Huskers make career achievements with 94-90 overtime win over Ducks

Nearly 5,300 fans braved the frigid Nebraska air to watch the Huskers take on the Oregon Ducks for the first time in 40 years. The energy in Pinnacle Bank Arena was palpable for five excruciatingly long minutes of overtime before the Huskers claimed victory 94-90. 

The thrilling overtime win came after a fight, as Nebraska trailed Oregon by 14 points in the third quarter. In a career game for senior center/forward Alexis Markowski — with a career high 35 points, 15 rebounds, and her 50th career double-double — the versatility of Nebraska’s women was their key to success. 

“We battled not only for each other, but for the fans here and our state,” Markowski said. “We haven't brought a home game win to PBA in a while, so we wanted to bring that win streak.”

The Ducks took immediate control in the first quarter, racking up 10 points before allowing a Husker field goal. Markowski ended the run with two 3-pointers, which raised the score to 10-6.  

 Markowski did more than score, as she played both in and outside of the ball. She hedged Oregon’s Deja Kelly’s ball screens before she got inside again to rebound.

“(Markowski) knew she was going to have to really rise to the occasion here down the stretch,” Nebraska coach Amy Williams said. “It's really hard work, and particularly when you're playing your fourth game in 10 days, I’m proud of her effort.” 

The first quarter ended at an 18-18 tie, one of 12 times the game was tied up. Neither team let the other get too comfortable. However, Nebraska did fall short defensively. The offense compensated, with 18 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points, making all the difference in the game. 

The game went into overtime with a score of 81-81. Junior guard Callin Hake scored two 3-pointers during overtime, including the winning points of the game. 

“It starts in those 40 minutes, when you have Lex hitting threes, Logan hitting threes, all our teammates — that gives you even more confidence,” Hake said. “Logan made a great pass on that last one, and so I tried to make it. I think that's the easy part. Without your teammates, you can't make those big shots.”

The Huskers were missing some players on the court, most notably freshman guard Britt Prince, who injured her ankle in the loss against Illinois last Sunday. Prince was joined at the sideline with Allison Weidner and Natalie Potts, both who have suffered season-ending injuries this season. Williams said Prince will take her injury day-by-day and return to the court as quickly and safely as possible.

“We talked in the locker room before this game that there's a lot of people right now talking about what's not on the court, but we know what's still on the court, and we're going to lean into that,” Williams said. “There are people that are counting us out, but we're not going to let people count us out.”

Nebraska improved to 18-9 overall, 9-7 in conference. The Huskers are looking to gain another win on senior day with their last home game against Washington at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

Published in UNLimited Sports, read here.

Junior point guard Callin Hake celebrates a 3-pointer in overtime during the game against Oregon on Feb. 19, 2025 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Hake scored the last Husker points of the game, sinking two 3-pointers in overtime. Photo by Izzy Lewis.