Lawrence, KS - Behind the strength of double-doubles from Katie Robinette and Keasha Cannon, the Nebraska women’s basketball team overcame a sluggish first half to knock off the Kansas Jayhawks, 77-70, in front of 754 fans at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., on Wednesday evening.

Robinette provided one of her most solid efforts of the season with 22 points, while pulling down 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year. Cannon, the Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week last week, added her sixth double-double of the year with 15 points and 15 rebounds, including 13 points and 10 boards in the second half.

Shannon Howell added 13 points and K.C. Cowgill contributed 10 points off the bench to help the Huskers improve to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in Big 12 Conference action. Nebraska also posted back-to-back wins in conference play for the first time since knocking off Kansas State (Feb. 17) and Kansas (Feb. 20) during the 2000-01 season. The Huskers reeled off their seventh straight win in the series with Kansas.

The Jayhawks fell to 5-21 overall and 0-13 in league action, as Nebraska produced its first road victory in Big 12 play this season.

“The story tonight was Katie Robinette,” Nebraska Coach Paul Sanderford said. “She kept us in the game with her scoring and rebounding in the first half, and she played pretty darn good in the second half. Keasha Cannon might have played her worst half of the season in the first half, but she fought through it and carried us in the second half.”

Nebraska, fresh off its biggest win of the season with a 67-52 victory over No. 11 Kansas State on Feb. 10, shot out of the blocks in the first half, racing to a 13-5 lead with 15:12 remaining in the first half.

Robinette, a 6-2 forward from South Sioux City, Neb., led the Huskers during the stretch, scoring seven of NU’s first 13 points. But Kansas responded with a 14-2 run to take a 19-15 lead before Robinette stopped the surge with a pair of free throws. Nebraska tied the score at 23 after two more Robinette free throws, but did not lead again in the first half, as the Jayhawks took a 34-30 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

Robinette led the Huskers with 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, but Cannon struggled offensively, managing just two points to go with five rebounds in the first half.

However, Cannon heated up in the second half to bring the Huskers back. The 5-10 guard from Kansas City, Kan., led Nebraska with 13 second-half points, while producing her sixth double-double of the year, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Cannon scored the first two points of the second half and Robinette added a pair of baskets to spark a 6-2 run out of the gate in the second stanza, as NU tied the score at 36. KU answered with three straight points to regain the lead, before Howell scored four straight points to give the Huskers their first lead of the second half at 40-39.

Kansas quickly regained the lead at 43-40, before Cannon erupted for nine straight points to help the Huskers surge to a 57-49 lead. The Huskers never looked back, as NU connected on almost all of its free throws in the second half. Nebraska set season highs by connecting on 35-of-45 free throws on the evening, including 25-of-28 free throw attempts in the second half.

Nebraska continues road action in the Big 12 when the Huskers travel to Norman, Okla., to tangle with No. 4 Oklahoma on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Huskers return to the Bob Devaney Sports Center to battle Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7:05 p.m.

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