Huskers Battle Illini in Big Ten Second Round

Nebraska continues play in the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament by taking on Illinois in Thursday's second round in Indianapolis.

Tip-off between the No. 10 seed Huskers (20-10, 10-8 Big Ten) and the No. 7 seed Fighting Illini (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is set for 5:30 p.m. (CT).

Live television coverage will be provided by the Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin, Christy Winters Scott and Elise Woodward on the call.

Nebraska fans can listen across the Huskers Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln, 590 AM in Omaha, Huskers.com and the Huskers App. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will be on the radio call with pregame beginning at 5 p.m. (CT).

The Huskers, who have won three of their last four games, advanced to Thursday's second round with an impressive 84-60 win over Rutgers on Wednesday evening. Alexis Markowski led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points and 10 rebounds for her 52nd career double-double and 12th of the season. Amiah Hargrove tied a career high with 13 points, while Alberte Rimdal contributed 12 points and a career-high-tying eight assists. Britt Prince rounded out the quartet in double digits with 10 points and five assists.

Nebraska buried 13-of-31 threes against the Scarlet Knights - NU's third consecutive Big Ten Tournament game with double-digit threes. The Huskers own four of the top seven three-point performances in Big Ten Tournament history (13 or more made threes), including a tournament-record-tying 15 against Illinois (March 3, 2022), 14 against Iowa in last year's Big Ten Championship Game and 13 against Illinois (March 1, 2017).

The Huskers are led by four-time All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski, who is surging down the stretch for the Big Red. The Lisa Leslie Award midseason finalist has averaged 23.8 points and 9.9 rebounds over the last eight games to increase her team-leading averages to 16.9 points and 8.2 boards. She owns five double-doubles in the last eight games.

Big Ten All-Freshman Britt Prince has averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 assists the past two games after missing two games (Oregon, Washington) with a lower leg injury suffered in the closing minutes of a 77-68 loss at Illinois (Feb. 16). The 5-11 point guard ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (12.9 ppg), while leading the Big Red in assists (3.6 apg) and steals (1.9 spg).

Nebraska Cornhuskers 
vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
2025 TIAA Big Ten Tournament
Thursday, March 6, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, Indiana
Live Television: BTN 
(Sloane Martin, Christy Winters Scott, Elise Woodward)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (5 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Live Stats: Huskers.com (statbroadcast - public)

Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-10, 10-8 Big Ten)
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - So. - F - 6.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Sr. - C/F - 16.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - So. - G - 6.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 6.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 12.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - Alberte Rimdal - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 8.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
44 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - Fr. - F/C - 5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 4.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 3.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Gr. - F/G - 2.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts [Out] - 6-2 - So. - F - 14.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner [Out] - 5-10 - RJr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
4 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - Fr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Ninth Season at Nebraska (157-121); 18th Season Overall (350-230)

Illinois Fighting Illini (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten)
23 - Brynn Shoup-Hill - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 5.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg
44 - Kendall Bostic - 6-2 - 5th - F - 15.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg
1 - Genesis Bryant - 5-6 - 5th - G - 14.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg
20 - Berry Wallace - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 9.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg
24 - Adalia McKenzie - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 13.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Off the Bench
8 - Jasmine Brown-Hagger - 5-9  - So. - G - 8.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg
2 - Cori Allen - 5-10 - So. - G - 1.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg
25 - Hayven Smith - 6-6 - Fr. - C - 0.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg
3 - Makira Cook [Out] - 5-6 - 5th - G - 11.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg
4 - Gretchen Dolan [Out] - 5-11 - So. - G - 10.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Head Coach: Shauna Green (Canisius, 2002)
Third Season at Illinois (62-33); 11th Season Overall (218-108)

 

Nebraska’s 20-Win Seasons
• Nebraska produced its third 20-win season in the last four years by improving to 20-10 with Wednesday's win over Rutgers.

• The 2024-25 season marks Nebraska's 20th 20-win season in history, including a top victory total of 32 in 2009-10. Nebraska owns nine 20-win campaigns from 2009-10 to 2024-25.

• Nebraka owns four 20-win seasons under Coach Amy Williams, including a 23-12 record in 2023-24.

