Women’s basketball team looks to bounce back after loss

Say this for the Nebraska women's basketball team: they don't dwell on failure much. Three days after losing to Penn State at home, the game has already been put in the rear-view mirror. It's all for the better, because NU's next game isn't a picnic.

The Huskers travel to Columbus to face the 10th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Thursday, with a tip-off at 5 p.m. and a live broadcast on the Big Ten Network. The 15-2 Huskers would love to avoid back-to-back losses, as they did by downing Texas Pan-America after their Nov. 30 loss at Georgia Tech. To do so, they will have to win on the road against one of the best teams in the Big Ten Conference, if not the country.

"I know that the Buckeyes are a top-ten team and have two of the best players in the conference in Tayler Hill and Samantha Prahalis," NU head coach Connie Yori said. "They also have good players around them, they're good at home. There's a reason they're 17-1."

The dynamic duo of Hill and Prahalis at guard lead the Buckeyes, as the two combine for 39.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and nearly nine assists per game. Hill leads the conference in scoring (21.6 points) and Prahalis in assists (6.8) per game. Yori likened the duo to former San Francisco 49ers legends Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

NU has a strong duo as well. Point guard Lindsey Moore and forward/center Jordan Hooper combine for 36.4 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, with Moore averaging nearly six assists per game (second in Big Ten). For her part, Moore seems excited to test her skills against a player as good as Prahalis.

"I'm really looking forward to (playing against Prahalis)," Moore said. "I've heard that she's a great player over at point guard...any challenge I get playing against one of the best point guards in the country I look forward to."

The Buckeyes also have a strong supporting cast around their star guards. Amber Stokes, OSU's other starting guard, shoots 51 percent and rarely turns the ball over, and the frontcourt trio of 6-foot-5 center Ashley Adams, forward Kalpana Beach and backup center Darryce Moore combines for 18.8 points and 15.1 rebounds per game.

While the Buckeyes traditionally play their post players away from the basket, Yori anticipated that coach Jim Foster may play inside more often due to the Huskers' lack of depth inside. Part of that problem is due to the loss of Adrianna Maurer, whom Yori confirmed will be out the rest of the season after back surgery, and will be ineligible for a medical hardship. While NU had played without the sophomore center the past seven games, her loss leaves the team without a true center on the roster and pushes redshirt freshman Katie Simon and oft-injured junior Meghin Williams into larger roles.

"(Losing Maurer) is going to have a pretty drastic effect," Hooper said. "We haven't had her in a couple of games thus far which has shown. We don't have as many post subs, so we kind of get tired. We're looking forward to getting her back so we can have the same rotation again."

To win, Nebraska may have to try the formula that Michigan used when they handed the Buckeyes their lone loss: take lots of time on offense to shorten the game, and on defense, push OSU out of good shooting position and make them shoot threes. The strategy worked; while OSU took 11 more shots than the Wolverines, they were forced to take lots of threes and, after hitting just five of their 21 attempts, the Big Ten's best offense sputtered to just 62 points and lost by 11.

Failing that, NU could just get into an old-fashioned shootout, with two of the league's top three offenses seeing who can get to 90 first. Regardless, the team expects a tough test from a great team on Thursday. But NU plans to give as good as it gets; the team does not want to lose twice in a row.

"They're a great (team) and they're going to give us a good shot. It'll be a really good road challenge for us," Moore said. "We're going to be hungry just because we don't want to drop two in a row. Playing a challenging team is going to be a good thing for us, just to see how we bounce back."

seanwhalen@dailynebraskan.com