From Cornhuskers' website:
Huskers Hunt Road Win at Red Hot Minnesota
The Nebraska women's basketball team returns to Big Ten road action on Thursday to take on streaking Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Tip-off between the NCAA NET 25 Huskers (16-8, 5-8 Big Ten) and the NET 10 Golden Gophers (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten) at Williams Arena is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
The game will be televised live by BTN with Jack Kizer and Shimmy Miller on the call.
Nebraska will try to reverse course after dropping three straight games to NCAA NET top-20 teams, following a 78-60 loss to NET 14 Maryland in Lincoln on Saturday afternoon. It followed an 88-76 loss at NET 6 Michigan and a 90-71 loss at NET 17 Ohio State.
In fact, seven of Nebraska's eight losses this season have come to current NET top-20 Big Ten teams, including No. 2 UCLA, at No. 6 Michigan, at No. 12 Michigan State, No. 14 Maryland, at No. 15 Iowa, at No. 17 Ohio State and No. 20 USC. NU's eighth setback was a one-possession midweek road loss at Wisconsin (63-60, Jan. 21).
While Nebraska has dropped six of its last eight games, Minnesota is riding a six-game winning streak into Thursday's game, including a 91-85 win at NET 15 Iowa (Feb. 5) and a 65-60 win at NET 23 Oregon to start the stretch (Jan. 21). The Gophers have won their two home games during the surge by an average of 34 points, including an 88-53 win over Wisconsin and an 85-55 win over Purdue.
Britt Prince, who was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Midseason Top 10 on Feb. 2, is one of the nation's most efficient guards. The 5-11 point guard out of Elkhorn North High School in the Omaha metro area, is hitting 55.2 percent (158-286) of her field goals, 49.3 percent (33-67) of her three-point attempts and 93.5 percent (72-77) of her free throws.
At the start of last week, Prince was the only starter regardless of position in the country to hit 50% FG-50% 3FG-90% FT. Prince, who also leads the Huskers in assists (103) and steals (37), ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.935), including 100 percent (52-52) in league games with a school-record streak (men's or women's basketball) of 54 consecutive made free throws overall. Nebraska's leading scorer, Prince ranks ninth in the Big Ten in scoring (17.5 ppg) and 13th in assists (4.3 apg). She owns eight 20-point efforts, including a pair of 30-point games this season.
Fellow sophomore
Amiah Hargrove is emerging as a star in the conference. A contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, Hargrove ranks second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) while leading the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Hargrove pumped in 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in her second straight start in place of
Jessica Petrie (illness) at Ohio State (Feb. 1). It followed Hargrove's second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds in her first start of the season against Northwestern (Jan. 28). The 6-2 forward from Christopher, Ill., produced 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting at No. 15 Michigan State (Jan. 15). Hargrove is shooting 54.1 percent from the field, including 41.7 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line. She has hit 54.5 percent (18-33) of her threes in league play. She opened Big Ten play with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting (4-5 3FG) at Penn State (Dec. 6). She missed the loss at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1) after suffering a mild concussion late in the loss to No. 17 USC (Dec. 29).
Junior
Jessica Petrie has provided consistency and leadership at both ends in her second season as a starter. The 6-2 forward from Gold Coast, Australia, ranks third on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg), but missed the first games of her Nebraska career with illness in the win over Northwestern (Jan. 28). She also missed the loss at No. 11 Ohio State (Feb. 1), before returning in a somewhat limited role off the bench at No. 8 Michigan (Feb. 4). Petrie has produced double figures 14 times and scored at least seven points in all 22 of her games this season. She also leads Nebraska with a career-high 22 blocks and owns a career-high 21 steals this season after getting 12 total steals her first two years.
Junior
Logan Nissley has made 11 straight starts. The 6-0 guard from Bismarck, N.D., has averaged 13.6 points on 51.1 percent (23-45) shooting over the last five games following a career-high 22-point effort that included a career-best 6-of-12 three-point shooting against Maryland on Saturday. She had 15 points in a win over Illinois (Jan. 24), before striking for 14 points while tying her then-season high with four threes in a win over Northwestern (Jan. 28). Nissley, who had 11 points at No. 11 Ohio State, also ranks high on the efficiency scale, hitting 47.7 percent (61-128) from the field, including 46 percent (46-100) from three-point range and 85.7 percent (18-21) of her free throws. Nissley is averaging 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. Nissley ranks No. 7 in Nebraska history in three-pointers made (160).
