SPORTS
Nebraskan
Thursday, February 24,1*24
Emotional NU blasts
past No. 10 Kansas
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Ed[tor
After putting on a near-perfect first-half
performance, the Nebraska men’s basketball
team almost saw their season slip away in a 96
87 win over Kansas Wednesday night.
With 34 seconds left in the game, Patrick
Richey caught a Steve Woodberry airball and
scored to cut the Comhuskcrs’ lead to just three
points at 90-87. .. .
But Kansas’ 21-4 run that began with 6:39
left wasn’t enough to overcome Nebraska’s 24
point halftime lead, and the Huskcrs walked ofT
with a win to keep their postseason hopes alive.
“I just knew in my heart that (the Jayhawks)
would come back,” Nebraska coach Danny Nee
said. “They’re going to come back and never
give up. They are a great basketball team.”
But Kansas couldn’t complete its miracu
lous comeback attempt after clawing its way
back from a 58-34 halftime deficit.
The biggest reason Nebraska was able to
hold off Kansas was the play of Husker guard
Eric Piatkowski.
The senior from Rapid City, S.D., sank four
free throws in the final 30 seconds and added an
assist on Erick Strickland’s two-handed, toma
hawk dunk, which capped Nebraska’s win.
The Huskers improved to 15-8 and 5-6 in the
Big Eight, while Kansas fell to 21-6 and 6-5.
Along with saving Nebraska’s lead,
Piatkowski was also instrumental in building
the Huskers’ first-half advantage.
Piatkowski nailed 7-of-ll first-half shots,
including 3-of-4 3-pointers. He had 18 first-half
points and finished with a game-high 33 points.
Piatkowski also was the game’s top
rebounder, pulling down 11 caroms.
But Piatkowski didn’t do it alone.
Four other Huskers—Jamar Johnson, Bruce
Chubick, Terrance Badgett and Jaron Boone—
scored in double figures, as Nebraska finally
erupted from its eight-game shooting slump.
“Nebraska played its heart out,” Nee said. “I
thought there was a lot of energy, and we played
team basketball. On offense, the threes fell, and
we made our free throws. It was a very complete
game.”
The Huskers shot a sizzling 61 percent from
the floor, and sank 7-of-10 of their three-point
shots before intermission.
The Huskers showed that they came to play.
Piatkowski got things started with a reverse
layup and followed with a steal and break-away
dunk to give the Huskers a 4-0 lead.
“We were playing with a lot of emotion,”
Piatkowski said. “The crowd was great. It was
We were playing with a lot
of emotion. The crowd was
great.
—Piatkowski
Nebraska forward
-99 ~
as good a crowd and as good an atmosphere as
1 have ever been in.
“And if somebody comes out and hits a
couple of shots then it kind of builds every
body’s confidence.”
After a Scan Pearson 3-pointer gave the
Jayhawks a 7-6 lead, the Huskers went on a 15
2 run over the next 3:18 to give Nebraska a 21
9 lead with 13:12 left in the first half.
The Huskers then used an intense, trapping
zone defense and crisp passing and execution
on offense to build a comfortable halftime edge.
“The first half was as good a basketball as we
have played all season,” Nee said. “The zone
defense seemed to bother Kansas, and they
never got untracked.”
But after a long lockerroom lecture from
Coach Roy Williams at halftime, the Jayhawks
scored the first four points of the second half.
Woodberry, who led Kansas with 16 points,
scored 15 in the second half to keep Nebraska
within reaching distance.
Nee said the win was crucial.
“I don’t think we’re out of the woods by any
stretch,” Nee said. “1 told you guys that we were
going to have win three of our last five. This is
a tough week for us, but we are off to a good
start.”
Kansas.34. .53 — 87
at Nebraska.. .58. .38 — 96
Kansas — Richey 3-6 0-0 7, Scott 3-6 3-69, Ostertag
6-81-413, Vaughn 5-7 0-314, Woodberry 4-175-716,
Rayford 0-10-00, Pearson 3-5 2-2 9, Williams 1-31-4
3, Pollard 4-7 5-713, Gurley 1 -4 0-0 3 Totala 30-6417
33 87.
Nebraska—Badgett 5-11 2-212,Piatkowski 10-1910
1333, Chubick 1-34-76, Johnson6-11 1-1 14, Boone
3-94-610, Strickland 3-52-29, Glock 0-0 0-0 0, Best 0
0 0-0 0. Brooks 5-5 0-0 12. Totala 33-63 23-31 96
3-Polnt goals—Kansas 10-22 (Vaughn 4-5, Woodberry
3-9, Person 1 -1, Gurley 1 -3. Richey 1 -4), Nebraska 7
17 (Piatkowski 3-7, Brooks 2-2, Strickland 1 -2, Johnson
1 -4, Boone 0-2) Rebounds—Kansas 37 (Ostertag 8),
Nebraska 42 (Piatkowski 11). Assists — Kansas 19
(Woodberry 7), Nebraska 20 (Johnson, Boone,
Strickland 4) Total fouls — Kansas 20, Nebraska 22.
A —14,370
Gerik Parmete/DN
Jaron Boone drives up the court during Nebraska’s 96-87 win over Kansas
at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Wednesday night.
