DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night.

The first five shooters couldn’t convert but Nichushkin beat Jeremy Swayman with a shot under his glove. Colorado bounced back from an 8-4 loss to Florida on Saturday to win for the fifth time in six games.

“From start to finish that’s probably one of our most complete games of the year,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Just the way we played, competed, took care of the puck — it was a really good hockey game.”

Sam Malinski, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O’Connor had goals and Alexandar Georgiev had 23 saves through overtime and three more in the shootout for the Avalanche.

“Anytime you’re able to contribute to a big win it feels good,” said Malinski, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL to replace Josh Manson (undisclosed) in the lineup. “Considering it’s my first game back it makes a little bit more special.”

Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to continue his dominant play in Denver, where he has 16 goals and 29 assists. He has registered at least one point in all 22 home games this season and is one shy of tying Joe Sakic for the longest home point streak in franchise history.

Brad Marchand had two goals, John Beecher also scored and Swayman stopped 33 shots for Boston, which opened a four-game road trip with a loss. Defenseman Brandon Carlo left the game early in the second with an upper-body injury.

Coach Jim Montgomery had no update on Carlo’s condition after the game.

The Bruins had a chance to win it in overtime when they got a 4-on-3 power play but couldn’t get one by Georgiev.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t get that second point,” Marchand said. “We kind of squandered the power play in overtime so we need to be better there in those opportunities to close out games.”

Malinski got his second goal of the season when his shot from the point at 17:56 of the second beat Swayman to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead.

“He’s played really well when he’s been with us,” Bednar said of the rookie, who played in his 15th game Monday night. “We have a couple of (defensemen) out of the lineup now so he’ll be here for a little bit.”

Marchand’s second of the night and 17th of the season at 5:46 of the third tied it again.

The teams traded power-play goals in the first period. Boston scored first on Marchand’s goal midway through the frame but Rantanen tied it at 16:13.

O’Connor scored an unassisted goal off of a turnover just 2:23 into the second period but Beecher tied it 2 when he knocked in a rebound at 10:05 of the second.

“The puck squirted out to me and I just wanted to get it off my tape quick,” O’Connor said of his sixth goal of the season.

Colorado was without forward Miles Wood (illness) for the second straight game. Jason Polin was recalled from the Eagles and made his NHL debut.

Avalanche: Host Vegas on Wednesday night.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704809362648.jpeg" alt="Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) collects the puck as Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)" />
 <figcaption>Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) collects the puck as Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MICHAEL KELLY Associated PressDENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night.The first five shooters couldn’t convert but Nichushkin beat Jeremy Swayman with a shot under his glove. Colorado bounced back from an 8-4 loss to Florida on Saturday to win for the fifth time in six games.“From start to finish that’s probably one of our most complete games of the year,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Just the way we played, competed, took care of the puck — it was a really good hockey game.”Sam Malinski, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O’Connor had goals and Alexandar Georgiev had 23 saves through overtime and three more in the shootout for the Avalanche.“Anytime you’re able to contribute to a big win it feels good,” said Malinski, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL to replace Josh Manson (undisclosed) in the lineup. “Considering it’s my first game back it makes a little bit more special.”Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to continue his dominant play in Denver, where he has 16 goals and 29 assists. He has registered at least one point in all 22 home games this season and is one shy of tying Joe Sakic for the longest home point streak in franchise history.Brad Marchand had two goals, John Beecher also scored and Swayman stopped 33 shots for Boston, which opened a four-game road trip with a loss. Defenseman Brandon Carlo left the game early in the second with an upper-body injury.Coach Jim Montgomery had no update on Carlo’s condition after the game.The Bruins had a chance to win it in overtime when they got a 4-on-3 power play but couldn’t get one by Georgiev.“Unfortunately we couldn’t get that second point,” Marchand said. “We kind of squandered the power play in overtime so we need to be better there in those opportunities to close out games.”Malinski got his second goal of the season when his shot from the point at 17:56 of the second beat Swayman to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead.“He’s played really well when he’s been with us,” Bednar said of the rookie, who played in his 15th game Monday night. “We have a couple of (defensemen) out of the lineup now so he’ll be here for a little bit.”Marchand’s second of the night and 17th of the season at 5:46 of the third tied it again.The teams traded power-play goals in the first period. Boston scored first on Marchand’s goal midway through the frame but Rantanen tied it at 16:13.O’Connor scored an unassisted goal off of a turnover just 2:23 into the second period but Beecher tied it 2 when he knocked in a rebound at 10:05 of the second.“The puck squirted out to me and I just wanted to get it off my tape quick,” O’Connor said of his sixth goal of the season.Colorado was without forward Miles Wood (illness) for the second straight game. Jason Polin was recalled from the Eagles and made his NHL debut.UP NEXTBruins: At Arizona on Tuesday night.Avalanche: Host Vegas on Wednesday night.

Nichushkin scores only goal in shootout, Avalanche beat Bruins 4-3

Story by NU Athletic Communications

Nebraska volleyball incoming freshman libero Olivia Mauch has been named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, presented annually to the most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.&nbsp;

Mauch, a Bennington, Neb. native, was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia in August. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey.

Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington this fall, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals each of the past two years. As a junior, Mauch averaged 8.5 digs per set and served 83 aces. She was a Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska selection. Mauch played club volleyball for Premier.

Last week, fellow Husker newcomer&nbsp;Skyler Pierce was named the Most Valuable Player at the Under Armour Next All-America match. The outside hitter had 17 kills with a .536 hitting percentage to lead Team Fire past Team Ice in five sets.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsNebraska volleyball incoming freshman libero Olivia Mauch has been named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, presented annually to the most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.&nbsp;Mauch, a Bennington, Neb. native, was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia in August. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey.Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington this fall, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals each of the past two years. As a junior, Mauch averaged 8.5 digs per set and served 83 aces. She was a Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska selection. Mauch played club volleyball for Premier.Last week, fellow Husker newcomer&nbsp;Skyler Pierce was named the Most Valuable Player at the Under Armour Next All-America match. The outside hitter had 17 kills with a .536 hitting percentage to lead Team Fire past Team Ice in five sets.&nbsp;

Incoming Freshman Mauch named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year

Nebraska's Natalie Potts captured her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, when the conference announced its weekly winners on Monday, Jan. 8.

The 6-2 forward from O'Fallon, Mo., averaged 12.5, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals for the Huskers last week.&nbsp;

In Thursday's victory at Wisconsin, Potts powered the Huskers with 16 second-half points to help Nebraska improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2011-12. She added five rebounds and a career-high three steals against the Badgers.

Potts added nine points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists against No. 14 Indiana on Sunday.

For the season, Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) while hitting 72.1 percent of her two-point field goals and 81.1 percent of her free throws.

Through eight weeks of the Big Ten distributing awards, no other conference freshman has claimed more than one league honor.

In addition to the recognition for Potts, Nebraska junior center Alexis Markowski earned her fifth selection of the season to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll. Only Iowa's Caitlin Clark has been honored by the conference more frequently than Markowski and Potts this season.

Markowski, Potts and the Huskers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) return to conference home action on Thursday when they take on Illinois. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Fighting Illini at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 7 p.m. with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised live by BTN.

Natalie Potts Big Ten Freshman of the Week AwardsNov. 13, Nov. 27, Dec. 11, Jan. 8

Alexis Markowski Big Ten Weekly Honor RollNov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Jan. 2, Jan. 8

Jaz Shelley Big Ten Weekly Honor RollDec. 11

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsNebraska's Natalie Potts captured her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, when the conference announced its weekly winners on Monday, Jan. 8.The 6-2 forward from O'Fallon, Mo., averaged 12.5, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals for the Huskers last week.&nbsp;In Thursday's victory at Wisconsin, Potts powered the Huskers with 16 second-half points to help Nebraska improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2011-12. She added five rebounds and a career-high three steals against the Badgers.Potts added nine points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists against No. 14 Indiana on Sunday.For the season, Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) while hitting 72.1 percent of her two-point field goals and 81.1 percent of her free throws.Through eight weeks of the Big Ten distributing awards, no other conference freshman has claimed more than one league honor.In addition to the recognition for Potts, Nebraska junior center Alexis Markowski earned her fifth selection of the season to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll. Only Iowa's Caitlin Clark has been honored by the conference more frequently than Markowski and Potts this season.Markowski, Potts and the Huskers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) return to conference home action on Thursday when they take on Illinois. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Fighting Illini at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 7 p.m. with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised live by BTN.Natalie Potts Big Ten Freshman of the Week AwardsNov. 13, Nov. 27, Dec. 11, Jan. 8Alexis Markowski Big Ten Weekly Honor RollNov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Jan. 2, Jan. 8Jaz Shelley Big Ten Weekly Honor RollDec. 11

 Potts claims Fourth Big Ten Freshman Award

Las Vegas, Nev.&nbsp;- Behind five-straight wins, the Nebraska bowling team sits in second place with 4,923 pins (196.9 average) at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic after the first day of competition. The Huskers are currently the only school in the 20-team field to hold an undefeated record.&nbsp;In the first match of the day, NU faced St. Anselm in a five-game total pinfall baker match. The Huskers led by 53 pins after the first game, as NU shot 187 and the Hawks rolled a 134. In game two, St. Anselm scored a 171 and the Huskers shot 167, before NU bounced back in game three with a 221 to take a 94 pin lead with two games to go. The Huskers added eight more pins to their lead in game four and topped the Hawks 189-158 in game five to claim the 919-786 victory. Up next, the Huskers faced No. 10 Maryville. In game one, Maryville topped NU 170-166, but the Huskers responded and shot 182 to Maryville 139 in game two to take a 39 pin lead. In game three, NU increased its lead to 55 as the Huskers shot 186 and the Saints rolled a 170. NU then held the pressure by posting scores of 212 and 237 in games four and five and claimed the overall victory, 983-843.With the 2-0 overall record, NU faced No. 9 Stephen F. Austin in the third match of the day. The Huskers came out strong in game one, 247-181, and grabbed the early 66 pin advantage. SFA got back a few pins in games two (169-183) and three (185-193), but NU held steady in game five to top the Ladyjacks 202-172 and lead by 74 pins with one game to go. SFA topped NU in game five (159-173), but it was not enough and the Huskers won overall, 962-902, for their third-straight victory. In the fourth match of the day, the Huskers took on No. 1 Jacksonville State. JSU came out on top in games one (165-224) and two (214-226), taking a 71 pin lead. NU then shot an impressive 257 to JSU’s 178 and took an eight-point advantage with two games to go. In game four, Jacksonville State edged the Huskers 172-168, but NU came out on top in game five (221-187) to seal the 1,025-984 win.Up next was the fifth and final match of the day where the Big Red faced Southern. NU dropped the first two games,192-210 and 216-163, and Southern held a 71 pin advantage. In game three, Nebraska cut the deficit to 25 with a 221 win over Southern’s 175. Southern then stretched its lead to 56 with a 241-210 win in game four, but the Huskers made up the ground and then some in game five (248-184) to finish the day undefeated, 1034-1026.The Huskers continue competition at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic tomorrow starting at 11:55 a.m. (CT). Each team will play five traditional matches, with NU facing No. 20 Oklahoma Christian, No. 13 Merrimack, No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s, No. 8 Duquesne and Adelphi. Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@NEBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook. Additionally, all matches will be broadcasted on BOWL.com (subscription to bowltv required).&nbsp; &nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsLas Vegas, Nev.&nbsp;- Behind five-straight wins, the Nebraska bowling team sits in second place with 4,923 pins (196.9 average) at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic after the first day of competition. The Huskers are currently the only school in the 20-team field to hold an undefeated record.&nbsp;In the first match of the day, NU faced St. Anselm in a five-game total pinfall baker match. The Huskers led by 53 pins after the first game, as NU shot 187 and the Hawks rolled a 134. In game two, St. Anselm scored a 171 and the Huskers shot 167, before NU bounced back in game three with a 221 to take a 94 pin lead with two games to go. The Huskers added eight more pins to their lead in game four and topped the Hawks 189-158 in game five to claim the 919-786 victory. Up next, the Huskers faced No. 10 Maryville. In game one, Maryville topped NU 170-166, but the Huskers responded and shot 182 to Maryville 139 in game two to take a 39 pin lead. In game three, NU increased its lead to 55 as the Huskers shot 186 and the Saints rolled a 170. NU then held the pressure by posting scores of 212 and 237 in games four and five and claimed the overall victory, 983-843.With the 2-0 overall record, NU faced No. 9 Stephen F. Austin in the third match of the day. The Huskers came out strong in game one, 247-181, and grabbed the early 66 pin advantage. SFA got back a few pins in games two (169-183) and three (185-193), but NU held steady in game five to top the Ladyjacks 202-172 and lead by 74 pins with one game to go. SFA topped NU in game five (159-173), but it was not enough and the Huskers won overall, 962-902, for their third-straight victory. In the fourth match of the day, the Huskers took on No. 1 Jacksonville State. JSU came out on top in games one (165-224) and two (214-226), taking a 71 pin lead. NU then shot an impressive 257 to JSU’s 178 and took an eight-point advantage with two games to go. In game four, Jacksonville State edged the Huskers 172-168, but NU came out on top in game five (221-187) to seal the 1,025-984 win.Up next was the fifth and final match of the day where the Big Red faced Southern. NU dropped the first two games,192-210 and 216-163, and Southern held a 71 pin advantage. In game three, Nebraska cut the deficit to 25 with a 221 win over Southern’s 175. Southern then stretched its lead to 56 with a 241-210 win in game four, but the Huskers made up the ground and then some in game five (248-184) to finish the day undefeated, 1034-1026.The Huskers continue competition at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic tomorrow starting at 11:55 a.m. (CT). Each team will play five traditional matches, with NU facing No. 20 Oklahoma Christian, No. 13 Merrimack, No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s, No. 8 Duquesne and Adelphi. Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@NEBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook. Additionally, all matches will be broadcasted on BOWL.com (subscription to bowltv required).&nbsp; &nbsp;

