LINCOLN, Neb. - The University of South Florida women's basketball team closed out the 2010 calendar year, and its non-conference slate tonight, facing Nebraska and found itself to be the 27th straight victim at the hands of the Cornhuskers, 78-59, in front of 3,726 fans at the Devaney Sports Center.

The win for Nebraska extended one of the nation's longest home winning streaks.

The setback drops USF to 9-6 on the year while Nebraska ends a three-game losing streak and improves to 9-4.

USF got 12 points from Andrea Smith while Leondra Doomes-Stephens and Porche Grant added 11 points apiece in the loss. Doomes-Stephens grabbed a team-high eight rebounds tying a career-high.

The Bulls fell behind early as the Cornhuskers jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead before Smith hit USF's first field goal of the game on a driving lay-up with 17:52 left in the half.

Nebraska would push the lead to seven points, 12-5, when Catheryn Redmon hit a mid-range jumper with 15:36 left on the clock.

The Bulls cut the lead to two points, 14-12, when Sasha Bernard hit a 15-foot shot with 11:34 left, however the Cornhuskers would close out the remainder of the first half on a 15-8 run to take a 39-20 lead into the locker room at the intermission.

USF would struggle in the first 20 minutes of play shooting just 26.7 percent (8-30) from the field while Nebraska shot 50 percent from the floor (13-26) in the first stanza. The Cornhuskers would also hit 83.3 percent (10-12) of their shots from the free throw line while the Bulls were just 1-2 (50 percent).

USF came out in the second half shooting a bit better than in the first half, hitting 44.4 percent (4-9) of its shots, and forcing Nebraska into three turnovers in the first 5:15, but could not seem to make up any ground.

The Bulls would cut the lead to 14 points, with 8:51 left in the game, when Smith hit a three-point shot to make the score 57-43 Nebraska; however USF would not get any closer the rest of the way.

The Bulls finished the game shooting 38.9 percent (22-66) from the field. Nebraska hit 56 percent (27-51) of its shots from the floor.
 
Although USF lost the battle of the boards, 38-36, the Bulls out rebounded the Cornhuskers 17-8 on the offensive glass, and outscored Nebraska 23-8 in second chance points.

The Bulls will return home to begin the balance of their BIG EAST Conference schedule when it faces Cincinnati on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.