KEARNEY, NE.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s home series at the Viaero Center against the Muskegon Lumberjacks following last weekend’s two-game sweep over the Waterloo Black Hawks. Tonight’s game will be the first meeting between the Storm and the Lumberjacks in Kearney in 1,350 days. Ticket specials for tonight’s contest include a $5 Kids Friday presented by Big Apple Fun Center. Puck drop for the battle is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. &nbsp;

Tri-City (9-6-1-0) returns to action tonight on a three-game point streak following a 4-3 victory at the Viaero Center against the Waterloo Black Hawks in the organization’s annual Military Appreciation Night Game on Saturday, November 11th. Ryan Smith scored twice during the matchup, including the game-winning goal with less than five minutes to play. Smith also netted the opening goal of the contest during the 1st&nbsp;period. A.J. Lacroix and Jake Rozzi also scored goals for Tri-City in the victory. Goaltender Ivan Zhigalov recorded the first win of his USHL career in net for the Storm by turning away 30 of 33 shots faced during the battle. The Storm posted a 6-4 win over the Lumberjacks on September 23rd, 2022, in the team’s second game at the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods USHL Fall Classic. Tri-City defeated Muskegon by a final score of 4-3 at the Viaero Center on March 7th, 2020. It was the Storm’s final game of the pandemic-shortened 2019-2020 season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering this weekend’s home series against Muskegon include August Falloon (9), Nolan Roed (6), Ryan Smith (6), Trevor Connelly (4), Owen Beckner (4), Artemi Nizameyev (4), and Cam Briere (4). &nbsp;

Muskegon (8-6-1-1) has posted a 4-4-1-1 record over the last ten games entering this weekend’s road series against Tri-City at the Viaero Center. The Lumberjacks will seek to snap a three-game winless skid in tonight’s game. Muskegon dropped back-to-back home games last weekend at Trinity Health Arena to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. David Klee, Joe Connor, and Xavier Veilleux each netted a goal for the Lumberjacks in the team’s 4-3 home loss to Cedar Rapids on Saturday, November 11th. Muskegon enters tonight’s game in sixth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference standings. The Lumberjacks have posted a 2-1-0-0 record against Western Conference competition to this point in the 2023-2024 regular season. Scoring leaders for Muskegon entering tonight’s road game against Tri-City include Matvei Gridin (11), Sacha Boisvert (11), Hunter Anderson (8), Justin Solovey (6), and Cody Croal (5). The Lumberjacks will return home to host the Madison Capitols in back-to-back games at Trinity Health Arena next weekend following this weekend’s road series against the Storm at the Viaero Center. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:05pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.&nbsp;

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsKEARNEY, NE.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s home series at the Viaero Center against the Muskegon Lumberjacks following last weekend’s two-game sweep over the Waterloo Black Hawks. Tonight’s game will be the first meeting between the Storm and the Lumberjacks in Kearney in 1,350 days. Ticket specials for tonight’s contest include a $5 Kids Friday presented by Big Apple Fun Center. Puck drop for the battle is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. &nbsp;Tri-City (9-6-1-0) returns to action tonight on a three-game point streak following a 4-3 victory at the Viaero Center against the Waterloo Black Hawks in the organization’s annual Military Appreciation Night Game on Saturday, November 11th. Ryan Smith scored twice during the matchup, including the game-winning goal with less than five minutes to play. Smith also netted the opening goal of the contest during the 1st&nbsp;period. A.J. Lacroix and Jake Rozzi also scored goals for Tri-City in the victory. Goaltender Ivan Zhigalov recorded the first win of his USHL career in net for the Storm by turning away 30 of 33 shots faced during the battle. The Storm posted a 6-4 win over the Lumberjacks on September 23rd, 2022, in the team’s second game at the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods USHL Fall Classic. Tri-City defeated Muskegon by a final score of 4-3 at the Viaero Center on March 7th, 2020. It was the Storm’s final game of the pandemic-shortened 2019-2020 season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering this weekend’s home series against Muskegon include August Falloon (9), Nolan Roed (6), Ryan Smith (6), Trevor Connelly (4), Owen Beckner (4), Artemi Nizameyev (4), and Cam Briere (4). &nbsp;Muskegon (8-6-1-1) has posted a 4-4-1-1 record over the last ten games entering this weekend’s road series against Tri-City at the Viaero Center. The Lumberjacks will seek to snap a three-game winless skid in tonight’s game. Muskegon dropped back-to-back home games last weekend at Trinity Health Arena to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. David Klee, Joe Connor, and Xavier Veilleux each netted a goal for the Lumberjacks in the team’s 4-3 home loss to Cedar Rapids on Saturday, November 11th. Muskegon enters tonight’s game in sixth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference standings. The Lumberjacks have posted a 2-1-0-0 record against Western Conference competition to this point in the 2023-2024 regular season. Scoring leaders for Muskegon entering tonight’s road game against Tri-City include Matvei Gridin (11), Sacha Boisvert (11), Hunter Anderson (8), Justin Solovey (6), and Cody Croal (5). The Lumberjacks will return home to host the Madison Capitols in back-to-back games at Trinity Health Arena next weekend following this weekend’s road series against the Storm at the Viaero Center. &nbsp;&nbsp;Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:05pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.&nbsp;

Storm set for weekend series against Lumberjacks 

Story by UNK Athletic Communications

Junior outside hitter&nbsp;Asha Regier&nbsp;tied her career-high of 17 kills and sophomore defensive specialist&nbsp;Addyson Mock&nbsp;had a big afternoon to help 12th-ranked Nebraska Kearney sweep Northwest Missouri State (<a href="https://lopers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wvball&amp;id=7530" target="_blank">-20, -17, -15</a>) Thursday in a MIAA Tournament quarterfinal match in St. Joseph, Mo. The third-seeded Lopers (27-4) will face seventh-seed Missouri Southern State Friday at 5 p.m. in a semifinal match. The Lions (16-14) shocked No. 15 Central Oklahoma, 3-1, in today's first match. UNK swept the season series from MSSU and has won all 19 MIAA matches (since 2012) between the two. UNK came out a bit sleepy as it fell behind 10-2 in the first set. The Lopers had five hitting errors, two serve receive errors with head coach&nbsp;Rick Squiers&nbsp;having to burn both timeouts to stem the tide. "What could you really say. We said a few things the first (timeout) and we came out a little tight. But we also didn't have any energy," said Squiers on the KRVN Radio post-game show. "Sometimes when you take the court as the higher seed you think the other team is just going to win the game for you. It didn't take long for us to realize that we better show up here and right quick. "The Lopers flipped a switch as it closed on a 23-10 run and then trailed only briefly in the second and third sets. On the afternoon, UNK out hit Northwest by nearly 100 points (.250-.063), had nine more digs and was plus four in the serve game. "You don't win many sets when you get down 10-2 so I credit our team for making a big run right away. I think that sent a message that we're not going to give you the first set," said Squiers. "That made a huge difference in the match. "Regier (Newton, Kan.) had six kills in each of the first two sets and then five more in the third. She hit a stellar .484 (17-2-31) while also providing a block assist. Earlier this fall in a four-set home win over Emporia State, she had 17 kills in 36 attempts. "She might've played her best match as a Loper. In an effort to limit&nbsp;Emersen (Cyza) they adjusted their rotation a little bit. They wanted to shore up their block on the pin," said Squiers. "However, that's three rotations where you don't have that block and Asha kind of feasted on them. And once she got going, she was able to score against anything. "Next, Mock (Stilwell, Kan.) had her ninth match with a double digit dig total (12) and helped start the comeback in the first set with a long service run. After right side&nbsp;Jaden Ferguson&nbsp;(Lincoln SW) had a kill to make it 10-3, Mock served up five straight points to help the Lopers get back into things. She added another five-point run late in the third set. "Addy's been trying to find her niche in this lineup, and I thought she had one of her best all-around matches.," said Squiers. "Dug a lot of balls, played with confidence. On those long service runs, you have to have enough discipline to just let your team keep scoring. "Also for the Lopers, Ferguson had 10 kills and hit .310, freshman middle&nbsp;Mia Berg&nbsp;(Eureka, Mo.) had five block assists, four kills and a .308 efficiency with libero&nbsp;Lauren Taubenheim&nbsp;(Lincoln Pius) at a team-best 14 digs and a 12 of 13 effort in serve receive. Finally, setter&nbsp;Payton Neff&nbsp;(North Platte) was at 33 assists, eight digs, four blocks (one solo), two kills and an ace. Northwest had six players between three and eight kills with libero Kyah Luhring at a match-high 15 digs. This marks the third time in four years UNK has ended the 'Cats season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Story by UNK Athletic CommunicationsJunior outside hitter&nbsp;Asha Regier&nbsp;tied her career-high of 17 kills and sophomore defensive specialist&nbsp;Addyson Mock&nbsp;had a big afternoon to help 12th-ranked Nebraska Kearney sweep Northwest Missouri State (<a href="https://lopers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wvball&amp;id=7530" target="_blank">-20, -17, -15</a>) Thursday in a MIAA Tournament quarterfinal match in St. Joseph, Mo. The third-seeded Lopers (27-4) will face seventh-seed Missouri Southern State Friday at 5 p.m. in a semifinal match. The Lions (16-14) shocked No. 15 Central Oklahoma, 3-1, in today's first match. UNK swept the season series from MSSU and has won all 19 MIAA matches (since 2012) between the two. UNK came out a bit sleepy as it fell behind 10-2 in the first set. The Lopers had five hitting errors, two serve receive errors with head coach&nbsp;Rick Squiers&nbsp;having to burn both timeouts to stem the tide. "What could you really say. We said a few things the first (timeout) and we came out a little tight. But we also didn't have any energy," said Squiers on the KRVN Radio post-game show. "Sometimes when you take the court as the higher seed you think the other team is just going to win the game for you. It didn't take long for us to realize that we better show up here and right quick. "The Lopers flipped a switch as it closed on a 23-10 run and then trailed only briefly in the second and third sets. On the afternoon, UNK out hit Northwest by nearly 100 points (.250-.063), had nine more digs and was plus four in the serve game. "You don't win many sets when you get down 10-2 so I credit our team for making a big run right away. I think that sent a message that we're not going to give you the first set," said Squiers. "That made a huge difference in the match. "Regier (Newton, Kan.) had six kills in each of the first two sets and then five more in the third. She hit a stellar .484 (17-2-31) while also providing a block assist. Earlier this fall in a four-set home win over Emporia State, she had 17 kills in 36 attempts. "She might've played her best match as a Loper. In an effort to limit&nbsp;Emersen (Cyza) they adjusted their rotation a little bit. They wanted to shore up their block on the pin," said Squiers. "However, that's three rotations where you don't have that block and Asha kind of feasted on them. And once she got going, she was able to score against anything. "Next, Mock (Stilwell, Kan.) had her ninth match with a double digit dig total (12) and helped start the comeback in the first set with a long service run. After right side&nbsp;Jaden Ferguson&nbsp;(Lincoln SW) had a kill to make it 10-3, Mock served up five straight points to help the Lopers get back into things. She added another five-point run late in the third set. "Addy's been trying to find her niche in this lineup, and I thought she had one of her best all-around matches.," said Squiers. "Dug a lot of balls, played with confidence. On those long service runs, you have to have enough discipline to just let your team keep scoring. "Also for the Lopers, Ferguson had 10 kills and hit .310, freshman middle&nbsp;Mia Berg&nbsp;(Eureka, Mo.) had five block assists, four kills and a .308 efficiency with libero&nbsp;Lauren Taubenheim&nbsp;(Lincoln Pius) at a team-best 14 digs and a 12 of 13 effort in serve receive. Finally, setter&nbsp;Payton Neff&nbsp;(North Platte) was at 33 assists, eight digs, four blocks (one solo), two kills and an ace. Northwest had six players between three and eight kills with libero Kyah Luhring at a match-high 15 digs. This marks the third time in four years UNK has ended the 'Cats season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lopers reach MIAA Semifinals after slow start; career-high 17 Kills for Regier

Ogallala Publlic Schools has announced that OHS Senior Marlee Ervin will&nbsp;further her academic &amp; volleyball career at Southern Utah University. The Indians went 25-11 this past fall. Ervin plays club volleyball for Nebraska Jrs.

