CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Alexis Markowski had 16 points and six rebounds and sixth-seeded Nebraska won its first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>&nbsp;game since 2014 by just barely holding off No. 11 Texas A&amp;M 61-59 on Friday night.

Nebraska (23-22) will play third-seeded Oregon State on Sunday. The Beavers (25-7) overcame a slow start to defeat No. 14 Eastern Washington 73-51 in the earlier game Friday night. The winner Sunday heads to the Sweet 16 in Albany, New York.

Logan Nissley also had 16 points for Nebraska. Senior Jaz Shelley, who averaged 13.7 points and 5.6 assists this season, had five points while adding five rebounds and six assists.

“Just a tough, gritty win,” Markowski said. ”They were chipping away. I felt like our turnovers, they were really capitalizing on those and scoring. And I think we really stuck together and leaned into each other.

"There was no doubt in our mind that we were going to win our game.”

Aicha Coulibaly had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Texas A&amp;M (19-12), which finished fifth in the SEC and earned an at-large bid in this year’s tournament.

The Huskers led by as many as 17 points, but Coulibaly's short jumper got Texas A&amp;M within 56-54 with 4:34 left. Endyia Rogers made a pair of free throws to tie it at 66.

Markowski's layup under the basket put Nebraska in front before Coulibaly's layup and free throw gave the Aggies the narrow lead with 17.7 seconds to go.

The Huskers regained the lead on Nissley's free throws. Shelley made the first of a pair with 1.7 seconds to make it 61-59.

Rogers' 3-point attempt for the win was off and the Huskers advanced.

Nebraska finished fifth in the Big Ten this season, but advanced to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-nebraska-big-ten-womens-championship-7b445b70a54fcf8c4212e4399851305f">conference tournament final before falling to Iowa and Caitlin Clark</a>.

It was Texas A&amp;M’s first trip to the tournament since 2021, when the team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.

Texas A&amp;M vastly improved since last season, when the team won just nine games in coach Joni Taylor’s first year. She said she hoped the loss Friday didn't overshadow the improvement the team made this year.

“My message after the game was how proud I was in their fight, how hard they fought, their resiliency, their toughness,” Taylor said. “We talked about being able to put four quarters together, not play just a half of basketball. And that's our next step, is to play four quarters, consistently, all the time.”

The Aggies were ranked 15th in the nation in rebounding, with a collective average of 42.3 total rebounds a game. They finished with 38 against the Huskers.

Nebraska held a 14-12 lead after the first quarter and began to pull away in the second, going ahead 24-17 on Nissley's 3-pointer.

The Huskers led 27-20 at halftime and extended their advantage to 36-22 on Kendall Moriarty's 3-pointer in the third quarter.

The Aggies closed the gap to 48-40 early in the fourth quarter on Coulibaly's layup.

“When we lost that 17-point lead and went down by a point, lots of teams would cave in that moment,” Nebraska coach Amy Williams said. “But our kids stayed locked and focused. They made some big free throws down the stretch and found a way.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711208755652.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Alexis Markowski had 16 points and six rebounds and sixth-seeded Nebraska won its first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>&nbsp;game since 2014 by just barely holding off No. 11 Texas A&amp;M 61-59 on Friday night.Nebraska (23-22) will play third-seeded Oregon State on Sunday. The Beavers (25-7) overcame a slow start to defeat No. 14 Eastern Washington 73-51 in the earlier game Friday night. The winner Sunday heads to the Sweet 16 in Albany, New York.Logan Nissley also had 16 points for Nebraska. Senior Jaz Shelley, who averaged 13.7 points and 5.6 assists this season, had five points while adding five rebounds and six assists.“Just a tough, gritty win,” Markowski said. ”They were chipping away. I felt like our turnovers, they were really capitalizing on those and scoring. And I think we really stuck together and leaned into each other."There was no doubt in our mind that we were going to win our game.”Aicha Coulibaly had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Texas A&amp;M (19-12), which finished fifth in the SEC and earned an at-large bid in this year’s tournament.The Huskers led by as many as 17 points, but Coulibaly's short jumper got Texas A&amp;M within 56-54 with 4:34 left. Endyia Rogers made a pair of free throws to tie it at 66.Markowski's layup under the basket put Nebraska in front before Coulibaly's layup and free throw gave the Aggies the narrow lead with 17.7 seconds to go.The Huskers regained the lead on Nissley's free throws. Shelley made the first of a pair with 1.7 seconds to make it 61-59.Rogers' 3-point attempt for the win was off and the Huskers advanced.Nebraska finished fifth in the Big Ten this season, but advanced to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-nebraska-big-ten-womens-championship-7b445b70a54fcf8c4212e4399851305f">conference tournament final before falling to Iowa and Caitlin Clark</a>.It was Texas A&amp;M’s first trip to the tournament since 2021, when the team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.Texas A&amp;M vastly improved since last season, when the team won just nine games in coach Joni Taylor’s first year. She said she hoped the loss Friday didn't overshadow the improvement the team made this year.“My message after the game was how proud I was in their fight, how hard they fought, their resiliency, their toughness,” Taylor said. “We talked about being able to put four quarters together, not play just a half of basketball. And that's our next step, is to play four quarters, consistently, all the time.”The Aggies were ranked 15th in the nation in rebounding, with a collective average of 42.3 total rebounds a game. They finished with 38 against the Huskers.Nebraska held a 14-12 lead after the first quarter and began to pull away in the second, going ahead 24-17 on Nissley's 3-pointer.The Huskers led 27-20 at halftime and extended their advantage to 36-22 on Kendall Moriarty's 3-pointer in the third quarter.The Aggies closed the gap to 48-40 early in the fourth quarter on Coulibaly's layup.“When we lost that 17-point lead and went down by a point, lots of teams would cave in that moment,” Nebraska coach Amy Williams said. “But our kids stayed locked and focused. They made some big free throws down the stretch and found a way.”