• The Nebraska men’s basketball team (23-11) also notched a 20-win sesaon in 2023-24, giving the two teams 20-win seasons in the same year for the first time since 2017-18, when the men finished 22-11, and the women went 21-11.

• The Husker men’s and women’s teams had never achieved 22 wins in the same season before 2023-24. Both teams recorded 23 victories a year ago.

Husker Hot Takes
• The Huskers will be looking to advance to a third game at the Big Ten Tournament for the third time in four years, including three wins a year ago to advance to the Big Ten Championship Game at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

• Nebraska owns five NET Top 50 wins over No. 21 Michigan State, at No. 25 Maryland, at No. 28 Iowa, over No. 36 Minnesota and over No. 40 Oregon along with top-100 wins over No. 92 Penn State and No. 94 Southeastern Louisiana.

• All 10 of NU's losses have come to NET Top 50 teams, including five true road games - at No. 5 UCLA, at No. 6 USC, at No. 29 Georgia Tech, at No. 30 Creighton, at No. 31 Illinois and at No. 39 Indiana - along with home losses to No. 18 Ohio State, No. 27 Iowa, No. 28 Michigan and No. 43 Washington.

• Alexis Markowski continues her solid play with team bests of 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The four-time All-Big Ten center ranks second in career points (1,870), rebounds (1,202) and double-doubles (52) among the national center-of-the-year finalists, trailing only Kansas State's seventh-year center Ayoka Lee.

• Lisa Leslie Award finalist Alexis Markowski has averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds over the last eight games while hitting 14-of-28 three-pointers (.500). Markowski has produced double digits in 15 of the last 16 games, including a career-high 35 points and a season-15 rebounds in a win over Oregon (Feb. 19). She added 30 points at Northwestern (March 2), after going for then-career highs of 28 points in NU's 85-80 win over No. 20 Michigan State (Jan. 8) and at Illinois (Feb. 16). Markowski owns a school-record 52 double-doubles, which ranks fourth among active NCAA Division I players. Her most recent double-double came with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament first round (March 5).

• Britt Prince claimed a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media when awards were announced by the conference on Tuesday, March 4. Prince ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (12.9 ppg), while leading the Big Red in assists (3.6 apg) and steals (1.9 spg), which ranks 10th in the Big Ten.

• Prince, who was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21), is the most recent of four 2024-25 Huskers to earn Big Ten All-Freshman honors, including Alexis Markowski (2022 Freshman of the Year), Natalie Potts (2024 Freshman of the Year) and Logan Nissley (2024).

• In 13 games away from Pinnacle Bank Arena this season, Husker freshman Britt Prince has averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals. All five of her 20-point performances have come on the road, while two of her three career-high eight-rebound efforts and both of her career-best eight-assist performances have been away from PBA.

• Nebraska is in position to earn its third NCAA Tournament bid in the last four years despite playing the past 25 games without 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against North Alabama (Nov. 19). Potts was averaging team bests of 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first four games prior to her injury.

Huskers Dedicate Season to Injured Teammates
• The Huskers have dedicated their performances the rest of this season to injured teammates Allison Weidner and Natalie Potts, who suffered season-ending knee injuries.

• Nebraska's five-game winning streak (Jan. 5-20) was made more significant after fourth-year guard Allison Weidner suffered a season-ending right leg injury in practice on Jan. 11. It was her third season-ending injury. Weidner, a 5-10 guard from Humphrey, Neb., was coming off her best game of the year with 11 points and six assists in NU's 85-80 win over No. 20 Michigan State (Jan. 8). Despite the injury occurring just hours before the Huskers traveled to Rutgers, the Big Red responded with its first win in Piscataway since 2018. The Huskers added their first win in Iowa City since 2018 and a 31-point home win over Wisconsin (Jan. 20).

• Sophomore Jessica Petrie has provided the most production in place of Natalie Potts, starting 19 games since the injury to the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, which occurred in the second quarter against North Alabama (Nov. 19). Petrie ranked second on the team in Big Ten rebounding (5.4 rpg) and fourth in scoring (7.4 ppg). Petrie produced her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Washington (Feb. 23), before going for 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high seven assists in a win at Northwestern (March 2).

• Freshmen Amiah Hargrove and Petra Bozan also have stepped up to honor Potts. Hargrove has scored in double figures seven times since the injury to Potts, including her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the win at Iowa, and 11 points at Indiana (Feb. 2). She also tied her career high with 13 points in Wednesday's Big Ten Tournament win over Rutgers.