Ogallala Publlic Schools has announced that OHS Senior Marlee Ervin will&nbsp;further her academic &amp; volleyball career at Southern Utah University. The Indians went 25-11 this past fall. Ervin plays club volleyball for Nebraska Jrs.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Welcome to T-Bird Nation, Marlee ✍️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TBirdNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TBirdNation</a> ⚡️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaiseTheHammer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RaiseTheHammer</a> <a href="https://t.co/I5GoJBkuZU">pic.twitter.com/I5GoJBkuZU</a>&mdash; SUU Volleyball 🏐 (@SUUVolleyball) <a href="https://twitter.com/SUUVolleyball/status/1724127881226485780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOgallalaSchools%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02FZ7yn2YkiPZpfA2Pm2Wk2ZLBfYnapbs3XRJMKJSGiivxUuhv3osYUGaWfbwz7JHrl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="703" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>

Ogallala Senior Marlee Ervin commits to D1 Southern Utah University for volleyball

Story by NU Athletic Communications

The Nebraska swimmers are set to take a short trip up I-80 for an in-state battle with the Omaha Mavericks. Events are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. (CT) at H&amp;K Pool.

Co-captains Emily Haimes and Caitlin Cairns had standout performances for the Huskers in last week’s dual against Iowa. Haimes recorded two runner-up finishes in the 50 freestyle (23.95) and the 100 freestyle (51.99). She also contributed to a winning relay (400 medley relay) and a runner-up relay (400 freestyle relay).

Cairns added a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly (56.69). She also took third in the 100 backstroke (57.39) and teamed up with Maia Hall, Anna Vlachou and Lexi Kucera for a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay (3:51.96).

Gena Jorgenson captured two titles against the Hawkeyes, taking first in the 1000 freestyle (10:10.44) and the 500 freestyle (4:53.99). She added a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:51.63) and teamed up with Haimes, Kucera and Giulia Marchi for a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.52).

Freshman Beatrix Tanko is continuing the strong start to her Huskers career. She has racked up eight top-three finishes and four first-place finishes already this season. Against the Hawkeyes, she recorded two third-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (24.17) and the 100 butterfly (57.23). She also contributed to a first-place 400 medley relay team of Haimes, Sarah Barton and JoJo Randby (3:48.04).

Barton also came up big, adding three runner-up finishes in the 200 butterfly (2:01.54), 200 backstroke (2:02.35) and 200 IM (2:05.60).&nbsp;

Junior Maia Hall added two second-place finishes and a fourth-place finish to the Huskers’ effort on Friday, moving her total to seven top-three finishes on the season. Hall took second in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke with times of 2:01.54 and 2:19.36.

Randby added a pair of third-place finishes on the day, along with her contribution to the winning 400 medley relay team. The junior from Omaha, Neb., took third in the 100 breaststroke (2:03.13) and 200 breaststroke (2:21.01).

The Mavericks (3-0) are led by Payton Easley, who is coming off her second Summit League Women’s Swimmer of the Week award of the season. The junior from Lee’s Summit, Mo. powered the Mavericks to a second-place finish at the A3 Invitational this past weekend. She qualified for the A-Final of the 50 freestyle and captured the title with a time of 23.33. Easley also set a school record in the A-Final of the 100 freestyle (50.27) and broke yet another school record as a contributor to a first-place 400 freestyle relay.

In the 2022 meeting between Nebraska and Omaha, the Huskers topped the Mavericks 225-74.&nbsp;

Live results of the meet will be on Meet Mobile.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe Nebraska swimmers are set to take a short trip up I-80 for an in-state battle with the Omaha Mavericks. Events are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. (CT) at H&amp;K Pool.Co-captains Emily Haimes and Caitlin Cairns had standout performances for the Huskers in last week’s dual against Iowa. Haimes recorded two runner-up finishes in the 50 freestyle (23.95) and the 100 freestyle (51.99). She also contributed to a winning relay (400 medley relay) and a runner-up relay (400 freestyle relay).Cairns added a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly (56.69). She also took third in the 100 backstroke (57.39) and teamed up with Maia Hall, Anna Vlachou and Lexi Kucera for a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay (3:51.96).Gena Jorgenson captured two titles against the Hawkeyes, taking first in the 1000 freestyle (10:10.44) and the 500 freestyle (4:53.99). She added a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:51.63) and teamed up with Haimes, Kucera and Giulia Marchi for a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.52).Freshman Beatrix Tanko is continuing the strong start to her Huskers career. She has racked up eight top-three finishes and four first-place finishes already this season. Against the Hawkeyes, she recorded two third-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (24.17) and the 100 butterfly (57.23). She also contributed to a first-place 400 medley relay team of Haimes, Sarah Barton and JoJo Randby (3:48.04).Barton also came up big, adding three runner-up finishes in the 200 butterfly (2:01.54), 200 backstroke (2:02.35) and 200 IM (2:05.60).&nbsp;Junior Maia Hall added two second-place finishes and a fourth-place finish to the Huskers’ effort on Friday, moving her total to seven top-three finishes on the season. Hall took second in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke with times of 2:01.54 and 2:19.36.Randby added a pair of third-place finishes on the day, along with her contribution to the winning 400 medley relay team. The junior from Omaha, Neb., took third in the 100 breaststroke (2:03.13) and 200 breaststroke (2:21.01).The Mavericks (3-0) are led by Payton Easley, who is coming off her second Summit League Women’s Swimmer of the Week award of the season. The junior from Lee’s Summit, Mo. powered the Mavericks to a second-place finish at the A3 Invitational this past weekend. She qualified for the A-Final of the 50 freestyle and captured the title with a time of 23.33. Easley also set a school record in the A-Final of the 100 freestyle (50.27) and broke yet another school record as a contributor to a first-place 400 freestyle relay.In the 2022 meeting between Nebraska and Omaha, the Huskers topped the Mavericks 225-74.&nbsp;Live results of the meet will be on Meet Mobile.

Neb Swim&Dive: Huskers meet Mavericks for in-state battle

Area Athletes honored on the 2023 D1-10 All District Football Team

Area athletes honored on the 2023 D2-8 All-District Football Team

Story by North Platte 80's Communication

North Platte, NE The Pecos League is proud to announce its newest team in North Platte, Nebraska. The team will be named the North Platte 80s. The Pecos League now has teams in eight states across the Western United States. The team will begin play at Bill Wood Field. The Teams website can be viewed at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.northplatte80s.com/">http://www.NorthPlatte80s.com</a>.The teams 80s themed colors are Denim Blue and Corvette Red. North Platte will join the 16 team Pecos League and take the place of the the Lancaster Sound Breakers from California. The Sound Breakers set the all time Pecos League Attendance Mark, but their stadium was sold to a soccer club. A new era of baseball in North Platte, Nebraska will begin in the Summer of 2024 as the North Platte 80's was unveiled as the new name of the newest Pecos League Team. The 80's represents a baseball team in many ways. First ties the city lying on Interstate 80. The excitement and passion is Baseball's Forgotten Era: The '80s in which National League Baseball was played with no Designated Hitter as the rules are in the Pecos League. Promotional nights will include 1980's nights with 1980's music, food and uniforms. The North Platte Team will play in the Mountain Division in the 2024 season along with the Tucson Saguaros, Roswell Invaders, Alpine Cowboys, Garden City Wind, Blackwell Flycatchers, Trinidad Triggers and Santa Fe Fuego. North Platte will host Spring Training for both the Tucson Saguaros and the North Platte 80s before the two teams play the first series in North Platte. Pecos League Commissioner and Owner Andrew Dunn "We are excited to play the 2024 season in North Platte, I believe it will fit perfectly with the other cities in the league. The people are Garden City have been extremely welcoming and Clint Lightner Ballpark will continue our mission to upgrade facilities in our league. Former Tucson Saguaros Manager JD Droddy "I think it is great addition and it will be very helpful to the Northern Division. I think Nebraska is a great baseball state and Western Nebraska will be great for the Pecos League. "Nebraska Sports Genius John Scroder "I am so excited that we are getting a Pecos League in Nebraska, players and fans alike will love. We love the action here. "The North Platte 80s will finalize their coaching staff soon. The Pecos League is an independent professional baseball league which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughout New Mexico, West Texas and Southern Colorado. Pecos Teams play in cities that do not have Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Story by North Platte 80's CommunicationNorth Platte, NE The Pecos League is proud to announce its newest team in North Platte, Nebraska. The team will be named the North Platte 80s. The Pecos League now has teams in eight states across the Western United States. The team will begin play at Bill Wood Field. The Teams website can be viewed at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.northplatte80s.com/">http://www.NorthPlatte80s.com</a>.The teams 80s themed colors are Denim Blue and Corvette Red. North Platte will join the 16 team Pecos League and take the place of the the Lancaster Sound Breakers from California. The Sound Breakers set the all time Pecos League Attendance Mark, but their stadium was sold to a soccer club. A new era of baseball in North Platte, Nebraska will begin in the Summer of 2024 as the North Platte 80's was unveiled as the new name of the newest Pecos League Team. The 80's represents a baseball team in many ways. First ties the city lying on Interstate 80. The excitement and passion is Baseball's Forgotten Era: The '80s in which National League Baseball was played with no Designated Hitter as the rules are in the Pecos League. Promotional nights will include 1980's nights with 1980's music, food and uniforms. The North Platte Team will play in the Mountain Division in the 2024 season along with the Tucson Saguaros, Roswell Invaders, Alpine Cowboys, Garden City Wind, Blackwell Flycatchers, Trinidad Triggers and Santa Fe Fuego. North Platte will host Spring Training for both the Tucson Saguaros and the North Platte 80s before the two teams play the first series in North Platte. Pecos League Commissioner and Owner Andrew Dunn "We are excited to play the 2024 season in North Platte, I believe it will fit perfectly with the other cities in the league. The people are Garden City have been extremely welcoming and Clint Lightner Ballpark will continue our mission to upgrade facilities in our league. Former Tucson Saguaros Manager JD Droddy "I think it is great addition and it will be very helpful to the Northern Division. I think Nebraska is a great baseball state and Western Nebraska will be great for the Pecos League. "Nebraska Sports Genius John Scroder "I am so excited that we are getting a Pecos League in Nebraska, players and fans alike will love. We love the action here. "The North Platte 80s will finalize their coaching staff soon. The Pecos League is an independent professional baseball league which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughout New Mexico, West Texas and Southern Colorado. Pecos Teams play in cities that do not have Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either.&nbsp;&nbsp;

North Platte to get new baseball team, Nebraska 80's will play in the Pecos League

Area athletes honored on the D6-4 All-District Football Team

2023 C-1 District 7 1st Team-All District&nbsp;

2023 C-1 District 7 Honorable Mentions&nbsp;

2023 C-1 District 7 Defensive Player of the Year&nbsp;

2023 C-1 District 7 Newcomer of the Year&nbsp;

2023 C-1 District 7 1st Team-All District&nbsp;Harry Caskey&nbsp;Caden Rezac&nbsp;Jaden Fanning&nbsp;Austin Hodges&nbsp;Michael Skinner&nbsp;Sawyer Smith&nbsp;2023 C-1 District 7 Honorable Mentions&nbsp;Edan Cain&nbsp;Jacob Fanning&nbsp;Ben Peters&nbsp;Zach Plasch&nbsp;2023 C-1 District 7 Defensive Player of the Year&nbsp;Harry Caskey&nbsp;2023 C-1 District 7 Newcomer of the Year&nbsp;Sawyer Smith&nbsp;

Ogallala football players receive honors/awards

DENVER (AP) — Joel Kiviranta and Andrew Cogliano scored 21 seconds apart in a five-goal third period, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 8-2 on Wednesday night.

