WBB: Freshman player steps up defensive game against Iowa

Hailie Sample committed a travel and then stepped out of bounds for her second consecutive turnover, her third within the game's first three minutes.

Coach Connie Yori immediately took her out of the game, but not for the turnover, she said.

"I told her we need her and she needs to contribute," Yori said. "There are some things she can do that others on the team cannot do."

Though Sample finished the game with two more turnovers, that little motivation was all it took for her to refocus.

"It was a rough start for me with those turnovers almost back-to-back," Sample said. "But it was a good thing I came out after I stepped out of bounds. I needed to get my mind right."

When she went back in, Sample's mind was right.

The freshman from Flower Mound, Texas, is not known for her scoring, as her average indicates. She scores just three points a game while rarely putting up more than four shots an outing.

Despite the offensive struggles, the freshman finds herself starting for the No. 19 team in the nation. The reason is her defense, according to Yori.

"Hailie makes a difference for us defensively and that's why she's out there," Yori said.

That defense was on display Thursday night as Sample was part of a Husker defense that held Iowa to just 53 points, 19 points lower than the first time these two teams met.

Most of Sample's contributions came against Hawkeye leading scorer Jaime Printy. The freshman was all over the Hawkeye's leading scorer, sometimes caught pushing Printy when she attempted to make a cut.

Despite these efforts, Printy managed to catch fire in the second half hitting all four of her 3-pointers after halftime

However, it was late in the game when Sample made the stops her team needed.

The Huskers clung to a three-point lead with a little more than three minutes remaining. Printy, who had been dominating the game since making her first 3-pointer early in the second half, took the ball at the top of the key.

After dribbling right off a screen, Printy stepped back into her shot. Sample raised her arm in unison with Printy's shot and swatted the ball out of bounds.

Sample said she was just doing what she had to do.

"Printy is a really good player," Sample said. "I knew I was going to have to bear down push-stepping a lot and keeping a hand up at all times. But that block felt great."

Though Printy finished with 17 points, she shot just 31 percent from the field, while that block invigorated Sample's teammates to finish out a 60-53 victory over the Hawkeyes.

"That was a huge play for her especially because she is a freshman," Lindsey Moore said. "She stepped up big for us. She is a great defensive player."

That was not the only big play made by the freshman. Though Sample finished with just four points on four shots, two of those points were huge for Nebraska down the stretch.

It had been 11 minutes since the Huskers had made a field goal. Emily Cady had just missed another with Iowa quickly grabbing the rebound.

However, Moore stole the ball from the Hawkeye player and passed the ball underneath to Sample. The freshman then made the layup as she was fouled for her first bucket since the opening points of the game.

"It was nice to make a shot in that situation," Sample said. "And yeah I got a fist pump in there as well."

Sample has the appreciation of her teammates for her gritty play down the stretch, according to senior Kaitlyn Burke.

"Hailie did awesome," Burke said. "She had some huge plays and big stops for us. I was so proud of her."

Andrewward@

dailynebraskan.com