Sports
Softball team may be weekend’s ‘sleeper’
By Darren Fowler
Staff Reporter
Not yet having played a game could
be an advantage for the Nebraska
softball team this weekend.
The Comhuskers open their spring
season today with a doublcheadcr in
College Station, Texas, against 5-2
and 15th-ranked Texas A&M. Game
time is 5 p.m. at the Lady Aggie
Softball Field.
Friday through Sunday the Husk
ers will compete in the 10-team Aggie
Invitational I at Bee Creek, Texas.
Because the Huskers are getting
off to a later start than their competi
tors, Nebraska coach Ron Wolforth
said he thinks they could be the
“sleeper” of the tournament.
Tournament competitors include
Texas A&M, 14th-rankcd Louisiana
Tech, eighth-ranked Long Beach State,
fourth-ranked Oklahoma State,
McNeese State, Sam Houston State,
Stephen F. Austin State and Tcxas
Arlington.
‘‘I don’t think it’s out of the realm
of possibility that we could win the
whole thing,” he said.
With the opposition not knowing
what to expect, he said, Nebraska
could surprise other teams with its
team speed and improved pitching.
Nebraska boasts a team average
5.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Wolforth has called this year’s team
the fastest Husker softball squad ever.
‘‘(The other teams) will have no
idea of the quality of our speed,”
Wolforth said.
Going by last year’s records, he
said, other coaches will underesti
mate Nebraska pitchers Marie Bowie
and Stephanie Skegas.
Bowie went 14-12 as a freshman
last season, while Skegas finished 18
16 as a sophomore.
Both pitchers have “improved 30
to 40 percent’’ since the fall season
ended, Wolforth said. Bowie posted a
7-2 mark during the fall. Skegas went
3-2.
* T think our pitching is really solid
now,” Wolforth said.
Nebraska’s chances in the tourna
ment oould rest on the Huskers’ per
formance in Thursday’s doubleheader,
Wolforth said.
He predicts Texas A&M will reach
the College World Series this season.
He said the Aggies are the best defen
sive team in the country.
Beating the Aggies, he said, could
build the Huskers momentum going
into the tournament.
Nebraska stampedes Buffaloes,
loses battle for Big Eight cellar
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Colorado won the Battle for the Big Eight
Cellar Wednesday night at the Bob
Dcvaney Sports Center.
Six Comhuskers scored in double figures to
lead the Nebraska men’s basketball team past
the Buffaloes 96-82 before 11,087 fans. The
win, Nebraska’s 10th of the season, knocked
Colorado into eighth place in the conference
standings.
It was an “honor” Nebraska men’s basket
ball coach Danny Nee was happy to not get.
“Our guys did everything right that they
had to do to win,” Nee said. “Tonight was a
team performance, and 1 ’ m proud of our guys. ’ ’
Colorado, now 10-17 overall and 2-12 in the
Big Eight this season, has lost 52-consccutivc,
regular season, Big Eight road games. The last
conference road win for the Buffs was in 1983,
when Colorado beat Kansas 75-74 in Law
rence, Kan. *
The last 11 -win season for Colorado was
1984 -85, when the Buffs posted an 11 -17 mark.
Nebraska led 37-27 at halftime, and the
Huskers coasted to a 17-point lead midway
through the second half. The Buffaloes cut
Nebraska’s lead to eight, 69-61, on an eight
foot jump shot and free throw by Colorado
center Shaun Vandiver with 8:08 left in the
game.
But that was as close as the Buffs would
come.
Colorado was led by Vandiver, who led all
scorers with 26 points. Guard Reggie Morton
added 23 points, hitting seven of 13 three-point
shots.
Nee said the Huskers played intense, but
“they’ve lost their emotion.”
“The kids aren’t tired - they want to play -
but I’d like them to play up to a higher level,”
Nee said.
The game was the last at the Sports Center
for Huskcr seniors Ray Richardson and Rich
ard van Poclgecst, who scored 16 and 12 points,
respectively.
Richardson, who transferred to Nebraska
last season from Hiwassce (Tenn.) Junior
College, said he was excited for his final home
game at Nebraska.