Kiviranta, signed to a two-way contract earlier this week, added two assists. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals, Samuel Girard and Devon Toews had a goal and an assist each and Fredrik Olofsson and Ross Colton also scored for Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev had 15 saves.

Kiviranta was in Avalanche training camp on a professional tryout contract and had been playing with the Colorado Eagles on an AHL deal before being signed Sunday.

He played 163 career games with Dallas and was on the Stars team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. He eliminated the Avalanche when he scored the overtime goal in Game 7 of the second round that postseason.

“He’s an NHL player, he’s a worker, he’s got a good skill level,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Kiviranta. “He kind of fits the mold of our bottom six (forwards).”

Max Jones and Sam Carrick scored and Lukas Dostal stopped 30 shots for Anaheim, which was playing the second game of a back-to-back. It was the Ducks’ sixth game in 11 days.

“You don’t want to use that (as an excuse),” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “They were humming. We just made some really poor decisions.”

Colorado led 3-1 after two but put it away when Colton and Nichushkin struck 1:58 apart early in the third to go ahead 5-1.

Jones scored to make it 5-2 but Kiviranta and Cogliano scored quickly and Toews capped the big third period with his second of the season at 15:18.

Girard got Colorado on the board early 6:40 into the game with his first goal of the season. Nichushkin made it 2-0 at 12:40 when he deflected a shot by Toews but Carrick deflected Radko Gudas’ shot at 19:27 of the first to make it 2-1. It was just the second shot on goal for Anaheim.

“It was a great point shot from Gudas,” Carrick said. “We know he can shoot the puck and I got my stick on it.”

Colorado was without defenseman Josh Manson for the second straight game due to an upper-body injury but Cogliano, who missed two straight games with an upper-body injury, returned and scored his first of the season.

“A lot of goals, a lot of guys got on the board tonight,” Cogliano said. “Defensively we did a good job.”

Cale Makar had three assists and Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Johnson had two assist each for the Avalanche. Colorado was shutout in three straight road games before winning 5-1 at Seattle on Monday night. That came after getting blown out 8-2 at home to St. Louis on Saturday night. The Avalanche

“I don’t know if I’ve been on a team where we don’t score three road games in a row,” Makar said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700144579048.jpeg" alt="Colorado Avalanche center Ross Colton, left, drives to the net with the puck as Anaheim Ducks left wing Alex Killorn pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)" />
 <figcaption>Colorado Avalanche center Ross Colton, left, drives to the net with the puck as Anaheim Ducks left wing Alex Killorn pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MICHAEL KELLY Associated PressDENVER (AP) — Joel Kiviranta and Andrew Cogliano scored 21 seconds apart in a five-goal third period, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 8-2 on Wednesday night.Kiviranta, signed to a two-way contract earlier this week, added two assists. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals, Samuel Girard and Devon Toews had a goal and an assist each and Fredrik Olofsson and Ross Colton also scored for Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev had 15 saves.Kiviranta was in Avalanche training camp on a professional tryout contract and had been playing with the Colorado Eagles on an AHL deal before being signed Sunday.He played 163 career games with Dallas and was on the Stars team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. He eliminated the Avalanche when he scored the overtime goal in Game 7 of the second round that postseason.“He’s an NHL player, he’s a worker, he’s got a good skill level,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Kiviranta. “He kind of fits the mold of our bottom six (forwards).”Max Jones and Sam Carrick scored and Lukas Dostal stopped 30 shots for Anaheim, which was playing the second game of a back-to-back. It was the Ducks’ sixth game in 11 days.“You don’t want to use that (as an excuse),” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “They were humming. We just made some really poor decisions.”Colorado led 3-1 after two but put it away when Colton and Nichushkin struck 1:58 apart early in the third to go ahead 5-1.Jones scored to make it 5-2 but Kiviranta and Cogliano scored quickly and Toews capped the big third period with his second of the season at 15:18.Girard got Colorado on the board early 6:40 into the game with his first goal of the season. Nichushkin made it 2-0 at 12:40 when he deflected a shot by Toews but Carrick deflected Radko Gudas’ shot at 19:27 of the first to make it 2-1. It was just the second shot on goal for Anaheim.“It was a great point shot from Gudas,” Carrick said. “We know he can shoot the puck and I got my stick on it.”Colorado was without defenseman Josh Manson for the second straight game due to an upper-body injury but Cogliano, who missed two straight games with an upper-body injury, returned and scored his first of the season.“A lot of goals, a lot of guys got on the board tonight,” Cogliano said. “Defensively we did a good job.”Cale Makar had three assists and Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Johnson had two assist each for the Avalanche. Colorado was shutout in three straight road games before winning 5-1 at Seattle on Monday night. That came after getting blown out 8-2 at home to St. Louis on Saturday night. The Avalanche“I don’t know if I’ve been on a team where we don’t score three road games in a row,” Makar said.UP NEXTDucks: Host Florida on Friday night.Avalanche: At Dallas on Saturday night.

Kirivanta, Cogliano score 21 seconds apart, Avalanche beat Ducks 8-2

The 12th-ranked Nebraska&nbsp;Kearney&nbsp;volleyball team has placed seven players on the&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaa.com/news/2023/11/15/womens-volleyball-2023-all-miaa-volleyball-awards-announced.aspx" target="_blank">2023 All-MIAA squad.</a>The league's head coaches vote on the makeup of the team and cannot vote for their own players.Super senior outside&nbsp;Emersen Cyza&nbsp;(Alliance) earns her third straight first-team honor with graduate right-side&nbsp;Jaden Ferguson&nbsp;(Lincoln SW) and&nbsp;redshirt&nbsp;sophomore setter&nbsp;Peyton Neff&nbsp;(North Platte) now two-time first-team selections.Next, freshman middle&nbsp;Mia Berg&nbsp;(Eureka, Mo.) and&nbsp;redshirt&nbsp;junior&nbsp;Lauren Taubenheim&nbsp;(Lincoln Pius) earned second-team accolades.&nbsp;Taubenheim&nbsp;joins&nbsp;Cyza&nbsp;and Ferguson as three-time&nbsp;All-MIAA&nbsp;selections. Finally, redshirt junior defensive specialist&nbsp;Jensen Rowse&nbsp;(Minden) and junior outside&nbsp;Asha Regier&nbsp;(Newton, Kan.) received honorable mention. Rowse makes the All-MIAA team for a second straight fall with this being Regier's first honor.Spending the past four falls at Northwest Missouri State, Ferguson was one of one five unanimous first-team picks. She provides an all-around game to the tune of 2.88 kills, 2.99 digs, 0.7 blocks, 0.3 aces and 0.3 assists per set while hitting .282. Ferguson also is one of UNK's top passers, posting a serve receive percentage of .959.

Recently reaching 1,000-career kills, Ferguson has had eight doubles doubles to date and leads UNK in kills, kills per set, aces (32), points (354.5) and is tied for first in solo blocks (12).Cyza&nbsp;is up to 1,277 career kills as she ranks second on the team in the category (3.02) while appearing in 91 of a possible 98 sets. Also providing 92 digs, 29 blocks and 21 aces,&nbsp;Cyza&nbsp;had had a double digit kill total in 15 matches so far including the last five.Giving Ferguson and Cyza the ball is Neff who is one of two setters on the first-team. The only Loper to have appeared in all 99 sets, she enters the MIAA Tournament at 11.4 assists, 2.3 digs, 0.8 kills, 0.6 blocks and 0.3 aces per set while hitting a team-best .323. Neff guides and offense that is hitting .274 and totals just over 14 kills per set. Finally, she is third on the team in aces (27) and fourth in overall digs.Berg is one of the league's top first-year players, averaging 2.1 kills and a team-best 1.02 blocks per set and hitting a solid .291. She has had six matches with a double digit kill total and leads UNK in blocks (89), block assists (77) and solo stuffs (12). In the backrow, Taubenheim is up to 3.82 digs per set while maintaining a .965 serve receive percentage. Closing in on 1,000 career kills (929), she also has 29 assists and 13 aces.Rowse (1,022) already has 1k in digs thanks to having 230 (2.35) this year. Appearing in 98 sets, she has served up 28 aces and ranks second on the squad in assists with 52. Finally, Regier has had a solid year on the outside. She is at 2.82 kills per set and hitting .288 and has reached a double digit kill total 11 times. Regier also has 59 digs, 28 blocks, and seven assists.UNK (26-4) is the third seed in this year's eight-team MIAA Tournament held in the St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Arena. The Lopers face Northwest Missouri State in Thursday's second match of the day, likely at 2:30 p.m.

Story by UNK Athletic CommunicationsThe 12th-ranked Nebraska&nbsp;Kearney&nbsp;volleyball team has placed seven players on the&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaa.com/news/2023/11/15/womens-volleyball-2023-all-miaa-volleyball-awards-announced.aspx" target="_blank">2023 All-MIAA squad.</a>The league's head coaches vote on the makeup of the team and cannot vote for their own players.Super senior outside&nbsp;Emersen Cyza&nbsp;(Alliance) earns her third straight first-team honor with graduate right-side&nbsp;Jaden Ferguson&nbsp;(Lincoln SW) and&nbsp;redshirt&nbsp;sophomore setter&nbsp;Peyton Neff&nbsp;(North Platte) now two-time first-team selections.Next, freshman middle&nbsp;Mia Berg&nbsp;(Eureka, Mo.) and&nbsp;redshirt&nbsp;junior&nbsp;Lauren Taubenheim&nbsp;(Lincoln Pius) earned second-team accolades.&nbsp;Taubenheim&nbsp;joins&nbsp;Cyza&nbsp;and Ferguson as three-time&nbsp;All-MIAA&nbsp;selections. Finally, redshirt junior defensive specialist&nbsp;Jensen Rowse&nbsp;(Minden) and junior outside&nbsp;Asha Regier&nbsp;(Newton, Kan.) received honorable mention. Rowse makes the All-MIAA team for a second straight fall with this being Regier's first honor.Spending the past four falls at Northwest Missouri State, Ferguson was one of one five unanimous first-team picks. She provides an all-around game to the tune of 2.88 kills, 2.99 digs, 0.7 blocks, 0.3 aces and 0.3 assists per set while hitting .282. Ferguson also is one of UNK's top passers, posting a serve receive percentage of .959.Recently reaching 1,000-career kills, Ferguson has had eight doubles doubles to date and leads UNK in kills, kills per set, aces (32), points (354.5) and is tied for first in solo blocks (12).Cyza&nbsp;is up to 1,277 career kills as she ranks second on the team in the category (3.02) while appearing in 91 of a possible 98 sets. Also providing 92 digs, 29 blocks and 21 aces,&nbsp;Cyza&nbsp;had had a double digit kill total in 15 matches so far including the last five.Giving Ferguson and Cyza the ball is Neff who is one of two setters on the first-team. The only Loper to have appeared in all 99 sets, she enters the MIAA Tournament at 11.4 assists, 2.3 digs, 0.8 kills, 0.6 blocks and 0.3 aces per set while hitting a team-best .323. Neff guides and offense that is hitting .274 and totals just over 14 kills per set. Finally, she is third on the team in aces (27) and fourth in overall digs.Berg is one of the league's top first-year players, averaging 2.1 kills and a team-best 1.02 blocks per set and hitting a solid .291. She has had six matches with a double digit kill total and leads UNK in blocks (89), block assists (77) and solo stuffs (12). In the backrow, Taubenheim is up to 3.82 digs per set while maintaining a .965 serve receive percentage. Closing in on 1,000 career kills (929), she also has 29 assists and 13 aces.Rowse (1,022) already has 1k in digs thanks to having 230 (2.35) this year. Appearing in 98 sets, she has served up 28 aces and ranks second on the squad in assists with 52. Finally, Regier has had a solid year on the outside. She is at 2.82 kills per set and hitting .288 and has reached a double digit kill total 11 times. Regier also has 59 digs, 28 blocks, and seven assists.UNK (26-4) is the third seed in this year's eight-team MIAA Tournament held in the St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Arena. The Lopers face Northwest Missouri State in Thursday's second match of the day, likely at 2:30 p.m.