No. 6 Nebraska blows lead but holds on to beat No. 11 Texas A&M 61-59

Scotts Bluff County Arraignments for 3/22/24

Detainee Name	DOB	Case #		Arresting 	Bond	Location

Manuel Trevino	01/22/81	POV		SBPD	NONE	M21	71

Alejandro Gauna	07/17/65	CR24-526		SBPD	NONE	C10	8

Joshua Harshbarger	09/29/81	Poss cont sub X2, Poss drug para		NSO	NONE	I02	6,		Poss marijuana &lt; 1oz, Poss stolen 							property					

Garrett Olds	10/28/93	DUS		GERPD	5,000	F21	

Scotts Bluff County Arraignments for 3/22/24Detainee Name	DOB	Case #		Arresting 	Bond	Location	Manuel Trevino	01/22/81	POV		SBPD	NONE	M21	71Alejandro Gauna	07/17/65	CR24-526		SBPD	NONE	C10	8Joshua Harshbarger	09/29/81	Poss cont sub X2, Poss drug para		NSO	NONE	I02	6,		Poss marijuana &lt; 1oz, Poss stolen 							property					Garrett Olds	10/28/93	DUS		GERPD	5,000	F21

Scotts Bluff County Police Activity for 3/22/24

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?

AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?

AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.

Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?

JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.

Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?

AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?

JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.

We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.

I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.

Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?

AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.

Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.

Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?

JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.

It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.

JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.

Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.

Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.

Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?

JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.

We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.

Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.

I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.

In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?

JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.

Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?

JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.

There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Story by NCAA Communications<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/MsaQX58R-Qhb3tgnY.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="20240321 Nebraska Pregame (1)" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Husker Women bring spirit to NCAA practice

Q.&nbsp;The opportunity to win Nebraska's first NCAA Tournament game, is that something you guys are thinking about heading into this one?

RIENK MAST: Yes, most definitely. Obviously going into the season, it's a big goal to be here, and you know that Nebraska's never won an NCAA Tournament game, but now to actually be here and be in this position and have this opportunity, just super excited to go out there and hopefully write some history.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, the A&amp;M players and Coach Williams were talking about your guys' scouting report of what they thought of you. And they used "pretty" talk about the offense. What have been your impressions of A&amp;M now that you have time to look at them and what jumps out about their strengths and weaknesses?

BRICE WILLIAMS: They're just an aggressive team. I wouldn't say anything special about them. They just had their identity of trying to out-tough the opponent, and that's the emphasis this week. We just can't get punked, just going to focus on that.

Q.&nbsp;Keisei has taken the college basketball world by storm the past couple of weeks. I don't know if you buy into "Japanese Steph Curry" hype. But what's it like to play alongside him? Do you have an anecdote that he played in a practice or anything that stands out?

RIENK MAST: It's obviously special to play with somebody that draws in this type of hype and this type of excitement around himself. He draws a lot of attention on the court, which makes it a little bit easier for us to play. I know for myself, I definitely look for him and try and feed him the ball whenever I can during the game.

But it's been pretty special to have him, like have him on our team this year, like an anecdote for -- he was with his national team, but one of the first practices that he was back, we were playing a little 5-on-5, and it was three possessions in a row.

First one he hit just a normal 3. Then when you let him hit one 3, he gets on fire, like, right away. So then he hit a step-back 3. And then right the next possession he got switched, the 5 switched out on him and he took him one-on-one and hit another step-back 3, like, three possessions in a row.

That was the first time that I really saw what type of player he was in person and he's been special this year.

BRICE WILLIAMS: The stuff you all see out there on the court on game days, it's crazy. Like Rienk said, he's definitely a guy who can heat up just by making one shot.

But the stuff he does after practice or shoot-arounds, when he's hitting turnaround, half-court shots, like he'll turn around, he won't look at the basket. Him and Rienk do it every time after shoot-around. But Keisei makes them on a regular -- it's just crazy the stuff he does off camera.

Q.&nbsp;Both of you guys transferred in for this moment. You set this goal ahead of you at the beginning of the season. But now that you're here how cool is it to be in this spectacle and be in March Madness and see the city and all the hype around it?

BRICE WILLIAMS: It's new. It's exciting. Like you said it's the goal we set out to do when we transferred here. But at the same time we came -- we wanted to win here. We didn't want to just be here.

So while we're excited, I think we're both just trying to, you know what I'm saying, write history. Put our name down in history with Nebraska and just make a run.

RIENK MAST: We're not here for just one game. Everybody will say that. If you ask the Texas A&amp;M players, they'll also say we're not here for just one game. But obviously excited to be here. But we don't want to be here just for one day; we want to extend this journey a little bit longer.

Q.&nbsp;How unique is it -- you've been around Keisei Tominaga, but to know this game is being live streamed in Japan. And to get that kind of reach, is it fun? Do you have some family members who in parts of the world that may be able to watch this game because of him that otherwise would not have been able to -- they would have been checking an app trying to keep up with the game?

BRICE WILLIAMS: I don't have any family in Japan or anything, but it's just crazy that one guy can draw so much attention nationally, worldwide. It just shows that the game can bring everybody together.

But it's just cool. It's cool that everybody over there can see him play and support him. He's kind of a celebrity over there, I heard. It's all necessary.

Q.&nbsp;I'm just wondering, we talked to you guys on Sunday and we asked you how big of an impact Fred can have. Now that you've had some preparation, some practices going into this game, he's played in the NCAA Tournament. He's coached in it. Just what kind of help has Fred been during this process?

RIENK MAST: Just mainly kind of explaining to us, like, how to stay poised during games. These games, most of them will come down to the wire. They'll be one-possession games.

