Huskers Close Home Stand with Southern Tuesday
The No. 21 Nebraska women’s basketball team closes its three-game season-opening home stand by playing host to Southern University on Tuesday evening in Lincoln.
Tip-off between the Huskers (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) and the Jaguars (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Doors open 90 minutes prior to tip with Starting 5 Pack and Single-Game Tickets on sale now at Huskers.com or by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG-RED during regular business hours Monday-Friday.
A live video stream of the game will be provided to subscribers of B1G+. Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com, as Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch continue their 24th season together calling all the action of Nebraska women’s basketball. Pregame starts at 6:30 p.m. (CT).
Nebraska, which is coming off a 23-12 campaign that included a run to the Big Ten Championship Game and a trip to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, is coming off a 78-68 win over Southeastern Louisiana at PBA on Saturday afternoon.
Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts led Nebraska with team highs of 17 points and seven rebounds while knocking down a career-high four three-pointers. She scored 14 points and went 3-for-3 from long range in the second half to help the Huskers rally from a 37-31 halftime deficit. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., is averaging a team-best 15.5 points to go along with 6.5 rebounds through two games.
Fellow Big Ten All-Freshman pick Logan Nissley added 14 big points and four three-pointers of her own against the Lady Lions. Nissley is averaging 13.0 points and 3.5 assists in just 15.0 minutes per game early this season. The 6-0 shooting guard from Bismarck, N.D., averaged 7.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 2023-24. She started Nebraska’s final 10 games and led the Big Red with 16 points in a first-round NCAA win over Texas A&M. She is still recovering from offseason foot surgery.
Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Lisa Leslie Award candidate Alexis Markowski opened her senior season with a school-record 41st career double-double in the win over Omaha (Nov. 4). The 6-3 center out of Lincoln Pius X High School led the Big Red with team highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds, surpassing the previous school record of 40 double-doubles that she shared with first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (2011-14).
A three-time All-Big Ten selection, Markowski averaged 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds to lead Nebraska in both categories a year ago. She needs 28 rebounds to become the sixth player in Husker history to achieve 1,000 career boards.
Petra Bozan enjoyed an explosive opening week by producing double figures in both Husker wins, averaging 11.5 points in just 12.8 minutes per game. Bozan erupted for nine points in a 3:35 second-quarter span against SLU, turning a 20-15 deficit into a 29-29 tie. She finished with 11 points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. She opened with 12 points in just over 12 minutes in the win over Omaha, when she also went 2-for-2 from long range. The 6-3 Bozan went 4-for-4 from three-point range and 9-of-11 overall from the field on the week.
Alberte Rimdal scored 14 points in her first Husker start in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. Rimdal, who started in place of an injured Britt Prince, hit 3-of-6 three-pointers as Nebraska finished the day 14-of-29 from long range against the Lady Lions.
21/23 Nebraska Cornhuskers
vs. Southern Jaguars
Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 7 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Special Event: Military Appreciation Night
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live Video: B1G+ (subscription)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Live Stats: Huskers.com (StatBroadcast)
21/23 Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - So. - F - 15.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Sr. - C/F - 11.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - RJr. - G - 6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
5 - Alberte Rimdal - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 9.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 5.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Off the Bench
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - So. - G - 13.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
44 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - Fr. - F/C - 11.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 10.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Gr. - F/G - 1.5 ppg, 0.0 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - So. - F - 1.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
4 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - Fr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Ninth Season at Nebraska (139-111); 18th Season Overall (332-220)
Southern Jaguars (0-3, 0-0 SWAC)
14 - Soniyah Reed - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 6.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
21 - Tionna Lidge - 6-4 - Sr. - C - 6.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
1 - Aniya Gourdine - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 13.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
2 - Aleighyah Fontenot - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
4 - DaKiyah Sanders - 5-4 - Gr. - G - 1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - D’shantae Edwards - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 5.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
3 - Taniya Lawson - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 5.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
15 - Sky Castro - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 1.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
24 - DeMya Porter - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
10 - Jocelyn Tate - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg
23 - Kiana Wilson - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg
32 - Xyllize Harrison - 6-4 - Sr. - C - 0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Carlos Funchess (Louisiana-Monroe, 1992)
Seventh Season at Southern (95-88); Seventh Season Overall (95-88)
Scouting the Southern Jaguars
• Coach Carlos Funchess brings Southern to Lincoln in the midst of arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation. The Jaguars opened with a 76-44 loss at No. 10 Oklahoma (Nov. 4), less than a year after beating the Sooners, 79-70, in Norman (Dec. 22, 2023). Southern followed this year’s opener with a 66-51 loss at Missouri (Nov. 7), before falling 84-56 at No. 8 Iowa State (Nov. 10).
