The No. 16 Nebraska women’s basketball team tries to close out its regular-season home schedule with its ninth consecutive Big Ten win before honoring All-American Jordan Hooper on Senior Night against Illinois on Thursday in Lincoln.
Tip-off between the Huskers and Fighting Illini is set for 7 p.m.
The Huskers are coming off their most impressive win of the season with a 94-74 run past No. 8 Penn State. Hooper, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten choice, notched her 11th double-double of the season and 37th of her career with 19 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a career-high-tying four assists. Tear’a Laudermill also played a huge role in the Huskers’ eighth straight win. She tied a school record with seven threes on her way to a career-high 27 points. Sophomore guard Rachel Theriot also knocked down all three of her threes, as Hooper, Laudermill and Theriot combined for 14 of Nebraska’s season-high 16 threes against Penn State.
Nebraska has unleashed eight straight wins. The win over the Lady Lions marked Nebraska’s first over a top-10 team in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena and its second over a top-25 foe during the Huskers’ winning streak.
Both of the Big Red’s wins over ranked foes have been by 20 points, including a 76-56 win over the other team in the hunt for the Big Ten title, Michigan State on Feb. 8.
Illinois comes to Lincoln on the opposite end of the Big Ten spectrum to the Huskers. The Illini are caught in an eight-game losing streak. Illinois has struggled offensively, failing to score 70 points since Jan. 15, one game after the Huskers ran to a 75-56 win over the Illini
Illinois is 9-18 overall and 2-12 in the Big Ten in Coach Matt Bollant’s second season. The Illini are averaging 68.6 points per game on the season, while allowing 71.7 points per game.
Nebraska owns a 5-3 lead in the all-time series with Illinois, including a 75-56 win earlier this season.
Probable Starters:
Nebraska Cornhuskers
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 6.3 ppg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 13.2
35 - Jordan Hooper - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 20.1
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - So. - G - 13.7
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 11.3
Illinois Fighting Illini
4 - Sarah Livingston - 6-2 - Fr. - C - 3.4 ppg,
2 - Taylor Gleason - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 3.7
12 - Ashley McConnell - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 1.6
22 - Ivory Crawford - 5-10 - Jr. - F - 14.6
34 - Amber Moore - 5-11 - Sr. - G/F - 14.8
Tear’a Laudermill has produced the first three 20-point performances of her career this February. Tee erupted for a career-high 27 points, including a school-record-tying seven three-pointers in Nebraska’s 94-74 win over No. 8 Penn State.
Jordan Hooper ranks No. 2 at Nebraska in career points (2,208), trailing only 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings (2,405) on the Husker list. Hooper ranks second on the Nebraska career rebound chart with 1,054. Janet Smith owns the NU career record with 1,280 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Rachel Theriot is 8-for-10 from three-point range and a perfect 12-for-12 at the free throw line.
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