friday, january 19, 1979
psje 10
daily nebraskan
Home advantage to Mizzou again
Jack Shockley
When a team goes on a losing streak, it usually lasts for
a couple of games..
But in the case of Nebraska's basketball team, that
streak is approaching its fifth year.
The Cornhuskers, you see, have not defeated the Univ
ersity of Missouri on the Tigers' home court since 1974.
They will be seeking only their second win in Columbia in
the last 12 years when they face the Tigers Saturday night
at 7:35 pjn. in Hearnes Fieldhouse.
Nebraska assistant coach Tom Baack said the home
court advantage again will probably help the Tigers, but
noted that the Huskers have been playing well on the road
lately.
"We've lost some tough games to some pretty good
people on the road, so there probably is something to
their home court advantage," Baack said. "But we've been
playing good ball on the road in our last couple of games,
expecially against Colorado."
The Huskers were beaten in that game on a driving lay
up with two seconds left.
In their previous road outing, the Huskers defeated Ok
lahoma 69-53 in the Big Eight Holiday Tournament, a
game many observers feelwas Nebraska's best this season.
Missouri is fresh off a 58-55 upset win over 20th-rank-ed
Kansas Wednesday night in Lawrence. Baack said the
Tigers, 6-9 overall and 2-1 in conference play, are playing
better basketball now than earner in the season.
Good ball
"Missouri is playing good ball," he said. "They're hand
ling the ball more and not running like they were early in
the year."
The Tigers got off to a poor start this season, suffering
through a seven-game losing string that included a 58-56
overtime loss to the Huskers in the Holiday Tourney.
But after a loss to Oklahoma State in the conference
opener, they defeated Oklahoma on regional television
and then beat Kansas.
The key to stopping Missouri is to contain the Tigers'
Curtis Berry and Larry Drew, Baack said.
"Berry and Drew have been playing good ball lately.
We're going to have to stop them in order to win," he
said.
Baack said that Berry, last week's Big Eight Player-of-the-Week,
will present problems for the Huskers.
"He's got good size and quickness and it's tough for big
men to handle him inside," he said.
Berry, who moved from forward to center after start
ing center Lex Drum had knee surgery, has averaged 20
points a game since changing positions.
UNL continues to be plagued by poor free throw
shooting. The Cornhuskers are shooting slightly less than
60 percent from the free-throw line, the lowest average in
the conference. Against Kansas State Wednesday, they
converted only five-of-13, a performance that nearly cost
them the game.
Free throws
"Free throws are just something you have to practice,"
Baack said.. "I don't believe you can become a good free
throw shooter during the season."
"The way everyone's been talking about it, it makes
them think about it too much instead of just going up
there and relaxing."
Baack said Husker guard Brian Banks is still bothered
by a knee injury that forced him to sit out two games.
"He still doesn't have the quickness he had before the
injury, and it's still got to be hurting him a little."
However, Banks played well against K-State, Baack
said.
Missouri coach Norm Stewart said his team is wary of
the Huskers.
"Nebraska is living up to its billing as a conference fav
orite," Stewart said. "If they had been able to win at Col-orado-and
they almost did-they would have had two
wins on the road and been in the driver's seat.
"They're in good shape because they haven't lost at
home," he said.
The Huskers, now 9-6 on the year, will be trying to
break a four-way first place deadlock against Missouri. Ne
braska, Missouri, Iowa State and Oklahoma all are tied for
first in the Big Eight with 2-1 conference records.
iS to i - - J .'i
f "ST-.
Photo by Bob Pearson
Missouri guard Kenn Stoehner drives against Jack
Moore of Nebraska at the Big Eight Holiday Tourna
ment. The two teams will meet again in Columbia,
Mo. Saturday night.
Crew team rows despite coach's actions, loss of frosh morale
By Kirk Wolgamott
Responding to charges by their former coach that his
salary was not properly paid, a UNL crew team spokes
man said Wednesday an agreement had been reached on
his salary before the season and it was being followed
when the coach resigned.
Nancy Weaver of the crew team said coach Frank
Sands had agreed to a salary of $4,000 which would be
paid after the team had held fund raising activities.
Sands had charged in the Dec. 15, issue of the Daily
Nebraskan that the salary, which he said was $3,000, had
not been paid.
Sands caused a delay in payment when he ordered 10
extra oars, at the cost of $1500, an expense which was
not anticipated in the crew team's budget, Weaver said.
