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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1993)
Sports Tough mid-season opponent to test skill, coach says By Derek Samson Staff Reporter___ Some breather. In taking a break from Big Eight action tonight, the Nebraska women’s basketball team will host Southwest Missouri State, a team that reached the NCAA Final Four last season. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Bob Dcvaney Sports Center. Nebraska coach Angela Beck said the game won’t be easy for her 14-4 Comhuskers. “A lot of coaches will stick in an easy opponent in the middle of the season just to gel a‘W,’ Beck said. “Thai’s definitely not the case here. “They’re a team that is ranked first in its conference, they’re a team that has four out of its five starters returning and they’re alsoa team that leads the nation in home attendance.” After beating Iowa Stale 82-52 Sunday, the No. 25 Comhuskers had only one day to get ready for Southwest Missouri State, and the lack of preparation concerns Beck. “We get back late (Sunday) night and then we have only one day to prepare,” Beck said. “I don’t feel our intensity level was where it should be.... I hope we can get the intensity back and play well.” Southwest Missouri State, 9-6 overall, is leading the Missouri Valley Conference with a 5-1 league record. The Bears arc led by forward Melody Howard, who is averaging 18 points and four rebounds per game. But the player to watch will be Nebraska forward Karen Jennings. The senior from Per - it A lot of coaches will stick in an easy opponent in the middle of the season just to get a ‘W\ That's definitely not the case here. —Beck NU women's coach -ff - sia, Iowa, has 2,123 career points and is only seven points away from breaking the all-time career scoring record at Nebraska held by Maurticc Ivy. “She’s pretty excited,” Beck said. “She wants to win the game first, but I think it is especially exciting for her since she has the chance to break the record at home,” The Husk ers have won five of their last six games, including four straight, and look to continue the streak and earn more national respect tonight. “Th is is a great opportunity to move up in the polls,” Beck said. “I didn T know if we would be in the polls at this lime of the year.” The Bears continually draw large crowds, which makes Beck thankful that her team is playing at home. “I’m real happy we arc playing at home,” Beck said. “Next year, we’ll be going there, so we hope we do a good job on them now. “It’s not going to be easy at all,” she said. “I’m sure they’ll come in and give us all that we can handle.” NU gymnasts eke out victory against sixth-ranked Auburn Huskers show true abilities in difficult meet, coach says By Beau Finley SMff Haporw In a sport where inches make a world of difference, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team took a mile-long step this weekend to wards reaching the NCAA tournament. The Comhuskers defeated sixth-ranked Au burn 193-192.7 in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday and avenged a loss last year to the Tigers. Coach Rick Walton said that the Husker win was what his young team needed to boost its confidence. “We needed something like this to happen for us. We needed it to gain credibility,” Walton said. “Now we know it can be done.” Walton said the outcome of the meet wasn’t decided until the last routines were completed. He praised the Huskers for their competitive ness against a veteran team. “They (Auburn) are a very experienced team,” Walton said. “We beat them, though. They didn’t give us the meet.” Sophomore Nicole Duval won her second all-around in three meets, setting personal-best marks in the floor exercise, uneven bars and the vault. Martha Jenkins and Jennifer Hawkinson fin ished third and fourth respectively. Walton said the all-around performances were strong and showed the ability of the Huskcr team. “We performed at a 9.5 average for the meet,” Walton said. “Our team is back.” Walton said he was confident that Nebraska is ready to perform to its capabilities and go after its goals. “I think we’re a top 10 team and I think we should be at the national championships,” Walton said. “We’re coming along.” The Huskcrs will be competing at home for the second time this season on Saturday when they host Air Force at the Bob Devancy Sports Center at 7:30 p.m. Robin Trimarchi/DN Nebraska’s Andre Woolridge shoots over Missouri’s Jevon Crudup in a game Saturday. The Cornhuskers, 2-3 in the Big Eight, play at Iowa State on Wednesday. increased patience on ottense is big step for NU, Nee says By Jeff Griesch Staff Reporter_ Finally, Nebraska basketball coach Danny Nec has his team pointed in the right direc tion. The Comhuskers won an 88-87 overtime game against Missouri on Saturday and im proved to 2-3 in the Big Eight. “We found a way to win a lough game against an excellent team,” Nec said Mon day during the Big Eight coaches teleconfer ence. Nec said that the Huskcrs arc becoming a better team, and their improvement is begin ning to show on the floor. “We think we are improving a lot in all facets of the game, and our young kids arc gaining a better understanding of what we arc trying to do,” Nec said. “We have better patience, offensively we arc playing better, and our defense and rebounding arc better.” Increased patience on offense may be the biggest stride Nebraska made in the game against Missouri, Nee said. “We think that our patience on offense is a giant step for us,” Nee said. “We’re mov ing the ball around the perimeter more, we’re going inside out, and we’re getting better shots.’’ Another key to Nebraska’s win may have been the absence of Missouri forward Jevon Crudup after he was charged with a techni cal foul late in the game. Missouri coach Norm Stewart benched Crudup for the remainder of the Nebraska game and also kept him out of the starting lineup for Monday’s game against No. 3 Kansas. Stewart said the incident at Nebraska was at least the third incident of taunting or other misconduct this season, and he said it was time to do something to stop it. “1 feel it is necessary to discipline the individual while trying not to hurt the team,’’ Stewart said. Lowboys Super Bowl blowout not what was expected At least everybody else could see it coming. Super Bowl XXVII left brows dry, fingernails long and heart rates slow. I was all geared up for a tradition breaking cliffhanger. I didn’t sec the blowout coming. I never thought the Cowboys had it in them. They were too young, they were too inexperienced and they had a “no-name” defense. For years, my younger brother had been warning me that the Cowboys were the team of the future, and I just laughed it off. He pointed to proven winners like Jimmy Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman. But I still dismissed it. The Cowboys the team of the fu ture? Not in a million years. But obviously he was more of a visionary than I was. There I sal Sunday, wanting to feel the urge to chew a fingernail, hoping my heart rate would make a rapid increase, and praying that first bead of sweat would form on my brow. Nobody had let me in on the secret. Dallas is the team of the present. Everyone involved in the coverage and commercial planning of the game knew the Cowboys were back. And they provided some really neat extras to evoke emotions in the game’s viewers. Amusement was the first emotion that crept into my heart. Those new moving pictures when they showed the players’ height, weight, college and position really cracked me up. It was cool to see Irvin playing catch with himself and Emmill flash ing that smile and winking at the camera. All the players looked like they felt pretty stupid, but boy did that add some fun to the otherwise drab game. v The commercials also helped keep the Super Bowl exciting. Larry Bird’s shooting battle with Michael Jordan over a Big Mac prob ably sparked a few giggles from the viewers. Seeing Larry Legend matching Air Jordan shot lor shot had to bring some pride to some of the old-timers. And the Aluminator’s debut in the Bud Bowl only to suffer a heartbreak ing loss on a fumble had to touch some of the viewers deep down inside. The halftime show with Michael Jackson showing support for the chil dren of the world gave me a warm glowing feeling. I was really pulling lor the Cow boys in their attempt to mess up Johnson’s hair, and I was discouraged to see his hair bounce back into shape only seconds later. Then Irvin came through with a funny quote. While holding the trophy, Irvin was warned not to drop it. “I never drop anything,” he re sponded. How’s that for confidence? But the most emotional part of Super Bowl XXVII was provided within the actual game and by the Buffalo Bills. Even the best writers could not come up with a more woeful scenario than what happened to Jim Kelly. In his third attempt to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory, Kelly went down with a knee injury. To sec hint hobbling out on crutches, hanging his head, but still cheering for backup Frank Reich, woul<4 have made even the biggest Cowboy fan’s heart flutter. But my favorite emotion — admi ration— wasevoked by Buffalowidc receiver Don Beebe. The game was practically over, Dallas led 52-17, but Beebe still sprinted 65 yards to knock the ball out of Leon Leu’s hands, denying the Cowboys the record for the most points scored in a Super Bowl. Now there’s a guy who deserves respect. It may have lacked intensity, ex citement and anxiety, but other emo tions were out in full force. And if my brother is right, football fans better gel used to these new emotions. If Dallas continues to play like it did Sunday, the fingernails will just have to wait to be chewed. Arth Isa senior news-editorial major and a Dally Nebraskan senior reporter.
