Sports
Nee says Huskers are better than ever
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — If this
were last year, or the year before,
Nebraska men’s basketball coach
Danny Nee would have been shocked
by a victory over Oklahoma. Not this
year.
“Nebraska’s better,” Nee said. “I
just think Nebraska’s a lot better than
we’ve ever been.”
The 14th-rankcd Comhuskcrs
proved it Saturday night by whipping
No. 13 Oklahoma, 111-99. It was
Nebraska’s first victory over the
Sooncrs in 10 tries and its first in
Norman since 1981.
The bigger, quicker Huskcrs took
a 25-8 lead in the first 6 1/2 minutes
and never allowed Oklahoma to get
closer than seven after that. Nebraska
led by as many as 22 and set a school
record for most points in a Big Eight
game.
“I would say if they played like
that in the NCAA tournament, I could
sec them going an awfully long way,”
Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs said.
Six players scored early as the
Huskers (17-2, 3-1 in the Big Eight)
grabbed the big lead, and a school
record eight players wound up scor
ing in double figures.
Tony Farmer, who led Nebraska
with 22 points and 12 rebounds, set
the tone on the first basket of the night
by going down the lane and dunking
over a Sooner player. Farmer was
called for a foul, but the play typified
die way Nebraska went about things
all night.
“This was a great team effort,”
Nee said. “I thought our defense was
solid, we rebounded, we attacked the
basket, we handled their pressure.”
And Oklahoma didn’t. Nebraska
shot 57 percent to Oklahoma’s 41
percent. The Huskers had a 44-36
rebounding edge and played well
enough that 25 turnovers weren’t a
factor.
Both teams were coming off tough
losses. Nebraska lost by 17 points
Tuesday night at Colorado. That
stopped a 14-gamc winning streak
and had some people wondering about
the Huskers.
Oklahoma (14-5, 3-2) also lost
Tuesday night, to unranked South
western Louisiana, 103-101.
“We were very concerned because
Oklahoma was coming off a loss,”
Nee said. “I have tremendous respect
for Billy Tubbs and I know his kids
always play hard. And playing here,
they’re always going to be well
coached, play defense, score and be
aggressive.
“We were just very fortunate to
catch them the way wc caught them .
.. Everything clicked for us and went
into place.”
Tubbs said his team wasn’t Hat, as
it was against Southwestern Ixwisi
ana. It simply wasn’t good enough to
win.
“There’s really not much for me to
say other than I thought Nebraska
played as good as I’ve ever seen
anybody play in this arena,” he said.
“They beat us in every phase of the
game.”
Nebraska picked up its second
conference road victory; the Huskers
are the only team to win a Big Eight
road game. Nee refused to say that his
team had the upper hand in the con
ference race, however.
“We’re not in command of any
thing, guys,” he said. “I just feel we're
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JN U women run over Oklahoma
By Chris Hopfensperger
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska women’s basketball
team ran around, past and through
Oklahoma’s defense Saturday.
They ended up running the Soon
ers over 95-67.
Nebraska coach Angela Beck said
Oklahoma had to pay for the Husk
ers’ 20-point loss to Kansas Wednes
day night, and pay they did.
Nebraska grabbed a 17-poim lead
in the first half and pulled ahead by as
many as 26 to blow the Sooners away
in front of a season-high crowd of
3,127 at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center.
Guard Meggan Yedsena said the
Huskers’ offensive output benefitted
from stressing defense after Wednes
day’s loss.
“Our offense is ignited by our
defense,” Ycdsena said. ‘That’s where
it aP starts.
“When the defense is flat, every
thing is flat.”
The Nebraska defenders threw
curves at the Sooncrs all afternoon,
holding Oklahoma to 36 percent shoot
ing from the field, making 12 steals
and forcing 25 Sooner turnovers.
That defense, and the presence of
the Prime Sports Network, lit a fire
under Ycdsena.
Ycdsena’s family watched the game
on a satellite dish as the freshman
from Mahanoy City, Pa., quietly col
lected 10 points, five rebounds, five
steals and 12 assists, one short of the
school record.
The Huskers, led by sophomore
Karen Jennings’ 18 points and nine
rebounds, displayed an unusual bal
ance with five players scoring in double
figures.