Ferguson a unanimous First-Team Selection; Lopers Vs. ‘Cats Tomorrow

*-Nebraska improves to 4-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season.*-Juwan Gary led Nebraska with 19 points, matching his collegiate career high. He also had 19 points against Houston (12/11/21) and at Florida (1/5/22) when he was at Alabama. Gary’s previous high at Nebraska was 18 at Minnesota (1/7/22), his final full game before his season-ending shoulder injury.

*-Gary becomes the fourth different Husker to lead NU in scoring this year.

*-With Gary and Keisei Tominaga (16 points) tonight, NU has had eight players reach double figures in the first four contests.*-Rienk Mast reached double figures with 14 points and tied his career high with five assists. He had five assists three previous times at Bradley). His five assists are the most for any Husker in 2023-24. As a team, NU tied its season high with 19 assists.

*-Brice Williams posted season bests in points (17), rebounds (nine) and assists (four), as his four assists tied a career high.*-Nebraska shot a season-high 55 percent, including 65.5 percent in the second half. It is the first time NU shot 50 percent or better this season.*-Nebraska held Stony Brook to 37.9 percent shooting, the fourth straight opponent under 40 percent.*-Nebraska out-rebounded Stony Brook, 45-28, and had three straight games with at least 10 more rebounds than its opponent.

“It’s great to have Juwan Gary back on the floor. He just brings so much. He has every intangible you can bring to a team when he goes on the floor. You saw I think how much he has been working on his shot. Even the two&nbsp;(3-point attempts)&nbsp;that he missed were right there. It was good to see him make those couple. It really helped us extend the lead. But he did what he always does. Extra possessions, rebounding all well. Defended at a high level. He can play multiple positions. He can play one through five. Just showed his versatility on that end of the floor. It’s great to have him back. Got a full roster pretty much right now with the exception of a couple guys right now. Juwan back on the court makes a big difference for our team.”

On Juwan Gary’s energy spreading throughout the team

“It really does. When you have a group of guys out there like we have with Josiah (Allick), Rienk (Mast) with Juwan (Gary) with Jamarques (Lawrence) with Sam (Hoiberg). There is a lot of guys that go out there with a ton of energy. Keisei (Tominaga). C.J. (Wilcher). It’s a fun team to coach because they bring it every day. It’s not just these 40 minutes between the lines on game night. These guys bring it in practice every day. For Juwan to go out there in his first opportunity this year and really not skip a beat and not really having a lot of rust it was great to see. He had a good little flash there that got us a couple baskets against the zone which slowed us down a little bit, but I really liked our offense in the second half. First half I thought he executed well. Took some good open shots but I really liked our pace in the half court in the second half. Love Brice’s (Williams) aggressiveness. It was good to see him really get it going. I think he had 16 of 17 in the second half and also led us in rebounding tonight. So that was a great sign. To see Brice get off like that and then Jamarques I think was terrific all night as well. It really set the table for our guys. It was good to see a lot of guys contribute and have good nights for us.”

On when the switch flipped in the second half

“I thought we were trading baskets, obviously, in the first seven minutes or so, and I think I called a timeout with about 12 minutes left and we went on a nice little run. I think we got it up to 14 or 15, then they cut it back to seven. They hit some tough shots, I give them credit for continuing to play. They had some bombs out there, contested ones. We just kept going, especially after that timeout. I think they were 4-for-13 after that timeout at the 12-minute mark&nbsp;(until the under-4 media timeout). I think our guys continued to play well offensively. I thought we shared it really well in the second half. Our second halves for whatever reason, offensively, haven’t been very good up to this point, but it was fun to see that movement. We had some really good reads, curled the big when they were chasing. Reink hit Brice for the dunk, and it’s something we can build off on the offensive end. I thought we were much better tonight overall.”&nbsp;

“The last three teams we’ve played, we’ve outrebounded them by 20, 13 and 17. If we can continue to rebound at a high clip like that we’re going to have the chance to win a lot of games. It was Josiah, Rienk and Juwan out there for a stretch, and then you throw Brice out there with that group, you got a great size across the board and four guys who can go out and help get extra possessions. Josiah’s energy, even though he didn’t make a shot tonight, obviously Jo still has a big impact on the game.”

Nebraska Guard&nbsp;Brice Williams

On what’s holding them back from putting two halves together

“We haven’t really been all healthy this year, Keisei (Tominaga), Juwan (Gary), Reink (Mast), Josiah (Allick), so with all of these new pieces we’re learning something new. We’re learning how to execute in a new facet. It’s early, so this is where you have those little miscues, and then, when we get into the conference, that’s when it’ll start clicking, and you’ll start seeing us at our full form.”

“Juwan’s just all-around aggressive. He’s a big force out there. He’s going to be relentless on the glass. His energy is really contagious, and I didn’t really know that, but I learn more and more in practice and every game, but his energy out there really lifted us up. He showed us what we were missing when he was out.”

On hitting two threes early in the second half&nbsp;after NU went 3-of-17 from 3-point range in the first half

“It was big. I hadn’t really been seeing the ball go through, which is fine. I’m fine facilitating and letting my team succeed, but it was really big for my confidence at that point in the game. In the second half, we came out and jumped on them.”

On defending Nebraska from behind the arc in the first half

“It was the same thing that we were trying to focus on in the second half, and we didn’t do it very well there. You always get a little lucky when somebody shoots 3-for-17 from three, you’re going to miss some open ones, and I thought they did miss some open ones. They run good stuff, obviously he’s (Fred Hoiberg) a great coach. He’s got an offensive background, and he’s still the best player in the gym. You got to give them credit where it’s due. I thought we did a good job in the first half defensively, but on offense, we were horrible. Now it’s just been the theme of our year, and we’ve done this three times now. Then we came out in the second half, and we kind of solved the offensive issues, but defensively we can’t stop anybody. Our team has got to get better at that and got to learn from these games and they’ve got guys that I thought their size bothered us. They drove us to six feet and just jumped over us and made little bank shots. There was a clear difference in size and strength and athleticism when they were driving the ball, and I know they’re a good Big Ten team and that’s probably what it’s supposed to do, but it didn’t look good to me I can tell you that.”

“Luckily we were able to get him to stay aggressive. He started 1-for-7, but we just need him to stay aggressive and shoot. He’s an elite shooter. He had some really good looks in the first half that he missed. Then he made some really hard shots in the second half. He’s a freshman. He’s going to get better and better. He’s a good kid. He works hard, and we need him to continue to improve because it’s a long year, and we’re going to need him when we get to conference play.”

On how the team handled the Power 5 environment

“The student section was great. They were behind the bench, and they were into the game and yelling and all kinds of stuff, and that’s great. But that’s what it is supposed to be, right? This is clearly a community where they live and die with football, spring football, football recruiting, basketball, and volleyball too, so it’s a great sports community, but the crowd was great.”

On expectations for the upcoming season

“We feel like we’ve got a better team than what we had last year, and we like our group a lot. We are a little guard heavy, so we take a lot of perimeter jumpers. We aren’t really blessed with a lot of slashers so we’ve got to make threes. I think we’ll get better offensively in terms of rhythm, and understanding and timing, but right now, it’s hard for me to think about anything other than our defense.”

Story by NU Athletic Communications<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/mOtAUk1e-Qhb3tgnY.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Hoiberg Prsr 11-15" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Game Notes:*-Nebraska improves to 4-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season.*-Juwan Gary led Nebraska with 19 points, matching his collegiate career high. He also had 19 points against Houston (12/11/21) and at Florida (1/5/22) when he was at Alabama. Gary’s previous high at Nebraska was 18 at Minnesota (1/7/22), his final full game before his season-ending shoulder injury.*-Gary becomes the fourth different Husker to lead NU in scoring this year.*-With Gary and Keisei Tominaga (16 points) tonight, NU has had eight players reach double figures in the first four contests.*-Rienk Mast reached double figures with 14 points and tied his career high with five assists. He had five assists three previous times at Bradley). His five assists are the most for any Husker in 2023-24. As a team, NU tied its season high with 19 assists.*-Brice Williams posted season bests in points (17), rebounds (nine) and assists (four), as his four assists tied a career high.*-Nebraska shot a season-high 55 percent, including 65.5 percent in the second half. It is the first time NU shot 50 percent or better this season.*-Nebraska held Stony Brook to 37.9 percent shooting, the fourth straight opponent under 40 percent.*-Nebraska out-rebounded Stony Brook, 45-28, and had three straight games with at least 10 more rebounds than its opponent.Nebraska Coach Fred HoibergOn having Juwan Gary back“It’s great to have Juwan Gary back on the floor. He just brings so much. He has every intangible you can bring to a team when he goes on the floor. You saw I think how much he has been working on his shot. Even the two&nbsp;(3-point attempts)&nbsp;that he missed were right there. It was good to see him make those couple. It really helped us extend the lead. But he did what he always does. Extra possessions, rebounding all well. Defended at a high level. He can play multiple positions. He can play one through five. Just showed his versatility on that end of the floor. It’s great to have him back. Got a full roster pretty much right now with the exception of a couple guys right now. Juwan back on the court makes a big difference for our team.”On Juwan Gary’s energy spreading throughout the team“It really does. When you have a group of guys out there like we have with Josiah (Allick), Rienk (Mast) with Juwan (Gary) with Jamarques (Lawrence) with Sam (Hoiberg). There is a lot of guys that go out there with a ton of energy. Keisei (Tominaga). C.J. (Wilcher). It’s a fun team to coach because they bring it every day. It’s not just these 40 minutes between the lines on game night. These guys bring it in practice every day. For Juwan to go out there in his first opportunity this year and really not skip a beat and not really having a lot of rust it was great to see. He had a good little flash there that got us a couple baskets against the zone which slowed us down a little bit, but I really liked our offense in the second half. First half I thought he executed well. Took some good open shots but I really liked our pace in the half court in the second half. Love Brice’s (Williams) aggressiveness. It was good to see him really get it going. I think he had 16 of 17 in the second half and also led us in rebounding tonight. So that was a great sign. To see Brice get off like that and then Jamarques I think was terrific all night as well. It really set the table for our guys. It was good to see a lot of guys contribute and have good nights for us.”On when the switch flipped in the second half“I thought we were trading baskets, obviously, in the first seven minutes or so, and I think I called a timeout with about 12 minutes left and we went on a nice little run. I think we got it up to 14 or 15, then they cut it back to seven. They hit some tough shots, I give them credit for continuing to play. They had some bombs out there, contested ones. We just kept going, especially after that timeout. I think they were 4-for-13 after that timeout at the 12-minute mark&nbsp;(until the under-4 media timeout). I think our guys continued to play well offensively. I thought we shared it really well in the second half. Our second halves for whatever reason, offensively, haven’t been very good up to this point, but it was fun to see that movement. We had some really good reads, curled the big when they were chasing. Reink hit Brice for the dunk, and it’s something we can build off on the offensive end. I thought we were much better tonight overall.”&nbsp;On rebounding“The last three teams we’ve played, we’ve outrebounded them by 20, 13 and 17. If we can continue to rebound at a high clip like that we’re going to have the chance to win a lot of games. It was Josiah, Rienk and Juwan out there for a stretch, and then you throw Brice out there with that group, you got a great size across the board and four guys who can go out and help get extra possessions. Josiah’s energy, even though he didn’t make a shot tonight, obviously Jo still has a big impact on the game.”Nebraska Guard&nbsp;Brice WilliamsOn what’s holding them back from putting two halves together“We haven’t really been all healthy this year, Keisei (Tominaga), Juwan (Gary), Reink (Mast), Josiah (Allick), so with all of these new pieces we’re learning something new. We’re learning how to execute in a new facet. It’s early, so this is where you have those little miscues, and then, when we get into the conference, that’s when it’ll start clicking, and you’ll start seeing us at our full form.”On Juwan Gary’s impact“Juwan’s just all-around aggressive. He’s a big force out there. He’s going to be relentless on the glass. His energy is really contagious, and I didn’t really know that, but I learn more and more in practice and every game, but his energy out there really lifted us up. He showed us what we were missing when he was out.”On hitting two threes early in the second half&nbsp;after NU went 3-of-17 from 3-point range in the first half“It was big. I hadn’t really been seeing the ball go through, which is fine. I’m fine facilitating and letting my team succeed, but it was really big for my confidence at that point in the game. In the second half, we came out and jumped on them.”Stony Brook Coach Geno FordOn defending Nebraska from behind the arc in the first half“It was the same thing that we were trying to focus on in the second half, and we didn’t do it very well there. You always get a little lucky when somebody shoots 3-for-17 from three, you’re going to miss some open ones, and I thought they did miss some open ones. They run good stuff, obviously he’s (Fred Hoiberg) a great coach. He’s got an offensive background, and he’s still the best player in the gym. You got to give them credit where it’s due. I thought we did a good job in the first half defensively, but on offense, we were horrible. Now it’s just been the theme of our year, and we’ve done this three times now. Then we came out in the second half, and we kind of solved the offensive issues, but defensively we can’t stop anybody. Our team has got to get better at that and got to learn from these games and they’ve got guys that I thought their size bothered us. They drove us to six feet and just jumped over us and made little bank shots. There was a clear difference in size and strength and athleticism when they were driving the ball, and I know they’re a good Big Ten team and that’s probably what it’s supposed to do, but it didn’t look good to me I can tell you that.”On what Jared Frey did well“Luckily we were able to get him to stay aggressive. He started 1-for-7, but we just need him to stay aggressive and shoot. He’s an elite shooter. He had some really good looks in the first half that he missed. Then he made some really hard shots in the second half. He’s a freshman. He’s going to get better and better. He’s a good kid. He works hard, and we need him to continue to improve because it’s a long year, and we’re going to need him when we get to conference play.”On how the team handled the Power 5 environment“The student section was great. They were behind the bench, and they were into the game and yelling and all kinds of stuff, and that’s great. But that’s what it is supposed to be, right? This is clearly a community where they live and die with football, spring football, football recruiting, basketball, and volleyball too, so it’s a great sports community, but the crowd was great.”On expectations for the upcoming season“We feel like we’ve got a better team than what we had last year, and we like our group a lot. We are a little guard heavy, so we take a lot of perimeter jumpers. We aren’t really blessed with a lot of slashers so we’ve got to make threes. I think we’ll get better offensively in terms of rhythm, and understanding and timing, but right now, it’s hard for me to think about anything other than our defense.”

