Husker women win
CableVision Classic
By Darren Ivy
Staff Reporter
During a time when many people
celebrated Thanksgiving, Nebraska
Women’s Basketball Coach Paul
Sanderford gave thanks for solid
rebounding and tough defense.
It was that combination that
enabled NU (6-1) to overcome poor
shooting and tired legs to win its third
straight CableVision Classic
Saturday night before 2,671 fans.
After the 68-59 win against
Kentucky (1-4), Sanderford wrote on
the chalkboard in the Cornhusker
locker room: “Good teams win when
they play well. Great teams find a
way to win.”
“Tonight we just found a way to
win,” Sanderford said.
NU cruised to an 82-42 opening
round win against Stetson on Friday
night, but had a difficult time with an
athletic Wildcat team.
Sanderford said UK’s defense
contributed to Nebraska’s woes.
Kentucky played away from the
Huskers’ power forward and center,
while playing help-side defense on
the other NU players.
“When the ball doesn’t go in
when you do that, the rim gets small
er and smaller,” Sanderford said.
In the first half, the rim was small
for NU’s starters, who scored just
seven points. Anna DeForge, NU’s
leading scorer, was held scoreless
before halftime, but finished the
game with 13 points.
However, the play of the NU
bench helped the Huskers stay in the
game in the first half. Sophomore
Charlie Rogers, an all-tournament
selection, Naciska Gilmore and
Brooke Schwartz came off the bench
to score NU’s 22 other first-half
points as the Huskers led at halftime
29-25.
Sanderford also was thankful for
28 offensive rebounds NU had
against Kentucky. It helped overcome
a season-low 32-percent shooting
performance.
DeForge, the tournament’s most
valuable player for the third straight
season, said there were several possi
ble causes for the poor shooting.
“We missed little shots, we didn’t
get good shots, and we were tired,”
H
If you re going to
rebound, you can
play as ugly as we
did tonight and^win
the game”
Anna DeForge
Nebraska guard
DeForge said. “I can’t pinpoint one
real reason we shot so poorly.”
She said rebounds kept the
Huskers in the game. Nebraska had
59 offensive rebounds and 114 total
rebounds in the tournament.
“If you’re going to rebound, you
can play as ugly as we did tonight and
win the game,” DeForge said.
NU adjusted to UK’s defense in
the second half and played power bas
ketball.
DeFoige was thankful for the sec
ond half
“I was disappointed with my per
formance in the first half,” she said.
“I cleared my mind at halftime and
started the second half like it was a
new game.”
NU appeared to be on its way to a
convincing victory when it went
ahead 53-41 with 6:14 left. But UK
dosed to within 57-55 with 2:41 left.
NU made free throws down the
stretch to close outihe win.
Against Stetson, Jami Kubik’s 16
points and Emily Thompson’s 13
rebounds were both career highs.
DeForge had 15 points and Schwartz
added 12.
“We’ve got 14 (more wins) to go
to get into the Big Dance,”
Sanderford said. “It is still
November, thank goodness. I’m not
going to give these back, because
we’ve worked extremely hard for
them.” ...' .
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Huskers survive scare at CU
FOOTBALL from page 8
end Grant Wistrom said. “If we
didn’t, we knew we were in trou
ble.”
NU led 10-3 at the half, but
came out firing in the second half
with Green rushing for 64 yards to
the Colorado 16-yard line on the
first play of the second half. Green
took the ball the rest of the way on
the next play, opening the Husker
lead to 17-3 with a two-play, 80
yard drive.
Colorado answered with a two
play, 80-yard drive of its own.
Hessler hit Darrin Chiaverini for a
45-yard gain to the Nebraska 35.
On the next play Dwayne
Cherrington caught a 35-yard pass
to keep CU within seven.
Green added the final NU
touchdown on the next drive, taking
the ball 11 yards and opening the
lead to 24-10.
“Offensively, I was disappoint
ed we didn’t put it away,” Osborne
said. “We had a chance to go up 35
10 and it would have been over.
Defensively, I’m disappointed
when they had a chance to move it,
they moved it on us late in the
game.
“They almost beat us.”
