Lady Huskers beat Michigan after falling down by 14

On snowy February 1st, the Nebraska women’s basketball team celebrated a 75-60 victory over a much improved Michigan team. Looking at the final score one might think it was an easy game for the Huskers but quite the opposite was the reality.

In her pregame radio interview, Coach Yori discussed two of her biggest concerns. “This is the third game we have played in seven days. The starters are tired by now. We are creating some depth with our freshmen. We need to get those fresh young legs out onto the floor to get us something.”

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

Inconsistent offensive production has plagued the Huskers over the past few games. After a tough comeback win against Illinois on Jan. 29, offense was clearly on the coach’s “to-do” list. “We have to find a way to score today. We have to get better offensively.”

The five starters (Cady, Theriot, Jeffery, Laudermill, Sample)began the game sluggishly. From the opening tip, the Huskers struggled to find any offense. The defense was also having troubles. Michigan exploded offensively the first 5 minutes of the game with a very balanced attack. At one point, the Huskers trailed by as many as 14 points. NU battled back to cut the deficit to just 6 points, going into the locker room down 31 -25. In the first half, NU shot just 36.4% while Michigan shot 52.2%. Nebraska trailed the entire first half.

Husker starters began the second half looking more relaxed. Over the first 3 minutes, they cut Michigan’s lead down to just two. Rachel Theriot would tie the score at 33 with her bucket. Nebraska would take the lead at 16:02 with a layup from senior Hailie Sample. From that point on, the game became a see-saw affair.

Mar 9, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Rachel Theriot (33) brings the ball up court against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the Womens Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Nebraska defeats Iowa 72-65. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The game stats showed Nebraska found some offense. Laudermill had 19 points while Theriot and Sample both had 14. Huskers as a team shot 59.4 percent. Defensively they recovered 24 rebounds as Emily Cady led the team with 8.

“Well, we’re undefeated in February,” coach Connie Yori said in her post game comment. “We just didn’t play out of the gate as we normally do. Once we racheted up and played better defensively, they (Michigan) couldn’t handle it. The better we defended, the more we helped our offense,” Yori said. Finally, she thanked the fans. “We needed them today. They came out on a snowy Sunday afternoon to support us. We hope they all get back home safely.”

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