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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1992)
— — — ' ■ ■ -. Huskers seeking Big Eight second seed . —•.. .———— Al Sctiaben/DN Nebraska’s Carol Russell (left) and Oklahoma State’s Lisa McGill scramble for a loose ball in Wednesday’s 95-58 Cornhusker win. Nebraska will close out the Big Eight regular season Saturday at Colorado. I Nebraska 19-7 (9-4) ppgrpg G 24 Meggan Yedsena 5-8 So. 11.0 3.4 F 41 Carol Russel! 5-10 Sr. 5.5 3.2 F 51 Karen Jennings 6-2 Jr. 25.510.0 G 20 Kim Yancey 5-5 Sr. 5.1 1.7 F 42 Sue Hesch 6-1 Sr. 6.7 4.1 Colorado 18-8 (10-3) PPG RPG F 25 Mindy Henry 6-2 Jr. 9.5 5.5 F 44 Sherries King 6-2 Jr. 8.9 5.4 C 50 Abby Wirfs 6-2 Jr. 8.3 6.3 G 20 Shelly Sheet* 5-6 Fr. 14.8 4.2 G 42 Amy Mathern By Chris Hopfensperger Senior Editor_____ Nebraska ’ s game at Colorado isn ’ t for all the marbles in the Big Eight women’s basketball race. It’s for what Kansas left over. The Jayhawks, who lead the con ference with a 22-4 record overall and a 11 -2 league mark, already have secured the regular-season title and the top seed in the Big Eight tourna ment. Nebraska, third in the conference, travels to Boulder, Colo., to play the Lady Buffs on Saturday night at 8 p.m. in the Coors Events Center. Colorado, in second, trails Kansas at 18*8 and 10-3. The Cornhuskcrs, who arc third, improved to 19-7 and 9-4 Wednesday night, by thrashing Oklahoma Stale, 95-58. Saturday’s game will decide the second-place team in the league stand ings and the second seed in next weekend’s Big Eight Tournament in Salina, Kan. But more important than post-sea son seeding is getting one more win, Nebraska coach Angela Beck said. “We’re playing for 20,” she said. “After you get 20,21 comes a little bit Scott Maurer/DN easier and 22 a liulc easier than that." Offensively, Beck said, the Husk ers have been warming up lately. But Colorado is the hottest team in the league. The Lady Buffs have won 10 straight games, including an 11 point win over the Jayhawks at home. “They’re higher than a kite,” Beck said. “We want to try to put the brakes to them,” she said. “We want to bring them back to earth a little bit.” The Huskers won’t be intimidated by the Lady Buffs’ success, Beck said. “Our players respond pretty well to the underdog role.” Earlier this season, the Huskers knocked off Colorado in Lincoln. Led by junior Karen Jennings’ team-high 29 points and 11 rebounds, Nebraska beat the Lady Buffs 75-69. Colorado is led by sophomore Jamillah Lang and freshman Shelley Sheet/, who arc both averaging more than 13 points a game. Beck said Sheet/ would be her choice as Nebraska guard Mcggan Ycdsena’s successor as Big Eight Ncwcomcr-of-thc-Ycar. Sheet/, who is averaging 13.3 points, 4.68 assists See HUSKERS on 11 Gymnastics team aims for record, coach says By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Few things haven’t been accom plished by Francis Allen since he became the Nebraska men’s gym nastics coach in 1969. He has won the national cham pionship seven ti in a row from 1979 to 1983. He has coached 25 gymnasts to 113 All-Amer ica spots and has produced 10 Olympians and three win ners of the Allen Nissan Award, which is the Heis man Trophy of collegiate men’s gymnastics. But one thing neither Allen nor the Comhuskers have ever done is score above 280 points in five consecutive meets. Top-ranked Nebraska will be trying to add that feat to its ever growing list of accomplishments Sunday when the Huskcrs will be the host of the Big Eight Triangu lar at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The meet starts at 2 p.m. Iowa State and third-ranked, defending national champion Okla homa will be the other two teams present. The Nebraska women’s team will be competing simultaneously against Illinois. Allen said he liked the Huskers’ chances to set the record. “I’m looking for this to be our best meet of the season,” he said. “Our kids arc all doing well, and we have so much momentum going, it will be hard for it not to." Nebraska leads the country in scoring with a 283.80 average. Allen, though, isn’t satisfied. “If the team can get going, we could score above 284 consistently,” he said. “But our team is young, and young kids compete like young kids.” Allen said he thought the team could have gone above 285 this season, but that the Huskers “don’t have the power yet.” “It’s like an engine that has been road tested and did pretty well,” Allen said. “But then you adjust it and put it back together and expect it to be even faster. We haven’t gotten to that point yet.” The Huskers defeated the Soon ers and Cyclones earlier this sea son when they won the first Big Eight Triangular on Jan. 25 in Norman, Okla. Nebraska outdis tanced second-place Oklahoma 284 See GYMon 11 ' t Husker men to face road-weary Buffaloes without starting guard By Jeff Singer Staff Reporter When Nebraska fans go to the Bob Devancy Sports Center for Saturday’s men’s basketball game, they’ll get a chance to sec one of the top 25 teams in the nation. And for a change, it’s not the opponent. The Comhuskers, 17-7 and 5-6 in the Big Eight, are ranked for the first lime this season at No. 25 in The Associated Press rankings and will try to remain ranked with a win over Colorado. The game will be televised by Raycom at 1:06 p.m. and is sold out. If the Huskcrs are to beat the Buf faloes, 12-12 and 3-8, they’ll have to do it without point guard Jamar Johnson. Johnson, who has received much of the credit for Nebraska’s success this year, was suspended from Satur day’s game after he was ejected for fighting in the Huskers’ 72-51 loss at Oklahoma Statcon Wednesday night. Johnson and the Cowboys’ Darwyn Alexander exchanged punches with 2:45 left in the game. Under NCAA rules, any player ejected from a game for fighting receives a one-game sus pension. Nebraska’s lineup now will be reassembled because of Johnson’s absence. Michael Hughes will come off the bench to take over the duties at NU ve.Colorado Sat. Feb. 29,1:06 p.m. at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Bruce Chubick 6-7 So. 6.8 5.5 Eric Piatkowaki 6-6 So. 14.3 8.6 __ ppgTrpo j" F 21 Sande Golflart 6-6 Fr. 2.9 1.4 F 25 Randy RoWneon 6-7 Jr. 13.0 4.3 C 02 Poncho Hodges 6-9 Jr. 7.1 6.2 <* 15 BUy Law 5-10 Sr. 10.1 3.9 Q 24 Donnie Boyce 6-5 Fr. 15.3 4.9 point guard. Hughes started five games earlier this season. Senior guard Chris Cresswell will start for the second consecutive game. Cresswell started in the absense of forward Carl Hayes, who was sus pended for the Oklahoma State game for unspecified academic disciplinary reasons. It will be Cresswcll’s 10th start of the year. As for the Buffaloes, they’re cur rently in last place in the conference, i Brian Shall!to/ON but according to Nebraska coach Danny Nee, that doesn’t mean Colorado should be overlooked. “Every team in the Big Eight is a winner and there are no bad teams,” Nee said. “They’ve had three quality upsets and arc a good, solid basket ball team. “And with the Buffaloes coming in here, if it’s their night, they’re See BUFFALOESon 11