Huskers rout ISU: Kansas next
«-—————
People say ‘can you handle playing in a
close game?’ Well, we didn’t make it close. ” ,
Angela Beck
NU women's basketball coach
ISU from page 9
“I was frustrated with her several
times,” Beck said, “but McClain is a
big reason this game was won because
she took two huge charges that were
momentum changes. She also hit those
two crucial inside shots. She played
tough and I felt Una McClain proved
she had tough character tonight.”
The Huskers character was in
doubt the first 10 minutes of the game
as the Cyclones built a 16-10 lead.
After a Nebraska time-out the
Huskers installed their 2-2-1 press and
went on a 19-2 run in the next 7:04.
The press forced Iowa State to com
mit six turnovers, but more impor
tantly, the Cyclones were unable to get
a good look at the basket.
During the Huskers’ run, Iowa
State missed seven shots, six from
behind the three-point line.
“We came out in a press and really
flustered them,” DeForge said. “Our
defense picked it up and they weren’t
getting the good looks they were get
ting before. We have fallen back on
our defense before and once again it
prevailed for us.”
The Cyclones were able to cut the
Huskers lead to 32-26 at halftime.
Nebraska opened the second half with
a 9-2 run to take 13-point lead with
15:10 left in the game.
Although Iowa State cut the lead
to six with 11:18 remaining and eight
with 3:18 left it was never able to get
closer.
Nebraska was also aided by the
ejection of Iowa State Coach Bill
Fennelly with 1:24 remaining.
Fennelly received two technical fouls
for protesting a call and walking to
mid-court to have words with an offi
cial.
Following the technicals, DeForge
made six straight free throws —eight
in a span of 12 seconds — to open a
20-point lead.
The win sets up Sunday’s show
down with co-North Division leader
Kansas. The Jayhawks defeated Texas
Tech 69-52 Thursday to improve their
record to 15-3 and 6-1 in the league.
The game begins at 4 p.m. Sun
day at the Bob Devaney Sports Center
and will be regionally televised by Fox
Sports (Cable Channel 58).
“The Kansas game is going to be
tough,” DeForge said. “It’s our first
TV game, but we are really excited
about it. We needed to get some con
fidence out of this game going into that
game.”
Beck said the game will be a big
step for the Huskers in realizing their
goal of winning the Big 12 title.
“Right now we have the best record
in our league ” Beck said. “We are still
looking to win a Big 12 Champion
ship. It means you either beat them
and haye a chance to win or you
don’t.”
SOONERS from page 9
•• ' ; ' •• > . •
“They have a good team,” Allen
said. “Theyjust weren’t ready for what
we were at the Rocky Mountain.”
Allen said
the Sooners (5-1)
will be led by two
of the top all
arounders in the
nation, seniors
Casey Bryan and
Jeremy Killen.
OU is coming off
226.85-220.700
over New
Alltl Mexico last week
end.
The Huskers, Allen said, will bring
a more balanced attack to the meet
with junior Bill Mulholland and fresh
man Derek Leiter leading the way in
the all-around.
In the six-team field at the Rocky
Mountain Open, Leiter was third in
the all-around (54.5) behind
Mulholland (56.3) and Bryan (57.3).
Sophomore Marshall Nelson could
provide some of the highest scores of
the evening, Allen said. At the Open,
Nelson scored a 9.7 on the floor, a 9.65
on.the pommel horse and a 9.6 on the
parallel bars. Nelson, a native of
Greeley, Colo., will compete in every
event but the still rings, Allen said.
> Junior all-arounder Jim Koziol will
not compete Saturday. Koziol is recov
ering from shoulder surgery he had in
December and may not return until
mid-February, if he returns at all this
season.
Allen said both the women’s and
M
We need to get going
and see how good of
a team we’re going
to be.”
Francis Allen
NU men’s gymnastics coach
~ .«- - - -
men’s teams would benefit from hav
ing the meet in Lincoln.
“I think its going to be a little more
relaxing for us,” he* said. “We need to
get going and see how good of a team
we’re going to be.”
NU faces tough odds at Kansas
KU from page 9
put it that way.”
Since his return, Vaughn has mas
terfully directed KU’s potent attack,
averaging 10 points and 5.4 assists.
Forward Raef LaFrentz leads Kansas
with a 17.6 point-per-game average,
super sophomore Paul Pierce scores
15.1 points and Jerod Haase adds 13.3
points per game.
“They don’t even blink an eye,”
Nee said. “They find a way to win.
This is what it’s all about. This is why
you come to Nebraska, to play the No.
1 team in the country.”
Last year, Nebraska entered
Lawrence losers of six straight games,
but with 8:50 to play, NU took a 60
59 lead before Kansas pulled away to
win 81-71. Tyronn Lue, then a fresh
man, scored 21 points, playing just as
well — if not better — than Vaughn,
who scored 13 points with seven as
sists.
“I love playing at Kansas,” Ne
braska forward Venson Hamilton said.
“It’s one of the most enjoyable places
to play at.”
Decade-old statistics do little to
back up Hamilton’s liking for Allen
Fieldhouse. Nebraska last won in
Lawrence in 1983, and the Jayhawks
own an average victory margin of 14
points per game since NU’s last win.
Kansas, ranked in the Top 10 for
46 straight weeks, carries a 39-game
home winning streak and a 6-0 record
against ranked foes this season into
Saturday’s showdown. With a win
over Nebraska, KU will start 22-0 for
the first time in school history, eclips
ing the record of 21 -0 set in the 1935
36 season.
“They’re playing with tremendous
confidence and harmony,” Nee said.
“They’re; playing like a team that has
momentum on their side. We picture
their big goal as the national champi
onship. I think that’s what they are
gearing themselves for.”
Note: ‘
NU sophomore Larry Florence,
who didn’t play Wednesday night be
cause of a nagging knee injury, re
turned to practice on Thursday and
should be available to play Saturday.
The 6-5 Florence has started 17
games for the Huskers this season,
third most on the team. He averages
8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Tampa guard
still likes NU
Rodney Fields, a 6-3 guard from
Tampa, Fla., who signed with Ne
braska last spring but did not meet
NCAA academic requirements, is en
joying a successful season at Tyler
(Texas) Junior College.
Tyler Coach Fred Rike said Thurs
day that Fields “has his heart set on
attending Nebraska” after completing
his junior-college eligibility next sea
son. -y.vi? "£ u.- \
“I don’t think Rodney would even
Consider looking at another school,”
Rike said. “He really liked what he saw
up there, and I know he was really
disappointed when he didn’t make it.”
Fields, the only freshman starter
on Tyler’s 14-5 team that began the
season ranked No. 1 in the nation,
averages 13 points and eight rebounds
per game.
“Rodney is big-time,” Rike said.
“He’s just a winner. He had the high
est grade-point average on the team
last semester, and he works hard ev
ery day.”
Stephen Eldridge, a 6-10 Tyler
sophomore, has also drawn recruiting
interest from Nebraska, among other
schools. Rike said Eldridge will
choose a school shortly before sign
ing a letter of intent in April. -
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Senior Day
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