• After facing No. 23 Nebraska (Nov. 12), Southern’s non-conference schedule continues to Colorado (Nov. 17) and Colorado State (Nov. 19), before heading to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving to face No. 9 NC State and either No. 7 LSU or Washington. The Jaguars close non-conference play with road trips to No. 4 Texas, DePaul and Illinois.
• Last season, Southern played the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, opening with road games at Baylor, Texas, Purdue, Miami and Iowa State, before consecutive road games at Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas State and Oklahoma.
• Funchess, who is in his seventh season at Southern, has led the Jaguars to a pair of SWAC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances (2019, 2023). He was the 1991 College Slam Dunk Champion and played professionally across many levels, including the NBA, before joining the Southern coaching staff as an assistant 20 years ago.
• Southern finished 15-15 last year, including a 13-5 SWAC record before losing to Alcorn State in the SWAC Tournament quarterfinals at Birmingham (March 14). The Jaguars had won eight of their previous nine games before the tournament loss.
• Southern has been led on the court early this season by Aniya Gourdine, who is averaging team bests of 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals. Gourdine, who had 10 points and four assists at Iowa State Sunday, averaged 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 22 games off the bench for the Jaguars last season. She had five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench in a 76-51 loss to the Huskers at PBA on Dec. 17, 2023.
• Aleighyah Fontenot has added 10.0 points and 3.0 rebounds through three games despite going just 9-for-39 (.231) from the field. She led Southern with 16 points including a trio of three-pointers, in Sunday’s loss at Iowa State. Fontenot started all 30 games for the Jaguars last year and is SU’s top returning scorer after averaging 8.5 points per game in 2023-24. She had five points and three rebounds in a team-high 29 minutes in last year’s loss at Nebraska.
• Soniyah Reed, who started 11 games including the contest at Nebraska, averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds a year ago. She has contributed 6.0 points this season.
• Tionna Lidge (6.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Alabama State transfer DaKiyah Sanders (1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3.0 apg) round out Southern’s probable starting five. Lidge averaged 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and led Southern with 26 blocks a year ago while appearing in all 30 games. She was the only Jaguar to score in double figures in the loss to the Huskers last season, finishing with 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes.
• Bethune-Cookman transfer D’shantae Edwards (5.7 ppg) and Texas Southern transfer Taniya Lawson (5.5 ppg) have been two of the top contributors off the bench. Edwards had nine points at Iowa State, while Lawson scored seven points in 16 minutes in the season-opening loss at Oklahoma. She did not play at Missouri. She went 4-for-4 at the free throw line against the Sooners but just 1-for-11 from the field.
• Sky Castro, who scored two points as a starter against the Huskers last year, was a regular for the Jaguars in 2023-24, starting 25 of 30 games while averaging 2.5 points and 2.7 rebounds, while freshman Jocelyn Tate has seen significant action off the bench early this season.
• Through three games, Southern has managed just 50.3 points while allowing 75.3 per game. The Jaguars have hit just 31.8 percent of their shots from the field, including 26.4 percent (14-53) of their three-point attempts. They have been a chilly 56.1 percent (23-41) at the free throw line. Southern has been dominated on the boards, 48.3-25.3, but they do own a plus-5.3 turnover margin (17.3-12.0).
Nebraska vs. Southern Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Southern 4-0, including a 76-51 win over the Jaguars last season (Dec. 17, 2023) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Just five days after losing to the Huskers in Lincoln, Southern knocked off Oklahoma, 79-70, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
• Alexis Markowski scored a game-high 21 points on her way to becoming the 38th Husker in history to reach 1,000 career points.
• Jaz Shelley added 15 points on a trio of three-pointers while adding five rebounds and five assists against the defending SWAC champions.
• Logan Nissley pitched in 14 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting in just 16 minutes of action, while fellow freshman Natalie Potts pulled down a game-high nine rebounds while adding two points.
• Nebraska jumped to a 19-6 lead at the end of the first quarter before pushing the margin to 43-17 at the half. Southern outscored NU 34-33 in the second half.
• The Huskers worked their way to a 73-39 win over Southern at PBA on Nov. 20, 2019. They also rolled to an 89-38 victory over the Jaguars on Nov. 23, 2015 after leading 49-12 at the half.
• Nebraska met the Jaguars in the fifth regular-season women’s basketball game in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena, as the Huskers battled to an 87-64 win (Nov. 24, 2013). All-American Jordan Hooper led the Big Red with 23 points while Emily Cady added a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the No. 11 Huskers. Southern guard Kendra Coleman led all scorers with 30 points on 7-of-12 three-point shooting. She entered the game 3-of-25 from behind the arc.