Nebraska MBB: Postgame notes/quotes vs. Stony Brook

After a thrilling victory over South Dakota State last Friday in the NCAA First Round, the five-seeded Nebraska soccer team (15-3-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten) will host Tennessee in NCAA Second Round action on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). The weekend regional begins with eighth-seeded Gonzaga battling UC Irvine at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday at Hibner Stadium.&nbsp;

The matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on Huskers.com.&nbsp;Last Time OutSadie Waite and Sarah Weber netted two goals in the Huskers’ 5-2 win against South Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament in front of 2,044 fans on Friday night, which is the second-largest crowd to ever see a match at Barbara Hibner Stadium.

Up NextThe winner of the second round matches will square off on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. (CT) in the third-round match at Hibner Stadium.

Individual Milestones and Records to Watch

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsAfter a thrilling victory over South Dakota State last Friday in the NCAA First Round, the five-seeded Nebraska soccer team (15-3-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten) will host Tennessee in NCAA Second Round action on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). The weekend regional begins with eighth-seeded Gonzaga battling UC Irvine at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday at Hibner Stadium.&nbsp;The matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on Huskers.com.&nbsp;Last Time OutSadie Waite and Sarah Weber netted two goals in the Huskers’ 5-2 win against South Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament in front of 2,044 fans on Friday night, which is the second-largest crowd to ever see a match at Barbara Hibner Stadium.Up NextThe winner of the second round matches will square off on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. (CT) in the third-round match at Hibner Stadium.Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament History<ul>
 <li>Nebraska is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and first since 2016 when the Huskers also hosted SDSU in the first round.</li><li>Nebraska holds a 18-12 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament.</li><li>NU has made it to the Sweet 16 on eight occasions and twice advanced to the Elite Eight.</li><li>Nebraska made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1996, which began a span of 10 consecutive appearances through the 2005 season. NU’s 12th appearance was in 2016.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>Individual Milestones and Records to Watch<ul>
 <li>Senior Eleanor Dale earned four Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors this season (second-most in Big Ten history), and she became the first Nebraska women’s soccer player to claim Big Ten Forward-of-the-Year honors. She leads the country in total goals (26), game-winning goals (8), goals per game (1.24) and shots per game (5.86), while also leading the conference in shots (123), shots on goal (63) and points (57). Dale’s total goals are tied for third in Big Ten history only behind 32 in 2005 and 31 in 2011.</li><li>Dale, who has tallied 10 braces this season, is second on Nebraska’s season goal scored list. She trails only Kim Engesser, who scored 27 goals in 1998. Additionally, she is tied for first in the Huskers record books in game-winning goals and her total shots this season place her at the top of the list. &nbsp;</li><li>Gretna’s Weber joins Dale as a first-team All-Big Ten honoree as Weber captured her second-straight first-team All-Big Ten status. She ranks second in the conference in shots (90), points (34), shots on goal (38) and goals (14). Nationally, Weber is seventh in shots per game (4.50), tied for ninth in total points and 10th in goals.</li><li>Junior midfielder Florence Belzile, a three-time member of the Top Drawer Soccer team, has a team-high 17 assists on the season, good for first in the conference and second nationally. In Big Ten history, she is currently tied for second-most in history only behind Jennifer Walek, Minnesota (1995) and Christie Walsh, Penn State (2001) who both had 18. In the Husker record books, her assists on the season place her tied for second with Husker great Jenny Benson (1999) and is four out of first (Brittany Timko, 2005).&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>

Huskers welcome Tennessee in NCAA Second Round

Juwan Gary matched his career high with 19 points as Nebraska shot 66 percent in the second half en route to an 84-53 win over Stony Brook Wednesday night.&nbsp;

Gary, who missed NU’s first four contests, hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor and added seven rebounds, as the Huskers improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season.&nbsp;

Brice Williams scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half and added a game-high nine rebounds, as Nebraska enjoyed a 45-28 advantage on the glass. Williams scored six of his points in a 13-2 Husker spurt after Stony Brook pulled to within 64-54 with 8:30 remaining.&nbsp;

Keisei Tominaga and Rienk Mast added 16 and 14 points, respectively, as the Huskers cracked the 80-point plateau for the third time in four games.&nbsp;

Leading 36-28 at the break, the Huskers hit eight of its first 10 shots from the field in the second half to pushed the margin to 53-51 after a C.J. Wilcher basket. The Seawolves responded with a 7-0 run of its own to get within 56-49 and forced a Husker timeout. 

The Seawolves were within 59-52, but the Huskers took control with a 13-2 spurt to build a 72-54 lead after a Jamarques Lawrence basket with 6:37 left. &nbsp;

After a back-and-forth opening few minutes, Keisei Tominaga scored eight points in a row for the Huskers to take a 13-9 lead with 13:12 to go in the first half. The teams were then tied at 21 with a little over six minutes to go before NU went on a 6-1 scoring run powered by a pair of layups by Mast, who had 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half.&nbsp;

Nebraska led 31-28 with under a minute left in the half before Mast closed the half on a personal 5-0 run to close the half, hitting a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining to send NU to the locker room with its largest lead of the half at 36-28.

The Huskers hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, Nov. 18 to take on Oregon State. The game is set for 3 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on Peacock. To subscribe, visit Huskers.com/watch&nbsp;&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsJuwan Gary matched his career high with 19 points as Nebraska shot 66 percent in the second half en route to an 84-53 win over Stony Brook Wednesday night.&nbsp;Gary, who missed NU’s first four contests, hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor and added seven rebounds, as the Huskers improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season.&nbsp;Brice Williams scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half and added a game-high nine rebounds, as Nebraska enjoyed a 45-28 advantage on the glass. Williams scored six of his points in a 13-2 Husker spurt after Stony Brook pulled to within 64-54 with 8:30 remaining.&nbsp;Keisei Tominaga and Rienk Mast added 16 and 14 points, respectively, as the Huskers cracked the 80-point plateau for the third time in four games.&nbsp;Leading 36-28 at the break, the Huskers hit eight of its first 10 shots from the field in the second half to pushed the margin to 53-51 after a C.J. Wilcher basket. The Seawolves responded with a 7-0 run of its own to get within 56-49 and forced a Husker timeout. The Seawolves were within 59-52, but the Huskers took control with a 13-2 spurt to build a 72-54 lead after a Jamarques Lawrence basket with 6:37 left. &nbsp;After a back-and-forth opening few minutes, Keisei Tominaga scored eight points in a row for the Huskers to take a 13-9 lead with 13:12 to go in the first half. The teams were then tied at 21 with a little over six minutes to go before NU went on a 6-1 scoring run powered by a pair of layups by Mast, who had 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half.&nbsp;Nebraska led 31-28 with under a minute left in the half before Mast closed the half on a personal 5-0 run to close the half, hitting a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining to send NU to the locker room with its largest lead of the half at 36-28.The Huskers hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, Nov. 18 to take on Oregon State. The game is set for 3 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on Peacock. To subscribe, visit Huskers.com/watch&nbsp;&nbsp;

Huskers shoot past Seawolves

Story by NPCC Athletic Communications

North Platte, Neb. – Samantha Riggles had a career high 28 points and 11 rebounds in a dominating 94-39 win over Hastings College JV on Wednesday night at the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.

Riggles tallied 15 of her 28 points in the second half for her second straight double-double. North Platte finished the night with five players in double figures, as all active players contributed to the overall point total.

The Knights quickly jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the opening 2:44 of the first quarter. The lead ballooned to 24-7, before the Broncos cut the lead to 13 at the end of the opening ten minutes.

The Knights defense stiffened up in the second quarter, as they only allowed two field goals for the duration of the period. A 12-0 run to open the quarter was briefly halted by a Hastings bucket, before an 8-2 spurt gave North Platte the 46-16 lead at the break.&nbsp;

North Platte continued to roll in the second half as the lead drifted to 52-18 on a layup by Reece Halley. The Knights continued to apply the defensive pressure and were rewarded with 22 points off of turnovers in the second half, as they cruised to the victory at home.

North Platte finished the night shooting 40 percent (34-85) from the field and 31.3 percent (5-16) from beyond the arc. The Knights won the rebounding battle, 70-38, while holding the Broncos to just 20.3 percent shooting from the floor.

