WBB: Game # 21 @ Rutgers

[Row6Seat10]

  Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-5, 6-3)
 

@

 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-9, 3-6)

 

Saturday, Jan. 30, 1 p.m.

The RAC (Piscataway, N.J.)
 

Social Media:  @HuskersWBB Nebraska Women's Basketball Instagram

Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch) (Pre-game 12:45)

Saturday's Stations

• KBBK 107.3 FM, Lincoln
• KKCD 105.9 FM, Omaha
• KAMI 1580 AM, Cozad
• KRGY 97.3 FM, Grand Island
• KGFW 1340 AM, Kearney
• KHAQ 98.5 FM, North Platte
• KNEB 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff

Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
Live Video: BTN Plus

                              

 

                                Huskers Shoot for Sweep on Road at Rutgers
 

The Nebraska women’s basketball team takes aim at its seventh straight win while shooting for a season sweep of Rutgers when the Huskers take on the Scarlet Knights Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. Tip-off between the Big Red and the Scarlet Knights is set for 1 p.m.

 

Nebraska matched its fourth-longest conference winning streak in school history by notching its sixth consecutive Big Ten win with a 75-62 win over Wisconsin.

 

Natalie Romeo put on another amazing shooting display by tying her own school record with eight threes to finish with a game-high 30 points. Romeo set the school record with eight threes in a 32-point performance on Jan. 13 at Penn State. She owns four games with six or more threes this season and a trio of 30-point games. She ranks among national leaders with 69 threes on the year.

 

Allie Havers added her second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against the Badgers, Rachel Theriot returned from injury to contribute 14 points and five assists.

 

Rutgers was 12-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten before coming to Lincoln, but head into Saturday’s game at 12-9 and desperate for a conference win after falling to 3-6 with a 64-48 loss to Indiana. The Scarlet Knights have failed to reach 60 points in each of their last four games.

 

During its four-game skid, Rutgers is managing just 52 points per game, while shooting just 39 percent from the field, including just 23.9 percent from three-point range. RU also carries a minus-1.8 turnover margin during the slide and a minus-4.5 rebound margin, despite being plus-16 on the glass at Nebraska. In its last three losses, Rutgers has been outrebounded by an average of 11.3 boards per game.

 

Rutgers, which has played three of its last four games on the road, has been drastically more successful at home (8-2) than on the road (1-7) this season. The Scarlet Knights are 0-5 in Big Ten road play, but 3-1 with only a nine-point loss to No. 7 Ohio State at the RAC.

 

Kahleah Copper leads the Scarlet Knights, averaging 16.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Rachel Hollivay (6.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Briyona Canty (5.5 ppg,) provide plenty of experience to the Rutgers starting five, as does Tyler Scaife who is averaging a team-best 17.0 points per game.

 

This will be the third meeting between the Huskers and Scarlet Knights with each team having won one game in the series.

 

 

Probable Starters:

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers 
 

32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 20.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 7.8
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 5.6
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 16.1
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 11.9

 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights 
 

2 - Kahleah Copper - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 16.6 ppg
43 - Ariel Butts - 6-3 - Sr. - F/C - 3.3
1 - Rachel Hollivay - 6-4 - Sr. - C - 6.7
3 - Tyler Scaife - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 17
4 - Briyona Canty - 5-9 - RSr. - G - 5.5

 

• Nebraska matched the fourth-longest conference winning streak in school history following victory over Wisconsin.

 

• Natalie Romeo tied her own school record with eight threes against Wisconsin. It marked the school-record seventh time in 44 career games that Romeo has hit six or more threes, including the fourth time this season.

 

• Natalie Romeo owns a Big Ten-best 69 threes on the season. Her next three will make her just the fifth player in Nebraska history to hit 70 threes in a season, joining Kiera Hardy, Jordan Hooper, Amy Stephens and Yvonne Turner. Romeo needs three threes to move ahead of Hardy into seventh on NU’s single-season three-point list.

 

• Jessica Shepard reached 400 career points faster than any other freshman in Nebraska history. Shepard owns 405 points and needs 19 to catch Kelsey Griffin at No. 5 on NU’s freshman list. And 21 to catch Darcy Williamson at No. 4.

 

• Jessica Shepard needs 13 rebounds to become the fifth Husker freshman in history to grab 200 boards.

 

• Rachel Theriot climbed to No. 3 (570) on Nebraska’s career assist list..

• Jasmine Cincore has made 20 consecutive free throws.

• Kyndal Clark leads Nebraska with 28 steals this season and her next steal will be the 200th of her collegiate career.

• Natalie Romeo ranks 10th in Nebraska history with 120 career three-pointers. She needs nine to catch Amy Stephens and Nicole Kubik in eighth on the NU all-time list. Romeo needs 15 threes to post the highest freshman/sophomore combined season total in Husker history. Nebraska career three-point leader Jordan Hooper hit 134 threes in her first two seasons.

 

GAME NOTES:

 

                                                       BEAT RUTGERS!

 

                            

[whoopdeedoo]

i was just reading some comments about Rutgers. that strength of schedule must really be the glue that is holding the bubble together for them. they are sitting in 9th place (3-6) in the conference, 1-12 vs top 50 teams. yet, rpi's of #46 and #41. 

 

bit of a head scratcher for me that they are even in consideration at this point. 

[Bugeaters1]

i was just reading some comments about Rutgers. that strength of schedule must really be the glue that is holding the bubble together for them. they are sitting in 9th place (3-6) in the conference, 1-12 vs top 50 teams. yet, rpi's of #46 and #41. 

 

bit of a head scratcher for me that they are even in consideration at this point. 

I haven't looked at whom they have played, but they must be like Michigan SOS. So even if the Huskers lose this game it shouldn't hurt em to bad one wouldn't think.

