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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1996)
if:-- ' Mitch Sherman Lue, Hamilton remain positive after OT loss NORMAN, Okla.—Tyronn Lue and Vcnson Hamilton sat in oppo site corners of Nebraska’s locker room, staring at the floor with tow els draped around their necks Sat urday following the Cornhuskcrs’ 117-100 triple-overtime loss to Oklahoma. For Luc and Hamilton, Nebraska’s two prize freshmen, losing is not normal. A year ago, Hamilton, playingat Oak Hill Acad emy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., lost three games. Luc lost only once, and Satur day, he remembered his final high school game, March 4 at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium. Lue was Raytown High School’s star player. And at 6-foot, he was nearly its biggest. No one on the team stood taller than 6-2, but the overachieving Blucjays were 27-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state as they entered the Missouri quarterfinals against Kan sas City Central. More than 9,000 fans filled Municipal Auditorium and several hundred others were turned away at the door. Lue scored 19 first-half points, flyingup and down the court, whiz zing between Central’s trees like an out-ot-control race car. But Lue was completely under control. That’s the way he plays best. “We fought hard against their oig guys, luc saiu aaiuruay aucr an amazingly similar game against Oklahoma. Raytown lost 80-73 in double overtime. Central was lew tall and physical, led by Derek Hiwd, who was Lue’s good Friend and AAU teammate, a McDonald’s All American and now an Arkansas Freshman. The 6-foot-9 Hood scored 33 points, a career best. Luc said Hood wasn’t even a good free-throw shooter unless it was a clutch mo ment, but he drilled a 3-pointer — his first of the season—with eight seconds to play in regulation, tying the game at 64. “I thought we were goingto win,” Lue said, talking about both March 4, 1995 and Jan. 13, 1996. “This game here can help us a lot.” One of these times, perhaps later in the season, maybe even back in Kansas City down the street from Municipal at Kemper Arena, Lue is going to win a game like that. Hamilton knows what it feels like. A star center at Oak Hill, Hamilton traveled around the na tion last year, playing against top notch competition. Hamilton and All-American Ron Mercer, who plays at Kentucky this year, were Oak Hill’s leaders. In a Las Vegas tournament, Hamilton drilled a free throw with eight seconds to play, icing a vic tory over Santa Anna, (Calif.) Mater Dei. On Saturday, Hamilton missed two free throws with 2:43 left in the See SHERMAN on 8 Travis Heying/DN Nebraska guards Lis Brenden (left) and Anna DeForge celebrate Friday night during the second half of the Huskers’ loss to Kansas. Nebraska beat Kansas State 61-49 on Sunday. NU women use defense to advantage By Mike Kluck Senior Reporter After allowing Oklahoma State and Kansas to shoot 50 and 42 percent from the field, respectively, the Ne r——-1 braska Nebraska 61 ■ women’s Kansas St 49 I basketball team dc cidcd to focus on its defense Sunday. That devotion paid off as the Cornhuskers defeated Kansas State 61 -49 at the Bob Devaney Sports Cen ter, holding the Wildcats to 39 percent shooting from the field. The Huskcrs (11-5, 2-2) realized their defense — which ranks sixth in scoring defense and seventh in field goal percentage defense in the Big Eight — had let them down the past two games, senior guard Kate Galligan said. Nebraska lost on Jan. 7 to Okla homa State 72-63 and was beaten on Friday by Kansas 74-71 at the Devaney Center. “We knew we really needed to get our defense back to where we had it at the beginning of the Season,” Gall igan said. “We knew they couldn’t handle our pressure, and they didn’t.” Galligan led Nebraska with 17 points and eight rebounds. Pyra Aardcn added 12 points, and Anna DcForgc scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Kansas State was paced by Britt Jacobson, who scored 14 points. The Huskers’ defensive pressure forced Kansas State (9-8, 1-2) into committing25 turnovers and connect ing on just 10-of-26 shots in the sec ond half. Kansas State coach Brian Agler said he was disappointed that the Wild cats’ discussion of the Husker defense before the game didn’t work on the court. See NU on 8 OU tops Huskers in triple overtime By Antone Oseka Staff Reporter NORMAN, Okla. — Nebraska basketball coach Danny Nee said af ter the Comhuskers’ 117-100 triple . —-t-t=-1 overtime Oklahoma 117 bj0Ss to Nebraska 100 |o k l a - ] "homa