WBB: Game #20 vs Illinois

[Row6Seat10]

#15 Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-4) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (11-9)
 

Thursday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
Pinnacle Bank Arena
 

Social Media:  @HuskersWBB  Nebraska Women's Basketball  Instagram

Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live Video: BTN Plus
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)
KRNU-FM 90.3-UNL; KBBK-FM 107.3-Lincoln; KFFF-FM93.3-Omaha; KBRB-AM 1400-Ainsworth; KWBE-AM 1450-Beatrice; KLIQ-FM 94.5-Hastings; KSWN-FM 93.9-McCook; KHAQ-FM 98.5-North Platte; KNEB-FM 94.1-Scottsbluff; KSID-AM 1340-Sidney
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com

 

 

No. 15 Huskers Return Home to Face Fighting Illini Thursday

 

The No. 15 Nebraska women’s basketball team hopes to get back on the winning track at home when the Huskers take on Illinois Thursday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

 

Tip-off between the Huskers and the Fighting Illini is set for 7 p.m.

 

Nebraska had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 78-72 overtime loss at No. 20 Iowa on Monday night. The Huskers led 61-60 after a clutch Rachel Theriot jumper with 4.5 seconds left, but the Hawkeyes got a Whitney Jennings free throw with 1.3 seconds left after a bad call to send the game to overtime. Iowa scored on each of its overtime possessions to get its first Big Ten win against the Huskers in nine tries.

 

Senior Emily Cady led the Huskers with 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to notch the 30th double-double of her career and eighth of the season. She increased her season averages to 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She is averaging 12.3 points and 11.6 rebounds in Big Ten play, including 19 points and 15 rebounds per contest over the last two games.

 

Illinois comes to Lincoln hoping to snap a five-game losing streak since handing Iowa its only Big Ten loss earlier this season. The Fighting Illini are coming off a 70-57 loss at Michigan last Monday.

 

As a team, Illinois averaged 71.9 points per game and shot 41.9 percent, including 31.5 percent from three-point range with Ivory Crawford in the starting lineup. Without her, the Illini have managed just 57.4 points per game on 36.3 percent shooting, including 27.9 percent from beyond the arc. Illinois was surrendering 61 points per game, while holding foes to just 37 percent shooting, including 26.4 percent from long range with Crawford, but have allowed 66.6 points on 42.4 percent shooting by opponents without Crawford.

 

Despite a pair of 6-3 posts and an athletic wing in Crawford, the Illini carry a negative-5.3 rebound margin. However, they make up for it with Bollant’s “Buzz” defense, which has forced an average of 22.4 turnovers per game to give the Illini a plus-5.4 turnover margin. Nebraska committed just 12 turnovers in its win at Illinois.

 

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 7-3, including the 58-53 earlier this season.

 

Probable Starters:

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 7.4 ppg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 13.1
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 12.8
13 - Brandi Jeffery - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 8.3
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 16.9

 

Illinois Fighting Illini
22 - Ivory Crawford - 5-10 - Sr. - F - 15.9 ppg
or 10 - Amarah Coleman - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 8.5
32 - Chatrice White - 6-3 - Fr. - C - 14.8
34 - Jacqui Grant - 6-3 - So. - F - 9.3
15 - Kyley Simmons - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 9.3
20 - Brittany Carter - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 8.9

 

• A win for Nebraska over Illinois would guarantee NU its fourth consecutive winning season.

• Nebraska ranks No. 2 nationally with 12.5 personal fouls per game.

• Nebraska is leading the Big Ten with just 11.5 turnovers per game in conference play. The Huskers are the only team averaging fewer than 14 turnovers per game in the Big Ten.

• Nebraska is 24-3 all-time at Pinnacle Bank Arena, including 3-2 against top-25 foes.

• Rachel Theriot needs two points to become the 30th 1,000-point scorer in Nebraska women’s basketball history.

• Emily Cady is expected to move into a tie for fifth on Nebraska’s career starts list on Thursday with the 120th consecutive start of her career. Hailie Sample will move into a tie for eighth with her 119th start.

• Emily Cady enters the Illinois game with 980 rebounds, needing 20 boards to become the fifth Nebraska player and just the 17th in Big Ten Conference history to pull down 1,000 career rebounds.

• Emily Cady’s 1,302 career points rank No. 15 in Husker history. She needs 46 points to catch Cory Montgomery in 14th.

• Tear’a Laudermill is expected to make her 50th consecutive start when the Huskers take on Illinois. Laudermill is 60 points away from joining Nebraska’s 1,000-point club.

• Brandi Jeffery leads the Huskers with 31 steals this season.

 

GAME NOTES:

[Row6Seat10]

Sounds as if there are a bunch of Nebraska fans coming into town from Minden and Shelby to support the home town Illinois players.

 

Funny thing is though most of those fans will probably be rooting for the Huskers!

[Noah121]

I feel much better about this game since (a) the Huskers won in Urbana, and ( it's at home.  Just as long as the Huskers don't get the "home cooking" that Northwestern got at home against this team when GodBold was on the UIUC team.

[Bugeaters1]

My guess is about 8000 for tonight's game

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[Tinpanalley]

GBR. We need a win.

[Tinpanalley]

My guess is about 8000 for tonight's game

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Hope you are right about the attendance. Love the support the team gets.

[huskerchode]

Somebody tell the girls it's OK to make a basket.

[Tinpanalley]

We have 5 turn overs in 6 plus minutes.

[huskerchode]

We need to keep going right at them so Illinois fouls out.

[Tinpanalley]

Bench as scored more points than our starters.

[huskerchode]

I'm not at the game but it sounds really ugly.

[huskerchode]

What is with all the turnovers?

[Tinpanalley]

33 - 30 at halftime. Could be worse the way we have played. Need to play better offensively and defensively in the second half. The 11 turnovers are killing us.

[Bugeaters1]

My guess is about 8000 for tonight's game

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Hope you are right about the attendance. Love the support the team gets.

It will be close to that the only seats that are open are in the corners

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[Bugeaters1]

What is with all the turnovers?

A lot of it is trying to push tempo and getting caught not looking for the pass

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[Bugeaters1]

I'm not at the game but it sounds really ugly.

One red wants to be the Karl Hess of th women's game but yet he won't call a push off that happens right in front of him he's the bald guy

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[Bugeaters1]

Bench as scored more points than our starters.

I say Allie has earned m I nuts tonight she is really bothering white in post

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[Bugeaters1]

If the huskers would the other 50% of the free throws it would be a one pt lead for the huskers

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[Bugeaters1]

I'll in have 12 more shots on goal will need to cut that down

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[Bugeaters1]

I really like what haves can do here leave her in

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[Bugeaters1]

Haves will be on the bench this segment

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[Bugeaters1]

Voices is gone so you guys will have to bring it on home

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[Tinpanalley]

All our scoring should be done by drives or the forwards. It is time to get some of their players to foul out.

[Tinpanalley]

Come on T. Tie this game up.

[huskerchode]

Why are we not going right at White?