Page 12 Daily Nebraskan Monday. December 6. 1982
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Ponce sets free-throw mark,
helps Huskers beat Bluejays
1 1 v i
Staff Photo by Dave Benti
Creigh ton's Benoit Benjamin (00) tries to break open while Dave Hoppen (42)
and Handy Johnson (13) provide the defense for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers de
feated the Bluejays, 65-62, Saturday night in Omaha.
By Bob Asmussen
OMAHA - The Nebraska basketball
team's matchup with Creighton Saturday
night at the Civic Auditorium was
supposed to be the battle of the big men.
But the real hero of the game turned out
to be the smallest man on the court.
Nebraska defeated Creighton 65-62,
before a crowd of 9,066. Leading the way
for the Huskers was 5-10 guard David
Ponce, who scored 26 points, including
18 of 19 from the charity stripe. His 18
free throws broke the school record for
the highest total in a game set by Tom
Russell's 16 against Kansas in 1962.
Going into the game, the main focus
was on the teams' freshman centers,
NU's Dave Hoppen and CU's Benoit
Benjamin. Both players got into early
foul trouble and didn't play against each
other for more than 10 minutes.
Things looked bad for the Huskers
early in the game. Led by a fired-up
Benjamin, the Bluejays took a 94 lead
with 16:44 left in the first half. Benjamin
scored five of the Bluejays' first nine
points.
"I think it's a situation early in the
ball game where we looked a little ner
vous," Nebraska Coach Moe Iba said.
"They were taking their time on offense
and we were shooting the ball on two
passes."
Bluejays build lead
The Bluejays continued to build their
lead, going up 19-8 with 12:40 left in
the half. That 1 1 point lead was the larg
est margin Creighton was able to build.
Creighton Coach Willis Reed took Ben
jamin out of the game with 12:16 left
in the half and his team up by nine.
"We just went with a different com
bination," Reed said, in answering why
he took Benjamin out.
With Benjamin out of the game, the
Huskers began to close the gap. A buc
ket by Stan Cloudy on a reverse move
pulled Nebraska within 30-28 with 1:41
to go in the half. Nebraska missed a per
fect opportunity to tie the game when
Lenard Johnson overshot a layup. The
score at half showed Creighton leading,
30-28.
Nebraska shot only 34 percent from
the field in the first half,.while Creighton
hit 45 percent of its first half shots. The
big difference in the first half was made
up at the free-throw line, where Nebraska
hit 8 of 11.
Nebraska started out quickly in the
second half, taking a 32-30 lead with
18:57 to go in the game. A slam dunk
by Benjamin gave the Bluejays a tie with
18:38 to go in the game.
A fast-break layup by Cloudy on a
'feed from Downing gave the Huskers
a 36-34 lead at 17:29. Nebraska never
trailed the rest of the game.
Free throws help
Led by the free-throw shooting of
Ponce, Nebraska built its lead to 5342
with 9:47 left. Ponce?s string of 14 con
secutive conversions came to an end with
2:47 left, when he missed the front end of
a one and one.
Creighton made a late charge in the
game to pull within three, 63-60, with
47 seconds left in the game. Creighton
could have pulled within one point, but
Benjamin missed a free-throw with 16
seconds left. 'Nebraska's final two poinjs
were scored on free throws by Ponce with
9 seconds left in the game.
"We make it tough," Iba said. "We
missed some layups down the stretch
that hurt us. Thank goodness for David
Ponce."
Earlier in the day it wasn't certain
that Ponce would be able to play. Iba
said Ponce thought he had tonsilitis until
it was discovered he didn't have his ton
sils. Ponce said the fact that he didn't
feel well may have aided his performance.
"If I had been 100 percent, I probably
would have felt the tension," Ponce said.
Besides his heroics at the free-throw
line, Ponce also hit all four of his field
goal attempts, had six steals and led the
Huskers with four assists.
Although Ponce is new to the
Creighton-Nebraska rivalry, he said he
understood its significance. The junior
college transfer from North Idaho Col
lege said he liked the way the game ended.
"It's one of those endings that you
dream about," Ponce said.
Continued on Page 13
NU cagers corral the Longhorns
by Ward I riplett
Coach Jody Conrad t of the Texas Longhorns was
quietly explaining her fifth-ranked women's basketball
team's loss to Nebraska Saturday night when assistant
coach Lynn Davis-Pool handed her the game's final
statistics.
"You can sec the free throw shooting (18-23 for
Nebraska and 10-18 for Texas) was a big factor," Con
radt said. "Nebraska shot tremendously well ... We
didn't shoot badly either, but there's no way this team
should have out-rebounded us . . . but they did."