Huskers 5-0 after Day One in Vegas

Story by Chadron State Athletic Communications

CHADRON, Neb. --&nbsp;Danny Woodhead, a Chadron State Football running back from 2004-07, has been selected as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class, The National Football Foundation and ESPN announced on Monday. Woodhead is undoubtedly the most successful and well-known football player that Nebraska has produced in the 21st Century.&nbsp; Now he's the first Chadron State College football player going into the College Football Hall of Fame. Although just 5-8, 185 pounds when he arrived at Chadron State in the fall of 2004, he had already come up big in everything he had done athletically.&nbsp; As a senior at North Platte High School when he rushed for 2,037 yards and 31 touchdowns, he was the Nebraska Gatorade Football Player of the Year, offensive captain of both the Omaha World-Herald's and Lincoln Journal Star's all-class, all-state football teams and was Huskerland Report's Player of the Year.&nbsp;Since both of Woodhead's parents, Mark and Annette, were Chadron State graduates and older brother Ben was a senior wide receiver on the CSC team, the Eagles had an inside track in landing him.&nbsp;Danny didn't start the first game his freshman year, but he clinched the starting job in the third game when he rushed for a school-record 306 yards and scored five touchdowns. It launched a fantastic career. He would rush for 300-plus yards three more times, set the NCAA II record for most 200-yard or more games (19), score touchdowns in 38 consecutive games and romp at least 50 yards to the end zone 21 times. He became college football's all-time leading rusher with 7,962 yards, rolled up 9,480 all-purpose yards and scored 109 touchdowns (tying him for the most in college football annals), helping him win two Harlon Hill Trophies, which go to Division II's outstanding player. In addition, Woodhead was NCAA Division II's National Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2007 and graduated with a 3.72 GPA as a health and physical education and math major. Two years later, he was voted the RMAC's All-Time Outstanding Offensive Player when its All-Century Team was selected.&nbsp; He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.He was not drafted by an NFL team in the spring of 2008, but ended up enjoying a 10-year career in the National Football League. After playing in 11 games for the New York Jets before being released, the Patriots quickly nabbed him and he played for them the next three years, rushing for 547 yards and five touchdowns in 2010 and catching a TD pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.The next four years he was an all-purpose back for the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers.&nbsp; He also was an invaluable piece of Philip Rivers' arsenal.&nbsp; He caught 76 passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns his first year there in 2013.After missing most of the 2014 season, he returned in 2015 for another excellent season, grabbing 80 passes for 755 yards and 6 TDs and also rushing for 336 yards and three more scores. Another ACL injury in the second game ended his 2016 season. The following winter, he signed a three-year contract with Baltimore, but injuries allowed him to play only eight games for the Ravens and he retired in early 2018. During his NFL career, he played in 101 games, rushed 517 times for 2,238 yards, caught 300 passes for 2,698 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. During his farewell message, the media reported that the ever-gracious Woodhead thanked God, his family, his agent, his former coaches, singling them out by name, his former high school, college and NFL teammates and the medical personnel who had helped him along the way. Woodhead, who was inducted into CSC's Hall of Fame this year, will officially be inducted into the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at the 66th&nbsp;National Football Foundation Annual Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 5.7 million people has played or coached college football and only 1,304 (0.02%) of them can claim the honor of being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame like Danny Woodhead can.

Story by Chadron State Athletic CommunicationsCHADRON, Neb. --&nbsp;Danny Woodhead, a Chadron State Football running back from 2004-07, has been selected as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class, The National Football Foundation and ESPN announced on Monday. Woodhead is undoubtedly the most successful and well-known football player that Nebraska has produced in the 21st Century.&nbsp; Now he's the first Chadron State College football player going into the College Football Hall of Fame. Although just 5-8, 185 pounds when he arrived at Chadron State in the fall of 2004, he had already come up big in everything he had done athletically.&nbsp; As a senior at North Platte High School when he rushed for 2,037 yards and 31 touchdowns, he was the Nebraska Gatorade Football Player of the Year, offensive captain of both the Omaha World-Herald's and Lincoln Journal Star's all-class, all-state football teams and was Huskerland Report's Player of the Year.&nbsp;Since both of Woodhead's parents, Mark and Annette, were Chadron State graduates and older brother Ben was a senior wide receiver on the CSC team, the Eagles had an inside track in landing him.&nbsp;Danny didn't start the first game his freshman year, but he clinched the starting job in the third game when he rushed for a school-record 306 yards and scored five touchdowns. It launched a fantastic career. He would rush for 300-plus yards three more times, set the NCAA II record for most 200-yard or more games (19), score touchdowns in 38 consecutive games and romp at least 50 yards to the end zone 21 times. He became college football's all-time leading rusher with 7,962 yards, rolled up 9,480 all-purpose yards and scored 109 touchdowns (tying him for the most in college football annals), helping him win two Harlon Hill Trophies, which go to Division II's outstanding player. In addition, Woodhead was NCAA Division II's National Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2007 and graduated with a 3.72 GPA as a health and physical education and math major. Two years later, he was voted the RMAC's All-Time Outstanding Offensive Player when its All-Century Team was selected.&nbsp; He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.He was not drafted by an NFL team in the spring of 2008, but ended up enjoying a 10-year career in the National Football League. After playing in 11 games for the New York Jets before being released, the Patriots quickly nabbed him and he played for them the next three years, rushing for 547 yards and five touchdowns in 2010 and catching a TD pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.The next four years he was an all-purpose back for the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers.&nbsp; He also was an invaluable piece of Philip Rivers' arsenal.&nbsp; He caught 76 passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns his first year there in 2013.After missing most of the 2014 season, he returned in 2015 for another excellent season, grabbing 80 passes for 755 yards and 6 TDs and also rushing for 336 yards and three more scores. Another ACL injury in the second game ended his 2016 season. The following winter, he signed a three-year contract with Baltimore, but injuries allowed him to play only eight games for the Ravens and he retired in early 2018. During his NFL career, he played in 101 games, rushed 517 times for 2,238 yards, caught 300 passes for 2,698 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. During his farewell message, the media reported that the ever-gracious Woodhead thanked God, his family, his agent, his former coaches, singling them out by name, his former high school, college and NFL teammates and the medical personnel who had helped him along the way. Woodhead, who was inducted into CSC's Hall of Fame this year, will officially be inducted into the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at the 66th&nbsp;National Football Foundation Annual Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 5.7 million people has played or coached college football and only 1,304 (0.02%) of them can claim the honor of being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame like Danny Woodhead can.

Woodhead named to 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class

Former Nebraska
head coach Frank Solich is one of 22 individuals who will make up the
2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class. The 19 players and three coaches were
announced on Monday afternoon by the National Football Foundation and the
College Hall of Fame.

The electees were
selected from the 2024 national ballot of 78 players and nine coaches from the
Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 32 coaches from the divisional
ranks. 

Solich becomes
the seventh Husker coach in the Hall of Fame, joining Tom Osborne, Bob Devaney, Biff Jones, Dana X.&nbsp;Bible, Fielding&nbsp;Yost
and Eddie N.&nbsp;Robinson. Overall, Nebraska has 27 members in the Hall,
including 20 players. Solich is the first Nebraska inductee since offensive
tackle Zach Wiegert in 2022 and gives Nebraska nine inductees in the past 18
classes. Other recent Nebraska inductees include Eric Crouch (2020), Aaron
Taylor (2018), Trev Alberts (2015), Tommie Frazier (2013) and Will Shields (2011).


During his 22
seasons as a head coach, Solich compiled a record of 173-101, including a 58-19
record in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach from 1998 to 2003, followed by
115 wins as the head coach at Ohio University.
Solich led the Huskers to the 1999 Big 12
Conference championship. The Huskers finished No. 3 in the AP Poll in 1999
after beating Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl and rolling to a 22-6 win over Texas
in the Big 12 Championship Game. NU added
a co-Big 12 North Division title in 2001, when the Huskers met Miami in the
Rose Bowl for the national championship. 

Nebraska added a final No. 8 national ranking by
the Associated Press in both 2000 and 2001. The 2001 Huskers featured the
nation's top college player - Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 Hall of Fame
inductee Eric Crouch. A four-year starter, Crouch added Walter Camp National
Player-of-the-Year and Davey O'Brien awards while becoming Nebraska's career
leader in total offense.

A product of the Nebraska football program first
as a player, then as an assistant coach, Solich's career at
Nebraska&nbsp;spanned four decades since first arriving in Lincoln in 1962 to
play fullback in Coach Bob Devaney's first season.

Although Solich&nbsp;was not with Nebraska
during all 42 of those seasons, as he spent more than a decade as a high school
head coach in Nebraska before joining the Husker coaching staff as an assistant
in 1979. &nbsp;During his playing and coaching tenure as a Husker, all 29
Nebraska teams&nbsp;he was associated with&nbsp;played in a bowl game.

In his final game as NU's assistant head coach
and running backs coach, Solich helped the Huskers to a third national
championship in a four-year span with a resounding 42-17 win over Tennessee in
the Orange Bowl, helping Osborne go out as a reigning national champion.

Following his head coaching career at Nebraska,
Solich guided Ohio University's program for 16 seasons from 2005 to 2020.
During his time at Ohio, Solich coached the Bobcats to 12 winning seasons, 11
bowl appearances and four MAC East division titles.&nbsp; He is the winningest
coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference.

In addition to serving as the head coach for one
Hall of Fame player (Crouch) and a position coach for another (Mike Rozier),
Solich played for Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Devaney and worked for 19 seasons
as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne.
&nbsp;
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class
will officially be inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented
on Dec. 10, 2024, at Bellagio Resort &amp; Casino in Las Vegas. Solich will
also be recognized with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by
Fidelity Investments, at a to be determined Nebraska home game this fall. The
accomplishments of the 2024 class will be forever immortalized at the
Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 10th&nbsp;Anniversary
in Atlanta on Aug. 23.

A coach becomes eligible for the College Hall of Fame three
full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he
is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He
must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at
least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.

Comments on Frank Solich Being Named to the College Football Hall of
Fame

Hall of
Fame Head Coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska Head Coach, 1973-1997

“Frank Solich is very deserving of
his selection in the College Football Hall of Fame.&nbsp; I want to thank him
and congratulate him on all that he has done for the sport of football.

“Frank excelled as a running back
at Nebraska and went on to have successful coaching stints at Omaha Holy Name
and Lincoln Southeast high schools.&nbsp; He came to my coaching staff at
Nebraska as a graduate assistant coach as I had no openings on my staff.&nbsp;
This represented a considerable financial sacrifice on his part.&nbsp; He was a
great recruiter, recruiting players like Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar and many
others.&nbsp; He ran our football camps and coaches clinics and I could see
that he had excellent management skills.&nbsp; He was good with football
strategy and related well to players and the public.&nbsp; 

“Most assistant coaches have areas
of strengths and weaknesses, but Frank was accomplished in all areas so I
recommended that he become the head coach in 1998.&nbsp; He won a Big 12
championship, played for a National Championship and went to a bowl game each
year at Nebraska.

“He then took a football program
at Ohio University from a position of long-term mediocrity to being a
consistent contender in the MAC conference and a team that went to a bowl game
nearly every year.&nbsp; This was a major turnaround for Ohio under Frank’s
leadership.”

Nebraska
Director of Athletics Trev Alberts, 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee

“I am thrilled for Coach Solich
and his family on his well-deserved selection to the College Football Hall of
Fame. Very few individuals have made a bigger impact on the Nebraska Football
program than Frank Solich. He was a great player here, one of the most
successful assistant coaches in college football history and a
championship-winning head coach. Including his decorated coaching career at
Ohio University, Coach Solich made significant contributions to college
football for nearly 50 years, and always did so in a first-class and
professional manner.”

