Huskers Host Fighting Illini on Australia Night

The Nebraska women’s basketball team hopes to get back on the winning track on Thursday when the Huskers return to home Big Ten action against Illinois.

Tip-off between Nebraska (11-4, 3-1) and the Fighting Illini (6-7, 0-3 Big Ten) at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln is set for 7 p.m. (CT) with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com.

The game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin and Brenda VanLengen calling the action. A live stream also will be available on the Fox Sports App.

Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com, as Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch team up for their 23rd season. Pregame starts at 6:30 p.m. (CT). 

The Huskers are coming off their first Big Ten loss of the season with a 91-69 setback to No. 14 Indiana in Lincoln on Sunday. Illinois, which returns nearly its full nucleus from a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season, suffered its fifth loss in the last six games with a 67-61 home loss to Wisconsin on Sunday. Nebraska defeated the Badgers 69-57 in Madison last Thursday. However, the Illini also hung tough on the road at Indiana last Thursday, falling 77-71 to the Hoosiers.

Alexis Markowski leads the Huskers with nine double-doubles on the year, while leading the Big Red with 17.5 points and a Big Ten-best 9.7 rebounds. She is coming off her fifth 20-point effort of the season with 21 points against Indiana, and is averaging 16.8 points and 11.0 rebounds in Big Ten play. The two-time Lisa Leslie Award candidate has scored in double figures in 15 straight games. 

Two-time Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award candidate Jaz Shelley has added 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and team bests of 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals. She owns two double-doubles this season, including 13 points and 11 assists in a win over Maryland (Dec. 31). The 5-9 guard from Moe (pronounced MOE-ee), Australia, is the first Husker in history to record multiple career triple-doubles after getting 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over UNCW (Dec. 5). Shelley will celebrate Australia Night on Thursday along with freshman teammate Jessica Petrie (Gold Coast).

Four-time Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week Natalie Potts is leading all league freshmen in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg), including 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Maryland (Dec. 31). She also had 16 second-half points in last week’s win over Wisconsin before getting nine points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists against Indiana. The two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year out of Incarnate Word Academy has scored in double figures 10 times this season.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten)
vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-7, 0-3 Big Ten)
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, 7 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets
TV: BTN (Fox Sports App)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
B107.3 FM (Lincoln), 590 AM (Omaha), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Promotion: Australia Night

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten - NCAA NET 29)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Jr. - C/F - 17.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg
0 - Darian White - 5-6 - Gr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 12.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Off the Bench
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - So. - G - 7.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 6.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 4.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 2.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 2.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Eighth Season at Nebraska (125-103); 17th Season Overall (318-212)

Illinois Fighting Illini (6-7, 0-3 Big Ten - NCAA NET 71)
23 - Brynn Shoup-Hill - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 4.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
44 - Kendall Bostic - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 12.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg
1 - Genesis Bryant - 5-6 - Sr. - G - 14.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
3 - Makira Cook - 5-6 - Sr. - G - 14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
24 - Adalia McKenzie - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 10.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Off the Bench
41 - Camille Hobby - 6-3 - 5th - C - 7.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg
11 - Jada Peebles - 5-10 - 5th - G - 4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg
5 - Gretchen Dolan - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg
22 - Shay Bollin - 6-3 - So. - F - 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
4 - Kam’Ren Rhodes - 5-6 - So. - G - 1.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Head Coach: Shauna Green (Canisius, 2002)
Second Season at Illinois (28-17); 10th Season Overall (184-92)

Scouting the Illinois Fighting Illini

Coach Shauna Green is in her second season leading the Illini after guiding Illinois to its first 20-win campaign in 15 seasons (2007-08) a year ago. The Fighting Illini finished 22-10 overall and 11-7 in the Big Ten last season after falling in the NCAA First Four to Mississippi State (70-56).

 

The Illini return starters Makira Cook, Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie and Brynn Shoup-Hill along with top player off the bench Jada Peebles from a year ago. That group was 20-6 in the Illini’s first 26 games under Green after a 72-64 victory at Nebraska (Feb. 9, 2023). Since then, Illinois is 8-11 with seven losses by double figures and a 3-7 mark against the Big Ten including a 90-57 loss to the Huskers in Champaign (Feb. 22, 2023).

 

Makira Cook, a 5-6 senior who spent two seasons at Dayton, was a a first-team All-Big Ten pick last year after ranking fourth in the league with 18.3 points per game. She had 22 points in the Illini’s win in Lincoln last season, before adding 16 points in the loss in Champaign. This season, she ranks second among the Illini with 14.2 points and 3.4 assists.  

