The No. 16 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to Big Ten Conference road action on Sunday afternoon to take on Illinois in Champaign. Tip-off between the Huskers and the Fighting Illini is set for 1 p.m.
Nebraska had its five-game winning streak come to an end with a 70-57 loss to Michigan State on Thursday night in East Lansing. The Huskers, who suffered through their worst shooting night of the season (30.8 percent) opened the game hitting just 12-of-48 shots.
Illinois looks to snap a three-game skid against the Huskers, the Illini's third top-20 foe in their last four games. The Illini made a furious comeback in the final minutes on Thursday but couldn't overcome Penn State, as the Lady Lions notched an 82-76 win at State Farm Center.
The Illinois annual Pack the House event promotion is slated for Sunday. All fans receive free admission and parking, and the first 150 people through the door get free courtside seating. The first 2,000 people will receive paper crowns and will be encouraged at some point during the game to put them on in an attempt to break the world record for the most people wearing a paper crown at the same time.
Jordan Hooper is averaging 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, ranking third and second in the Big Ten, respectively for the Huskers. She also stands 32nd nationally in scoring and 30th in rebounding. Rachel Theriot ranks fourth in the league in assists with 5.9 per game, which also stands 25th in the nation.
The Huskers rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (59.4 ppg), scoring margin (+15.4), rebounding margin (+8.1), and free-throw percentage (.782). They are fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1:1) but rank ninth in three-point field-goal percentage (.326), while ranking sixth in field-goal percentage (.438) and field-goal defense (.368), while standing seventh in three-point field-goal defense (.298).
Nebraska ranks third in the nation in fewest fouls per game at 13.9 and is ninth in free-throw percentage (78.2 percent). The Huskers also rank 30th in scoring margin (+15.4) and 34th in rebounding margin (+8.1).
Nebraska and Illinois have played only seven times in the schools' histories, with the Huskers holding a 4-3 advantage.
Probable Starters:
Nebraska Cornhuskers
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 6.0 ppg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 13.4
35 - Jordan Hooper - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 20.2
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - So. - G - 12.0
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 8.4
Illinois Fighting Illini
34 - Jacqui Grant - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 12.6 ppg
5 - Nia Oden - 5-10 - Fr. - G/F - 1.6
22 - Ivory Crawford - 5-10 - Jr. - F - 14.7
23 - Alexis Smith - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 9.2
34 - Amber Moore - 5-11 - Sr. - G/F - 17.5
Jordan Hooper needs just eight points to catch fellow Alliance, Neb., native Amy Stephens (1,976 points) at No. 4 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list. Hooper is 32 points and 41 rebounds away from becoming just the third Husker in history to achieve the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound career milestones. Hooper would become just the fifth Big Ten Conference player in history to achieve those combined plateaus.
Emily Cady is nearly averaging a double-double with 13.4 points and 8.8 rebounds. She owns five double-doubles this season (Alabama, Southern, Washington State, Utah State, Michigan State) and 13 in her career. With her 13th career double-double at Michigan State, Cady cracked Nebraska’s top-10 list in that category.
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