LINCOLN, Nebraska – HCU women's basketball dropped their first game of the season to the 22nd ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Pinnacle Bank Arena Friday night. The Huskies kept it close early on, but a big run by the Huskers in the third quarter put HCU in a hole they could not get out of. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
The Huskies (1-1) took the lead on their first possession of the game, after winning the tip,
N'Denasija Collins found
Marilyn Nzoiwu in the paint for a quick 2-0 lead. The Huskers (2-0) rattled off nine consecutive points to take the lead, but back-to-back buckets from Nzoiwu and Collins cut the Husker lead to just two. Nebraska locked down on defense the rest of quarter and into the second, not allowing the Huskies to score for nearly eight minutes. The Huskies went into halftime down 35-18.
After a quick layup from Julija Vujokovic, Nebraska went on a 14-0 run and got too far ahead for the Huskies to battle back. For the game, Nzoiwu had her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Vukakovic scored in double figures for the first time this year, leading the Huskies in scoring with 14, while Collins scored 10. Collins and Vujakovic each knocked down three deep balls.
Allison Weidner had 20 points (8-of-13 from the field) for the Huskers. HCU turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 32 points off of turnovers for Nebraska. The Huskers had 27 bench points to the Huskies 4. HCU led the Huskers in second chance points, 13-7, and in offensive rebounds, 11-9.
The Huskies head to Baton Rouge on Tuesday to take on the 16th ranked LSU Tigers at 11:00 a.m.