What we've talked about is just staying poised and level headed and not get too sped up or too nervous or excited, or whatever, just staying level headed and staying in the moment.

Q.&nbsp;You've only been at Nebraska for one season, played for Coach Hoiberg for less than a year, but what impact has he had on your developments not only getting ready for this season but preparing you for the next level?

BRICE WILLIAMS: What he's done for me, instilling confidence in me. Obviously playing a new position I've never played before at point guard. Kind of running the show. And if whether I make a mistake or make multiple mistakes, he's shown that he has confidence in me, and that helps me have confidence in myself.

He's given me freedom to make mistakes and learn while pumping me up behind the scenes. Just having confidence in myself and my game and that's just propelled me forward.

RIENK MAST: Just obviously he's played and coached at the next level and especially coaching aspect of how he approaches a game. I believe he still approaches the game the same way when he was coaching the Bulls as he is approaching the game now.

So just to learn from him kind of how it goes on at the professional level and how preparations go, and just learning a lot of how he looks at Xs and Os of the game. Just his basketball IQ is enormous. And learning from him has been really good.

Q.&nbsp;I know you're probably overhearing the stuff but you're the only Power Five team to not have won a game in a tournament. Is that something you guys talk about often? How do you work through that? And what's the motivation to go and win this to get that kind of monkey off the back?

BRICE WILLIAMS: We talk about it multiple times. We talked about it a lot, kind of just to go along with our season, first it started with the road games. Then once it started coming down to the wire we started talking about we never won.

But everybody talks about how we have a special group, and we don't want to just be, like, some people talk about. We definitely want to get the monkey off our back and win our first one. But like I said, we just want to make a run. We just want to make a run.

RIENK MAST: Obviously everybody's aware. But, like, you can't let it define us too much. You can't go into the game, like, oh, this is like the opportunity of a lifetime. Obviously it's a high-pressure game, but we can't be thinking too much about, oh, we've never won a game here.

It's just, all right, this is one game that we have to win. And we can't be too caught up in the history of it all. We've just got to focus in on the moment.

Q.&nbsp;There are many great shooters these days, but what people say about Keisei is different. They say best show on TV or fun to watch. Why do you think Keisei is that kind of player?

RIENK MAST: He's very unassuming. He's 6'2", not too athletic. But when he goes out on the court he plays with the type of swagger and type of attitude that is almost unmatched.

And the way he shoots the ball, how Fred teaches us to shoot, with holding your follow-through and sticking your shot and all that. It doesn't really matter for him, as long as it gets out of his hands clean and he gets a somewhat decent look, you know this thing is going in more times than not. That's something I personally have never seen other than with Keisei.

BRICE WILLIAMS: Probably the degree of difficulty. None of his shots are open. None of his shots are like wide open. They're all usually fading away or super, super quick release. But I would probably just say the degree of difficulty and how much he makes those difficult shots, how often.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, coming off the Big Ten Tournament and your strong performance in that one-and-done environment, how does that impact your confidence coming into a similar situation but obviously higher stakes?

BRICE WILLIAMS: The pressure was definitely on. And, you know, in those games it was a lot of different crowds. It was a lot of different people rooting for you, a lot of different people rooting against you.

But heading into the tournament now, that was a neutral site. So we were basically on the road. All we had was ourselves pretty much.

For us to play how we did, I know we gave up the last one, was the noise, but we still played pretty good. We looked at one another and played for one another. And that was good heading into the tournament now where everything is a neutral site again. It was encouraging.

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Fred Hoiberg.

FRED HOIBERG: Want to say how excited we are to be in this opportunity right now. When we put this group together we thought we had a chance to be here. I give our guys all the credit in the world for continuing to buy in, be very professional throughout this entire season regardless of the circumstance.

Whether we won, whether we lost, we generally prepared the same way, and these guys have been extremely coachable. And I'm really excited for them to have this opportunity.

Q.&nbsp;Just an opinion, do you think the uniqueness of your systems maybe give you an advantage in a situation like this, your systems on offense and defense?

FRED HOIBERG: Well, I don't know about that. I think at this time of year obviously it's, the importance is how your team is playing and how they're hanging in there together when you've been through as many battles as we have.

And I know this, we're playing a hot team. We're playing one of the hottest teams in the country right now that came off a five-game winning streak. And their loss, their lone loss in that stretch, to Florida, was as good a 20 minutes that they had played all year. They had a 20-point lead in the first half against Florida in that game. I know we're playing a hot team.

That being said, I really do like the way we're playing, I think our guys have done a great job of sharing the ball. We found the right guy, whoever has had it going. And this team has been very selfless all season long.

We've had a good week of prep. I'm sure A&amp;M has had a great week of prep as well. And you've got two teams playing really good basketball squaring off tomorrow.

So, again, we've all got our unique systems. A&amp;M is a very unique system on both sides of the ball, and I know this, whatever offense they're running, we have to be tied together. Defensively we've been pretty darned good with the exception of the Illinois game. We had a lot of miscues in that game.

And offensively, I know we're going to have to play with pace. Whatever defense they're in, we just have to go out and continue to share it and continue to move. And we've had the benefit of playing a couple of teams that have played multiple defenses. Michigan played a lot of them. I was really pleased with how we moved in that game, whatever defense they were in. And that's what it's going to take for us tomorrow to have a chance to win this game.

Q.&nbsp;I know Keisei was recruited by Coach Billy Gillispie. What memories, things stick out to you, and in working with Coach Gillispie, is there any part of his coaching that you see Keisei develop?

FRED HOIBERG: As you know, it's not easy playing for Billy. He's a very demanding coach, and he does a phenomenal job. So the fact that Keisei played under Billy, I think, is a huge benefit for us.

