Nebraskan
Tuesday, February 22,1994
Sports
Big 8 courts
4 SWC schools
DALLAS (AP) — Texas, Texas A&M,
Texas Tech and Baylor have been invited to
join the Big Bight beginning with the 1996
97 season, the Houston Chronicle and The
Dallas Morning News reported in their Tues
day editions.
The Chronicle quoted three Southwest
Conference school president, and the Morn
ing News cited sources in both leagues.
Neither story indicated that the schools have
accepted the offer.
See INVITATION on 8
NU entering a ‘critical week’
by Jeff Griescn
Senior Editor
If the rest of the Nebraska men’s basketball
season was like a single game, the Comhuskers
would be trailing by four points with the ball and
less than a minute to go.
In other words, it’s crunch time.
“This week is critical for Nebraska,” Nebras
ka basketball coach Danny Nee said at his
weekly press conference. “I think it is going to
affect any postseason tournament hopes we
have —NCAA or NIT.
“We have to win a couple of games. Our back
is to the wall. I don’t think we have many more
alternatives left.”
Nebraska, 14-8 overall and 4-6 in the Big
Eight, has lost six of its last eight games.
If the Huskers are going to save their season.
Nee said, they will have to
start with defense.
During Nebraska’s 11
game winning streak earlier
in the season, defense was the
key.
The Huskers held their
opponents to less than 71
points per game during the
stretch. But in the last eight
games, opponents have vic
Nee timized the Huskers, lighting
up the scoreboard with an average of 92 points
per game.
“We’re not doing a good job of stopping
penetration or in transition defense,” Nee said.
“And we’re not doing a good job of fighting
through screens.
“But we’re not doing anything different than
what we were doing when we were winning; it’s
just that teams are exploiting our weaknesses.”
The Huskers have only four regular-season
games remaining, and three of those games are
against Top 25 teams. But the good news for the
Huskers is that their next three games will be at
home.
“With three out of four at home, we have to
See CRUNCH TIME on 8
Women s basketball seniors
hope for second NCAA bid
Final home game loss
proves disappointing
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter _
When the Nebraska women’s basketball team
lost 63-61 to third-ranked Colorado Sunday,
Meggan Yedsena and Nafeesah Brown hung
their heads as they walked off the court.
For the two Comhusker seniors, losing on a
missed last-second shot was a disappointing
way to end their final home game.
But the way the two seniors played during the
second-half comeback typified their careers at
Nebraska.
“It (a win over Colorado) would’ve put an
icing on the cake, no doubt,’’ Yedsena said.
Yedsena contributed 17 points and five as
sists, while Brown finished her home career
with a 13-point, 10-rebound performance, add
ing to the impressive numbers already put up by
the two.
Yedsena, a four-year starter for Coach Ange
la Beck, has her name engraved all over Nebras
ka women’s basketball record books.
The 5-foot-8-inch guard from Mahanoy City,
Penn., is Nebraska’s career leader in assists
with 681 and steals with 291. She’s third in
three-point goals with 63,11th in scoring with
1,078 points and 20th in rebounding with 386.
“I really didn’t know what to expect coming
in here,” Yedsena said. “I just wanted to go to
a program that was in the process of rebuilding.
Coach Beck and 1 talked the day 1 signed about
wanting to get to the NCAA tournament. Mak
ing that last year is probably what I take the most
pride in.”
Brown has also put up impressive numbers
in only two full seasons as a Husker.
After transferring from Westark (Ark.) Jun
ior College, Brown suffered a season-ending
knee injury just six games into her sophomore
season.
Brown, a 6-foot-1-inch forward, is ninth on
-41
Coach (Angela) Beck and I
talked the day I signed
about wanting to get to the
NCAA tournament. Making
that last year is probably
what I take the most pride
in.
— Yedsena
NU women's basketball guard
- .
Nebraska’s all-time rebounding charts with
549 and 14th in scoring with 1,033.
Brown said a second trip to the NCAA
tournament would top off her career at Nebras
ka.
“That’s why we wanted to win this (Colo
rado) game,’’ she said. “We needed to get one
step closer to the NCAAs, and this would’ve
done it. We just want to make it two straight
years.”
Yedsena saved her best basketball for last,
scoring in double figures in six of her last eight
games.
“I think what I’m doing more is looking to
create more opportunities,” she said. “I’ve been
penetrating a lot more lately and going a lot
stronger to the hole. I think coming down the
stretch, we’re playing pretty good.”
Brown said Nebraska would be tough to stop
in the Big Eight Tournament March 5-7 in
Salina, Kan.