2020
College Football Hall of Fame Inductee Eric Crouch, 1998-2001 Nebraska
Quarterback

“I can’t think of
a better person, player, coach, and friend to be joining the College Football
Hall of Fame. Frank Solich has earned it the hard way, through perseverance and
dedication to college football. I am honored to have played for him at the University
of Nebraska. Congrats to Coach Solich and his family.”

Nebraska
Head Football Coach Matt Rhule

“Coach Solich’s record speaks for
itself, and he is most deserving of this special honor. More importantly, he
has always put his players first and greatly impacted their lives on and off
the field. To me that is the definition of a Hall of Fame coach. Coach Solich
is someone who I have always respected and looked up to and he has been so kind
and supportive of us since we have been here at Nebraska, and I can’t thank him
enough.”

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsFormer Nebraska
head coach Frank Solich is one of 22 individuals who will make up the
2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class. The 19 players and three coaches were
announced on Monday afternoon by the National Football Foundation and the
College Hall of Fame. The electees were
selected from the 2024 national ballot of 78 players and nine coaches from the
Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 32 coaches from the divisional
ranks. Solich becomes
the seventh Husker coach in the Hall of Fame, joining Tom Osborne, Bob Devaney, Biff Jones, Dana X.&nbsp;Bible, Fielding&nbsp;Yost
and Eddie N.&nbsp;Robinson. Overall, Nebraska has 27 members in the Hall,
including 20 players. Solich is the first Nebraska inductee since offensive
tackle Zach Wiegert in 2022 and gives Nebraska nine inductees in the past 18
classes. Other recent Nebraska inductees include Eric Crouch (2020), Aaron
Taylor (2018), Trev Alberts (2015), Tommie Frazier (2013) and Will Shields (2011).
During his 22
seasons as a head coach, Solich compiled a record of 173-101, including a 58-19
record in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach from 1998 to 2003, followed by
115 wins as the head coach at Ohio University.
Solich led the Huskers to the 1999 Big 12
Conference championship. The Huskers finished No. 3 in the AP Poll in 1999
after beating Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl and rolling to a 22-6 win over Texas
in the Big 12 Championship Game. NU added
a co-Big 12 North Division title in 2001, when the Huskers met Miami in the
Rose Bowl for the national championship. 

Nebraska added a final No. 8 national ranking by
the Associated Press in both 2000 and 2001. The 2001 Huskers featured the
nation's top college player - Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 Hall of Fame
inductee Eric Crouch. A four-year starter, Crouch added Walter Camp National
Player-of-the-Year and Davey O'Brien awards while becoming Nebraska's career
leader in total offense.

A product of the Nebraska football program first
as a player, then as an assistant coach, Solich's career at
Nebraska&nbsp;spanned four decades since first arriving in Lincoln in 1962 to
play fullback in Coach Bob Devaney's first season.

Although Solich&nbsp;was not with Nebraska
during all 42 of those seasons, as he spent more than a decade as a high school
head coach in Nebraska before joining the Husker coaching staff as an assistant
in 1979. &nbsp;During his playing and coaching tenure as a Husker, all 29
Nebraska teams&nbsp;he was associated with&nbsp;played in a bowl game.

In his final game as NU's assistant head coach
and running backs coach, Solich helped the Huskers to a third national
championship in a four-year span with a resounding 42-17 win over Tennessee in
the Orange Bowl, helping Osborne go out as a reigning national champion.

Following his head coaching career at Nebraska,
Solich guided Ohio University's program for 16 seasons from 2005 to 2020.
During his time at Ohio, Solich coached the Bobcats to 12 winning seasons, 11
bowl appearances and four MAC East division titles.&nbsp; He is the winningest
coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference.

In addition to serving as the head coach for one
Hall of Fame player (Crouch) and a position coach for another (Mike Rozier),
Solich played for Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Devaney and worked for 19 seasons
as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne.
&nbsp;
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class
will officially be inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented
on Dec. 10, 2024, at Bellagio Resort &amp; Casino in Las Vegas. Solich will
also be recognized with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by
Fidelity Investments, at a to be determined Nebraska home game this fall. The
accomplishments of the 2024 class will be forever immortalized at the
Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 10th&nbsp;Anniversary
in Atlanta on Aug. 23.A coach becomes eligible for the College Hall of Fame three
full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he
is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He
must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at
least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.Comments on Frank Solich Being Named to the College Football Hall of
FameHall of
Fame Head Coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska Head Coach, 1973-1997“Frank Solich is very deserving of
his selection in the College Football Hall of Fame.&nbsp; I want to thank him
and congratulate him on all that he has done for the sport of football.“Frank excelled as a running back
at Nebraska and went on to have successful coaching stints at Omaha Holy Name
and Lincoln Southeast high schools.&nbsp; He came to my coaching staff at
Nebraska as a graduate assistant coach as I had no openings on my staff.&nbsp;
This represented a considerable financial sacrifice on his part.&nbsp; He was a
great recruiter, recruiting players like Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar and many
others.&nbsp; He ran our football camps and coaches clinics and I could see
that he had excellent management skills.&nbsp; He was good with football
strategy and related well to players and the public.&nbsp; “Most assistant coaches have areas
of strengths and weaknesses, but Frank was accomplished in all areas so I
recommended that he become the head coach in 1998.&nbsp; He won a Big 12
championship, played for a National Championship and went to a bowl game each
year at Nebraska.“He then took a football program
at Ohio University from a position of long-term mediocrity to being a
consistent contender in the MAC conference and a team that went to a bowl game
nearly every year.&nbsp; This was a major turnaround for Ohio under Frank’s
leadership.”Nebraska
Director of Athletics Trev Alberts, 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee“I am thrilled for Coach Solich
and his family on his well-deserved selection to the College Football Hall of
Fame. Very few individuals have made a bigger impact on the Nebraska Football
program than Frank Solich. He was a great player here, one of the most
successful assistant coaches in college football history and a
championship-winning head coach. Including his decorated coaching career at
Ohio University, Coach Solich made significant contributions to college
football for nearly 50 years, and always did so in a first-class and
professional manner.”2020
College Football Hall of Fame Inductee Eric Crouch, 1998-2001 Nebraska
Quarterback“I can’t think of
a better person, player, coach, and friend to be joining the College Football
Hall of Fame. Frank Solich has earned it the hard way, through perseverance and
dedication to college football. I am honored to have played for him at the University
of Nebraska. Congrats to Coach Solich and his family.”Nebraska
Head Football Coach Matt Rhule“Coach Solich’s record speaks for
itself, and he is most deserving of this special honor. More importantly, he
has always put his players first and greatly impacted their lives on and off
the field. To me that is the definition of a Hall of Fame coach. Coach Solich
is someone who I have always respected and looked up to and he has been so kind
and supportive of us since we have been here at Nebraska, and I can’t thank him
enough.”

Solich named to College Football Hall of Fame

Keeley Vaughan has been named as the new timed events rodeo coach for the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team.

She began serving as interim timed events rodeo coach in September and moved into the more permanent role Jan. 2. Although the team is area-wide, Vaughan will be based out of McCook.

“I’m looking forward to helping the athletes progress in their roping abilities,” Vaughan said. “I really enjoy the horsemanship part of rodeo and always enjoyed helping kids figure out what works for them. I really like being around those who want to win and watching their skills bloom and flourish.”

Vaughan is originally from Klamath Falls, Ore. She won her first leadline class in a horse show at age 2.

“I grew up horseback,” Vaughan said. “My mom ran barrels, and my dad was a cowboy for a local ranch, so I went to work with him a lot. In eighth grade, I wanted to learn how to rope, and my dad taught me the basics. As I got older, I did junior rodeos, junior high rodeos and high school rodeos. I got in with Dean Walker, and he ended up teaching me everything I know and supplied me with a horse. That’s who I owe for all that.”

Because her family’s farm is on the Oregon and California border, Vaughan high school rodeoed in California. She qualified for state all four years in barrel racing, goat tying and girls cutting and competed at the Silver State International Rodeo, which is open to National High School Rodeo Association members who place fifth through 25th at their state finals.

Following her graduation from Henley High School, in Klamath Falls, in 2015, Vaughan continued her rodeo career at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.

“When I went to community college, I was taken care of on a personal level,” Vaughan said. “It didn’t seem overwhelming. I wasn’t just another kid passing through the halls as a number. That meant a lot to me, and that personal feel is something I want to carry on at MPCC.”

She started out studying sports medicine at Treasure Valley, but because of low enrollment, the program was canceled. Vaughan was already on the rodeo team, so she stayed but changed her major to equine production.

She qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing in 2016 and earned an associate degree a year later.

Vaughan subsequently returned home and took a job training rope horses for Bill Hill Quarter Horses. She also stepped up her game in the rodeo arena, buying a Women’s Professional Rodeo Association card and qualifying in breakaway roping for the WPRA World Finals in Waco, Texas in 2018.

Vaughan made her way to the Midwest four years ago where she continues to compete at amateur rodeos and local jackpots. She has spent the past couple of years working for H. J. Farms and Ranches at McCook.

She was asked to mentor the MPCC Rodeo Team’s breakaway contestants prior to her selection as interim and is looking forward to building on the momentum that has already been established.

“Moving forward, I really want our top breakaway roper to win the region,” Vaughan said. “Our men’s team has been doing great things all season, and I want to continue that, but I also want to get the ball rolling on the women’s team. I would love to see them start making more short gos and placing at more rodeos, so I plan to focus on getting a little stronger in that area.”

The MPCC Rodeo Team has had a break in competitions since October. The season will resume in April.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704742439614.jpeg" alt="Keeley Vaughan" />
 <figcaption>Keeley Vaughan</figcaption>
 </figure>Heather Johnson MPCCKeeley Vaughan has been named as the new timed events rodeo coach for the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team.She began serving as interim timed events rodeo coach in September and moved into the more permanent role Jan. 2. Although the team is area-wide, Vaughan will be based out of McCook.“I’m looking forward to helping the athletes progress in their roping abilities,” Vaughan said. “I really enjoy the horsemanship part of rodeo and always enjoyed helping kids figure out what works for them. I really like being around those who want to win and watching their skills bloom and flourish.”Vaughan is originally from Klamath Falls, Ore. She won her first leadline class in a horse show at age 2.“I grew up horseback,” Vaughan said. “My mom ran barrels, and my dad was a cowboy for a local ranch, so I went to work with him a lot. In eighth grade, I wanted to learn how to rope, and my dad taught me the basics. As I got older, I did junior rodeos, junior high rodeos and high school rodeos. I got in with Dean Walker, and he ended up teaching me everything I know and supplied me with a horse. That’s who I owe for all that.”Because her family’s farm is on the Oregon and California border, Vaughan high school rodeoed in California. She qualified for state all four years in barrel racing, goat tying and girls cutting and competed at the Silver State International Rodeo, which is open to National High School Rodeo Association members who place fifth through 25th at their state finals.Following her graduation from Henley High School, in Klamath Falls, in 2015, Vaughan continued her rodeo career at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.“When I went to community college, I was taken care of on a personal level,” Vaughan said. “It didn’t seem overwhelming. I wasn’t just another kid passing through the halls as a number. That meant a lot to me, and that personal feel is something I want to carry on at MPCC.”She started out studying sports medicine at Treasure Valley, but because of low enrollment, the program was canceled. Vaughan was already on the rodeo team, so she stayed but changed her major to equine production.She qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing in 2016 and earned an associate degree a year later.Vaughan subsequently returned home and took a job training rope horses for Bill Hill Quarter Horses. She also stepped up her game in the rodeo arena, buying a Women’s Professional Rodeo Association card and qualifying in breakaway roping for the WPRA World Finals in Waco, Texas in 2018.Vaughan made her way to the Midwest four years ago where she continues to compete at amateur rodeos and local jackpots. She has spent the past couple of years working for H. J. Farms and Ranches at McCook.She was asked to mentor the MPCC Rodeo Team’s breakaway contestants prior to her selection as interim and is looking forward to building on the momentum that has already been established.“Moving forward, I really want our top breakaway roper to win the region,” Vaughan said. “Our men’s team has been doing great things all season, and I want to continue that, but I also want to get the ball rolling on the women’s team. I would love to see them start making more short gos and placing at more rodeos, so I plan to focus on getting a little stronger in that area.”The MPCC Rodeo Team has had a break in competitions since October. The season will resume in April.

