Hungry Huskers Hunt B1G Road Win at Wisconsin
The AP No. 24 Nebraska women's basketball team wraps up a two-game Big Ten road swing by traveling to Wisconsin to battle the Badgers on Wednesday.
Tip-off between the NCAA NET 18 Huskers (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten) and the Badgers (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT).
Free live audio from the Huskers Radio Network will be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers App, 107.3 FM in Lincoln and Sirius XM Chs. 117 or 195 with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call for their 25th consecutive season.
Live video of Wednesday's game will be provided to subscribers of B1G+.
Nebraska is coming off a 73-71 road loss at NET No. 7 Michigan State on Thursday, Jan. 15. Amiah Hargrove scored nine of her team-high 21 points in the final six minutes to rally the Big Red from a 62-58 deficit to a 69-66 lead with 1:35 left. Britt Prince, who finished with 16 points, hit a jumper with 50 seconds left to put the Huskers in front 71-69, but the Spartans made the plays down the stretch to escape with the victory.
All four of Nebraska's Big Ten losses have come to AP top-20 teams.
Prince, a Nancy Lieberman Award candidate, is trying to help guide the Huskers through the gauntlet of the Big Ten schedule. The 5-11 sophomore point guard owns six 20-point performances this season, including a pair of 30-point games.
Prince ranks eighth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.2 ppg) and is tied for 10th in assists (4.3 apg), while ranking third in the league in field goal percentage (.576) and second in free throw percentage (.909), including a perfect 30-for-30 in Big Ten play. She also leads Nebraska with 25 steals.
Hargrove, a fellow sophomore who is emerging as a rising star in the conference, is a contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year. The 6-2 forward from Christopher, Ill., is averaging 12.4 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds off the bench after her second 20-point performance of the season at Michigan State. Hargrove is shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line on the year. She has hit 68.8 percent of threes (11-16) and all of her free throws in league play. She opened Big Ten play with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting (4-5 3FG) at Penn State (Dec. 6). She missed the loss at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1) after suffering a mild concussion in the fourth quarter in the loss to No. 17 USC (Dec. 29).
Junior Jessica Petrie has provided consistency and leadership at both ends in her second season as a starter. The 6-2 forward from Gold Coast, Australia, ranks third on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Petrie has produced double figures 13 times and scored at least seven points in all 18 games this season. She also leads Nebraska with a career-high-tying 20 blocks and owns a career-high 16 steals this season after getting 12 total steals her first two years.
Callin Hake provides veteran leadership and the emotional heartbeat for the Big Red. The 5-8 senior guard from Victoria, Minn., is averaging 8.3 points and 4.2 assists per game with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Hake is shooting 40.9 percent (27-66) from long range and 87.5 percent at the line. Hake, who has added 24 steals, also leads the Big Red with 23 charges drawn through 18 games.
Senior Eliza Maupin has earned five straight starts inside for the Big Red. The 6-3 senior is averaging 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. Maupin has scored in double figures in five of her last seven games, including her first Husker double-double with 12 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1).
Sophomore Petra Bozan earned starts in NU's first 13 games. The 6-3 Croatian is averaging 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. She produced a career-high 17 points in NU's Big Ten-opening win at Penn State (Dec. 6).
Logan Nissley has made five straight starts. The 6-0 guard is averaging 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while hitting 47.4 percent of her shots, including 45.9 percent (28-61) of her threes. She had back-to-back double-figure efforts with 11 points in a win over Indiana and 11 more against No. 4 UCLA, before matching a career high with seven assists at No. 15 Michigan State (Jan. 15).
Graduate guard Hailey Weaver, who spent her first four seasons at Northwestern, started the first 13 games in the Husker lineup as the Big Red's top ball-pressuring guard ("Pirate" or "Hound").
Nebraska's rotation goes 10-12 deep, including significant contributions from Claire Johnson (4.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg), Kennadi Williams (2.8 ppg, 2.3 apg) and Emily Fisher.
