Nebraska Hosts Western Illinois in Big Ten Opener
The Cornhuskers face the Ohio Valley Conference champions at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday following a dominant start to the season.
By Samuel Hayes ·
The Nebraska women's basketball team opens its Big Ten Conference schedule on Saturday, November 7, hosting Western Illinois at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Time and will air on the B1G+ streaming service. Fans can also listen to the broadcast on the Huskers Radio Network and its affiliates.
Nebraska enters the contest with a 1-0 record after defeating San Jose State last week. The Cornhuskers drew a crowd of more than 8,200 for that season-opening victory. Star point guard Britt Prince led the team with 23 points. She also recorded eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the win.
Junior Amiah Hargrove contributed 15 points and nine rebounds in the same game. Natalie Potts, playing with improved health for the first time in two years, added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench. Nebraska will keep its mid-major schedule for the month of November.
Western Illinois arrives in Lincoln with a 1-0 record as well. The Leathernecks are projected to compete for the top spot in the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the previous season as both the regular season and tournament champions of the OVC. The team went 26-6 overall and fell to North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach J.D. Gravina is in his 16th season at Western Illinois. He holds a 242-216 record at the school, which makes him the winningest coach in program history. Gravina was named OVC Coach of the Year in 2026. Western Illinois returns senior forward Mia Nicastro, who averaged over 15 points and seven rebounds last year. She earned OVC Player of the Year honors.
The Leathernecks also return junior guard Kaylen Reed. She scored a team-high 16 points in the season opener against Clarke. Shelby Bowman, a junior guard, earned a starting spot and added 14 points in her first start of the season. Madison Davis, another junior guard, provided 12 points and seven rebounds in the opener. Maria Messling, a junior forward, is back in the starting lineup after missing the 2023-2024 season with an injury.
Nebraska leads the all-time series against Western Illinois, 1-0. The teams last met on November 12, 2004, when Nebraska won 74-71. Western Illinois lost three key players to graduation, including Mallory Shetley, Allie Meadows, and Addi Brownfield. Brownfield earned OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in her final season.
