The eighth-seeded Nebraska women's basketball team won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1998 with an opening round 61-58 victory against ninth-seeded Xavier.
Nebraska improved to 2-7 all-time in the tournament and the win marked the first time that NU Coach Connie Yori has won a tournament game since leading Creighton to a first-round victory over Bowling Green in 1994.
Junior forward Kelsey Griffin once again showed her dominance on the hardwood en route to the Cornhuskers' victory, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Griffin also snagged four rebounds and had three steals on the day.
"(Kelsey Griffin) had a great game for us and she is one of the most underrated players in the country," Yori said after the game, according to NU Media Relations. "Her name may not be one you know across the country, but you can see how great of a player she is."
Yori said in the 18 years she's been a coach, Griffin has a toughness unmatched in any of the players she's coached.
The Huskers started off strong, as senior forward Danielle Page and junior guard Tay Hester started off the game with back-to-back 3-pointers to helped NU open up a 13-2 lead to start the game.
Nebraska used its smothering defense to keep the Musketeers confused, holding Xavier to 25.7 percent shooting and 20 points in the first half. Nebraska continually blanketed Xaviers' post players with varying defensive schemes to keep the Musketeers' inside game at bay.
"We knew that Xavier was a huge threat inside so we knew that if we were going to put ourselves in a position to win that we needed to focus on that," Griffin said. "We threw different defenses at them and different players were doubling, and I know as a post player that is the most frustrating thing to play against."
Page had another stellar defensive game as she matched her Nebraska NCAA-Tournament record with five blocked shots. Page also collected 10 rebounds and finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting.
Nebraska used its defense to spark a 13-3 run, extending the lead to 30-16 with 3:45 remaining in the half. Nebraska would go into the break with a comfortable 30-20 advantage.
"I thought the pace of the game was in our favor," Yori said. "We wanted to run up and down and the fact that (Xavier center) Ta'Shia Phillips got in foul trouble in the first half, I thought, was important."
Sophomore Cory Montgomery also put together a strong effort off the bench for the Huskers as she scored 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench, including two 3-pointers.
"When I come in, I try to give my team a needed spark and do my part," Montgomery said. "My shot was on (Sunday) ... I wanted to be aggressive and help my team by making the open shot."
Nebraska held onto its double-digit lead for the majority of the game and led by 12 with more than four minutes remaining before Xavier began to make things too close for comfort for the Huskers.
XU's Jerri Taylor hit a 3-pointer to spark an 8-0 run by the Musketeers to cut the Nebraska lead to 56-52 with less than a minute to play.
Both Griffin and Hester were clutch for the Huskers down the stretch, as the two combined to go 3-of-4 from the charity strip to extend NU's lead back out to seven, but once again Taylor was clutch for the Musketeers as she hit another 3-pointer to shrink the lead back to 59-55. Taylor finished the game with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-8 from long distance.
The Huskers would score their final points of the contest with a layup from freshman guard Dominique Kelley with 16 seconds left.
With the win, Nebraska will face No. 1-seed Maryland on Tuesday night. The Terrapins eliminated No. 16 Coppin State with an 80-66 victory.
"I want to congratulate Nebraska on their victory," Xavier Coach Kevin McGuff said, according to the Maryland athletic Web site. "They played an excellent game and certainly played harder and competed more towards 40 minutes than we did."
nickfilipowski@dailynebraskan.com
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