MPCC Rodeo Team names new timed events rodeo coach

The Nebraska men's basketball team hosts its biggest challenge of the season Tuesday evening, as the Huskers host No. 1 Purdue at Pinnacle Bank Arena.&nbsp;

Tipoff between the Huskers and Boilermakers is set for 8:02 p.m. and a limited number of 300 Level tickets are available by Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or at PBA beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network and broadcast online on Peacock with Jac Collinsworth and Robbie Hummel.&nbsp;

It is the first time that the Nebraska men has hosted a No. 1 team since 2002, and just the sixth time in program history that NU has welcomed the nation's top-ranked team to town.&nbsp;

Nebraska (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) looks to bounce back following an 88-72 loss at No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday. The Huskers ran into a hot-shooting Badger team who shot 55 percent from the floor and hit a season-high 13 3-pointers to snap Nebraska's five-game win streak. Nebraska performed well offensively, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and tied a season high with 12 3-pointers in a losing effort.&nbsp;

Senior guard Keisei Tominaga led three Huskers in double figures with 17 points, as he continued a strong week. Tominaga averaged 22.5 points per game on 64 percent shooting, including 44 percent from 3-point range, in Nebraska's two games this week.

Purdue (14-1, 3-1 Big Ten) comes off an 83-78 win over No. 9 Illinois on Friday night. While Zach Edey posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds, it was Trey Kaufman-Renn who shined with a team-high 23 points to lead four Boilermakers in double figures. Purdue built a 21-point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining and withstood a furious Illinois comeback in the final minutes.

Huskers vs. No. 1&nbsp;Tuesday's game against Purdue will mark Nebraska's 17th game against the nation's No. 1 team in program history and first since Feb. 13, 2013. &nbsp;It is also the first time that the Huskers have hosted a No. 1 team since Feb. 24, 2002, when Keith Langford’s 3-pointer with 33 seconds left lifted Kansas to an 88-87 win over the Huskers. NU is 3-13 all-time against No. 1 teams and short recaps of the three wins are below.&nbsp;

vs. Kansas State (3/3/58): Wilson Fitzpatrick's 19 points and 10 rebounds led the Huskers to a 55-48 win over a Kansas State team coached by Tex Winter and led by All-American Bob Boozer. &nbsp;It was Nebraska's second top five win in as many games, as Nebraska had topped No. 4 Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain, 43-41 in the previous contest. NU's head coach was Jerry Bush - the grandfather of current Husker coach Fred Hoiberg.

vs. Michigan (12/12/64): Fred Hare tipped in a rebound in the last second to lead Nebraska back from a 14-point deficit and a 74-73 win. With eight seconds remaining, Hare missed a 15-footer but got his own rebound and put it back in the final second to give Nebraska a win.&nbsp;

at Missouri (2/6/1982): Jack Moore and Greg Downing combined for 26 points leading Nebraska to a 67-51 win in Columbia. Missouri entered the game with a 19-0 mark and a 29-game home winning streak, but Nebraska's defense held Big Eight Player of the Year Ricky Frazier to just six points. NU went 25 of 31 from the line in earning its first win in Columbia since 1974.

Worth Noting&nbsp;• Nebraska enters Tuesday's game with a 12-3 record, the program's best start in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) and best since the 2010-11 team won 13 of its first 15 contests.

• The Huskers have snapped several streaks over the last month. The Dec. 10 win over Michigan State snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Spartans dating back to 2016. The Dec. 17 win over Kansas State broke a seven-game losing streak to the Wildcats dating back to 2009, while last Wednesday’s win over Indiana was its first since 2019, as Indiana had won seven straight meetings entering the contest.

• Nebraska will look to break another streak on Tuesday, as NU has lost its last five games to ranked teams dating back to a 63-53 win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4, 2022. &nbsp;The Huskers are 3-5 in their last seven games against ranked opponents dating back to March 1, 2002.

• &nbsp;The Huskers are 18-6 over the last 23 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2023, which is second only to Purdue in terms of winning percentage. &nbsp;A big reason for that is NU's offense, as NU has averaged 76.5 ppg on 46 percent shooting in that stretch.

• Nebraska enters the Purdue game averaging 77.8 points per game. It is NU's highest points per game average since averaging 80.2 points per game in the 1995-96 season and on pace to finish in the top 10 in single-season scoring average. &nbsp;It is also more than 10 points per game higher than NU's average at the 15-game mark in 2002-23. NU has climbed from 149th to 44th nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom as of Jan. 7.

• The Huskers are now 23-4 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 18-1 over the last three seasons. The only loss was a 104-100 quadruple overtime game at North Carolina State on Dec. 1, 2021. NU has won its last 16 games when reaching the 80-point plateau.

• Nebraska held Kansas State to 46 points on Dec. 17 in holding the Wildcats to their fewest points since the 2020-21 season and third-fewest total at home since Bramlage Coliseum opened in 1988. &nbsp;It marked the fewest points NU allowed on the road since joining the Big Ten and was only the second time NU had held an opponent under 50 points on the road since the 2011-12 season. Nebraska allowed just 0.68 points per possession, its lowest total in the Big Ten era.

• The Huskers held South Carolina State to 11 first-half points on Dec. 29. The 11 points allowed broke a Pinnacle Bank Arena record for fewest points allowed in a half, breaking the mark of 13 set two times. It was also the fewest points NU allowed in a half since allowing nine to Jackson State in 2009.

• One strength of the Huskers has been getting to the free throw line. NU has shot more free throws in 12 of 15 games in 2023-24 and its +89 differential ranks fourth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 8. Nebraska has had more free throws made (236) than opponents have attempted (228). NU allows just 15.2 free throw attempts per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 8.

• Nebraska enters Tuesday's game ranked fourth in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 74.4 percent. &nbsp;While it is still early in the season, it is on pace to be one of NU's highest season percentages. NU has not shot over 74 percent from the foul line since the 2011-12 season when NU shot a school-record 76.6 percent.&nbsp;

• Nebraska's bench has provided a spark, averaging 23.4 points per game. The Huskers' leading scorer has come from the bench five times (Hoiberg-Lindenwood; Wilcher-Rider, North Dakota and South Carolina State; Gary-Stony Brook) and NU has had 13 double-figure efforts from its bench in 2023-24, including three straight from C.J. Wilcher.&nbsp;

• Nebraska won its first seven games by 10 or more points. It was just the second time in over 100 years - the other was from Dec. 3-30, 1990 - that the Huskers won seven straight games by double figures.

• The Huskers finished non-conference action with a 10-1 mark, matching itheir best non-conference record since joining the Big Ten (also 2018-19).

Numbers to Know1 - Rienk Mast is one of six players nationally and the only power conference player as of Jan. 4 averaging&nbsp;at least 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season.&nbsp;

1.42 -Nebraska's assist-to-turnover ratio this season, which is sixth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 8. NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio in the last decade is 1.32, set in the 2018-19 season. That season, NU had 9.96 turnovers per game, the lowest average since assists were tracked in 1978-79.

2 - Wisconsin became just the second Husker opponent in the last 22 games to shoot 50 percent against Nebraska. The previous season high for a Husker opponent was .472 at Minnesota on Dec. 6. NU ranks fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.390) as of Jan. 8.

4 - The 14-point deficit against North Dakota on Dec. 20 was NU's largest comeback of the season and fourth time under Fred Hoiberg that Nebraska has overcome a double-digit deficit. It was also NU's largest comeback vs. a non-conference foe since the 2014-15 season.&nbsp;

9.3 - NU ranks second in the Big Ten with 9.3 3-pointers per game as of Jan. 8. &nbsp;NU has averaged more than 8.0 3-pointers/game just twice in program history (2001-02 and 2020-21). The Huskers are 7-1 this season when hitting at least 10 3-pointers.

18.5 - Keisei Tominaga is averaging 18.5 points per game on 58 percent shooting in Nebraska's games against ranked opponents this season. In his last six games againt ranked foes dating back to last year, Tominaga is shooting 52 percent, including 50 percent from 3-point range.

79.7 - Nebraska is shooting 79.7 percent from the foul line (149-187) over the last 10 contests dating back to Nov. 22. Keisei Tominaga is shooting a team-best 91.7 percent (33-of-36) in that span.

1,004 - Career points for Nebraska guard Brice Williams, who went over the 1,000-point mark in Saturday's loss at No. 21 Wisconsin. Williams had 10 points and dished out a career-high six assists against the Badgers.

About PurduePurdue comes to Lincoln with a 14-1 record following an 83-78 win over No. 9 Illinois last Friday. The Boilermakers have been battle tested with wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama and Arizona during non-conference action. Purdue's only loss is a three-point OT loss at Northwestern on Dec. 1.&nbsp;

Purdue returned all five starters from a team that swept the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and won 29 games last season for Matt Painter, who is in his 19th season at Purdue.&nbsp;

Purdue's attack starts with Zach Edey, as the 7-foot-4 center looks to become a two-time national player of the year.&nbsp; Edey leads the Big Ten in scoring (22.3 ppg), rebounding (10.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (.634) and has nine double doubles in Purdue’s 15 contests. Edey is one of four Boilermakers averaging double figures, as guards Braden Smith (13.0 ppg, 6.7 apg), Fletcher Loyer (10.9 ppg) and Lance Jones (11.2 ppg) provide perimeter scoring. Purdue averages over 85 points per game and leads the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (.394).&nbsp;

