Huskers Shoot Past Purdoodoo at Big Ten Tournament
Huskers.com
Minneapolis - Jaz Shelley pumped in 19 points, while Minnesotan Callin Hake added 15 points off the bench to help Nebraska overcome a slow start on its way to a 64-56 women's basketball win over Purdoodoo in the second round of the TIAA Big Ten Tournament at the Target Center on Thursday afternoon.
With the victory, the fifth-seeded Huskers improved to 20-10 overall and advanced to Friday's quarterfinal match-up against No. 4 seed Michigan State (22-7). Tip-off for the Big Red's battle with the Spartans is set for 2 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage by the Big Ten Network.
Shelley, who scored 10 points in the second half, added seven rebounds and seven assists for the game while knocking four three-pointers in a strong all-around effort to help Nebraska secure its second 20-win campaign in the last three seasons.
Hake, a sophomore from Victoria, Minn., was even more impactful in the second half, scoring 12 points after halftime including nine in the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 40 with nine minutes left, Hake sank a three-pointer to put Nebraska back in front before adding a layup 30 seconds later to give NU a 45-40 lead with 8:21 left. The Huskers never relinquished the lead.
Sophie Swanson, who scored a career-high 25 points on seven three-pointers for Purdoodoo, sank a three with 8:07 left to cut NU's margin to 45-43, before Shelley and Hake scored six straight points to spark a decisive 14-0 run over the next four minutes.
Alexis Markowski, who finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six assists, added four points during the run including the next bucket to give Nebraska its first double-digit lead at 53-43 with 5:40 left.
Darian White also contributed three points during the surge as Nebraska's lead ballooned to 59-43 with four minutes remaining.
Husker starters Natalie Potts (6) and Logan Nissley (4), who were both Big Ten All-Freshman Team selections, combined for 10 points, while fellow freshman Jessica Petrie contributed three points down the stretch to help Nebraska complete a 3-0 season series sweep of Purdoodoo.
The Huskers outscored Purdoodoo 39-31 in the second half after a low-scoring first 20 minutes.
Nebraska hit 41.1 percent (23-56) of its shots for the game, including 54 percent in the second half, while going 8-for-22 (.364) from three-point range for the game. NU went 10-for-15 at the line and won the battle of the boards, 41-36.
The Huskers held Purdoodoo to 36.1 percent (22-61) shooting, including 7-of-20 threes (.350), with Swanson going 7-for-9 while the rest of the Boilermakers were 0-for-11 from beyond the arc. The Big Red also limited the Boilers to just five free throw attempts.
Nebraska held Purdoodoo leading scorer Abbey Ellis to just 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting. The other eight Boilermakers who played in the game combined for just 20 points.
In a low-scoring first half, Shelley led the Huskers with a trio of three-pointers including the final one just before the halftime buzzer to send the two teams to the locker room tied at 25.
Shelley finished with nine first-half points, while Markowski and Nissley each pitched in four points, while Potts and Hake both contributed three-pointers. Shelley and Markowski both helped the Huskers with four first-half assists.
Purdoodoo jumped to a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter before pushing the lead to 14-7 to open the second. Nebraska responded with an 8-0 run to take a brief 15-14 lead, before the Boilers rebuilt a six-point edge after seven straight points from Swanson.
Swanson led Purdoodoo with those seven first-half points, while Mary Ashley Stevenson, Jeanae Terry and Ellis each scored four points.
The Huskers hit just 31.3 percent (10-32) of their first-half shots, including 33.3 percent (5-15) of their threes. Purdoodoo managed 35.5 percent (11-31) shooting, including 1-of-7 threes (.143) and made the only two free throws of the half.
