LINCOLN, Neb.—Vernell Atamah dropped in a game-high 20 points but Northwestern State couldn't overcome 24 turnovers and the size of Nebraska in a 103-46 loss Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

NSU (0-1) coughed the ball up 17 times in the first half, leading to 30 Nebraska (1-0) points, which put the Demons in a hole they never could dig themselves out of.

The Demons only turned it over seven times in the second half, leading to just five turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

"Today's game was a tale of two halves," head coach Anna Nimz said. "The girls corrected a lot of our first half mistakes and locked in and played more intentional in the 2nd half. I was very happy with how they responded after halftime and played with more poise and discipline.

"We have a lot of good, teachable moments from today. Now we learn from it and prepare to take on Wichita State."

Nebraska shot well from the field all day long, shooting 61 percent from the field, including 8-of-10 in the final frame. That was helped by 50 points in the paint.

When they didn't score inside, the Cornhuskers used their size to earn trips to the free throw line, making 23-of-30 shots from the charity stripe.

NSU began the game with making two of its first three shot attempts—one each from Tiara Abron and Nya Valentine—to grab a 4-2 lead.

After missing its first shot of the game, Nebraska scored on six straight possessions to take a 12-4 lead, with Britt Prince scoring eight of her 19 during that stretch.

The Cornhuskers buried three triples, as Nebraska went on a 30-6 run to close the first quarter and build a 32-10 lead after one.

Nebraska kept it going in the second quarter, out-scoring NSU 27-8 to go into the locker room with a 59-18 lead.

In the second half, it was a different story.

Held to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half, NSU's leading returning scorer woke up in the third quarter.

After missing her first two shots of the quarter, Atamah came alive, making five straight shots and scoring 15 in the third quarter to play the Cornhuskers to a virtual stalemate in the third.

But the Cornhuskers made eight shot attempts of 10 in the fourth to finish the game, including 1-for-1 from deep, as Nebraska went 8-of-17 from 3-point land in the contest.

Nebraska shot at least 50 percent in every quarter, led by Samford transfer Claire Johnson, who scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep.

Johnson led five Cornhuskers in double figures. She also led a Nebraska bench that recorded 45 points by themselves.

Atamah was the lone Demon to reach double figures, but newcomers Valentine and Abron each had eight points. In 11 minutes off the bench, Payton Miller chipped in five points for NSU.

Next up for the Demons is a trip to Wichita State as NSU's trip around the Midwest continues, the second of three road games to begin the season.