Nebraska Women's Basketball pummels Northwestern 75-50 behind four double-digit scorers
Nebraska Women’s Basketball (18-9, 10-6) secured a winning Big Ten record after pummeling Northwestern 75-50 on Tuesday night. The Huskers had four players score in double digits and two recorded double-digit rebounds.
Center Alexis Markowski led the Huskers with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She recorded her 16th double-double this season, which leads the Big Ten. She is up to 37 career double-doubles.
Freshman forward Natalie Potts ignited in the third quarter. She showed 12 of her 18 total points in those 10 minutes. The six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree added 10 rebounds.
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Freshman guard Logan Nissley stepped up for another huge game. She scored 12 points, all in the first quarter. She recorded four rebounds and a career-high six assists. The 6-foot-0 guard went 4-for-6 from behind the arc.
Northwestern’s Maggie Pina led her team with 12 points and Hailey Weaver scored 11 points.
Nebraska builds substantial lead behind Northwestern shooting woes
Nissley built on her career-high 18 points against Purdue in Nebraska’s last game. She proved it was the right choice immediately as she sank back-to-back three-pointers for NU’s first points of the game.
After over a two-minute scoring drought from both teams, Markowski scored back-to-back buckets to take a 10-3 lead halfway through the first quarter.
Callin Hake and Annika Stewart both hit threes to take a 16-3 lead.
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Northwestern’s Maggie Pina scored a three-pointer to start the game. However, the Wildcats didn’t score again until Pina made another three with 1:33 left in the first. She broke a nearly eight-minute-long scoring drought.
Nebraska led 20-6 after the first quarter. Darian White scored the last four points of the quarter with two free throws and a layup.
The Huskers didn’t score their next field goal until Markowski went up against Paige Mott inside for two points. NU took a 24-10 lead with 6:44 left in the half. Nissley fed off of her elder teammate and drained a three on the next possession.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ shots continued not to fall. After a quick jumper by Motts to start the second quarter, Northwestern didn’t score another field goal for four minutes.
Nissley hit another three and then Shelley followed her up with another. Shelley scored her first points of the game with 3:21 remaining in the first half.
NU jogged into the locker room up 35-23 at halftime.
Potts, Stewart take over in second half
Freshman Natalie Potts only scored two points in the first half. She started the second half hot with six paint points in less than four minutes.
Markowski continued to get baskets underneath. She helped boost Nebraska Women’s Basketball to a 46-28 lead with six minutes remaining in the third.
With the shot clock ticking down in the middle of the third, Shelley found Potts underneath the basket for two points. On the next possession, NU took advantage of a Northwestern turnover. Potts turned a fastbreak opportunity into another two points 20 seconds later. Nebraska took a 50-30 lead.
Potts scored six straight points after making two free throws. She recorded 13 points in the third quarter alone.
Nebraska led Northwestern 56-38 heading into the fourth quarter. NU shot 50 percent from the floor in the third. The Wildcats continued to improve. They shot 43 percent from field goal range in the third quarter after 12 percent in the first.
Potts continued her reign with a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter.
Mott had a huge fourth quarter for Northwestern. She scored five of their first seven points. The senior forward scored eight points.
Just as the third quarter was Potts’, the fourth quarter belonged to Stewart.
Stewart made two great layups in the middle of the fourth. The first was a spin move for a bucket and the second was also with lots of contact. On the next possession, Stewart pulled up for a beautiful jumper in the paint. Nebraska Women’s Basketball took a 68-46 lead with Stewart’s help.
She made another great, contested jumper to take a 70-49 lead.
The senior scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter. Stewart earned a season-high 13 total points.
Northwestern didn’t score a field goal in the last six minutes of the contest.
Next up, Nebraska hosts Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 4:00 p.m. CT at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers will have their Senior Night against the Gophers.
Bright future with two developing freshmen
Nebraska has a bright future with freshmen Natalie Potts and Logan Nissley. Both are consistently in the Huskers starting lineup.
Potts had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nissley recorded 12 points and a career-high six points.
“They just keep stepping up,” Markowski said of the duo. “Every night they bring something new. To have two freshmen starters and be as good as we are, it’s pretty remarkable. I couldn’t be more proud of what they bring to this team. They are just even better people.”
Nissley started the game with back-to-back three-pointers. Her abilities disrupted Northwestern’s defense heavily. She said having a player start off hot, like herself on Tuesday, gives her team instant confidence. It showed at Pinnacle Bank Arena against Northwestern.
Both players, but especially Nissley, have grown tremendously within the last few games. Nissley had a season-high 18 points in NU’s previous win over Purdue.
The duo will likely be a staple in Nebraska’s lineup for years to come and they’ll just keep getting better.
Stewart goes off ahead of senior day
Stewart scored a season-high 13 points against Northwestern, with eight in the fourth quarter. The accomplishment was even more special with Nebraska Women’s Basketball’s Senior Day on Saturday against Minnesota.
The senior forward has spent four years at Nebraska, the longest of all the seniors. She have carved an important role on this team.
“Anni is such a good leader for our team. We talked about it early, that with their lineup, we were going to have to play two bigs and so Anni was going to have to go in and give us some offensive execution. To have her go off, it’s really awesome with senior night coming up.”
Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams said Stewart is extremely dedicated in practice to honing her craft to be able to help her team. Having that hard work come to fruition with senior week coming up with “pretty special,” Williams said.
“Just really excited for her and I think her teammates are too,” the Husker coach of eight seasons said. “It was pretty obvious the bench was pretty fired up about that. We’re going to continue to need her to be ready and to come in and contribute when she gets her opportunities.”
