Sports
Monday, February 26, 1996 Page 7
Jon Waller/DN
Nebraska point guard Tyronn Lue attempts to steal the ball from Oklahoma’s
Dion Barnes in the final moments of regulation Sunday. The Huskers lost 80
76 in overtime.
15-point lead fizzles;
Huskers lose in OT
By Mike Kiuck
Senior Reporter
For the first 29 minutes of its game with
Oklahoma on Sunday, the Nebraska basketball
team looked asifit had shaken the monkey from
its back.
———-—i But the animal re
Oklahoma 80 | turned with a ven
Nebraska_76 Igeance, forcing the
| ICornhuskcrs into
shooting 4 of 22 from
the field in the final 11 minutes, and giving the
Sooncrs an opportunity to erase a 15-point
deficit.
Oklahoma went on to win 80-76 in overtime
before 11,094 fans at the Bob Devancy Sports
Center. It was the Huskers’ eighth straight loss,
their longest losing streak since 1963-64 when
they lost nine straight games in Joe Cipriano’s
first season. Nebraska fell to 15-12 overall and
3-9 in the Big Eight.
The Sooncrs, 16-10 and 7-5, improved their
chances of earning an invitation to the NCAA
Tournament by securing a non-losing record in
league play.
“The first thing we have to do is get this
monkey off our back,” Nebraska senior guard
Erick Strickland said. “I’m disappointed that
our team played so hard, but we still lost. It hurts
pretty bad.”
Junior center Mikki Moore came off the
bench and led the Huskers with 17 points. He
also grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double
double of the season.
Although the Huskers showed a variety of
emotions in the locker room after the game —
including frustration, sadness and anger, they
were still encouraged by their play early in the
game, Moore said.
In a 10-minutc span beginning with 3:43 left
in the first hal f, Nebraska outscorcd the Sooncrs
20-4 to take a 48-33 lead with 13:43 remaining
in the game.
Duringthcrun,seven different players scored,
including Strickland, who had nine points. In
that run, Nebraska’s defense limited the Soon
ers to an 0-for-l 2 shooting effort and forced six
turnovers.
But the tables quickly turned as Oklahoma
shot 66 percent and made 9 of 10 free throws
during the final 14 minutes to outscore the
Huskers 32-17. Oklahoma Finished the game 25
of 27 from the line.
Duringthat same time, Nebraska was 7 of 32
shooting, committed six turnovers and was 3 of
6 from the free-throw line. For the game, Ne
braska made 10 of 18 free throws.
The Huskers still had a chance to win the
game at the end of regulation, though. After
Oklahoma junior Nate Erdmann hit a 3-point
goal with 22 seconds remaining, Nebraska se
nior Jaron Boone made a leaning jump shot in
the lane to tie the game at 65.
Then, as Oklahoma senior Ryan Minor was
trying to pass the ball, Strickland stole the pass,
took two dribbles and attempted to get the ball
back to Boone.
But the pass was picked off by Erdmann,
who missed a halfcourt shot as time expired.
Strickland said he felt Boone had the better
shot. He said the turnover, one of 18 for Ne
braska, was because of miscommunication be
tween the guards.
In overtime, Oklahoma jumped to an early
five-point lead as Erdmann made a 3-pointer
and Minor made a field goal. Minor led the
Sooners with 24 points, and Erdmann added 23
points.
Nebraska had opportunities to send the game
into double overtime, but the Huskers missed
three 3-pointers, including a 32-foot heave by
Strickland with less than 20 seconds remaining
in the game.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said he wasn’t
disappointed with the Huskers’ shot selection.
“We have problems with finishing the game,”
Nee said. “We had many opportunities. We’re
just going to go back to the drawing board.”
Gymnasts come back
to top No. 4 Michigan
By Gregg Madsen
Staff Reporter
W hen the Nebraska women ’ s gym
nastics team began the last rotation at
the sixth Masters Classic Sunday night,
it trailed Michigan
by .005 of a point.
The 1,658 fans in
the Bob Devaney
Sports Center split
their attention be
tween the
Comhuskers’ floor
exercise routines
and the Wolverines,
who were on the
Taylor
balance beam.
But Nebraska senior Joy Taylor
wasn’t watching the Wolverines’ bal
ance beam routines.
Not completely, anyway.
After two Michigan gymnasts fell
off the beam, Taylor gave full atten
tion to her floor routine. She scored a
9.8, and finished in a tic for third with
Ball State’s Sarah Mikrut, leading the
the No. 7 Huskcrs to a 193.8-193.2
victory over the No. 4 Wolverines.
“When we’re out there, we can only
control what our scores arc,” Taylor
said. “But we were watching how they
were doing on the beam, too.”
Michigan’s48.4 score on the beam
was not enough to hold offNcbraska’s
49.05 on floor. Washington finished
in third place with a 190.125 and Ball
State held fourth place with a 188.9.
