Jaz Shelley scored 10 of her team-high 24 points in overtime to lead four Huskers in double figures, as the Nebraska women’s basketball team handed No. 20 Kansas its first loss of the season in an 85-79 triple-overtime thriller at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday night.
Shelley, who scored 22 of her 24 points after halftime, while adding six rebounds and six assists in the game, hit two of her four three-pointers in the game during the first 2:30 of the third overtime to help Nebraska improve to 10-3 on the season with its second win over an AP Top 20 opponent. Kansas slipped to 10-1 on the season, as the Huskers handed the Jayhawks their first loss of the year for the third time since 2017-18.
Fellow Australian Isabelle Bourne, who missed the last three games with an upper body injury, returned to score 10 points including a pair of three-pointers. Bourne’s triple from the corner with 33 seconds left gave Nebraska the lead for good at 82-79.
Sam Haiby added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench in a clutch performance. Haiby, who had missed 10 of Nebraska’s first 12 games of the season with a leg injury, sank two free throws with 23 seconds left to push NU’s lead to 84-79 – the biggest lead for either team since a 47-42 Husker edge with 3:44 left in the third quarter.
Freshman Maggie Mendelson, playing in just her second collegiate game since joining the Huskers from the NU volleyball team, nearly notched a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds to go with a pair of blocks. Mendelson’s free throw with six seconds left capped the scoring, as she scored four points in the third overtime period to help the Huskers to victory in a game that matched the longest in school history.
Sophomore Alexis Markowski rounded out the four Huskers in double figures with her third straight double-double and sixth of the season with 18 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. She added three assists, two steals and two blocks, while also knocking down a pair of threes. Markowski scored nine of her 18 points in the second quarter to help Nebraska take the biggest lead of the game at 37-24 after KU’s Taiyanna Jackson went to the bench with her second foul with just under eight minutes left in the first half.
Nebraska trailed 19-18 when Jackson went to the bench, but Markowski opened a 19-5 surge over the next seven minutes to put the Huskers in control. However, KU rallied in the final 1:05 of the first half, as Zakiyah Franklin knocked down a three before Holly Kersgieter sank 2-of-3 free throws with six seconds left to cut the NU lead to 37-29 at the half.
Franklin, who scored 13 of KU’s 19 points in the three overtimes including all 10 for the Jayhawks in the second OT period, finished with a game-high 27 points in 54 minutes of action. Kersgieter added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
With Jackson back in the game in the second half, Kansas trimmed the margin to 51-47 entering the fourth quarter. Jackson scored eight of her 18 points in the third period and finished the game with 21 rebounds in 44 minutes.
Franklin tied the game at 55 for the first time in the second half at 6:55, before giving KU its first lead since early in the second quarter with a three-pointer to make it 58-55 with 3:13 left in regulation. Markowski answered with a three for the Big Red moments later, before Haiby’s jumper put the Huskers back in front at 60-58 with 2:03 left.
However, Kersgieter got a steal and layup with a minute left to send the game to overtime tied at 60.
In the last seven minutes of regulation through the final minute of the third overtime, the game was tied at 55, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 75 and 79, before the Huskers finally prevailed.
Chandler Prater also lifted the Jayhawks with aggressive defense while adding seven points and 10 rebounds, while Ioanna Chatzileonti contributed 10 points, including KU’s first five points of the third OT to tie the game at 75.
For the game, Nebraska hit just 38.4 percent (28-73) from the floor, but connected on 35.7 percent (10-28) from three-point range. It was the eighth time in 13 games this season the Huskers hit 10 or more threes. The Huskers also knocked down 19-of-29 (.655) of its free throws, outscoring the Jayhawks 19-14 at the line.
The NU defense held Kansas to 33 percent (30-91) from the floor, including 29 percent from three-point range (5-17). KU won the boards 68-46
The Jayhawks beat Nebraska on the boards, 68-46, as KU’s 68 rebounds tied the Husker opponent record.
Nebraska completes its five-game home stand next week when the Huskers play host to No. 19 Michigan.