• Bozan, a 6-5 center, averaging 5.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in conference play, including Big Ten double-figure scoring efforts at Indiana (12) and in a win over Wisconsin (10). She also provided significant contributions in Big Ten wins over Northwestern (9 points, 6 rebounds), Minnesota (9 points, 5 rebounds), Rutgers (9 points, 3 rebounds/8 points, 4 rebounds) and Penn State (8 points, 6 rebounds).

Husker Numbers to Watch
• Alexis Markowski (1,870) moved to No. 7 on Nebraska's career scoring list in the win over Rutgers. She needs 30 points to reach 1,900 in her career.

• Markowski (1,202) became just the second Husker in history to achieve 1,200 career rebounds with 10 boards in Wednesday's win over Rutgers. Janet Smith (1,280, 1979-82) owns the top spot on NU’s career rebound chart.

• Markowski (131) will move into a tie for fifth on Nebraska's career games played list with 132 on Thursday against Illinois.

• Markowski (130) needs eight points to catch Husker legend Maurtice Ivy at No. 3 (138 points) on Nebraska's career conference tournament scoring list.

• Markowski (102) produced her 102nd game scoring in double figures with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a Big Ten Tournament-opening win over Rutgers (March 5). She has scored double digits in 26 of 30 games for the Huskers this season, after getting double figures in 32 of 35 games a year ago. She scored 10 or more points 21 times as a freshman and 23 times as a sophomore.

• Markowski (95) set Nebraska's career conference tournament rebound record in the win over Rutgers, surpassing NU's previous career best of 92 by Emily Cady (2012-15).

• Markowski (52) owns the top spot on Nebraska’s career double-doubles list, 12 more than first-team All-Americans Kelsey Griffin (40, 2006-10) and Jordan Hooper (40, 2011-14).

• Kendall Coley (135) is third on the NU all-time list in games played. She is expected to tie Janet Smith for No. 2 on the list (136 games) against Illinois. Sam Haiby owns the school record with 139.

• Kendall Moriarty (106) played her 106th consecutive game Wednesday against Rutgers.

• Britt Prince (348/116) owns 348 points and 116 rebounds as a true freshman point guard for the Huskers. Nebraska's WNBA first-round draft picks Lindsey Moore and Nicole Kubik did not achieve either 300 points or 100 rebounds as true freshmen starting point guards at Nebraska.

• Prince (96) needs four assists to reach 100 on the season.

• Prince (50) recorded her 50th steal of the season with two steals in the win over Rutgers. She became the first Husker freshman since Nicole Kubik (1996-97) to record 50 steals. Prince needs eight steals to match Amy Stephens (58) for the fifth-best steals total by a freshman in NU history.

• Callin Hake (95) needs five assists to reach 100 on the season.

• Alberte Rimdal (890) needs 10 points to reach 900 in her college career.

Scouting the Illinois Fighting Illini
• Shauna Green has secured a pair of 20-win seasons in her first three years as head coach at Illinois, including a 21-8 mark with an 11-7 Big Ten record this season. Prior to Green taking over at Illinois, the Illini had not posted a 20-win campaign since 2007-08 (20-15).

• Illinois capped an eight-game Big Ten winning streak with a 77-68 win over Nebraska in Champaign (Feb. 16), but closed the regular season with three consecutive losses at UCLA (70-55), USC (76-66) and at home to Michigan (78-69) on Sunday.

• The Fighting Illini earned the No. 7 seed at the Big Ten Tournament behind an experienced lineup that includes first-team All-Big Ten forward Kendall Bostic (15.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg) and fellow fifth-year senior Genesis Bryant (14.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg).

• Bostic, who is the Big Ten's active leader with 53 career double-doubles, including a Big Ten-best 19 this season, ranks second among active players nationally with 1,385 career rebounds. She notched a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in last month's win over Nebraska.

• While Bostic leads the Illini inside, Bryant has carried Illinois from long range with 62 three-pointers, while shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. The 5-6 guard also leads the Illini with 3.9 assists. She finished with 12 points and four assists in the full 40 minutes in this season's win over the Huskers.

