Huskers Collide with No. 22 Creighton Sunday

The Nebraska women’s basketball team is back in action at home on Sunday afternoon when the Huskers play host to their annual clash with Creighton.

Tip-off between the Huskers (3-0) and the No. 22/24 Bluejays (2-1) is set for 1 p.m. (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com.

Fans unable to attend the game in person can watch live on the Big Ten Network with Larry Punteney and Meghan McKeown on the call.

Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 1400 AM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com, as Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch team up for their 23rd season together calling the action. Pregame starts at 12:30 p.m. (CT).

The Huskers improved to 3-0 with a 79-32 win over Alcorn State on Tuesday night. The Big Red won despite Maddie Krull and Annika Stewart missing the game with lower leg injuries, and Wooden Award and Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award candidate Jaz Shelley playing less than three minutes before leaving with a lower leg injury of her own. All three players are day-to-day. Shelley was averaging team bests of 16.0 points, 6.5 assists and 3.0 steals to go along with 4.5 rebounds through Nebraska’s first two games.

Alexis Markowski led the Huskers with a game-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds. The Lisa Leslie Award candidate leads Nebraska with 16.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. 

Natalie Potts completed a sensational first week of her college career with a career-high 15 points in a win at Wyoming (Nov. 10). The two-time Missouri High School Player of the Year averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (Nov. 13), before adding seven points and game and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks in the win over Alcorn State on Tuesday. Potts is averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks through the first three games of her college career.

Darian White, a four-year starter and three-time All-Big Sky performer at Montana State before transferring to Nebraska as a graduate student, has been outstanding early. The 5-6 point guard is averaging 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals.

Through three games, Nebraska has shown explosive offense and shutdown defense. At Wyoming, the Huskers produced an 18-0 first-half run and a decisive 19-2 second-half surge to power their way to victory. In the opener, Nebraska produced runs of 16-0, 12-0 and 10-0. Against Alcorn State, NU used back-to-back 16-0 runs in the first half to build a 49-15 halftime lead.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
vs. 22/24 Creighton Bluejays (2-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, 1 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets - 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live TV: BTN (Larry Punteney & Meghan McKeown)
Live Stats: Huskers.com (StatBroadcast)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (12:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (105.9 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Jr. - C/F - 16.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg
0 - Darian White - 5-6 - Gr. - G - 10.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 11.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Off the Bench
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - So. - G - 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Eighth Season at Nebraska (117-99); 17th Season Overall (310-208)

Creighton Bluejays (2-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
14 - Mallory Brake - 6-0 - Sr. - F - 4.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
31 - Emma Ronsiek - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 15.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
15 - Lauren Jensen - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 18.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
21 - Molly Mogensen - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 6.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
30 - Morgan Maly - 6-1 - Sr. - G/F - 15.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Off the Bench
2 - Kennedy Townsend - 5-10 - So. - G - 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
32 - McKayla Miller - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
12 - Jayme Horan - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
11 - Kiani Lockett - 5-8 - So. - G - 2.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg
23 - Brittany Harshaw - 6-1 - RFr. - G - 0.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg
4 - Lexi Unruh - 6-1 - RFr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)
22nd Season at Creighton (403-263); 22nd Season Overall (403-263)

Scouting The Creighton Bluejays

Coach Jim Flanery is in his 22nd season at the helm of Creighton and has the Bluejays in the top 25 in both national polls. 

Creighton entered the week at No. 22 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 before suffering a 65-53 loss to Green Bay in front of 1,027 fans at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha on Thursday night. 

The Jays are one of the most veteran teams in the country with five seniors who all played together at Creighton last season for a team that went 22-9 and 15-5 in the BIG EAST for a team that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, losing to Mississippi State, 81-66, in the round of 64. All five seniors were sophomore contributors on the 2022 Creighton team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.

The Jays return four starters from last year’s squad, led by Lauren Jensen. The 5-10 guard averaged a team-best 16.1 points and a team-leading 3.5 assists per game as a junior. She ranked second on the squad with 68 three-pointers (.347). She enters Sunday’s game as CU’s leading scorer again at 18.3 points per game after game highs of 21 points and four steals in the loss to Green Bay.

