• Box score • LJS • OWH • Illinois • Daily Nebraskan • BBS Photos • Huskers.com • LJS* • Corn Nation Video • Highlights and post game | |
 Shepard |  Theriot |  Romeo |
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1 2 total
Illinois 26 31 57
NEBRASKA 35 38 73
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Nebraska also got a strong offensive effort from senior point guard Rachel Theriot, who scored 17 points and dished out seven assists, while adding four rebounds and three steals. Natalie Romeo gave the Huskers three players in double figures with 10 points and three assists, while playing outstanding defense throughout the game.
The Huskers improved to 10-5 overall while notching their first Big Ten win of the season to improve to 1-3 in the conference. Illinois slipped to 7-8 overall and 0-4 in the league.
Shepard, a 6-4 freshman forward from Fremont, Neb., was too much to handle for the Illini. Her 29 points marked her second-best total of the season, and came on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor. Her 19 rebounds were five better than her previous career high and marked the second-best total by a freshman in school history.
Shepard was just one point and one rebound from producing the first 30-point, 20-rebound game in school history. She added three assists in 30 minutes of action on the day.
Theriot, who hit her first five shots from the floor, finished 6-of-8 from the field and 4-for-4 at the free throw line in her most efficient performance of the 2016 Big Ten season. She also crossed the 1,200-point career scoring mark on the afternoon.
Allie Havers added a consistent performance with nine points, six rebounds, two assists and a block while providing solid interior defense, including taking a pair of charges on the day.
Nebraska finished with its best shooting performance of the conference season by knocking down 53.1 percent (26-49) of its shots, including 4-of-9 threes. NU added a 17-for-26 effort at the line, including 7-for-14 from Shepard.
With Shepard leading the way, Nebraska dominated the boards, 48-32, but the Huskers were minus-11 in the turnover department, 25-14.
However, Illinois shot just 33.3 percent (24-72) from the field, including 3-for-22 (.136) from three-point range. The Illini hit just 6-of-10 free throws.
Kennedy Cattenhead led the Illini with a career-high 17 points, while Nebraska native Chatrice White managed a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against her former club teammate Shepard. White went just 6-for-18 from the floor. Kyley Simmons managed 10 points.
Nebraska jumped to a 6-2 lead after the first of Romeo's three three-pointers in the game, but the Illini responded to take a 9-8 lead after seven straight points from Nebraska natives Brooke Kissinger and White.
However, Nebraska responded with an 8-0 run to take a 16-9 lead with 1:02 left in the first quarter before settling for an 18-11 lead at the end of the period. Shepard finished the opening quarter with five points and seven rebounds. Illinois only had three rebounds as a team in the period.
The Huskers won the second quarter, 17-15, to take a 35-26 lead to the locker room at halftime, as Shepard closed the half with 11 points and eight boards.
Nebraska pushed its lead to 46-33 with 5:28 left in the third quarter, before Illinois rallied with seven straight points in just over a minute to cut NU's lead to 46-40 after a Cattenhead three-point play with 4:14 left.
But Nebraska responded with six straight points from Shepard to regain a 52-40 lead, before taking a 55-44 edge to the final quarter. Shepard, who had 12 points and six boards in the quarter, entered the final period with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
She added six points and five boards in the fourth, hitting her final shot of the day off an assist from Theriot with 2:51 left to push Nebraska's lead to 20 points at 71-51. Shepard exited the game with Nebraska's four other starters, as the Huskers held on for a comfortable 16-point win.
It was Shepard's seventh 20-point performance of the season and second in Big Ten play, surpassing her 28 points against Iowa on Dec. 31. It also marked her sixth double-double of the year and second in Big Ten play, joining a 12-point and then-career-high 14 rebounds at No. 16 Northwestern last Sunday.
Nebraska returns to Big Ten road action on Wednesday when the Huskers head to Penn State. Tip-off between the Huskers and Lady Lions from the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa., is set for 6 p.m. (CT), with live radio coverage on the Husker Sports Network. A live video stream of the game is available for subscribers of BTN Plus.