LINCOLN, Neb.—Vernell Atamah dropped in a game-high 20 points, but the Northwestern State women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome 24 turnovers and the size of Nebraska in a season-opening 103-46 loss Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
NSU (0-1) coughed the ball up 17 times in the first half, leading to 30 Nebraska (1-0) points, which put the Demons behind to stay. They turned it over only seven times in the final 20 minutes.
“Today’s game was a tail of two halves,” head coach Anna Nimz said. “The girls corrected a lot of our first half mistakes and locked in and played more intentional in the second half. I was very happy with how they responded after halftime and played with more poise and discipline.
“We have a lot of good, teachable moments from today. Now we learn from it and prepare to take on Wichita State.”
Nebraska shot well from the field all day long, shooting 61 percent from the field, including 8-of-10 in the final frame. That was helped by 50 points in the paint.
When they didn’t score inside, the Cornhuskers used their size to earn trips to the free throw line, making 23-of-30.
Nebraska built a 32-10 lead after the first period and led 59-18 at halftime.
In the second half, it was a different story. Held to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half, last year’s Southland Conference Freshman of the Year woke up in the third quarter.
After missing her first two shots of the quarter, Atamah came alive, making five straight shots and scoring 15 in the third quarter to play the Cornhuskers to a virtual stalemate.
Next for the Demons is a Thursday contest at Wichita State, the second of three road games to begin the season.
