Thompson wants to finish with title |
By Sean Lewis
Staff Reporter
Tressa Thompson owns a Big 12
, championship, a collegiate indoor
record and is the favorite to win the
national title in the shot put. But that
isn’t enough.
When Thompson competes for the
Nebraska women’s track and field
team at the NCAA Indoor Champi
onships this weekend in Indianapolis,
she is not just simply looking to win a
national title—she wants to do some
thing no woman has ever done before.
“I’m not satisfied with throwing 60
feet,” Thompson said. “I’d like to
throw 19 meters, which is about 62
feet 4 inches. That’s the overall
NCAA record for indoor and outdoor
shot and that's my goal going into this
meet.”
Thompson holds the collegiate
record with a toss of 60-7 3/4 at the
Nebraska-Iowa Intercollegiate Confer
ence meet Feb. 14 in Lincoln. The
previous record was a heave of 59-3 'A
by former UCLA All-American
Valetya Althouse.
Thompson, the only person in
NCAA history to eclipse the 60-foot
mark, also holds the nation’s second
longest throw at 59-5 3/4.
Although she wants to toss an even
more impressive mark, Thompson —
a four-time All-American from
Bloomfield — said her main focus is
winning her first national shot put
title.
“If you want to be a champion or
go to a higher level, you have to start
thinking like a winner,” she said. “I’m
going into the meet thinking that I’m
No. 1 because if I start doubting my
self, then there’s room for people to
start coming in to try to knock me out
of my place.”
NU Throws Coach Mark Colligan
said Thompson’s strength and confi
dence are higher than they have ever
been for the favorite to win a national
title. He also said Thompson is a high
risk athlete, which may or may not
work to her advantage.
“She has to get her adrenaline re
ally pumped up and then we have to
hope we’ve done enough technical
work to hold her over,” Colligan said.
“She could throw something the likes
of which has never been done in col
lege athletics or she could blow up try
ing to do that.
“I hope we’re going to get some
thing in between. Something where
she’s enthusiastic, but she’seontrolled
to where she’s not going to blow the
championship because she got
greedy.”
Thompson, a senior for the indoor
season who almost redshirted 'this
year, took last weekend off, opting not
to compete at the United States TVack
and Field Championships in Atlanta.
“I could’ve maybe won it with a
nice throw and then I think I would’ve
had more people intimidated,” she
said.
While Thompson said she thinks
her accomplishments will push her
past the competition, Colligan said
many of the competitors may feel un
sure that they can beat Thompson.
“I think it probably intimidates
them a little bit knowing that she?s
done that on more than one occasion
now,” Colligan said. “Certainly the
ones who dream of winning a cham
pionship know the odds aren’t in their
favor if Ttessa is on her game.”
Thompson’s dream of winning a
national championship comes down to
her final indoor meet, something she
said will not affect her.
“It’s my last indoors and this is my
last meet for the Huskers and I’d like
to come out with a national champi
onship.”
Mike Warren/DN
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NU, Tigers ready to dash
TIGERS from page 9
The winner of today’s Nebraska
Missouri game will meet No. 2-seed
Texas Friday night at 6:08. NU, the
tournament’s seventh seed with a 16
13 overall record and a 7-9 mark in
the Big 12, probably needs a tourna
ment championship to secure a berth
in the NCAA Tournament.
A loss this week likely presents
Nebraska with a chance to defend its
National Invitation Tournament
crown. The Huskers would much
rather play in the Big Dance, Lue said,
but they can’t forget last year’s run to
the NIT Championship.
“We have to take the same ap
proach that we took into the NIT last
year,” Lue said. “Just lay back and go
out there and have fun.”
Tenth-seeded Missouri (13-16 and
5-11) has not had fun on the basket
ball court recently. Since handing No.
