Huskers Roll Past Tigers

Homegrown Huskers Alexis Markowski and Britt Prince shined as the No. 23 Nebraska women’s basketball team defeated Doane 89-52 in exhibition action at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday.

Markowski led the Big Red with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while adding three assists and three blocked shots, while Prince pitched in double figures with 12 points, two assists and three steals in her Husker debut in front of 4,772 fans at PBA.

The game also marked the return of Allison Weidner to the court at PBA after a 55-game absence after suffering a pair of leg injuries. Weidner earned the start against the tickers and produced seven points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals in 19 minutes of action.

Newcomer Alberte Rimdal, a senior transfer from Koge, Denmark by way of Florida, put three Huskers in double figures with 10 points.

Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts contributed nine points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals while wreaking havoc on the defensive end for the Huskers, who finished the game with 21 steals.

Fellow sophomore forward Jessica Petrie also pitched in nine points to go along with eight rebounds, a block and two steals.

All 12 Huskers found the scoring column on the night against a Tiger team that returns its top seven players from a year ago, including NAIA All-American Make Hatcliff, who finished with 15 points. Kaylee Klover, whose brother Braden was a member of the Nebraska football program, added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds for Doane. Rylie Rice managed eight points, while former Husker track and field and cross country athlete Maddie Portwine contributed five points for the Tigers. 

Nebraska led 20-15 after one quarter then pushed the lead to 40-26 at the half. The Huskers set the tone early with pressure defense in the halfcourt in the third, extending the margin to 68-44. Nebraska closed out the victory by outscoring the Tigers, 21-8 in the fourth.

For the game, Nebraska hit 43.8 percent of its shots, including 8-of-27 three-pointers (.296). Nebraska went 5-for-10 from long range in the second half after going just 3-for-17 in the first 20 minutes.

The Big Red scored 38 points off Doane turnovers and outscored the Tigers, 40-16 in the paint. Nebraska outrebounded the Tigers, 39-30, including a plus-eight margin in the second half.

The Huskers open the regular season on Monday, Nov. 4 at noon when they play host to Omaha. The day begins with the annual Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally at 9:30 a.m., which will include inspirational messages from Husker student-athletes and coaches to more than 3,700 middle grades students from more than 70 school districts across Nebraska.

Tickets for the game are available at Huskers.com. Live video will be streamed for subscribers of B1G+, while live radio coverage will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network.