Nebraskas Sam Haiby was the named the College Sports Madness Big Ten Conference Womens Basketball Player of the Week after leading the Huskers to a pair of upset wins over No. 15 Northwestern and Rutgers last week. Haiby, a 5-9 junior guard from Moorhead, Minn., took the national spotlight with her highlight-reel, circus shot as time expired to lift Nebraska to a 65-63 win over No. 15 Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Dec. 31. Haibys put-back of her own missed shot not only gave the Big Red the victory, it was also named ESPN Sport Centers Top Play on New Years Eve. The shot capped a 19-point, eight-rebound, five-assist effort for Haiby against the previously unbeaten and defending Big Ten champion Wildcats.
Haiby followed her heroic effort to close 2020 with another strong effort to open 2021, leading Nebraska with 16 points and five assists to go along with five rebounds in a 53-50 victory over Rutgers on Sunday. Nebraska trailed 44-43 midway through the fourth quarter before Haiby scored six straight points to cap a 9-0 Big Red run that fueled the victory in a defensive slugfest. Haiby was also instrumental in holding a Rutgers offense that entered the game averaging nearly 86 points per contest to just 50 points on the afternoon. Later in the day on Monday, Haiby added recognition from the conference with her selection to the Big Ten Womens Basketball Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season and fourth in her career. Nebraska returns to action this week with a two-game road trip to top-25 unbeaten teams Michigan and Michigan State. The Huskers take on No. 16 Michigan on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. in Ann Arbor.