I remember talking to Billy in the recruiting process and just talking to him about how he enjoyed coaching Keisei, and he loved him. He said, the thing I like the most about Keisei is his competitive spirit. I can yell at him. I can get on him, and he never snaps back at me. He's just got a smile on his face.

I said, Coach, it's because he doesn't know what you're talking about. He can't understand you. As he's gone on -- he had the added benefit, there was a Japanese trainer (indiscernible) Ranger, and that helped him learn the language a little bit. When he got to Nebraska he had got a girlfriend and that really helped his language.

Listen, the thing with Keisei, I'm so proud of his growth over the last couple of years. His first year at Nebraska, there were some games he just couldn't play. He just got overwhelmed by physicality.

Now he doesn't back down from anybody. I don't care who it is. He's going to go out there. He's going to give you an effort. He's going to make contact with you, and the way that he is guarded, his ability to create separation, has been absolutely phenomenal.

I'm just proud of him for everything that he's done to make him the type of player that he is right now. And obviously there's a lot of attention. He's getting a lot of it. It's important, as I've talked about with the team, to really try to limit the distractions this week. There's so much noise, social media with everything going on.

The team that limits those distractions a lot of times are the teams that move on at this time of year.

So it's important. We love it. He's getting a lot of attention. But he's always had that. He's played on the world stage. He helped his national team at Japan accomplish something that's never been done before. And that's what we're trying to accomplish here at Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;When you were recruiting him from Ranger, what were the things that stood out that he was doing at that level, and saying, okay, let's see how we can bring this up to the new level?

FRED HOIBERG: Shooting from half court. That was the thing that I liked. He shot 44 percent on shots over 25 feet. He just has always had that range.

The thing that I loved was his confidence. You see him out there playing with a joy and a confidence and a swagger. That's why he's able to play against more athletic, more physical players, is because he plays with that drive and he plays with that joy and confident swagger every time he steps on the court.

It's not just games. If you saw him in practice, he's the same guy. And that helped set the tone for our guys every day.

He's just been a joy to coach. I've said this multiple times. He's going to go down as one of my all-time favorites.

Q.&nbsp;You talked about distractions earlier. What has it been like for you and your staff having to balance the transfer portal opening up this week and prepping for the NCAA Tournament and the overlap that's been there?

FRED HOIBERG: It's not a lot of fun. I'll be honest with you. It's, I know, a big part of the job, and you have to be on top of everything early in the process or you won't have a chance.

You want to be preparing obviously 24/7, but you have to be on top of that. And our staff does a good job with it. I think there's, what, 500 names in there already. You have to be ready for it.

But at this time of year, for us, for me, it's all about doing everything I can to prepare the team and put a game plan together to give us a chance to beat, again, one of the top teams in the country here these past six weeks.

And we'll worry about that. When this journey ends hopefully not for a while, we'll get on top of it, but our staff is doing a good job right now keeping everybody in the loop on what's happening on that front, at the same time staying very focused on the task at hand.

Q.&nbsp;You've obviously had a lot of success on the NCAA Tournament stage. Is there some secret to winning an NCAA Tournament game?

FRED HOIBERG: Well, you've got to be tied together. You have to fight through adversity. This is the biggest thing at this time of year is you have to find a way to stay together when things aren't going your way.

And I can promise you tomorrow night, at some point, that's going to happen to us. And what will define our success is how we handle that adversity.

I'm confident, our group has been through a lot. We've been through a lot of highs and lows, and I do think we're playing as good as we played all year right now. So hopefully we handled that well.

We did not handle it great at Ohio State. That was the one time I thought that we really kind of got away from it. But we learned from it. I think we've grown and gotten better.

Defense and rebounding this time of year is critical, and we're playing the best offensive rebounding team in the country. And they're so good at getting into your body and hitting you first, and if we allow that to happen, it's going to be a long night.

They average almost 18 offensive rebounds a game. That's a crazy number. 44 percent of their misses they get back. Their offensive rebounding percentage is historically good. So, for us, we have to find a way to battle them. We've got to guard the ball. And we have to finish off possessions.

Q.&nbsp;What does the contract extension mean to you? And considering where things were for you just a couple of years ago, to have that long-term stability now, how much of an advantage is that going forward, building this program?

FRED HOIBERG: I appreciate the leadership believing in us. That's first and foremost. I've talked a lot about how much we've loved our time in Lincoln. For me, with our family's ties, with both grandfathers working at the university, one as the head coach for nine seasons in basketball, the other one, sociology professor for 20 years.

Spent a lot of time in Lincoln growing up. My parents are graduates of Southeast and also University of Nebraska. My dad got his Ph.D. at Nebraska. I was born in Lincoln.

We absolutely love it. And it's kind of cool how life has come full circle. And very likely my career is going to end in Lincoln.

I just am really appreciative of the belief. And we're going to do everything we can to make this a consistent goal for this team to be playing at this time of year on this stage. And there's no reason in the world we shouldn't have that with the facilities, with the fan support.

We absolutely love it. I'm appreciative, my staff, getting taken care of. And hopefully we're here doing special things for a long time.

Again, but it goes back to the leadership. I haven't met Troy since he got the job. I know I talked about this. He used to ref my high school games. Sounds like he's going to be out there today. I'm looking forward to getting together with him and hopefully building it together with a guy that I think has great leadership skills.

And also the president as well. Just really excited about it. And hopefully we do some great things here long term.

Q.&nbsp;Wade Taylor had some pretty high praise for you guys, but in terms of slowing him down and the opportunity to go against a great player like that, what's your approach to him?