Sand's actions and comments had damaged the crew
team, she said.
She said his actions caused a sense of mistrust and a
loss of morale on the team, especially among freshmen.
"It really hurt the freshmen morale, but they are
coming back now.
"Students just have to buckle down on their own and
work together a lot more," crew team captain Jim Dalton
said.
But he said, "The main point of crew is to compete and
have fun."
Although they have had financial troubles, Weaver said
team debts are nearly paid from money made by cleaning
the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
"We should be in the black by the years' end." she
said.
The money raised is used for coachs' salaries and to
purchase new equipment such as the new shell purchased
in 1978.
According to Dalton, the outlook for this year's team
is good. He said that they have an excellent women's
team. The lightweight four crew was last year's champion
in the midwestern spring meet held in Wisconsin.
Also cited by Dalton as possible Big Eight champions
were both the men and womens' freshmen eight.
Dalton also said that the excellent equipment coupled
with their return practicing to Capital Beach, may help
the Husker's defend their Big Eight championship.
"We're trying to get back on our feet. All it boils down
to is student responsibility. It's really up to us now,"
Weaver said.
.
fii
UNL women win easily, face KU tonight
Photo by Mary Anno Goton
Nebraska's Janet Smith (42) captures the rebound
from Sooners' Janet Freeman (14) and Barbara
Johnson (31) in first-half play of the Big Eight
Women's Basketball Tournament at the Bob Devan
ey Sports Center.
By Kirk Wolgamott
The Nebraska women's basketball team roared to a 28
point halftime lead and coasted to an easy 82-60 victory
over Oklahoma Thursday night in opening round play of
the Big Eight Women's Basketball Tournament.
The win moved the Lady Huskers in tonight's semi
finals at the Bob Devaney Sports Center against Kansas,
who was an 85-67 victory over Colorado. Kansas State, an
86-64 winner over Oklahoma State will meet at 6 p.m.
Missouri, which trounced Iowa State 91-69, while
Nebraska and Kansas will tangle at 8 p jn. today.
Forward Diane DelVigna scored 11 of her 13 points
in the opening seven minutes to spark the Huskers to an
early 23-7 lead.
The Lady Huskers stretched the lead to 46-18 at the
half while shooting 54 percent from the field. Oklahoma
shot a cold 35 percent. For the game UNL was 37 for 66
for a blistering 56 percent.
"The home court made the difference," UNL Coach
Lorrie Gallagher said. "The girls wanted it real bad and
they went out in the first half and proved it."
Mathaline Otis led the Lady Huskers with 16 points,
and pulled down 12 rebounds. Following DelVigna 's 13
points was Carol Carey with 12 points. A total of ten
players scored for Nebraska. Janet Smith added nine
points and eight rebounds.
Gallagher said Otis played a good game offensively and
defensively and also cited DelVigna, Garey, Smith and
Grainne Murray for their outstanding play.
"It was our most outstanding team effort so far this
year," Gallagher said. "Our bench was fabulous."
Gallagher said her team will have to slow down and run
their offense against the powerful Jayhawks.
"Well fast break if there's room," she said. "But
Kansas plays exceptional defense and they make a lot of
steals."
The Lady Huskers lost to Kansas 85-69 in an earlier
meeting this year. But, Gallagher said her team is looking
forward to another shot at Kansas.
"I think the draw on the tournament was good," Gal
lagher said. "The losing teams were placed in the right
brackets and the remaining teams are close and it could go
either wav."
Tourney to be televised
Live television coverage of the final game of the
Women's Basketball Big Eight Conference Championship
Tournament will be broadcast from the Bob Devaney
Sports Center Saturday at 8 pjn. on the Nebraska Edu
cational Television Network.
The final game concludes three-day competition. De
fending champion Missouri returns with a strong team,
with Kansas State, Colorado and Nebraska figured as
strong challengers.
Lincoln sportscaster Dick Janda will provide the play-by-play
commentary, and University of Nebraska at
Lincoln Women's Athletic Director June Davis will offer
color commentary.
Crew loses coach again
The UNL crew team lost another coach Wednesday
when Mark Potadle, the women's coach, resigned. Potadle
cited a busy school schedule as the mam reason for the
resignation, according to Paul Koerner, freshman crew
coach. Potadle was unavailable for comment.
Frank Sands, former head crew coach, resigned in De
cember and the program still is without a head coach.
Koerner sad the varsity is helping out with the
women s program until a coach can be found