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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1997)
DeForge, Kubik lead NU to third straight mi from page B Rubik. Rubik drove to the basket and collided with WRU’s Leslie Johnson, who was called for a fifth foul. “It probably should have been a no-call,” Rubik said. “There wasn’t enough contact to really say any thing. It was kind of funny because right before that Anna (DeForge) said that (Johnson) had four fouls and that we should take it right to her. And the next play down, I saw a one-on-one opportunity against her and took it to her.” Johnson, who finished the game with 17 points and had scored five of Western Rentucky’s last seven points, went to the bench as Rubik made two free throws to spark an 8-0 Husker run to ice the game. Sanderford said he didn’t think that one call changed the ballgame. But his former assistant, Steve Small, Western Rentucky’s new coach - who wouldn’t comment on the officiating but threw his coat off after the charge call - said it was a momentum chang er. “The time was right, and it had an effect on the game at that moment,” Smtgif said. “We probably lost the basketball game, though, in the first quarter.” Western Rentucky (2-1) missed its first nine shots as Nebraska jumped to a 10-1 lead when DeForge was fouled on a jumper with 6:12 remaining in the first quarter. DeForge missed the free throw, but finished the night leading all players with 24 points. me Lady toppers cut tne Huskers’ lead to three points at the beginning of the second quarter when McCulley made a jump shot, but NU went on a 9-0 run, with Kubik involved in all nine points, to open a 30-18 lead. Kubik converted two free throws, stole the ball and made a layup, grabbed the rebound on a WKU missed 3-pointer and threw an assist to DeForge, who hit a 3-pointer and finished it off with a jumper. “I thought Nicole really made some big plays with her ability to take the ball to the basket,” Sanderford said. “Nicole is starting to understand what I’m looking for as a coach. She understands that we can run and still be patient. She made some very good decisions with the basketball.” Sanderford was mostly impressed with Kubik’s ability to handle Western Kentucky’s press. The sophomore from Cambridge finished the game with one turnover, five assists and 14 points. Kubik can’t explain how she feels right now after having defeated No. 11 Alabama and Western Kentucky, but she is looking forward to playing Connecticut, one of the perennial powers of the sport. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Kubik said. “It’s kind of weird, because we beat Alabama and . Western Kentucky, and now we’re playing UConn, that won a national championship not that many years ago. This is just unbelievable for our program.” IRISH from page 9 er of their own. Junior Kim Engesser recorded her third hat trick of the sea son against Michigan, pushing her point total on the season to 55, a Nebraska record. She also holds the Husker record with 26 goals this year. Both teams also put a big stock in dominating defense. The two squads have allowed a total of 19 goals this year. • • /.? -'-"We? are preparing ourselves for a battlej^seMkri Rari Uppinghouse said: “T4heSe are the kinds of games that a& the reason you play soccer.” Although Nebraska and Notre Dame didn’t face off during the regu lar season, these teams are no strangers. Last spring, NU traveled to South Bend and beat the Irish 1-0. Sunday, Notre Dame presents a more difficult test. The Irish have not lost a home game since Oct. 6, 1995, when they fell 5-4 in overtime to Big East Conference rival Connecticut. In 83 games of all time at Alumni Field, Notre Dame is 77-5-1. Both teams have come a long way since the spring. NU added Engesser, and Notre Dame added several play ers, including high-scoring freshman Meotis Erikson and freshman Kelly Lindsay, an ex-Millard North star. Walker said this game does not com pare to the spring contest. “We are not going to put a lot of stock in the spring game,’”Walker said. “It gives them a chance to know our style of play. There is no chance of catching them by surprise.” Three of the top eight seeds fell in the first round of the tournament, lending credence to the criticism of the selection committee, which did not place Big 12 powers Texas A&M and Nebraska among the top eight seeds. “The most important thing is marching on,” Walker said. “We only have one concern, to find a way to win on Sunday.” -A-^ i ff, iteattifa***., • V^dr*^ |«E»M» FOODS *** *“~'t “'- V * t - /'"■■-■ 's' .-" ?