Husker History of Home-Opening Success
• Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ home court. NU improved to 48-3 in home season openers with its 88-48 win over Omaha on Nov. 4, 2024.
• NU is 11-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in season openers, including a 100-36 victory over Omaha (Nov. 7, 2022). Nebraska’s lone loss came on Nov. 7, 2018, with an 83-77 setback to Drake. In the first regular-season game in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena, Nebraska powered its way to a 77-49 win over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013, in front of a Husker opening-day record crowd of 9,750 in the first Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally associated with women’s basketball.
• Nebraska’s only season-opening home losses have come to Drake (2018), South Dakota State (Nov. 19, 2005) and Kansas (Nov. 21, 1980).
• Nebraska has been strong in its first four home games every season. In fact, NU is 176-26 (.871) over 50 seasons in its first four home contests, including 44-7 in Game No. 2, 40-10 in Game No. 3 and 44-6 in Game No. 4.
Markowski Named to Naismith, Wooden Watch Lists
• Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski was among the 50 women’s college basketball players named to the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Oct. 28) and the Wooden Award Watch List by the Los Angeles Athletic Club (Nov. 7).
• Markowski, a 6-3 center out of Lincoln Pius X High School, earned her third consecutive appearance on the Naismith Trophy preseason list.
• A three-time preseason first-team All-Big Ten pick, Markowski earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds in 2024-25. She also earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after powering the Big Red to the Big Ten Championship Game.
• A three-time Lisa Leslie Center-of-the-Year Award candidate, Markowski was a second-team All-Big Ten choice as a freshman and sophomore. She was also the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Markowski Earns Preseason All-Big Ten Honors
• Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski captured Preseason All-Big Ten honors for the third consecutive season when the conference announced its annual awards on Sept. 26.
• Markowski, a 6-3 center from Lincoln, Neb., was one of 10 players across the conference’s 18 teams to earn preseason recognition from both the Big Ten coaches and media. She also earned preseason All-Big Ten honors as a junior in 2023-24 and as a sophomore in 2022-23, after being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year following the 2021-22 season.
• A three-time Lisa Leslie Award candidate, Markowski claimed first-team All-Big Ten honors at the conclusion of a 2023-24 season when she led Nebraska to an appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Markowski, who led Nebraska with team-best averages of 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds while starting all 35 games for the 23-12 Huskers in 2023-24, produced 19 double-doubles a year ago.
• She set the Nebraska career record with her 41st double-double in a season-opening win over Omaha (Nov. 4), surpassing the mark of 40 she shared with former Husker first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (2011-14).
• Markowski earned a spot on the 2024 Big Ten All-Tournament Team by averaging 16.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists over four games, including 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the Big Ten Championship Game.
• Markowski enters the Southern game 28 rebounds away from becoming the sixth player in school history with 1,000 career rebounds. She is 308 rebounds away from Janet Smith’s more than 40-year-old Nebraska career rebound record (1,280). Markowski, who had 369 rebounds last season, is also within striking distance of one of the top-five rebounding totals in Big Ten Conference history.
• Markowski, who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore in 2022-23, owns 1,386 career points to rank 16th all-time in scoring at Nebraska.
• USC’s JuJu Watkins was the only unanimous choice of the coaches and media to earn preseason All-Big Ten honors. The sophomore was the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by both.
• The coaches and media were also in agreement on the top five teams in preseason voting, beginning with No. 1 USC, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Indiana.
Huskers Beat Bison in Sioux Falls Scrimmage
• Alexis Markowski scored a game-high 23 points to lead Nebraska to an 84-67 win over North Dakota State in a scrimmage at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, Oct. 19.
• Markowski hit 9-of-11 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws in an efficient effort.
• In a well-played scrimmage that did not include many fastbreak baskets for either team, the Huskers shot nearly 60 percent from the field while connecting on 25-of-29 free throws against the Bison. North Dakota State countered by hitting 50 percent of its shots, including 42.9 percent of its threes, while going 13-of-20 at the free throw line.
• Freshmen Britt Prince and Amiah Hargrove each added nine points and three rebounds for the Huskers, while junior Callin Hake contributed nine points and three assists.
• Senior transfer Alberte Rimdal scored eight points, while sophomore forwards Natalie Potts and Jessica Petrie each pitched in six points along with senior guard Kendall Moriarty.
• Allison Weidner returned to the court with four points and four assists for the Huskers, while freshman Petra Bozan added four points and four rebounds.
• Avery Koenen was the only North Dakota State player in double figures, as the sophomore forward led the Bison with 17 points. Marisa Frost and Abby Graham each pitched in eight points.