Series History: Tuesday's game between the Huskers and Purdue will be the 27th all-time meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1947. Purdue holds a 20-6 lead in the all-time series, including a 13-4 mark (13-3 in regular season; 1-1 in Big Ten Tournament) since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska’s last win over Purdue in 2019 featured the first triple-double in school history by Cam Mack. Last year in Lincoln, Nebraska rallied back from a 14-point deficit to send the game into overtime after Keisei Tominaga's 3-pointer with nine seconds left. In overtime, Fletcher Loyer's basket with 1:30 remaining in OT gave Purdue the lead for good, as he scored a game-high 22 points. Purdue also posted an 73-55 win in West Lafayette.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe Nebraska men's basketball team hosts its biggest challenge of the season Tuesday evening, as the Huskers host No. 1 Purdue at Pinnacle Bank Arena.&nbsp;Tipoff between the Huskers and Boilermakers is set for 8:02 p.m. and a limited number of 300 Level tickets are available by Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or at PBA beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network and broadcast online on Peacock with Jac Collinsworth and Robbie Hummel.&nbsp;It is the first time that the Nebraska men has hosted a No. 1 team since 2002, and just the sixth time in program history that NU has welcomed the nation's top-ranked team to town.&nbsp;Nebraska (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) looks to bounce back following an 88-72 loss at No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday. The Huskers ran into a hot-shooting Badger team who shot 55 percent from the floor and hit a season-high 13 3-pointers to snap Nebraska's five-game win streak. Nebraska performed well offensively, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and tied a season high with 12 3-pointers in a losing effort.&nbsp;Senior guard Keisei Tominaga led three Huskers in double figures with 17 points, as he continued a strong week. Tominaga averaged 22.5 points per game on 64 percent shooting, including 44 percent from 3-point range, in Nebraska's two games this week.Purdue (14-1, 3-1 Big Ten) comes off an 83-78 win over No. 9 Illinois on Friday night. While Zach Edey posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds, it was Trey Kaufman-Renn who shined with a team-high 23 points to lead four Boilermakers in double figures. Purdue built a 21-point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining and withstood a furious Illinois comeback in the final minutes.Huskers vs. No. 1&nbsp;Tuesday's game against Purdue will mark Nebraska's 17th game against the nation's No. 1 team in program history and first since Feb. 13, 2013. &nbsp;It is also the first time that the Huskers have hosted a No. 1 team since Feb. 24, 2002, when Keith Langford’s 3-pointer with 33 seconds left lifted Kansas to an 88-87 win over the Huskers. NU is 3-13 all-time against No. 1 teams and short recaps of the three wins are below.&nbsp;vs. Kansas State (3/3/58): Wilson Fitzpatrick's 19 points and 10 rebounds led the Huskers to a 55-48 win over a Kansas State team coached by Tex Winter and led by All-American Bob Boozer. &nbsp;It was Nebraska's second top five win in as many games, as Nebraska had topped No. 4 Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain, 43-41 in the previous contest. NU's head coach was Jerry Bush - the grandfather of current Husker coach Fred Hoiberg.vs. Michigan (12/12/64): Fred Hare tipped in a rebound in the last second to lead Nebraska back from a 14-point deficit and a 74-73 win. With eight seconds remaining, Hare missed a 15-footer but got his own rebound and put it back in the final second to give Nebraska a win.&nbsp;at Missouri (2/6/1982): Jack Moore and Greg Downing combined for 26 points leading Nebraska to a 67-51 win in Columbia. Missouri entered the game with a 19-0 mark and a 29-game home winning streak, but Nebraska's defense held Big Eight Player of the Year Ricky Frazier to just six points. NU went 25 of 31 from the line in earning its first win in Columbia since 1974.Worth Noting&nbsp;• Nebraska enters Tuesday's game with a 12-3 record, the program's best start in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) and best since the 2010-11 team won 13 of its first 15 contests.• The Huskers have snapped several streaks over the last month. The Dec. 10 win over Michigan State snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Spartans dating back to 2016. The Dec. 17 win over Kansas State broke a seven-game losing streak to the Wildcats dating back to 2009, while last Wednesday’s win over Indiana was its first since 2019, as Indiana had won seven straight meetings entering the contest.• Nebraska will look to break another streak on Tuesday, as NU has lost its last five games to ranked teams dating back to a 63-53 win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4, 2022. &nbsp;The Huskers are 3-5 in their last seven games against ranked opponents dating back to March 1, 2002.• &nbsp;The Huskers are 18-6 over the last 23 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2023, which is second only to Purdue in terms of winning percentage. &nbsp;A big reason for that is NU's offense, as NU has averaged 76.5 ppg on 46 percent shooting in that stretch.• Nebraska enters the Purdue game averaging 77.8 points per game. It is NU's highest points per game average since averaging 80.2 points per game in the 1995-96 season and on pace to finish in the top 10 in single-season scoring average. &nbsp;It is also more than 10 points per game higher than NU's average at the 15-game mark in 2002-23. NU has climbed from 149th to 44th nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom as of Jan. 7.• The Huskers are now 23-4 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 18-1 over the last three seasons. The only loss was a 104-100 quadruple overtime game at North Carolina State on Dec. 1, 2021. NU has won its last 16 games when reaching the 80-point plateau.• Nebraska held Kansas State to 46 points on Dec. 17 in holding the Wildcats to their fewest points since the 2020-21 season and third-fewest total at home since Bramlage Coliseum opened in 1988. &nbsp;It marked the fewest points NU allowed on the road since joining the Big Ten and was only the second time NU had held an opponent under 50 points on the road since the 2011-12 season. Nebraska allowed just 0.68 points per possession, its lowest total in the Big Ten era.• The Huskers held South Carolina State to 11 first-half points on Dec. 29. The 11 points allowed broke a Pinnacle Bank Arena record for fewest points allowed in a half, breaking the mark of 13 set two times. It was also the fewest points NU allowed in a half since allowing nine to Jackson State in 2009.• One strength of the Huskers has been getting to the free throw line. NU has shot more free throws in 12 of 15 games in 2023-24 and its +89 differential ranks fourth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 8. Nebraska has had more free throws made (236) than opponents have attempted (228). NU allows just 15.2 free throw attempts per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 8.• Nebraska enters Tuesday's game ranked fourth in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 74.4 percent. &nbsp;While it is still early in the season, it is on pace to be one of NU's highest season percentages. NU has not shot over 74 percent from the foul line since the 2011-12 season when NU shot a school-record 76.6 percent.&nbsp;• Nebraska's bench has provided a spark, averaging 23.4 points per game. The Huskers' leading scorer has come from the bench five times (Hoiberg-Lindenwood; Wilcher-Rider, North Dakota and South Carolina State; Gary-Stony Brook) and NU has had 13 double-figure efforts from its bench in 2023-24, including three straight from C.J. Wilcher.&nbsp;• Nebraska won its first seven games by 10 or more points. It was just the second time in over 100 years - the other was from Dec. 3-30, 1990 - that the Huskers won seven straight games by double figures.• The Huskers finished non-conference action with a 10-1 mark, matching itheir best non-conference record since joining the Big Ten (also 2018-19).Numbers to Know1 - Rienk Mast is one of six players nationally and the only power conference player as of Jan. 4 averaging&nbsp;at least 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season.&nbsp;1.42 -Nebraska's assist-to-turnover ratio this season, which is sixth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 8. NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio in the last decade is 1.32, set in the 2018-19 season. That season, NU had 9.96 turnovers per game, the lowest average since assists were tracked in 1978-79.2 - Wisconsin became just the second Husker opponent in the last 22 games to shoot 50 percent against Nebraska. The previous season high for a Husker opponent was .472 at Minnesota on Dec. 6. NU ranks fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.390) as of Jan. 8.4 - The 14-point deficit against North Dakota on Dec. 20 was NU's largest comeback of the season and fourth time under Fred Hoiberg that Nebraska has overcome a double-digit deficit. It was also NU's largest comeback vs. a non-conference foe since the 2014-15 season.&nbsp;9.3 - NU ranks second in the Big Ten with 9.3 3-pointers per game as of Jan. 8. &nbsp;NU has averaged more than 8.0 3-pointers/game just twice in program history (2001-02 and 2020-21). The Huskers are 7-1 this season when hitting at least 10 3-pointers.18.5 - Keisei Tominaga is averaging 18.5 points per game on 58 percent shooting in Nebraska's games against ranked opponents this season. In his last six games againt ranked foes dating back to last year, Tominaga is shooting 52 percent, including 50 percent from 3-point range.79.7 - Nebraska is shooting 79.7 percent from the foul line (149-187) over the last 10 contests dating back to Nov. 22. Keisei Tominaga is shooting a team-best 91.7 percent (33-of-36) in that span.1,004 - Career points for Nebraska guard Brice Williams, who went over the 1,000-point mark in Saturday's loss at No. 21 Wisconsin. Williams had 10 points and dished out a career-high six assists against the Badgers.About PurduePurdue comes to Lincoln with a 14-1 record following an 83-78 win over No. 9 Illinois last Friday. The Boilermakers have been battle tested with wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama and Arizona during non-conference action. Purdue's only loss is a three-point OT loss at Northwestern on Dec. 1.&nbsp;Purdue returned all five starters from a team that swept the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and won 29 games last season for Matt Painter, who is in his 19th season at Purdue.&nbsp;Purdue's attack starts with Zach Edey, as the 7-foot-4 center looks to become a two-time national player of the year.&nbsp; Edey leads the Big Ten in scoring (22.3 ppg), rebounding (10.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (.634) and has nine double doubles in Purdue’s 15 contests. Edey is one of four Boilermakers averaging double figures, as guards Braden Smith (13.0 ppg, 6.7 apg), Fletcher Loyer (10.9 ppg) and Lance Jones (11.2 ppg) provide perimeter scoring. Purdue averages over 85 points per game and leads the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (.394).&nbsp;Series History: Tuesday's game between the Huskers and Purdue will be the 27th all-time meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1947. Purdue holds a 20-6 lead in the all-time series, including a 13-4 mark (13-3 in regular season; 1-1 in Big Ten Tournament) since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska’s last win over Purdue in 2019 featured the first triple-double in school history by Cam Mack. Last year in Lincoln, Nebraska rallied back from a 14-point deficit to send the game into overtime after Keisei Tominaga's 3-pointer with nine seconds left. In overtime, Fletcher Loyer's basket with 1:30 remaining in OT gave Purdue the lead for good, as he scored a game-high 22 points. Purdue also posted an 73-55 win in West Lafayette.&nbsp;

Huskers battle No. 1 Purdue Tuesday night

The No. 4 Nebraska wrestling team (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) returns home to host Wyoming (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) and No. 25 Northern Iowa (1-3), 0-0 Big 12) in a triangular on Saturday, Jan. 6. Action is slated to begin with Wyoming and Northern Iowa facing off at 12 p.m. (CT), before the Huskers meet the Cowboys at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and wrestle the Panthers at 3 p.m. (CT). Both Husker duals will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When the Huskers face the Cowboys, four of 10 bouts will potentially feature matchups between ranked wrestlers. Against Northern Iowa, the Big Red could face ranked opponents in seven matches. Nine Huskers enter the weekend ranked, including returning All-Americans No. 1 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 3 Peyton Robb (157) and No. 6 Brock Hardy (141). The All-American trio boasts an overall record of 34-3, as Lovett and Robb are both undefeated on the season.&nbsp;

Nebraska and Wyoming meet for the 54th time in series history on Saturday. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 39-14-0, and have won the last nine matchups. Against Northern Iowa, NU has won the last 12 duals between the two teams, but UNI leads the overall series, 18-30-1. &nbsp;

Last Time Out:&nbsp;The Huskers used a pin and five wins by decision to defeat No. 14 South Dakota State, 21-17, at the Devaney Center in front of 2,401 fans on Saturday night.&nbsp;

Up Next:&nbsp;The Huskers are back in action against No. 3 Iowa on Jan. 12 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The dual is set to start at 6 p.m. (CT) and will air nationally on the Big Ten Network with Shane Sparks and Tim Johnson on the call.&nbsp;

Nebraska’s Projected Lineup:125 - #3 Caleb Smith (13-1)133 – Kyle Burwick (3-2) or #32 Jacob Van Dee (10-4)141 - #6 Brock Hardy (9-3) or Blake Cushing (11-3)149 - #1 Ridge Lovett (12-0) or Scott Robertson (1-5)157 - #3 Peyton Robb (13-0)165 - #21 Antrell Taylor (9-2)174 - #33 Bubba Wilson (7-4) or Elise Brown Ton (16-5)184 - #4 Lenny Pinto197 - #11 Silas Allred (11-3)HWT – Harley Andrews (8-8) or Nash Hutmacher (0-0)&nbsp;

Wyoming’s Projected Lineup:125 - #8 Jore Volk (14-4) or Dylan Catlin (1-2)133 – Cooper Birdwell (8-9) or Garrett Ricks (6-5)141 – #31 Cole Brooks (7-2) or Stockton O’Brien (10-6)149 – #23 Gabe Willochell (11-5)157 – Cooper Voorhees (6-10) or Sloan Swan (7-4)165 – Brett McIntosh (6-10)174 – Kevin Anderson (0-0)184 – Quayin Short (6-9) or Tyce Raddon (8-7)197 – #21 Joey Novak (15-7)HWT – Mason Ding (2-3) or Lane Catlin (0-2)&nbsp;

Northern Iowa’s Projected Lineup:125 – #26 Trever Anderson (6-5) or Garret Rinken (8-5)133 – #22 Julian Farber (9-5)141 – #8 Cael Happel (9-4)149 – Adam Allard (4-4) or Cael Rahnavardi (6-7)157 - #13 Ryder Downey (7-4)165 – RJ Weston (18-3) or Jack Thomsen (7-4)174 – #30 Jared Simma (7-4)184 – #1 Parker Keckeisen (13-0)197 – Kalob Runyon (5-5) or #19 Wyatt Voelker (7-2)HWT – #17 Tyrell Gordon (2-1)&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 4 Nebraska wrestling team (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) returns home to host Wyoming (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) and No. 25 Northern Iowa (1-3), 0-0 Big 12) in a triangular on Saturday, Jan. 6. Action is slated to begin with Wyoming and Northern Iowa facing off at 12 p.m. (CT), before the Huskers meet the Cowboys at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and wrestle the Panthers at 3 p.m. (CT). Both Husker duals will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.&nbsp;&nbsp;When the Huskers face the Cowboys, four of 10 bouts will potentially feature matchups between ranked wrestlers. Against Northern Iowa, the Big Red could face ranked opponents in seven matches. Nine Huskers enter the weekend ranked, including returning All-Americans No. 1 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 3 Peyton Robb (157) and No. 6 Brock Hardy (141). The All-American trio boasts an overall record of 34-3, as Lovett and Robb are both undefeated on the season.&nbsp;Nebraska and Wyoming meet for the 54th time in series history on Saturday. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 39-14-0, and have won the last nine matchups. Against Northern Iowa, NU has won the last 12 duals between the two teams, but UNI leads the overall series, 18-30-1. &nbsp;Last Time Out:&nbsp;The Huskers used a pin and five wins by decision to defeat No. 14 South Dakota State, 21-17, at the Devaney Center in front of 2,401 fans on Saturday night.&nbsp;Up Next:&nbsp;The Huskers are back in action against No. 3 Iowa on Jan. 12 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The dual is set to start at 6 p.m. (CT) and will air nationally on the Big Ten Network with Shane Sparks and Tim Johnson on the call.&nbsp;Nebraska’s Projected Lineup:125 - #3 Caleb Smith (13-1)133 – Kyle Burwick (3-2) or #32 Jacob Van Dee (10-4)141 - #6 Brock Hardy (9-3) or Blake Cushing (11-3)149 - #1 Ridge Lovett (12-0) or Scott Robertson (1-5)157 - #3 Peyton Robb (13-0)165 - #21 Antrell Taylor (9-2)174 - #33 Bubba Wilson (7-4) or Elise Brown Ton (16-5)184 - #4 Lenny Pinto197 - #11 Silas Allred (11-3)HWT – Harley Andrews (8-8) or Nash Hutmacher (0-0)&nbsp;Wyoming’s Projected Lineup:125 - #8 Jore Volk (14-4) or Dylan Catlin (1-2)133 – Cooper Birdwell (8-9) or Garrett Ricks (6-5)141 – #31 Cole Brooks (7-2) or Stockton O’Brien (10-6)149 – #23 Gabe Willochell (11-5)157 – Cooper Voorhees (6-10) or Sloan Swan (7-4)165 – Brett McIntosh (6-10)174 – Kevin Anderson (0-0)184 – Quayin Short (6-9) or Tyce Raddon (8-7)197 – #21 Joey Novak (15-7)HWT – Mason Ding (2-3) or Lane Catlin (0-2)&nbsp;Northern Iowa’s Projected Lineup:125 – #26 Trever Anderson (6-5) or Garret Rinken (8-5)133 – #22 Julian Farber (9-5)141 – #8 Cael Happel (9-4)149 – Adam Allard (4-4) or Cael Rahnavardi (6-7)157 - #13 Ryder Downey (7-4)165 – RJ Weston (18-3) or Jack Thomsen (7-4)174 – #30 Jared Simma (7-4)184 – #1 Parker Keckeisen (13-0)197 – Kalob Runyon (5-5) or #19 Wyatt Voelker (7-2)HWT – #17 Tyrell Gordon (2-1)&nbsp;

