SEASON REVIEW HAILIE SAMPLE 6-1 l Junior l Forward Flower Mound, Texas 104 | NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | 2013-14 Huskers Have Fun on Run to Second NCAA Sweet 16 Nebraska spent the 2012-13 season solidifying its spot among the top 20 women's college basketball programs in the nation. A young Husker team that featured just one senior starter and just two seniors overall on an 11-player roster, sprinted to its second NCAA Sweet 16 in the past four years. Despite playing the nation's No. 12 strength of schedule, the Huskers notched the second-most wins in school history with a 25-9 record. NU also finished second in the regular-season Big Ten standings with a 12-4 conference mark, the second-most league wins in school history. Nebraska's success translated into a No. 16 RPI in the final NCAA rankings and a No. 18 final national ranking in the USA Today Coaches Top 25. It was NU's third top-25 finish in the last four seasons. Nebraska's fan base also continued to grow in support of one of the nation's rising programs. The Huskers ranked 16th nationally in average home attendance with more than 5,200 fans per game watching Nebraska compete in its final season in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers averaged nearly 6,600 fans per Big Ten home contest. Throughout the season, senior Lindsey Moore and junior Jordan Hooper rewrote Nebraska history. The pair became the first Seniors Meghin Williams (#10) and Lindsey Moore (#00) led Nebraska to three NCAA Tournament Husker teammates to earn preseason mention appearances, including NU's first two NCAA Sweet 16 bids during their four years in Lincoln. on the Wade, Naismith and Wooden National Player-of-the-Year watch lists at the same time. For most of the summer, the only healthy 10 more points, four rebounds and two steals in At the end of the season, they became the first Huskers were Moore, sophomore guards Tear'a the Huskers' victory over Temple two days later. Husker teammates to earn All-America honors in Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery, sophomore forward Nebraska added a win over Northern Arizona the same year. Katie Simon and freshman guards Rachel Theriot, Nov. 16, which featured 15 consecutive points Moore continued to etch her name in Sadie Murren and Courtney Aitken. from Hooper to shoot NU to a 16-0 lead over the Nebraska lore after the team's season ended As summer turned to fall, health was still a Lumberjacks. She finished with 27 points and with a loss to No. 5 Duke in the Norfolk Regional major concern. Moore, Hooper and Cady were seven rebounds in just 24 minutes. semifinal at the Constant Convocation Center. near 100 percent, but Sample did not return to NU hit the road for the first time against South The 5-9 point guard from Covington, Wash., was the court until almost October. Just as Sample Dakota State. The defending Summit League selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft by returned, Theriot was knocked out for a month champions fought their way to a 60-55 win over the Minnesota Lynx. with a foot injury of her own. That injury slowed the Huskers. SDSU won 25 games and captured From start to finish, the Huskers produced a her down for her entire freshman season. another Summit League crown before advancing memorable ride through 2012-13, but like any During exhibition play, sophomore Rebecca to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. It was the first long journey, it wasn't always smooth. Woodberry left the team. By early December, of NU's 18 games against NCAA Tournament "Considering where we started, we came a Aitken was knocked out for the year with a leg teams and the first of 11 contests against 2013 long way. We had a lot of injuries in September, injury and Murren suffered a back injury of her conference champions for the Huskers. October and November," Nebraska Coach Connie own. Maurer, who battled back from her own Nebraska defeated 2013 Southland Conference Yori said. "We weren't very healthy. We didn't back injury to play in nine non-conference games, co-champion Sam Houston State, before a thrilling have a lot of good practice time because we experienced the return of significant pain and road win at USC moved NU to 5-1 on Nov. 23. were not healthy. We really came a long way. chose to end her playing career. Jeffery was also The wins over the Bearkats and the Trojans We started out 2-3 in the Big Ten. It would have affected by the death