Nee says OU tough despite poor record
Robin Trimarchi Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska ’s Tony Farmer (center) fakes a shot against Colo
rado’s Bill Markham (left) as Cody Walters drops down to
help.
‘Oklahoma H ushers face
Sooner gymnasts Sunday
By Erik Unger
Staff Reporter
Nebraska won the recruiting battle
to steal freshmen gymnasts Shelly
Pendlcy and Lori Phillips out of Okla
homa. On Sunday, Pendlcy and pos
sibly Phillips will help the Comhuskeis
fight the battle between the teams.
Pendley and Phillips competed at
the same high school in Oklahoma
City, Okla., and the Sooncrs tried to
recruit both women. Both chose
Nebraska over Oklahoma.
“I chose Nebraska because 1 just
liked the program and the girls bet
ter,” Phillips said.
Pendley, who signed before Phil
lips, said Oklahoma just didn’t im
press her as much as Nebraska.
But, both said, competing against
their in-state school doesn’t place any
extra pressure on them.
However, the injury situation for
the Cornhuskers does.
Senior Nila Lichtenstein didn’t
. practice yesterday because of a sore
shoulder and freshman Debbie Bryan
was tested positive for mononucleo
sis, said coach Rick Walton. Both are
probable for Sunday’s meet at the
Bob Dcvancy Sports Center.
Bryan is one of Nebraska’s three
all-around competitors, and her loss
changes the structure of the team,
Walton said.
The lack of depth could force
Phillips to compete for the first time
this season. Phillips, who separated
her elbow at the beginning of the
season, has only competed in exhibi
tions since her return two weeks ago.
Despite a lack of consistency last
Monday night in Minnesota, a meet
Nebraska won by .25 point, Walton
said some gymnasts are upgrading
the difficulty in their routines.
Pendley said she will add a more
difficult dismount to her uneven bar
routine, her weakest event, and might
change a tumbling pass on her floor
routine.
But she said that installing more
difficulty is not as important as just
staying consistent.
NU men challenge Salukis,
seek NCAA qualifying times
By Vicki Burge
Staff Reporter
Tonight’s dual against Southern
Illinois is the last chance before the
Big Eight championships for mem
bers of the Nebraska men’s swim
ming anddiving team to make NCAA
qualifying times.
Assistant coach Rick Paine said
the Comhuskers will lean on seniors
Ryan Bell, Nate Kinney and Richard
Johansson to beat the Salukis and
make NCAA times. When the 6 p.m.
meet begins at the Bob Dcvaney Sports
Center, co-captain and two-time All
American Bell will be competing in
his final home dual.
“I wish we could have another
year out of him,” Paine said.
Paine said the dual should be ex
citing and a good test for the Huskers.
“SIU is more a challenge to us than
any of the Big Eight schools,” Paine
said.
Divers Curt Crocs, John Arcaroli
and Matt Eastin have qualified for the
NCAA qualifying meet. Diving coacf
Jim Hocking said he would like fresh
man Curtis Marti to make it as well.
Hocking said the team is in bcttei
shape with car infections gone anc
everyone in the water again.
By Todd Cooper
Staff Reporter _
Beware, Huskers.
Oklahoma’s recent losses—six in
the Sooners’ iast seven games — are
a little bit scary, Nebraska coach Danny
Nee said.
“I know it’s going to turn around,”
Nee said. “They’re going to put it
back together quick-like.”
Nee just hopes his 17th-ranked
Comhuskers, 20-4 overall and 6-3 in
the Big Eight, prevent the Sooners
from recouping Saturday night at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center. Tip-off
is at 8:05.
The Sooners’ losing streak began
with a 103-101 loss to Southwest
Louisiana Jan. 23. Three days later,
Nebraska beat Oklahoma 111 -99. After
the game, Sooner coach Billy Tubbs
said Nebraska’s victory was one of
the most dominating he’d seen at
Norman, Ok la.
Four losses and one victory later,
Oklahoma finds itself out of the Top
25 and in the bottom half of the Big
Eight. Nevertheless, Nee said the
Sooners will be ready Saturday night.
“The Oklahoma-Ncbraska game
will be a serious game, it will be a
serious, hard-foughtgame,” Nee said.
“The score down in Norman is no
indication of what happens when we
play here. The thing that the fans have
to remember is that Oklahoma can
score 150 poipts on a given night.”
Senior Clifford Scales said that
production may depend on the play of
Oklahoma’s guards -r- Brent Price,
Terry Evans and Terrence Mullins.
“Their guards are a big key and,
right now, they ’re down,” Scales said.
“Evidently, Price and Evans, who’ve
been hampered by injuries, haven’t
been as successful as they were in the
Basketball standings:
Oklahoma State 9-2 20-4
Kansas State 7-4 14-8
Nebraska 6-5 15-9
Colorado '$*$ '
Iowa State 6-5 11-12
Kansas 5-6 14-9
Oklahoma 3-8 9-16
Missouri 2-9 9-15
Basketball standings:
Kansas 7-2 18-4
Oklahoma State 6-3 17 5
Missouri 5-4 13-8
Oklahoma 4-5 15-9
Colorado 3-6 13-9
Iowa State 3-6 9-16
Kansas State 2-7 13-9
^^^rohabie Starter^^^H
PPG RPG APG
F Carl Hayes Jr. 6-8 14.8 5.8 2.3
F Tony Farmer Jr. 6-8 11.8 6.8 1.5
C Rich King Sr. 7-2 14.0 7.8 2.5
G Beau Reid Sr. 6-8 10.1 4.9 4.1
G Clifford Scales Sr. 6-2 9.8 3.1 3.0
F Terrence Mullins Sr. 6-3 10.0 4.5 3.1
F Jeff Webster Fr. 6-8 18.5 $.5 0.3
C Bryan Sallier So. 6-8 8.9 4.8 1.0
G Brent Price Jr. 6-1 17.3 3.9 5.4
G Terry Evans So. 6-1 12.3 3.2 6.7
beginning of the season, and that’s
hampered them.”
