Lincoln – Jaz Shelley had 16 points and seven assists while Alexis Markowski notched her 17th double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds, as Nebraska built a 29-point fourth-quarter lead on its way to a 70-51 women’s basketball win over Minnesota on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Markowski had seven points and 10 rebounds in the first half to help Nebraska build a 34-21 halftime lead. The lead grew to 18 points at the end of three quarters, before Shelley put up eight quick points in the fourth quarter to help the Huskers take their biggest lead.
Markowski’s 12 rebounds put her at 302 for the season for her second straight 300-rebound campaign, while Shelley crossed the 600-assist total for her college career.
Nebraska improved to 19-9 overall and 11-6 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota slipped to 15-12 and 5-11 in the conference.
Natalie Potts put three Huskers in double figures with 12 points and seven rebounds to go along with an assist, a steal and a block.
The Huskers also got contributions across the board with Annika Stewart and Maddie Krull each hitting a pair of threes to finish with six points. Kendall Moriarty, Callin Hake and Jessica Petrie also contributed six points apiece, while Logan Nissley managed two points and four assists.
Nebraska controlled the game from start to finish, hitting 43.1 percent (25-58) of its shots, including 11-of-27 threes (.407), while connecting on 9-of-10 free throws. The Huskers won the battle of the boards, 38-30, and took the turnover fight, 15-13.
The Husker defense was suffocating for 37 minutes, holding the Gophers to 41 points before Minnesota got 10 straight points in the final three minutes to end the game after Nebraska subbed out its four seniors on Senior Day.
The Huskers honored Shelley, Krull, Stewart and Darian White during a Senior Day ceremony following the game, as they played their final home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Minnesota hit 40.4 percent (23-57) of its shots, but just 3-of-17 threes (.176), including an 0-for-14 start from beyond the arc. The Gophers went just 2-for-3 at the free throw line.
Mallory Heyer led Minnesota with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Amaya Battle added 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Grace Grocholski put three Gophers in double figures with 10 points.
Nebraska jumped out to 20-8 lead at the end of one quarter, then pushed the margin to 16 on Markowski’s shot with 8:30 left in the second quarter. The Huskers closed the half with a 34-21 lead, thanks to seven points and 10 first-half rebounds from Markowski, who also hit one of Nebraska’s six first-half three-pointers.
Shelley and Maddie Krull each added a pair of first-half threes to close the opening 20 minutes with six points apiece. Potts added six points of her own to go with three rebounds.
The Huskers carried a 13-point lead to the second half despite hitting just 38.7 percent (12-31) of its shots, including 37.5 percent (6-16) threes. NU was also 4-for-4 at the free throw line. The Big Red outscored Minnesota 12-0 in points off turnovers and 12-5 in second-chance points.
Nebraska held Minnesota to just 37 percent (10-27) shooting, including 0-for-8 from long range. The Gophers hit their only free throw, but got out-rebounded 21-15 and lost the turnover battle 9-8 in the first half.
The Huskers will enjoy a midweek bye, before closing the Big Ten regular season at Illinois on Sunday, March 3. Tip-off with the Fighting Illini is set for 3 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage by BTN. The game can also be heard across the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.\
