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Rosalie’s Reaction: Huskers blow past the Badgers 89 – 72

By Rosalie Suggs

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Nebraska women’s basketball team rode the momentum of their 4-game winning streak into Madison, WI Thursday night for a decisive win over the Wisconsin Badgers 89 – 72. A sparse crowd at the Kohl center watched the Huskers control the game from start to finish.

Husker Coach Connie Yori had a different starting line up to face the Badgers. Senior Brandi Jeffery, who is out with a minor knee injury, was replaced by freshman Natalie Romeo. Joined by Hailie Sample, Emily Cady, Rachel Theriot and Tear’a Laudermill, the Huskers were determined to start off this road trip with a “W.”

While Wisconsin controlled the opening tip and scored their first bucket within seconds, it didn’t take long for the Nebraska offense to get rolling. Natalie Romeo began the scoring explosion with a 3-point bucket. Huskers and the Badgers answered bucket for bucket for the next couple of minutes but then Emily Cady and Tear’a Laudermill got it going.

Cady and Laudermill combined for 34 points, including six 3-pointers. Freshman Chandler Smith joined in with Natalie Romeo to bolster both offense and defense. With their performance in the Purdue game, Smith and Romeo are now referred to fondly as the “splash sisters!“

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The Badger lineup of Nicole Bauman, Dakota Whyte, Tessa Cichy, Cassie Rochel and Jacki Gulczynski did their best to keep pace with Huskers in the first half. They struggled to find an offensive rhythm and their defensive strategy soon devolved into committing fouls. By the 6:31 mark, Nebraska had built at 31-18 lead that left  Wisconsin gasping for air.

EVERYTHING went right for the Huskers in the first half. They took good care of the ball with few turnovers and few fouls. Their offensive and defensive rebounding has greatly improved from past games. The perimeter game which had gone AWOL returned with a “BANG” as 3-point buckets rained down.

Mar 24, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Emily Cady (23) drives the ball defended by BYU Cougars guard Xojian Harry (11) during the second half of a women

Huskers took their first 20-point lead of the game with 2:19 left in the half at 46-26. As the clock ran out, Emily Cady punctuated the Nebraska domination with a bucket at the buzzer. Nebraska took at 53-31 lead into the locker room.

Previous basketball games at the Kohl Center have been both hard fought and close. It’s a challenging place to play, especially considering the floor is on top of the ice rink. The temperature inside the arena is always a little cool but the Huskers were hot in the first half and didn’t want their momentum to cool in the second half.

Wisconsin came out of the locker room with ramped up intensity. They scored 8 points within the first 2 minutes. The Nebraska offensive explosion sputtered and looked out of sync. Husker senior Hailie Sample slowed down the Badger offense with tough defense while adding all the Husker points early in the half.

In an effort to get the Nebraska offense back on track, Coach Yori began substituting her freshmen off the bench. Having recovered from leg and foot injuries, Nebraska now has depth. It wasn’t long before the offense was clicking once again. Jasmine Cincore, Anya Kalenta, Esther Ramacieri and Emily Wood made appearances on the floor replacing the starters. While they didn’t all score, they gained valuable experience which will be needed as they move through the rest of the season.

Mar 8, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Connie Yori coaches on the sidelines against the Michigan State Spartans during the Womens Big Ten Tournament semifinal round at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Nebraska defeated Michigan State 86-58. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

At the other end of the floor, Wisconsin’s early second half effort stalled. In minor foul trouble after the first half, the Badgers committed foul after foul during the second half in an attempt to slow down the Huskers. While they managed to score 41 points, it wasn’t enough to overcome the dominating first-half performance by Nebraska.

When the game clocked expired, Nebraska celebrated their most dominating victory against Wisconsin 89 -72. Tear’a Laudermill finished the game with 24 points and Emily Cady finished the game with 19. Laudermill, who may have just had the best game of her career, rediscovered her 3-point shot. Cady finally found her scoring groove after fairly quiet performances over the past 3 games.

In her post game interview with Husker Sports Network, Yori praised her seniors. “Noteworthy tonight – our 3 seniors! They played so well. It looked to me like they were playing for Brandi. Those three seniors were really HUGE tonight!” After Coach Yori departed, Tear’a Laudermill sat down in the chair. When she was asked to comment on her breakout performance, a giggling Laudermill said “I found confidence.  I got my “mojo” back and I found my 3 point shot again!! INDEED!!

Nebraska continues their road action Monday night in Iowa. Tip-off is set for 8 pm (BTN). As always, stay tuned and GO BIG RED!!

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