in the Lloyd Noble Center Saturday that he had to look for the positive. “The up side is that we’re down on the road, and we chip away, chip away, chip away. We come back, make it a game and could have won it in regula tion,” Nee said after the crowd of 10,385 fans watched Nebraska’s first triple-overtime game in four years. “The first overtime, we could have won it; the second overtime, we had another chance to win it; and in the third overtime, OU had their opportu nity and just capitalized on it.” The Sooners didn’t just capitalize on their opportunity in the third over time, they outscored Nebraska 20-3. Nebraska, 12-4 overall and 1-1 in Big Eight, which sat on 98 points as the Sooners hammered away from the frec throw line, lost its two top post players in a period of 1 1/2 minutes. Center Mikki Moore, who scored 16 points, was charged with his fifth foul 51 seconds into the third over time, and forward Bernard Garner fouled out with 32 seconds left in the second overtime. “The refs just cost us,” said Gar ner, who scored a team-high 21 points and led all players with 12 rebounds. First-year Big Eight official Giarlcs Range overturned two calls in over time,both in Oklahoma’s favor. Range overturned a traveling violation by Sooner forward Ryan Minor, calling the fifth foul on Moore. A Jaron Boone fadeaway jumper from the baseline, originally called good, giving Nebraska a 93-91 lead with 2.1 seconds to play in the first extra period, was ruled illegal. The call kept the game tied at 91, and sent it into a second overtime. The offi cials ruled that Boone’s shot passed over the back of the backboard before going in. Both teams traded points in the second overtime, with the biggest lead of the five-minute period being two points by the Huskers. The drama came with four seconds left to play and the game tied at 97. With 32 seconds to play, Nebraska ran the clock down to four seconds, and the ball was passed to Boone. His shot was blocked by Minor in the lane and time expired. The next overtime ended the game. In the first overtime, Nebraska opened a four-point lead at 91 -87 on a jumper by Erick Strickland. Nebraska’s scoring would end there for the period as the Sooners tied the game at 91. As Boone watched in disbelief, his Larry Bird-ish fadeaway over Minor was waved off. “The rule is if a ball passes over the comer of the backboard from behind, it’s a violation. Even if it doesn’t touch anything,” head referee Denny Freund NU disputes official’s call By Antone Oseka Staff Reporter NORMAN, Okla. — The clock was stopped with 2.1 seconds left in the first overtime. The Nebraska bench sat stunned, and the majority of the 10,385 fans in the Lloyd Noble Center erupted in cheer. Nebraska guard Jaron Boone’s basel ine jumper was waved oil and ruled illegal by first-year Big Eight official Charles Range. Although Boone’s shot, which was recorded on the scoreboard for about 30 sec onds, swished, the three-man offi cial crew ruled that the ball had passed over the corner of the backboard. NCAA rules prohibit a player from shooting from behind the goal. The game remained locked at 91, and was forced into a second overtime. The Cornhuskers went on to lose in the third overtime 117 100. Boone said he knew Oklahoma forward Ryan Minor was trying to block his shot. “I faded and just shot it kind of high so he couldn’t get it,” Boone said, “When I let it go, it felt pretty good and looked good going through the net.” Boone and Coach Danny Nee agreed that the angle the shot was coming from did not violate any rules. “He’s a left-handed shooter,” Nee said. “He’s on the right side. See CALL on 8 said. The Huskers trailed at the half by 11 points, and came out to start crack ing the Sooner lead. As the teams battled back and forth, the 11-point lead dwindled to nine, seven, four and three. The lead was cut to one point when freshman Tyronn Lue hit a 3 poinler with 3:33 left in regulation. Minor, who led all players with 31 points, ended the scoring with 1:46 left when he hit a free throw to tic the game at 81. Missed shots and rebounds were plentiful for both teams in the final 1:46. The Huskcrs had a chance to ice the game with eight seconds to play as Boone, who shot 7-of-21 for 18 points, got a good look at a 3-pointer. The shot rattled in and out and was re bounded by Oklahoma’s Bobby Joe Evans. “It felt good. It just came out, just like all of the shots all night,” Boone said. The Huskers led 15-5 early, but a 21 -7 Sooner run gave Oklahoma the lead until a Moorcjumper with 2:56to play in the game put Nebraska up 78 77.