Truong leads Gonzaga women to 68-55 win over Nebraska

LOUISVILLE, KY (AP) - Kayleigh Truong scored a career-high 20 points to lead Gonzaga to a 68-55 victory over Nebraska in the first round of NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Truong, a junior guard, scored 15 of her points in the second half, and those came after she landed awkwardly in a second quarter collision with Nebraska’s Jaz Shelley. That caused her to miss the final five minutes of the half. Sam Haiby led the Huskers with a season-high 20 points.

No. 1 seed Louisville will square off with No. 16 seed Albany in Friday’s second game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. The Cardinals and Danes will appear on ESPN2.

The Huskers (24-8, 11-7 Big Ten) are made their second NCAA appearance under sixth-year head coach Amy Williams after earning their 15th overall NCAA bid in program history. Nebraska finished sixth in the Big Ten Conference standings and No. 23 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. NU’s 24 wins are tied for fourth in school history, and the Big Red’s three wins over AP Top 10 teams during the regular season also match the most in a season in program history.

The Huskers are led by second-team All-Big Ten selections Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski and honorable-mention All-Big Ten picks Sam Haiby and Isabelle Bourne. Shelley was also a Big Ten All-Defensive Team choice by the league media while Markowski was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Nebraska’s captains, Haiby and Bourne earned All-Big Ten recognition for the second time.

The Huskers, who are 11-4 since resuming competition after a COVID pause (Jan. 17-26), have won seven of their last nine games, including victories over then-AP No. 5 Indiana (72-55, Feb. 14) and then-AP No. 10 Michigan (76-73, March 4). Six of Nebraska’s eight losses on the season have come at the hands of current AP Top 25 teams.

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