Huskers welcome Cowboys, Panthers on Saturday 

Story by UNK Athletic Communications

Kearney, Neb. –&nbsp;Redshirt senior forward&nbsp;Shiloh McCool&nbsp;recorded her 24th career double double and redshirt sophomore point guard&nbsp;Jillian Aschoff&nbsp;had another big effort as Nebraska Kearney got out fast to beat Lincoln,&nbsp;<a href="https://lopers.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2023-24/lincoln/boxscore/7578" target="_blank">77-57</a>, Thursday evening at the Health &amp; Sports Center. The Lopers (11-2, 5-2) beat the Blue Tigers (5-7, 1-5) for the 13th consecutive time with the two meeting again Feb. 17 in Jefferson City. UNK never trailed and led by as many as 27 points. Hitting their first six shots, the Lopers zoomed out to a 27-11 first quarter lead and were up 41-19 at the break. Lincoln came back a bit in the second half, shooting 48% from the field and using a full-course press. However, they didn't get closer than 13 points. "You always worry what that first game back from break is going to look like. We tried to make our post-Christmas practices really hard, and I thought we did a great job of answering that toughness call, especially in the first half," said UNK head coach&nbsp;Drew Johnson. Aschoff (Lincoln Pius) started 5 of 5 from the field which included two threes in the first three minutes. Among the league leaders in rebounds and assists, she finished with a team-high 16 points, a game-high seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals."Three weeks ago, someone sagged off on Jill and they opened a can of worms and that's not going to go back in the can now," said Johnson. "She's shooting the three well and when people let her get going early in the game, it helps us get going. Her performances of late have been unbelievable."In the paint, McCool (Pleasant Hill, Ia.) had 10 points and 10 rebounds (four offense) as well as three assists. Her 24th double double ranks her second all-time, trailing only All-American Ginger (Keller) Marx. She had 45 double doubles between 1991-94.The Lopers shot 54% from the floor, their second-best effort of the year, while also being plus 14 on the glass. UNK came into the week leading the MIAA in rebounding margin at 13.2. Finally, the Blue &amp; Gold limited LU to a 5 of 19 effort from behind the arc. "We weren't great defensively in the second half, but I thought we were really stingy in the first half," said Johnson. Posts&nbsp;Kia Wilson&nbsp;(St. George, Kan.) and&nbsp;Bailee Sobczak&nbsp;(Rapid City, S.D.) and wing&nbsp;Meg Burns&nbsp;(Ankeny, Ia.) were the other players in double figures. Wilson had 12 on 6 of 10 shooting, Sobczak made 5 of 8 attempts to score 10 with Burns at 15 points thanks to seven buckets. Lincoln was led by guard Steph Torres (17 points, three triples) and forwards Ashlyn Alloway (13 points, seven rebounds, three assists) and Imani Jones (12 points, six rebounds).UNK hosts No. 11 Central Missouri (10-2, 4-2) on Saturday afternoon. The MIAA preseason favorites won tonight at No. 10 Fort Hays State, 72-65.

Story by UNK Athletic CommunicationsKearney, Neb. –&nbsp;Redshirt senior forward&nbsp;Shiloh McCool&nbsp;recorded her 24th career double double and redshirt sophomore point guard&nbsp;Jillian Aschoff&nbsp;had another big effort as Nebraska Kearney got out fast to beat Lincoln,&nbsp;<a href="https://lopers.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2023-24/lincoln/boxscore/7578" target="_blank">77-57</a>, Thursday evening at the Health &amp; Sports Center. The Lopers (11-2, 5-2) beat the Blue Tigers (5-7, 1-5) for the 13th consecutive time with the two meeting again Feb. 17 in Jefferson City. UNK never trailed and led by as many as 27 points. Hitting their first six shots, the Lopers zoomed out to a 27-11 first quarter lead and were up 41-19 at the break. Lincoln came back a bit in the second half, shooting 48% from the field and using a full-course press. However, they didn't get closer than 13 points. "You always worry what that first game back from break is going to look like. We tried to make our post-Christmas practices really hard, and I thought we did a great job of answering that toughness call, especially in the first half," said UNK head coach&nbsp;Drew Johnson. Aschoff (Lincoln Pius) started 5 of 5 from the field which included two threes in the first three minutes. Among the league leaders in rebounds and assists, she finished with a team-high 16 points, a game-high seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals."Three weeks ago, someone sagged off on Jill and they opened a can of worms and that's not going to go back in the can now," said Johnson. "She's shooting the three well and when people let her get going early in the game, it helps us get going. Her performances of late have been unbelievable."In the paint, McCool (Pleasant Hill, Ia.) had 10 points and 10 rebounds (four offense) as well as three assists. Her 24th double double ranks her second all-time, trailing only All-American Ginger (Keller) Marx. She had 45 double doubles between 1991-94.The Lopers shot 54% from the floor, their second-best effort of the year, while also being plus 14 on the glass. UNK came into the week leading the MIAA in rebounding margin at 13.2. Finally, the Blue &amp; Gold limited LU to a 5 of 19 effort from behind the arc. "We weren't great defensively in the second half, but I thought we were really stingy in the first half," said Johnson. Posts&nbsp;Kia Wilson&nbsp;(St. George, Kan.) and&nbsp;Bailee Sobczak&nbsp;(Rapid City, S.D.) and wing&nbsp;Meg Burns&nbsp;(Ankeny, Ia.) were the other players in double figures. Wilson had 12 on 6 of 10 shooting, Sobczak made 5 of 8 attempts to score 10 with Burns at 15 points thanks to seven buckets. Lincoln was led by guard Steph Torres (17 points, three triples) and forwards Ashlyn Alloway (13 points, seven rebounds, three assists) and Imani Jones (12 points, six rebounds).UNK hosts No. 11 Central Missouri (10-2, 4-2) on Saturday afternoon. The MIAA preseason favorites won tonight at No. 10 Fort Hays State, 72-65.

UNK easily get past Lincoln; MIAA favorites up next

Madison, Wis.&nbsp;- Natalie Potts scored all of her game-high 16 points in the second half, while Alexis Markowski produced her 30th career double-double to power Nebraska to a 69-57 Big Ten women's basketball road win at the Kohl Center on Thursday night.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since NU's first season in the conference (2011-12), while moving to 11-3 overall. Wisconsin slipped to 7-6 and 0-3 in the league.

Markowski, a 6-3 center from Lincoln, Neb., finished with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her Big Ten-leading ninth double-double of the season. She put up 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half to help Nebraska a 14-point lead before taking a 38-27 edge to the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, Potts scored Nebraska's first eight points but Wisconsin cut NU's lead to just 49-47 at the end of three quarters. Potts kept pushing in the fourth quarter, scoring eight more points. Her third field goal of the quarter pushed NU's lead to 61-53 with 1:35 left. She then scored her final points of the night at the free throw line to cap the scoring with about 20 seconds left to seal NU's eighth consecutive win in the series with the Badgers.

Leading 56-53, Potts pushed the margin to five points before Callin Hake scored to extend the lead to 59-53 with 5:07 left. Hake continued her strong play off the bench by finishing with eight points.

Darian White also made winning plays at both ends in the fourth quarter, scoring four of her six points, while Kendall Coley added six big first-half points to help the Huskers build their double-digit lead in the first 20 minutes. All 11 Huskers scored in the game, including five points, four rebounds and six assists from Jaz Shelley.

As a team, Nebraska hit 43.9 percent (25-57) of its shots from the field, including 9-of-27 (.333) three-pointers. The Huskers also won the turnover battle, 14-11. NU held Wisconsin to 36.1 percent (22-61) shooting for the game, including 7-of-33 threes (.212). UW won the war on the boards 38-36, including nine rebounds to go with 16 points from Serah Williams.

Ronnie Porter added 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Badgers, while Brooke Schramek contributed 12 points.

The Huskers will be back in action at home on Sunday to take on Big Ten unbeaten and No. 14 Indiana. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Hoosiers is set for 1 p.m., with a special pregame ceremony honoring All-American Jordan Hooper with the retirement of her No. 35 jersey beginning at approximately 12:40 p.m. (CT). Tickets are available now at Huskers.com.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsMadison, Wis.&nbsp;- Natalie Potts scored all of her game-high 16 points in the second half, while Alexis Markowski produced her 30th career double-double to power Nebraska to a 69-57 Big Ten women's basketball road win at the Kohl Center on Thursday night.With the victory, Nebraska improved to 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since NU's first season in the conference (2011-12), while moving to 11-3 overall. Wisconsin slipped to 7-6 and 0-3 in the league.Markowski, a 6-3 center from Lincoln, Neb., finished with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her Big Ten-leading ninth double-double of the season. She put up 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half to help Nebraska a 14-point lead before taking a 38-27 edge to the locker room at halftime.In the second half, Potts scored Nebraska's first eight points but Wisconsin cut NU's lead to just 49-47 at the end of three quarters. Potts kept pushing in the fourth quarter, scoring eight more points. Her third field goal of the quarter pushed NU's lead to 61-53 with 1:35 left. She then scored her final points of the night at the free throw line to cap the scoring with about 20 seconds left to seal NU's eighth consecutive win in the series with the Badgers.Leading 56-53, Potts pushed the margin to five points before Callin Hake scored to extend the lead to 59-53 with 5:07 left. Hake continued her strong play off the bench by finishing with eight points.Darian White also made winning plays at both ends in the fourth quarter, scoring four of her six points, while Kendall Coley added six big first-half points to help the Huskers build their double-digit lead in the first 20 minutes. All 11 Huskers scored in the game, including five points, four rebounds and six assists from Jaz Shelley.As a team, Nebraska hit 43.9 percent (25-57) of its shots from the field, including 9-of-27 (.333) three-pointers. The Huskers also won the turnover battle, 14-11. NU held Wisconsin to 36.1 percent (22-61) shooting for the game, including 7-of-33 threes (.212). UW won the war on the boards 38-36, including nine rebounds to go with 16 points from Serah Williams.Ronnie Porter added 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Badgers, while Brooke Schramek contributed 12 points.The Huskers will be back in action at home on Sunday to take on Big Ten unbeaten and No. 14 Indiana. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Hoosiers is set for 1 p.m., with a special pregame ceremony honoring All-American Jordan Hooper with the retirement of her No. 35 jersey beginning at approximately 12:40 p.m. (CT). Tickets are available now at Huskers.com.

Huskers beat Badgers for 3-0 Big Ten start

KEARNEY, NE.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set to open play in the 2024 calendar year tonight with the first of two home games this weekend against the Under-17 team from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP/Team USA). Tonight’s game will mark the first time the Storm has hosted Team USA at the Viaero Center since November 23rd, 2019. Tickets for tonight’s battle may be purchased online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office Hours at 308-338-8144. Puck drop for tonight’s matchup is set for 7:05pm CT. &nbsp;

Tri-City (13-11-1-2) dropped a shootout decision to the Lincoln Stars last Sunday at the Viaero Center to fall to 3-5-0-2 in the team’s last ten games played. Ryan Smith netted the Storm’s lone goal of the matchup on the powerplay during Sunday’s opening period. The Storm enters this weekend’s set of home games against Team USA as the 5th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. Tri-City is 10-6-0-2 when scoring the first goal of the game through the opening twenty-seven games of the season. The Storm seeks to defeat Team USA for the first time in 1,140 days in tonight’s showdown at the Viaero Center. Scoring leaders for Tri-City heading into the 2024 portion of the 2023-2024 regular season schedule include Ryan Smith (12), August Falloon (11), Trevor Connelly (9), Cam Briere (9), Artemi Nizameyev (8), and Owen Beckner (7). The Storm will also play host to the Lincoln Stars on Thursday, January 11th, 2024, following this weekend’s home series against Team USA at the Viaero Center. &nbsp;