“We’re playing a lot better as a team now,”
she said. “On a neutral court... I think we can
beat anyone. We have to get more into the flow
of what we’re doing. We just have to be more
patient, especially against the good teams.”
As much as Husker fans will miss the two
players, Brown said it was hard to say goodbye
to the fans after Nebraska’s final home game.
Yedsena agreed.
“I’m going to miss all the great fans we have
here, and 1*11 miss the unity the coaches and
players have,” she said.
KHey Timperley/DN
Nebraska’s Meggan Yedsena dribbles up court against Colorado’s Shelley
Sheetz during tne Comhuskers’ 63-61 loss Sunday. Yedsena and
teammate Nafeesah Brown, both seniors, were playing in their final home
game. A win over Colorado “would’ve put an icing on the cake, no doubt,”
Yedsena said.
Loss of Brohawn could derail Huskers ’ entire season
Oh what a difference a few days
can make.
Last week, the optimism surround
ing the Nebraska baseball team could
barely be contained by the fences at
Buck Beltzer Field.
But it didn’t take long for the bright
outlooks to tumble into oblivion dur
ing the opening series of the season at
Oral Roberts.
Not only did the Huskers stub their
toes in losing three straight games
against the Eagles in Tulsa, Okla., but
the mightiest Husker tripped, fell and
couldn’t get up.
Tray Brohawn, Nebraska’s unbeat
able, unstoppable and invincible All
American pitcher broke his foot in the
third inning of the opener on Friday.
Brohawn wasn’t hit by a hard line
drive back up the box. He didn’t foul
a pitch off his foot. He didn’t even
break it sliding into second base.
No, Brohawn broke a bone in his
left foot because he tripped in some
soft, clumpy dirt in the baseline be
tween second and third base.
As Brohawn was running out a fly
ball, the ground just jumped up and
grabbed him.
If he had been walking to class and
tripped over a crack in the sidewalk,
otner students making their dull treks
would have laughed at Brohawn’s
misfortune.
The stumble may have even been
enough to keep the students awake
and humored during a boring class.
But Brohawn will be out for four to
six weeks, making the tumble any
thing but funny for the Huskers.
Brohawn may be as important to
the Nebraska pitching staff as Roger
Clemens is to Brohawn’s favorite team,
the Boston Red Sox.
The junior from Woolford, Md.,
gave the Huskers a go-to guy on the
mound.
If they fell into a hitting slump or a
losing streak, he lifted the Huskers by
throwing a shutout.
For proof, look no further than last
Jeff
Griesch
year.
Brohawn’s arm turned to rubber
after an impressive run in the Pepsi/
Johnny Quick Classic tournament in
mid-March.
The left-hander, who went 13-0
last season, missed two pitching starts,
and the Huskers went 2-6 during the
eight-game stretch.
He accounted for more than one
third of Nebraska’s 36 wins last sea
son. And Coach John Sanders said he
was hoping for even better things
from Brohawn this season.
“1 told Troy that he had to win 16
in a row or no scholarship,” Sanders
said with a laugh at the preseason
press conference.
But Sanders isn’t laughing any
more.
If his foot heals quickly, Brohawn
could make it back for the March 22
game with Creighton in Lincoln. A
six-week recovery would put him back
in the lineup for the Big Eight home
opener against Oklahoma State on
April 1.
But the big question for the Husk
ers is whether either of those dates will
be soon enough.
The Huskers’ schedule isn’t filled
with small area colleges anymore.
Peru State, Wayne State and Doanc
aren’t scheduled to come to Lincoln
this year.
Sanders and the Huskers put to
gether one of their strongest schedule
in years. Fifty-four of their 56 games
are against Division I opponents. And
3 3 of those games will be played against
teams inCollegiafe Baseball’s Top 40
Elite.
W ithout Brohawn, the losses could
pile up fast in the 22 games scheduled
between now and April 1.
The shock of Brohawn’s loss sent
the Huskers spinning in the three
game sweep this weekend. Unless
Sanders can convince his players that
they can win without Brohawn, the
Huskers could be in serious trouble.
The good news for the Huskers is
that they play their next 10 games at
home. Even if they can’t win without
Brohawn, it could always snow.
But snow won’t be able to save the
Huskers when they return to Fresno,
Calif., for six games at the Pepsi/
Johnny Quick Classic.
If the Huskers can’t string together
some wins at home before then, they
might have to hope for another major
earthquake in California.
Otherwise, their season could turn
into a natural disaster.
Grtesck li a jualor aews-edltorlal Major
aod b the Dally Nebraikaa aniitaat iporti
odlter.
