Husker Corner
Fansided

“Pink” powers Huskers over Wisconsin

By Rosalie Suggs

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They had to find a way to win. Playing the 4th game in a row minus their junior guard Rachel Theriot, it was time for the Huskers to break the three-game losing streak. On Sunday afternoon with a lot of grit and tough defense, the Nebraska women’s basketball team defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 70 – 63.

This was Think Pink day, in honor of breast cancer awareness. The crowd of 8,622 loud and proud Huskers looked like a patchwork quilt of red, white and pink.  Their good vibes propelled the Huskers from the moment they took the floor.

Did they find some offense which has been streaky this season? NU came blowing out of the locker room ready for action. From the tip, the Husker shooters found an early 10 point lead, 17-7, thanks to the foul happy Badgers who committed seven fouls in seven minutes. With 9:30 left in the first half, Nebraska was up by 13.

However, nothing good lasts forever and that 13 point Husker lead vanished over the next eight minutes. As the Wisconsin offense put together a scoring explosion you could just feel the momentum swing towards the Badgers. Wisconsin, lead by Nicole Bauman, Jacki Gulczynski , Tessa Cichy and Dakota Whyte, are good three point shooters. They pulled to within three points of Nebraska but the Huskers willed themselves back to lead at the half 33-32.

Huskers have had a tendency when leading the game at the half to play a lukewarm second half. This game was no different. The action went back and forth with missed shots and lots of fouls called on both teams. Nebraska needed a spark and found it in freshmen Jasmine Cincore. She came off the bench to make a key shot of the game at 8:37 left in the game.

Battling back from a fifteen point deficit, the last few minutes were “nail biters” as Wisconsin attempted a comeback. The formidable Husker defense, led by an injured Hailie Sample, caused Wisconsin to turn the ball over. Badger guard Dakota Whyte managed to commit four fouls in seven minutes before finally fouling out of the game.

Determined not to lose their 4th game in a row, the Huskers had their own foul issues. NU senior Emily Cady fouled out of the game at 3:48, followed by Brandi Jeffery at 0:28. It would be up to freshmen guard Natalie Romeo, in tandem with  senior guard Tear’a Laudermill to secure the “W” for the Huskers. Laudermill sunk two consecutive free-throws to put the final score at 70-63.


Clearly exhausted and speakng with a hoarse voice, Coach Connie Yori credited her seniors as the big reason the Huskers were able to come away with a win. She singled out senior forward Hailie Sample, who had 9 treatments on her ankle in the past two days, playing through that injury. Coach Yori summed up the importance of this win. “I thought this was a critical game for us, not because we lost three straight but because of what we have coming up,” Yori said. “We’re fighting for a NCAA tournament bid and this was a big game.”

More from Nebraska Women's Basketball

Nebraska 18-6 (8-6 Big Ten) goes back on the road this week for two games. They play Wednesday night at Northwestern. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.(CT). Northwestern 9-6 (9-5 Big Ten) is one game ahead of Nebraska in the Big Ten standings. They finish the road trip on Saturday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington ,IN where they will meet Indiana in an 11a.m. CDT contest. Stay tuned for further updates and as always, GO BIG RED!!