Husker women’s basketball dominates Washington State, 107-54

Daily Nebraskan

After hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to jump out to a 9-0 lead, the Nebraska women's basketball team dominated on offense and nearly doubled Washington State's point output in a 107-54 on Sunday afternoon.

Senior forward Kelsey Griffin was a key part of NU's balanced offensive attack, finishing the game with 15 points and nine rebounds. One of the six different Huskers to score in double digits was junior guard Yvonne Turner, who utilized her first start of the season to lead the team with 16 points.

Griffin said her success in the paint came from strong play early on by Husker guards such as Turner.

"It's harder to double team when the guards are making shots," Griffin said. "For that person to defend way out to the 3-point line and still expect to be in the post to double team is almost impossible. I give a lot of credit to the guards for my points because of their ability to shoot the ball."

The Huskers' 59 first-half points tied a school record, and NU broke the 100 point mark for the first time since a triple overtime win against Baylor in 2005.

Head coach Connie Yori said her team's balance on offense is something she is looking forward to seeing more of this season.

"We've got good guards, and our guard play is going to be fine," Yori said. "We've also got a really good inside game. I think that's what will be fun for us this year is that we'll hopefully be able to score in both spots."

NU guard Dominique Kelley led the Huskers with 12 first-half points, while point guard Lindsey Moore added 10 points and three assists to give the team a 39-point halftime advantage. Griffin also had 10 points at the break, while shooting four of six from the field, including a running floater that dropped as time expired in the first half.

Griffin said having a balanced attack is going to be important in how opponents are able to defend the Huskers this season.

"When the guards are able to shoot well, it opens things up," Griffin said. "Then teams can't zone us, and they have to spread out their defense much more, so it helps a lot with what we are trying to do on offense."

One of the many offensive highlights of the game for NU was the play of seldom-used sophomore Harleen Sidhu. Sidhu, who had only attempted one shot in four minutes of action this season, came off the bench with seven minutes remaining and hit her first four shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. Sidhu's 10-point performance was a career high, and she said a lot of the credit is due to the support and energy her teammates provided.

"It's a great feeling. You get a shot of adrenaline, and it gets you going," Sidhu said. "It's pretty sweet to see the crowd behind you and the team jumping up and down on the side of the court for you. It's an incredible feeling."

All 13 Huskers who played in the game scored, and five different players connected from 3-point range. Through the first four games this season, four Huskers are averaging more than 10 points a game, with senior Nicole Neals and junior Catheryn Redmon both providing more than 6 points a game off the bench. Sidhu said the team's depth comes from their willingness to work hard both in practice and during the game.

"Coach Yori tells us all the time that we have a lot of depth on the team and we need to find ways to utilize it," Sidhu said. "We've been working on being a great practice team. (Our depth) starts from practice and working hard against each other from start to finish."

patradigan@dailynebraskan.com