Mi'Cole Cayton doesn’t play a lot for the Nebraska women’s basketball team.
Her average of seven minutes per game ranks 12th on the team. But Cayton almost always makes the most of her time in the game.
The latest example of that came during Nebraska’s win at Wisconsin on Wednesday.
During a stretch when Nebraska went on a 10-0 run, Cayton made a three-pointer, scored on a layup and helped force a turnover. She played eight minutes in that game, finishing with five points and one assist.
There have been other games like that. While playing six minutes during a win against Penn State, she made a three-pointer and had an assist. During a win against Wyoming, she had three points, two rebounds and one steal in seven minutes.
Cayton relishes her role of bringing energy to the team during the short stretches she plays.
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How is she able to make the most of her minutes?
“When you trust in each other so much, and you compete on the court and connect off the court, it just makes everything so much better,†Cayton said.
Cayton is one of three players who will go through a senior day ceremony following Nebraska’s game against Northwestern on Sunday.
She’ll be joined by Sam Haiby and Bella Cravens. All three could decide to return next season because of the extra season of eligibility given for the COVID-19 season.
Sunday is the final home game for Nebraska and the final day of the regular season, and there are still a few things on the line:
* Nebraska and Northwestern will be playing for the No. 6 seed at the 14-team Big Ten Tournament next week. The winning team will claim the No. 6 seed, while a loss by the Huskers would drop them to the No. 7 spot.
* The Huskers have a 15-1 record in home games this season, and a win would tie the school record for home wins in a season.
Cayton said all of the time she puts in during practice helps her be ready to make the most of her playing time.
“It’s from getting put in that position a million times in practice, and having (male practice players) push us to limits where we didn’t even know we could be pushed at,†Cayton said.
Her best game during her two seasons at Nebraska came this season in a win against Wake Forest when she scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with two three-pointers.
Cayton’s teammates are impressed by what she does.
“She is such a spark for us, and I’m so proud of her,†point guard Jaz Shelley said. “I love playing with her. We always laugh about it, she always finds me for the three, and I always find her. She comes in and does her job.â€
Cayton is also one of the Huskers’ best players on defense and has 11 steals.
“I love seeing her go out there and heating up the point guard and getting a stop,†said Husker forward Isabelle Bourne.
Cayton, from Stockton, California, transferred to Nebraska before the 2020 season. She was on the team at California for four seasons, but battled knee injuries for most of that time.
After this season is over Cayton plans to get an agent and try to play professional basketball, likely in one of the numerous overseas leagues.
If she wanted to return to Nebraska, she would have to apply for eligibility because it would be her seventh year in a college program.
Cayton said her two years at Nebraska have been “tremendousâ€
“It’s the second chance to start my life over,†she said.
She’s had to overcome multiple knee injuries, but feels good enough to try and continue playing.
"Seven months of just pure grinding and not seeing the court," Cayton said. "But now I’m 100% and back and feeling a lot better.â€
Nebraska is on the verge of making it to the NCAA Tournament. Cayton played in the tournament with California in 2017, and is excited that the Nebraska players will get a chance to experience that too.
“It’s the highest platform that you can possibly be placed on in women’s basketball,†she said.