Team USA (11-13-1-1) enters tonight’s road game at the Viaero Center in 7th&nbsp;place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference standings. The Under-17s of the United States National Team Development Program have posted a 2-9-1-1 record in league play this season, while the Under-18 team has produced a record of 9-4-0-0 in USHL games this year. The Under-17 team, the Storm’s opponent for both games this weekend, is currently 13-10-3-2 overall on the 2023-2024 schedule. The overall team record for the Under-17’s includes games played against USHL, NAHL, and International competition. The Under-17 team is winless in four previous games against USHL Western Conference competition entering this weekend’s series (0-3-0-1). Scoring leaders for the Under-17’s team this season include Will Moore (14), LJ Mooney (12), Charlies Fondrk (10), Cole McKinney (10), Charlie Trethewey (9), and Jack Murtagh (9). The Under-17 team will return to action after this weekend’s road series against the Storm next weekend with back-to-back home games against the Dubuque Fighting Saints at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:05pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144.&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsKEARNEY, NE.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set to open play in the 2024 calendar year tonight with the first of two home games this weekend against the Under-17 team from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP/Team USA). Tonight’s game will mark the first time the Storm has hosted Team USA at the Viaero Center since November 23rd, 2019. Tickets for tonight’s battle may be purchased online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office Hours at 308-338-8144. Puck drop for tonight’s matchup is set for 7:05pm CT. &nbsp;Tri-City (13-11-1-2) dropped a shootout decision to the Lincoln Stars last Sunday at the Viaero Center to fall to 3-5-0-2 in the team’s last ten games played. Ryan Smith netted the Storm’s lone goal of the matchup on the powerplay during Sunday’s opening period. The Storm enters this weekend’s set of home games against Team USA as the 5th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. Tri-City is 10-6-0-2 when scoring the first goal of the game through the opening twenty-seven games of the season. The Storm seeks to defeat Team USA for the first time in 1,140 days in tonight’s showdown at the Viaero Center. Scoring leaders for Tri-City heading into the 2024 portion of the 2023-2024 regular season schedule include Ryan Smith (12), August Falloon (11), Trevor Connelly (9), Cam Briere (9), Artemi Nizameyev (8), and Owen Beckner (7). The Storm will also play host to the Lincoln Stars on Thursday, January 11th, 2024, following this weekend’s home series against Team USA at the Viaero Center. &nbsp;Team USA (11-13-1-1) enters tonight’s road game at the Viaero Center in 7th&nbsp;place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference standings. The Under-17s of the United States National Team Development Program have posted a 2-9-1-1 record in league play this season, while the Under-18 team has produced a record of 9-4-0-0 in USHL games this year. The Under-17 team, the Storm’s opponent for both games this weekend, is currently 13-10-3-2 overall on the 2023-2024 schedule. The overall team record for the Under-17’s includes games played against USHL, NAHL, and International competition. The Under-17 team is winless in four previous games against USHL Western Conference competition entering this weekend’s series (0-3-0-1). Scoring leaders for the Under-17’s team this season include Will Moore (14), LJ Mooney (12), Charlies Fondrk (10), Cole McKinney (10), Charlie Trethewey (9), and Jack Murtagh (9). The Under-17 team will return to action after this weekend’s road series against the Storm next weekend with back-to-back home games against the Dubuque Fighting Saints at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:05pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144.&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Storm set to open 2024 with Home Series against Team USA 

Kearney, Neb. –&nbsp;The Lincoln Blue Tigers used a couple of big runs and feasted on turnovers to down Nebraska Kearney,&nbsp;<a href="https://lopers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&amp;id=7556" target="_blank">90-67</a>, Thursday night at the Health &amp; Sports Center.LU (9-3, 4-2) stops a two-game skid and beats UNK (5-7, 2-5) for the sixth time in the last eight meetings. The two will meet again Feb. 17 in Jefferson City, Mo. A jumper from junior lefty&nbsp;Damiri Lindo&nbsp;(Oakland) and a wing three from junior lefty&nbsp;Taden&nbsp;King&nbsp;(Rexburg, Idaho) made it a 61-53 game with 11:40 to play. The back-to-back shots, as well as a defensive stop, forced Lincoln to call timeout. The break worked as the Blue Tigers closed on a 29-14 run. In the first half, LU not only erased a 24-21 deficit but went into the locker after a 13-3 spurt. A buzzer beating triple by junior reserve guard Tyson Robinson capped that key stretch. “The biggest problem was the turnovers. When you give a team 28 points off your turnovers, it’s tough to win a game,” said UNK interim head coach&nbsp;Antoine Young. “Up until halftime I thought we controlled the boards and that allowed us to get out and run. We were kind of in the game at that point.” Having four players score in double digits, Lincoln tallied 28 points off 16&nbsp;Loper&nbsp;miscues. Many of the turnovers were of the live ball variety with five coming over the last 11:40. Lincoln capitalized on each, scoring 11 points. They also finished plus 12 on the glass. “While they are a good a team and have some athleticism, I don’t think it was their defense. We had some lackadaisical turnovers that you just can’t have in this league,” said Young. “I’m trying to find that happy medium (playing the young guys). They are good players, and you must give them a chance to get out there. But they must understand when you go out there, we can’t allow a 13-3 run.” Six-eight, 270-pound senior forward Elijah Farr, who previously was at Division I Murray (Ky.) State and Western Illinois, scored a game-high 20 thanks to 8 of 13 shooting. A load to handle around the rim, he also hit a three, had five caroms and dished out three assists. Next, junior reserve guard Trey Boston went for 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting with French junior Franck&nbsp;Yetna&nbsp;(14) and veteran guard DJ Richardson (13) combining for 27 more points. As a team, LU shot 55% from the field and went 11 of 12 at the line. “We’re averaging close to 70 points per game so we can score with anybody. But we’re putting so much pressure on our offense to score 90 every night because we’re giving up close to that,” said Young. “We have to clean that up.” UNK also had a balanced attack as four starters reached double digits with four others scoring as well. King and New Zealand junior forward&nbsp;Sean Murphy&nbsp;had 13 apiece with Lindo at 11 and junior guard&nbsp;Sean Evans&nbsp;(Parker, Colo.) finishing with 12. Finally, Lindo had a team-best five rebounds with junior point guard&nbsp;Miguel Robles&nbsp;(East L.A.) at a team-best seven assists. UNK hosts Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon. The Mules (5-6, 0-5) lost tonight at Fort Hays State, 61-51.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Story by UNK Athletic CommunicationsKearney, Neb. –&nbsp;The Lincoln Blue Tigers used a couple of big runs and feasted on turnovers to down Nebraska Kearney,&nbsp;<a href="https://lopers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&amp;id=7556" target="_blank">90-67</a>, Thursday night at the Health &amp; Sports Center.LU (9-3, 4-2) stops a two-game skid and beats UNK (5-7, 2-5) for the sixth time in the last eight meetings. The two will meet again Feb. 17 in Jefferson City, Mo. A jumper from junior lefty&nbsp;Damiri Lindo&nbsp;(Oakland) and a wing three from junior lefty&nbsp;Taden&nbsp;King&nbsp;(Rexburg, Idaho) made it a 61-53 game with 11:40 to play. The back-to-back shots, as well as a defensive stop, forced Lincoln to call timeout. The break worked as the Blue Tigers closed on a 29-14 run. In the first half, LU not only erased a 24-21 deficit but went into the locker after a 13-3 spurt. A buzzer beating triple by junior reserve guard Tyson Robinson capped that key stretch. “The biggest problem was the turnovers. When you give a team 28 points off your turnovers, it’s tough to win a game,” said UNK interim head coach&nbsp;Antoine Young. “Up until halftime I thought we controlled the boards and that allowed us to get out and run. We were kind of in the game at that point.” Having four players score in double digits, Lincoln tallied 28 points off 16&nbsp;Loper&nbsp;miscues. Many of the turnovers were of the live ball variety with five coming over the last 11:40. Lincoln capitalized on each, scoring 11 points. They also finished plus 12 on the glass. “While they are a good a team and have some athleticism, I don’t think it was their defense. We had some lackadaisical turnovers that you just can’t have in this league,” said Young. “I’m trying to find that happy medium (playing the young guys). They are good players, and you must give them a chance to get out there. But they must understand when you go out there, we can’t allow a 13-3 run.” Six-eight, 270-pound senior forward Elijah Farr, who previously was at Division I Murray (Ky.) State and Western Illinois, scored a game-high 20 thanks to 8 of 13 shooting. A load to handle around the rim, he also hit a three, had five caroms and dished out three assists. Next, junior reserve guard Trey Boston went for 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting with French junior Franck&nbsp;Yetna&nbsp;(14) and veteran guard DJ Richardson (13) combining for 27 more points. As a team, LU shot 55% from the field and went 11 of 12 at the line. “We’re averaging close to 70 points per game so we can score with anybody. But we’re putting so much pressure on our offense to score 90 every night because we’re giving up close to that,” said Young. “We have to clean that up.” UNK also had a balanced attack as four starters reached double digits with four others scoring as well. King and New Zealand junior forward&nbsp;Sean Murphy&nbsp;had 13 apiece with Lindo at 11 and junior guard&nbsp;Sean Evans&nbsp;(Parker, Colo.) finishing with 12. Finally, Lindo had a team-best five rebounds with junior point guard&nbsp;Miguel Robles&nbsp;(East L.A.) at a team-best seven assists. UNK hosts Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon. The Mules (5-6, 0-5) lost tonight at Fort Hays State, 61-51.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Double digit turnovers leads Lopers to loss against Blue Tigers

Sandhills/Thedford 67, South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 30

South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 56, Sandhills/Thedford 43

<h2>Girls Basketball</h2>Garden County 32, Hemingford 31Leyton 52, Paxton 39Sandhills/Thedford 67, South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 30<h2>Boys Basketball</h2>Hemingford 66, Garden County 46Paxton 67, Leyton 44South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 56, Sandhills/Thedford 43

Area Sports scores 1-4-2024

Story by UNK Athletic Communication

Kearney, Neb. –&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://nwcaonline.com/news/2023/12/22/ncaa-division-2-men-central-oklahoma-west-liberty-tied-for-top-spot-in-division-ii-coaches-rankings.aspx?utm_source=Social+Media/eBlast&amp;utm_medium=Facebook,+Instagram,+Twitter,+MailChimp&amp;utm_campaign=d2_mens_rankings" target="_blank">now seventh-ranked</a>&nbsp;Nebraska&nbsp;Kearney&nbsp;wrestling team is the sixth seed in this weekend's National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/U.S. Marine Corps Multi-Division National Duals. The event runs Friday-Saturday (Jan. 5-6) at Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome and is hosted by NUWAY. Fans not in attendance can watch the action via&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3GoFKCT" target="_blank">FloWrestling</a>&nbsp;or following along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/teamtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=772827132" target="_blank">live results</a>. There are&nbsp;brackets for six divisions: NAIA men and women, NCAA Division II and III men, NCAA women and&nbsp;NCWA&nbsp;men. UNK (5-2), now with two-time All-Americans&nbsp;Nick James&nbsp;(141 lbs.) and&nbsp;Billy Higgins&nbsp;(184 lbs.) ready to go, will face&nbsp;Glenville&nbsp;(W.V.) State Friday at 2 p.m. in the opening round. The Pioneers are ranked 25th nationally and feature fifth-ranked Gavin Quiocho (133 lbs.) and 10th-ranked Guy Deleonardis (157 lbs.).With a win or a loss, the&nbsp;Lopers&nbsp;wrestle again at 4 p.m. against either third-ranked Lander (S.C.) or 20th-ranked&nbsp;Tiffin&nbsp;(Ohio). Lander has been ranked number one for most of this year and is defending national runners up. The TU Dragons, meanwhile, are led by top-ranked Zach Donathan (141 lbs.).The semifinals are set for Saturday at 10 a.m. with finals and the third-place match set for 3 p.m. Fourth-ranked&nbsp;Wisconsin-Parkside&nbsp;is not taking part this year, thus the reason for UNK being the sixth&nbsp;seed&nbsp;instead of seventh.&nbsp;In the national rankings, besides James (seventh), are&nbsp;Crew Howard&nbsp;(2nd/285 lbs.),&nbsp;Jackson Kinsella&nbsp;(5th/197 lbs.),&nbsp;Zach Ourada&nbsp;(6th/125 lbs.) and&nbsp;Jacobi Deal&nbsp;(9th/174 lbs.). Higgins would be ranked but didn't compete in the first semester due to injury. Those&nbsp;Lopers&nbsp;not in Iowa will wrestle Saturday at the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/opentournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=784522132" target="_blank">Hastings Open</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Story by UNK Athletic CommunicationKearney, Neb. –&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://nwcaonline.com/news/2023/12/22/ncaa-division-2-men-central-oklahoma-west-liberty-tied-for-top-spot-in-division-ii-coaches-rankings.aspx?utm_source=Social+Media/eBlast&amp;utm_medium=Facebook,+Instagram,+Twitter,+MailChimp&amp;utm_campaign=d2_mens_rankings" target="_blank">now seventh-ranked</a>&nbsp;Nebraska&nbsp;Kearney&nbsp;wrestling team is the sixth seed in this weekend's National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/U.S. Marine Corps Multi-Division National Duals. The event runs Friday-Saturday (Jan. 5-6) at Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome and is hosted by NUWAY. Fans not in attendance can watch the action via&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3GoFKCT" target="_blank">FloWrestling</a>&nbsp;or following along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/teamtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=772827132" target="_blank">live results</a>. There are&nbsp;brackets for six divisions: NAIA men and women, NCAA Division II and III men, NCAA women and&nbsp;NCWA&nbsp;men. UNK (5-2), now with two-time All-Americans&nbsp;Nick James&nbsp;(141 lbs.) and&nbsp;Billy Higgins&nbsp;(184 lbs.) ready to go, will face&nbsp;Glenville&nbsp;(W.V.) State Friday at 2 p.m. in the opening round. The Pioneers are ranked 25th nationally and feature fifth-ranked Gavin Quiocho (133 lbs.) and 10th-ranked Guy Deleonardis (157 lbs.).With a win or a loss, the&nbsp;Lopers&nbsp;wrestle again at 4 p.m. against either third-ranked Lander (S.C.) or 20th-ranked&nbsp;Tiffin&nbsp;(Ohio). Lander has been ranked number one for most of this year and is defending national runners up. The TU Dragons, meanwhile, are led by top-ranked Zach Donathan (141 lbs.).The semifinals are set for Saturday at 10 a.m. with finals and the third-place match set for 3 p.m. Fourth-ranked&nbsp;Wisconsin-Parkside&nbsp;is not taking part this year, thus the reason for UNK being the sixth&nbsp;seed&nbsp;instead of seventh.&nbsp;In the national rankings, besides James (seventh), are&nbsp;Crew Howard&nbsp;(2nd/285 lbs.),&nbsp;Jackson Kinsella&nbsp;(5th/197 lbs.),&nbsp;Zach Ourada&nbsp;(6th/125 lbs.) and&nbsp;Jacobi Deal&nbsp;(9th/174 lbs.). Higgins would be ranked but didn't compete in the first semester due to injury. Those&nbsp;Lopers&nbsp;not in Iowa will wrestle Saturday at the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/opentournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=784522132" target="_blank">Hastings Open</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

