Husker women’s basketball ends season on low note

The Cornhuskers found themselves fighting to survive in the desert Wednesday night.
Both squads battled inside the 7,000 capacity Santa Ana Star Center, with the Lobos pulling away in the second period to advance in the tournament, 54-43.

NU coach Connie Yori said the game told everything about Nebraska’s season.

“We really struggled scoring all year,” Yori said. “It’s very much a summary of our season… scoring has been our Achilles’ heel.”

NU went the first seven minutes of the game without a field goal en route to shooting a season-low 23 percent from the field for the game.

Yori said her team looked tired, possibly because the Huskers hadn’t played for two weeks. In the second half, Nebraska made a total of five shots, four coming from beyond the perimeter.

Cory Montgomery broke an 11-minute scoring drought for NU with a triple late in the game. Montgomery had a team-high 17 points on the night, hitting three from downtown.

The junior said the mood in the locker room after the game was solemn.

“It was disappointing,” Montgomery said. “We would have loved to come back home and play in front of our fans. We love playing in front of our home crowd.

“We’re sad the season ends. It’s really depressing right now.”

No other Husker scored in double figures. NU suffered one of its worst offensive nights of the year – it was the fifth time this season the team scored less than 50 points.

“We couldn’t find easy baskets this year like we have in the past,” Yori said.

The early 12-1 advantage came primarily from Lobos guard Amy Beggin. The junior drained three 3-pointers, including a deep shot as the shot clock expired.

Beggin tallied a game-high 25 points and seemed to have Nebraska’s number all night long.

NU sophomore Catheryn Redmon provided the first Husker bucket off an assist from fellow sophomore Kaitlyn Burke, making it 14-5 UNM.

Shortly after, Nebraska went on a 13-1 scoring run to get back in the game.

Montgomery chipped in a couple baskets and sophomore Nicole Neals connected on a triple during the spurt.

New Mexico played physical defense in the first half but committed enough fouls to put Nebraska in the free throw bonus with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

NU made the most of their trips to the charity stripe, knocking down nine of 11 attempts in the half.

Redmon had a few blocks in the first half and would go on to total five for the game. She ended the season with 67 blocks, placing her third all-time in school history for blocks in a season.

The Lobos hit their stride with time winding down in the first half. Senior post player Angela Hartill led her team to a five-point halftime lead and accounted for 18 of UNM’s 54 points in the game.

New Mexico built on that lead in the second half, advancing to the third-round of the tournament against Oregon State. The Lobos will host the Beavers this weekend on the same neutral court.

Yori said she hopes her team will improve this off-season and be ready in the fall. She thanked the fans who have been so supportive of Husker women’s basketball.

“Our fans have been awesome this year,” Yori said. “We’ve had an up-and-down season, but our fans have been there through thick and thin. I feel like we’ve got tremendous fans who are always behind us.”

jeffstraub@dailynebraskan.com