A dominant third quarter in which Nebraska outscored Richmond by 21 points led the Cornhuskers to a 75-56 victory in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament Wednesday in Durham, N.Car. Nebraska will slot into the 64-team bracket as the No. 11 seed in the Sacramento Region 2, and will take on No. 6 seed Baylor Friday at 1 p.m.
The Huskers took a 34-32 lead to halftime. But in the third quarter, Nebraska scored the first 17 points, blowing open the lead to 51-32 with 4:42 remaining. Britt Prince had eight of the 17 points in the run, en route to her team-leading 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Prince also hit a shot in the final seconds of the quarter, pushing the lead to 61-38 heading into the final quarter. Nebraska never held a lead by fewer than 19 points in the fourth quarter en route to victory.
Along with Prince, Callin Hake was the only Husker to score in double digits, notching 14 points on four made three-pointers. Maggie Doogan led all scorers with 24 points and 10 rebounds. No other Spider scored in double digits. Nebraska’s defense against Richmond’s perimeter shooting was key. After the Spiders entered the game one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, the Huskers held Richmond to just 4-for-23 from behind the arc.
Nebraska now advances to face old Big 12 foe Baylor on Friday in Durham, N. Car. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., with pregame at 12:30 p.m. on B-107.3.