Huskers Host Clemson in Women’s Big Ten / ACC Challenge Thursday

Notebook: Huskers Clash with Clemson in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

• The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home to take on Clemson in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off between the Huskers (4-2) and the Tigers (4-2) is set for 6 p.m. (MT)

• Nebraska is coming off a 55-47 win over Coastal Carolina in NU’s final game of the San Juan Shootout in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Nov. 24. The 47 points allowed by the Huskers in the win over the Chanticleers marked the fewest points scored against an Amy Williams-coached Nebraska team. The last time a Nebraska team held a foe in the 40s came against Evansville on Dec. 8, 2015 (86-40) at Pinnacle Bank.

• Nebraska is 2-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with wins over N.C. State (88-67, Dec. 3, 2015) and Duke (60-54, Dec. 3, 2014).

• Clemson comes to Nebraska after the two teams saw each other at the San Juan Shootout in Daytona Beach, Nov. 23-24. The Tigers defeated Detroit Mercy (72-44) on Nov. 23, before falling to Buffalo (61-41) on Nov. 24. The Huskers suffered a 10-point loss to the Bulls the previous day.

• A pair of Husker freshmen find themselves atop Nebraska’s offensive statistics early in the season. Taylor Kissinger, a 6-1 guard from Minden, Neb., is averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game while leading the Big Red with 18 three-pointers on 38.3 percent (18-47) shooting from long range. Kissinger averaged 14.0 points and buried nine threes in two games at the San Juan Shootout.

• Kate Cain, a 6-5 freshman center from Middletown, N.Y., ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (9.7 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.2 rpg) while leading the Huskers in blocked shots (2.7 bpg). Cain, who has 16 blocks, needs four more to join the top 10 freshman block totals (20) in NU history.

• Nebraska junior forward Maddie Simon has missed the last three games for the Huskers with a severely sprained ankle. Simon is averaging 6.7 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds per game.

• Husker sophomore Nicea Eliely has returned to the lineup the past three games, averaging 5.3 points and 6.3 rebounds during that span.

Scouting the Clemson Tigers
• Coach Audra Smith is in her fifth season leading Clemson. The Tigers come to Lincoln with a 4-2 record after splitting a pair of games with Detroit Mercy (W, 72-44) and Buffalo (L, 41-61) at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach as part of the San Juan Shootout last week.

• Clemson has struggled offensively early in the season, averaging just 50.5 points per game while shooting just 32.8 percent from the field, including 19.4 percent (12-for-62) from three-point range through six games on the season.

• The Tigers have missed senior Nelly Perry after she underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in mid-October. Perry, a 5-10 wing, was Clemson’s leading scorer last year after averaging 12.7 points per game. She also tied for the team lead with 2.9 assists per game, while adding 4.2 boards per contest.