Lincoln - Britt Prince just missed a triple-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to go with eight assists, as Nebraska rolled to a 93-52 women's basketball win over Rutgers on Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

With their second straight victory, the Huskers improved to 18-11 overall while closing Big Ten Conference play with a 7-11 mark. Ten of Nebraska's losses on the season came to current NCAA NET Top 25 teams.

Nebraska left no doubt on Saturday, building a 17-point halftime lead before outscoring the Scarlet Knights 30-12 in an eventful third quarter. Rutgers finished the season 9-20 and 1-17 in the Big Ten.

Amiah Hargrove led four Huskers in double figures with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Jessica Petrie pitched in 16 points and six rebounds off the bench. Petra Bozan contributed 12 points and six rebounds of her own, as Nebraska outscored the Scarlet Knights, 46-24 in the paint.

For the game, Nebraska hit 33-of-67 shots from the field, including 10-of-28 threes (.357). The Huskers also connected on 17-of-23 free throws (.739).

The Huskers dominated the possession game, winning the turnover battle 22-5, while winning the war of the boards, 38-27, including 13 offensive rebounds.

Nebraska held Rutgers to 19-of-47 shooting, but the Scarlet Knights did hit 7-of-21 threes, including 5-of-12 shooting from long range by Kaylah Ivey.

Zachara Perkins led Rutgers with a career-high 23 points, while Nene Ndiaye put three Scarlet Knights in double figures with 10 points. Ndiaye was at the center of the events in the third quarter, as she was called for a pair of flagrant fouls on the offensive end in a 35-second span that helped fuel a 13-0 Nebraska run in a span of just three minutes. 

Nebraska dominated the possession game in the first half, winning the turnover war, 14-2, while outscoring the Scarlet Knights 20-0 off those turnovers.

The Huskers also outrebounded Rutgers, 18-16, including 7-1 on the offensive boards in the half, as Nebraska outscored the Scarlet Knights 7-0 in second-chance points.

Prince led the Big Red onslaught with six points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 17 first-half minutes.

She was one of six Huskers with six or more points, led by ine points on 4-of-6 shooting from Hargrove, while Callin Hake added eight points - all in the second quarter - on her senior day.

Petrie also pitched in eight points and five rebounds off the bench, while Logan Nissley and Bozan each added six points.

The Huskers will be back in action on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska's seed, opponent and game time will not officially be announced until the conclusion of all regular-season games on Sunday, but the Huskers are expected to play in the No. 12 vs. No. 13 seed game at 2:30 p.m. (CT) with live video coverage by Peacock and live audio from the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

Early Deficit Dooms Huskers on Saturday

No. 7 Auburn jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, as the Huskers fell 15-4 in seven innings to the Tigers at Plainsman Park on Saturday afternoon.

Nebraska (5-4) scored four runs on seven hits and an error, while Auburn (8-2) totaled 15 runs, 12 hits and no errors.

Mac Moyer was 2-for-4 at the plate, while Jett Buck and Nico Newhan each had a two-run homer. Joshua Overbeek doubled, while Dylan Carey and Cole Kitchens had one hit apiece.

Carson Jasa dropped to 1-1 on the year after giving up four runs on three hits and two walks in one inning of action. Colin Nowaczyk surrendered four runs on two hits and three walks while recording one out.

Ryan Harrahill dealt 2.2 scoreless frames and allowed just one hit with a pair of punchouts. Lynden Bruegman made his Husker debut, giving up four runs on four hits without recording an out. Tucker Timmerman tossed a pair of scoreless innings with three strikeouts and a walk. Jalen Worthley allowed three unearned runs on two hits and recorded a pair of outs.

Auburn had the bases loaded with one out after a leadoff single and consecutive free passes via a walk and plunked batter. A bases-loaded walk, followed by an RBI groundout to third base had the Tigers up 2-0. Auburn doubled its lead to four with a two-RBI single lined to left field with two outs to make it a 4-0 game through the opening frame.