Taylor won the all-around for the
first time this season, scoringa 39.025.
She placed fourth in vault (9.75), sev
enth on uneven bars (9.675) and fifth
on beam with a career-best of 9.8.
Nebraska coach Dan Kcndig said
he was pleased with histcam’scompo
surc and determination.
“When they had to, they came back
and did it,” he said.
Kendig and Taylor agreed that the
scoring had been tight at the meet.
Michigan coach Bev Plocki, how
ever, was not as enthusiastic about the
scoring.
“The judges here didn’t see the
same things that our judges last week
did,” she said.
The Wolverines scored a 195.575
— the third-best mark in school his
tory — last week against 1995 na
tional champion Utah.
Nebraska freshman Jess Swift filled
in on the vault and floor for junior all
arounder Kim DeHaan, who had a
knee injury and competed only in the
bars and beam.
“Jess picked up the pieces tonight,
and bam — two big scores,” Kendig
said.
Swi ft finished in a three-way tie for
seventh in the bars (9.675), and in a tie
for eighth in floor with a career-high
9.725.
DeHaan was able to fight through
her injury and win the uneven bars
with a career-high 9.925. Kendig said
he was also pleased with the effort of
freshman Courtney Brown, who scored
a career-high 9.850 in both the beam
and floor. She finished third in the
beam and second in the floor.
Husker freshman Misty Oxford had
another personal best in the all-around
(38.425). She finished second in the
vault with 9.850, fourth in the bars
(9.750) and fifth in the floor with a
career high 9.775.
Huskers
defeat
Cyclones
By Jason Brunz
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska women’s bas
ketball team has earned the
fourth seed in the BigEight Tour
nament next
weekend.
The
Cornhuskers,
18-8 overall
and 8-6 in the Big Eight, de
feated Iowa Slate 72-69 Friday
night at the Bob Devancy Sports
Center to end their regular sea
son.
With Oklahoma State’s vic
tory over Colorado on Sunday,
the Cowgirls edged the Huskers
for the tournament’s third seed.
Nebraska will play Missouri on
Saturday at noon at the Bicen
tennial Center in Salina, Kan.
Sophomore forward Anna
DeForge led Nebraska against
the Cyclones. She scored 23
point s and grabbed 10 rebounds.
DeForge said that the Husk
ers’ intensity on the court was
the key to the win over Iowa
State.
“Everyone was having a de
cent^ gamer DeForge said. “I
don’t think we ever relaxed.”
Iowa State coach Bill
Fennel ly said Nebraska was a
good team and would do well in
the Big Eight Tournament. He
said he thought the Huskers
would move on to the NCAA
Tournament.
Nebraska continues
dominance in track
By Andrew Stmad
Staff Reporter
This weekend was business as usual
for the Nebraska men’s and women’s
track teams.
The Comhuskcrs captured first
place honors in the final Big Eight
Indoor Track Championships at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday
and Saturday.
The women won their 33rd straight
title overall and 17th consecutive in
door championship, and they broke
the conference scoring record. The
men won their third straight indoor
title.
The Huskermenjumpcdtoanearly
lead Friday and then added to their
advantage Saturday to outdistance
Oklahoma 192-137. The Nebraska
women won their title by posting 197
point's, finishing 43 points ahead of
second-place Colorado.
Nebraska coach Gary Pepin said he
was proud of his team’s ability to domi
nate the meet on both the men’s and
women’s sides.
“We scored well pretty much all
over the board,” Pepin said. “And any
time you can score that many points,
you’ve got a lot of good athletes.”
Next season, Texas, Texas A&M,
Texas Tech and Baylor will join the
conference. The addition of those four
teams will make it tougher for the
Huskcrs to repeat.
“It was also a special win for the
women because of their streak of 16
straight indoor titles,” Pepin said. “To
make it 17 was really special.”
Individually, Pepin said he was
happy to sec many meet records set,
I • •
Big 8 track results
Men's final team standings
immmminsit**
2. OktahMM 137
..::vC •’ ;:V1.ir
4. Colorado 75
wK&mm•' 5#;v * •• -. i
6. Kansas St 52
8. Oklahoma SL 35
Women's final team standings
. ^ ,nt
2. Colorado 154
§ «r:;*
4. Kansas 72.5
ifwa st. : • 55 •
>. Oklahoma 59
BK • 50
5. Oklahoma St 11.5
For individual records, see pg. 8
including sprinter Kathy Travis
Miillcr’s 6.79-second performance in
the 55-meter dash and her 200-meter
time of 23.79 seconds.
“Other people picked it up when
others faltered today,” he said, “and
that is what a team needs if they want
to do well at nationals.”
The NCAA Indoor Championships
will be held in Indianapolis on March
8-9. Pepin said he expected his teams
to challenge for the national champi
onships.
“We have a lot of bullets to fire,” he
said, “which should help our chances
to finish in the top three at nationals.”