• »' iv t»HMf^ m&Wak 1 tvi u- S HAPPY TURKEY DAY! (And Stuffing And Cranberries And Potatoes And Pumpkin Pie An<L~) i3f paa Matt Miller/DN CLEOPHAS BOOR, who finished third at the NCAA Championships last season, paces Nebraska into the 1997 cross country championships Monday in Greenville, S.C. m ... . m boor aims to pace fiuskers By Jay Saunders Assignment Reporter * With a few steps at the NCAA Championships :on Monday, Cleophas Boor could make Nebraska history. In the 69-year history of the Comhusker cross country program, no Nebraska runner has ever won the national championship. Last season, Boor finished third. Both runners who finished ahead of Boor are not participating this sea son. One of those runners was for mer Husker Jonah Kitparus, who influenced Boor’s decision to come to Nebraska in the fall of 1995 from Barton County Community College in Kansas. “Jonah used to be here and yve were friends,” Boor said. “He asked me to come here and join him.” Boor’s presence made Kitparus happy, NU Coach Jay Dirksen said, but Boor adds a great deal to the Huskers. “Without (Boor) we wouldn’t have a chance to be where we are,” Dirksen said. “He is very highly motivated internally. I have a lot of respect for the young man.” Both Boor and Kitparus are natives of Kapsabet, Kenya, -where Boor began running. In elementary; school,'Boot said, the kids were paired up by age and competed against each other. “In my country, we run a lot,” Boor said. “When we go to school, that is the routine. You might see a friend of yours training and the next day he would be a success.” For Boor, it is not just a Kenyan tradition to be a runner. Boor’s father and older brother were run ners. His older brother was one of Kenya’s top athletes until a knee injury ended his career. Watching his older brother per form gavfe Boor inspiration, he said. “It is something that i$ a family tradition,” Boor said. Boor is now continuing that family tradition in the United States. Last season, he never fin ished lower than third in any meet. This year, teamed with freshman Jeroen Broekzitter, Boor finished1 second at the Woody Greeno Invitational, the Big 12 Championships and the District V Championships. Those finishes allowed Boor to qualify iiidJfVi9ually for the NCAA {Championships, which will be held Monday at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Earlier this week, the Huskers qualified as a team for the championships with an at-large berth. ;; “I can focus on training for the NCAAs,” Boor said. “Before, I was worried we wouldn’t make it as a team. That is more important than individual qualifying.” Boor’s academics are also important. Often he awakes at 4 a.m, to study. After his early morning ses sions, he makes time for a run in addition to the team’s daily prac tice. For some, this would be a strenuous routine. For Boor, it adds to his strength. “I have to wake up early some times to train and get ready for class,” Boor Said. “After class, I go to practice and then get back to the books. It is kind of stressful, but I am used to it.* Trouble again follows Phillips _PHILLIPS from page 9 practice, during which he predicted Phillips would someday be a Pro Bowl player and face the Rams in playoff games. “I’m very disappointed it came to this, extremely disappointed,” Vermeil said “I care about the guy, I really do. But I made the decision that was best for the Ram organization, and really what’s best for him.” Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne, who suspended Phillips for six games in 1995, spoke to Vermeil Thursday morn ing. “From what I can tell,” Osborne said, “the Rams gave Lawrence a very fair shake - ‘1 had my chance to advise Lawrence when he was here, and I think a lot of peo ple have tried to help him. But at some point, Lawrence is going to have to help himself” Sources within the team said Phillips’ problem was alcohol related. He was arrested for drunken driving last year in California. “You can’t play when you’re drunk or hung ove^” defensive tackle D’Marco Fan said “I don’t think that’s what this is all about—at least I hope not” But Phillips has never stayed away from trouble. At Nebraska, Phillips pleaded no con test to assault of a former girlfriend and was sentenced to one year probation. While on probation he was arrested for drunken driving in California, which led to a 23-day jail sentence in March. In February, he was arrested for swearing at and threatening police offi cers who came into his hotel room in Omaha. After that incident, Vermeil didn’t hear from Phillips for two days. “What you do with these guys is you give them a fair opportunity, a fair chance, and I think the Rams felt like they did,” Osborne said. “We thought we did here. Most of them respond very well, some of them respond eventually, and some never do.”