1 Kansas its only loss of the season,
96-94 in double overtime on Jan. 4,
the Tigers have won just once in seven
games. They have lost four straight
since downing Oklahoma Feb. 15, but
MU has a history of making noise at
Kemper Arena. V
“Missouri in Kansas City is almost
a home game,” Nee said. “But if we
come to play, we feel good. We feel
that we match up well with them.
“We feel that Missouri and Kan
sas are the toughest teams to draw
here. The only advantage is that the
Antlers won’t be sitting behind me
calling me an asshole.”
The Tigers last won the Big Eight
Tournament title in 1993, their sixth
crown in 15 years. Missouri owns a
15-5 first-round record and a 5-1 over
all mark against NU, which won its
lone title in 1994 beating MU in the
semifinals.
This season, Nebraska beat Mis
souri 76-53 in Lincoln on Jan. 18, and
the Tigers won 75-74 four days later
in Columbia when NU guard Cookie
Belcher missed the front end of a one
and-one opportunity with 1.7 seconds
to play.
“For people in our position,” MU
Coach Norm Stewart said, “it’s our last
chance. Nebraska is a good ball club,
very athletic. I would guess they’d be
in a great position for the NCAA Tour
nament.”
Missouri, however, is just happy
Men's Basketball
Starters A
Today, 6:08 p.m. ^mI
Big 12 Tournament, First Round
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Mo.
Nebraska 16-13 (7-9)
Pos Name HL WL Yr.
113-16(5-11)
Pos Name HL WL Yr.
G 5 Jason Sutherland 6-1 183 Sr.
to be in Kansas City.
“What are we, a 10 seed?” MU’s
30th-year coach asked with a slight
grin. “It’s a good thing they expanded
die league or we wouldn’t be in the
tournament.”
Longhorns corral Huskers 74-68
TEXAS from page 9
The Huskers put together a furi
ous 13-4 run to cut the lead to two
when NU point guard LaToya Doage
made a scooping layup with 27 sec
onds remaining.
On Texas’ next possession,
Viglione made both of her free-throw
attempts giving the Longhorns a four
point cushion. Viglione led Texas with
a season-best 30 points .including five
3-pointers, which tied her season-best.
*T just went out and said to myself,
'We’re not losing this game,”’
Viglione said. “Our five seniors know
this is our last go-around, and we just
can’t afford to lose. I just went out and
tried to [day relaxed. The more 1 think
about my shot, the worse it is.”
Nebraska had one last chance, but
Angela Jackson blocked a Tina
McCain shot with 17 seconds left.
Jackson recovered her own block and
was fouled. She added two free throws
to seal the win.
Despite the loss, Beck said she is
pleased with the way her players re
sponded in the second half after fall
ing behind.
“1 do want to credit them for com
ing back,” Beck said. “We could have
folded our tents right there. 1 really
saw them dig to another level, and 1
was really proud of that.”
NU almost forced Texas to pack up
its tent early in the first half. After the
Homs built a 4-0 lead, the Huskers
went on a 16-0 run to go up by 12
seven minutes into the game.
“Texas is a top 10 school, and we
knew we weren’t going to blow them
out,” said DeForge, who led NU with
22 points. “We got a lot of good looks
early on, but then they hit some 3’s on
us to comeback.”
Texas hit four 3-pointers during a
16-8 run to cut the lead to 24-20 with
6:16 left in the half. The Longhorns
then put together a 7-2 run to take a
one-point lead.
UT now faces Colorado, a 56-39
winner over fowa State, in the semifi
nal of the tournament while NU must
wait until Sunday to see if it gets one
of the 33 at-large bids to the NCAA
Tournament.
Buskers’
bus crashes
with van
|
y
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — How
about this for a bad omen?
The Nebraska men’s basketball
team’s bus driver missed a turn
Wednesday while driving the
Comhuskers to Kemper Arena for
their one-hour afternoon practice.
After becoming aware of his
mishap, the driver threw the bus
into reverse on a bridge over the
Missouri River. The bus then hit a
van and pushed the van backwards
40 feet, pinning it against a guard
rail before the bus driver stopped.