Morgan Maly (Crete, Neb.) ranked second on the team with 14.6 points while leading the Jays with 6.2 rebounds a year ago. The 6-1 guard/forward from Crete, Neb., also led CU with 69 three-pointers (.348). This season she is averaging 15.0  points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds. Maly averaged 20 points through the first two games before being held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting in the loss to Green Bay. Maly (1-8) and Jensen (1-6) went a combined 2-for-14 from three-point range, as Creighton hit just 6-of-26 threes against the Phoenix.

Talented forward Emma Ronsiek adds another dangerous weapon in the Creighton lineup. The 6-1 senior was CU’s No. 3 scorer and No. 2 rebounder with 13.2 points and 5.3 boards per game a year ago, while hitting 38.4 percent (48-125) of her three-point attempts. She has opened 2023-24 by averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 boards per game. She had 15 points and six boards in the loss to Green Bay, but also had a game-high five turnovers.

Molly Mogenson is Creighton’s fourth returning starter after averaging 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and a team-best 3.5 assists as a junior. Mogenson, who led the Jays with a then-career-high 22 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting in Creighton’s win over Nebraska last season in Omaha, is averaging 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds through three games this season. She was held to four points and three boards against Green Bay, but also led CU with a game-high six assists.

Mallory Brake is new to the CU starting five this year after playing in all 31 games off the bench a year ago. The 6-0 forward averaged 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game last season. She has managed 4.0 points and 5.0 boards so far this season, but was held to just two points in 15 minutes while committing four fouls in the loss to Green Bay.

Creighton is looking for replacements for graduate student Rachael Saunders (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Carly Bachelor (5.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) from a year ago with returning contributors Kennedy Townsend, Jayme Horan and Kiani Lockett. Bachelor scored 15 points as a starter in last year’s win over Nebraska, but Saunders did not play. Townsend, a 5-10 sophomore, has managed 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds early this season but did not score in last year’s win over NU. The senior Horan has pitched in 2.7 points and 4.0 boards and scored six points last year against the Big Red. Lockett has added 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds, but did not play last season against Nebraska. 

Freshman McKayla Miller (3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg) and redshirt freshmen Brittany Harshaw and Lexi Unruh also have seen limited time early this season for Creighton.

As a team, Creighton has outscored its first three opponents 69.7-57.3 (+12.3) points while posting a 37.0-32.0 (+5.0) edge on the glass. CU also owns an 18.3-12.7 (+5.7) edge in turnover margin. Creighton has hit just 27.8 percent (22-79) of its three-point attempts, while opponents have hit 28.3 percent (13-46) from long range. CU is an outstanding free throw shooting team (.761), after shooting 75 percent as a team a year ago.

 

Nebraska vs. Creighton Series History

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton 31-17, but the No. 20 Jays ran to a 77-51 win over the No. 22 Huskers last season at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha (Nov. 15, 2022) in the first meeting between ranked teams in the history of the series.

Sunday’s meeting will mark the second straight game in the series that Creighton has been ranked in the top 25 - the first two times in history. Nebraska has been in the top 25 on nine occasions at game time in the series since 1992-93. 

Nebraska owns a 21-3 all-time record against CU in Lincoln, including a 67-62 victory over the Jays in the last meeting in Lincoln (Nov. 17, 2021).

Last season, Nebraska trailed 22-11 at the end of the first quarter and fell behind 45-28 at halftime. The Huskers hit just 31 percent (18-58) from the field, including 5-of-18 three-pointers. Jaz Shelley led Nebraska with 14 points, while Alexis Markowski added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Molly Mogensen led Creighton with a then-career-high 22 points, including 19 in the first half. Morgan Maly added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Carly Bachelor contributed 15 points, six boards and a game-high four steals. Lauren Jensen pitched in 13 points and a game-high seven assists for CU. The Jays hit 11-of-24 threes in last year’s victory.

During the last seven games in the series, the Jays are 74-of-199 (.372) from three-point range, while Nebraska is just 26-of-114 (.228). CU is averaging 10.6 made threes per game during the stretch, while NU is averaging 3.7. 

