Dec. 24, 2012

Player of the Week — Jordan Hooper, Nebraska 6-2, Jr., F, Alliance, Neb./Alliance High • Finished with a game-high 33 points in just 25 minutes of action to lead Nebraska to an 80-67 victory over Oral Roberts on Thursday • Shot 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, also bringing down nine rebounds • Wins her first Big Ten Player of the Week award this season and third of her career • Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Jordan Hooper (Jan. 2, 2012)

Freshman of the Week — Kayla Hirt, Minnesota 6-2, G/F, Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji • Recorded her first career double-double in Minnesota’s victory over Northern Iowa on Friday • Scored 12 points and hauled in a team-high 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, shot 57 percent from the field and added one block and one steal • Claims her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor • Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Mikayla Bailey (Nov. 19, 2012)

El Paso, Texas – Not even a career night from Ray Gallegos could help Nebraska overcome a sluggish offensive start, as the Huskers fell to UTEP, 68-52, in the championship game of the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational Sunday evening.

Gallegos finished with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers, but Nebraska dug too deep of hole in the opening half minutes against the Miners, who improved to 6-5 on the season and snapped Nebraska’s two-game win streak.

One night after scoring the first 10 points against Central Michigan, Nebraska missed its first seven shots and had three turnovers in the first 10 possessions, allowing UTEP to get off to a quick start. The Miners hit five of their first seven field goal attempts, including a trio of 3-pointers, to wrestle control early.

The Huskers return to action next Saturday, Dec. 29, as they take wrap up non-conference play against McNeese State. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. and at the Devaney Center and tickets are available by calling 800-8-BIGRED or by visiting Huskers.com.

El Paso, Texas – Nebraska scored the game’s first 10 points and never looked back, advancing to the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational with an 89-75 win over Central Michigan Saturday evening.

The Huskers improved to 7-3 on the season and will meet UTEP, an 83-61 winner over Arkansas Pine Bluff Sunday evening at 8 p.m. (central).

Nebraska shot a season-high 57 percent from the floor, including 9-of 18 from 3-point range, in posting their highest offensive output since the 2009-10 season.

Dylan Talley’s 21 points, including a career-best six 3-pointers, led four Huskers in double figures. Sophomore David Rivers established career bests with 20 points and seven rebounds, while junior Ray Gallegos had 19 points, including three early 3-pointers to get Nebraska going early. Brandon Ubel added 14 points, as NU set season bests in points, assists and field goal percentage in picking up its second straight win.

Lincoln – Jordan Hooper scored more than 30 points for the second straight home game, pouring in 33 points in just 25 minutes to lead the Nebraska women’s basketball team to an 80-67 win over Oral Roberts on Thursday night at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers improved to 9-3 overall while Oral Roberts slipped to 3-6.

Hooper, who has averaged 32.7 points per game in her last three home games, hit 13-of-23 shots from the field, including 5-of-10 three-pointers. The 6-2 junior forward from Alliance, Neb., also hit both of her free throw attempts, while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.

Senior point guard also produced a strong all-around game with 15 points and eight assists, while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field including her lone three-point attempt, while also making all four of her free throws. Moore’s eight assists moved her into second place on NU’s career list with 568, ahead of both Nicole Kubik (563) and Jina Johansen (567).

Nebraska got contributions across the board, as nine Huskers found the scoring column, including seven players who hit at least one three-pointer. As a team, Nebraska hit 11-of-23 three-pointers on the night, while knocking down 26-of-57 shots overall from the field. NU was also a glossy 17-of-18 at the free throw line, including 16 straight to open the game.

Sophomore forward Emily Cady produced eight points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals, while sophomore guard Tear’a Laudermill pitched in seven points, three assists and two steals while supplying outstanding defense in the first half.

Laudermill forced six of ORU’s 12 first-half turnovers, helping the Huskers hold the normally high-flying Golden Eagles to just 20 first-half points. With strong defense from Laudermill, Hailie Sample and the rest of the Huskers, and the hot shooting of Hooper and Moore, Nebraska’s lead grew to 30 points at 52-22 early in the second half.

NU maintained a 29-point lead at 65-36 after Hooper got her final two points at the free throw line with 11:20 left in the game.

ORU got hot late in the second half against Husker reserves, going 19-for-39 in the second half while NU committed 13 second-half turnovers. Kevi Luper led ORU with 22 points, while Bernadett Balla added 17 points and six rebounds off the bench. Jaci Bigham and Christian Key each pitched in nine points in the loss.

Hooper scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting in the first half, including 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. It was Hooper’s fifth 20-point scoring effort of the season, including her fourth in the last five games.

Moore added 12 points and five assists on 4-of-6 shooting from the field in the first half. Moore also hit all four of her free throw attempts, leading NU’s 14-for-14 performance at the line in the half.