The Sooncrs scored 27 of their
points on three-point goals, but hit
only nine of their 22 long-range shots.
Beck said she would like to sec a
few more three-pointers out of the
Huskers, who shot 16 of 23 shots
from within 10 feet of the basket.
Nebraska traded baskets with the
Sooncrs for the first 4 1/2 minutes of
the game. Leading 13-11, the Husk
ers went on a 21-6 run that helped
them take a 44-27 halftime lead.
See RAN on 8
11, ill— ii i i ..
Michelle Paulman/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska freshman Shelley Pendiey concentrates on the
vault Sunday. Pendiey scored 9.15 on the event and 36.85
overall.
U neven bar event proves
to be Tigers’ downfall
By Erik Unger
Staff Reporter
Nebraska coach Rick Walton an
ticipated the turning point in the
women’s gymnastics meet Sunday,
but not the result.
Walton said the uneven bars would
be the weakest event for the Com
huskers because of injuries and inex
perience, but the bars proved to be
Missouri’s downfall instead.
Missouri scored 44.35 points in
the event, and the Huskcrs had 45.6.
Nebraska opened up a two-point lead
in the vault and bars and went on to
win with 185.25 points to Missouri’s
182.65 at the Bob Dcvaney Sports
Center.
Although Walton said he was happy
with the victory, he added that the
Huskers would have to increase the
difficulty of their routines to get to
the mid-190s and be competitive in
the bigger meets.
Walton said the team’s perform
ance was better than last week’s and
that it would only continue to im
prove. He said his gymnasts hit their
routines better and cut down on mis
takes.
Sophomores Shane Foster and CeCe
Occl returned from injuries to com
pete in three and four events, respec
tively.
Nebraska was led by all-around
winner Lisa McCrady with 38.15 and
freshman all-arounder Dcbbi Bryan,
who placed third with 37.2.
The Cornhuskers handed the Ti
gers, thought to be Nebraska’s big
gest challenger in the Big Eight, their
first loss of the season. Nebraska is 2
0.
Giants keep ball, hold off Buffalo
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The New
York Giants left the Buffalo Bills no
time for the no-huddle offense.
Controlling the ball on touchdown
drives at the end of the first half and
the beginning of the second, the Giants
won their second Super Bowl by
beating the Bills 20-19 when Scotl
Norwood missed a 47-yard licld goal
with 8 seconds left.
The winning points in the closest
Super Bowl in history came on Mail
Bahr’s 21-yard field goal with 7:20
left in the game.
But the game really was won by
New York’s ball control offense, which
moved the ball 87 yards to a touch
down just before the half to cut a 12
3 deficit to 12-10, then held the ball
for nearly 10 minutes at the start of
the second half to take a 17-12 lead.
The Giants had the ball for 40:33,
leaving the Buffalo offense on the
field for only 19:27.
One hero of the game in which the
lead changed hands four times was
33-ycar-old Oltis Anderson, who
picked the most important game of
his career to notch his first 100-yard
game this season—21 carries for 102
yards. He went in from the 1 -yard line
for a touchdown to cap the third quar
ter drive. Anderson was selected the
game’s most valuable player.
Another hero was Jeff Hostetler,
the backup quarterback who directed
the New York offense almost impec
cably, running his career record to 7
0 as a starter. He completed 20 of 32
for 222 yards and a 14-yard touch
down pass to Stephen Baker.
The Giants held the Bills without a
first down on Buffalo’s opening pos
session, only die fourth time in the
last 13 games the Bills had been held
without a touchdown on their first
possession.
Injuries fail to stop NU track teams
By John Gardner
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska men’s and women’s
track and field teams used victories in
all but seven events to post easy wins
at the University of Nebraska Quad
rangular at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center Saturday.
The Nebraska men won with 100
points, followed by Colorado State
with 36 points, Wichita State with 15
and Nebraska Wesleyan with 13. The
Nebraska women had 93 points, beat
ing Wichita Slate with 23, Colorado
Stale with 19 and Nebraska Wesleyan
with 18.
Coach Gary Pepin said he was
pleased with his teams’ performances.
“Just like any meet, there were
some good parts and some not so
good parts,” Pepin said. “But it’s early
in the season.”
