Alexis Markowski – 6-3 – Jr. – C/F – 15.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg1 – Jaz Shelley – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 12.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg2 – Logan Nissley – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 6.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg15 – Kendall Moriarty – 6-1 – Jr. – G – 3.5 ppg, 1.3 rpgOff the Bench0 – Darian White – 5-6 – Gr. – G – 7.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg14 – Callin Hake – 5-9 – So. – G – 5.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg12 – Jessica Petrie – 6-2 – Fr. – F – 4.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg21 – Annika Stewart – 6-3 – Sr. – F – 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg42 – Maddie Krull – 5-9 – Gr. – G – 2.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg32 – Kendall Coley – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 2.2 ppg, 1.9 rpgHead Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)Eighth Season at Nebraska (133-109); 17th Season Overall (326-218)
Purdue Boilermakers (13-17, 5-13 Big Ten – NET 72)20 – Mary Ashley Stevenson – 6-2 – Fr. – F – 9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg32 – Alaina Harper – 6-3 – So. – F – 1.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg10 – Jeanae Terry – 5-11 – 5th – G – 5.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg23 – Abbey Ellis – 5-6 – 5th – G – 14.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg33 – Madison Layden – 6-1 – Sr. – G – 10.1 ppg, 3.2 rpgOff the Bench2 – Rashunda Jones – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 8.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg31 – Sophie Swanson – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 6.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg3 – Jayla Smith – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 3.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg15 – Mila Reynolds – 6-3 – So. – F – 1.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg11 – McKenna Layden – 5-10 – Gr. – G – 1.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg21 – Emily Monson – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg34 – Caitlyn Harper (OUT) – 6-2 – Gr. – F – 11.3 ppg, 4.0 rpgHead Coach: Katie Gearlds (Purdue, 2007)Third Season at Purdue (49-43); 11th Season Overall (277-93)
Scouting the Purdue Boilermakers
Nebraska swept Purdue during the regular season, most recently claiming a 77-65 win over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind. (Feb. 17). NU also worked its way to a 68-54 win in Lincoln (Jan. 31).
The Boilers advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with a 78-72 win over No. 13 seed Northwestern in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday evening at the Target Center.
Fifth-year guard Abbey Ellis, who was a Cal Poly transfer prior to 2021-22, led Purdue with a double-double that included a team-high 25 points, hitting 7-of-18 shots from the field and 9-of-10 free throws. The 5-6 Australian also grabbed 10 rebounds. She is Purdue’s leading scorer on the season with 14.6 points per game, while also leading the team with 88 made free throws. She ranks second on the squad with 45 three-pointers.
Fifth-year point guard Jeanae Terry, who started her career at Illinois, added eight points, a game-high 16 rebounds and six assists for the Boilermakers. The 5-11 Terry who has joined Ellis and senior guard Madison Layden in Purdue’s starting backcourt for all 30 games, averages 5.2 points and team bests of 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists, while leading the team with 57 steals.
Layden, a 6-1 guard, has added 10.1 points and leads Purdue in three-point shooting at 40.8 percent (64-157).
Purdue features two of the Big Ten’s top freshmen in Mary Ashley Stevenson (9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Rashunda Jones (8.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Stevenson, a 6-2 forward, was the media’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while Jones joined her on the media’s All-Freshman Team. Jones erupted for 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting in just 21 minutes in the win over Northwestern. She helped the Boilers rally from a 12-point third-quarter deficit in the six-point win. Stevrenson added nine points and three rebounds.
Sixth-year senior Caitlyn Harper, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 93-88 loss to Penn State (Feb. 28), has been replaced in Purdue’s starting five by her younger sister Alaina in the last two games. Alaina Harper had four points and two rebounds in the win over Northwestern and is averaging 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in her two starts since her sister’s injury. The elder Harper averaged 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in her final season.
Freshman Sophie Swanson has contributed 6.2 points with consistent three-point shooting (.363) over 23 games. Swanson, who spent the early part of the season completing her recovery from an ACL injury, is averaging nearly 11 minutes per game. She managed two points on a pair of free throws in the Big Ten Tournament win over the Wildcats.
Purdue went 1-4 in its last five regular-season games with three single-digit losses and a 24-point win at Wisconsin (Feb. 25).
Nebraska vs. Purdue Series History
The all-time series between Nebraska and Purdue is tied, 10-10, with the Huskers winning four straight, including a 68-54 win in Lincoln (Jan. 31) and a 77-65 win in West Lafayette (Feb. 17) .
Alexis Markowski led Nebraska in the Feb. 17 win with 20 points and 21 rebounds. Jaz Shelley and Logan Nissley each contributed 18 points.
In the first-ever meeting between the two schools in women’s basketball, Nebraska fought its way to an epic 93-89 triple-overtime win at Mackey Arena (Feb. 2, 2012). Later that same season, Purdue defeated the Huskers 74-70 in double-overtime in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.
The third game between the schools also went overtime, a 69-66 loss for the Huskers in Lincoln on Jan. 5, 2013. None of the other 17 games in the series have gone overtime.
After winning the series opener in 2011-12, Nebraska suffered five straight losses to Purdue. Since 2014-15, Nebraska owns a 9-5 edge in the series.