• Bostic and Bryant have been joined by seniors Adalia McKenzie (13.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Brynn Shoup-Hill (5.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) for all 29 games in the Illinois starting lineup. McKenzie carried Illinois with 17 second-half points on her way to 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the win over Nebraska. Shoup-Hill added eight points and six boards.

• Sophomore Jasmine Brown-Hagger (8.6 ppg) was a starter after the season-ending injury to fifth-year senior Makira Cook (11.9 ppg) and the loss of top reserve Gretchen Dolan after the first eight games, which has limited the Illini to a seven-player rotation. However, Brown-Hagger left the win over Nebraska early in the first half with a leg injury and has not returned to the starting lineup.

• Freshman Berry Wallace has stepped up in a big way by averaging 9.0 points and 3.1 rebounds while hitting 41 percent (32-78) of her threes. Wallace erupted for 15 points off the bench, including a trio of threes, in the win over Nebraska. She moved into the starting five the last three games.

• Sophomore Cori Allen has contributed 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds while playing in all 29 contests.

• As a team, Illinois is averaging 71.2 points while holding the opposition to just 61.3 points on 40 percent shooting on the season, including just 27.7 percent from three-point range. The Illini also own a plus-4.3 rebound margin and a plus-1.1 turnover margin on the season.

• In conference play, Illinois out-shot its opponents overall (.426-.412), from three-point range (.389-.300) and the free throw line (.800-.716), while maintaining a plus-1.7 rebound margin.

Nebraska vs. Illinois Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 20-8, but the Illini won the last two meetings in Champaign, including a 77-68 victory over the Huskers (Feb. 16). Illinois also defeated Nebraska, 74-73 (March 3, 2024).

• Alexis Markowski tied her then-career high with 28 points, including 17 in the second half against the Illini, while adding eight rebounds. Adalia McKenzie answered with 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a strong all-around effort that included 17 second-half points. Kendall Bostic contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Berry Wallace came off the bench with 15 points, including a trio of three-pointers.

• The Huskers lead the all-time series in Lincoln, 9-2, including a 56-48 win over the Illini last season (Jan. 11, 2024). Nebraska leads the all-time series in Champaign, 9-4.

• Nebraska is 17-6 against Illinois as Big Ten Conference foes, including 15-5 in Big Ten regular-season conference games. The series is tied 2-2 on neutral courts, including Nebraska's 92-74 Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois in Indianapolis (March 3, 2022).

• The series dates back to an 89-86 Nebraska win over the Illini on March 3, 1982 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Markowski Makes History at Conference Level
• Nebraska All-America candidate Alexis Markowski became the first women's basketball player in Husker history to earn four first- or second-team all-conference honors in school history when the Big Ten announced its annual awards on Tuesday, March 4.

• The 6-3 center from Lincoln claimed first-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference media for the second straight year, while adding second-team accolades from the coaches for the third time. She was a second-team All-Big Ten pick by the media as a freshman (2022) and a sophomore (2023).

• The only other Huskers in history to earn four all-conference awards are Emily Cady (Big Ten HM, 2011-12; HM, 2012-13; 2nd, 2013-14; 2nd, 2014-15) and Meggan Yedsena (Big Eight HM, 1990-91; 2nd, 1991-92; 2nd, 1992-93; 2nd, 1993-94).

• Markowski also earned a spot on the 2024 Big Ten All-Tournament Team by averaging 16.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists over four games, including 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the Big Ten Champinship Game.

Markowski In NU's 1,800-Point/1,200-Rebound Club
• Alexis Markowski has increased her career totals to 1,870 points and 1,202 rebounds to become the first Husker in history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,800 points and 1,200 rebounds.

• Jordan Hooper (2,357 points/1,110 rebounds, 2011-14) was a first-team All-American, the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year and the first pick of the second round in the 2014 WNBA Draft.

• The only other players in Husker history with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds are Karen Jennings (2,405 points/1,000 rebounds, 1990-93) and Kelsey Griffin (2,033 points/1,019 rebounds, 2006-10).