FRED HOIBERG: He's playing at an unbelievable level. Preseason player of the year and certainly that's how he's playing right now. But his degree of difficulty on his shots -- you see those early shots he made in the SEC Tournament, pulling up from 28, 29 feet on the first couple of minutes of the game and just setting the tone, over length, contested, if he's hitting shots like that it's going to be a tough game to win. That's who he's been here these last couple of weeks.

But it's their whole team. Their guards are playing at a high, high level. Their bigs know their roles. Garcia's ability, he has 153 offensive rebounds. That's incredible. We think Juwan Gary is a good offensive rebounder. He's got 61.

So these guys pose a lot of problems. And the way Taylor is playing right now, he's the head of the snake. It starts with him. I'm so impressed with his overall game and how the team is playing as a whole. We'll really have to be on point to give ourselves a chance to win this game.

Q.&nbsp;I assume C.J.'s good to go? And also Eli, could he play if you had to play him?

FRED HOIBERG: C.J., he's been back on the practice court. It's good to have him back. He struggled a little bit that first day, kind of had him in and out. But he's been fine the last couple since we've been down here in Memphis.

Eli practiced for the first time two days ago, and he was in for about half the reps. Today he was out there a little bit. He's still got some soreness in that ankle but he will dress tomorrow and he will be available if we need him.

Huskers Men prepare for first round NCAA Tournament matchup

Story by NU Athletic Communications

The Nebraska softball team opens Big Ten Conference play this weekend when the Huskers host Illinois for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m., Saturday’s game will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is slated for Noon. Tickets can be purchased by visiting huskers.com/softball, calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch.

Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can listen to Nate Rohr call every game this season for free on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app. Friday’s game will also be televised on the Big Ten Network, while Sunday’s game will air within the state borders on Nebraska Public Media. Fans can also stream the games on Saturday and Sunday with a subscription to Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 per month. Friday’s game will be available on foxsports.com/live for those who receive the Big Ten Network.

Nebraska is 30-15 in conference play the past two seasons, finishing second in the regular-season standings in 2022 and fourth in 2023. Nebraska and Northwestern are the only two Big Ten teams who have won 30 conference games over the last two seasons.

The Huskers have swept the opening series of the conference season each of the past two seasons. In 2022, Nebraska won both games of a shortened series at No. 19 Michigan. Last year, the Huskers swept a three-game series against Purdue at Bowlin Stadium.

A Sister Act at the Top of the LineupThe Andrews sisters have hit first and second in the Nebraska batting order each of the past 13 games with younger sister Billie Andrews leading off and older sister Brooke Andrews hitting second. The sisters have proven to be a productive combination at the top of the order.

Caneda Thriving as ‘Second’ Leadoff HitterWith the Andrews sisters anchoring the top of the lineup, Nebraska has been searching for a strong No. 9 hitter who can act as a second leadoff hitter batting ahead of Billie Andrews. The Huskers appear to have found that hitter in Katelyn Caneda.

Bredwell &amp; Bland Swinging Hot BatsWhile the top and bottom of the Husker lineup have been strong of late, two big bats in the middle of the order have been productive as well. Ava Bredwell and Samantha Bland have both been enjoying hot stretches entering Big Ten play this weekend.

Olensky Stepping Up in the CircleWith the season-ending injury to two-time first-team All-American Jordy Bahl, each of Nebraska’s pitchers has had to step up in Bahl’s absence. One pitcher who has emerged is freshman left-hander Caitlin Olensky.

Billie Andrews Ties Husker Home Run RecordBillie Andrews ranks eighth nationally in home runs and sixth in home runs per game with 11 homers in 25 games. Andrews has tied the Nebraska record with 54 career home runs.

Scouting Illinois (12-13, 0-0 Big Ten)Illinois brings a 12-13 record into the opening weekend of Big Ten Conference play. The Fighting Illini have won four of their last six games following a 9-2 road win at Illinois State on Tuesday. Illinois has been at its best on the road, posting a 4-2 record in true road games.

Nebraska and Illinois share four common opponents this season in UCLA, San Diego State and Missouri. Both teams went 0-4 against those three opponents.

