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No. 17 USC Hands No. 20 Nebraska Women's Basketball First Loss of the Season

Despite a push in the fourth quarter, the Huskers see their 12-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of a conference foe.
Kaleb Henry|
Callin Hake scored eight points in Nebarska's loss to USC.
Callin Hake scored eight points in Nebarska's loss to USC. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

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Nebraska CornhuskersUSC Trojans

The winning streak is over for Nebraska women's basketball.

After opening the season 12-0 for just the third time in program history, the No. 20 Huskers ran into trouble with the No. 17 USC Trojans Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The visitors emerged victorious, 74-66.

The Huskers fell to 12-1 on the year while the Trojans improved to 10-3. Both teams are 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play.

Besides taking the loss, Nebraska's school record for consecutive games with at least 80 points also came to a close on Monday. The next-best run was eight consecutive games from the 1987-88 Big Eight Champion Huskers.

Nebraska struggled to make shots early on, not notching a field goal until the 6:25 mark of the first quarter. Still, a 9-0 run helped the Big Red hold a 20-12 lead after one frame.

USC quickly erased that deficit, opening the second quarter on a 10-2 run. Neither team led by more than four points en route to the 38-36 halftime score, with Nebraska out in front.

Then the Trojans took control.

USC used a trio of three-pointers and an 11-0 run in the first two minutes of the third quarter to build a lead of nine points. That would stretch to as many as 16 points before three Husker free throws helped the cause in the final minute.

But Nebraska wasn't out of the game. USC made just three shots in the fourth quarter as Nebraska got makes from Jessica Petrie, Logan Nissley, Callin Hake, Eliza Maupin, and Britt Prince to cut the difference to four points with 2:42 to play.

USC answered with its final made shot on the next possession and got enough free throws to go down to hold off Nebraska's late charge. The Huskers missed all three of their shots in the final two minutes.

Nebraska shot 40.4% for the game, including 5-of-17 on three-pointers. USC made 50.% of its shots, tallying a 6-of-20 effort from deep.

The Huskers were able to stay in the game due to an advantage on free throws. Nebraska went 19-of-21 to USC's 10-of-17.

But neither team took care of the ball at the level they expected. USC committed 19 turnovers while Nebraska had 16.

Nebraska coach Amy Williams issues orders against Illinois State.
Nebraska coach Amy Williams has led the Huskers to 12-0 starts twice during her time in Lincoln. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

USC also had an advantage on the glass. The Trojans grabbed 38 total rebounds, including 16 on the offensive end. The Huskers had 25 total and 10 offensive boards.

Add the points off turnovers with second chance points and USC outpaced Nebraska 46-31.

Prince led all scorers with 18 points, adding seven assists and four rebounds. Nissley and Maupin were the only other Huskers to reach double-figures, finishing with 10 points each.

Nebraska continues Big Ten play with a rivalry road trip on New Year's Day. The Huskers take on the No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Box score

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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 at Iowa 1 p.m. BTN
  • Jan. 4 vs. Purdue 2 p.m. NPM/B1G+
  • Jan. 8 vs. Indiana 7 p.m. B1G+
  • Jan. 11 vs. UCLA 6 p.m. BTN
  • Jan. 15 at Michigan State 6 p.m. BTN
  • Jan. 21 at Wisconsin 6:30 p.m. B1G+
  • Jan. 24 vs. Illinois 1 p.m. BTN
  • 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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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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