Huskers Surge Past Wildcats
Huskers.com
Lincoln -
Britt Prince scored a game-high 28 points to lead four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska rolled to an 89-73 women's basketball win over visiting Northwestern on Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Prince, a 5-11 sophomore point guard from Omaha, Neb., added six rebounds and a game-high six assists to help the Big Red improve to 16-5 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten, while dropping Northwestern to 8-13 and 2-8 in the conference.
Prince hit 10-of-15 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 threes, while going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line.
Amiah Hargrove added her second double-double of the season while making her first start of the year. Hargrove, a 6-2 sophomore forward from Christopher, Ill., started in place of
Jessica Petrie, who missed her first game of the season with illness. Hargrove led the Huskers on the glass with a season-high-tying 11 rebounds while pumping in 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Logan Nissley continued her solid play with 14 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting, including a half-court heave at the end of the first quarter that gave Nebraska a 28-17 lead after 10 minutes.
Callin Hake rounded out the four Huskers in double figures with 13 points, including 3-of-6 three-pointers.
As a team, the Huskers hit 52.6 percent (30-57) of their shots from the field on the night, including a sizzling 11-of-21 threes (.524). The Big Red also sank 18-of-20 free throws (.900), while outrebounding Northwestern, 37-27.
Northwestern countered with 45.5 percent (25-55) shooting, including 6-of-16 threes (.375). The Wildcats also hit 17-of-25 free throws (.680) in a game that featured 45 fouls, including 23 against the Huskers and 22 on the Cats. Northwestern won the turnover battle, 14-12.
In a high-scoring first half, Nebraska took a 47-36 lead to halftime on the strength of an 18-3 surge that spanned the final 1:45 of the first quarter and the first 2:30 of the second quarter.
Nissley and Hake each buried a pair of threes during the Big Red eruption, including a halfcourt buzzer beater to close the first quarter from Nissley. Hake also pitched in a pair of free throws during the surge, as the senior from Victoria, Minn., finished the half with 10 points.
Nebraska used the stretch to turn an 18-15 edge into a 36-18 lead, but Northwestern answered with a 7-0 run after a timeout to weather the Husker storm. The Wildcats also closed the half on a 6-1 surge of their own to trim the Nebraska margin to 11 at the half.
Hake and Prince led the Huskers with 10 points apiece in the half, while Nissley, Hargrove and
Petra Bozan each contributed six first-half points.
Nebraska hit 60.9 percent (14-23) of its shots from the field, including 7-of-9 threes (.778) while going 12-for-14 at the free throw line (.857).
Northwestern hit 42.9 percrent (12-28) of its attempts, including 3-of-11 threes (.273), while connecting on 9-of-12 free throws. Both teams grabbed 14 first-half rebounds, while Northwestern won the first-half turnover battle, 7-5.
Nebraska extended the margin to 69-55 at the end of three quarters and quickly pushed the lead to 22 points at 79-57 less than four minutes by opening the period on a 10-2 surge that included four points apiece from Prince and Hargrove.
Claire Johnson, who finished with six points off the bench, capped the spurt with a layup.
Tayla Thomas led Northwestern with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Grace Sullivan managed 16 points and five boards. Casey Harter contributed 14 points, while Caroline Lau rounded out four Wildcats in double figures with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Nebraska hits the road to open February by traveling to No. 11 Ohio State on Sunday. Tip-off between the Huskers and the Buckeyes is set for 5 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage from the Big Ten Network. The game also can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network including Huskers.com and the Huskers App.