Moore’s 16-foot jumper with two seconds left in the first half sent NU to the locker room with its biggest lead of the half at 44-20. NU went 13-of-28 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. The Huskers also outrebounded ORU 18-13 in the half, while winning the turnover battle, 12-6.

Luper led ORU with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Bernadett Balla added four first-half points off the bench. The Golden Eagles went just 9-of-24 from the field, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc in the half. ORU was just 2-of-4 at the free throw line in the half.

The Huskers will take eight days off from competition before continuing their four-game home stand on Saturday, Dec. 29, when they take on Grambling State. Tip-off between the Huskers and Lady Tigers is set for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available now at Huskers.com. The game will be the second of men’s/women’s double-header at the Devaney Center on Dec. 29, as the NU men face Nicholls State at 2:05 p.m. A men’s ticket will gain fans free general admission seating into the women’s game.

Western Nebraska Community College has formally appealed a ruling that declared one of its women’s basketball players ineligible and required the unbeaten Cougars to forfeit their first 13 victories.

The college says the appeal to the National Junior College Athletic Association included extensive supporting  documentation on the amateur status of women’s basketball player Evgenia “Jess” Samorodova of Russia.

The NJCAA believes that the 6-3 Samorodova played on either a professional team or a team with a professional player earlier this year, either of which would make her ineligible.

WNCC Athletic Director Ryan Burgner said the ruling “came as a surprise” and  maintains the college did more than the required level of “due diligence” in verifying Samorodova’s eligibility.

Samorodova played in 9 of the Cougars 13 games before the ruling was issued, averaging 14.2 points and 7 rebounds a game.

She remains enrolled at WNCC, but won’t compete any more this season unless the appeal is successful. With the forfeits, the Cougars are 2-13…but none of the games were Region IX contests and the forfeits don’t affect WNCC’s eligibility for the regional and national tournaments.

 

Lincoln – For Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles, tonight was night where the Huskers were more lucky than good, as Nebraska nearly saw a 15-point lead vanish down the stretch before holding on to a 59-55 victory over Jacksonville State Tuesday evening.

“Did you guys ever see that Buffalo Wild Wings commercial? If you haven’t, you just lived it. Christmas came early in the Devaney,” Miles said.  “First of all, we’re up, I think 13 at the under-eight timeout and I said, ‘Okay, here’s how you win the game: from the under-eight to the under-four, you extend the lead. You extend the lead. Just play your butt off, play defense, handle the ball well and be on the attack.’ Whatever their run was from there, we just did completely the opposite. It was so disappointing. We were fortunate. We just plain got lucky.”

Nebraska led 50-35 following a pair of Dylan Talley free throws at the seven minute mark, but 20-6 run by the Gamecocks pulled Jacksonville State (8-3) within 56-55 after Ronnie Boggs’ 3-pointer with 21 seconds left. On Nebraska’s next possession, Ray Gallegos split a pair of three throws with 18 seconds left, giving NU a two-point lead and the visitors an opportunity to tie.

JSU’s Brian Williams got into the lane, but his attempt missed and Dylan Talley pulled down the rebound. Talley, who finished with 10 points, then salted the game away by sinking a pair of free throws to preserve the win. Nebraska, which came into the contest hitting on 67 percent from the foul line, went 17-of-21 from the charity stripe to snap a two-game losing streak.

The Huskers (7-3) placed three players in double figures and received an outstanding performance from Shavon Shields, who led NU with 14 points. The 6-foot-6 freshman from Olathe, Kan., hit 6-of-7 shots from the field while setting career highs in rebounds and steals, as his offensive output in the first 30 minutes staked Nebraska a seemingly comfortable lead.

Brandon Ubel was the third Husker in double figures, as he totaled his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, as Nebraska outscored JSU, 28-16 in the paint and held the Gamecocks to just 36 percent shooting on the floor.

It was a game of runs early, as the Huskers ran off seven straight points to take an early 11-6 lead after a Talley jumper, only to see Jacksonville State respond with a 14-2 run of its own to take a 20-13 lead after a Brian Williams basket 

Nebraska then put the clamps down defensively, holding JSU to just one basket over the final 9:38 of the half to take control. Baskets by Ubel and Shields started a 16-2 Husker surge to close the half, as Nebraska ran off the final 12 points of the half, and made eight consecutive defensive stops to take a 29-22 lead into the locker room. NU held the visitors to just 30.8 percent shooting in the first half.

The Huskers started to go inside early in the second half, as Andre Almeida and Ubel keyed a 10-3 surge that put the Huskers up 41-29. From there, Shields took over, accounting for the Huskers’ next seven points, as NU pushed the lead to 15 before Jacksonville State rallied down the stretch

Darion Rackey led four Jacksonville State with 17 points, as the Gamecocks saw their five-game win streak snapped.

The Huskers will travel to El Paso this weekend for a two-day tournament on Saturday and Sunday. NU will face Central Michigan Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT. The games will not be televised and only available on the Husker Sports Radio Network.