sports Women's basketball loss credited to poor defense By Kathy Chenault Early second half mental miscues and a lackadaisical defensive rebounding per formance spelled defeat for the UNL Wo men's Basketball team as they lost to Kansas State last night, 77-71 . "We just didn't block out and gave up too many second and third shots," said head coach Lorrie Gallagher. In addition to the second and third shots, the Wildcats were getting the fourth, fifth and in one instance sixth shots as the law of averages finally caught up with the Huskers under the opponent's basket. The first half was tight as the Huskers led throughout and held - a 4241 advantage at intermission. For the Huskers, stick-fingered Ruth James repeatedly brought the ball into Nebraska possession with steals and assists, as forward Jan Crouch contributed versa tile plan to highlight the first half. Mental miscues The Huskers' heads-up play of the first half gave way to continued mental miscues MQijf i j r in the second half and the Huskers were unable, to regain their poise. Defensive mixups leading to turnovers in addition to the deficient rebounding, allowed the steady playing Wildcats to stay within striking distance and midway through the second half the visitors pounced. Six minutes into the second half Kansas State knotted the score at 55 all and pro ceeded to take the lead and were never behind the rest of the way. We kept them in the game and they took advantage of it. We had some people mistaken about defensive assignments and you can't make those mistakes and expect to win," Gallagher said. Scoring honors In addition to the play of Crouch and James, UNL was paced by substitute Diane DelVigna who came off the bench to claim scoring honors with 22 points. For the Wildcats, LeAnn Wilcox scored 16 points on inside drives and Eileen Feeney kept the Wildcats hot from outside with 14 points. "We played a good game, but just let down and couldn't get back in time. Even tually though, it came down to our inabili ty to block out on the boards and that's what took the win from us," summed up Gallagher. The next action for the Huskers will be Thursday evening when they play Midland College. Photo by Mark Billingsley Jan Crouch looks for a fellow Husker to pass the baU off to as Kansas State Wildcat Laurie Miller applies defensive pressure. '.-JF m ;j .... m v. v:yxv i- m ;'. O 'c i .sty. t t ' I 1 1 ' V- '''- "1 itfmnir air i it i im mn ii 'i 1 Photo by Ted Kirk Coach Tom Osborne will still be heading the Huskers next year after turning down a Colorado head coach position. Coach Osborne ends guessing, turns offer down Speculation has ended and the Nebr aska Cornhuskers still have a head foot ball coach and the Colorado Buffaloes are still looking for a new one. Head Coach Tom Osborne an nounced his decision to remain at Nebr aska to his secretaries and staff Tuesday morning. He called from Omaha while traveling from Denver to Kansas City on a recruiting trip. Assistant Sports Information Direc tor Bill Bennett said Osborne chose to reject the Colorado staff offer because of his home, family and loyalty to the players he has recruited. While in Colorado, Osborne toured the athletic facilities and the athletic dormitory. He also met the players he would have coached. Osborne also said Nebraska has better facilities and a better program than Colorado. Bennett said the fact that Osborne is a native Nebraskan also figured in his decision. Estimates of the Colorado offer reached as high as $100,000 per year in salary but Bennett said that figure was only a rumor and only Osborne knows the actual figure. Osborne's recruiting trip included stops in Springfield, Mo. on Tuesday before ging to Chicago, 111. today. He will return to Lincoln Thursday to start preparations for the Orange Bowl. Caution urged for jogging in mushroom pit3 or icy wind By Martha Murdoch Winter has arrived, the leaves are gone from the trees, the birds have disappeared from the sky, and many joggers have left the sidewalks. UNL has an indoor track for runners who want to escape from the cold, but one aerobics instructor urges joggers to try outdoor running. UNL's indoor track is under Memorial Stadium's east side and can be reached through the north field house. It is open from 6 to 10 pjn. on weeknights, 10 a.m. to 6 pjn. on Saturday, and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, under the sponsorship of the Rec reation Department. On weekday mornings the track is opened at about 9 for aerobic classes. Other runners are not excluded during the classes, according to Gale Wie dow, program director for Recreation and Intramurals. Crushed rock surface "The Athletic Department just spread some crushed rock on the dirt track, which helps because it used to get muddy. The track has been kept in pretty good condi tion," Wiedow said. Students have nicknames for the facili ty. Junior Cindy Batenhorst calls it "the pit." "It's musty down there. There's water on the floor and you have to run between the holes. Snow melting above causes the moisture. But the gravel has im proved it some already," she said. Sophomore Tom Carlstrom calls it the "mushroom garden, because it's a dark, dingy hole, a good place to grow mush rooms." He said the conditions on the track change frequently. "One day it may be cold and one day it may be hot." He admits that the gravel keeps a runner from slipping, but he would like to see a new surface put on the track. Joggers need flatness Carlstrom added, "that track was made for real running and track competition, so it is banked. It would be better for joggers to have a flat surface." Sophomore Barb Owen said although she thinks the track is dingy and dislikes the gravel, "I like to run, so I can handle it. There's nowhere else for university stu dents to run in winter. I'm just glad to have somewhere to run." Students not involved in athletic activi ties in the UNL Sports Center are not al lowed to use the track there. Explained Jim Ross, sports center building manager and assistant athletic director, "we say no because if we open the track area to joggers, it will wear out and well have to put extra people on to supervise. The building is used heavily already." Polite refusal He said the university's outdoor track had to be replaced at considerable expense because joggers wore out the inside line. "We've had several calls from people who were upset because they couldn't use the Complex track. Some people come over and say they're going to use it anyway, and we ask them politely not to." he said. "We sympathize with students but we're trying to keep the new building and track in good condition " he said. Other schools that have good sports facilities for students, such as Iowa State, charge athletic fees, he said. Tom Carlstrom said, "If, I were a serious runner I'd love to use the Sports Complex track. But to keep the track in good shape, joggers would have to have specified running shoes. The mushroom garden is perfect for someone to run in with muddy shoes." Run in cold Phillip Sienna, instructor in the physical education department who teaches an aero bics class said, "I encourage people to try running in cold weather. It' s just as beneficial as running in warm weather There aren't very many dangers if you pro tect yourself. In hot weather, you can't take off layers of clothes if you get over heated and you can do more damage." To run in the cold. Sienna suggested wearing lightweight gloves, a hat, sweat pants, a sweat shirt or jogging top, and a windbreaker. "You can't get overheated, so you should wear clothes that are layered and can be adjusted to let air in. You want light and flexible apparel that won't hinder your running style," he said. "After you're into your run, your body will generate heat and you'll get nice and toasty." Cool down slowly Sienna advised that a runner stretch out in a warm place before starting off outside at a slow pace. "When you're done, you should cool down outside. Don't come in and sit down with all your clothes still on," he said. "The blood will cool in your extremities and not get back to your heart. "When running on a cold day, you should run into the wind as you go out and have the wind at your back as you return. If you're hot from running and then return running into a cold wind, youU get chilled ," Sienna said. "It's a misconception that you can frostbite your lungs. By the time the air gets to the back of the throat, it is suffi ciently warm. It is the dryness of the air that makes your lungs hurt. "There are plenty of faculty members who have been running in winters here for years, and they're still kicking around."