As the Nebraska women's basketball team prepares for the second half of the Big 12 Conference season, Cornhuskers' coach Connie Yori likes where her team is positioned.
Despite playing five ranked teams and falling behind last Sunday on the road at Missouri, Nebraska (16-6, 5-3 Big 12) has managed a solid start in league play. The Huskers aim to continue their winning ways Wednesday night in a 9 p.m. (FSN Rocky Mountain) game at Colorado (13-8, 2-6).
"Everybody's tired, but we've been knock on wood staying somewhat healthy during the Big 12 season, and I think there are some other Big 12 programs that haven't," Yori said. "That factors in, so we feel good about that."
Another element in Nebraska's favor is the strong inside play from 6-foot-2 forwards Kelsey Griffin and Danielle Page. A junior, Griffin is averaging 13.3 points and seven rebounds per game and earned Big 12 player of the week honors for her performance last week.
Meanwhile, Page is having easily her best season at Nebraska. The senior from Monument, Colo., is averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
"I think we have an extremely underrated post game," Yori said of Griffin and Page. "I do think people are starting to hear about them a little bit more, but those are two very good athletes. They've got a lot of bounce and they can go get the ball, rebounding-wise."
Yori said Griffin and Page both possess an ability that makes them difficult to guard.
"They can both score on the block and they can score away from the basket," Yori said. "Offensively, that helps our spacing and we all know how important that is."
On the negative side of the ledger for Nebraska is inexperience. Yori quickly admits that her roster doesn't include many players who have gone through the rigors of an entire Big 12 season before.
"Kelsey and Danielle are the only players who have been through this," Yori said. "Our toughness is going to be challenged, as it is for everyone."
The Huskers met one of those challenges Sunday in a 73-67 come-from-behind win at Missouri, halting a two-game losing streak. The Tigers led by 14 points with 8:30 to play and by 10 with 5:30 left, but Nebraska hit 12 of its final 13 shots from the field and scored 39 points in the game's final 34 minutes.
"I thought that was a really good sign for a young team because we were down big and we came back," Yori said.
Nebraska is 2-2 in conference road games with the losses coming at No. 5-ranked Baylor and at No. 10 Oklahoma. The Huskers' road wins were at Iowa State and Missouri.
"We've been hit and miss on the road, but I think that is true with a young team," Yori said. "I think we'll find out a little bit more about ourselves (Wednesday) night."
Colorado, which started the season 11-2, has found rough going of late in the Big 12. The Buffaloes have lost six of their last seven games, including three straight.
"The biggest question is: 'What is the mindset of the team?,'" Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said after her team's home loss to Oklahoma State last Saturday. "It's difficult in a season that is constantly going uphill to feel successful especially when you play in a conference like the Big 12."
Game notes
Nebraska entered the week ranked No. 20 in the country, according to CollegeRPI.com. The Huskers lead the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (79.6) in conference games. NU entered league play ranked 11th in free-throw percentage (59.9). After losing 20 consecutive games at Colorado from 1986-2005, Nebraska has won the last two meetings at Boulder, Colo., and has won seven of the last eight games in the series, including five straight.
Starting Lineups
Nebraska (16-6, 5-3) Ht. Yr. Ppg. Rpg.
F Kelsey Griffin 6-2 Jr. 13.3 6.7
F Danielle Page 6-2 Sr. 12.5 6.8
G Yvonne Turner 5-8 So. 7.2 3.2
G Dominique Kelley 5-7 Fr. 6.6 3.1
G Tay Hester 5-10 Jr. 7.5 4.3
Colorado (13-8, 2-6) Ht. Yr. Ppg. Rpg.
F Brittany Spears 6-1 Fr. 13.3 7.0
F Aija Putnina 6-3 So. 8.4 7.5
F Jackie McFarland 6-3 Sr. 18.9 8.1
G Hannah Skildum 6-0 Jr. 3.6 1.8
G Susie Powers 5-10 Sr. 3.4 4.3
WHEN: Wednesday, 9 p.m.
WHERE: Coors Events Center Boulder, Colo.
TV: FSN Rocky Mountain
RADIO: KFGE (98.1 FM); KFAB (1110 AM)
WEB: Huskers.com
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