Nebraska opens Big Ten with statement Penn State win, move to 9-0
Nebraska Women’s Basketball dominated in its first Big Ten game of the season. The Huskers’ scoring explosion helped them pull away in the fourth quarter and defeat Penn State 101-83 in University Park, Pa. NU advances to 9-0 for the first time since 2021.
The Scarlet and Cream have scored 80 or more points in nine straight games this season. They have set the school record for a streak of games with 80 or more points, which was held by the 1987-88 Husker team’s eight straight contests.
The Huskers scored 67 points in the second half with 66% from the field and 58% from three. They shot 53% from the field and 41% from three in the game. Penn State shot 54% from the field but had 18 turnovers. Nebraska recorded 28 points off turnovers.
Amiah Hargrove posted a career-high 26 points. Petra Bozan had a career-high 17 points as well. Britt Prince added 20 points with 14 in the second half. Logan Nissley and Jessica Petrie contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Penn State center Gracie Merkle led her team with 23 points and five rebounds. Kiyori McMiller added 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Nittany Lions outrebounded NU 29-26. But had 10 more turnovers.
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Hot and cold first half
The first half was a story of two very different quarters. Nebraska came out of the gates hot and scored the first seven points of the game. The Huskers forced nine turnovers for 14 points in the first quarter. NU held the Nittany Lions to 13 points in the first, but that didn’t last long.
Penn State tightened up for only three turnovers in the second. They dialed in to shoot 56% from the field and 67% from three to score 25 points in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions held Nebraska to 12 points as they went ice cold on offense. The Huskers shot 28% in the second quarter after shooting 44% in the first.
NU was 2-for-12 to shoot 16% from three before the break. Nebraska struggled greatly from behind the arc in the first half, but they found their rhythm when it mattered most.
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Second-half scoring explosion leads NU to victory
Four Huskers caught fire offensively in the second half. The Huskers’ 3-pointers helped them build a massive lead in the fourth. They were 7-for-11 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter. Nebraska Women’s Basketball shot 64% from three and 74% from field-goal range in the last quarter.
Nissley led the 3-point charge in the fourth. She was 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Hargrove hit both of her three-point shots in the fourth. Hailey Weaver and Prince added a triple as well.
Prince and Hargrove were instrumental on offense for the Huskers in the third quarter. Prince recorded 11 of her 20 points in the third. Hargrove posted nine points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-1 from behind the arc.
Nebraska found Bozan often and early in the fourth quarter. The sophomore posted nine points in the first 2.5 minutes of the quarter. She had 11 points in the second half. Then NU’s 3-point shot lit up, and Nebraska ran away with the game.
McMiller took over for Penn State in the second half. She had 16 of their 22 points with five buckets and six free-throw points in the third. But her 20-second-half points weren’t enough to overpower the Huskers.
The Scarlet and Cream are back in action against Omaha on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. CT at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Catch the game on B1G+.