NET 18 Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten)
21 - Eliza Maupin - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - So. - G - 18.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - So. - F - 12.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg
4 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - So. - F - 7.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
5 - Claire Johnson - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg
1 - Hailey Weaver - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
15 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - RFr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg
34 - Emily Fisher - 6-0 - Jr. - G/F - 1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg
00 - Alanna Neale - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - RSo. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner [Out] - 5-10 - Gr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
10th Season at Nebraska (172-127); 19th Season Overall (365-236)
NET 76 Wisconsin Badgers (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten)
15 - Gift Uchenna - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
1 - Destiny Howell - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 14.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
13 - Ronnie Porter - 5-2 - Sr. - G - 6.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg
20 - Kyrah Daniels - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 12.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg
24 - Laci Steele - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Breauna Ware - 5-7 - RJr. - G - 7.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
22 - Shay Bollin - 6-3 - Gr. - G - 5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
4 - Lily Krahn - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 4.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg
6 - Dorja Zaja - 6-3 - Fr. - C - 3.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg
11 - Jovana Spasovski - 6-0 - So. - G - 3.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
2 - Alie Bisballe - 6-4 - So. - F - 0.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg
0 - Nikki Kerstein - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.7 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Robin Pingeton (St. Ambrose, 1992)
First Season at Wisconsin (12-7); 31st Season Overall (597-382)
Scouting the Wisconsin Badgers
• Head coach Robin Pingeton is in her first season at Wisconsin after spending 15 seasons at Missouri. Prior to her stint at Mizzou, she coached seven seasons at Illinois State. She started her career as the head coach for eight seasons (1993-2000) at her alma mater - St. Ambrose - before spending three seasons as an assistant under Bill Fennelly at Iowa State (2001-03).
• The Badgers (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) need one more win to match their 2024-25 total. They matched their Big Ten win total wtih a 94-92 double-overtime win over Oregon Sunday in Madison.
• Ronnie Porter is Wisconsin's lone returning starter. The 5-2 senior is averaging 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and team bests of 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals. She has hit 35.8 percent of her field goals, including 27.9 percent (12-43) of her threes this season, including 30.4 percent from the floor and 26.3 percent (5-19) in Big Ten play.
• Four transfers, who all averaged double figures at the Division I level last year, surround Porter in the Badger lineup. Graduate transfer Destiny Howell leads Wisconsin in scoring at 14.5 points per game. The 6-0 graduate transfer from Howard has added 3.5 rebounds and leads the Badgers with 42 three-pointers (.412). Howell, who averaged 14.9 points per game for the Bison a year ago, hit 10-of-16 threes on her way to 39 points in 46 minutes in Sunday's win over Oregon.
• Junior transfer Kyrah Daniels ranks second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), rebounding (4.6 rpg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). A Missouri State transfer, Daniels has hit 40 threes (.317). The 6-0 guard averaged 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the Lady Bears with 66 three-pointers and 32 blocked shots last season. She had 18 points in 44 minutes in the win over Oregon.
• Redshirt junior Breauna Ware, who transferred from Stony Brook, has provided a third threat from beyond the arc by hitting a team-best 46.7 percent (14-30). The 5-7 guard is averaging 7.1 points. Ware, who played as a freshman at St. Bonaventure before spending the past two years at Stony Brook, averaged 14.7 points a year ago. She has started 13 games on the year but did not start in the win over Oregon. She played just 15 minutes off the bench and attempted one shot against the Ducks.
• Senior transfer Gift Uchenna has faced the tall task of replacing Serah Williams inside. Williams averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for Wisconsin last year before transferring to UConn following the departure of former head coach Marisa Moseley. The 6-3 Uchenna, who transferred after spending one season at Southern Illinois, is averaging 6.9 points and team bests with 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. The Nigerian averaged 14.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks at SIU last season.
• Junior Laci Steele (6.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg), a 5-11 junior transfer from NC State, earned a start in the win over Oregon, finishing with nine points, five rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of work. Steele and Illinois graduate transfer Shay Bollin (5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) have added reliable depth to the backcourt, while freshman Dorja Zaja has provided depth behind Uchenna on the block. Zaja, a 6-3 center from Zagreb, Croatia, is from the same hometown as Nebraska's 6-3 forward Petra Bozan.