Callin Hake provides veteran leadership and an emotional heartbeat for the Big Red while joining Prince, Petrie and Nissley as returning starters from a year ago. Hake, a 5-8 senior guard from Victoria, Minn., is averaging 8.0 points and 3.9 assists while hitting 37.8 percent (37-98) of her threes. Hake, who has added 32 steals, also leads the Big Red with 27 charges drawn through 24 games. She has scored double figures eight times, including a season-high 17 points in a win over Omaha.
Senior transfer
Eliza Maupin rounds out Nebraska's potential starting five. The 6-3 forward from Webster Groves, Mo., is averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds over 21 games with 10 starts. She notched her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Wisconsin (Jan. 21). She posted her first Husker double-double with 12 points and 11 boards at Iowa (Jan. 1).
Scouting the Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Minnesota heads into Thursday's game against Nebraska riding a six-game winning streak that has included top-25 NET wins at Iowa (Feb. 5) and Oregon (Jan. 21) along with victories at Rutgers (Feb. 8) and at Penn State (Jan. 28), along with home wins over Wisconsin and Purdue.
• The Golden Gophers are the No. 10 team in the NCAA NET rankings, but they have not been ranked in the AP or USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls yet this season.
• Minnesota, which is 18-6 overall and 9-4 in the Big Ten, is 11-2 at Williams Arena this season with its only home losses to current NET No. 2 UCLA (76-58, Jan. 14) and current NET No. 14 Maryland (100-99 2OT, Dec. 7).
• Minnesota finished 25-11 overall last season after running to the WBIT postseason championship. The Gophers went 8-10 and finished 13th in the final Big Ten standings a year ago.
• Minnesota features one of the Big Ten's most balanced lineups with four starters averaging double figures and a fifth - four-year starting point guard Amaya Battle - averaging 9.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
• Tori McKinney, a 6-1 sophomore, leads Minnesota with 13.4 points and 3.2 rebounds while leading the Gophers with 35 steals. McKinney is shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from long range to go with 82.3 percent shooting from the free throw line.
• Returning starter Grace Grocholski continues to be one of the Big Ten's best long-range shooters. The 5-10 junior is shooting 46.3 percent (57-123) from beyond the arc while averaging 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Grocholski is shooting nearly 50 percent overall from the field and has hit 62 two-point field goals this year. She is Minnesota's second-best offensive rebounder, averaging more than two offensive boards per game.
• All-Big Ten guard Mara Braun has returned to join Grocholski, Battle and Sophie Hart in Minnesota's starting five for all 24 games this season. Braun, who missed most of last season with a right foot injury, is averaging 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. She also leads Minnesota with 18 blocks and ranks second behind McKinney with 34 steals.
• Sophie Hart, a 6-5 graduate center, is enjoying her best season as a Gopher. Hart, who started her career at NC State, is averaging 10.1 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
• Minnesota has been bolstered off the bench by graduate transfers Brylee Glenn (7.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Finau Tonga (5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg). Freshman Makena Christian (4.0 ppg) also has played in all 24 games, while redshirt junior Niamya Holloway (2.0 ppg) is an experienced contributor for Minnesota.
• Minnesota is averaging 75.5 points and shooting 45.1 percent from the field, including 35.3 percent from three-point range. The Gophers also have hit 73 percent of their free throws. Minnesota owns a plus-7.4 rebound margin, including a solid plus-4.8 margin in Big Ten play. The Gophers also carry a plus-7.1 turnover margin, including plus-4.6 margin in conference action.
• The Golden Gophers lead the Big Ten in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 55.9 points per game on 37 percent shooting. Minnesota ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage defense. The Gophers also lead the nation and the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per game (10.1 pg) and they lead the Big Ten with the fewest fouls per game (13.7 pg).
Nebraska vs. Minnesota Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Minnesota 19-14, but the Gophers own a 10-3 edge all-time at Williams Arena. In the most recent meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota held on for a 62-58 victory (Jan. 14, 2024).
• Last season, the Huskers ran to an 84-65 win over the previously unbeaten Gophers (10-0) in the Big Ten opener for both teams (Dec. 8, 2024).
• Nebraska is 14-4 all-time in Lincoln against Minnesota, dating back to a 68-67 overtime win over the Gophers on Dec. 30, 1977. The Huskers are also 2-0 on neutral courts, but 3-10 at Minnesota.
• Although women’s basketball was not a full varsity sport at Nebraska until 1975-76, a women’s team from Nebraska suffered its first defeat at Minnesota in 1904 after going unbeaten in 1897 and 1903. Two weeks after the first meeting with Minnesota, Nebraska beat the same team in Lincoln.
• Minnesota’s Laura Coenen scored 42 points for the Gophers in a 90-79 win over the Huskers on Nov. 30, 1984. That effort is tied for the most points by any opponent individual against the Huskers.
