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Nebraska Women's Basketball Flies High Against Owls
The name of the game for the Huskers Wednesday night was defense. Nebraska women's basketball played with contagious energy and discipline on their defensive end from bell to bell, propelling them to a double-digit victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls.
It was a rough first quarter offensively for the Big Red, going 7-23 from the field and 1-7 from three. But where they lacked offensively, they made up for on the other end.
The Huskers held FAU to 10 points in the quarter on 3-11 shooting and forced five turnovers. They lead 19-10 heading into the second.
The first half of the second quarter was reminiscent of the first. Nebraska could not catch fire offensively but consistently shut the Owls down on their defensive end.
With 4:25 left in the quarter, NU led by 14, but FAU did not go away quietly. The Owls put together an impressive 12-6 run, hitting five of their last six shots of the quarter.
Despite the fiery shooting from FAU, the Huskers weathered the storm and went into the locker room up 38-29.
After one half, NU had four players, Alexis Markowski, Callin Hake, Jaz Shelley, and Natalie Potts, with 6 points.
Nebraska came out of the intermission firing on all cylinders. The Big Red put together a 12-4 run, extending their lead to 16 with five minutes remaining in the third.
From then on, both offenses stalled the rest of the quarter, shooting a combined 5-16 from the field.
Turnovers and offensive rebounding were the most significant difference in the contest through three quarters. Nebraska totaled nine more offensive rebounds and committed eight fewer turnovers. These factors allowed the Huskers to take 19 more shots than the Owls.
Heading into the fourth, Nebraska led 55-39. Nebraska’s defense kicked into overdrive in the fourth quarter, not allowing an FAU field goal for over seven minutes. FAU also could not stop Markowski in the final frame of the game. The junior forward had nine points in the fourth quarter on perfect shooting.
Markowski ended the game with 18 points, leading NU to a 77-53 victory. Other contributors were Shelley, with nine points and three steals, and Natalie Potts, recording her first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Huskers' next game is Saturday, Dec. 2, against Georgia Tech.
