@OspreyWBB Preps for Monday Night Game at Nebraska

Monday, November 16

Lincoln, Neb.

8:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

Nebraska

11/15/2015 8:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

LINCOLN, Neb. – The North Florida women's basketball team (1-0) will play in its second game of the season on Monday night when they visit the University of Nebraska (1-0). The matchup will be the first against a Big Ten institution since 2005.

Gameday Need to Know
Date	Monday, Nov. 16
Time	8:00 p.m. ET
Opponent	Nebraska \| Schedule \| Stats
Live Stats	Nebraska Live Stats
Live Video	Big Ten Plus($)
Live Radio	HuskersNSide (Free)
Twitter	@OspreyWBB (In-game Updates)
Game Notes	North Florida \| Nebraska

Game Day Notes

Friday Cliff Notes: First-year Head Coach Darrick Gibbs collected his first career win with a 62-55 triumph over UMKC. The Ospreys never trailed in the contest and went 19-for-22 from the free throw line as a team. The Kangaroos were in foul trouble early in the fourth quarter and the Ospreys took advantage by going 16-18 from the charity stripe in the final 10 minutes. Junior Transfer Claire Ioannidis led the Ospreys with 29 points while Sierra Shepherd chipped in 12 points.

First Time Long Time: The 62-55 win against UMKC was the first in a season opener for the Ospreys since defeating Winthrop at the start of the 2005 season.

Record-Breaking Debut: Junior Claire Ioannidis couldn't have scripted a better start to her Osprey career. Her 29 points were the most in a single game by any Osprey in the program's D-1 era. A big part of her record-setting afternoon was a perfect, 12-for-12 effort from the free throw line. Only one other player in school history had more made free throws without a miss in a single game.

Fast Start: Sophomore Sierra Shepherd keyed a hot start for North Florida on Friday, scoring the game's first eight points and 11 of the teams 18 first quarter points. She finished the afternoon with 12 points and a team-high three assists.

Freshmen Contribution: Playing in their first collegiate games, Hadley Kiefer and Katie Meckus both put forth significant contributions for Head Coach Darrick Gibbs. Kiefer tallied eight points, including two three-pointers and picked up pair of steals. Meckus came off the bench and led the Ospreys with six rebounds and added four points.

Frequent Flyer Miles: Monday's trip to Lincoln is 1,343 miles from North Florida's campus in Jacksonville, Fla. In terms of distance it will be the longest road trip of the season, in a close second is Newark, N.J. to take on new Atlantic Sun Conference foe, NJIT. The Ospreys will play the next five games in the state of Florida.

About Nebraska: The Huskers have been participants in the last four NCAA Tournaments and are two years removed from a run to the Sweet 16. Nebraska enters its 14^th year under the direction of Connie Yori who is the program's all-time leader in wins. She has produced four-straight 20-win seasons and is a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Player to Watch: Husker guard Natalie Romeo produced the best season-opening performance in program history after dropping 30 points on Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday night. She was 6-for-9 from beyond the three-point arc. The sophomore is coming off a first year that saw her knock down 51 threes in 24 games played.

Husker Saturday Recap: The Huskers were dominant in a 96-46 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.Three players were in double figures on Saturday night for Nebraska including Jessica Shepard who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. In addition to Romeo's game-high 30 points, Rachel Theriot scored 10 and pulled down five rebounds. Nebraska never trailed and held a lead as high as 53 late in the fourth quarter.