Story by NU Athletic Communications
The Nebraska women’s basketball team faces Kansas for the third time in the past year when the Huskers take on the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Wednesday night.
Tip-off between the old Big Eight/Big 12 rivals at historic Allen Fieldhouse is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) with a live video stream available to subscribers of ESPN+.
Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com, as Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch team up for their 23rd season. Pregame starts at 6 p.m. (CT).
NCAA NET No. 19 Nebraska is riding a five-game winning streak after rolling to a 76-51 win over 2023 SWAC Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Southern in Lincoln on Sunday. Alexis Markowski led three Huskers in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Although the two-time Lisa Leslie Award candidate had her string of five consecutive double-doubles snapped, Markowski extended her streak of 11 straight games scoring in double figures while becoming the 38th player in NU history to score 1,000 career points. Markowski leads the Big Ten in rebounding (9.7) and ranks fifth in scoring (17.2 ppg). She also leads the league with six double-doubles.
Two-time Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award candidate Jaz Shelley added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a strong effort. The 5-9 guard from Moe (pronounced MOE-ee), Australia, is the first Husker in history to record multiple career triple-doubles after getting 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over UNCW (Dec. 5). Shelley ranks fourth on Nebraska’s career three-point list with 184, after hitting three threes in the win over Southern to move past current WNBA player and 14-year international pro Yvonne Turner.
Three-time Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week Natalie Potts leads all Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). The two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year out of Incarnate Word Academy has hit 75.8 percent (44-58) of her two-point field goal attempts. Fellow freshmen Logan Nissley (7.2 ppg), who scored 14 points in the win over Southern, and Jessica Petrie (5.8 ppg) have made significant contributions early in their Husker careers.
Darian White, a four-year starter and three-time All-Big Sky performer at Montana State before transferring to Nebraska as a graduate student, gives Nebraska another potent weapon. The 5-6 guard is averaging 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten.
White and Shelley, who ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 4.9 assists per game, have both recorded five or more assists in four consecutive games for Nebraska. Over the last four contests, Shelley is averaging 8.3 assists while White is contributing 5.8 assists per contest.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten)at Kansas Jayhawks (6-4, 0-0 Big 12)Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, 6:30 p.m. (CT)Allen Fieldhouse - Lawrence, KansasLive Video: ESPN+ (subscription)Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6 p.m.)Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)B107.3 FM (Lincoln), 105.9 FM (Omaha), Huskers.com, Huskers AppLive Stats: Huskers.com
Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten - NCAA NET 19)22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Jr. - C/F - 17.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg0 - Darian White - 5-6 - Gr. - G - 9.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 13.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpgOff the Bench14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - So. - G - 7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 7.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 5.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 1.2 rpgHead Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)Eighth Season at Nebraska (123-101); 17th Season Overall (316-210)
Kansas Jayhawks (6-4, 0-0 Big 12 - NCAA NET 48)1 - Taiyanna Jackson - 6-6 - 5th - C - 13.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg0 - Wyvette Mayberry - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 9.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg13 - Holly Kersgieter - 5-11 - 5th - G - 10.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg15 - Zakiyah Franklin - 5-8 - 5th - G - 10.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg12 - S’Mya Nichols - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 14.1 ppg, 2.6 rpgOff the Bench5 - Ryan Cobbins - 6-0 - 5th - G/F - 4.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg6 - Laia Conesa - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 3.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg32 - Skyler Gill - 5-10 - Jr. - G/F - 2.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg7 - Paris Gaines - 6-3 - Fr. - C - 2.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg23 - Zsofia Telegdy - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg25 - McKenzie Smith - 6-0 - Fr. - G/F - 1.6 ppg, 0.6 rpg14 - Danai Papadopoulou - 6-4 - Jr. - C - 1.6 ppg, 2.8 rpgHead Coach: Brandon Schneider (Wayland Baptist, 1995)Ninth Season at Kansas (113-140); 26th Season Overall (514-278)
Scouting The Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Coach Brandon Schneider leads the Jayhawks into Wednesday’s game with a 6-4 record after KU notched its third straight win with a 69-48 victory over Central Arkansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. KU started the streak with a 79-57 win over Houston Christian (Dec. 6), before running to a 76-56 victory at Wichita State (Dec. 10).