 

Returning second-team All-Big Ten players Genesis Bryant (14.8 ppg) and Kendall Bostic (12.6 ppg) add a potent top three scorers for Illinois. Bryant, a transfer from NC State, is the Illini’s top threat from three-point range (27-63, .429) while also leading the team in assists (3.5 apg) and steals (1.7 spg). The 5-6 Bryant played just nine minutes before suffering a lower leg injury in last year’s meeting with NU in Lincoln. She scored 10 points on 2-of-12 three-point shooting in the loss to the Huskers at Illinois.

 

Bostic, a 6-2 senior forward, is one of the Big Ten’s top rebounders, adding 8.9 boards per game, while hitting 64.5 percent of her shots from the field. Bostic scored a combined 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting in two games last season against Nebraska, including a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in Lincoln.

 

Adalia McKenzie, a 5-10 junior, has added 10.5 points and 4.9 rebounds while starting all 13 games. McKenzie scored in double digits in both meetings with NU last season, including 16 points in Lincoln.

 

Dayton transfer Brynn Shoup-Hill rounds out the Illinois starting five. The 6-3 junior forward is averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds, while hitting 25 percent (7-28) of her three-point attempts.

 

Jada Peebles has contributed 4.8 points per game. Last season, she scored six big points on a pair of threes for the Illini in Lincoln, before playing the full 40 minutes in the loss in Champaign.

 

Camille Hobby, a 6-3 transfer from NC State, has helped replace the departed Jayla Oden (4.3 ppg) and Geovana Lopes (1.1 ppg) inside. Hobby is averaging 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds. Shay Bollin, Kam’Ren Rhodes and Gretchen Dolan also have been regular contributors.

 

As a team, Illinois is hitting 45.2 percent of its shots from the field, including 30.5 percent from three-point range. Last season when they came to Lincoln, the Illini were hitting better than 38 percent of their three-pointers on the year. This season, they have hit just 21.3 percent of their threes in Big Ten action. Illinois has hit 74.3 percent of its free throws. The Illini own a plus-3.7 rebound margin compared to a plus-6.9 average margin through 25 games last season. Illinois does own a plus-4.2 turnover margin. Illinois is averaging 73.7 while allowing 64 points per game.

 

Nebraska vs. Illinois Series History

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 19-6, including a 90-57 win at No. 25 Illinois on Feb. 22, 2023. However, the Illini snapped NU’s eight-game series winning streak with a 72-64 win in Lincoln on Feb. 9, 2023. 

 

Jaz Shelley led five Husker starters in double figures with 26 points on 6-of-11 three-point shooting in Champaign. Isabelle Bourne added a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Alexis Markowski and Maddie Krull each contributed 11 points. Sam Haiby pitched in 12 points for the Big Red. Nebraska hit 10-of-24 threes and connected on 59 percent of its shots from the field overall, while also dominating the boards, 44-24.

 

In last season’s meeting in Lincoln, Haiby led four Huskers in double figures with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Markowski added a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Shelley contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, while Bourne pitched in 11 points and five rebounds. However, the Huskers hit just 5-of-21 three-pointers and just 17-of-52 field goals overall.

 

Makira Cook led four Illini in double figures with 22 points, while Adalia McKenzie pumped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Kendall Bostic added a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards, while Jayla Oden came off the bench with 12 points and six boards in place of an injured Genesis Bryant, who went down with a lower leg injury in the first half.

 

In the 2022 Big Ten Tournament, Jaz Shelley led Nebraska with a then-career-high-tying 32 points and a school-record nine three-pointers in a 92-74 win over Illinois in Indianapolis. Shelley added seven assists in a spectacular effort, hitting 11-of-16 shots from the field overall. Markowski added 22 points and nine rebounds in Coach Nancy Fahey’s last game leading the Illini.

 

Shelley also scored 21 points on five three-pointers in an 82-63 win in Champaign (Feb. 12, 2022). 

 

Nebraska is 16-4 against Illinois as Big Ten Conference foes, including 14-3 in Big Ten regular-season conference games. 

 

Nebraska is 9-2 in Champaign and owns five straight road wins over the Illini. NU is 8-2 against the Illini in Lincoln. 

 

The series dates back to an 89-86 Nebraska win over the Illini on March 3, 1982 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

 

The Huskers close the regular season at Illinois (March 3).

 

Potts Claims Four Big Ten Freshman Awards
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., has claimed four of the first eight Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards with the most recent coming on Jan. 8.

 

In addition to her conference honors, Potts was named the No. 14 impact freshman in the nation by ESPN on Dec. 22. She is averaging 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and a team-best 0.8 blocks through the first 15 games of her career.

