William Lauer/Df *
Nebraska guard Jamar Johnson evades a steal attempt against Texas
Sunday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Texas knocks outNU
in closing seconds
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska and Texas basketball teams
exchanged baskets Sunday night like heavy
weight boxers’ trade blows, but it was the
Longhorns who delivered the knockout punch
with a 78-75 win in front of 12,378 fans at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The loss, which ended Nebraska’s 30-game
homecourt winning streak against non-confer
ence opponents, dropped the Cornhuskcrs to 1 -
1, while Texas improved to 1 -1.
Texas guard Terrance Renchcr, who had 35
points, did most of the damage for the Long
horns.
Renchcr also deal t Nebraska’s biggest blows
in the closing seconds by hitting two free
throws with 16.3 seconds remaining to give the
Longhorns a 76-75 lead.
Then, with 3.6 seconds remaining, Renchcr
delivered the fnal shot with a break-away dunk
off a pass from Roderick Anderson.
“Tonight was his night,” Nebraska guard
Erick Strickland said. “It seemed like every
thing he threw up went in.”
Renchcr, a junior from the Bronx,N.Y.,was
13-for-22 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from
three-point range, and hit 6-of-9 free throws.
Eric Piatkowski answered Renchcr point
for-point, scoring a career-high 35 points and
adding 10 rebounds, but was unable to come up
with one final answer.
Piatkowski’s 22-footer from the left wing,
which would have sent the game into overtime,
hit the back of the iron as time expired.
“The thing that hurts is that we played so
well,” Piatkowski said. “I guess this is why you
play college basketball is to get a game like
this.”
Along with Rencher’s hot hand for the Long
horns, turnovers hurt the Cornhuskcrs in the
final seconds.
Nebraska turned the ball over twice in the
last 20 seconds after taking a 75-74 on two free
throws by forward Melvin Brooks with 1:02 left
in the game.
With 20 seconds left, Jamar Johnson
inbounded the ball in the corner to Jaron Boone,
who was trapped and tried to get the ball back
to Johnson.
Rcnchcr stole the pass and was fouled by
Johnson, who fouled out on the play. Johnson
finished with four points.
After Renchcrhitboth free throws, Strickland
broke through the Longhorn pressure and drove
to the lane.
Strickland tried to pass to Brooks, who was
filling the right lane, but the pass was stolen by
Roderick Anderson. “It was a great basketball
game,” said Nebraska coach Danny Nee. “The
last 25 seconds we just didn’t do the things we
needed to do to win. We didn’t execute proper
ly-”
Piatkowski said the Huskcrs let the game
slip away.
“We had the game won and then we basical
ly gave it away,” Piatkowski said. “It was a
great game and we’ll have to get used to it
because I think we’re going to have a lot of
games like that this season.”
Texas.36 42 78
at Nebraska.35 40 75
Texas — Rencher 13-22 6 9 35, Anderson 5-10 3
6 15, Burdin 4 5 2-4 10, Watson 3-9 0 09, Quarles 1-1
12 3, Houston 1-200 2, Hill 1 -4 0-0 2, Mclver 1-1 0 0
2, PenderS 0 1 0-1 0, Wingfield 0-2 0-0 0 Totals 29-57
12 22 78
Nebraska — Piatkowski 11-19 8-11 35, Badgen 5
71-1 11, Chubick 2-4 5-7 9, Boone 3-90-06, Brooks 2
4 2-26, Best 1 -7 2-2 4, Johnson2-5 0-0 4, Strickland 0
4 0-1 0, dock 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 26 59 1 8 24 75
Huskers eye NCAA tournament after loss to CU
Buffs get revenge
with 2nd-straight
tournament title
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
OMAHA — Nebraska’s Nikki Strieker and
Colorado’s Nicole Vranesh met at the net be
fore the fifth game of their match Saturday
night at the Big Eight Volleyball tournament,
knowing that the game would decide the Big
Eight title.
The two All-Big Eight setters had gone
against each other 12 previous times, with the
Cornhuskers winning 10 of the 12.
But it was Vranesh who emerged in smiles
and Strieker who fought off tears after the
Buffaloes defeated the Huskers 7-15,15-10,9
15, 15-13, 15-11 to win their second-straight
Big Eight tournament title.
Strieker, who was named the Big Eight’s
Player of the Year last Tuesday, said the loss
was tough to take. After a close fourth game,
Colorado dominated the fifth game.