The Jayhawks played a tough early season schedule that included a 71-63 loss to UConn (Nov. 25) and a 59-58 loss to Virginia Tech (Nov. 24) in the Cayman Islands after suffering a 91-85 setback at Penn State (Nov. 13). They also dropped a 63-52 decision at Texas A&M (Dec. 3).
The defending WNIT champions, Kansas is pursuing a third consecutive 20-win season after finishing with a 25-11 mark that included six straight home wins in the WNIT. KU finished 9-9 in the Big 12 last season and closed the year at No. 30 in the NCAA NET rankings.
KU features an experienced starting five led by 6-6 super-senior Taiyanna Jackson. The Lisa Leslie Award candidate has averaged 13.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this season. She averaged 15.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks as a first-team All-Big 12 choice last year. She is two-time member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. She was also one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award. In two games against NU last year, Jackson totaled 34 points and 33 rebounds.
Super-senior Zakiyah Franklin adds 10.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. The 5-8 senior guard from Lakeland, Fla., has spent more time on the court in a Jayhawks uniform than any other player in school history. She hit a scorching 49.5 percent (48-97) of her three-pointers while leading KU with team bests of 15.7 points and 3.1 assists per game last year. She also hit nearly 88 percent of her free throws. This season, Franklin has hit just 33.3 percent (12-36) from long range. The first-team All-Big 12 guard led Kansas with 27 points last year in a triple-overtime loss at Nebraska.
A third fifth-year senior, Holly Kersgieter has contributed 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds early this season. The 5-11 guard from Sand Springs, Okla., has hit a team-best 20 three-pointers while shooting at a 42.6 percent clip. An honorable-mention All-Big 12 choice in 2023, Kersgieter averaged 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and a team-best 2.0 steals last season.
Senior Wyvette Mayberry gives KU more returning experience. The returning starter is averaging 9.8 points and 2.6 assists. She averaged 11.4 points and 3.0 assists in her first year on the court at KU last year, after spending her first two seasons at Tulsa. She was a second-team All-AAC pick in 2022 after earning a spot on the AAC All-Freshman Team in 2021. In two games against Nebraska last season, Mayberry totaled just two points.
The newcomer to the KU lineup is freshman S’Mya Nichols. The 6-0 guard from Overland Park was a five-star recruit and is a contender for Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year honors, averaging team bests of 14.1 points and 2.8 assists this season. Nichols has hit 49.5 percent of her shots, including 44.4 percent (12-27) of her three-pointers.
Nichols replaces Chandler Prater, who transferred to Oklahoma State, in the KU starting five. Prater averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds last year, but had 14 points and 16 rebounds in the WNIT win over the Huskers.
The Jayhawks also feature a new set of reserves led by Alabama transfer Ryan Cobbins. The 6-0 fifth-year wing who started her career at North Dakota State has averaged 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds with one start in place of Taiyanna Jackson.
Junior transfer Skyler Gill (2.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg) from North Alabama has seen significant time in all 10 games, while freshmen McKenzie Smith and Paris Gaines have had their first tastes of action.
Returning post players Zsofia Telegdy (1.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg) and Danai Papadopoulou (1.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) round out the regular KU contributors.
Kansas has averaged 70.7 points while allowing 60.8 points per game. KU is shooting 44.5 percent, including an improved 35.8 percent from three-point range. KU has hit 68.9 percent of its free throws, but Jackson has hit just 40.5 percent (15-37). Defensively, the Jayhawks have held opponents to 38.9 percent field goal shooting, including 33.1 percent from long range. KU owns a plus-0.1 rebound margin and a plus-2.9 turnover margin. Last season, KU carried a dominant plus-6.6 rebound margin but took a minus-0.6 turnover margin. Prater had 209 rebounds and 100 turnovers last season.
Nebraska vs. Kansas Series History
The most frequent opponent in Nebraska women’s basketball history, Kansas owns a 51-34 lead in the all-time series with the Huskers.
Although the series is in KU’s favor, Nebraska has dominated since Coach Amy Williams’ senior season as a guard for the Huskers in 1997-98. Beginning with an 84-69 win in Lincoln on Feb. 11, 1998, Nebraska has gone 24-11 against Kansas in the last 35 meetings, including 15-1 in Lincoln.