Somehow, Nebraska's physically overmatched squad
not only out -rebounded Texas (35-33), but out scored
last year's Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for
Women runner-up team, 78-68.
The win, coupled with a 98-81 decision against Wash
ington Friday, gave Nebraska their second Nebraska
Invitational title in three years. It was also the third
victory in three games for Nebraska and the third upset.
"I think Texas deserves their ranking. When the sea
son's over, they're going to be there," Nebraska Coach
Colleen Matsuhara said.
"Bui I think we just pleasantly surprised ourselves.
This will give our players confidence going into the Big
Light schedule. H
Huskers, Longhorns similar
Before Saturday's final, Matsuhara had said the Hus
kers would be "playing against a mirror of ourselves,"
since the bxighorns also thrive on the fast break. The
only difference would be Texas' sie and experience in
the middle, she said.
But after scroing the game's first six points, the mirror
became a continous distorted image for the Longhorns.
Annette Smith, a 5-11 sophomore who led Texas in
scoring and rebounding last season, picked up her- third
foul with 13:24 left, and didn't return in the first half.
Nebraska's Crystal Coleman then sank one of two free
throws to give the Huskers their first lead at 11-10.
Texas would claim two-point leads twice more in the
half, but Nebraska outscored the Longhorns 124 during
a 3-minute stretch to take a 41-32 halftime lead.
While Nebraska was benefitting from Smith's and 6-1
Cheryl Hartman's foul trouble, they were also confusing
and tiring Texas' offense.
"I thought if we could make (Terri) Mackey and
(Lsoleta) Whaley work very hard on getting the ball
up the court, we could tire them down." Matsuhara said.
"They both played about the entire same Friday."
While Kelli Benson, Coleman and Cathy Owen were
doing that well, when the Longhorn guard duo, regarded
as possibly the nation's quickest, did get iulo the fore
court the Husker guards were ordered to drop back on
Smith and the other Texas forwards. Whaley, who was
0 for 8 in the Longhorns' 86-79 victory over Indiana
Fiiday, hit four of five open outside shots, but Texas
could not muster enough offense to keep up with Ne
braska. Huskers build lead
The Huskers, scoring mainly on short jumpers, built
a 6242 lead with 11:03 left before the Longhorn's
clicked off six straight points. However, a 76-68 dis
advantage with 1 :38 to play was as close as the Texans
could get.
Smith poured in 12 of her 14 points in the second
half while Mackey, on nine of 20 shootings, led the
Longhorns with 22. Nebraska was paced by the 5-8
Coleman, who missed the season opener Tuesday with a
still bothersome hyperex tended knee. Coleman scored
17 points, Deb Powell 15, Kathy Hagerstrom II and
Benson 10 to lead Nebraska.
Coleman was named most valuable player for the
tournament and joined teammate Chris Leigh, Mackey
and Smith, Indiana's Denise Jackson and Washington's
Karen Murray on the all-tournament team. Jackson
scored 30 points for the Hocsiers in their 80-78 win
against Washington in the consolation round
Sports Shorts
Nebraska's Cliff Looschpn
i ,n T""""1 nvnn
national 100-yard backstroke Saturday with a :5I.OO
time in the leadoff leg of the 400 medley relay of the
Five S Invitational at Carbondale, III.
Husker freshman Tim Brinner won the 100-yard-stroke
with a :56.77, also a national-qualifying time and
a Nebraska school record. Kevin Weires also qualified
for the NCAA with a 1:38.10 leadoff in the 800 free
style relay.
The 800 freestyle relay of Weires, Looschen, Keith
Moore and David llecker set a school record of 6:37.07
en route to winning that event.
The Ncbrask; wrestling team placed second in the
Lehigh Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa., Friday. The Hus
kers scored a 125.75. Lehigh won the meet with a 137.25.
Nebraska's individual champions in the meet were
Ray Oliver (167), Jim Scherr (I77)and Bill Scherr(l90).
There will be a dart tournament today at 6 p in in
the Nebraska Union Rec Room. Cash prizes and tro
phies will be awarded. Interested students are encouraged
to register as soon as possible at the games desk in the
Rec Room. For further information call 472-M58
There will be a backgammon tournament Wednesday
at 6 p.m. in the Nebraska Union Rec Room. Students
should register as won as possible at the games desk,
lash prizes and trophies will be awarded. Call 472
2468 for more information.
The Nebraska men's basketball team returns home
Wednesday after a two-game road trip to face Missouri
Kansas City. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Bob
Dcvaney Sports Center.
The Kansas State Wildcats kick off the 1982 post-season
football bowls with a 7 p.m. game against Wisconsin
in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
