LINCOLN, Neb. (Interstat) — Britt Prince scored 28 points and Nebraska used a decisive first-quarter run to roll past visiting North Carolina A&T 76-35 on Tuesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Cornhuskers improved to 3-0, while the Aggies dropped to 1-2 in the women’s NCAA Division I game before an announced crowd of 4,117. Nebraska never trailed after Natalie Potts opened the scoring, and the Cornhuskers led by double digits for most of the game.

Prince, a 5-foot-11 guard from Omaha, Nebraska, and Elkhorn North, added three rebounds, two assists and one block. Amiah Hargrove, a 6-foot-2 forward from Christopher, finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and one block. Ashlyn Koupal added 11 points and eight rebounds. Natalie Potts, a 6-foot-2 forward from Incarnate Word Academy, contributed six points, six rebounds and two assists. Paris Locke, a 6-foot forward from McDonough, led North Carolina A&T with eight points, six rebounds and two assists. Allison Weidner, a 5-foot-10 guard, scored six points and added two rebounds and two assists. Ava Miles had four points and three rebounds. Darrionna Howard, a 6-foot forward from Clayton, scored 10 points for the Aggies. Yves Cox, a 6-foot-3 center from Link Academy, had seven points and two rebounds, and Kennadi Williams, a 5-foot-4 guard from Lincoln Southwest, handed out seven assists for Nebraska.

North Carolina A&T struggled to find offensive rhythm. The Aggies shot 14 of 45 from the floor, 1 of 11 from three-point range and 6 of 16 from the free throw line. Nebraska shot 29 of 51 overall, 7 of 22 from beyond the arc and 11 of 12 at the line. The Cornhuskers held a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 15-7 edge in points off turnovers. Nebraska turned 16 North Carolina A&T turnovers into 15 points, while the Aggies scored seven points off 18 Nebraska turnovers. Nebraska finished with a 10-5 edge on the offensive glass, both teams recorded 11 assists, and the Cornhuskers blocked three shots.

The most important stretch came in the opening quarter. Potts made a jump shot and a layup, and Prince added a layup as Nebraska took a 6-0 lead. After Locke made one free throw for North Carolina A&T, Prince made three consecutive 3-pointers to push the Cornhuskers ahead 15-1. The Cornhuskers used a 9-0 run over a span of just over two minutes to turn a 6-1 lead into a 15-1 advantage. Jada Bates made a jump shot, Howard made a free throw and a layup, and Hargrove answered with a layup for Nebraska. Prince then made another 3-pointer late in the quarter, and the Cornhuskers led 20-6 after the first. North Carolina A&T did not score again until Jada Bates made a jump shot with 3:27 left in the first quarter.

Nebraska kept the pressure on in the second quarter. Potts made a layup, Weidner scored twice inside, Prince added a layup and Koupal converted a layup as the Cornhuskers extended their lead to 30-6. Crystal Hardy made a 3-pointer for North Carolina A&T, Hargrove answered with a layup, and Jada Bates and Locke each made layups for the Aggies. Koupal closed the half with a jump shot, and Nebraska led 34-15 at the break. The Aggies managed nine points in the second quarter and went into halftime shooting just 6 of 22 from the floor.

The Cornhuskers pulled away in the third. Howard opened the quarter with a layup for North Carolina A&T, but Prince answered with a layup and a jump shot. Hargrove then made consecutive jump shots, Koupal and Cox traded layups, and Nebraska received a 3-pointer from Hargrove and a layup from Koupal to build a 53-24 lead. Ava Miles added a layup and a jump shot, and Logan Nissley made two free throws late in the period. Nebraska carried a 57-24 advantage into the fourth.

North Carolina A&T scored six points in the fourth, while Nebraska added 20. Maddi Stewart made a 3-pointer to open the fourth, Locke answered with a jump shot, and Koupal made one of two free throws for Nebraska. Cox made a layup for the Aggies, Prince made one of two free throws, and Bates made the second of two free throws. Stewart then made another 3-pointer, Pass made a layup, Howard made a layup, and Koupal converted a three-point play. Cox made one of two free throws, Angui scored a layup, Locke made two free throws, Stewart made two free throws, and Weidner made two free throws to close the scoring. The outcome was already settled.

Prince’s first-quarter shooting burst set the tone for Nebraska, which led throughout after Potts’ opening basket. The Cornhuskers scored 14 points in the first quarter, 23 in the second, 19 in the third and 20 in the fourth. North Carolina A&T scored nine in the first, nine in the second, 11 in the third and six in the fourth. Nebraska finished with 76 points from 65 possessions, an offensive rating of 117.5. North Carolina A&T scored 35 points from 64 possessions, an offensive rating of 55.0.

Nebraska improved to 3-0 after earlier wins over Western Illinois and San Jose State. North Carolina A&T fell to 1-2 after a win over Wingate and a loss at Marshall. Prince had 23 points and eight rebounds in Nebraska’s previous game against San Jose State and 19 points against Western Illinois. The Cornhuskers are scheduled to face Kansas next in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Aggies are set to host Guilford in their next game.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Nebraska 72, North Carolina A&T 58, and its ELO system had projected Nebraska with a 98.7 percent probability to win.