Huskers sweep down Oklahoma’s lane
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
Nebraska beat Oklahoma, Okla
homa style.
After another slow start, the Com
huskers ran, slammed and laughed
their way through an explosive sec
ond half and routed the Sooners 105
93 in men’s basketball Saturday night
at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
A sellout crowd of 14,568 cele
brated throughout the final 10 min
utes of the game after Nebraska had
put Oklahoma away with a decisive
18-4 second half run keyed by the
Husker bench.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee, whose
team became the first in the Big Eight
to sweeD the season series from Okla
homa in five years, said his team gets
up when playing the Sooners.
“I guess Oklahoma brings out our
best,” he said, smiling.
The Sooners, playing a leaky press
ing defense, brought out the most
proficient scoring half in Nebraska
history. The Huskers posted a school
record 66 in the second half, breaking
the old mark of 64 set twice.
It was the Husker reserves that
triggered the landslide.
After the two teams had battled to
a virtual stalemate in ihe first half,
both came out trading baskets in the
second. Oklahoma’s Jeff Webster hit
a 12-foot jumper to give the Sooners
a 59-58 lead with 13:32 remaining.
Then the Husker bench answered,
rattling off Nebraska’s next 11 points
to put the Huskers ahead to stay.
Dapreis Owens made two free throws
and Eric Piatkowski hit a three-point
goal to put Nebraska up 63-59. Then
utile-used reserve power forward Bruce
Chubick scored seven consecutive
points, the final two on a 17-foot
jumper, to give the Huskers a 70-63
cushion.
Nee called his bench “magnifi
cent.”
“The bench was unbelievably strong
tonight,” he said.
Guard Jose Ramos, who has seen
little playing time lately, made two
critical steals during the run to pre
serve momentum.
“It’s just like anything else — you
do your job when the time comes,”
Ramos said. “You try to do your best
and help your team however you can.”
After die bench’s second-half flurry,
the game turned into a track meet
with the Sooners hoisting up three
point tries and Nebraska running back
for an uncontested layup or a dunk.
Oklahoma did pull to within 84-79
with 4:26 remaining, but the Huskers
stifled the rally when Rich King con
verted a three-point play and Beau
Reid hit a jumper in the lane and put
Nebraska back to an 89-79 advan
tage.
King led six Nebraska players in
double figures, scoring 19 points and
collecting eight rebounds. Clifford
Scales added 16, 12 in the first half,
and Eric Piatkowski pul in 15.
Several Nebraska players also
lauded the sellout crowd at the Sports
Center. Fans chanted “N-I-T” in the
final minutes of the game, a reference
to the fact Oklahoma’s 15-10 record
with four games left may not earn the
Sooners an NCAA tournament berth.
The win raised Nebraska's overall
record to 21-4 and its Big Eight mark
to 7-3. The Huskers are tied for sec
ond in the conference with Oklahoma
State, one game behind league-leader
Kansas.
Tonight, Nebraska will play its
final non-conference game of the year,
hosting 20-3 Northern Illinois in a
7:35 game at the Sports Center.
Nee said although the game is not
a Big Eight game, it still is important
regarding the Huskers* postseason
hopes.
“Northern Illinois is a great bas
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Kansas Nebraska Oklahoma St.
(19-4,8-2) (21-4,7-3) (18-5,7-3)
Wed. at Colorado tonight N Illinois Tue. at Kansas
Sat. Oklahoma Wed. at Missouri St
Feb 26 Iowa St. Sat Kansas St Sat. Colorado
Mar. 3 at Nebraska Feb. 27 at OklahomaFeb 27 Nebraska
St. Mar. 2 at Iowa St.
Mar 2 Nebraska
Shaun Sartin/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska’s Clifford Scales (right) tries to steal the bail from Brent Price of Oklahoma. Scales
had four steals in the game, giving him 161 for his career and breaking Brian Carr’s 1984-87
school record of 159. “Passing Brian Carr puts you in some great company," Scales said. “I’m
really happy with it.”
NU coach: ‘We’re back, we’re bad’
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Nebraska wrestling coach Tim
Neumann once again got to experi
ence competition with most of his
regular starters Saturday against Indi
ana.
The seventh-ranked Cornhuskers
pounded Indiana 27-12 in Nebraska’s
second-to-last dual of the season.
Two Husker starters — Dave •
Droegemueller in the 134-pound
weight class and 167-pounder Scott
Chenoweth — relumed to the lineup
and won.
The only starter injured and absent
from the lineup is Corey Olson, an
All-American at 177 pounds who will
hive knee surgery to repair a torn
anterior cruciate ligament.
“I guess we’re back, and we’re
bad,” Neumann joked.
