in Husker Win
 Shepard |  Theriot |  Kalenta |
-----------------------------
1 2 total
N. Arizona 46 21 67
NEBRASKA 37 53 90
----------------------------- | ||
Shepard's 35 points came on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor and included 11 free throws. Her performance surpassed Nebraska's previous freshman mark of 34 points by Debra Powell on Feb. 25, 1982 against Notre Dame.
With the victory Nebraska improved to 8-2 on the season, including 8-0 at home, while notching its 19th consecutive home non-conference win. Northern Arizona slipped to 4-6, but the Lumberjacks didn't go without a fight.
Northern Arizona led by as many as 11 points in the first half, and held a 51-41 edge with 7:52 left in the third quarter before Nebraska erupted for a 22-5 surge to close the quarter thanks to big efforts from Rachel Theriot, Natalie Romeo and Anya Kalenta.
Theriot started the rally with a three-pointer, before Romeo found Kyndal Clark with an assist for a transition layup. Kalenta then hit a jumper off an assist from Clark to cut the NAU margin to 51-48 and force the third timeout of the game by Lumberjack coach Sue Darling with 4:48 left in the third.
The Lumberjacks responded with a three from Catelyn Preston out of the timeout to push the lead back to six, before Theriot and Preston exchanged baskets to make it 56-50 NAU with 3:57 left in the third quarter.
Romeo, who had been hit with a flagrant elbow above the left eye in the first half and had the cut glued shut at the end of the half, then brought the grit and determination of a prize fighter to the floor for the Big Red.
The 5-7 Romeo was denied on a pair of shots in traffic around the basket but got a pair of offensive rebounds before finishing the play to cut the lead to 56-52. The play ignited the Husker crowd, bench and Romeo's teammates on the floor, and Nebraska's energy overwhelmed the Lumberjacks.
After an NAU turnover, Romeo drained a three from the top of the key off an assist from Theriot to cut the margin to 56-55 with 3:10 left in the third. After Kalenta closed the defensive possession at the other end with one of her 11 defensive boards, Theriot hit the 6-3 forward for a jumper to give Nebraska the lead at 57-56 with 2:41 left.
Romeo kept the momentum going with a layup off an assist from Theriot, before Theriot knocked down her second three-pointer of the quarter to put the Big Red up 62-56 with 1:48 remaining in the period.
Shepard added a free throw for her only point of the quarter to close the scoring in the third with Nebraska in front 63-56 to cap a 13-0 run.
Theriot, who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, finished with 12 points, two rebounds and two assists, while Romeo scored all seven of her points and had four of her career-high 10 assists in the game in the key Nebraska surge.
Kalenta, who finished with seven points and career highs of 14 rebounds and three blocks, had four points, eight rebounds and a block in the decisive third quarter.
Once Nebraska gained momentum in the second half, the Huskers never relinquished it, as NAU got no closer than six points the rest of the way. Much like the third quarter when the Big Red shut out the Lumberjacks for the final 3:56, the Huskers shut out NAU for the final 3:39 of the game, scoring the game's final 15 points, including 9-for-9 free throw shooting to seal the win.
Northern Arizona jumped to a 23-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, then added 23 more points in the second quarter to take a 46-37 edge to halftime. Shepard scored 14 straight points for NU in the quarter after Allie Havers got the first two points of the game for the Big Red.
For the game, Alyssa Rader led the Lumberjacks with 12 points and five rebounds, while Mariah Willadsen scored all 11 of her points in the first half. Brittani Lusain pitched in 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals for NAU, while Preston and Rene Coggins each managed nine points.
In addition to the 35 points from Shepard and 23 from Theriot, the Huskers got eight points from Clark and seven each from Romeo and Kalenta. Havers contributed four points and seven rebounds in her first career start in place of freshman Rachel Blackburn. The 6-3 forward missed her first career game with illness.
Jasmine Cincore (4) and Esther Ramacieri (2) closed the scoring with the final six points.
Nebraska shot 51.6 percent (32-62) from the field, including 4-of-10 from three-point range. The Huskers also went 22-of-36 from the free throw line, sinking all 11 of their attempts in the final four minutes of the game. Nebraska outrebounded NAU, 47-36, and won the turnover battle, 16-15.
Northern Arizona finished 41.4 percent (29-70) from the field, after hitting 52.6 percent (20-38) in the first half. The Lumberjacks hit 5-of-16 threes, but just 1-of-9 in the second half, and connected on just 4-of-12 free throws in the game.
The win marked the second time in the last three home games that the Huskers have rallied from a double-digit deficit to win, after coming back from a 21-point first-half deficit to defeat Creighton on Dec. 8.
Nebraska closes non-conference action on Monday when the Huskers play host to Arkansas State (6-2). The Red Wolves' only losses this season have come with a one-point setback to traditional NCAA Tournament qualifier Chattanooga and a four-point setback to Florida. ASU won 24 games last season and finished second in the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves feature five senior starters, including a trio of fifth-year seniors.