• Senior Lily Krahn (4.9 ppg) returns alongside Porter for her fourth year with the Badgers. Krahn has hit 51.7 percent of her shots from the floor, including 48.1 percent (25-52) from three-point range.
• Serbian sophomore Jovana Spasovski (3.2 ppg), junior Leena Patibandla and sophomores Alba Martin Mesa and Reese Jaramillo all have returned to the Badger roster from a year ago.
• Wisconsin is averaging 71.6 points per game, while shooting 42.5 percent from the floor including 34.3 percent from long range. The Badgers have been strong at the free throw line, hitting 76.9 percent, but they have been outscored by 3.5 points per game at the line. They own a plus-0.7 rebound margin but a minus-0.5 turnover margin. Opponents have scored 69.1 points per game on 41 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from three-point range.
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Wisconsin 17-7, including a nine-game winning streak.
• The Big Red rolled to a 91-60 win over the Badgers in Lincoln last season (Jan. 20, 2025). Kendall Moriarty led Nebraska with a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (3-4 3FG), while Jessica Petrie added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Britt Prince pitched in 14 points and seven rebounds, while Alexis Markowski (12 points, 7 rebounds) and Petra Bozan (10 points) put five Huskers in double figures. Nebraska hit 54.2 percent (32-69) of its shots, including 16-of-32 three-pointers, while connecting on 11-of-12 free throws. The Badgers went just 3-for-17 from long range. Serah Williams led all players with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Carter McCray contributed 14 points and six boards. Ronnie Porter added 11 points, five rebounds and six assists.
• The Huskers battled their way to a 69-57 road win over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison (Jan. 4, 2024) in the only meeting between the teams in 2023-24.
• Wisconsin earned its last series win with a 70-69 victory on a controversial buzzer-beater at the Kohl Center (Jan. 27, 2018). Nebraska leads the series 7-5 in Madison, including 7-2 as Big Ten foes.
• The Huskers are 17-2 against the Badgers since joining the Big Ten (2011-12), with the only losses coming in back-to-back road games at the Kohl Center in 2017 and 2018.
• Nebraska is a perfect 10-0 against the Badgers in Lincoln as Big Ten foes, including an 82-54 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Dec. 7, 2022).
• Nebraska's 10-game home winning streak against the Badgers began at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with a 68-59 win on Feb. 19, 2012.
• Wisconsin has never defeated Nebraska in Lincoln in regulation, as the Badgers knocked off the Huskers 80-74 in overtime (Dec. 7, 1990) and 92-85 in OT (Nov. 21, 1999) in the first two meetings between the schools at the Devaney Center.
• Wisconsin won the first five meetings in series history, dating back to a 79-74 win over the Huskers in Madison, Wis., on Jan. 5, 1979. NU’s first win came with a 75-69 victory at Madison (Jan. 12, 2012).
Prince Named to Nancy Lieberman Watch List
• Nebraska's Britt Prince was named to the list of 20 women's college basketball players on the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 27. The Lieberman Award was the first of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Fan voting for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.
• Prince, a 5-11 sophomore from Omaha, Neb., returns for her second season at Nebraska after averaging 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a true freshman.
• Through 18 games this season, she is averaging a team-best 18.2 points per game while hitting 57.6 percent (125-217) of her shots from the field, including 27-of-52 threes (.519).
• Prince was the MVP of the Emerald Coast Classic Beach Bracket (Nov. 24-25) after leading the Huskers to a tournament title with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting in a 91-82 win over Virginia. She averaged 24.0 points and 6.5 assists in the tournament, including 18 points and a season-high seven assists in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Prince established her career high with 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting in a win over Oral Roberts (Nov. 19).
• She produced a 27-point performance at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1), when she also recorded five rebounds and four steals, before getting a game-high 17 points to go with a team-high four rebounds in the win over Purdue (Jan. 4).
• Prince opened Big Ten play with 20 points in a win at Penn State (Dec. 6) and produced her third 20-point effort in conference play this season with 20 points and seven assists in a win over Indiana (Jan. 8). She also led all players with 18 points and seven assists against No. 17 USC (Dec. 29).
