Sports
Huskers defeat Wildcats in Japan1"taSKEST
NU to take on
FSUSeminoles
in Orange Bowl
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
Playing halfway around the world
didn’t provide any solutions to Kan
sas State’s 24 years of frustration
against Nebraska.
The Comhuskcrs beat the Wild
cats 38-24 Sunday in the Coca-Cola
Bowl in Tokyo to win the Big Eight
championship and the automatic Or
ange Bowl bid.
It was announced Sunday that 10
1 Florida Stale will be Nebraska’s
opponent New Year’s Night in Mi
ami. The Scminolcs, ranked third in
the final Associated Press Top 25,
beat the Huskcrs in the 1990 Fiesta
Bowl.
- it
I’m really proud of our kids. They’re really excited
about winning. Now, we’ll refocus and we want to
win the Orange Bowl.
—Darlington
NU secondary coach
-•• -
The No. 11 Huskers finished the
regular season with a 9-2 record and
were 6-1 in the Big Eight. Kansas
State ended its season 5-6,2-5. It was
the 24th straight win for Nebraska
over Kansas State.
Before the trip to Japan, the Husker
coaching staff expressed concern
about the unusual circumstances sur
rounding the preparations for the
game. Those circumstances included
a 15-hour time difference, lack of
studying time for the players and cul
tural differences.
But because the Huskers were play
w w
ing for a Bi£ Eight title, thosccircum
slanccs didn’t affect Nebraska that
much, secondary coach George
Darlington said on the post-game ra
dio show.
“The distractions were not that
much because the kids were focused
on becoming Big Eight champions,”
Darlington said. “They knew what
they had to do. I have to congratulate
our players. I think they had a very
good attitude. They were ready to
play.”
Kansas Stale entered the game with
the second-best defen sc in thcconfcr
encc. Darlington said the offense did
well to score so many points.
“Scoring 38 points against Kansas
State’s defense is a very fine accom
plishment because their defense is
excellent,” he said.
Nebraska managed to rush for 278
yards against a Wildcat defense that
had been giving up only 137 yards per
game on the ground. The Huskcrs had
412 total yards.
From the outset, it was evident
Nebraska was ready to play.
After the two teams traded punts,
the Huskcrs drove 62 yards for their
first score, an 18-yard touchdown pass
from Tommie Frazier to Corey Dixon.
That pass was the first of five Dixon
caught in the game. Frazier com
pleted 11 of 18 passes for 134 yards.
Nebraska struck again on its next
possession. This lime Frazier
scrambled for a 19-yard touchdown
run and a 14-0 lead.
~C See HUSKERSon 8
Nil—Dixon, 18 pass from Frazier (Bennett kick)
NU-Frazier, 19 run (Bennett kick)
is
NU-Frazief, 4 run (Bennett kick)
KSU-Coteman, 10 pass from Gartner (WrigM kk*)
§•*'“*
NU-Bermett, 42 fieM goai
NWones, 38 nm (Bennett kk*)
M
KSD-Garber, 8 run (Wiigitt kick)
NU-Fraaef, 1 ran (Beniett lock)
KSU-Sefe, 21 pass Ikon Gaiter (WrigM Ink)
Daily Nebraskan
NU dominates Ameritas Classic
Husker center
Chandler makes
All-Tourney team
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter
It took one half of basketball,
but Nebraska finally wore down
Kent Stale and pulled away from
the Golden Flashes in the champi
onship game of the Ameriias Clas
sic
The Cornhuskcrs used pressure
defense to lake an 85-61 victory
before 12,023 fans al the Bob
Dcvancy Sports Center on Satur
day.
Husker coach Danny Nee cred
ited the win to Nebraska’s defense.
The Huskers held Kent to 34 per
cent shooting from the field.
“I was pleased with the defense.
I felt we just basically wore them
down,” said Nee. “We put as good
of pressure on the ball as we’ve
ever had here.”
Kent stayed with the Huskers
throughout the first hal f. The Golden
Flashes slowed the Husker offense
and were only down 34-27 at half
time.
Ncc said that Kent showed Us
quality early.
“Kent State, in the -first half,
really executed well,” he said.
“Kent State is a solid, fundamcn
tally-sound team.”
The Golden Flashes’ offensive
game plan gave the Huskers prob
lems in the first half, Nee said.
“Kent State runs a motion of
fense that is as good as we’ll see all
year,” he said. “If they play at the
level that they played in the first
half, they ’ll surprise a lot of people.”
Nebraska adjusted to the motion
offense and came out in the second
half and ran away with the game.
Husker guard Jamar Johnson,
who had six points and five assists,
said that after intermission, the
Huskers wanted to take control on
offense.
“We wanted to push the ball up
the court more than we did in the
first half,” he said.
Nebraska forward bruce
Chubick said it was discouraging
for the Huskcrs lo be up by only
seven points at half.
“We had played really good de
fense, and they were still slicking
with us,” he said. “(Kent Slate)
plays defense well, and it’s hard to
break away from a team like that.”
Kent stayed within ten points of
the Huskcrs during the first seven
minutes of the second half.