The Knights (5-2) will return to the hardwood on Saturday in Norfolk, Neb. Tip is set for 2 p.m. against the Hawks of Northeast Community College.

Story by NPCC Athletic CommunicationsNorth Platte, Neb. – Samantha Riggles had a career high 28 points and 11 rebounds in a dominating 94-39 win over Hastings College JV on Wednesday night at the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.Riggles tallied 15 of her 28 points in the second half for her second straight double-double. North Platte finished the night with five players in double figures, as all active players contributed to the overall point total.The Knights quickly jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the opening 2:44 of the first quarter. The lead ballooned to 24-7, before the Broncos cut the lead to 13 at the end of the opening ten minutes.The Knights defense stiffened up in the second quarter, as they only allowed two field goals for the duration of the period. A 12-0 run to open the quarter was briefly halted by a Hastings bucket, before an 8-2 spurt gave North Platte the 46-16 lead at the break.&nbsp;North Platte continued to roll in the second half as the lead drifted to 52-18 on a layup by Reece Halley. The Knights continued to apply the defensive pressure and were rewarded with 22 points off of turnovers in the second half, as they cruised to the victory at home.North Platte finished the night shooting 40 percent (34-85) from the field and 31.3 percent (5-16) from beyond the arc. The Knights won the rebounding battle, 70-38, while holding the Broncos to just 20.3 percent shooting from the floor.The Knights (5-2) will return to the hardwood on Saturday in Norfolk, Neb. Tip is set for 2 p.m. against the Hawks of Northeast Community College.

Knights dominate Broncos in midweek matchup

Post Sports Director Paxton Gordon chatted with former Husker volleyball player, current Omaha Supernovas Team Ambassador/Assistant Director of Fan Engagement Kenzie Maloney about the Supernovas and her role with the organization.&nbsp;

NORTH PLATTE - The Omaha Supernovas are the first ever professional volleyball team in the state of Nebraska and gearing up for their first season in a brand-new professional volleyball league, the Pro Volleyball Federation. The league consists of 8 teams and the league plays a 24-game regular season. Omaha will host 12 matches at the CHI Health Center. The league's first ever match will take place at CHI Health Center on January 24th, 2024, between the Supernovas and the Atlanta Vibe at 7pm.&nbsp;

Maloney is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and spent 4 years when the Nebraska Volleyball team. During her time in Nebraska, she was a two-time national champion with the Huskers. Maloney was a four-year standout at both Libro and Defensive Specialist. She was an AVCA All-America Third Team member after her senior season in 2018.&nbsp;

For the Supernovas, Maloney is the Assistant Director of Fan Engagement for the Supernovas but also one of three Team Ambassadors alongside former Husker, Kenzie Knuckles and former Creighton Bluejay,&nbsp; Jaela Zimmerman. As a Team Ambassador, Maloney puts it&nbsp;hand in hand with her current position of Assistant Director of Fan Engagement. "It's viewed as a fan engagement position, so we (team ambassadors) do a good job of spreading the word of the Pro Volleyball Federation and letting people know what it is, where they can find tickets, where they can get involved," said Kenzie Maloney.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you would like to learn a more In-depth of the Omaha Supernovas and more about Maloney's role with the team, check out the podcast above. To learn more information about the Omaha Supernovas, <a href="https://supernovas.com/">click here.</a>&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655346441244.png" alt="<a href="https://www.npkubota.com/">Post Podcast Sponsored By North Platte Kubota</a>" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://www.npkubota.com/">Post Podcast Sponsored By North Platte Kubota</a></figcaption>
 </figure>Post Sports Director Paxton Gordon chatted with former Husker volleyball player, current Omaha Supernovas Team Ambassador/Assistant Director of Fan Engagement Kenzie Maloney about the Supernovas and her role with the organization.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="(Audio) Omaha Supernovas - Kenzie Maloney" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=q9jxb-14f9da2-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=1&fonts=Times%20New%20Roman&skin=1b1b1b&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>NORTH PLATTE - The Omaha Supernovas are the first ever professional volleyball team in the state of Nebraska and gearing up for their first season in a brand-new professional volleyball league, the Pro Volleyball Federation. The league consists of 8 teams and the league plays a 24-game regular season. Omaha will host 12 matches at the CHI Health Center. The league's first ever match will take place at CHI Health Center on January 24th, 2024, between the Supernovas and the Atlanta Vibe at 7pm.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699911543262.jpeg" alt="Left to Right. Kenzie Maloney, Jaela Zimmerman, Kenzie Knuckles. Photo provided by the Omaha Supernovas." />
 <figcaption>Left to Right. Kenzie Maloney, Jaela Zimmerman, Kenzie Knuckles. Photo provided by the Omaha Supernovas.</figcaption>
 </figure>Maloney is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and spent 4 years when the Nebraska Volleyball team. During her time in Nebraska, she was a two-time national champion with the Huskers. Maloney was a four-year standout at both Libro and Defensive Specialist. She was an AVCA All-America Third Team member after her senior season in 2018.&nbsp;For the Supernovas, Maloney is the Assistant Director of Fan Engagement for the Supernovas but also one of three Team Ambassadors alongside former Husker, Kenzie Knuckles and former Creighton Bluejay,&nbsp; Jaela Zimmerman. As a Team Ambassador, Maloney puts it&nbsp;hand in hand with her current position of Assistant Director of Fan Engagement. "It's viewed as a fan engagement position, so we (team ambassadors) do a good job of spreading the word of the Pro Volleyball Federation and letting people know what it is, where they can find tickets, where they can get involved," said Kenzie Maloney.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you would like to learn a more In-depth of the Omaha Supernovas and more about Maloney's role with the team, check out the podcast above. To learn more information about the Omaha Supernovas, <a href="https://supernovas.com/">click here.</a>&nbsp;

(Audio) Omaha Supernovas - Kenzie Maloney

Lincoln&nbsp;- Alexis Markowski scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Nebraska to a 79-32 women's basketball win over Alcorn State on Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Markowski hit 6-of-11 shots from the field and 8-of-10 free throws to post Nebraska's first individual 20-point performance of the season. Her strong play inside helped the Big Red improve to 3-0, while Alcorn State slipped to 0-2.

Callin Hake added a strong offensive performance with a season-high 14 points to go along with a career-high seven rebounds, while pitching in three steals and two assists. Hake stepped up early in the game after starting guard Jaz Shelley left with a lower leg injury less than three minutes into the contest.&nbsp;

Freshman guard Logan Nissley added the first double-figure scoring effort of her college career with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers to bolster the Big Red backcourt.

All nine Huskers who played in the game scored at least three points.&nbsp;

While Nebraska's offense was fairly efficient, its defense was suffocating from start to finish. The Huskers used back-to-back 16-0 runs in the first half to build a 49-15 first-half lead. In fact, the Huskers held the Lady Braves without a field goal for nearly 17 minutes from 7:26 left in the first quarter to 33 seconds left in the half, when Arene Iyekekpolor hit a three-pointer.

Nebraska continued to play solid defense in the second half, holding the Lady Braves to 17 points in the final 20 minutes. The 32 points allowed tied for the eighth fewest surrendered in Husker history and the lowest total in Amy Williams' eight seasons as NU's head coach.

The Huskers finished at 49 percent (24-49) from the field and 31.6 percent (6-19) from long range while hitting 25-of-36 free throw attempts and forcing 31 personal fouls on Alcorn State. Nebraska out-rebounded ASU, 52-31. Alcorn State closed at 19.7 percent (12-61), including 2-of-15 from beyond the arc (.133), while hitting just 6-of-8 free throws against a Husker team that committed just 10 fouls.

Reigning Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week Natalie Potts finished with seven points and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, while fellow freshman forward Jessica Petrie added career highs of eight points and six rebounds.&nbsp;

Kendall Coley added five points and tied a career high with seven rebounds, while adding three assists, a block and a steal. Kendall Moriarty contributed six points and three assists, while Darian White added six points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Huskers separated themselves early, closing the first quarter by outscoring the Lady Braves, 22-2. Markowski and White each pitched in six points in the big spurt. NU forced six turnovers in the first 10 minutes and put up 11 points off turnovers, ending the quarter with a 29-8 lead.

Nebraska continued its scoring streak in the second quarter, starting the period with an 18-2 surge. Markowski put up 12 first-half points, followed by Hake's seven. At the half, the Huskers had hit 55.6 percent (15-27) of its shots from the field, including 3-of-7 threes (.429) and 16-of-20 free throws, while holding ASU to just 17.2 percent (5-29), including 1-of-9 (.111) from long range. The Huskers won the first-half rebounding battle, 27-14, and were plus-three in turnovers, 10-7.

Destiny Brown led Alcorn State in scoring with nine points, while Nakia Cheatham grabbed nine rebounds.&nbsp;

Nebraska returns home on Sunday, Nov. 19 to battle Creighton at 1 p.m (CT). Tickets are on sale now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and radio coverage will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsLincoln&nbsp;- Alexis Markowski scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Nebraska to a 79-32 women's basketball win over Alcorn State on Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.Markowski hit 6-of-11 shots from the field and 8-of-10 free throws to post Nebraska's first individual 20-point performance of the season. Her strong play inside helped the Big Red improve to 3-0, while Alcorn State slipped to 0-2.Callin Hake added a strong offensive performance with a season-high 14 points to go along with a career-high seven rebounds, while pitching in three steals and two assists. Hake stepped up early in the game after starting guard Jaz Shelley left with a lower leg injury less than three minutes into the contest.&nbsp;Freshman guard Logan Nissley added the first double-figure scoring effort of her college career with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers to bolster the Big Red backcourt.All nine Huskers who played in the game scored at least three points.&nbsp;While Nebraska's offense was fairly efficient, its defense was suffocating from start to finish. The Huskers used back-to-back 16-0 runs in the first half to build a 49-15 first-half lead. In fact, the Huskers held the Lady Braves without a field goal for nearly 17 minutes from 7:26 left in the first quarter to 33 seconds left in the half, when Arene Iyekekpolor hit a three-pointer.Nebraska continued to play solid defense in the second half, holding the Lady Braves to 17 points in the final 20 minutes. The 32 points allowed tied for the eighth fewest surrendered in Husker history and the lowest total in Amy Williams' eight seasons as NU's head coach.The Huskers finished at 49 percent (24-49) from the field and 31.6 percent (6-19) from long range while hitting 25-of-36 free throw attempts and forcing 31 personal fouls on Alcorn State. Nebraska out-rebounded ASU, 52-31. Alcorn State closed at 19.7 percent (12-61), including 2-of-15 from beyond the arc (.133), while hitting just 6-of-8 free throws against a Husker team that committed just 10 fouls.Reigning Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week Natalie Potts finished with seven points and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, while fellow freshman forward Jessica Petrie added career highs of eight points and six rebounds.&nbsp;Kendall Coley added five points and tied a career high with seven rebounds, while adding three assists, a block and a steal. Kendall Moriarty contributed six points and three assists, while Darian White added six points, five rebounds and three assists.The Huskers separated themselves early, closing the first quarter by outscoring the Lady Braves, 22-2. Markowski and White each pitched in six points in the big spurt. NU forced six turnovers in the first 10 minutes and put up 11 points off turnovers, ending the quarter with a 29-8 lead.Nebraska continued its scoring streak in the second quarter, starting the period with an 18-2 surge. Markowski put up 12 first-half points, followed by Hake's seven. At the half, the Huskers had hit 55.6 percent (15-27) of its shots from the field, including 3-of-7 threes (.429) and 16-of-20 free throws, while holding ASU to just 17.2 percent (5-29), including 1-of-9 (.111) from long range. The Huskers won the first-half rebounding battle, 27-14, and were plus-three in turnovers, 10-7.Destiny Brown led Alcorn State in scoring with nine points, while Nakia Cheatham grabbed nine rebounds.&nbsp;Nebraska returns home on Sunday, Nov. 19 to battle Creighton at 1 p.m (CT). Tickets are on sale now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and radio coverage will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network.