• Jennings won the 1993 Wade Trophy, was a first-team All-American and the 1993 Big Eight Player of the Year. Griffin won the 2010 Senior CLASS Award, was a first-round WNBA Draft pick, a first-team All-American and the 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Prince Claims Big Ten All-Freshman Honors
• Britt Prince is in the midst of one of the best freshman seasons in history by a Husker in 2024-25. The 5-11 point guard from Omaha ranks second among the Huskers with 12.9 points, while adding 4.3 rebounds and team bests with 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals.

• Prince became the fourth Husker in the last four years to earn a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team when she was selected by both the coaches and the media to the five-player team on March 4. Prince also captured honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades.

• She opened the Big Ten Tournament with 10 points, five assists and two steals in a win over Rutgers (March 5). Prince became the first Husker freshman since Nicole Kubik (1996-97) to record 50 steals in a season. She needs five assists to reach 100 on the season.

• Prince was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21) after going for 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals at Iowa (Jan. 16). She also hit a career-high five three-pointers while playing a career-high 41 minutes against the Hawkeyes.

• The national award followed her first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honor (Jan. 20), which she shared with Ohio State freshman Jaloni Cambridge.

• Prince ranks fifth among Big Ten freshmen in scoring (12.9 ppg).

• Prince, a two-time Gatorade and MaxPreps Player of the Year has scored in double figures 20 times, including a career-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting in a Big Ten road win at Rutgers (Jan. 12). She added six rebounds and three assists against the Scarlet Knights. Prince scored 10 points in the decisive fourth quarter.

• Her performance at Rutgers surpassed her previous career-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in Nebraska’s record-setting 113-70 win over South Dakota (Nov. 16). She added four assists and two steals in front of a sellout crowd at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

• She also pumped in a game-high 23 points in an important Husker road win at Purdue (Jan. 30).

• She added 20 points and six rebounds at Creighton (Nov. 22).

• Prince produced a 13-point effort in an upset of No. 17 Maryland in College Park (Feb. 13) that included a career-high eight assists.

• She matched her career best with eight assists while scoring nine points at Illinois (Feb. 16). Prince suffered a right lower leg injury in the closing minutes against the Illini when she was fouled on a three-point attempt in the corner. She earned three free throws but was unable to continue and Kendall Coley converted 2-of-3 in her place.

• Prince missed the next two games (Oregon, Washington, Feb. 19-23) before returning with 15 points and six assists in a road win at Northwestern (March 2).

• Prince had a game-high 19 points to go with five rebounds in a low-scoring win over Tarleton State (Dec. 11). She hit three threes against the Texans and went 6-for-6 at the line.

• Prince contributed 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a win over Kansas City (Nov. 26), before notching her fifth straight double-digit performance with a game-high 14 points in a win over Lindenwood (Dec. 3). She also had 13 points and a six assists against North Alabama (Nov. 19) during the five-game stretch. Prince added a career-high two blocks against the Lions.

• Prince had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in NU's win over No. 20 Michigan State (Jan. 8). It was her third straight double-digit effort, joining 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in a win over Penn State (Jan. 5) and 10 points, a career-high-tying eight rebounds and four assists at No. 4 USC (Jan. 1).

• She became the first Husker freshman point guard to reach 100 points in her first eight games, when she put up seven points and seven boards in a win over Minnesota (Dec. 8). The only other Husker point guard to score 100 points in 10 or fewer games is Nicole Kubik (10 games, 1996-97).

• Prince, who won four consecutive Nebraska Class B state high school championships at PBA while playing for her mother, Ann Prince at Elkhorn North (2021-22-23-24), was the No. 16 recruit in the country according to Prospects Nation and No. 28 according to ESPN.

• An honorable-mention high school All-American last year by the Naismith award and MaxPreps, Prince produced one of the best senior seasons in Nebraska high school history in 2023-24. She averaged 27.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.9 steals. She led the state in both scoring and assists as a senior on her way to finishing with a Class B record 2,491 points, surpassing Husker All-American Jordan Hooper’s previous mark of 2,078.

• Prince also matched Hooper for No. 2 in state tournament history with 271 career points.

• In addition to being a four-time Super-State selection in basketball, Prince was a six-time gold medalist and two-time silver medalist at the Nebraska State Track & Field Championships.

• She was the 2024 Nebraska Girls Athlete of the Year across all sports.

• Prince missed Nebraska’s win over Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 9) with a lower leg injury, but returned for six points, four assists and three steals as a starter in a win over Southern (Nov. 12).