Then Nebraska started to pull
away. -
Husker freshman Erick
Strickland hit a jump shot in the
lane with 13:20 left to put the Husk
crs up 53-41.
With 9:45 left. Strickland
brought the crowd to its feel with a
thundering break-away dunk togi ve
Nebraska a 62-47 lead.
Chubick said the dunk may have
affected Kent.
“The crowd didn’t really affect
them in the first half,” he said. “In
the second half, the crowd may
have gotten to them, especially al
ter Erick’s dunk.”
The Huskers then went on a 19
3 run to put the game away.
Nebraska forward Eric
Piatkowski, who scored 23 points
and pulled down a career-high 16
rebounds Saturday, was named the
tournament’s most val uablc player,
and center Derrick Chandler was
named to the A11-Tournament team.
Nee said he was pleased with his
Hearn’s play, but he said the Husk
crs needed to work on their offense.
Nee said that the Huskcrs ac
complished what they wanted to
Saturday.
“Our job is to win; our other job
is to improve, and I think we’re
doing both.”
Nebraska will attempt to ac
complish both of those jobs again
tonight. 1 he Huskcrs play their third
game in four days, against The
Citadel at 7 p.m. at the Sporis Cen
ter.
Nebraska’s Jaron Boone attempts to pass to a teammate
during the finals of the Ameritas Classic Saturday. The
Cornhuskers beat Kent State 85-61.
Most Valuable
Player awarded
to Piatkowski
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter
Getting off on the right fool is
something Eric Piatkowski knows
well.
Piatkowski scored 48 points and
pulled down 25 rebounds in two
games of the Amcriias Classic,
which helped him to be named
Most Valuable Player of the tour
nament and lead the Huskcrs to the
team championship.
“In scoring, diflcrcnt nights arc
going to be different people,”
Piatkowski said. “Talking with the
coaches and my father I know if
you go hard like that, then good
things arc going to happen.”
Piatkowski’s work habits did not
go unnoticed to coach Danny Nee.
“Eric Piatkowski has done a re
ally solid job. He’s making it hap
pen rebounding and on defense,”
Nee said.
Piatkowski, who pulled down a
career-high 16 rebounds in the
championship game against Kent
State Saturday, said rebounding
would be one of his main priorities
this season.
“If I concentrate on rebounding,
I can really average a lot,”
Piatkowski said. “I’m in a different
spot this year (offensively).
“It really screwed me up last
year seeing a shot go up and know
ing I could go get the rebound, but
not being able to.”
The 6-fool-7 junior from Rapid
City, S.D., said that although the
Comhuskcrscndcd up with a 85-61
victory over Kent, the team was
disappointed with only a seven
point halftime lead.
“It was a little bit of a scare that
Kent State was so close,”
Pialkowski said. “The effort is there.
By mid-season, things will slowly .
start to click.”
Pialkowski was clicking in the
final, hitting nine of 17 from the
floor.
“He’s still not gelling the calls,”
Nee said. “I think he could have
gone to the free throw line even
more than he did.”
Nebraska plays the Citadel to
night, and Pialkowski said it was
important the Huskers kept rolling
over their non-conference oppo
nents.
i
“These non-conference games
are very important,” he said. “The
Big Eight is going to be pretty
balanced so we can’t afford to get
upset in any of these games so we
car. have enough wins.”
— * ‘ ■
Women s
basketball
team wins
invitational
By Phil Carter
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska women’s basketball
team is riding a three-game winning
streak to open the season.
Karen Jennings scored 20 points
and snared nine rebounds as the
Comhuskcrs defeated Northwestern
83-71 in the championship game of
the Roger L. White Invitational at
Evanston, 111., on Saturday.
“This is the third time in three
years that we have come into Big Ten
Conference territory and won their
tournament,” said Nebraska coach
Angela Beck. “I am very happy. This
was a great team win, and we beat an
outstanding team.”
Jennings, whoaveraged 19.5 points
and 10 rebounds in two games of the
tournament, was voted the
tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Joining Jcnningsonthcall-louma
ment team was senior forward Rissa
Taylor, who added 16 points and two „•
blocked shots in Saturday night’s fi
nale.
“Our defense was tenacious,” Beck
said. “We forced a fine passing team
into 24 turnovers and held their point
guard to just three points.”
Coach Beck commended Huskcr
guards Mcggan Yedscna and Lis
Brcndcn as defensive standouts who
provided the Huskers with an added
spark.
The score was tied at 34 at half
time, but Nebraska opened the second
half on a 22-7 run to take a 56-41 lead.
Northwestern got as close as 12 points,
but the Huskers held on the rest of the
way.
Nebraska advanced to Saturday’s
final by beating South Carolina 63-51
on Friday night.
Jennings led all scorer-sAvith 19
points while Sara Offringa added 13.
The Huskers won despite shooting
just 36 percent from the floor.
“It might have been the poorest
shooting night for Nebraska in a real
long time,” Beck said. “But we won
and I’m happy about that."
Nebraska returns to the Bob
Dcvancy Sports Center on Wednes
day to host Illinois, the beginning of a
three-game homestand. Tipoff is
scheduled for 7 p.m.
