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Huskers Fall to No. 14 Hoosiers


Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletic Communications Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletic Communications

Lincoln - Alexis Markowski scored a team-high 21 points but it was not enough to prevent No. 14 Indiana from running to a 91-69 women's basketball win over Nebraska in front of a season-high 9,059 fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Markowski hit 9-of-14 shots from the field including all three of her three-point attempts to notch her fifth 20-point performance of the season. The 6-2 forward from Lincoln scored 11 in the first quarter, but Indiana still led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.

The Hoosiers, who improved to 13-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten with their 12th consecutive victory, then pushed the lead to 42-29 at halftime thanks to 17 points on five first-half three-pointers from Sydney Parrish.

Indiana pushed the margin to 17 points early in the third quarter after a pair of buckets from All-American Mackenzie Holmes, who finished with 22 points for the Hoosiers. 

But Nebraska (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) pushed back by cutting Indiana's lead to 55-48 on back-to-back threes from Logan Nissley and Annika Stewart with 3:40 left in the period.

Indiana responded in a decisive way, closing the quarter with a 14-1 surge to take a 69-49 lead to the final period. 

Nissley finished with 13 points for her sixth game in double figures off the bench this season, joining Markowski as the only Huskers in double digits. Natalie Potts added nine points, four rebounds and four assists, while Stewart and Jaz Shelley both contributed six points for Nebraska.

As a team, Nebraska hit 44.3 percent (27-61) of its shots from the field, including 9-of-22 threes (.409), while going 6-for-8 at the free throw line. Indiana shot a sizzling 60.7 percent (34-56), including 60.9 percent (14-23) from long range. The Hoosiers also sank 9-of-14 free throws, while winning the battle of the boards, 30-29. IU also won the turnover war, 19-14.

Parrish, who finished with 20 points, joined Holmes with a 20-point performance, while Sara Scalia added 19 points on 5-of-10 three-point shooting. Chloe Moore-McNeil pitched in 16 points for the Hoosiers.

Nebraska raised the fourth retired jersey banner in school history in pregame ceremonies, when 2014 first-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year had her No. 35 banner unveiled at the North end of the arena. Her 2013 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and 2014 Big Ten Champion teammates were on hand along with more than 40 former Huskers, including fellow retired jersey honorees Karen Jennings and Maurtice Ivy on Alumni Day in Lincoln.

Nebraska returns to Big Ten home action on Thursday night when the Huskers play host to Illinois. Tip-off with the Fighting Illini is set for 7 p.m., with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game also will be televised by the Big Ten Network, while free live audio can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network, including Huskers.com.

Nebraska's Largest Crowds at Pinnacle Bank Arena
1. 14,289 - vs. Iowa (Feb. 18, 2023)
2. 9,750 - vs. UCLA (Nov. 11, 2013)
3. 9,059 - vs. Indiana (Jan. 7, 2024)
4. 8,795 - vs. Maryland (Dec. 31, 2023)
5. 8,622 - vs. Wisconsin (Feb. 15, 2015)