Markowski powers Huskers past Alcorn State

University of Nebraska President Ted Carter announced today that he has granted Athletic Director Trev Alberts a new contract that will keep the Huskers’ leader in Nebraska through at least 2031.

Carter pointed to a number of major achievements in Husker Athletics since Alberts took the helm in 2021, including the historic Volleyball Day in Nebraska that broke the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event, the hiring of head football coach Matt Rhule, and a new 15-year, $300 million multimedia rights agreement with Playfly Sports that is one of the most comprehensive in the country.

Alberts is also leading the Huskers through the rapidly evolving Name, Image and Likeness landscape, is bringing the transformational Go Big project to completion, and has laid out an ambitious vision for renovation of the 100-year-old Memorial Stadium. Ten Husker teams had top-20 national finishes last year, and this year, the undefeated women’s volleyball team is currently ranked No. 1 in the country while women’s soccer will host the second and third rounds of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. Nebraska student-athletes also have earned a record 95 percent graduation rate for the second straight year.

“Today’s college athletics landscape is complex and ever-changing,” Carter said. “We need exactly the right person leading Husker Athletics forward. In Trev Alberts, we have found that leader.

“Trev is a lifelong Husker and a Nebraskan in every sense – hardworking, accountable and a man of his word. He makes every decision with our fans and student-athletes at the forefront. There is no one I would trust more to lead athletics at the University of Nebraska than Trev Alberts. I have no doubt that someone of Trev’s caliber and character would be an attractive candidate anywhere, but I am thrilled to tell Husker Nation that Trev is here to stay.”

Alberts said: “My family and I are humbled by the confidence that President Carter and the Board of Regents have placed in me. It is an incredible honor and privilege to serve as the Director of Athletics at Nebraska and it is a role I don’t take for granted. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff have accomplished so much in the past two years. We have great momentum in Husker Athletics and we are excited for what is ahead. Go Big Red!”

Carter said he structured Alberts’ new contract based on a thorough review of compensation packages for other Big Ten athletic directors, with a goal of keeping Nebraska highly competitive in the market and retaining Alberts for the long term. The new contract includes:

Alberts’ new contract, like his existing one, will be funded entirely with Athletic Department funds. No taxpayer or tuition dollars will be used. Nebraska’s is one of few athletic departments in the country to operate without a university subsidy.

Board of Regents Chairman Tim Clare of Lincoln applauded the new contract, saying: “Trev Alberts has spent the past two years rebuilding a culture of excellence and accountability at Nebraska Athletics. That’s why I’m so excited about this new contract. This ensures that Trev will be here for the long term, instilling excellence and accountability across the entire Athletic Department.

“Leadership matters, plain and simple. Trev is competitive, he wants to win and he bleeds Husker Red. We appreciate his loyalty to Nebraska and we want him to be a Husker for life.”

Board of Regents Vice Chairman Rob Schafer of Beatrice added: “The leader of Husker Athletics has to be someone we trust to steward major resources, navigate complex challenges, and guide the young women and men who wear the red N. We are so fortunate to have Trev Alberts at the helm. College athletics is undergoing a sea change right now, but Nebraska is in good hands.”

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsUniversity of Nebraska President Ted Carter announced today that he has granted Athletic Director Trev Alberts a new contract that will keep the Huskers’ leader in Nebraska through at least 2031.Carter pointed to a number of major achievements in Husker Athletics since Alberts took the helm in 2021, including the historic Volleyball Day in Nebraska that broke the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event, the hiring of head football coach Matt Rhule, and a new 15-year, $300 million multimedia rights agreement with Playfly Sports that is one of the most comprehensive in the country.Alberts is also leading the Huskers through the rapidly evolving Name, Image and Likeness landscape, is bringing the transformational Go Big project to completion, and has laid out an ambitious vision for renovation of the 100-year-old Memorial Stadium. Ten Husker teams had top-20 national finishes last year, and this year, the undefeated women’s volleyball team is currently ranked No. 1 in the country while women’s soccer will host the second and third rounds of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. Nebraska student-athletes also have earned a record 95 percent graduation rate for the second straight year.“Today’s college athletics landscape is complex and ever-changing,” Carter said. “We need exactly the right person leading Husker Athletics forward. In Trev Alberts, we have found that leader.“Trev is a lifelong Husker and a Nebraskan in every sense – hardworking, accountable and a man of his word. He makes every decision with our fans and student-athletes at the forefront. There is no one I would trust more to lead athletics at the University of Nebraska than Trev Alberts. I have no doubt that someone of Trev’s caliber and character would be an attractive candidate anywhere, but I am thrilled to tell Husker Nation that Trev is here to stay.”Alberts said: “My family and I are humbled by the confidence that President Carter and the Board of Regents have placed in me. It is an incredible honor and privilege to serve as the Director of Athletics at Nebraska and it is a role I don’t take for granted. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff have accomplished so much in the past two years. We have great momentum in Husker Athletics and we are excited for what is ahead. Go Big Red!”Carter said he structured Alberts’ new contract based on a thorough review of compensation packages for other Big Ten athletic directors, with a goal of keeping Nebraska highly competitive in the market and retaining Alberts for the long term. The new contract includes:<ul>
 <li>An annual base salary of $1.7 million, increasing to $2.1 million in 2026.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Retention incentives, including an existing contractual $500,000 retention bonus if Alberts stays through September 2025, with an annual $300,000 retention bonus for every year he stays thereafter.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>A $3 million completion bonus if he completes the entire eight-year agreement.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Liquidation damage buyouts that will be paid to the university if Alberts were to leave for another opportunity.</li>
 </ul>Alberts’ new contract, like his existing one, will be funded entirely with Athletic Department funds. No taxpayer or tuition dollars will be used. Nebraska’s is one of few athletic departments in the country to operate without a university subsidy.Board of Regents Chairman Tim Clare of Lincoln applauded the new contract, saying: “Trev Alberts has spent the past two years rebuilding a culture of excellence and accountability at Nebraska Athletics. That’s why I’m so excited about this new contract. This ensures that Trev will be here for the long term, instilling excellence and accountability across the entire Athletic Department.“Leadership matters, plain and simple. Trev is competitive, he wants to win and he bleeds Husker Red. We appreciate his loyalty to Nebraska and we want him to be a Husker for life.”Board of Regents Vice Chairman Rob Schafer of Beatrice added: “The leader of Husker Athletics has to be someone we trust to steward major resources, navigate complex challenges, and guide the young women and men who wear the red N. We are so fortunate to have Trev Alberts at the helm. College athletics is undergoing a sea change right now, but Nebraska is in good hands.”

Carter announces new contract for Trev Alberts

North Platte, Neb. –&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/baumann_parker_gkv3">Parker Baumann</a>&nbsp;led North Platte with 21 points, but it was not enough to upset No. 9 Barton Community College on Tuesday night, 74-71.

<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/cooper_michael_nw8s">Michael Cooper</a>&nbsp;chipped in 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, while&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/evans_davion_v6ux">Davion Evans</a>&nbsp;tallied 12 points in 39 minutes of action.&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/oladeru_emmanuel_d76p">Emmanuel Oladeru</a>&nbsp;led the Knights on the glass, finishing with 10 rebounds to accompany his six points.

North Platte gave the Cougars all it could handle in the first half, as they jumped out to a 25-21 lead on a three by Baumann. Barton countered with a 10-2 run to recapture the lead with 5:02 to play in the opening half.&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/broer_landon_kasi">Landon Broer</a>&nbsp;connected on a jumper from the free throw line to ignite the Knights offense and halt the Cougars run.

In the final five minutes, Oladeru snagged a rebound and laid it in to knot the game up. The Cougars retook the lead on their next possession and never relinquished it down the stretch as they took a 41-39 lead into the break.

In the second half, Cooper drove through his defender to knot the game up on the Knights opening possession. The Knights and Cougars continued to trade blows, before a 6-0 spurt midway through the half helped the Cougars push their lead to 60-54. North Platte slowly cut into the margin before bringing fans to their feet in the final minute.

Back-to-back three pointers from Baumann and Evans cut the margin to 74-71 with six seconds remaining. A missed free throw by Barton and a quick fast break gave North Platte one opportunity to send the game into overtime. The corner three fell short as time expired to end the Knights come from behind attempt.

North Platte finished the game shooting 50 percent (30-60) from the floor, while connecting on 6-of-19 from the perimeter against the Cougars.

North Platte returns to road action on Friday against State Fair Community College. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Sedalia, Mo.

Story by NPCC Athletic CommunicationsNorth Platte, Neb. –&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/baumann_parker_gkv3">Parker Baumann</a>&nbsp;led North Platte with 21 points, but it was not enough to upset No. 9 Barton Community College on Tuesday night, 74-71.<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/cooper_michael_nw8s">Michael Cooper</a>&nbsp;chipped in 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, while&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/evans_davion_v6ux">Davion Evans</a>&nbsp;tallied 12 points in 39 minutes of action.&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/oladeru_emmanuel_d76p">Emmanuel Oladeru</a>&nbsp;led the Knights on the glass, finishing with 10 rebounds to accompany his six points.North Platte gave the Cougars all it could handle in the first half, as they jumped out to a 25-21 lead on a three by Baumann. Barton countered with a 10-2 run to recapture the lead with 5:02 to play in the opening half.&nbsp;<a href="https://npccknights.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/broer_landon_kasi">Landon Broer</a>&nbsp;connected on a jumper from the free throw line to ignite the Knights offense and halt the Cougars run.In the final five minutes, Oladeru snagged a rebound and laid it in to knot the game up. The Cougars retook the lead on their next possession and never relinquished it down the stretch as they took a 41-39 lead into the break.In the second half, Cooper drove through his defender to knot the game up on the Knights opening possession. The Knights and Cougars continued to trade blows, before a 6-0 spurt midway through the half helped the Cougars push their lead to 60-54. North Platte slowly cut into the margin before bringing fans to their feet in the final minute.Back-to-back three pointers from Baumann and Evans cut the margin to 74-71 with six seconds remaining. A missed free throw by Barton and a quick fast break gave North Platte one opportunity to send the game into overtime. The corner three fell short as time expired to end the Knights come from behind attempt.North Platte finished the game shooting 50 percent (30-60) from the floor, while connecting on 6-of-19 from the perimeter against the Cougars.North Platte returns to road action on Friday against State Fair Community College. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Sedalia, Mo.

Knights fall to No. 9 Barton

LONDON (AP) — Police in England arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate during a game.

Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28 when he was struck by an opponent's skate blade in the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.

South Yorkshire Police did not name the suspect or provide his age. He was in police custody.

Matt Petgrave, 31, who plays for Sheffield, was the other player involved in the grisly incident that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hockey-player-adam-johnson-dies-ab5b059012fe119cca2dfd12724f3156">reverberated around the hockey community</a>&nbsp;and led to moments of silence in the NHL.

Video of the incident shows Johnson skating with the puck toward the Steelers net. Petgrave skates toward Johnson and collides with another Panthers player. Petgrave's left skate kicks up as he begins to fall and the blade hits Johnson in the neck.

Both players land on the ice. Petgrave immediately got to his feet. Johnson rose more slowly and as he is helped off the ice, his jersey is covered in blood. He later died at a local hospital.

“Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said.

Fans had a moment of silence for Johnson at the Steelers next game and gave Petgrave, who didn't play in that game, a standing ovation.

