Nebraska women’s basketball capped off their regular season Sunday by picking up an 80-64 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats.
The Huskers finish the year with a 16-13 record, with the Big Ten Tournament beginning this week.
It was Senior Day at Pinnacle Bank Arena, as Issie Bourne, Jaz Shelley, and Sam Haiby were honored after the Big Red victory. The trio stepped up big time for the Huskers, combining for 43 of NU’s 80 points and leaving a lasting impression in what could be the last time the three play in front of Husker Nation.
It was a different starting lineup than Husker fans are accustomed to seeing from NU this afternoon as for the first time this season Alexis Markowski came off the bench, allowing Annika Stewart to get the start in place for the former Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
It was an offensive struggle for both teams in the first quarter as Nebraska led 12-7 after 10 minutes of play. Northwestern shot 15 percent from the field and did not score a point over the last four minutes of the quarter.
Although the Huskers played stout defense, they were unable to take advantage of the Wildcats’ abysmal offense as they shot 31 percent from the field and 1-of-6 from 3. Shelley led all scorers in the first with five points.
The scoring picked up in the second as Nebraska quickly jumped on the Wildcats and put together a 7-2 run led by Bourne. After a Northwestern timeout, the Huskers led 19-9.
Out of the timeout, the Wildcat offense caught fire. Northwestern put together a 10-2 run, carried by six Caroline Lau points to cut the Nebraska lead to two.
The Big Red responded with an 8-2 run after four straight Callin Hake points, regaining a 29-21 lead.
Nebraska led by five with 43 seconds left until a no-call turned the tide.
As Shelley grabbed the basketball from Markowski, she was hounded by two Wildcat defenders. Shelley got tied up and a jump ball, not a foul, was called. Husker head coach Amy Williams was furious on the sidelines about the no-call and was awarded a technical foul.
The Wildcats made both free throws and later hit a last-second three to tie the game up at 30 heading into the locker rooms.
Turnovers once again plagued NU. The Cornhuskers coughed up the ball 11 times in the first half as Northwestern capitalized, scoring 11 points off NU mistakes.
Lau led all scorers with nine points. Shelley led the Huskers with eight points and eight rebounds.
The Huskers quickly regained their five-point lead in the third, outscoring Northwestern 9-4, and led 39-34. The two sides traded buckets and free throws as the Husker lead was three with three to play in the third.
Carried by seven straight Markowski points, the Huskers ended the quarter strong and headed into the 4th up 60-50.
Markowski had an incredible third, scoring 12 points and grabbing three offensive rebounds which helped produce five second-chance points.
Nebraska maintained full control of the game in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats never cut the lead to lower than nine points as Nebraska picked up an 80-64 win over Northwestern.
In what could be her last game at PBA, Shelley put on a masterful performance, finishing with a signature 19 point, 13 rebound, and six assist stat line.
Markowski finished the contest with 16 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. Coming into the game, Markowksi shot 58.7 percent from the free-throw line; this afternoon she went 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.
The Huskers are set to play Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament Thursday, March 2nd.