Before Nebraska’s 1998 win, KU won 40 of the first 50 meetings between the two schools.
The two teams split a pair of close contests last season, including an 85-79 triple-overtime win by the Huskers in Lincoln (Dec. 21, 2022). The rematch occurred in the WNIT Super 16, when Kansas battled its way to a 64-55 win (March 23, 2023). The Huskers played that game without starting guards Sam Haiby (foot injury vs. Missouri State) and Allison Weidner (knee injury vs. Kansas). In the regular-season meeting in Lincoln, Jaz Shelley led Nebraska with 24 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Haiby had 12 points, five boards and three assists off the bench in place of Weidner, who suffered her injury early in the fourth quarter. Alexis Markowski notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Maggie Mendelson added a major lift off the bench with nine points and nine rebounds. NU went 10-for-26 from long range while KU hit 5-of-17 three-point attempts.
Zakiyah Franklin led KU with 27 points in 54 minutes, while Taiyanna Jackson contributed 18 points and 21 rebounds. Holly Kersgieter also notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
In the WNIT in Lawrence, Jackson had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Kersgieter contributed 14 points. Chandler Prater, who transferred to Oklahoma State this season, was a key for KU with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Issie Bourne led NU with 17 points, while Jaz Shelley had 12 points and nine assists. The Huskers went just 6-for-26 from three-point range, while KU went 4-for-24.
Nebraska and Kansas have played five times since the Huskers exited the Big 12 Conference for the Big Ten at the start of the 2011-12 season, including a 57-49 Jayhawk win over an injury-riddled Nebraska team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Little Rock, Ark. (March 18, 2012).
Nebraska owns a 10-game home winning streak in the series, beginning with a 59-48 victory over the Jayhawks at the Devaney Center on Feb. 7, 2004.
NU is 22-14 all-time against Kansas in Lincoln, with the first 34 meetings at the Devaney Center.
White Shines in Starting Role for Huskers
Nebraska has received an immediate boost in the backcourt from three-time first-team All-Big Sky guard Darian White.
Through 11 games, White is averaging 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while ranking eighth in the Big Ten with 4.5 assists. She scored a season-high 16 points against TCU (Nov. 25).
The 5-6 graduate student transferred into the Husker program during the summer after averaging 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals over 120 starts in four seasons at Montana State.
The No. 2 scorer in Montana State history, White finished with 1,716 points, 612 rebounds, 449 assists and 260 steals.
White was the 2022 Big Sky Tournament MVP, leading the Bobcats to the conference title and a trip to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
She was also a two-time Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022) and the 2020 Big Sky Freshman of the Year.
White was the 2019 Idaho Gatorade High School Player of the Year and joins three-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year Logan Nissley, two-time Missouri MaxPreps Player of the Year Natalie Potts and Australian National Program forward Jessica Petrie in Nebraska’s group of four newcomers for 2023-24.
White produced her first Husker double-double with season highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19).
In her Nebraska regular-season debut, White scored 13 points, including six in a 16-0 run to start the game, while adding game highs of nine rebounds and three steals to go along with four assists in Nebraska’s 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).
She was strong in all phases of her first road game as a Husker, contributing 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in a 71-52 victory at Wyoming.
White had 11 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in a season-low 20 minutes in the win over UNCW (Dec. 5).
She made her Big Ten debut with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and her first blocked shot of the season in an 80-74 win at NCAA NET No. 8 Michigan State (Dec. 9).
White took the court for the first time at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Nebraska’s exhibition win over Dakota Wesleyan (Oct. 29), producing 13 points, seven rebounds and game highs of eight assists and four steals.
Potts Claims Three Big Ten Freshman Awards
Two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year Natalie Potts has made an instant impact on Nebraska’s lineup. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., claimed her third Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (Dec. 11) over the first five weeks of the season after averaging 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and an assist in two Husker wins.
Potts capped Nebraska’s four-game winning streak with her fourth straight double-figure scoring effort by getting 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the win over NCAA Net No. 8 Michigan State (Dec. 9). She opened the week with 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in just 21 minutes in a win over UNCW (Dec. 5).
She won her second Big Ten Freshman award (Nov. 22) after averaging 14.0 points in two games at the St. Pete Showcase. Potts opened the week with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, in a 75-61 win over Lamar.
