NEBRASKA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Huskers Hang On for NCAA Win Over A&M

Courtesy of Alpha Media USA Lincoln.

CORVALLIS, OR(NU Athletics Mar. 22) Logan Nissley and Jaz Shelley sank crucial free throws in the final seconds to help Nebraska capture a 61-59 win over Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Women;s Basketball Tournament at Gill Coliseum on Friday night.

Nissley’s two free throws free throws with 14.7 seconds gave Nebraska the lead back at 60-59 after the Aggies had erased a 17-point second-half deficit to take their second lead of the night at 59-58. Nissley, a 6-0 guard from Bismarck, N.D., led the Huskers with 16 points, including four big three-pointers to help the Huskers build an early lead.

Shelley’s free throw with two seconds left pushed the margin to two and a desperation three by Endyia Rogers missed everything as time expired to give Nebraska its first NCAA Tournament win since 2014. The Huskers also gave Coach Amy Williams her first NCAA Tournament victory as a head coach.

The No. 6 seed Huskers improved to 23-11 on the season and will advance to face the third-seeded hosts from Oregon State. The Beavers improved to 25-7 with a win over Eastern Washington in Friday’s first game at Gill Coliseum.

The No. 11 seed Texas A&M ended its season with a 19-13 record.

Alexis Markowski matched Nissley for team-high scoring honors with 16 points while adding six rebounds, despite battling first-half foul trouble. Shelley managed five points, six assists and five rebounds against an aggressive Aggie defense designed to limit her impact.

After Nebraska took a 17-point lead at 47-30 on a Kendall Coley three-pointer with 3:35 left in the third quarter, A&M’s Aicha Coulibaly went off. She scored 20 points over the next eight minutes to finish the second half with a game-high 26 after going scoreless in the first half.

While Coulibaly carried the Aggies all the way back, she did not get a shot off in the closing minutes, as Nebraska’s defense made huge plays down the stretch to capture the ninth NCAA Tournament win in school history.

In a low-scoring defensive slugfest in the first half, Nebraska led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, before pushing the lead to 27-20 at halftime. The Huskers then opened the second half with back-to-back threes from Nissley and got a third three from Nissley to start pulling away from the Aggies. The lead grew to 17 points before an explosive A&M rally.

Nebraska hit 37 percent (18-49) from the field, while holding the Aggies to 36 percent (22-61). The Huskers also won the turnover battle, 17-12.