[Row6Seat10]

Rutgers desperately needs to get a win after losing 4 straight. We can't let them get that. They're going to try to do the same thing Wisconsin did in slowing down Jessica by forcing a double team every time she gets the ball. Expect someone in Natalie's face for 40 minutes as they will make a conscious effort to limit her touches on the offensive end. The Huskers need to control the defensive boards, make their outside shots, and limit the turnovers to under 10. Need a big game out of KC4 and Allie to keep getting lots of rebounds.

[HUD]

It will be interesting to see how Allie responds this game after getting the stuffings knocked out of her 3 times in the last game we played them.  I think we may see a tough response.

[whoopdeedoo]

anyone else catch matt's comments? rachel not available and esther didn't make trip?

[Row6Seat10]

Rachel B wont play .

 

Coach Yori's key to the game.

Energy! The team with the most energy will win.

[whoopdeedoo]

didn't catch that whoop.

 

Coach Yori's key to the game.

Energy! The team with the most energy will win.

oh, just got it. rachel blackburn not available!

[HB]

Feel bad for Rachel B, and for us, as she had a big 4th quarter against Rutgers at home.   Kalenta will have to give us some decent minutes today.

[huskerchode]

Was Esther at the last home game?

[Row6Seat10]

Blackshirts playing some good "D" so far!

[Row6Seat10]

End of the first.

 

NU - 20

RU - 8

[Omahusker]

Starters looking good! Hoping we have the legs for all 4 qtrs with not much subbing going on

[whoopdeedoo]

was trying to get some looks at husker bench---namely burns. not the burns we are used to seeing on the bench. body language not real good. a bit concerning. makes one wonder how this injury is going to turn out.

[Bugeaters1]

Was Esther at the last home game?

Yes

[Row6Seat10]

Rutgers makes a comeback and gets within 1 at the half;

 

NU - 27

RU - 26

[Bugeaters1]

Bad call to end the qtr.

[Row6Seat10]

Need to take better care of the ball.

 

First one to 60 wins.

 

End of the third:

NU - 40

RU - 40

[whoopdeedoo]

huskers appear to be running out of gas. slow to the ball. allie making bad passes. rutgers by 5

 

 

ugh. some really bad passing. way too many to's. think huskers are at least 19.

 

a little curious why maddie wasn't used during the game at least to give someone a little break. 

[whoopdeedoo]

coach yori postgame with coatney:

 

points off to's rutgers 23, huskers 11

huskers end up with 20 turnovers

 

rutgers a hungry team, we were a content team

struggled to find a rhythm

[Row6Seat10]

Tough place to place with limited players. Should not have dropped this one though.

 

Need some healthy bodies and fast. Could have used Blackburn today for sure.

 

23 points off 20 turnovers for Rutgers.

 

Jess winds up with 23 and Natalie threw in 18 connecting on 4 big threes! Huskers with only 5 free throws all game.

[Cazzie22]

Not an unexpected result.  NU is really thin relying on starters to play so many minutes. The staff must lack confidence in the play off the bench. Connie sounded concerned and asked for crowd support against PSU.  

[longtimefan]

We had 20 turnovers and I would say most of them  were bad passes.  I'm not sure why we are such a bad passing team. I don't remember the past teams being such bad passers.  It seems like we did every kind of bad pass there is--sloppy ones, forced ones and I'm going to thread the needle kind of passes which are low percentage of success passes.  I'm sure they are being coached to make good passes so what can you do?

 

I know we were out rebounded but was surprised it was by only 3.  All game it seemed like we were just outhustled for rebounds. We would have pretty good position and still not get the rebound.  Sometimes I think we forget to jump.  One time we had 3 players standing close to each other and they all watched the ball land on the floor between them.  It's not a good attitude to think I won't go get the ball because my teammate is going to go get it. Meanwhile your teammate is thinking the same about you.

[redsteve]

Tough place to place with limited players. Should not have dropped this one though.

 

Need some healthy bodies and fast. Could have used Blackburn today for sure.

 

23 points off 20 turnovers for Rutgers.

 

Jess winds up with 23 and Natalie threw in 18 connecting on 4 big threes! Huskers with only 5 free throws all game.

 

Yes.....That's about it.

 

Their team was full of pretty good quick athletes. And most of their bench played...probably somewhat on purpose, since our bench is so limited. They have as many good athletes as about any other team in B1G...maybe not as organized as some...they just don't play up to their potential all the time. They really stepped up their defense and that was pretty much the difference....that and turnovers.

 

What looked like a full bench when we started the season....now just isn't near enough...mostly injuries, and when get some one back...they are rusty, and half injured anyway. Rutgers bench outscored our bench 14-0.

 

Jess actually had a nice game..came back well from the Wisky game. She got no help from refs. Not just against Jess, but the no call fouls throughout the game hurt us. The calls were pretty inconsistent generally. 

 

Late in the game when Jess drove the lane...foul...no call...but refs gave the ball to Rutgers on the out of bounds play.....bad call ....it looked like on replay it was off Rutgers.

 

And a couple of bad passes very late in game when we down about 3....that cooked us.

 

We played hard, they outplayed us just enough to win. 

[Row6Seat10]

Think about this, the Huskers played basically 5 players against Rutgers. Kalenta and Cincore each had 4 minutes. The five starters played the rest of the game. That combination will most likely get harder to add up as we go on, especially with Rachel T being game to game with her foot. We've haven't played a game in February yet.

 

Looked like Rachel B tweaked her knee the Wisconsin game so who knows just how long she'll be on the shelf. With the limited numbers we have now they struggle just to have a simulated practice. We can't afford any more injuries and need to get the aches and pains healed up. The coaches have their work cut out for them this next month just trying to keep this team together in more ways than one.