“I wish I had been here for four years
instead of two,’ ’ he said.4 ‘The game was extra
special, because if we would have lost, it would
have felt real bad.”
Van Poclgecst agreed.
“If we would have lost this game,’ ’ he said,
“the media would have been all over this
program.”
Van Poclgecst said the team’s losing record
has taken most of the pressure out of the game.
As a result, he said, the team has been playing
a lot “looser.”
Wc ve been playing with more of a team
concept,” van Poclgcest said. “It was our last
home game of the year, and we were out to
have fun.
“I just hope we can keep this going for a
little while longer.”
Nebraska, 10-16 and 3-10, will travel to
Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State on Sat
urday for the last regular-season game. Colo
rado has completed its regular season.
Note:
Nebraska’s seventh-place standing in the
Big Eight will likely give the Huskcrs another
game against second-place Oklahoma in the
first round of the Big Eight Tournament in
Kansas City, Mo., March 9-11.
Richardson said that even though the Soon
ers will be heavily favored, the Huskcrs won’t
be intimidated.
“Without 50 or 100 turnovers, 1 think wc
can play with them,” he said. “Wcjust have to
go down there with that in our minds.’’
Butch Ireland/Dally Nebraskan
Colorado’s Shaun Vandiver, 35, and Nebraska’s Kelly Lively, 34, get tangled up
fighting for a rebound during Wednesday’s game.
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Colorado’s 52-road game losing streak
continues despite even start with NU
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
The streak.
Those were the last two words
Colorado center Shaun Vandiver
wanted to hear after the Buffaloes’
96-82 loss to Nebraska.
“ There’ s noth ing we can do,’’said
Vandiver, referring to Colorado’s 52
game Big Eight road losing streak
which has stretched over seven sea
sons.
And the Buffaloes never threat
ened to break it on Wednesday night.
After playing even with Nebraska
for twelve minutes of the first half,
Colorado suddenly went cold from
the field and found themselves down
by 10 points at intermission.
Colorado coach Tom Miller said
the Buffaloes’ cold spurt was the turn
ing point of the game.
“We slopped going inside and
missed our shots,’’ Miller said.
Vandiver agreed.
“We got off our game plan for
about four minutes in the first half,’’
Vandiver said. “You can’t do that on
the road in the Big Eight.’’
Another key difference in the
contest was rebounding. Nebraska
hauled down 42 boards, to Colorado’s
29.
Miller praised the Huskers for their
rebounding effort
‘ ‘They did a good job on the boards
and in the middle,” Miller said.
Nebraska beat Colorado 91 -82 throe
weeks ago in Boulder, and Miller said
the Huskers didn’t change their game
plan on Wednesday night.
‘‘They didn’t do anything differ
-* i
No team has come in
here and dominated
them all year. We
were prepared for
them (Nebraska).
Vandiver
Colorado center
-f f -
enl than they did in the first game,”
Miller said.
Vandiver said the Buffaloes knew
they would be in for an uphill climb
against Nebraska.
“No team has come in here and
dominated them all year. We were
prepared for them,” Vandiver said.
Colorado finished the Big Eight
regular season with a 2-12 record,
and finished in the basement of the
Big Eight for the fourth consecutive
season.
Miller said even though the Buffs
have suffered this season, the team
has been ready to play every contest,
including Nebraska.
‘‘I thought the team’s mood com
ing in was excellent,” said Miller.
Vandiver said one of the main
problems with Colorado basketball is
a lack of fan support
‘‘When the number one team in
the nation came to play us, we got
6,000 people. You guys (Nebraska)
get 11,000 people to watch a game
etween last place teams. It tells you
something,” Vandiver said.
Miller has been under fire in the
press recently because of the Buffa
loes’ dismal season. It is speculated
that a decision on Miller’s fate could
come as early as this Friday.
But after the game on Wednesday
night. Miller maintained that he knew
nothing.
“I have not been given any indica
tion on what it would be,” Miller said
when asked on his future as head
coach.
But Miller said that he’s not con
ceding his fate just yet. ‘‘I’ve never
quit on anything. I’m not going to
start now,” Miller said.
