The Nebraska women's basketball team took care of their business to open up the 2026-2027 season.

Facing off against a San Jose State team projected to finish in the basement of the Mountain West conference, the Cornhuskers pulled away for a stress-free, season-opening win in front of over 8,200 at Pinnacle Bank Arena last week. Star point guard Britt Prince looked sharp with a game-high 23 points alongside eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Junior Amiah Hargrove added 15 points and grabbed a game-leading nine rebounds while Natalie Potts looked healthy for the first time in two years by adding 14 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Sticking to its mid-major schedule in November, Nebraska returns to PBA, where they'll face a Western Illinois squad expected to compete for the top spot in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Here's all you need to know for Saturday afternoon.

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: Nebraska (1-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Western Illinois (1-0, 0-0 OVC)
• When: Saturday, November 7
• Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE
• Time: 2 p.m. CST 
• Watch: B1G+
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
• How to Sync Husker Radio with TV Broadcast

Western Illinois Scout

Head Coach

• JD Gravina | 16th Season at Western Illinois; 22nd as Head Coach 
• 242-216 (.528) at WIU; 356-277 (.562) as Head Coach
• 2x NCAA DI Tournament Apps, 3x WNIT Apps
• 1x OVC regular season & tournament title, 1x Summit League regular season championship, 2x Great Lakes Conference regular season titles
• 3x Illinois BCAC Coach OTY, 2x Great Lakes Coach OTY, 1x Summit League Coach OTY (2017), 1x OVC Coach OTY (2026)
• Previous Head Coach at Quincy University (DII) and McPherson College (NAIA).

2025 Finish

• L, 82-51 to North Carolina in NCAA Tournament First Round

2025 Record & Awards

• Record: 26-6 (16-4 OVC, T-1st)
• Conference: OVC Regular Season & Tournament Champions
• OVC Awards: Player, Coach and Co-Defensive Player of the Year
• All-OVC: 2x First Team, 1x Newcomer

All-Time Series

• Nebraska leads 1-0
• November 12, 2004, last matchup; 74-71 NU

Key Returners

• Mia Nicastro | F | Sr. | Averaged over 15 points and seven rebounds last year to earn OVC Player of the Year, All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team honors.
• Kaylen Reed | G | Jr. | The returning starter for the Leathernecks scored a team-high 16 points in the season-opening win over Clarke while also playing the most minutes with 32.
• Shelby Bowman | G | Jr. | Coming off the bench as a contributor for her first two college seasons, Bowman earned a starting spot in the season opener where she added 14 points with three three-pointers.
• Madison Davis | G | Jr. | One of the first players off the bench for WIU in the last two seasons, but earned her way into the starting lineup to begin the new season. Added 12 points and seven rebounds against Clarke.
• Maria Messling | F | Jr. | WIU's starting forward missed all of 2023-2024 with an injury before playing 19 games in the next season. She redshirted last year, but has come back to be in the starting lineup.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Mylee Stiefel | G | Fr. | The all-state guard from Iowa played in 22 minutes during the season opener and scored 11 points with three assists and two rebounds.

Key Departures

• Mallory Shetley | F | Graduated | The five-year transfer from Columbia spent her final season with the Leathernecks and averaged 11 points per game.
• Allie Meadows | G | Graduated | Played in nearly every game she was eligible for across her four seasons with WIU. Averaged over seven points per game as a starter in her final two seasons.
• Addi Brownfield | G | Graduated | The three-year starter put up over 12 points and nearly six rebounds per contest as part of a standout final college season with the Leathernecks that included OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Outlook

Entering his 16th season in charge of Western Illinois, head coach J.D. Gravina enjoyed one of his best campaigns with the Leathernecks in 2025-2026. Behind OVC Player of the Year Mia Nicastro and Co-Defensive Player of the Year Addi Brownfield, WIU swept both the regular season and tournament conference titles to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time under Gravina.

The Leathernecks were dispatched by North Carolina in the first round, but that didn't take anything away from a season that saw the team go 26-6 and have Gravina become the winningest coach in program history. Fortunately for WIU, they return Nicastro for her final collegiate season after she averaged over 15 points and seven rebounds last season. Kaylen Reed is another returning starter for the Leathernecks. Her junior season got off to a great start by scoring a team-high 16 points in the season opener against Clarke.

Outside of those two, Western Illinois has had to break in a batch of new starters. Junior guard Shelby Bowman was a key contributor off the bench for the past two seasons, but she's now in a starting role and added 14 points in her first start. Madison Davis experienced a similar situation. The junior guard showcased her ability against Clarke with 12 points and seven rebounds. Forward Maria Messling has a couple of injury-plagued seasons under her belt, but she's moved into the starting lineup as protector of the paint.

Expected to once again compete at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Leathernecks have talent, but not compared to Nebraska. Give me the Cornhuskers to win in another blowout.