Jaz Shelley hit five three-pointers in the first half and poured in a season-high 30 points with nine assists to lead the No. 5 seed Nebraska women's basketball team to a 78-68 win over No. 8 seed Maryland in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday.
Shelley's star performance – which included a personal 11-0 run in the first half as she finished 6-of-12 from downtown in the game, 10-for-16 from the floor and 4-for-4 on free throws – powered the Huskers to their first Big Ten Tournament championship game since 2014.
She was not a one-woman show on Saturday, though, as Alexis Markowski finished the game with nine points and 13 rebounds, and Nebraska shot an eye-popping 13-for-28 from three in the game.
The Huskers (22-10) hit 10 three-pointers in the first half to build a 47-40 halftime lead. The Terrapins (19-13) closed the gap to 60-59 entering the fourth quarter, but Shelley and the Huskers closed the door.
They took control with a 12-2 run for a 72-61 lead to begin the fourth period, and Shelley delivered the bucket that became the final blow by nailing a baseline floater with 1:25 left for a 74-66 lead.
Nebraska will now wait to find out its opponent for Sunday's 11 a.m. CT championship game on CBS. If seeds hold up, the Huskers will be squaring off against Caitlin Clark and No. 2 seed Iowa.
That grudge match would be Part III of the Husker-Hawkeye rivalry matchup this season. Clark and the Hawkeyes took down Nebraska, 92-73, on Jan. 27 in Iowa City before Shelley and the Huskers upset Iowa – ranked No. 2 nationally at the time – at Pinnacle Bank Arena, 82-79, on Feb. 11.
That rematch will be set if Iowa takes care of business against No. 6 seed Michigan this afternoon.
Update (5:45 p.m. CT)
Iowa cruised past Michigan, 95-68, on Saturday to set up Sunday's tournament title game between the Huskers and Hawkeyes.
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