She opened another strong week by notching her first double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a win over Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29). She followed with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a win over Georgia Tech (Dec. 2).
Potts averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn her first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (Nov. 13).
In Nebraska’s 71-52 road win at Wyoming, Potts was a catalyst at both ends of the court, erupting for 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while adding two steals and a blocked shot. Potts was a menace defensively, creating easy offensive opportunities with deflections at the front of Nebraska’s press to help turn an early Husker deficit into a double-digit road victory over the Cowgirls.
In her regular-season collegiate debut, Potts added 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field in a 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).
She backed up her opening-week efforts by averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in her second week. Potts capped the week with a then-career-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19), after getting seven points and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks in a win over Alcorn State (Nov. 14).
Potts, who is averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds through 11 games, leads all Big Ten freshman in scoring and rebounding, while ranking 24th overall in the league on the glass.
Through 11 games, Potts has hit 44-of-58 (.759) two-point field goal attempts. She owns eight double-figure scoring efforts on the season.
Husker Numbers to Watch
•Darian White is two assists away from 500 in her career. Jaz Shelley reached the 500 mark in her college career by notching nine assists at Michigan State (Dec. 9). Shelley has pushed her total to 512. Only five previous Huskers in history had totaled 500 collegiate assists (Lindsey Moore, Meggan Yedsena, Rachel Theriot, Jina Johansen, Nicole Kubik).
•Alexis Markowski is six rebounds away from 700 in her career and just 56 rebounds from 750, which would move her into a tie for No. 10 on the Nebraska career rebound list.
•Annika Stewart is four points away from 500 in her career.
• Maddie Krull is 11 points away from 700 in her career.
• Darian White is 24 rebounds away from 700 in her career.
• Jaz Shelley is 26 rebounds away from 500 in her career.
Nebraska Notables
• Two-time All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) was the Big Ten’s top rebounder with 322 rebounds in 2022-23. She was the only Big Ten player to average a double-double (12.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg) during regular-season conference play.
• Alexis Markowski is No. 5 on Nebraska’s career double-doubles list (27) after notching her sixth double-double of the season in the win at Michigan State (Dec. 9). She needs six double-doubles to catch Emily Cady at No. 4 (33). The Husker record for career double-doubles is 40 by first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (2011-14).
• Darian White is 180 points away from 2,000 in her college career.
• Natalie Potts reached 100 career points in her eighth career game. She is in line with some of the best Husker freshmen in recent history in the pace of reaching the 100-point mark, including Jordan Hooper (6th game), Kelsey Griffin (7th), Kate Cain (10th), Sam Haiby (10th), Alexis Markowski (12th), Emily Cady (14th), Isabelle Bourne (20th).
• Darian White has scored in double figures 102 times in her college career (97, Montana State; 5, Nebraska). She scored a season-high 16 points against unbeaten TCU (Nov. 25).
Husker Nuggets• Natalie Potts earned her third Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (Dec. 11) in five weeks. She won the first weekly honor (Nov. 13) before adding her second award (Nov. 27). Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.3 ppg) and rebounding (24th, 5.7 rpg).
• Alexis Markowski was named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll three of the first four weeks of the 2023-24 season. She also earned a spot on the St. Pete Showcase All-Tournament Team after averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds over two games in Florida.
• Markowski leads the Big Ten in rebounding (9.7 rpg) while ranking fifth in scoring (17.2 ppg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.530).
• Jaz Shelley earned a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (Dec. 11) after averaging 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists (Dec. 4-10). Nebraska put a player on the honor roll in four of the first five weeks this season.
• The Huskers had seven players produce double figures in points against UNCW, which is believed to be the first time that has been accomplished in school history. It is the second time this season the Huskers have had six players score in double figures in a game (Northwestern State, Nov. 6).
• The Huskers have hit at least one three in 475 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two threes in 354 consecutive games.
• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 33 times in the last 83 games, including six times in 2023-24. The Huskers hit a season-high 16 threes against UNCW (Dec. 5). NU hit 10 threes vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 6), Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29), Georgia Tech (Dec. 2) and Michigan State (Dec. 9), before knocking down 12 vs. Southern (Dec. 17).
• Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women’s basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (591 games).