Prince, Potts, Huskers Pound Jayhawks, 105-73

Sioux Falls, S.D. - Britt Prince erupted for a career-high 35 points and Natalie Potts added 19, as No. 25 Nebraska handed previously unbeaten Kansas its worst loss in the longest series in Husker women's basketball history with a 105-73 pounding of the Jayhawks at the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday afternoon.

Prince, a Naismith Trophy and Nancy Lieberman Award candidate, was spectacular from start to finish, notching her third career 30-point performance by going 12-of-18 from the field and 9-for-9 at the free throw line. She and Potts powered Nebraska to its fourth straight win to open the season, while KU slipped to 3-1.

Prince, a 5-11 point guard from Omaha was at her best in the third quarter, when she scored 15 points in the first 6:30 of the second half to turn a 14-point halftime lead into a 73-45 rout.

Prince dominated her matchup with fellow Lieberman Award candidate and honorable-mention WBCA All-American S'Mya Nichols from Kansas. The KU senior guard finished with 12 points and six assists but neither her nor any of the other Jayhawks had an answer for Prince. 

Prince entered the fourth quarter with 28 points before scoring seven straight points in a one-minute span to reach her career-high 35 with seven minutes left in the game, extending Nebraska's lead to 90-57 before exiting the contest for the last time.

Nebraska's 105 points were the most ever scored by a team in the 87-game history of the series with Kansas. In fact, no other Husker team had ever scored as many as 90 points in the series.

Prince, who had 13 points in the first half to help Nebraska build a 54-40 halftime lead, was actually NU's second-leading scorer in the opening 20 minutes behind Potts.

Potts, a 6-2 senior forward from O'Fallon, Mo., led the Big Red with 14 points and four rebounds in the half, before finishing with 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Potts also helped draw three fouls on Kansas All-America Jaliya Davis in the opening 15 minutes. Davis finished the half with 15 points, including 13 in the opening quarter, but was held to just a pair of three-point plays in the second half. Davis did go 8-for-8 from the floor in the game but was held to just two rebounds.

Nichols faced a similar fate, managing just two fourth-quarter points after getting 10 for KU in the first half.

In a high-scoring first half, Nebraska used an 18-2 surge over the final three minutes of the first quarter and the first two minutes of the second quarter to race to a 38-20 lead.

Kansas calmed the Husker storm for the next four minutes before South Dakota native Ashlyn Koupal gave the Big Red its biggest lead of the half at 50-30 with 2:30 left, soon after Davis was whistled for her third foul. 

Davis, who led KU with 15 first-half points on 6-of-6 shooting, had 13 points in the opening quarter but the Jayhawks still trailed the Huskers 30-20 after the first 10 minutes.

Davis and Nichols combined for 23 straight points for Kansas after Regan Williams scored the game's opening bucket, but the Jayhawks trailed 42-25 with five minutes left in the half.

KU never got closer than 14 points the rest of the, as Prince scored the first six points in the first two minutes of the second half to immediately push Nebraska's lead back to 20.

Nebraska got significant contributions from all 12 players in uniform, including nine points on a trio of three-pointers from Logan Nissley in her second game back after missing the season's first two games with injury.

Kennadi Williams added eight points on a perfect 3-for-3 night from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, while adding three steals.

Koupal added six points and five assists while playing in front of hundreds of fans from her hometown of Wagner who made the 90-minute drive to Sioux Falls to watch her in action.

Fellow freshman Maddi Stewart added six points of her own on a pair of three-pointers, while Amiah Hargrove also pitched in six points despite being limited by upper body pain.

Allison Weidner and Edessa Noyan each contributed five points while Kansas City native Ava Miles added a strong showing with four points, as the Huskers scored the most points of any team in more than 30 years against the Jayhawks.

Emily Fisher rounded out the scoring with two points on her only shot of the game, while grabbing six big rebounds off the bench, but statistics tell almost no part of her impact on the game. Fisher, who added two assists and two steals, entered the game in the first half and immediately changed the tone inside defensively for the Big Red, frustrating Davis and anybody else who dared to enter the lane or grab a rebound.

Nebraska's 33-point win came despite the Huskers being outshot by the Jayhawks on the day. The Huskers finished a sizzling 54.2 percent (39-72) from the field, including 12-of-29 (.414) from three-point range. Nebraska also knocked down 15-of-17 free throws (.882).

However, Kansas answered with 57.4 percent (27-47) shooting, including 43.8 percent (7-16) from long range. The Jayhawks hit just 12-of-19 free throws (.632).

Nebraska dominated the possession game, outworking KU on the glass 32-22, while winning the turnover battle, 24-12, resulting in a total of 25 more field goal attempts for the Big Red.

The Huskers return home to play host to Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (CT) with tickets available now at Huskers.com. A live video stream will be available to subscribers of Huskers.com, and live audio will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.