The men won 11 of the 15 events
without injured sprinters Tam as Molnar
and Stephen Golding. Phouphet Sing
bandith pulled out of the triple jump
because of an injured right knee
after winning the long jump with a
22-foot, 5-inch jump.
Pepin said none of the injuries
were serious. He said he wished Sing
bandith could have competed to gain
some confidence and consistency. Last
week at the All-Comers Meet, the
freshman had a winning jump of 49
9.
“I was hoping Phouphet could have
consistently jumped 50 feet today,”
Pepin said. “But his knee was really
bothering him, so he scratched.”
Senior Jerry Marscc led the Com
husker men with a victory in the 600
meter dash (1 20.65) and ran a leg on
the winning 1,600 relay team.
Sophomore sprinter Travis Grant
won the 200 with a time of 21.8,
placed second in the 55 with a time of
6.40 and took third in the long jump
with a leap of 22-2 1/4.
For the women, Kim Walker cap
tured three of her team’s 11 first
place finishes, getting victories in the
55 (6.97), the 200 in a provisional
national qualifying time of 24.22 and
ran a leg on the winning 1,600 relay
team. Freshman Shanelle
Porter won the 400 in 55.15 and also
competed on the winning 1,600 relay
team.
Next week, Nebraska will play
host to another quadrangular with
Washington, Rice and Kansas State.
In two weeks, the Huskers will com
pete in the Frank Sevigne Husker In
vitational.
Other Nebraska individual winners:
Men: Tyson Smith, high jump, 6-11; Rick
Schwiegcr, 55 hurdles, 7 71; Ken Waller,
400, 48.05; Jeff Hooper, shot putt, 53 9;
Anthony Adkison, 55, 6 33; Andrew Mittan,
pole vault 15-8 1/4; Chad Muma, triple
jump, 46-2 1/2; 1,600 relay team (Marsee,
Mark Jackson. Keith Makell, John Gerber),
3:1928
Women: Tina Hergott, shot put, 44-8 3/
4; Fran Ten Bensel, mile, 4:51.17; Kwani
Stewart, 55 hurdles, 8,07; Meredy Porter,
high jump. 5-8 1/2; Lisa Graham, 600,
1:33.80; Becky Lund. 3,000, 10 26 77;
Joanne Gomez, triple jump. 39-9 3/4; 1.600
relay team (Waiker, Porter, Tranquil Wilson,
Ximena Restrepo) 3:49 96
NU swimmers pound Tigers
The members of the Nebraska
men’s swimming and diving team
broke away from their regular events
and pounded Missouri on Satur
day. The Comhuskers defeated
Mizzou 170-54.
Nebraska coach Cal Bentz said
numerous swimmers, swimming in
different events, had their best times
ever.
“William Campbell, among
many, was excellent in all his
events, Bentz said.
Bentz attributed the wide point
spread to a rebuilding Missouri team.
Diving coach Jim Hocking said
his team looks like they’re back on
track, competing officially against
one Missouri diver.
“It’s really you against you,”
Hocking said. “Diving is a mental
game, so we weren’t just compet
ing against Missouri.”
— Vicki Burge
« ^ • •
Women swim past Missouri
Nebraska women’s swimming
coach Ray Huppert wanted to give
his team members a taste of dual
competition, and he got his chance
Saturday against Missouri.
The No. 20 Comhuskei s moved
their dual record to 5-1 and confer
ence record to 2-0 with the 149-74
thrashing of the Tigers at the Bob
Devrney Sports Center Saturday
afternoon.
“It was an overall good meet
because everyone swam well, and
our No. 4 and 5 swimmers got
some valuable meet experience,”
Huppert said. “I was pleased, be
cause we swam aggressive consid
ering we were performing tired.”
Nebraska co-captain Kristin
Neucnfeldt said that despite the
strong win, the Huskers didn’t
perform near their potential.
“Our performance could’ve been
stronger, but we’re beginning to
see what we’re capable of doing,’’
Neucnfeldt said. “Our season is
almost over, and the big meets arc
yet to come.”
Nebraska won nine of 13 events,
but the Huskers had some of their
strongest performers competing in
exhibition meets to give some other
swimmers that experience. Nebraska
had exhibition scores that would
have won the other four events.
— Benji Greenberg
