Huskers need a strong second half but get the job done
Nebraska women's basketball needed to get back in the win column.
It wasn't pretty for much of the game, but the Huskers got it done Tuesday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena. NU improved to 3-2 with a 71-53 victory over Tarleton.
"This game presented a lot of challenges with everything we've been going through," coach Amy Williams said. "This was one of those games were it was an opportunity to focus on mental toughness.
"Tarleton gave us everything we would possibly want."
Both teams struggled in the first half, with Nebraska making 37.1 percent of their shots and Tarleton connecting on 35.7 percent. Then the teams took turns being in control.
Nebraska looked to be putting the game away with a 14-3 run to go up 45-27 at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter. But the Huskers would make just one shot the rest of the quarter.
Tarleton ran off a 16-3 run and forced five NU turnovers to close the gap to just five points.
Then in winning time, Nebraska did what was needed.
The Huskers suffocated the Texans to 4-of-16 shooting in the final frame while going 10-of-17 themselves. The pushed the quarter to a 23-10 Nebraska advantage and an NU victory.
Alexis Markowski notched her second double-double of the season, finishing with 24 points and 18 rebounds. In the second half alone, Markowski had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
"I'm most proud of the way (Markowski) played defensively," Williams said of her sophomore big as Markowski also notched three blocked shots and kept the Texans from gaining confidence in the paint.
Issie Bourne also earned a double-double, adding 14 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Jaz Shelley had a full stat line of eight points, six rebounds, and 12 assists.
As a team, Nebraska shot 45.5 percent and went 4-of-23 from deep. Besides the struggling three-point shooting, the Huskers also had a hard time holding onto the ball.
Nebraska committed 21 turnovers. Part of that reason was the loss of a pair of ball handlers, including one making her season debut.
Less than two minutes into the game, Allison Weidner left with an injury. From the stands, it looked as though she had been poked in the eye as she wrestled the ball away from a Texan before scoring.
Weidner exited the floor and never returned to the bench.
Seeing the floor for the first time this season, Sam Haiby saw six minutes of action. But as she was walking off the floor in the third quarter, Haiby appeared to slip and a pair of trainers were needed to help her get to the tunnel.
Haiby never returned to the bench either.
Having snapped the two-game skid, Nebraska heads to San Juan for the Puerto Rico Clasico. The Huskers play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday and Mississippi State on Saturday.
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