The Hoosiers found no amusement,
though, as they won two of the 10
weight classes, one by forfeit. Of the
eight Nebraska wins, two were by
technical falls (wins by 15 points) and
two were major decisions (wins by
eight or more points).
The Huskers won the first three
weights, including a 8-0 major deci
sion for Droegemueller, before the
Huskers had to forfeit at 142, giving
the Hoosiers their first six points of
the dual.
The Hoosiers recorded wins at 158
and 167. Then Chenoweth, who was
replacing Olson, beat Indiana’s Steve
Hiner8-l.
Last week, Chenoweth injured his
shoulder and a chest muscle and was
thought to be out for the remainder of
the season. Luckily, Neumann said,
that wasn’t the case.
“He came in Friday and told me
his shoulder felt okay,” Neumann said.
“He said it didn’t hurt him anymore
and that he wanted to wrestle.”
Chenoweth’s opponent was 3-11
on the season, which Neumann said
made for a “perfect comeback.”
“Scott was wrestling a guy who
wasn’t that good, and he made the
most of it,” he said.
Chris Nelson followed with a 22-6
technical fall over Ty Baker, which
gave Nebraska an insurmountable 24
12 lead.
The Huskers improved their sea
son dual record to 10-6 while Indiana
dropped to 4-7.
Nebraska’s last dual is Wednes
day against Drake at 7:30 p.m. in the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Huskers then will focus on the
Big Eight championships on March 3
in Columbia, Mo., and the NCAA
championships in Iowa City, Iowa,
March 14-16.
Neumann said the team’s intensity
is right for this time of year.
“We wrestled really aggressively
tonight,” he said. “We’re practicing
intensively and I think it’s showing
now in our duals.”
Getting back injured starters isn’t
hurting the team either, Neumann said.
“Everything is coming together
now, with Droegemueller, Chenoweth
and (Chris) Nelson back,” he said.
“But the hard part for them is to get in
a month’s worth of training in two
weeks.
“They’re not in very competitive
shape right now, but they can be in
two weeks.”
Saturday’s results:
118 — John Buxton (NU) maj doc. over
Chris Russo, 12-2
126 — Jason Kelber (NU) tech fall over
Dave Nieradka, 22-7
134 — Dave Droegemueller (NU) maj dec
over Lou Silverman, 8-0
142 — Jeff Lyons (Ind.) won by forfeit
150 — Layne Billings (NU) dec Adam
Caldwell 6-3
158 — Casey Graham (Ind.) dec. Layne
Billings, 7-4.
167 — Chris Yengo (Ind ) dec. Tommy
Robbins, 3-2.
177 — Scott Chenoweth (NU) dec Steve
Hiner, 8-1.
190 — Chris Nelson (NU) tech, fall over Ty
Baker, 22-6.
Hwt. — Sonny Manley (NU) dec. Vito Mau
rid, 5-4.
NU women rank 2nd
after victory at KSU
By David Svoboda
Special to the Daiiy Nebraskan
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Karen
Jennings equaled her career high
with 31 points Saturday as the
Nebraska women’s basketball team
defeated Kansas State 79-69 in
Bramlage Coliseum.
Jennings hit 14 of 17 field goal
attempts to lead the Comhuskers,
16-9 overall and 7-5 in the Big
Eight. Diana Miller had 25 to lead
the Lady Cals, 14-9 and 7-5.
Nebraska, Kansas State and
Colorado are tied for second in the
conference, three games behind
Oklahoma State.
Kansas State coach Susan Yow
said the game was one of the most
physical for her team all year. The
physical play benefilted Nebraska
and Jennings in particular.
The game was tied 32-32 at
halftime, but Jennings scored 12 of
Nebraska’s first 15 second-half
points. By the end of her personal
run, the Huskers led 47-41.
Kansas Slate worked back into
the lead at 52-51 with 10:35 left.
but Manhattan native Carol Russell
hit a pair of free throws 25 seconds
later to give the Huskers the lead
again. Nebraska never trailed after
that and led by as many as 11
points, at 73-62.
Nebraska used 12 players to wear
down the Lady Cats. Kansas State
used eight players, with six seeing
extensive playing time.
“I think the use of our bench
really affected K-Statc,” Beck said.
Yow said her team was tired.
“We’ve basically been playing
the same people every day, prac
tices included, and that starts to >
wear you out.”
Nebraska shot 48.5 percent from
the floor and 82.4 percent from the
free throw line, and Kansas State
shot 41.5 percent and 61.8 percent.
Sue Hesch and Kristi Dahn scored
10 points apiece for the Huskers.
Nebraska’s Meggan Yedsena,
though scoring just five points with
two assists, harassed Kansas State
point guard Mary Jo Miller into 10
turnovers.
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