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Monday, March 7, 1983
Daily Ncbraskan
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Staff photo by Kent Morgan Olsen
Nebraska's Dave Hoppen goes in for a layup in
the Cornhuskers game Saturday with Oklahoma
State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The
Huskers defeated the Cowboys 77-68.
By Tim Woods
David Ponce said breaking out of his prolonged
shooting slump "boiled down to confidence." His per
formance Saturday against Oklahoma State indicated
that he may have found that confidence. j
Ponce, Nebraska's 5-10 point guard.'hit 8 of 9 field
goal attempts and scored a game-high 19 points in a
77-68 Cornhuskei victory before a Bob Devaney Sports
Center crowd of 14,009 and a regional television audi
ence. The junior from San Jose, Calif., had made only 39
percent from the field and averaged just 5.7 points in the
Huskers' 13 previous Big Eight Conference games.
And in what he called "one of the worst games I've
ever played," Ponce failed to score in Nebraska's 71-61
double-overtime loss Feb. 9 at Oklahoma State.
But the absence of guard Greg Downing from the
Huskers' lineup for most of the last two games meant
that Ponce would have to assume more of the scoring
load, he said.
"1 think Greg's being out gave me more confidence to
shoot," Ponce said.
Downing was still hobbled by a sprained ankle, and
played only seven minutes.
"1 hope he got some confidence to play on it (the
ankle)," Nebraska Coach Moe Iba said. "But it was
obvious he couldn't run full speed on it."
With Downing hampered, Ponce keyed the Huskers
to a 38-34 half time lead by making 5-of-6 field goal
tries.
After Ponce's jump shot from the top of the key
gave Nebraska a 2-0 lead, Oklahoma State dominated
the game's first ten minutes, holding five-point leads
three times.
The Huskers, though, took the lead for good with
10:27 left in the half when forward Stan Cloudy made a
20-foot jumper from the right side, giving Nebraska a
20-19 lead.
In the second half, the Huskers opened a 12-point
advantage with 9 :54 remaining on a Ponce jumper from
the left baseline.
Oklahoma State, however, slowly came back,
outscoring the Huskers 10-2 over the next four-and-a-half
minutes to close the score to 60-56.
Ponce said he-asked his teammates to "keep it up"
down the stretch.
"1 didn't contribute very much when we played them
(OSU) before," Ponce said. "1 wanted to help us pull
it out this time, and I asked the guys to hang tough."
Although Nebraska failed to convert five one-and-one
free throw opportunities in the game's final 7:28, the
Cowboys failed to overtake Nebraska much to the
chagrin of OSU Coach Paul Hansen.
"We had every opportunity to pull this one out,"
Hansen said. "When we were down by five points (with
1 :22 left), Leroy (OSU center Combs) had an open shot
at the break of the circle, but shot an air ball.
"They didn't control the game," Hansen said. "We
beat ourselves."
Nebraska thus completed its regular season with an
18-8 record, including a 9-5 mark and third -place finish
in Big Eight play.
"This was a good win for us," lba said. "Oklahoma
State has lost only six games this year, and they're an
excellent ball club."
Nebraska will meet Iowa State Tuesday in the first
round of the Big Eight post -season tournament, and
Ponce is looking forward to what he calls another chance
to redeem himself.
"I've had two bad games against them," he said. "I've
got something to show them, too."
The Huskers struggled to defeat Iowa State, 67-66,
in a Feb. 19 contest, and the Cyclones should be
confident, Ponce said.
"I'm sure they think they can beat us here," he said.
"This is what the season is all about."
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By Ward W. Triplett III
An old friend returned for one last visit Saturday
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afternoon as Nebraska's women's basketball team buried
Oklahoma State 96-75.
An actual fast break, as recognized by its results - this
time a 22-1 scoring spree early in the first half - returned
after an indefinite layoff to give the Cornhuskers their
fifth Big Eight Conference win.
"I'm very happy with the way we performed," Coach
Colleen Majtsuhara said. "We got the fast break and
running game working early and we had very unselfish
play all around. In fact, I think we may have over-passed
a little."
After the Cowgirls' Rae Rippetoe and Bridget Nixon
scored easy baskets to begin the game, the Huskers scored
the next 12 points, six by Chris Leigh and four by Kathy
Hagerstrom, two seniors who were honored before the
game.
Cowgirl reserve Marty Tyson made the first of two free
throws to make it 12-5 Nebraska, but that was answered
by 10 straight Nebraska points, the last of which, Crystal
Coleman's layup off a Leigh assist, made it 22-5 with
5:16 gone in the game.
The Cowgirls, who ended their Big Eight regular
season at 2-12, came as close as 14 with 18:09 remaining
in the half, but Nebraska'pushed the advantage up to 24
on Hagerstrom's reverse lay-up with 1 :47 left.
Although Matsuhara said her team's intensity dropped
in the second half, Oklahoma State never got closer than
18 points and Nebraska led by as much as 28 after
back-to-back baskets by Sonija Nelson at the nine-minute
mark.
"1 thought that everyone came in and did their part,""
Matsuhara said. "We had good contribution from the
bench. I think Ronda Pieper (12 points) had a career high
and this group we started (Leigh and Coleman in place
of Deb Powell and Terri Parriott) worked out pretty well.
I liked that combination.
"This was a very good way to end our season and hope
fully will give us confidence going into the Big Eight
tournament next weekend."
The Huskers shot 57 percent for the game and 73
percent in the first half. Hagerstrom led the way, hitting
nine of 1 1 shots from the field and one of two from the
line for 19 points. Leigh added 15, Powell 13 and
Coleman joined Pieper with 12 points.
Rippetoe led the Cowgirls with 17 points while Char
maine Johnson added 15. The Huskers also racked up 18
assists, compared to five for Oklahoma State.
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