Nebraska women’s basketball wins first NCAA tournament game in a decade

It went down to the final second but the Nebraska women’s basketball team scored a win that Husker Nation needed with a 61-59 victory over Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Nebraska women’s basketball opened up a 14-point lead three times in the second half thanks to the hot shooting of freshman Logan Nissley, who made four 3-pointers in the win. But the Huskers got cold in the second half and the Aggies eventually took the lead in the final minute.

A big hoop from Alexis Markowski and two clutch free throws from Nissley, who knocked down four 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 16 points, helped deliver the Nebraska women’s basketball team their first NCAA tournament win since 2014. It was also the first NCAA tournament win for Amy Williams.

Yes, it was disappointing the way the men’s team lost out. But the ladies salvaged a split in the Trev Alberts bowl as the NCAA selection committees matched Nebraska with its old AD in the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament.

The Texas A&M defense didn’t allow anything to come easy for the Cornhuskers. Jaz Shelley made 2-of-11 shots from the field and didn’t hit a single 3-pointer. If you had told me that before the game, I’d say Texas A&M was probably going to win.

Texas A&M was good on defense. Nebraska was just better. A&M shot 36 percent from the field. The Huskers also forced 16 turnovers. Nebraska women’s basketball also dominated at the free-throw line, making 19-of-22 compared to 8-of-9 for the Aggies.

Most games are won at the free-throw line and this one certainly was. The foul that put Nissley on the line at the end was unnecessary. It was a clear hold and a call the refs couldn’t ignore. A&M will complain about the no-call on the second-to-last-possession, but it looked like a charge to me, if anything.

Markowski finished with 16 points, matching Nissley with a team-high. She also grabbed six rebounds and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Nebraska will play third-seeded Oregon State on Sunday after the Beavers, the host team, knocked off Eastern Washington on Friday.