Comhuskers, Sports Center jinx Jayhawks — again
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
The Bob Dcvaney Sports Center came back
to haunt Kansas coach Roy Williams and his
1 Oth-rankcd Jay hawks in Ncbraska’s96-87 win
Wednesday night.
Kansas has lost four-straight in Lincoln and
W illiams has only won once in Lincoln during
his six seasons.
But Williams saidNebraska’splay—not the
Sports Center—has jinxed the Jayhawks over
the years.
“It’s just a gym,” said. “It’s a gym where you
Athletes shine despite media pressure to strike gold
Before I commence with this week’s
column, I must apologize to my vast
readership in advance.
I had me a little too much
Robutussin last night and got a little
loopy, so I can’t be held accountable
for the following.
I was sitting on my couch last
Friday, contemplating whether a lint
ball or a hairball falls faster, when I
saw Dan Jansen win his gold medal.
As most Americans did, I got down
on all fours and began barking like a
dog.
But when 1 finished, I realized the
magnitude of Jansen’s feat.
Here’s a man—much like myself
— who had been on top of the speed
skating world for a decade but still
faced the possibility ofbeing dubbed a
failure because he had never won an
Olympic race.
Is this because the Olympics are
the true test of an athlete? Is it because
the gold medal is the pinnacle of ath
letics? Is it because when he skates, he
looks like an upright walrus?
The answer to all these questions
and many others is in the negative.
Dan Jansen needed to win the gold
medal only because the overzealous
press was exerting on him.
Because 1 am a member of this
bastard class, it’s hard for me to chas
tise my brethren sports commenta
tors, but I think it is necessary.
The press has such an amazing
ability to hype the truly unimportant
and insignificant, but this is only a
reflection of society in general.
People simply want to see things in
black and white. They observe only
the superficial and obvious.
The Olympics are regarded as the
true test of athletes for the simple
reason that sports illiterates only look
Beau
Finley
at one race every four years as the
measuring stick tor greatness.
But you can’t fairly gauge any ath
lete by just one performance.
Would Jansen have been a lesser
skater if he hadn’t won the 1,000
meters or a gold medal?
Of course not. He would have been
regarded as one of the greatest skaters
in the world with or without a gold.
Hey, that was pretty serious. I tell
ya, it’s that damn cough medicine.
Now for a Women’s golf update:
The Husker-hackers just got back from
a tourney in ouadalajara, Mexico,
where they finished third in a 11 -team
field.
Kim Lefler, a fine player (and fab
ulous babe), was the low Huskcr scor
er.
Coach Robin Krapfl allegedly stat
ed the team would have won easily,
but they mistakenly drank the water
and spent most of the last day of
competition in the bunker (if you know
what 1 mean).
Speaking of compulsory bodily
functions, how about that Picabo
Street?
For you that may have been in a
vacuum for the last week, Street fin
ished a surprising second in the Wom
en’s downhill race.
Now, I’m a big fan of Picante, but
what the hell was going through her
parents’ minds at naming time?
Believe me, I know about screwed
up names. 1 mean. I’m a recipient.
However, my mother gave it some
reasonable thought at least.
For those of you that don’t know,
Beau means “Gilooly” in French.
But why would you name a kid
after a childish game?
The answer is simple: Her parents
obviously hate her.
But Picabo and her brother,
Popgoesthcweasel Street, have over
come adversity.
It is for this reason that I’ve come
to truly admire Picaninnie. She’s not
only a winner, but also a winner with
a weird name whose parents hated
her.
I just might love that woman.
God, I have to lay off the
Robutussin.
Flaky la a flnt-year law Mud eat aad a
Dally Nebraikaa colunalit.
“We were a lot bigger team, just as athletic
and then they outrebound us,” Williams said.
“Eric is a fantastic player that doesn't get the
credit for rebounding as much as his shooting.
He hurt us on the boards tonight.”
The loss was Kansas’ third straight — its
longest losing streak since the 1988-89 season
—dropping the Jayhawks to 21 -6 overall and 6
5 in the conference.
Williams said his team is now faced with its
biggest test as the season winds down.
“I've always had the saying ’ adversity makes
the strong stronger,’” he said. “Now I guess
we’ll see jf we fit into the strong category.”
The Huskers shot 61 percent from the field
and 70 percent from 3-point range in the first
half on their way to a 24-point halftime lead.
“You have to congratulate Nebraska, they
played excellent basketball,” Williams said, “ft
was really a sensational ballgame. If we had
done our part in the first half, they might have
only had a 14-point lead instead. We didn’t play
in that first half. "
Nebraska held offB late Kansas rally that cut
the lead to 90-87 with only 32 seconds remain
ing. Led by Eric Piatkowski, who finished with
33 points and 11 rebounds, the Huskers
outrebounded the taller Jayhawks, 42-37.
play basketball. If you want to write that there
is a hex or something like that, I have no
problem with it. But it s just a gym like every
other place.”
The 14,370 fans did not make the Sports
Center like anv other place Wednesday, espe
cially during the first half, as Nebraska shot its
way to a 58-34 halftime lead.
Williams said the Huskers and their fans
were primed to beat Kansas.
“They were ready and their crowd was ready
for this,” he said. “It was a very emotional game
out there. They were really enthusiastic and
fired up about playing this game.”