Illinois is batting .311 as a team, an average that ranks second in the Big Ten. A total of seven starters are hitting above .340. The Illini average 5.3 runs per game. Defensively, Illinois boasts a 4.12 ERA and a .964 fielding percentage while allowing 5.3 runs per game.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe Nebraska softball team opens Big Ten Conference play this weekend when the Huskers host Illinois for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m., Saturday’s game will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is slated for Noon. Tickets can be purchased by visiting huskers.com/softball, calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch.Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can listen to Nate Rohr call every game this season for free on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app. Friday’s game will also be televised on the Big Ten Network, while Sunday’s game will air within the state borders on Nebraska Public Media. Fans can also stream the games on Saturday and Sunday with a subscription to Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 per month. Friday’s game will be available on foxsports.com/live for those who receive the Big Ten Network.Nebraska is 30-15 in conference play the past two seasons, finishing second in the regular-season standings in 2022 and fourth in 2023. Nebraska and Northwestern are the only two Big Ten teams who have won 30 conference games over the last two seasons.The Huskers have swept the opening series of the conference season each of the past two seasons. In 2022, Nebraska won both games of a shortened series at No. 19 Michigan. Last year, the Huskers swept a three-game series against Purdue at Bowlin Stadium.Leading Off<ul>
 <li>Nebraska’s current 10-game homestand is the longest in Bowlin Stadium history.</li><li>NU ranks fourth nationally with 56 doubles.</li><li>The Huskers have used a different batting order in all 29 games this year.</li><li>Billie Andrews and Sydney Gray are the only players to win multiple Big Ten Player of the Week awards this season.</li><li>Billie Andrews is one of only 15 players nationally averaging 1.0 hit, 1.0 run and 1.0 RBI per game this season.</li><li>Billie Andrews has hit 54 career home runs. That is more than every player on the Illinois roster combined (47).</li><li>Billie Andrews is tied with Taylor Edwards for the Nebraska all-time home run record. Andrews’ next home run will be the 55th of her career, an NU record.</li><li>Ava Bredwell has had both a run scored and an RBI in six consecutive games.</li><li>Ava Bredwell enters Friday’s game with 99 career hits, one shy of 100.</li><li>Brooke Andrews went 5-for-5 against Northern Colorado last Sunday, posting the first five-hit game by a Husker since the 2006 season.</li><li>Caitlin Olensky threw a shutout against Creighton last Saturday, the first shutout by a Husker freshman since 2019.</li>
 </ul>A Sister Act at the Top of the LineupThe Andrews sisters have hit first and second in the Nebraska batting order each of the past 13 games with younger sister Billie Andrews leading off and older sister Brooke Andrews hitting second. The sisters have proven to be a productive combination at the top of the order.<ul>
 <li>During the last 13 games when Billie has led off and Brooke has hit second, Nebraska has averaged 6.8 runs per game. In the first 16 games, Nebraska averaged 4.7 runs per game.</li><li>The duo have hit .385 collectively over the last 13 games while combining to average 2.7 hits per game, 2.5 runs per game and 1.9 RBIs per game.</li>
 </ul>Caneda Thriving as ‘Second’ Leadoff HitterWith the Andrews sisters anchoring the top of the lineup, Nebraska has been searching for a strong No. 9 hitter who can act as a second leadoff hitter batting ahead of Billie Andrews. The Huskers appear to have found that hitter in Katelyn Caneda.<ul>
 <li>Caneda, who posted the third-highest batting average (.366) by a freshman in program history last season, has bounced back from a slow start to the season. In her last 11 games, Caneda is batting .394 (13-for-33) with a .487 on-base percentage, nine runs and eight RBIs.</li><li>As Caneda has gotten hot, Rhonda Revelle has chosen to move Caneda down in the order to the No. 9 spot in the hopes that Caneda will get on base in front of Billie Andrews. The move has proven effective as Nebraska has scored 23 runs in the three games Caneda has hit ninth, with Caneda scoring six runs and Billie Andrews totaling seven RBIs.</li><li>Since moving into the No. 9 spot in the lineup three games ago, Caneda is 6-for-7 with two walks, reaching base in eight of her nine plate appearances.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>Bredwell &amp; Bland Swinging Hot BatsWhile the top and bottom of the Husker lineup have been strong of late, two big bats in the middle of the order have been productive as well. Ava Bredwell and Samantha Bland have both been enjoying hot stretches entering Big Ten play this weekend.<ul>
 <li>Bredwell has been on fire the last 11 games. During that stretch, she is 15-for-33 (.455) with three doubles, two triples, three homers and 11 RBIs. Over the past 11 games, Bredwell leads NU in batting average, slugging percentage (.939) and on-base percentage (.561).</li><li>Bredwell has been even better the past six games. She has come to the plate 21 times in the last six games and reached base 14 times for a .667 on-base percentage. She is 11-for-18 (.611) the last six games with two doubles, one triple, two homers and seven RBIs. Bredwell has at least one hit, one run and one RBI in five straight games.</li><li>Bland has also been hot the past 11 games. She is batting .344 (11-for-32) during that stretch with four doubles, one home run and 10 RBIs. In four games at the Big Red Spring Classic last week, Bland was 9-for-16 (.563) with three doubles, one homer and seven RBIs.</li>
 </ul>Olensky Stepping Up in the CircleWith the season-ending injury to two-time first-team All-American Jordy Bahl, each of Nebraska’s pitchers has had to step up in Bahl’s absence. One pitcher who has emerged is freshman left-hander Caitlin Olensky.<ul>
 <li>Olensky owns the team’s lowest ERA (3.37), as she is the only Husker with an ERA below 4.00. Olensky also leads NU in strikeouts per seven innings (4.2) and opponent average (.269).</li><li>Over&nbsp;the last 10 games, Olensky is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in 22.1 innings. In the first 19 games of the season, Olensky was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 23.1 innings.</li><li>Olensky pitched in four of Nebraska’s six games last week and went 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in a team-high 17.2 innings. In her lone start of the week, Olensky threw a 5.0-inning shutout against Creighton for her first career shutout and complete game.</li>
 </ul>Billie Andrews Ties Husker Home Run RecordBillie Andrews ranks eighth nationally in home runs and sixth in home runs per game with 11 homers in 25 games. Andrews has tied the Nebraska record with 54 career home runs.<ul>
 <li>Last Sunday against Northern Colorado, Andrews hit her 54th career home run. That tied the Nebraska record first set by two-time All-American Taylor Edwards, who played from 2011 to 2014.</li><li>Andrews has also tied another home run record. She has seven games with multiple homers in her career, tying Tristen Edwards (2017-21) for the most multi-homer games in NU history.</li><li>Andrews ranks 15th among all active Division I players with 54 career home runs. She has played at least nine fewer games than each of the 14 players ranked ahead of her on the active home run chart, with the exception of Wichita State’s Addison Barnard.</li>
 </ul>Scouting Illinois (12-13, 0-0 Big Ten)Illinois brings a 12-13 record into the opening weekend of Big Ten Conference play. The Fighting Illini have won four of their last six games following a 9-2 road win at Illinois State on Tuesday. Illinois has been at its best on the road, posting a 4-2 record in true road games.Nebraska and Illinois share four common opponents this season in UCLA, San Diego State and Missouri. Both teams went 0-4 against those three opponents.Illinois is batting .311 as a team, an average that ranks second in the Big Ten. A total of seven starters are hitting above .340. The Illini average 5.3 runs per game. Defensively, Illinois boasts a 4.12 ERA and a .964 fielding percentage while allowing 5.3 runs per game.<ul>
 <li>Paige Berkmeyer leads Illinois with a .362 batting average, 20 RBIs and a .451 on-base percentage. She has added four doubles and two home runs.</li><li>Kelly Ryono is hitting .360 and is tops on the team in runs (19), hits (32), doubles (7), triples (1), home runs (5), stolen bases (6) and slugging percentage (.629).</li><li>Adisyn Caryl boasts a .351 average with six doubles and 11 RBIs.</li><li>Abby Ryniec (.347) and Megan Ward (.342) round out the group of seven Illini starters hitting above .400.</li><li>In the circle, Tori McQueen has been Illinois’ top pitcher, but the Illini have relied on three pitchers throughout this season. McQueen is 6-6 this spring with one save and a 2.26 ERA in 74.1 innings. She leads the Illini in ERA, wins, appearances (16), starts (12), complete games (7), shutouts (2), saves, innings pitched, strikeouts (80) and opponent average (.237).</li><li>McQueen leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th nationally with a 7.27-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as she has struck out 80 batters and walked only 11. McQueen also ranks second in the Big Ten in shutouts and walks allowed per seven innings (1.04).</li><li>Lauren Wiles has seen the most action behind McQueen, tying McQueen for the team lead with 16 appearances. Wiles, who has started eight games, is 4-4 on the year with a 5.68 ERA in 49.1 innings. She has walked 27 batters and struck out 22 and opponents are hitting .339 against her.</li><li>Briana Bower is 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA in 37.2 innings. She has appeared in 13 games with five starts and has struck out 23 and walked 18.</li><li>Juliana Hooker (0-0, 31.50 ERA in 1.1 IP) rounds out the Illini staff.</li><li>Tyra Perry is in her ninth season at Illinois, where she owns a 255-179 record. Perry has led Illinois to four NCAA Tournament appearances in her first eight seasons.</li><li>Perry previously was the head coach at Ball State, Western Kentucky and Birmingham-Southern. She owns a 664-567 record in 23 career seasons as a head coach. Perry is one of only three active head coaches - and the only female head coach - to take three different programs to the NCAA Tournament.</li>
 </ul>