Johnson was a Minnesota native who appeared in a total of 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

The English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, reacted to Johnson's death by requiring all players in England to wear neck guards from the start of 2024.

LONDON (AP) — Police in England arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate during a game.Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28 when he was struck by an opponent's skate blade in the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.South Yorkshire Police did not name the suspect or provide his age. He was in police custody.Matt Petgrave, 31, who plays for Sheffield, was the other player involved in the grisly incident that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hockey-player-adam-johnson-dies-ab5b059012fe119cca2dfd12724f3156">reverberated around the hockey community</a>&nbsp;and led to moments of silence in the NHL.Video of the incident shows Johnson skating with the puck toward the Steelers net. Petgrave skates toward Johnson and collides with another Panthers player. Petgrave's left skate kicks up as he begins to fall and the blade hits Johnson in the neck.Both players land on the ice. Petgrave immediately got to his feet. Johnson rose more slowly and as he is helped off the ice, his jersey is covered in blood. He later died at a local hospital.“Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said.Fans had a moment of silence for Johnson at the Steelers next game and gave Petgrave, who didn't play in that game, a standing ovation.Johnson was a Minnesota native who appeared in a total of 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.The English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, reacted to Johnson's death by requiring all players in England to wear neck guards from the start of 2024.

Manslaughter arrest in death of hockey player whose neck was cut with skate blade during game

Steve Bischof, Elkhorn South – Girls Tennis

Jamie Brown, Papillion-La Vista – Girls Wrestling

Jonas Christensen, Lincoln Southwest – Girls Golf

Jim Clarkson, Clarkson/Leigh – Football

Chas DeVetter, Omaha Skutt Catholic – Boys Wrestling

Jason Dolliver, Pender – Girls Basketball

Jackie Eickhoff, Columbus – Unified Sports, Bowling

Jane Elam, Elkhorn South – Unified Sports, Track &amp; Field

Luke Ericson, Osceola – Girls Track &amp; Field

Jered Hellman, Omaha Westside – Boys Golf

Tom Hoover, Creighton Preparatory – Boys Soccer

Chris Jenson, Elkhorn/Elkhorn North/Elkhorn South – Boys Swimming &amp; Diving

Justin McGill, Norris – Girls Cross Country

Jim McLaughlin, Boys Basketball – Freeman

Sean McMahon, Fremont – Boys Cross Country

Andy Rider, Omaha Westside – Girls Swimming &amp; Diving

Chris Stock, Lincoln East – Boys Tennis

Katie Tarman, Papillion-La Vista South – Volleyball

Carl Zuege, Chase County – Boys Track &amp; Field

Story by NSAA CommunicationsSteve Bischof, Elkhorn South – Girls TennisJamie Brown, Papillion-La Vista – Girls WrestlingJonas Christensen, Lincoln Southwest – Girls GolfJim Clarkson, Clarkson/Leigh – FootballChas DeVetter, Omaha Skutt Catholic – Boys WrestlingJason Dolliver, Pender – Girls BasketballJackie Eickhoff, Columbus – Unified Sports, BowlingJane Elam, Elkhorn South – Unified Sports, Track &amp; FieldLuke Ericson, Osceola – Girls Track &amp; FieldHolly Fuhr, York – Boys BowlingRyan Glatter, Yutan/Mead – SoftballJered Hellman, Omaha Westside – Boys GolfTom Hoover, Creighton Preparatory – Boys SoccerChris Jenson, Elkhorn/Elkhorn North/Elkhorn South – Boys Swimming &amp; DivingJustin McGill, Norris – Girls Cross CountryJim McLaughlin, Boys Basketball – FreemanMark McKenzie, Fremont – Girls BowlingSean McMahon, Fremont – Boys Cross CountryAndy Rider, Omaha Westside – Girls Swimming &amp; DivingChris Stock, Lincoln East – Boys TennisArnold Talero, Norris – Girls SoccerKatie Tarman, Papillion-La Vista South – VolleyballZach Wehner, Malcolm – BaseballCarl Zuege, Chase County – Boys Track &amp; Field

Chase County Boys Track & Field Coach Carl Zuege announced as 2022-2023 Coach of the Year

On what he learned about the team’s fight and resilience

“Well, the biggest thing, as I told the guys, the message in the locker room was, every night, defense has to be our constant, and we’ve talked about that all year. There are going to be nights where the ball does not go in the hoop, like tonight, and you have to be able to continue to guard on that other end. You can’t drop your head. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You gotta keep going out there and defending at a high level, and that’s exactly what our guys did. I believe it was nine minutes where we held them without a point, and Keisei hit the two threes to take the lid off the basket, and then, I think we went on a 17-0 run after that. Defensively, I was really proud of our guys for continuing to go out there and battle. It’s not easy. I'm telling you from experience. When the ball doesn’t go in the hole, to be able to have the mindset to continue to defend, continue to communicate. It's a physical team. We knew we were going to get a battle on the glass, and this team outrebounded Marquette the other night, and I thought we did a great job of hitting first, creating that rebound area and going up and finishing the possession with two hands.”

On the challenges of Rider’s defense“We saw some of it the other night in the game last week where they were swarming it,&nbsp;and we didn’t take very good care of the ball. We did a great job in our first game of limiting contested rim twos. We got back to taking those again tonight. When you are in there getting your shot blocked that’s going to fuel transition going the other way. We have to be better decision makers. We are over-penetrating. When we are getting in there our decision-making you know Rienk (Mast) tried to Magic Johnson behind the back with a behind the head pass rather than just going up and finishing and taking the layup. Those are things we need those points you know we have to get them in a close game. Every one of those matters. We need to grow and get better in those areas. Jamarques (Lawrence) made a great play in the second half that fast break layup that got us with his pace going down the floor. Those are the possessions we need. Into the paint come to a jump stop, make the right play and finish with a basket.”

On Keisei Tominaga’s threes sparking the scoring run

“That’ll show you Keisei’s confidence. You get that thing from behind the backboard in that corner over there after missing the previous four or five in a row that were open so for him to continue to hunt his shot, for guys to continue to look for him, that’s a play we put in this morning against their zone baseline out and it was good to see our guys execute it.”

On the scoring run in the last nine minutes

<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/EUSPdwDU-Qhb3tgnY.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Hoiberg Prsr 11-13 Cam 5" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsPostgame Notes<ul>
 <li>Nebraska improved to 3-0 for the first time under Fred Hoiberg.</li><li>The Huskers had their longest run of the season in the second half, using a 17-0 run to pull away after Rider had cut the lead to 47-46.&nbsp;Nebraska has had double-figure scoring runs in each of its first three games (10-0 vs. Lindenwood; 12-0 vs. FAMU, 17-0 vs. Rider)</li><li>Nebraska held Rider scoreless for a 9:11 stretch in the second half. The Huskers forced the Broncs into 12 consecutive missed shots during the scoreless stretch.</li><li>The Huskers out-rebounded Rider, 47-34. Nebraska posted a +13 advantage on the glass against a Rider squad that ranked 37th&nbsp;nationally in rebounding margin last season.</li><li>Rienk Mast posted his second straight double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. It is his 20th&nbsp;career double-double and second straight as a Husker.</li><li>C.J. Wilcher led Nebraska with 13 points, including 11 in the first half. Wilcher also grabbed five rebounds, one shy of his career high.</li><li>Josiah Allick had 10 points, his second double-figure scoring effort in the first three games.</li><li>Keisei Tominaga scored nine points in his season debut, after he missed the Huskers’ first two games. Tominaga hit consecutive 3-pointers to trigger Nebraska’s 17-0 spurt.</li>
 </ul>Nebraska Coach&nbsp;Fred Hoiberg:Opening Statement:On what he learned about the team’s fight and resilience“Well, the biggest thing, as I told the guys, the message in the locker room was, every night, defense has to be our constant, and we’ve talked about that all year. There are going to be nights where the ball does not go in the hoop, like tonight, and you have to be able to continue to guard on that other end. You can’t drop your head. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You gotta keep going out there and defending at a high level, and that’s exactly what our guys did. I believe it was nine minutes where we held them without a point, and Keisei hit the two threes to take the lid off the basket, and then, I think we went on a 17-0 run after that. Defensively, I was really proud of our guys for continuing to go out there and battle. It’s not easy. I'm telling you from experience. When the ball doesn’t go in the hole, to be able to have the mindset to continue to defend, continue to communicate. It's a physical team. We knew we were going to get a battle on the glass, and this team outrebounded Marquette the other night, and I thought we did a great job of hitting first, creating that rebound area and going up and finishing the possession with two hands.”On the challenges of Rider’s defense“We saw some of it the other night in the game last week where they were swarming it,&nbsp;and we didn’t take very good care of the ball. We did a great job in our first game of limiting contested rim twos. We got back to taking those again tonight. When you are in there getting your shot blocked that’s going to fuel transition going the other way. We have to be better decision makers. We are over-penetrating. When we are getting in there our decision-making you know Rienk (Mast) tried to Magic Johnson behind the back with a behind the head pass rather than just going up and finishing and taking the layup. Those are things we need those points you know we have to get them in a close game. Every one of those matters. We need to grow and get better in those areas. Jamarques (Lawrence) made a great play in the second half that fast break layup that got us with his pace going down the floor. Those are the possessions we need. Into the paint come to a jump stop, make the right play and finish with a basket.”On Keisei Tominaga’s threes sparking the scoring run“That’ll show you Keisei’s confidence. You get that thing from behind the backboard in that corner over there after missing the previous four or five in a row that were open so for him to continue to hunt his shot, for guys to continue to look for him, that’s a play we put in this morning against their zone baseline out and it was good to see our guys execute it.”Player Quotes:On the scoring run in the last nine minutesC.J. Wilcher:&nbsp;“I think part of it is just rotations and talking and rebounding ultimately. Thinking about that last stretch, we were able to string together a few rebounds and get out in transition and Keisei (Tominaga) hit a couple threes towards the end of his time being in the game so I think that just gave us a little spark and we just kept it going from there.”On Wilcher’s performance when starting vs. coming off the benchC.J. Wilcher:&nbsp;“I don’t think anything really changes. My role stays the same. Just come in, make shots and be solid on defense. Be a leader.”On leaning on the defense when shots aren’t fallingJamarques Lawrence:&nbsp;“We knew like tonight we didn’t shoot the ball well. That team was really solid on offense too so we were just not worried about offense, it was just a heavy defensive night for us so just really focusing on that.”On facing an aggressive defenseC.J. Wilcher:&nbsp;“I think a lot of it is playing on two feet. They swarm when we got into the paint. They’re very handsy and aggressive on the ball so I think it was just playing on two feet and sticking to our offensive principles like pull behind and playing off two and pump fakes, just being consistent in those things. I feel like I’m very redundant in the few words I say with being consistent and things like that but it’s really that. Coaches harp on those things.”On preparing for a lot of games in this stretch of the seasonJamarques Lawrence:&nbsp;“I would just say staying locked in. Stony Brook, one day to prepare so just staying locked in with whoever we play. I think we just get better consistently at our principles. What can we do better? Focusing in on ourselves, I think that’s big.”Rider Coach Kevin Baggett&nbsp;On initial takeaways“We played a whole hell of a lot better than we played in the Marquette game the other night. Gave up some costly threes when the game was in the&nbsp;balance. I'm encouraged by our guys. I thought we battled with some calls out there that could have gone our way, hope they had gone our way. We gotta box out better because they started to go over and get some offensive rebounds which kind of blew the lead a little bit.”&nbsp;On having a seasoned lineup and what to expect moving forward“We just have to continue to play as a team. You know, the veterans understand what we're trying to do. We got to bring the other new guys and young guys along and again, we're gonna get better as time goes on. That's why we play these games. We’re better tonight then we were the other night. So I just want to see our guys continue to get better to get to league play.”