A 71-46 win over Samford Saturday improved Nebraska women’s basketball to 8-3. Despite the 25-point difference, the game was not all smooth sailing for the Huskers.
Head coach Amy Williams opened her post-game presser by saying the game was a tale of two halves, and she was right.
It was a brutal first twenty minutes of play for the Huskers. After two quarters, Samford led 16-15. Nebraska shot 20.7 percent from the field, including 1-of-12 from 3, and had 10 turnovers to one assist.
Luckily for the Huskers, the Bulldogs could not take advantage of the home team’s abysmal play. Samford shot 25 percent from the field and only totaled four points off of turnovers.
The first half was the lowest scoring margin between teams in Nebraska women’s basketball history.
Williams said the message after the first half was to start over and took an unorthodox step to emphasize the message.
“I made them take their shoes and reput them back (on) and just kind of restart,” Williams said.
Nebraska did just that. The Big Red looked like their usual selves in the second half: playing aggressive defense, moving the ball swiftly on offense, and knocking down threes.
The Huskers jumped on the Bulldogs in the first five minutes of the quarter, bursting out to a 13-2 run. Nebraska’s run consisted of three made triples and great defense from Allison Weidner. Weidner scored seven points and totaled three steals in the third quarter alone, helping the Huskers get back on track.
Williams said that Weidner’s play was crucial to the team’s success.
“I thought Allison set the tone for us in the second half with her defensive presence,” Williams said.
NU went 5-of-7 from 3 and shot 56 percent from the field, going into the fourth quarter up 44-33.
The Huskers did not let off the gas in the fourth quarter, knocking down five more three-pointers and winning the game 71-46. NU made 10 triples in the second half and shot 56 percent from the field overall.
Their eleven 3s made it the first time in program history that Nebraska made double-digit three-pointers in three straight games.
Alexis Markowski’s play anchored Nebraska. She led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. It was Markowki’s sixth game with double-digit rebounds.
After the game, Markowski said she enjoys rebounding and being physical
“It’s something that I take pride in and is definitely one of the best aspects of my game,” Markowski said.
Kendall Moriarty also played a big role in Nebraska’s second-half explosion, knocking down three three-pointers and scoring a career-high 11 points.
Saturday’s win was a milestone for Amy Williams, as she picked up her 200th NCAA win as a head coach and her 104th win as the lead woman for Nebraska.
Nebraska stays home for their next game December 18 against Wyoming.