UNK Wrestling secure top-10 ranking

Behind a season-high 28 points from Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska improved to 12-2 on the season with an 86-70 win over Indiana Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.&nbsp;

Tominaga had 18 of his 28 in the second half, as Nebraska matched a season high with 12 3-pointers en route to its first win over Indiana since 2019. &nbsp;

He hit a season-high four 3-pointers, including three in the second half, as he fell two points shy of his career high in helping Nebraska build a 22-point lead before cruising to a 16-point win. The 12-2 start matches NU’s best 14-game start since 1990-91.&nbsp;

Tominaga was one of four Huskers in double figures, as Brice Williams added 15 points, six boards and four steals, while Jamarques Lawrence and C.J. Wilcher added 12 and 11 markers, respectively. &nbsp;Lawrence also set a career high with four steals.&nbsp;

The Huskers had 15 steals and forced Indiana (10-4, 2-1) into 19 turnovers, leading to 27 Husker points.&nbsp;

The Huskers trailed 9-4 in the opening minutes before running off seven straight points, including four from Brice Williams, who played just five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.&nbsp;

The Huskers continued to build a lead behind the shooting of C.J Wilcher, who had eight straight Husker points as his third 3-pointer of the night gave NU a 30-21 lead with 7:22 left in the half. Wilcher had all 11 of his points in the first 20 minutes.&nbsp;

Nebraska eventually stretched to lead to 10 on a pair of occasions, the last being on a Keisei Tominaga free throw with 1:11 left in the half, as the senior guard had 10 first-half points.

Nebraska got off to a quick start as a Wiilliams 3-pointer and a Tominanga jumper stretched the lead to 13 and forced an Indiana timeout less than two minutes into the second half. &nbsp;

Indiana whittled to Husker lead to 55-47 after a 3-pointer from Makik Reneau with 13:12 left, but a 3-pointer from Williams and three free throws from Sam Hoiberg extended the margin back to 61-47 with 11:41 left.&nbsp;

The Hoosiers, who saw their three-game win streak snapped, was within 64-53 before Tominaga keyed a 9-0 run with six straight points before a Williams 3-pointer made it 73-54 with just under seven minutes remaining.

Kel’el Ware led Indiana with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Reneau added 14 points in the loss.&nbsp;

The Huskers return to action and continue Big Ten play when they travel to No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is set for 1:15 p.m. (CT) and the game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network and BTN.&nbsp;

Nebraska’s next home game is Tuesday, Jan. 9, when No. 1 Purdue comes to town. Tickets are still available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsBehind a season-high 28 points from Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska improved to 12-2 on the season with an 86-70 win over Indiana Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.&nbsp;Tominaga had 18 of his 28 in the second half, as Nebraska matched a season high with 12 3-pointers en route to its first win over Indiana since 2019. &nbsp;He hit a season-high four 3-pointers, including three in the second half, as he fell two points shy of his career high in helping Nebraska build a 22-point lead before cruising to a 16-point win. The 12-2 start matches NU’s best 14-game start since 1990-91.&nbsp;Tominaga was one of four Huskers in double figures, as Brice Williams added 15 points, six boards and four steals, while Jamarques Lawrence and C.J. Wilcher added 12 and 11 markers, respectively. &nbsp;Lawrence also set a career high with four steals.&nbsp;The Huskers had 15 steals and forced Indiana (10-4, 2-1) into 19 turnovers, leading to 27 Husker points.&nbsp;The Huskers trailed 9-4 in the opening minutes before running off seven straight points, including four from Brice Williams, who played just five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.&nbsp;The Huskers continued to build a lead behind the shooting of C.J Wilcher, who had eight straight Husker points as his third 3-pointer of the night gave NU a 30-21 lead with 7:22 left in the half. Wilcher had all 11 of his points in the first 20 minutes.&nbsp;Nebraska eventually stretched to lead to 10 on a pair of occasions, the last being on a Keisei Tominaga free throw with 1:11 left in the half, as the senior guard had 10 first-half points.Nebraska got off to a quick start as a Wiilliams 3-pointer and a Tominanga jumper stretched the lead to 13 and forced an Indiana timeout less than two minutes into the second half. &nbsp;Indiana whittled to Husker lead to 55-47 after a 3-pointer from Makik Reneau with 13:12 left, but a 3-pointer from Williams and three free throws from Sam Hoiberg extended the margin back to 61-47 with 11:41 left.&nbsp;The Hoosiers, who saw their three-game win streak snapped, was within 64-53 before Tominaga keyed a 9-0 run with six straight points before a Williams 3-pointer made it 73-54 with just under seven minutes remaining.Kel’el Ware led Indiana with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Reneau added 14 points in the loss.&nbsp;The Huskers return to action and continue Big Ten play when they travel to No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is set for 1:15 p.m. (CT) and the game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network and BTN.&nbsp;Nebraska’s next home game is Tuesday, Jan. 9, when No. 1 Purdue comes to town. Tickets are still available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets<h2>RELATED STORI</h2>

Huskers secure big victory over Indiana

McCook Community College Athletics

McCook Community College sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://mccindians.com/sports/wvball/2023-24/bios/caskey_gabby_q2uh">Gabby Caskey</a>&nbsp;has signed a letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The Marauders compete at the NCAA D2 level in the Northern Sun Conference.

"I am happy Gabby has found her next volleyball home, as I know she is going to do great things there," said MCC Coach Hayley Kobza.

Caskey, a middle blocker from Ogallala, said University of Mary gives her the best opportunity to pursue both her academics and athletics.

"The coach there is similar to Kobza in the way that she is keen on recruiting players that will come in and make a big impact on her team," said Caskey. "And the way that she believed that I would be able to do that really got to me."

After her visit, she also felt a connection with the girls on the team.

"They all made very personal efforts to make me feel welcomed and generally at home," said Caskey. "The school is also very pretty, and their biology department professors have high accolades that make it a very respectable program."

She plans to continue her pursuit of a bachelor's degree in biology with the goal of getting into medical school in the field of family medicine or orthopedics.

This season Caskey played in 35 matches and averaged 1.81 kills and 1.24 blocks per set. She had 219 kills, 75 digs, 24 service aces, 10 solo blocks and 140 block assists. That block total was fourth best among players from 88 Division 1 NJCAA schools and her 140 block assists led the nation.

She recorded a season-best 15 kills in the Aug. 25 match against Cloud County. That was one of four double-digit kill games. Her best blocking match came Sept. 23 against Northeast Community College when she recorded 10 assist blocks to go along with 12 kills.

"Gabby was a solid player for us these last two seasons. She always came in and just got to work," said Kobza. "Not only was she a valuable player for us, but she also was a great academic student as well."

In her two years at MCC, Caskey recorded 411 kills, 225 total blocks, 292 digs and 76 service aces. Academically she was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association all-academic first team for student athletes maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. She was named to the President's List in both of her freshman semesters.Caskey said beating Western Nebraska on their court in Scottsbluff on Oct. 14 was a highlight of her career. It was only the second time in the last 29 years, MCC was able to pick up a win over the Cougars, who had won seven straight matches between the two schools and 64 of the past 66 meetings dating back to 1994.

"Coming back to the locker room after that game was so exciting and us girls were beyond excited," Caskey said.

She said her favorite of her time at MCC includes attending baseball games with teammates and "being chatty" towards the opposing team during their times at bat.

Her new team in Bismarck is graduating seven players and Caskey said her role will be to come in and make a big change to the intensity of the program

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704302618046.jpeg" alt="Gabby Caskey/MCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Gabby Caskey/MCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>McCook Community College AthleticsMcCook Community College sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://mccindians.com/sports/wvball/2023-24/bios/caskey_gabby_q2uh">Gabby Caskey</a>&nbsp;has signed a letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.The Marauders compete at the NCAA D2 level in the Northern Sun Conference."I am happy Gabby has found her next volleyball home, as I know she is going to do great things there," said MCC Coach Hayley Kobza.Caskey, a middle blocker from Ogallala, said University of Mary gives her the best opportunity to pursue both her academics and athletics."The coach there is similar to Kobza in the way that she is keen on recruiting players that will come in and make a big impact on her team," said Caskey. "And the way that she believed that I would be able to do that really got to me."After her visit, she also felt a connection with the girls on the team."They all made very personal efforts to make me feel welcomed and generally at home," said Caskey. "The school is also very pretty, and their biology department professors have high accolades that make it a very respectable program."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704302654609.jpeg" alt="Gabby Caskey/MCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Gabby Caskey/MCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>She plans to continue her pursuit of a bachelor's degree in biology with the goal of getting into medical school in the field of family medicine or orthopedics.This season Caskey played in 35 matches and averaged 1.81 kills and 1.24 blocks per set. She had 219 kills, 75 digs, 24 service aces, 10 solo blocks and 140 block assists. That block total was fourth best among players from 88 Division 1 NJCAA schools and her 140 block assists led the nation.She recorded a season-best 15 kills in the Aug. 25 match against Cloud County. That was one of four double-digit kill games. Her best blocking match came Sept. 23 against Northeast Community College when she recorded 10 assist blocks to go along with 12 kills."Gabby was a solid player for us these last two seasons. She always came in and just got to work," said Kobza. "Not only was she a valuable player for us, but she also was a great academic student as well."In her two years at MCC, Caskey recorded 411 kills, 225 total blocks, 292 digs and 76 service aces. Academically she was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association all-academic first team for student athletes maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. She was named to the President's List in both of her freshman semesters.Caskey said beating Western Nebraska on their court in Scottsbluff on Oct. 14 was a highlight of her career. It was only the second time in the last 29 years, MCC was able to pick up a win over the Cougars, who had won seven straight matches between the two schools and 64 of the past 66 meetings dating back to 1994."Coming back to the locker room after that game was so exciting and us girls were beyond excited," Caskey said.She said her favorite of her time at MCC includes attending baseball games with teammates and "being chatty" towards the opposing team during their times at bat.Her new team in Bismarck is graduating seven players and Caskey said her role will be to come in and make a big change to the intensity of the program

Ogallala native Gabby Caskey commits to University of Mary for volleyball

Chase County 35, Dundy County Stratton 26

Hershey 43, South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 29

Dundy County Stratton 51, Chase County 35

South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 62, Hershey 42

<h2>Girls Basketball</h2>Bridgeport 63, Ogallala 60Broken Bow 64, McCook 23Chase County 35, Dundy County Stratton 26Hershey 43, South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 29Kearney 56, North Platte 44Maxwell 33, Arapahoe 30Maywood-Hayes Center 61, Hi-Line 10Ord 56, Cozad 52Southwest 43, Hitchcock County 35<h2>Boys Basketball</h2>Cozad 50, Ord 49Arapahoe 62, Maxwell 46Dundy County Stratton 51, Chase County 35Hitchcock County 65, Southwest 60Kearney 91, North Platte 53Maywood-Hayes Center 53, Hi-Line 44Ogallala 82, Bridgeport 56South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) 62, Hershey 42&nbsp;McCook 54, Broken Bow 30