The Sooner guards may be further
hindered by Nebraska’s defense. The
Husker guards held Iowa State’s Doug
Collins and Rustus Thigpen, who were
averaging double-figure scoring, to a
combined nine points Wednesday.
But Scales said Nebraska would
concern themselves with more than
Oklahoma’s guards.
“1 think one of their best players is
(Jeff) Webster,” he said.
And the statistics prove it. Web
ster’s averaging 19 points and six
rebounds per game, both team highs.
But Oklahoma’s been having a
hard time getting him the ball lately,
Scales said.
“If the outside game’s not click
ing, the other team can concentrate
on the inside game,” he said. “1 think
they only have one scorer (inside) so
it’s difficult for them to get in some
type of rhythm.”
And Scales said Oklahoma would
like nothing better than to find that
unity in Lincoln — where they have
n’t lost since 1986.
“They’ve been struggling and
they’re trying somehow, some way to
turn it around,” Scales said. “What
belter way to do it than to come here
and gel a victory on the road.”
NU women to play KSU
By Chris Hopfensperger
Senior Reporter
Nebraska women’s basketball
coach Angela Beck hates to lose. And
she hates a good loser.
Tuesday night, Iowa State battled
back from a 10-point halftime deficit
to knock off the Comhuskcrs, 77-75.
“We’ve got to put that one behind
us. But I don’t want it to be easy to
stomach,” Beck said.
That’s why she hopes her team is
fccline a little sick Saturday when
it plays Kansas State. The Comhuskers
will meet the Lady Cats in a 7 p.m.
game at Bramiage Coliseum in Man
hattan, Kan.
Kansas State defeated Nebraska
76-71 in the Huskers’ home opener.
Beck said she isn’t stressing that game,
but she doesn’t want her team to for
get it either.
“Coaches don’t like to focus on
that,” Beck said. “I’m looking at what
we need. And we need a quality vic
tory ”
Nebraska’s loss Tuesday night
dropped the Huskers to 15-9 and into
a three-way tie for third (at 6-5) in the
Big Eight.
That took Nebraska out of the race
for the conference title, but, Beck
said, the season is not over.
“Oklahoma State is in the driver’s
seal,” Beck said. “Rightnow, we have
to play for seeding (in the Big Eight
tournament).”
The Cowgirls lead the league with
a 20-4 and 9-2 mark. Kansas State,
which lost to Colorado 71 -68 at home
Wednesday night, is second with a
14-8 and 7-4 record.
Beck said Saturday’s game will
hinge on whichever team bounces
back from a loss better.
“I think that loss was a major blow
to them,” she said. “It comes down to
how we perceive that loss. We’ve got
to show a little resilience.”
The coaches are emphasizing more
than fundamentals for this weekend’s
game, Beck said.
“It’s not just defense,” she said.
“It’s more stressing will, desire and
the heart of the individual. It’s very
much a mental approach that we’re
taking.”
The Lady Cats are led by senior
Nadira Hazim. The 5-foot-7-inch guard
is averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 re
bounds per game, but, Beck said, the
Huskers can’t afford to key on her
alone.
“They’re talented enough to beat
you (at any spot),” Beck said. “I’m
just looking algoing to a fundamental
man-to-man defense and respecting
your person.”
Since Big Eight play started, Hazim
has averaged a league-leading 22.7
points per game. Teammate Diana
Miller is third in the conference, behind
Nebraska’s Karen Jennings, scoring
17.7 ppg.
oeven seniors to swim their final laps
By Benji Greenberg
Staff Reporter
Seven seniors on The Nebraska
women’s swimming and diving team
will compete in their final home dual
meet tonight against Southern Illi
nois at 6 p.m. at the Bob Dcvancy
Sports Center pool.
Lynne Braddock, Chris Gmeiner,
Mindy Mathcny, Melanie Wirincr and
tri-captains Amy Aarsen, Jencll Gar
cia and Kristin Ncuenfcldt are the
seven.
“We’ll replace the people some
day, but we’ll never replace their
personalities,” Nebraska coach Ray
Huppcrt said.
Wirtner, a two-year Husker after
transferring from Alabama and the
only senior who hasn’t spent four
years at Nebraska, said she feels like
she’s losing part of her family.
“It’s both exciting and a relief
because 13 years of swimming is
coming to a close,” Neuenfeldt said.
“But it’s also kind of sad because
reality will eventually hit me that my
career in swimming is all finished.”
And Neucnfeldt also talked about
winning.
“Our careers won’t be complete
unless we win our final dual meet,”
Neucnfeldt said.
The Huskers, 6-3 in duals, will
have more depth than Southern Illi
nois.
“But we still must swim well in
order to walk away victorious,"
Huppert said.