WBB: Game #22 vs Michigan State

[Row6Seat10]

Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-5) vs Michigan State Spartans (16-7)
 

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.
Pinnacle Bank Arena

 

Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Television: BTN (PBP-Lisa Byington; Analyst-Stephanie White) Directv 610; Dish Network 405
Radio: 25-Station IMG College Husker Sports Network  (PBP-Matt Coatney; Analyst-Jeff Griesch) KBBK-FM 107.3-Lincoln; KFFF-FM 93.3-Omaha; KBRB-AM 1400-Ainsworth; KCOW-AM 1400-Alliance; KRGI-AM 1430- Grand Island; KHAQ-FM 98.5- North Platte; KNEB-FM 94.1-Scottsbluff; In Michigan - WVFM-AM 730-Lansing, MI
 

Social Media: @HuskersWBB Nebraska Women's Basketball

Free Live Audio: Huskers.com  
Special Event: American Red Cross Appreciation Day

 

                   

 

                Huskers Set for Top 25 Showdown with Spartans Saturday
 

The No. 22 Nebraska women’s basketball team prepares itself for a top-25 showdown with No. 24 Michigan State on Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Tip-off between the Huskers and Spartans is set for 2 p.m.

 

Two of the hottest teams in the Big Ten will go head-to-head on Saturday in a game that could have major implications on the final conference standings this season. The Spartans come to Lincoln riding a four-game winning streak after a 69-53 win at Illinois. Michigan State avenged a loss at home to the Fighting Illini to improve to 8-2 in Big Ten play. The Spartans are tied atop the Big Ten standings with Penn State, after the Lady Lions lost to Iowa. Michigan State is a perfect 5-0 in road conference games this season.

 

The Huskers, who are riding a three-game winning streak of their own, will try to snap Michigan State’s Big Ten road streak while trying to even the season series with the Spartans. MSU worked its way to a 70-57 win over the Huskers at the Breslin Center a few weeks ago.

 

Michigan State enters its rematch with Nebraska looking for a season series sweep. As a team, Michigan State is averaging 75.2 points per game while holding the opposition to 64.6 points per contest.

 

Michigan State leads the all-time series with Nebraska 2-1. MSU is 2-0 against NU at the Breslin Center, but the Huskers have won the lone meeting in Lincoln.  

 

Probable Starters:

Nebraska Cornhuskers
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 6.3 ppg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 13.5
35 - Jordan Hooper - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 19.4
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - So. - G - 12.8
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 11.0
 

Michigan State Spartans
11 - Annalise Pickrel - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 12.9 ppg
23 - Aeriel Powers - 6-0 - RFr. - F - 13.3
52 - Becca Mills - 6-4 - Jr. - F - 9.4
1 - Tori Jankoska - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 12.6
21 - Klarissa Bell - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 8.9

 

Jordan Hooper ranks third on the Nebraska career scoring list with 2,093 points and needs 38 points to catch Maurtice Ivy (2,131) in second on NU’s scoring list. Hooper ranks third on the Nebraska career rebound chart and needs just two boards to catch Kelsey Griffin in second with 1,019.

 

Emily Cady leads the conference in Big Ten games-only with 10.6 rebounds per game. In league play, Cady ranks 23rd in scoring (13.6 ppg), first in rebounding (10.6 rpg)

 

Rachel Theriot is coming off her second career double-double when she had 11 points and a career-high-matching 11 assists in a win at Wisconsin.

 

Over the last three games, Tear’a Laudermill has averaged 21.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0. She has hit a blistering 57.1 percent (24-42) from the field, including 52.2 percent (12-23) from three-point range.

 

GAME NOTES:

[Row6Seat10]

[hoop_head]

Aside from some missed layups, thoroughly enjoyed this game. Was cool to see Brandi out there with all the youngsters at the end.

 

Brandi had a really nice game.

[caveman]

great game and i thoroughly expected a tight one.  i think it is safe to say we are now on a roll.

[longtimefan]

What a fun game to watch.  We were really clicking.  Everyone was contributing.  The only thing I would change going in the future is for Theriot to think shot first and assist second when she has the ball with just a few seconds left on the shot clock.  She always looks to pass first and when it's not there, she or whoever takes the shot doesn't have time to get a decent shot. She should be thinking to get herself a decent shot first  and then a pass for an assist when it's there.  I'm to the point now where I'd like Laudermill to have the ball in her hands for the last second shot.

 

Speaking of Laudermill, what a boost she is giving this team.  Instead of 3 scorers we now have 4.  I'm not sure I have seen a player elevate their game in the middle of the season as much as she has.  It's like Coach Yori (or somebody) found a button to push on her that supercharged her game.

[Bugeaters1]

[Cazzie22]

This game and the first MSU game are complete reversals.  NU looked slow and unathletic in the first meeting in East Lansing and today the Spartans looked completely out of sorts.  How does this happen?  Proud of the Huskers for charging to this winning streak, I had my doubts earlier in the season.  Still a long way to go.  Old cliche, one at a time.

 

#23 for MSU is going to be quite a player in the future.

 

#23 for NU is pretty good.

[Row6Seat10]

The Huskers won this game due to the fact we worked the ball inside. JHoop and Emily were brilliant and the Spartans had no answer for those two. I was impressed with the way we made that extra pass and found an open player for an easy shot. And really like how both Em and JHoop would drive the lane and dish off looking for the assist.

 

Good crowd this afternoon 7915  in attendance. I thought when we started off not even drawing iron with our first three shots that it might be a long afternoon. Sure glad they notched it up another level and never looked back. You don't see it too much but #10 sure liked to trash talk to Rachel after she would make a bucket. Glad Rach got the last laugh on her.