Nebraska softball hosts Illinois to open Big Ten play

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle Post

In a scheduling update for Alliance High School Athletics, Bulldogs girls' tennis had their match scheduled for Tuesday the 26th moved to this Saturday March 23rd.

Head Coach Scott Mills tells Panhandle Post that play will begin at 12 with Alliance vs Scottsbluff, Scottsbluff vs Gering at 2 and Alliance vs Gering at 4 pm.

The matches will be at Alliance High School.

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle PostIn a scheduling update for Alliance High School Athletics, Bulldogs girls' tennis had their match scheduled for Tuesday the 26th moved to this Saturday March 23rd.Head Coach Scott Mills tells Panhandle Post that play will begin at 12 with Alliance vs Scottsbluff, Scottsbluff vs Gering at 2 and Alliance vs Gering at 4 pm.The matches will be at Alliance High School.

Alliance Girls Tennis Matches for next week moved to Saturday

Timely hitting lifted Omaha to a 5-2 victory over the Nebraska softball team Wednesday at Bowlin Stadium.&nbsp;

Nebraska was just 3-for-14 with runners on base in the game. The Huskers had two runners on base with one or no outs in the third, fifth and sixth innings but managed only one run in those three frames.

Ava Bredwell led the Husker offense with a 3-for-3 day that included a home run. Katelyn Caneda went 2-for-3 while Broooke Andrews was 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Kaylin Kinney (10-8) took the loss for Nebraska (16-13). Kinney allowed five runs in 3.0 innings. Sarah Harness pitched well in relief, tossing 4.0 shutout innings and giving up only two hits.

Kamryn Meyer (12-3) earned the win for Omaha (22-7), which won its 11th straight game. Meyer allowed only one run in 4.0 innings while Sydney Nuismer earned her second save of the season after allowing one run in 3.0 innings.

Omaha took a 1-0 lead one batter into the game when Lynsey Tucker led off the game with a solo home run.&nbsp;

Bredwell tied the game when she led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field.

Omaha answered back with four runs in the top of the third. The Huskers committed two errors in the inning and twice failed to get an out on an infield ground ball, but the Mavericks also came up with five hits in the frame, including a pair of RBI singles.

In the bottom of the third, Bella Bacon and Caneda reached on back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with no outs for the top of the order. But Meyer retired the top three hitters in the Husker lineup to preserve the 4-1 lead.

In the fourth inning, Bredwell led off with a single but was stranded there.

In the fifth, Bacon and Caneda reached to begin the inning before UNO turned a double play. Brooke Andrews then came through with an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.

Nebraska had the tying run at the plate with one out and two on in the sixth inning but could not push a run across. The Huskers were then retired in order in the seventh.

