Jeff Haller/DN
Nebraska’s Jason Qlock tries to keep Michigan State’s Quinton
Brooks from getting the ball during the Huskers’ 96-91 win
Saturday over the Spartans.
NU dunks Spartans
in overtime match
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Reporter
If Tom Wald hadn’t already
proven he deserved to play a major
role on a Division I team, he erased
all doubts Saturday afternoon against
No. 15 Michigan State.
In front of a season-high crowd of
13,312 at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center, the 6-foot, 181-pound junior
hit three free throws with 0.5 seconds
to send the game into overtime tied
at 80.
i he cornnusKcrs, wno improvca
to6-l,outscoredtlie2-l Spartans 16
11 in overtime to escape with a 96
91 victory.
“You have got to play 40 minutes
and they played 40 minutes,” Ne
braska coach Danny Nee said. “There
were so many times in the game when
someone stepped up and played well.
I really felt like we showed a lot of
character by not giving up and keep
ing our heads up.”
Wald, a transfer from Division II
Mankato State, was awarded the free
throws after being fouled while shoot
ing a 3-pointer with less than a sec
ond to play in regulation. The shot
bounced off the iron, but Spartan se
nior guard Eric Snow was whistled
for a foul.
“I was unconscious,” said Wald,
who scored 18 points in 32 minutes
of play. “I didn’t even know he
handed me the ball until I shot the
second one.”
After Wald sank all three free
throws, Husker guard Erick
Strickland stole the inbound pass, but
his shot at the buzzer fell short.
“I thought I had it,” said
Strickland, who contributed 18 points
and led all players with 10 rebounds.
“I just didn’t grab the ball, and it
slipped through my hands. I knew
there was 0.5 seconds left, so I just
had to do something. But if I would
have got a good grip on it, I could
have got off a good shot and maybe
made it. That would have been spec
tacular.”
It didn’t look as if Nebraska would
have a chance for a spectacular fin
ish during the game’s final minutes.
The Huskers led the entire way —
by as many as 12 in the first half and
42-33 at halftime — until Michigan
State guard Jon Garavaglia tied the
game at 54 with 9:38 to play.
The score was lied at 56, 58, 68
and 70 until Spartan guard Shawn
Respert hit a 3-pointer from the
baseline in front of the Michigan
State bench to give the Spartans a 73
i ■ r
“At times the door was
shut right in our face.
But our kids didn t give
up. They kept playing. ”
DANNY NEE
Nebraska coach
70 lead with 1:42 to play.
Rcspert, a senior from Detroit,
who is an All-American candidate
and projected NBA first-round draft
pick, led all players with 37 points
in the game.
Following a Michigan State
timeout with 1:09 left, Rcspert drilled
a jumper to give the Spartans a 75
70 lead. Husker guard Jaron Boone
missed a 3-pointcr, but Melvin
Brooks was fouled on the rebound by
Spartan forward Jamie Fcick.
“At times the door was shut right
in our face,” Nee said. “But our kids
didn’t give up. They kept playing.”
Brooks hit both free throws to cut
the lead to three points. Respert was
fouled by Strickland and nailed both
free throws to give Michigan State a
77-72 lead with 32.4 seconds to play.
After a dunk by Mikki Moore,
Respert hit one of two free throw s to
give the Spartans a 78-74 lead.
Boone hit a 3-pointer with 10.5
seconds to play, and Respert re
sponded by hitting two more free
throws to increase the Spartans’ ad
vantage to 80-77 with 9.3 seconds
left.
Wald took the ball the length of
the court and called a timeout with
5.4 seconds to play. Nee said he was
worried the Spartans might foul Ne
braska, down by three, and force the
Huskers to shoot two free throws.
But before Michigan State could
act, Wald launched a 3-pointer and
landed on his back after being hit by
Snow.
“I had my fingers crossed,”
Strickland said. “I was praying.
Tom’s a great free-throw shooter and
he has ice in his veins. He does the
same thing in practice. 1 knew he was
going to hit them.”
All three shots hit nothing but net,
and the Huskers scored the first seven
points of overtime. Michigan State
cut the lead to three, but Strickland’s
two free throws with 20 seconds re
maining in overtime gave the Husk
ers a five-point lead and iced the
game.
Free throw dream comes true
By Dw»k Sam—n
Senior Reporter
Nebraska guard Tom Wald
dreamed about shooting free throws
at the end of the game the night be
fore Nebraska played No. 15 Michi
gan State in the Bob Devancy Sports
Center.
But he didn’t imagine so many
free throws.
Wald’s dreams became reality Sat
urday when he made three free throws
with .5 seconds remaining to tie the
game at 80 and send it into overtime,
where Nebraska eventually upset the
Spartans 96-91.
“Last night before I went to bed,
in my mind, I was picturing having
to make two free throws to tie the
game and go into overtime,” Wald
said. “I went through the motions of
making two free throws at the end. I
don’t know why I did it. I guess you
always dream a little.”
Wald was fouled by the Spartans’
Eric Snow while attempting a last
second 3-pointer, and he was awarded
“Last night before I went
to bed, in my mind, 1
was picturing having to
make two free throws to
tie the game and go into
overtime. ”
■
TOM WALD
Nebraska guard
the three free throws.
The 6-foot junior had already seen
one dream come true just by being
given a chance to play at a Division 1
school.
Wald graduated from Park Center
High School in Brooklyn Park,
Minn., and played two seasons at
Mankato State before transferring to
Nebraska and sitting out last season.
But Wald said he was denied an
opportunity by most of the Division l
schools he sent letters to, including
Michigan State — the team he had
18 points and four assists against
Saturday.
“They (Michigan State) didn’t re
ply (to tus letter),” Wald said. “Noth
ing to blame on them because they’ve
got so many people to chose from.
Who would take me anyway? I’m just
a stray cat.”
Even if Michigan State doesn’t
remember receiving any letters from
Wald, it will be hard for the Spartans
to forget the three free throws he sunk
at the end of the game.
The attempts by the Spartans to
rattle Wald were unsuccessful, but
Michigan State did succeed in catch
ing the attention of teammate Jaron
Boone.
“I blocked everything out,” Wald
said. “There were no fans, no refs,
no other players — nothing. Jaron
was so mad at the Michigan State
guys because they were trying to talk
to me, apparently. I just said,'Don’t
worry, I’m going to make them.’”
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