 

Potts has scored in double figures in all three of the first four Big Ten contests, including 16 points in a win at Wisconsin (Jan. 4) when she got all 16 in the second half. She ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) in conference action.

 

She posted her second double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in NU’s win over Maryland (Dec. 31), including 13 points and 12 boards in the second half.

 

Potts opened Big Ten play with 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the win over NCAA NET No. 8 Michigan State (Dec. 9). 

 

She had 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes in a win over UNCW (Dec. 5). 

 

Potts won her second Big Ten Freshman award (Nov. 22) after averaging 14.0 points in two games at the St. Pete Showcase. She opened the week with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, in a 75-61 win over Lamar.

 

She opened another strong week by notching her first double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29). She followed with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a win over Georgia Tech (Dec. 2).

 

Potts averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn her first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (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).

 

She backed up her opening-week efforts by averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in her second week. Potts capped the week with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19), after getting seven points and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks in a win over Alcorn State (Nov. 14).

 

Through 15 games, Potts has hit 62-of-86 (.721) two-point field goal attempts.

 

Husker Numbers to Watch

• Jaz Shelley is 12 rebounds away from 500 in her career.

 

• Darian White is 15 rebounds away from 700 in her career.

 

• Alexis Markowski is 18 rebounds from 750, which would move her into a tie for No. 10 on the Nebraska career rebound list.

 

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.

 

• Alexis Markowski is No. 5 on Nebraska’s career double-doubles list (30) after notching her ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Wisconsin (Jan. 4). She needs three double-doubles to catch Emily Cady at No. 4 (33). The Husker record for career double-doubles is 40 by first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (2011-14).

 

•  Jaz Shelley (531) and Darian White (500) both own 500 assists in their college careers. Only five previous Huskers in history had totaled 500 collegiate assists (Lindsey Moore, Meggan Yedsena, Rachel Theriot, Jina Johansen, Nicole Kubik). 

 

• Darian White is 159 points away from 2,000 in her college career.

 

• Natalie Potts reached 100 career points in her eighth career game. She is in line with some of the best Husker freshmen in recent history in the pace of reaching the 100-point mark, including Jordan Hooper (6th game), Kelsey Griffin (7th), Kate Cain (10th), Sam Haiby (10th), Alexis Markowski (12th), Emily Cady (14th), Isabelle Bourne (20th).

 

• Darian White has scored in double figures 102 times in her college career (97, Montana State; 5, Nebraska). She scored a season-high 16 points against unbeaten TCU (Nov. 25).

 

• Callin Hake is proving herself as one of the Big Ten’s most improved players from a year ago. The 5-8 sophomore from Victoria, Minn., already owns more assists (+15), free throws made (+10), rebounds (+6), steals (+2) and blocks (+1) than all of last season in 123 fewer minutes. She is also shooting a team-best 46.7 percent (21-45) from three-point range while averaging 7.5 points per game compared to 4.3 points per game last season.

Husker Nuggets
• Natalie Potts earned her conference-leading fourth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Jan. 8. No other league freshman has won more than one award. Potts won the first weekly honor Nov. 13, before adding her second award on Nov. 27. She claimed her third honor Dec. 11. Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). 

• Alexis Markowski has been named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll five times in eight weeks in 2023-24, including Jan. 8. She also earned a spot on the St. Pete Showcase All-Tournament Team (Nov. 25). She leads the Big Ten in rebounding (9.7 rpg) while ranking fifth in scoring (17.5 ppg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.510).

• The Huskers had seven players produce double figures in points against UNCW, which is believed to be the first time that has been accomplished in school history. It is the second time this season the Huskers have had six players score in double figures in a game (Northwestern State, Nov. 6).

• Three Huskers (Alexis Markowski, Natalie Potts, Jaz Shelley) recorded double-doubles in the win over Maryland (Dec. 31), which is the first time a Husker trio notched doubles in the same game since Jordan Hooper (23 points, 11 rebounds), Emily Cady (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Rachel Theriot (10 points, 12 assists) did it in an NCAA first-round win over Fresno State in Los Angeles on March 22, 2014.
 
• The Huskers have hit at least one three in 479 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two threes in 358 consecutive games.

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 34 times in the last 87 games, including seven times in 2023-24. The Huskers hit a season-high 16 threes against UNCW (Dec. 5), and sank 12 triples vs. Southern (Dec. 17). NU hit 10 threes vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 6), Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29), Georgia Tech (Dec. 2), Michigan State (Dec. 9) and Maryland (Dec. 31).

• 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).