LINCOLN, Neb.—No. 12/15 Nebraska (9-1) rallied from an 11-point first half deficit to defeat CSU Bakersfield (6-3) 54-45 in front of a crowd of 4,957 in Pinnacle Bank Arena.

“Our team fought,” said CSU Bakersfield head coach Greg McCall. “Nebraska is a very good team, and I thought we played well. Trying to limit them to one shot was tough and had we been able to do that, it might have turned out differently.

The CSU Bakersfield defense turned back nine of the first 13 Nebraska field goal attempts as CSUB took a 13-7 lead on an Erika Williams' (R-So., Fresno, Calif., Diamond Ranch HS) three-pointer with 13:42 to go in the first half. The Roadrunners, who normally plays man-to-man defense, switched to a zone. The switch worked as CSUB held Nebraska without a point for nearly eight minutes before an Emily Wood field goal at 4:56.

CSUB took its largest lead of the first half, 24-13, with exactly four minutes to play in the opening frame when Alyssa Shannon (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., Stockdale HS) sank a short jumper. Nebraska scored the final nine points of the first half, cutting the 'Runner lead to 24-22 at halftime.

The Huskers forced two quick second half turnovers to extend the run to 13. After a CSUB miss, Brandi Jeffery hit a long jumper for a 28-24 advantage. The Huskers got a stop and made it 18-0 on a Rachel Theriot three-pointer 1:47 into the second half.  Shannon's layup halted the spurt 6:21 after her previous field goal.  

Down 34-28, back-to-back three-pointers from Shaquita Smith (Sr., Buffalo, N.Y., ASA College) and Williams tied the score going into the media timeout with just under 15 remaining. Theriot and Brittany Sims (So., Fresno, Calif., Edison HS) exchanged jumpers as the score remained tied (36-36) at the second media timeout of the half.

Tear'a Laudermill's three-pointer from the top left of the circle returned the lead to Nebraska at the 10-minute mark. The Roadrunners went cold, scoring four points in a seven-minute span. The Huskers made four of five attempts from the field (including a pair of three-pointers) allowing Nebraska to go up eight, 50-42.

Shannon cut it to five with a three-ball from the left corner and got a stop to get the ball make with just under three to play.  CSUB missed which led to a Theriot jumper, giving the Huskers a seven-point advantage. After a Huskers' turnover, the Roadrunners got the ball back with 1:36 to play. CSUB missed again and were forced to foul. The 'Runners had two more fouls to give before sending Theriot to the free throw line for the 1-n-1 bonus.

Theriot made both for a 54-45 Nebraska lead. That proved to be the final score as CSU Bakersfield could not connect on its final four field goal opportunities as Nebraska missed two free throw attempts. Nebraska shot 48-percent (12-25) from the field in the second half as the Huskers held CSUB to 27.3% (9-33) shooting.

Nebraska outrebounded CSUB by 17, 52-35. The 'Runners scored 11 points off of 16 Husker turnovers (CSUB committed 11 turnovers). CSUB did not take a free throw in a game for the first time at the Division I level. Nebraska was only 6-of-11 from the charity stripe.

“Hats off to Nebraska, that's why they are the No. 12 team in the country,” McCall said. “They played like it down the stretch. They found a way to win the game."

Roadrunner All-American Tyonna Outland (R-Sr., Compton, Calif., Lynwood HS) sat out the game due to a sprained right foot. Outland missed her first game since the 2011-12 season, ending a streak of 68 consecutive starts.  Shannon and Smith each scored 14 to lead the Roadrunners. Shannon added seven assists and four rebounds.

The Huskers were without four players due to injuries, dressing eight, compared to nine for CSUB. Cady tallied a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds to pace Nebraska. Hallie Sample scored 13 while Theriot added 11.

The crowd  was the largest in which the Roadrunners have played in front of at the Division I level. The previous high was 3,367 at Stanford during the 2011-12 season.

CSU Bakersfield concludes a three-game road trip Tuesday night when the 'Runners head to UC Irvine. Tip is set for 7 p.m. The teams will be playing for the second time in 13 days. CSUB defeated the Anteaters 80-70 in Bakersfield. The Roadrunners return home Dec. 21 when CSUB hosts UNLV at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at vallitix.com.

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