of her grandmother at the marked the emergence of Laudermill as a major been easy to start pointing fingers, but I thought end of November, before battling foot and knee player in the Huskers' 2012-13 fortunes. The 5-9 our kids did a really good job of pointing the injuries the rest of the season. sophomore from Riverside, Calif., scored seven thumb and saying, 'let's get better.' At that point, "Honestly, our preseason and early season points in the win over SHSU on Nov. 20. Then I thought we became a better practicing team practices were a joke," Yori said. "From day to against the Trojans, she buried a three-pointer and a better focused team and our players really day, we had no idea who was going to be on the from the right wing with one second left on the bought in to what we were trying to do." floor available for practice, and that continued shot clock and 1:49 on the game clock to give the Nebraska's road through 2012-13 actually until January. We just had no consistency." Huskers a 64-63 lead. began in the 2012 postseason. Following the Amazingly, Moore, Hooper, Cady and Sample Those games marked a stretch of nine straight Huskers' run to the Big Ten Tournament title game, started every game together for the second with five or more points for Laudermill. She Nebraska limped into the NCAA Tournament. straight year, and Theriot replaced Jeffery in finished with 23 such efforts on the year, averaging Hooper and starter Hailie Sample did not the starting lineup in Nebraska's seventh game 5.9 points and 1.6 rebounds. Laudermill's speed, practice in the two weeks leading up to NU's NCAA Theriot went on to make the final 28 starts of the consistency and defensive ability added an first-round loss because of foot injuries. Emily season. important element for NU. Cady battled a knee injury that required offseason Despite their early season limitations, the Moore also put her ability to close games on surgery. Meghin Williams was slowed by a foot Huskers opened with a 68-50 win over North display at USC. She scored 17 points in the final injury of her own. Center Adrianna Maurer was Carolina A&T at the Devaney Center Nov. 9. It was 6:06 to put the Trojans away. Moore finished with out after undergoing back surgery in January. NU's eighth straight season-opening victory and it 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists. During the offseason, Cady's surgery limited came against an A&T team that won 22 games - Nebraska returned home to face No. 11 her for six to eight weeks. Hooper and Sample the first of 18 games for NU against 20-win teams. Maryland. Theriot made her starting debut spent weeks on the sidelines. Hooper eventually Jeffery shined in the win over the Aggies. and made an instant impact with six points, six returned in early summer, but Sample missed the Making her first career start, she scored 10 rebounds and four assists. But Terp All-American entire offseason with a back injury. points and grabbed three rebounds. She added Alyssa Thomas was too much for NU. The 6-2 REVIEW | MOORE, HOOPER CAPTURE ALL-AMERICA AWARDS IN 2013 HUSKERS.COM | 105 WNBA First-Rounder Moore Sets Career Standards forward finished with 25 points, five rebounds, A showdown at No. 8 Penn State followed, stretch NU's winning streak to six games. eight assists and six steals. but the Huskers struggled in an 80-58 loss. NU Nebraska then took its defense to another Nebraska rebounded with a 60-51 win over returned home and was handed its only back-to- level. In a 58-39 win over Ohio State in Lincoln Feb. 2012 Big Sky champ Idaho State on Dec. 1, before back losses of the season in a 62-52 setback to 14, the Huskers held the Buckeyes to their lowest suffering a 66-57 defeat at Creighton on Dec. 5. an improved Illinois squad on Jan. 17. point total of the Jim Foster coaching era at OSU. The Bluejays went on to share the Missouri Valley Those two losses put the Huskers at 12-5 A week later, No. 24 Nebraska overcame a 22-18 regular-season title and advance to the second overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. It also put NU's halftime deficit to rout Michigan 58-39 in Ann round of the NCAA Tournament. season at a crossroads heading into a road game Arbor, outscoring an NCAA second-round team The loss to the Jays did include a career-high at Minnesota - a place the Huskers had never by 22 in the second half. The 39 points allowed 20 points for Sample, but Hooper suffered through beaten the Golden Gophers.