• She tipped 2025-26 with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in a win over Northwestern State (Nov. 3).
• Prince followed with 23 points, two assists and two steals in a win over Samford (Nov. 8), before getting 18 points and a season-high seven rebounds in a win over Creighton (Nov. 12).
• Prince had 17 points, four rebounds and five assists in a 92-53 win over Bradley (Dec. 3).
• She had 16 points and three assists in a win over North Dakota State in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Nov. 16).
• Prince also had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists at No. 15 Michigan State (Jan. 15).
• Prince, a two-time Gatorade and MaxPreps Nebraska High School Player of the Year at Elkhorn North, earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors while leading the Huskers to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
• In the NCAA Tournament, Prince led the Big Red with 14 points and six assists against Louisville. She averaged 17.0 points and 5.3 assists over three Big Ten Tournament games, including a season-high-tying 24 points against tourney champion and NCAA No. 1 seed UCLA.
• Prince was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21, 2025) after going for 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in a win at Iowa (Jan. 16, 2025), when she hit a career-high five three-pointers.
Potts Earns Spot on Katrina McClain Watch List
• Nebraska's Natalie Potts was included on the list of 20 women's college basketball players named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 30. The McClain Award was the fourth of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Fan voting for the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.
• Potts, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore from O'Fallon, Mo., returns for her third season at Nebraska in 2025-26. She was the 2023-24 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 campaign. Potts was averaging team bests of 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first four games prior to her injury. She was shooting 69.4 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent (8-11) from three-point range to lead the Big Red to a No. 19 national ranking and a 4-0 start.
• In 40-minute production, Potts put up eye-popping numbers of 28.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per 40 to rank among the best players in the Big Ten through the first four games last season.
• In 2023-24, Potts led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.489), while ranking second among league freshmen in scoring (10.2 ppg) and free throw percentage (.829) in 2023-24. She started all 35 games for the 23-12 Huskers, who advanced to the Big Ten Championship Game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Potts, who won 8-of-15 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards during the regular season, was the most consistent freshman in the conference from start to finish. She won the inaugural weekly honor on Nov. 13, 2023, before claiming the final two freshman awards on Feb. 26 and March 4. She won at least one weekly honor during all five months of the season. Her eight weekly awards matched the total of fellow Nebraska Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski in 2022.
• Potts, who also claimed an honorable-mention All-Big Ten award from the conference media, was a unanimous choice on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the conference coaches.
• After suffering her knee injury against North Alabama (Nov. 19, 2024), Potts underwent knee surgery (Dec. 4). She continues to rehab but has not yet returned to practice with the team.
Nebraska Excelling in NCAA Stat Rankings
• Through 18 games, Nebraska ranks among the top 25 teams in 10 NCAA categories.
• FG% - .501 ranks 6th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
• Bench Scoring - 31.2 ppg ranks 8th nationally and 1st in the Big Ten.
• Assists Per Game - 19.2 ranks 9th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
• Assist-to-Turnover - 1.43 ranks 12th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
• FT% - .787 ranks 13th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
• Average Home Attendance - 5,476 ranks 14th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.
• Scoring - 83.6 ppg ranks 17th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.
• Scoring Margin - +20.8 ppg ranks 17th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.
• NCAA NET - Nebraska ranks 18th nationally and 7th in the Big Ten.
• 3FG% - .365 - ranks 22nd nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
Big Red Triple Threats
• Nebraska is hitting 36.5 percent of its shots from three-point range and averaging 8.0 made threes per game with shooters up and down the lineup.
• Six Huskers are shooting better than 35 percent from long range: Britt Prince (.519), Logan Nissley (.459), Amiah Hargrove (.419), Callin Hake (.406), Hailey Weaver (.360) and Eliza Maupin (.357).
• In Big Ten play, the Huskers have knocked down 38.9 percent of their threes while averaging 8.0 makes per game.
• Hargrove (.688) leads the Huskers from beyond the arc in league play, while Prince (.571), Nissley (.424), Hake (.389) and Eliza Maupin (.375) give Nebraska five players hitting 37.5 percent or better from long range through seven Big Ten contests.