Nebraska Women's Basketball
Huskers Close Stand Against Scrappy Southern
The Nebraska women’s basketball team wraps up its four-game, season-opening home stand on Monday when the Huskers take on Southern at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Tip-off between the Huskers and the Jaguars is set for 7 p.m.
Jessica Shepard continued her impressive start to the season with her third consecutive 20-point game and third straight double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Nebraska’s win over North Carolina Central. She is averaging 23.7 points and 11.0 rebounds through three games. If she can score 29 points against Southern, Shepard will become the first freshman in Husker history to reach 100 points in four games. Jordan Hooper and Debra Powell hold the NU record for freshmen getting to 100 points fastest, and it took them six games.
Coach Sandy Pugh brings the Southern Jaguars to Lincoln for the second time in the last three seasons. The Jaguars opened the season with a 65-46 win over Spring Hill College, before falling at Texas A&M, 88-47, then improved to 2-1 with a 50-45 victory over South Alabama.
SU was 19-12 last season which included a 15-3 SWAC record and a second place conference finish.
The only Jaguar starter remaining from last year’s team is junior Cortnei Purnell. She’s averaging 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds through three games. Freshman Skylar O’Bear, a 5-7 guard, leads Southern with 11.0 points per game.
Probable Starters:
Nebraska Cornhuskers
43 - Rachel Blackburn - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 6.3 ppg
32 - Jessica Shepard - 6-4 - Fr. - F - 23.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg
4 - Kyndal Clark - 5-7 - RSr. - G - 4.3
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - So. - G - 16.7
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 9.0
Southern Jaguars
22 - Briana Green - 5-11 - So. - F - 6.7 ppg
32 - Miaya Crowder - 6-0 - Jr. - P - 8.7
4 - Skylar O’Bear - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 11.0
23 - Kadesha Berry - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 2.0
40 - Cortnei Purnell - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 9.3
• Rachel Theriot is ranked No. 27 in career points at Nebraska with 1,050. She needs 19 points to catch Kate Galligan at No. 26.
• Kyndal Clark scored 1,418 points and hit 222 three-pointers in her three seasons plus one game at Drake.
• Natalie Romeo produced the best season-opening performance in school history with 30 points while going 6-of-9 from three-point range in the win over Arkansas Pine Bluff.
• Natalie Romeo finished with 51 three-pointers in 2014-15 to produce the second-highest total by a freshman in Nebraska history, trailing only school-record holder Jordan Hooper’s 67.
• Jessica Shepard’s next double-double will tie for fifth on the Husker freshman list with four.
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