Nebraska has not made more than five threes in a game against Creighton since a 75-67 Husker win in Omaha on Nov. 17, 2008 when the Big Red went 9-for-21. On the flip side, Creighton has made at least five threes every game against Nebraska since going 4-for-13 at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha on Dec. 3, 2000. Creighton won that game, 66-57. NU went 5-for-10.

In the last 28 meetings combined, Nebraska has hit 93-of-339 (.274) for an average of just 3.3 made threes per game. Creighton has hit 209-of-631 (.331) for an average of 7.5 made threes in the same 28 games. Nebraska owns an 18-10 series edge during that span.

Husker Nuggets
• Jaz Shelley was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

• Nebraska signee Britt Prince (Elkhorn North) was named to the Naismith Trophy High School Girl’s Player of the Year Top 50 on Thursday, Nov. 16.

• Nebraska used back-to-back 16-0 runs in the first half to build a 49-15 halftime lead in a 79-32 win over Alcorn State Tuesday.

• Alexis Markowski led three Huskers in double figures with a Nebraska season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds. Callin Hake added a season-high 14 points to go along with career highs of seven rebounds and three steals off the bench, while Logan Nissley pitched in a career-high 10 points. 

• Nebraska has allowed an average of just 18.3 first-half points through its first three games, including 12 to Northwestern State, 15 to Alcorn State and 28 at Wyoming.

• The Huskers had six players produce double figures in points against Northwestern State, marking the first time Nebraska accomplished that feat since a 90-61 season-opening win over Oral Roberts on Dec. 4, 2020.

• The Huskers have hit at least one three in 467 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two threes in 346 consecutive games.

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 28 times in the last 76 games, including 15 times in 2022-23. The Huskers opened 2023-24 with 10 three-pointers in a win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6, 2023). Nebraska knocked down a 2022-23 season-high 14 threes in a season-opening win over Omaha (Nov. 7, 2022). 

• Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women’s basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (591 games).

Potts Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year Natalie Potts has made an instant impact on Nebraska’s lineup. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (Nov. 13).

In Nebraska’s 71-52 road win at Wyoming, Potts was a catalyst at both ends of the court, erupting for 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while adding two steals and a blocked shot. Potts was a menace defensively, creating easy offensive opportunities with deflections at the front of Nebraska’s press to help turn an early Husker deficit into a double-digit road victory over the Cowgirls.

In her regular-season collegiate debut, Potts added 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field in a 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).

Through three games, Potts has hit 12-of-13 (.923) two-point field goal attempts and 2-of-5 (.400) three-point tries.

 

Husker Numbers to Watch

• Darian White has scored in double figures 99 times in her college career (97, Montana State; 2, Nebraska). She will be shooting for her 100th game in double figures against Creighton.

•  Jaz Shelley is 13 assists from joining the top 10 at Nebraska in career assists. Shelley heads into the Creighton game with 379 assists in two-plus years at Nebraska. All-American and two-time WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge ranks 10th in school history with 392.  

•  Jaz Shelley is 29 assists away from 500 in her college career. Only five Huskers in history have totaled 500 collegiate assists (Lindsey Moore, Meggan Yedsena, Rachel Theriot, Jina Johansen, Nicole Kubik).

• Jaz Shelley needs eight three-pointers to climb to No. 5 on the Nebraska career three-point list, matching Lindsey Moore (173, 2010-13). 

• Alexis Markowski needs two double-doubles to climb into a tie for sixth in Nebraska history with Nafeesah Brown (24, 1992-94). Markowski is currently tied for seventh with Janet Smith (22, 1979-82).

• Annika Stewart needs four points to reach 500 in her career.

 

Nebraska Notables

• Two-time All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) was the Big Ten’s top rebounder with 322 rebounds in 2022-23. She was the only Big Ten player to average a double-double (12.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg) during regular-season conference play.

• Jaz Shelley is 69 points away from becoming the 37th 1,000-point scorer in Nebraska history. Alexis Markowski is 136 points from reaching 1,000 career points.

• Darian White is 254 points away from 2,000 in her college career.