Guard Moore sparks Huskers in opener

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BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star

Not bad, Lindsey Moore. Only 11 assists shy of NU’s single-game record.

Lest you think the freshman point guard had a rocky debut in Nebraska’s 86-62 season-opening win against Davidson at the Devaney Sports Center on Friday, she pretty much did what she wanted with the basketball.

In fact, during 15 first-half minutes, the Parade All-American from Covington, Wash., helped NU score seven baskets with nifty passing. A year ago, that assist total would have been NU’s single-game high.

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“Lindsey’s got tremendous floor vision,” coach Connie Yori said. “She sees things most freshmen don’t see, in fact, most upperclassmen don’t see. She’s going to be special from that standpoint.”

Moore added one assist in limited play after halftime. With the Huskers comfortably ahead and having a game at UNLV on Sunday,  Yori spent most of the final 20 minutes generously rotating players.

Moore’s play and her 8-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio led to a balanced offensive attack. Two-time All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin, playing for the first time since the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, paced NU with 13 points, while guard Nicole Neals added a career-high 12.

“She’s awesome,” Neals said of Moore. “You see (what happens) when she passes the ball. I love playing with her. She gets me open shots.”

Nebraska, which made its first nine attempts from the field while bolting to a 22-6 lead, ended Davidson’s 250-game streak of hitting at least one three-pointer. The Wildcats, whose preseason All-Southern Conference guards Alex Thompson and Ashley Lax combined to hit 131 threes last year, went 0-for-3 on three-pointers in the first half and didn’t attempt one thereafter.

The Huskers led 46-26 at halftime thanks to shooting 63 percent (17-for-27) from the field. The game would have been more lopsided if not for Nebraska’s 25 turnovers and 16 missed free throws.

But after the way her team started, it was hard for Yori to be upset.

“I didn’t expect us to pounce on them the way we did, but it was kind of fun to watch that early section,” she said.

Briefly

Nebraska junior guard Kaitlyn Burke played 13 minutes and scored seven points after missing the Huskers’ two exhibition games recovering from foot surgery. ... Davidson senior guard and Ashland-Greenwood High graduate Monica Laune started for the Wildcats and finished with 10 points.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.