“I take a lot of the credit for some of the
decisions that were made,” Strieker said. “When
1 broke down, they all went with me. There
were times when I made some decisions and I
can’t figure out why l made them. I
“That’s frustrating for me. Here’s my chance <
to go after them and 1 make some poor deci
sions.” 1
For Vranesh. who was named the tourna- «
ment’s Most Valuable Player, and her coach,
Brad Saindon, the tournament was a chance for ’
vindication and respect for the Colorado pro
gram.
Slad McKee/DN
Nebraska’s Allison Weston follows through on a successful spike against
Colorado’s Leah Williams, left, and Nicole Vranesh during the Buffaloes’
Big Eight tournament win Saturday night in Omaha.
i
Vranesh said winning the tournament and
?eing named MVP was like two wins for her
)vcr Strieker.
“It’s kind of natural to compete with some
x>dy in your position on the other team,” she
>aid.
Vranesh said not being named Player of the
if ear “felt like a loss for me to Nikki Strieker.”
“It’s great to be named MVP,” she said.
‘Either way I thought it would go to the setter
who won.
Saindon said he believed his setter was the
best in the conference.
“I was extremely disappointed when N icole 1
didn’t get named Player of the Year,” Saindon
said.
“I got the feeling that people didn’t really j
believe we deserved to win the championship. ;
My setter didn’t even get to be Player of the <
Year. That’s how much respect we’ve gotten.” •,
Nebraska to face
Cornell in opener
of NCAA tourney
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
After a two-year absence. Nebraska’s vol
leyball team has its sights set on getting back to
the Final Four.
The NCAA announced Sunday night that
the Cornhuskers will play host to Cornell, the
Ivy League champions with a 17-9 record, in
the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tourna
ment. The match will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday
at the NU Coliseum.
If the Fluskers defeat Cornell, they’ll face
Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in the second
round. The Fighting Irish defeated the Fluskers,
Sept. 25, in the finals of the Golden Dome
Classic.
With a win over the Irish, Nebraska would
come back to Lincoln for the Mideast Regional
Dec. 9-12. The winner of the regional advances
to the Final Four, which will take place in
Madison, Wis., Dec. 16 and 18.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said he was
pleased with his team’s placement in the tour
nament.
“I feel pretty good about it,” he said. “We
have the opportunity, if we play great volley
ball, to return to the Final Four again ”
NOTE:
•Tickets for the first-round match will be on
sale Monday through Wednesday at the South
Stadium Ticket Office. Tickets will be $3 for
students. Reserved seating costs $7 and general
admission tickets cost $5.
Husker women’s defense wins Cablevision Classic
t*y uereK damson
Staff Reporter
If strong defense wins championships, then
Nebraska women’s basketball coach Angela
Beck has her team off to a good start.
Nebraska won the Cablevision Classic cham
pionship Saturday using another solid defen
sive effort to get past Pcppcrdine, 68-50.
Beck said holding the Waves to 50 points
was pivotal in the Huskers’ win.
“Our defense won this championship for
us,” Beck said. “Our goal this season is to keep
people under 55 points. This was a good team
and we kept them to 50.1 really feel pleased to
:ome out with this kind of victory.”
Pepperdine kept the game close throughout
the first half and eventually tied the score at 24
after Lisa Siders scored with 3:11 left in the
half.
Nebraska answered by scoring the final six
joints to take a 30-24 advantage at intermis
sion.
‘‘The last three or four minutes of the first
half we played real hard defensively and we
started to wear them down,” Beck said. “I
wanted tojumpon them in the first five minutes
)f the second half to try to get a more comfort
able lead.
Nebraska did just that, as the team went on
runsof9-4and 11-2 in the first lOminutcsofthe
second half to take a 52-37 lead.
Most of Nebraska’s points during the second
half scoring spurt came from Nafccsah Brown,
who finished with a game-high 27 points and 12
rebounds.
“She really worked hard," Beck said. “She
had a hamstring problem and she just toughed
it out. It showed the team that we can depend on
her."
Brown, who was selected the tournament’s
Most Valuable Player, scored 15 of Nebraska’s
first 25 points in the second half. She set a
tournament record with 53 points in the two
games. Lis Brenden, who added 11 points
Saturday, was also honored as an all-tourna
ment selection.
Brown’s game-high 26 points led Nebraska
to a 68-51 victory over Princeton Friday night.
After scoring just 68 points in each game.
Beck said the Huskers were a little bit con
cerned with their offensive output.
“Offensively we arc a little further behind
than defensively,” Beck said. “1 think it is a
little frustrating for them right now when the
defense is flowing but the offense isn’t.”