Nebraska wraps up its 10-game homestand when it begins Big Ten Conference play by hosting Illinois in a three-game series this weekend.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsTimely hitting lifted Omaha to a 5-2 victory over the Nebraska softball team Wednesday at Bowlin Stadium.&nbsp;Nebraska was just 3-for-14 with runners on base in the game. The Huskers had two runners on base with one or no outs in the third, fifth and sixth innings but managed only one run in those three frames.Ava Bredwell led the Husker offense with a 3-for-3 day that included a home run. Katelyn Caneda went 2-for-3 while Broooke Andrews was 1-for-4 with an RBI.Kaylin Kinney (10-8) took the loss for Nebraska (16-13). Kinney allowed five runs in 3.0 innings. Sarah Harness pitched well in relief, tossing 4.0 shutout innings and giving up only two hits.Kamryn Meyer (12-3) earned the win for Omaha (22-7), which won its 11th straight game. Meyer allowed only one run in 4.0 innings while Sydney Nuismer earned her second save of the season after allowing one run in 3.0 innings.Omaha took a 1-0 lead one batter into the game when Lynsey Tucker led off the game with a solo home run.&nbsp;Bredwell tied the game when she led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field.Omaha answered back with four runs in the top of the third. The Huskers committed two errors in the inning and twice failed to get an out on an infield ground ball, but the Mavericks also came up with five hits in the frame, including a pair of RBI singles.In the bottom of the third, Bella Bacon and Caneda reached on back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with no outs for the top of the order. But Meyer retired the top three hitters in the Husker lineup to preserve the 4-1 lead.In the fourth inning, Bredwell led off with a single but was stranded there.In the fifth, Bacon and Caneda reached to begin the inning before UNO turned a double play. Brooke Andrews then came through with an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.Nebraska had the tying run at the plate with one out and two on in the sixth inning but could not push a run across. The Huskers were then retired in order in the seventh.Nebraska wraps up its 10-game homestand when it begins Big Ten Conference play by hosting Illinois in a three-game series this weekend.Post-Game Notes<ul>
 <li>UNO's home run to begin the game was the first home run off Kaylin Kinney in 26.0 innings.</li><li>Ava Bredwell tied her career high with three hits.</li><li>Katelyn Caneda had hits in her first two at bats to stretch her streak to seven consecutive at bats with a hit and nine consecutive plate appearance reaching base safely</li><li>Billie Andrews went 0-for-4, snapping her streak of 23 consecutive games reaching base safely.</li>
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Huskers softball falls to Mavs

Nebraska has agreed to a contract extension with 2024 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year&nbsp;Fred Hoiberg, as announced by Interim Athletic Director&nbsp;Dennis Leblanc&nbsp;and University of Nebraska Interim President&nbsp;Chris Kabourek&nbsp;on Tuesday.

The new contract with Hoiberg, who has guided Nebraska to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014, extends through the 2028-29 season and will pay the Husker coach $4.25 million next season, with annual increases in each of the subsequent contract years.

“I’m appreciative of the confidence our administration has shown in our staff’s leadership of the Husker basketball program,” Hoiberg said. “With our history at the University of Nebraska, this is a special place for our family. We want to continue to build a program that our fans can embrace and one that represents the values of Nebraskans. With the phenomenal facilities and fan support in place, we are positioned to do things that have never been accomplished by the Husker men’s basketball program.”

Nebraska enters Friday’s NCAA Tournament game against Texas A&amp;M with a 23-10 overall record and a No. 8 seed in the NCAA South Regional. Nebraska’s 23 victories are the second-most in school history and the team’s third-place Big Ten finish was the Huskers’ best since a tie for second in the Big Eight in 1993.

“I have had the opportunity to work closely with five men’s basketball head coaches in my four decades in Nebraska Athletics, and I am more confident than ever in the direction of our men’s basketball program,” Leblanc said. “Coach Hoiberg is a great representative of the University of Nebraska, and our program has shown great progress and improvement over the past two seasons.&nbsp; Fred has shown that he is committed to leading a program that succeeds on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We look forward to watching him and our team play on Friday in the NCAA Tournament.”

Under Hoiberg, Nebraska has improved its win total by six victories or more each of the last two seasons, one of only four Division I programs to accomplish that feat.

By Nebraska AthleticsNebraska has agreed to a contract extension with 2024 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year&nbsp;Fred Hoiberg, as announced by Interim Athletic Director&nbsp;Dennis Leblanc&nbsp;and University of Nebraska Interim President&nbsp;Chris Kabourek&nbsp;on Tuesday.The new contract with Hoiberg, who has guided Nebraska to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014, extends through the 2028-29 season and will pay the Husker coach $4.25 million next season, with annual increases in each of the subsequent contract years.“I’m appreciative of the confidence our administration has shown in our staff’s leadership of the Husker basketball program,” Hoiberg said. “With our history at the University of Nebraska, this is a special place for our family. We want to continue to build a program that our fans can embrace and one that represents the values of Nebraskans. With the phenomenal facilities and fan support in place, we are positioned to do things that have never been accomplished by the Husker men’s basketball program.”Nebraska enters Friday’s NCAA Tournament game against Texas A&amp;M with a 23-10 overall record and a No. 8 seed in the NCAA South Regional. Nebraska’s 23 victories are the second-most in school history and the team’s third-place Big Ten finish was the Huskers’ best since a tie for second in the Big Eight in 1993.“I have had the opportunity to work closely with five men’s basketball head coaches in my four decades in Nebraska Athletics, and I am more confident than ever in the direction of our men’s basketball program,” Leblanc said. “Coach Hoiberg is a great representative of the University of Nebraska, and our program has shown great progress and improvement over the past two seasons.&nbsp; Fred has shown that he is committed to leading a program that succeeds on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We look forward to watching him and our team play on Friday in the NCAA Tournament.”Under Hoiberg, Nebraska has improved its win total by six victories or more each of the last two seasons, one of only four Division I programs to accomplish that feat.“I’m thrilled that we are keeping Coach Hoiberg a Husker,” Kabourek said. “He’s all-in on Nebraska and I love what he’s doing to help our team compete on and off the court. Coach Hoiberg is an outstanding representative of the University of Nebraska and I know he will continue to lead the young men in our basketball program to great success, both as players and as leaders in the classroom and in the community.”Leblanc and Kabourek also confirmed that discussions are underway with Nebraska Head Women’s Basketball Coach Amy Williams regarding a contract extension to recognize her success in leading the Husker program. The Nebraska women’s basketball team owns a 22-11 record and is making its third NCAA appearance under Williams’ direction. The Huskers take on Texas A&amp;M in Corvallis, Oregon on Friday evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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