Three Huskers Post Double-Doubles in Win Over Maryland

Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletics

Lincoln - Alexis Markowski, Jaz Shelley and Natalie Potts all produced double-doubles to power the Nebraska women's basketball to its first-ever home victory over Maryland in front of nearly 8,800 fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on New Year's Eve.

With the with, Nebraska improved to 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference and 10-3 overall, while Maryland slipped to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference. It was NU's second win in the last three meetings with the Terrapins.

Markowski did the most consistent damage from start to finish, recording her eighth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. It also marked the fourth 20-point performance of the season for the Lisa Leslie Award candidate from Lincoln, after getting 10 points in each of the first and second halves on Sunday for the Big Red.

Potts, a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, added the second double-double of her young career with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. The 6-2 forward from O'Fallon, Mo., scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the final 20 minutes alone to play a huge role in the Huskers outscoring the Terrapins 48-43 in the second half.

Potts, who had seven offensive rebounds in the second half, and Markowski combined for 23 of Nebraska's 48 rebounds in the game, as the Huskers dominated the Big Ten's top team in total rebounds, 48-30, on the glass. Potts also went 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the game, including 4-for-4 in the final 45 seconds to help the Huskers seal the win.

Shelley contributed 13 points and a game-high 11 assists for her second double-double of the year and 12th of her career. Shelley's production came despite battling early foul trouble.

In addition to the impressive contributions from Shelley, Potts and Markowski, Nebraska got a career-high-tying 16 points from Callin Hake off the bench. The sophomore guard from Victoria, Minn., not only knocked down 4-of-7 threes to spark the Huskers, she added five big rebounds and several key defensive plays.

Graduate guard Darian White pitched in eight points, including 5-of-6 free throw shooting in the final 1:30, to help the Huskers hold off the Terps. As a team, Nebraska connected on 23-of-26 free throws (.885) on the day.

Graduate guard Maddie Krull contributed five points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block to help slow down Maryland's high-powered offense. 

The Huskers held Terrapin star Shyanne Sellers to just four points while committing seven turnovers on the day. Maryland's starters totaled just 37 points in 130 minutes, but the Terps hung with the Huskers to the buzzer by getting 44 points in just 70 minutes from their bench.

Lavender Briggs, who missed Maryland's past five games, led the Terps with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-6 threes. Riley Nelson added 11 points in less than 10 minutes on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and a 4-of-5 effort from the line.

As a team, Maryland hit 50 percent (32-64) of its shots, including 7-of-23 threes (.304), while hitting 10-of-16 free throws (.625). Maryland committed 26 fouls, as Sellers, Jakia Brown-Turner and Bri McDaniel all fouled out in the fourth quarter while trying to extend the game after the Big Red built a 10-point fourth-quarter advantage. The Terps committed 17 of their 26 fouls in the final 20 minutes.

Nebraska hit just 39.1 percent (27-69) of its shots, but the Huskers outworked the Terps 20-8 on the offensive glass. The Big Red also hit 10-of-32 three-pointers (.313), marking the seventh time this season NU has hit double-digit threes in a game. 

In a tight and well-played game from start-to-finish, the two teams were tied at 20 at the end of one quarter, before Nebraska took a 39-38 lead to the locker room at halftime. The Huskers took control by outscoring the Terrapins 24-16 in the third quarter to push the margin to 63-54 after 30 minutes. Nebraska took its biggest lead at 66-56 on a Shelley three-pointer with 8:30 left, before securing the 87-81 win. 

Nebraska returns to Big Ten road action at Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tip-off between the Huskers and Badgers at the Kohl Center is set for 8 p.m. (CT), with live television coverage from the Big Ten Network. A live broadcast also can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network, including the Huskers App and Huskers.com.