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Nebraska Women's Basketball Rolls Past Illinois

The Huskers snap a three-game losing streak with the victory.
Trevor Tarr|
Britt Prince scored 20 points to help Nebraska snap a three-game losing streak.
Britt Prince scored 20 points to help Nebraska snap a three-game losing streak. | Nebraska Athletics

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Nebraska CornhuskersIllinois Fighting Illini

The Huskers brought the heat, despite a cold day in Lincoln, during their 81-75 Big Red Beach Party win over the Illinois Fighting Illini.

No. 24 Nebraska women's basketball came out of the gates with its foot on the gas in its first of two straight home games and was able to hold onto the momentum they gathered early on to reel in a victory. Moving Amy Williams' squad to 15-5 through two-thirds of the regular season, a reeling team was able to respond in a very big way on Saturday afternoon.

The win moves the Huskers to 4-5 in conference play, while the Fighting Illini fall to 5-4. Both teams now share the same overall record, despite Illinois falling out of the Associated Press top 25 that was released on Monday.

Through the first 10 minutes of play, Nebraska has jumped out to an eight-point lead, largely backed by being able to capitalize on the Fighting Illini's seven turnovers during the period. The Huskers also held the rebounding advantage, 9-7, which allowed them several second-chance opportunities on the offensive end.

To their credit, Williams' squad continued to do what had gotten them the lead in the first quarter after the break. Defensive pressure continued to bother the Fighting Illini on the offensive end, as they committed four turnovers in the second quarter, bringing their total to 11 in the first half.

By the time the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the half, Nebraska walked into the locker room with a 41-23 advantage. With clear momentum in their favor, all that was needed was to hang on to the lead they'd built. However, it would prove more difficult than imagined out of the break.

Though they came out of the half up an impressive 18 points, Nebraska would see that whittled down to a dozen heading into the fourth. Illinois shot 9-for-16 as a team for the quarter and managed to outscore, outrebound, and outhustle the Huskers. However, Nebraska had provided itself with a large margin for error, and like it or not, they would end up using most of it in the final ten minutes of play.

Still managing a double-digit lead, the Huskers didn't need to panic just yet. Although another offensive master class from the Fighting Illini occurred, including an 11-3 rebounding advantage over the Big Red, the lead crept down to just six points with roughly two minutes to go, before ultimately staying that way by the time the final buzzer sounded.

On the day, Nebraska saw four different players reach double-figures, including Britt Prince (20), Logan Nissley (15), Jessica Petrie (15), and Petra Bozan (11).

For now, they'll take a well-earned four-day break before welcoming the Northwestern Wildcats to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday night. Currently at 8-11, the Wildcats will enter the matchup as heavy underdogs, but after the Big Red suffered three consecutive conference losses, Nebraska can no longer afford to enter games without urgency.

Nebraska Women's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

  • Oct. 24 Nebraska 104, Mount Marty 40 (Exhibition)
  • Nov. 3 Nebraska 103, Northwestern State 46
  • Nov. 8 Nebraska 80, Samford 46
  • Nov. 12 Nebraska 84, Creighton 50
  • Nov. 16 Nebraska 82, North Dakota State 70 (Sanford Pentagon)
  • Nov. 19 Nebraska 103, Oral Roberts 58
  • Nov. 24 Nebraska 80, Purdue Fort Wayne 57 (Emerald Coast Classic)
  • Nov. 25 Nebraska 91, Virginia 82 (Emerald Coast Classic)
  • Dec. 3 Nebraska 92, Bradley 53
  • Dec. 6 Nebraska 101, Penn State 83
  • Dec. 9 Nebraska 87 vs. Omaha 35
  • Dec. 14 Nebraska 85, Illinois State 44
  • Dec. 21 Nebraska 87, Cal Baptist 56
  • Dec. 29 74 USC, Nebraska 66
  • Jan. 1 Iowa 86, Nebraska 76
  • Jan. 4 Nebraska 78, Purdue 62
  • Jan. 8 Nebraska 78, Indiana 73
  • Jan. 11 UCLA 83, Nebraska 61
  • Jan. 15 Michigan State 73, Nebraska 71
  • Jan. 21 Wisconsin 63, Nebraska 60
  • Jan. 24 Nebraska 81, Illinois 75
  • Jan. 28 vs. Northwestern 7 p.m. NPM/B1G+
  • Feb. 1 at Ohio State 5 p.m. BTN
  • Feb. 4 at Michigan 6 p.m. B1G+
  • Feb. 7 vs. Maryland 1 p.m. BTN
  • Feb. 12 at Minnesota 7 p.m. BTN
  • Feb. 16 vs. Iowa 11 a.m. FOX
  • Feb. 19 at Oregon 8 p.m. B1G+
  • Feb. 22 at Washington 2 p.m. BTN
  • Feb. 28 vs. Rutgers B1G+
  • March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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