The Tigers tacked on four more runs in the second inning behind a pair of hits to enlarge the lead to eight. Back-to-back walks and a bunt single loaded the bases for Auburn without an out. A plunked batter and a full-count walk plated the Tigers’ first two runs in the inning, while a two-RBI single through the right side made it an 8-0 game through two innings.

Kitchens reached on a one-out single to the shortstop, setting up Buck’s two-run homer to left field that scored NU’s first runs of the afternoon and made it an 8-2 game in the fourth inning.

Harrahill kept the Tigers off the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, while the NU offense added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to bring the Big Red within 8-4. Moyer laced a 2-2 pitch back up the middle for a leadoff single, before Newhan blasted a two-run homer to right field to make it 8-4.

The Huskers loaded the bases and had the tying run at the plate in the top of the fourth inning after Newhan’s two-run homer, but a swinging strikeout put a halt to the Big Red’s threat.

Auburn immediately responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to grow the lead back to 12-4. Bruegman replaced Harrahill on the mound and gave up four consecutive hits, including a single, a double and back-to-back homers that grew the Tigers’ lead back to eight through five innings.

The Tigers plated three unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the 15-4 run-rule victory. A catcher’s interference set the table for an RBI double into the left-center field gap, while a two-run homer into the batter’s eye in center field gave Auburn its 15-4 win on Saturday afternoon.

Nebraska and No. 7 Auburn conclude the series tomorrow afternoon at Plainsman Park. First pitch between the Huskers and Tigers is set for 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.

Huskers to Play Creighton in Spring Match at D.J. Sokol Arena

Nebraska Volleyball will play Creighton in a spring match on Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha. 

The match will be televised statewide on Nebraska Public Media, and Huskers Radio Network will have audio coverage. 

Both teams reached the NCAA Regional Finals last season and finished in the top 10 of the AVCA Poll. The teams have played a five-set match in three of the last four seasons, including last September’s match at CHI Health Center Omaha that attracted 17,675 fans. That crowd remains the largest regular-season volleyball-only indoor crowd in NCAA history.

Presale ticket information will be sent to Creighton Volleyball season ticket holders. If any tickets remain at the 2,500-seat arena, a public on-sale would be March 9. 

The rest of Nebraska's spring schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Huskers Even Series Against Cowgirls

The No. 9 Nebraska softball team took a one-run lead into the seventh and held on to defeat the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla. 

The Big Red grabbed its sixth win against a ranked team this season and moved to 14-5 on the year. Oklahoma State fell to 14-5. 

Jordy Frahm and Malia Thoms led the Husker offense, as Frahm drove in the two runs that gave NU the lead and Thoms hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Kacie Hoffmann and Hannah Coor added two hits apiece. NU also took advantage of three Cowgirl errors, particularly a throwing error in the sixth inning that advanced runners to first and second.

Frahm (4-3) also grabbed the win in the circle after pitching the final three innings and allowing no runs and only one hit. Alexis Jensen threw the first four innings and allowed three runs on three hits. 

Oklahoma State grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third, aided by a pair of Husker errors.

NU struck back immediately, logging two runs in the top of the fourth, as Hoffmann singled and Thoms knocked a two-run homer to tie the score at 2-2.

The Cowgirls took the lead back at 3-2 with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth.

In the top of the sixth inning, Coor singled and Bacon reached on a fielder’s choice, while Coor went to second on an OSU error. An L. Camenzind groundout advanced the two to second and third, and a Frahm single sent the two across the plate and gave NU the lead at 4-3 going into the seventh.

The Huskers will take on No. 21 Oklahoma State tomorrow, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network. 

Notes

• Malia Thoms made her first start this season, as she was in the starting lineup today as the designated player.

• The Huskers are now 6-4 against ranked teams this season. 

• With the win today, NU tied the most wins in the month of February in program history. The Huskers have 14 wins so far this season, as did the 2011 squad. Notably, the Huskers accomplished the feat with the toughest strength of schedule in Division I softball, according to the NCAA Statistics website.