Huge first quarter, free throws boost Nebraska women's basketball to a 78-66 victory over Northwestern
Nebraska women’s basketball (14-9, 6-6) scored 30 points in the first quarter to help give themselves a big lead and fight off a fourth-quarter Northwestern comeback. The Huskers won 78-66 and its second game against an opponent that came back in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats (8-15, 1-11) forced 24 turnovers and scored 27 points off those turnovers. 11 of those turnovers were in the fourth quarter. Nebraska went 18-for-25 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to boost them to victory.
Issie Bourne had 18 points and nine rebounds. Sam Haiby scored 17 points. Jaz Shelley had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Alexis Markowski added another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Issie Bourne and the Huskers started off blazing hot. Nebraska got up 7-0 until Rainey drained a three-pointer two minutes into the game. Bourne scored back-to-back buckets to force a Northwestern timeout.
Bourne scored nine of Nebraska’s first 11 points but didn’t score for the rest of the first quarter.
After the timeout, Sam Haiby sank a shot from the top of the key for three points. The Huskers went on a 13-0 scoring run over 2:30. Maddie Krull drained a three for the Huskers to be a perfect 4-for-4 and go up 20-3.
Caroline Lau sparked the Wildcats with a layup, Alana Goodchild made a jumper then Caileigh Walsh capped off Northwestern’s 7-0 scoring run with a three-pointer. Northwestern’s run lasted 1:30.
Nebraska freshman Maggie Mendelson broke the spell with a contested layup. Alexis Markowski scored her second bucket of the game.
Northwestern didn’t go away and continued to battle. Sydney Wood drained an open three to make it 25-13.
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Anni Stewart scored the final five points of the quarter with two made free throws and a three with two seconds left. Nebraska was up 30-15 after the first 10 minutes.
Bourne started off the second quarter like she did the first: scoring. But she and the Huskers went ice cold. They didn’t score another field goal until Jaz Shelley drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with 24 seconds left.
Nebraska went over eight minutes without a field goal. Sam Haiby added two free throws but that’s it.
Despite only scoring seven points in the second quarter, a season-low for that quarter, the Huskers led 37-25 at halftime. The Wildcats had long droughts of no buckets as well. But two scores in 20 seconds, including a big three from Walsh, helped them cut Nebraska’s lead.
A second-half Wildcat comeback, free throws save Nebraska
Haiby got the Huskers going in the second half with a step back, mid-range jumper to go up 39-27. Paige Mott started the half with a layup 15 seconds into the quarter and Haiby responded with a nice move.
After Mott’s layup, Northwestern didn’t score another field goal until Walsh laid in a bucket with two minutes left. The Wildcats didn’t score a field goal for almost seven minutes.
Nebraska wasn’t scoring big during the Wildcats’ drought. Bourne made one of her two free throws and Markowski hung tough against a double team for a bucket in the paint to go up 42-28 with 6:11 left in the third.
Shelley earned her second field goal of the game with 3:30 left in the quarter. She hit a three from the top of the key in the face of a Northwestern defender.
Soon after, Bourne made a contested layup and sank the and-one shot for the Huskers to go up 48-30 with under three to go.
Nebraska added the third quarter on a high note. Kendall Moriarity came off the bench and drained her first bucket of the game, which was for three.
Haiby then found the bottom of the net at the buzzer from behind the arc. Shelley, who was under the hoop, threw the ball to Moriarty on the three-point line. Moriarty zipped it to Haiby for the assist.
The Huskers were up 56-34 at the end of the third. The Wildcats scored nine points in those 10 minutes.
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Courtney Shaw took over to begin the final quarter. She had five points with a big layup and-one in the first minute.
Northwestern started fullcourt pressing in the middle of the half and it destroyed Nebraska. They had four turnovers in one minute and seven in three minutes. While Nebraska didn’t score a field goal for three minutes, the Wildcats went on a 12-1 scoring run thanks to the turnovers.
The Wildcats cut the lead to 60-53 with four minutes left.
Haiby earned a much-needed layup to end the run.
But Northwestern was determined. Kaylah Rainey drained a three in response, making it 63-56 with under three minutes remaining.
Nebraska was fouled a lot down the stretch and had an opportunity to put it away. With under two minutes to go, Shelley and Haiby did a great job of matching their free throws. Krull made both of her free throws as well.
The Huskers went 18-for-25 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and were 26-for-34 overall.
Northwestern kept making shots but they couldn’t overcome Nebraska’s 20-point lead and the free throws adding points to the lead.
Thoughts from the game:
***In the fourth quarter when Northwestern was on their 12-1 run, Haiby had what Head Coach Amy Williams called the play of the game.
The senior zipped down the court for a layup and Nebraska’s first field goal in three minutes. In fact, that was Nebraska’s last field goal of the game.
Williams said the Huskers felt they could take a breath and Haiby gave them the cushion to finish the game out.
Throughout Haiby’s career, she has come up huge in important moments. The senior drained a three at the end of the third quarter to help Nebraska pull away against Northwestern. But this game against Northwestern reminded me of the 2022 Northwestern game where Haiby drove to the basket to score at the buzzer and win. The shot made ESPN SportCenters’ Top 10.
Haiby and the spark she brings on and off the court will be missed next season.
***Jaz Shelley scored her 1,000th career point. She scored the first 300 or so at Oregon and the rest as a Husker. While her scoring has dropped off over the back half of the season, Shelley is still making a great impact on the court.
Against Northwestern, she had 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and two steals.
One of her rebounds came with 1:30 left in the game. Bourne missed a three-pointer and Shelley grabbed the offensive rebound for a second chance at points. Shelley was also 6-for-8 from the free-throw line and went 4-for-4 with under two minutes left.
***Now for the elephant in the room, Nebraska has to get a handle on its turnover troubles. This is the second consecutive game where second-half turnovers have allowed a team to get back in the game. Against Michigan State on Feb. 2 and versus the Wildcats, the Huskers were up 20 and let their lead slip away.
With the victory over Northwestern, Nebraska is now .500 in the Big Ten. They are on the bubble of making the NCAA tournament and need to start playing more cleanly to get convincing wins and wins in general.