• Nebraska will return to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Saturday, Nov. 16 to take on South Dakota with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
Opener with Omaha Featured Life Skills Pep Rally
• The Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday, Nov. 4 was the largest rally associated with the Husker women’s basketball season opener since the event helped open the doors to Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013.
• A record 75 schools from around the state participated with more than 3,800 students and accompanying adults attending the event, which took place prior to Nebraska women’s basketball’s 88-48 win over Omaha, including a group from Hemingford (more than 6-hour drive, 385 miles). The rally helped push Nebraska’s overall attendance to 8,106 for the game with the Mavs - the second-largest season-opening crowd in school history.
• In 2023-24, the pep rally welcomed more than 3,300 students and accompanying adults from 62 middle grades schools from across the state of Nebraska.
• The pep rally helped the Huskers attract the third-largest opening-day crowd in program history with 7,065 fans on hand at PBA, trailing only the 9,750 fans on hand for the opening game in the history of the building against UCLA in 2013.
• The event, which is co-sponsored by the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame, features positive messages from Husker student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators. This year’s Pep Rally marked the sixth time since 2013 (also 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) the event was paired with Nebraska’s season-opening women’s basketball game.
• The 2022 Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally included 2,200 students and more than 200 accompanying staff members from 42 schools across Nebraska for the opener with Omaha.
• The Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which is focused on 4th through 8th grade students across the state of Nebraska, not only includes inspiring messages from current and former Nebraska student-athletes and staff members, it also includes complimentary pizza from Nebraska Athletics and water provided by Pepsi for students and accompanying school staff members.
• The 2024 Pep Rally began at 9:30 a.m., and included messages from Coach Amy Williams, Huskers Alexis Markowski, Allison Weidner, Kendall Coley and Kendall Moriarty, along with volleyball players Bergen Reilly and Merritt Beason, baseball players Drew Christo and Caleb Clark and track and field athletes Micaylon Moore and Niko Schultz. It concluded at 10:45 a.m., prior to Nebraska and Omaha taking the court for pregame warm-ups ahead of their noon tip-off.
Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rallies at Women’s Basketball
2024 - 8,106 (attendance) / 3,800 (students/staff - 75 schools) vs. Omaha
2023 - 7,065 (attendance) / 3,300 (students/staff - 62 schools) vs. Northwestern State
2022 - 6,233 (attendance) / 2,500 (students/staff - 40 schools) vs. Omaha
2021 - 4,476 (attendance) / 1,600 (students/staff - 30 schools) vs. Maine
2019 - 5,250 (attendance) / 2,000 (students/staff - 27 schools) vs. Alabama A&M
2013 - 9,750 (attendance) / 4,000 (students/staff - 45 schools) vs. UCLA
Huskers in the National Polls
• Nebraska opened the 2024-25 season at No. 23 in both the Associated Press Poll released on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 announced on Thursday, Oct. 24.
• The Huskers moved up to No. 21 in the first-regular season AP ranking (Nov. 11) after starting the season with wins over Omaha (Nov. 4) and Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 9). It marks Nebraska’s highest national ranking since being ranked No. 21 by the AP on Feb. 16, 2015.
• The Huskers are coming off a trip to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. The Big Red, which finished with a 23-12 record a year ago that included an 11-7 Big Ten regular-season mark, returns first-team All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) and Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year Natalie Potts (O’Fallon, Mo.), along with Big Ten All-Freshman selection Logan Nissley (Bismarck, N.D.).
• Returning starters Kendall Moriarty (Wheaton, Ill.) and Callin Hake (Victoria, Minn.) are also back, along with contributors Kendall Coley (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Jessica Petrie (Gold Coast, Australia).
• Nebraska is bolstered by the return of redshirt junior guard Allison Weidner (Humphrey, Neb.), who missed last season with an injury. The Huskers look forward to showcasing two-time Nebraska High School Player-of-the-Year Britt Prince (Elkhorn, Neb.), one of the nation’s top recruits, alongside fellow freshmen Amiah Hargrove (Christopher, Ill.), Petra Bozan (Split, Croatia) and Kennadi Williams (Lincoln, Neb.) as well as senior transfer Alberte Rimdal (Koge, Denmark).
• The 2024-25 season marks the second time in the past three years that Nebraska has opened in the AP Top 25. In 2022-23, the Huskers began the season at No. 22 in the AP Poll.
• The Huskers are one of seven Big Ten Conference teams in the current AP Top 25, joining No. 3 USC, No. 5 UCLA, No. 11 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 23 Illinois and No. 25 Oregon. Indiana, who was ranked in the preseason polls, joins Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State as teams received votes in the AP Poll (Nov. 11).
• Last season, Nebraska finished No. 25 in the final NCAA NET rankings.