NU women’s basketball to play final season game at Devaney

Tonight, the largest and most successful class in the history of Nebraska women's basketball will take the floor at the Bob Devaney Sports Center for the final time.

NU's six seniors have won 85 games over the past four years, an average of more than 21 wins per season. They are set to appear in their fourth straight postseason tournament and last week captured the school's first Big 12 Conference title.

The Huskers know there is still plenty of work to do, starting tonight against Kansas, but it's hard not to reflect on this magical season that Kelsey Griffin, Cory Montgomery, Yvonne Turner, Kala Kuhlmann, Nicole Neals and Nikki Bober will call their last.

"This is a very special group that I've had an opportunity to recruit and now coach," NU head coach Connie Yori said. "The thing about the group is that each of them has gotten better and improved in their own way. They've been incredibly team-oriented and unselfish. They don't care who gets the credit."

The least heralded of the group is Bober, but the Huskers insist she's an irreplaceable member of the team. Bober tore her ACL for the second time earlier this year and is out for the season.

"Nikki is as an important part of this team as anyone. Even though she doesn't get to play, she brings energy to practice every day," Yori said. "There aren't many student athletes who can undergo the type of adversity that she's had to and maintain as positive an attitude. I think our team as a whole draws upon that."

Many members of the team have written Bober's number, 42, on their shoes to remind themselves not to take anything for granted.

"Personally, it's motivation to play harder," Griffin said. "There are times when I'm tired or don't feel like doing things anymore. I remember that I have to take the opportunities I've been given, because you don't know how long you're going to have them. I try to go out with the mentality to play for Bober every game."

Neals and Kuhlmann have combined to start just three games in their NU careers, but according to Griffin, their value goes far beyond the box score.

"Our depth is just amazing," Griffin said. "(Kuhlmann) may not fill the stat sheet, but she and Nicole Neals come in and play huge minutes for us."

Both players come off the bench and consistently give NU about 15 minutes of all-out hustle. Pressure defense has become their specialty, especially for Neals, who frustrates opposing point guards by hounding them at any spot on the court. Despite the fact that both average less than five points a game, Neals and Kuhlmann have a knack for coming up with big plays to counter an opponent's run.

Turner has left her mark as one of NU's all-time best 3-point shooters. Her 172 3-pointers are the second best in school history and, two weeks ago, she became the 25th Husker to score 1,000 career points.