“We thought the toilet stool fell
down when we hit the van,” point
guard lyronn Lue said.
NU Assistant Coach Jimmy
Williams missed the practice ses
sion while attempting to smooth
matters over between the team bus
driver and the van owner.
“I’ll tell you this,” NU Coach
Danny Nee said, “the guy driving
the van was pretty mad.”
Penders likes K.C.
Texas Coach Tom Penders said
he is confident Kansas City will
play host to one of the nation’s top
men’s league tournaments.
The Longhorns won two of the
last three Southwest Conference
Tournaments at Reunion Arena in
Dallas but did not witness the pag
eantry evident at the inaugural Big
12 tournament festivities this week,
Penders said.
“Just a few years ago, you could
call the 800 line for the Southwest
Conference Tournament ticket in
formation and no one would pick
it up all day.”
Pride shines for KU
Women’s Big 12 player of the
year Tamecka Dixon scored a
game-high 22 points in Kansas’
66-54 win over Baylor (15-13) on
Wednesday.
But it was freshman Lynn Pride
who was turning heads with her
performance.
Pride established career-bests in
rebounding (19) and steals (6) and
shot 50 percent from the field.
“Lynn gives us a different di
mension with her height and abil
ity,” KU Coach Marian Washing
ton said. “As she becomes more
confident in herself as an athlete
and a player you’ll be seeing a lot
more of her.”
Women’s RPIs high
The overall strength of women’s
basketball in the Big 12 Conference
goes without saying. Of the eight
teams in the tournament’s second
round, seven are ranked in the top
51 in the Ratings Percentage Index.
Of those seven, three have RPIs
in the top 20. Kansas is fifth and
Colorado is 12th and Texas is 16th.
Other rated conference teams
include Texas Tech (33), Kansas
State (42), Iowa State (48) and
Nebraska (51). ,
KSU wins again
Fifth-seeded Kansas State ad
vanced to the semifinals of the league
tournament for the fourth time in
school history with a 76-68 win over
No. 4-seed Texas Tech (20-8).
Andria Jones led the Wildcats
(18-10) — who played only six
players — with 20 points. Texas
Tech’s Alicia Thompson scored a
game-high 26 points and Rene
Hanebutt added a career-best six 3
pointers in a losing effort.
Notes from the men's and
women's Big 12 Tournaments
were compiled by Mitch
Sherman and Shannon
Heffelfinger.
Guards
big part
of Big 12
GUARDS on page 9
flcult to contain.
“There are definitely NBA cali
ber guards in this conference,”
Miller said. “The easiest shot in
basketball is when facing the bas
ket. If a point guard can drive and
draw the defense, it creates open
shots.”
How much of a difference can a
great guard make to a team?
Look no further than the Iowa
State-Colorado series this year. On
Jan. 18, Colorado beat Iowa State
— who was minus Willoughby —
by 25 points.
On Feb. 26, ISU turned the
tables knocking off the Buffs 65
54. Billups struggled that night,
and although Willoughby’s 15
points in that game were below his
average, his presence on the court
makes a profound difference for his
team, ISU Coach Tim Floyd said.
“If the shot clock is under 15
seconds,” Floyd said, “we can rely
on him to get the ball to the bas
ket.”
Kansas State Coach Tom
Asbury said CU’s Billups is a
nightmare for any defense.
“He can score and penetrate,”
Asbury said. “The key is to stop the
dribble penetration.”
Colorado beat KSU twice this
season, in those two contests,
Billups sewed 25 and 23 points.
Texas A&M Coach Tony
Barone said it is impwtant to keep
a point guard off balance to keep
the opposing team in disarray.
“You can’t give them a steady
diet of one defense,” Barone said.
“You have to double team them
sometimes and run at them. You
have to stop the dribble penetration
but you can’t just let them shoot it
either.”