 

Cheered loudly when little Sadie got that lay-up at the end after Brandi held the ball running out the clock and MSU thought they could foul her without it getting called. 2014 Husker walk on Emily Wood from Salina Central was in PBA to see this one. I spoke with her after the game and man was she excited to be lacing them up next year in Husker red. 

[Bugeaters1]

You don't see it too much but #10 sure liked to trash to Rachel after she would make a bucket. Glad Rach got the last laugh on her.

 

I think it was #23 that would say stuff after plays. I thought MSU very classless, going to the playground style of play trying to get fouls called but to no avail. MSU must thought like a lot of teams think that coming into PBA is going to be a cake walk & will win easily.

[Bugeaters1]

Here is an article from Sipple on the play of the Huskers PG.

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/sipple/steven-m-sipple-shifty-passer-theriot-wows-spartan-coach/article_20a91fb0-5203-519c-ad5d-6369fe436227.html

[whoopdeedoo]

Here is an article from Sipple on the play of the Huskers PG.

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/sipple/steven-m-sipple-shifty-passer-theriot-wows-spartan-coach/article_20a91fb0-5203-519c-ad5d-6369fe436227.html

^^^

hard to argue with that! GBR!

[Row6Seat10]

Good looking up seeing balanced scoring at halftime, 5 Huskers with 5 points or more.

 

Emily wound up one rebound short of a double/double to go along with 5 assists. I look forward to her stat line, it consistently reads very well every game!

 

I could have sworn JHoop had more than 6 rebounds.

 

Rachel with 12 assists.

 

I really like how Brandi's been driving the ball into the lane and is getting to the rim. Miss Brandi ended up with 10 points on 5-8 shooting.

[HB]

Agree with the comments above about Brandi; she had a very nice game.  If she could play like that consistently, it would be a huge help down the stretch.  It's time for that to happen. 

[Bugeaters1]

Good looking up seeing balanced scoring at halftime, 5 Huskers with 5 points or more.

 

Emily wound up one rebound short of a double/double to go along with 5 assists. I look forward to her stat line, it consistently reads very well every game!

 

I could have sworn JHoop had more than 6 rebounds.

 

Rachel with 12 assists.

 

I really like how Brandi's been driving the ball into the lane and is getting to the rim. Miss Brandi ended up with 10 points on 5-8 shooting.

And then the dish to wide open people to make the shot.

[Row6Seat10]

The trash talker was #10. She ran back after one shot and let Rachel know about it practically all the way down the court. Even though they were behind by 20.

[Bugeaters1]

The trash talker was #10. She ran back after one shot and let Rachel know about it practically all the way down the court. Even though they were behind by 20.

There was a lot of s^&% that went down when they got down that big. Do you suppose that the basket by Sadie at the end was a slap to the face of MSU for the stuff that went on ? Because most times you would sit on that ball.

[Merlin]

I think after MSU didn't back off at the end to let the clock run out, Connie pretty much told the girls to go to the bucket.  If they weren't going to stop playing, neither were we.

[Bugeaters1]

I think after MSU didn't back off at the end to let the clock run out, Connie pretty much told the girls to go to the bucket.  If they weren't going to stop playing, neither were we.

That's not Connie to do that though, But maybe she had had it though and said go for it.

[twister31]

Went back to the radio broadcast and listened to that.  Matt and Jeff both agreed that she said to do it. Also interesting to watch that on the replay. She definitely said something to Brandi, but we can only assume what it was.

[Row6Seat10]

ESPN's weekly weekend wrap up "talking points" in college womens basketball has taken notice of the Huskers recent surge in wins and has this little excerp to say about it.

 

2. Nebraska stakes a claim: As much as Johnson's absence hurts Michigan State, let's just state for the record that no Spartans point guard, save perhaps Earvin Johnson, would have stopped what happened Saturday in Lincoln. Down 14-6 early against Michigan State, Nebraska went on a 34-6 run to close the first half and cruised to a 76-56 win. The Huskers picked apart the Spartans in that first half run, using Rachel Theriot and the high pick and roll the way older siblings use the stop hitting yourself" gambit on younger siblings.

 

As is sometimes the case in conference play, it was difficult to believe how different the game played out than in the first meeting, when Michigan State came away with a 70-57 win at home. In that game, Nebraska got 37 points from Jordan Hooper and Emily Cady and 20 from everyone else. Saturday, the totals were 31 for Hooper and Cady and 45 from everyone else. That included 15 points from Tear'a Laudermill, which actually qualified as a quiet afternoon by her recent standards. She had three points in the first game against Michigan State, but she's averaging 18.7 points per game over the past six games and shooting 53 percent, including 56 percent on 3-pointers.

 

Thursday's trip to Michigan is anything but easy, but with a remaining schedule that also includes trips to Ohio State and Purdue and home games against Illinois and Indiana, in addition to a potentially huge home game against Penn State, Nebraska is very much in the championship picture.

 

http://espn.go.com/ncw/notebook/_/page/notebook_140210/weekend-wrap-tricia-liston-leads-duke-blue-devils-key-stretch

 

 

Could the Huskers be walking into a trap-game Thursday night? Let's hope they play like they did at Iowa or like they did against Michigan St.

[HB]

Could the Huskers be walking into a trap-game Thursday night? Let's hope they play like they did at Iowa or like they did against Michigan St.

_________________________________________________________________

 

We should get the Wolverines' best shot.  Huge game for them, coming off some bad losses, plus they should motivated after the blowout in Lincoln. However, Connie has historically had her team ready for such games.   Big game for us as well; should be a whale of a game.