The Nebraska offense strug
gled at times, drawing flags for
four false start penalties. Matt
Hoskinson, who filled in at cen
ter for Josh Heskew much of the
day, said the offensive line penal
ties were ridiculous. Heskew
sprained his ankle in the second
quarter.
“We’re going to get a little chas
tised and rightfully so,” he said. “It
could be 800 decibels, it doesn’t
matter. You look at the ball, you
watch the ball, you go on the ball.
We didn't do that. That’s disap
pointing.”
Colorado gained more total
yards than Nebraska, the first
time this season Nebraska has
gained fewer yards then its oppo
nent. Hessler was 19-of-35 pass
ing for 362 yards and three touch
downs.
“I guess we’re kind of famous
for making people have their best
day,” NU Defensive Coordinator
Charlie McBride said. “I guess this
was his best day.”
Nebraska must recover before
heading to San Antonio, Texas,
Saturday for the Big 12 champi
onship game against Texas
A&M.
“Everybody’s disappointed
with this win,” Hoskinson said. “It
could have been an entirely differ
ent game. Had we executed in the
second half, we could have honest
ly made this thing about 56
points.”
Tulsa awaits NU
in first road test
By Sam McKewon
Staff Reporter
Having started the season 5-0
at home, the Nebraska men’s bas
ketball team will receive its first
road test of the season against
Tulsa tonight at the Tulsa (Okla.)
Convention Center.
The game, televised by
ESPN2 at 6:06 p.m., is not only
the first road game for three
Cornhusker freshmen but a mea
son progress. ^ r
“We’re 5-0, and you can’t ask
for anything more,” junior for
ward Andy Markowski said. “But
it’s a game like this against Tulsa,
on national television, that will
tell us how far we’ve come.”
The Golden Hurricane is
coming off a 24-10 season in
which it lost in tfce second round
of the NCAA^Tournament to
Clemson. Before 1997, Tulsa
made three consecutive trips to
the Sweet 16.
This season, the Golden
Hurricane looks more like a trop
ical storm, with a 3-2 record,
including a 78-40 loss to
Gonzaga.
Tulsa is led by senior guard
Rod Thompson, who averages
14.4 points per game. Junior for
ward Michael Ruffin is the
team’s leading rebounder with
10.6 boards per contest.
Tulsa has also had scoring
problems, averaging only 66
points per game. One of its
• 'v.
^pr
returning starters from last sea
son, junior guard Johnnie
Gendron, is shooting 21 percent
from the field.
Nebraska Coach Danny Nee
said a major key for the Huskers
will be to continue Tulsa’s offen
sive woes with pressure, man-to
man defense. NU has held its
opponents to 60 points per game,
white scoring 74#g»otnts this
year
Putting the clamps on the
Golden Hurricane, Nee said, will
be critical in keeping the NU win
streak alive.
“We’re playing good defense
right now,” Nee said. “We’ve got
to keep forcing bad shots for
other teams.”
Today will also be the first
time freshmen Chad Johnson,
Brant Harriman and Todd Smith
play outside the Bob Devaney
Sports Center.
Markowski said the freshmen
must adjust quickly.
“We need those guys to play
well, so they’ve got to be ready
to go,” Markowski said. “They’re
going to be a little nervous, but I
think we’ll play well.”
Nee said he has little concern
that his team can go into Tulsa
and win.
“My only worry is that the
plane takes off OK and it lands
OK,” Nee said. “That’s my only
reservation.”
Hamilton leads Huskers
to win over Roadrunners
HOOPS from page 7
chance.
“It was a lack of not being
focused,” Hamilton said. “The
fundamental things didn't come
through.”
Ironically, what may have
saved the Huskers was an equal
ly poor shooting performance
by UTSA. The Roadrunners
shot a season-low 29 percent.
Senior Roderic Hall, who aver
aged XI points per game, scored
oniy three points in a l-of-4
shooting performance.
“Thank God (UTSA) didn't
shoot the ball well,” Nee said. “I
liked our defense. We were fly
ing at them, and they got very
few good looks.”
Hamilton, who has scored in
double figures in every game
this season, also recorded his
fourth double-double. The
senior from Forest City, N.C.,
victimized the Roadrunners,
whose tallest post player was 6
foot-8.
Center Leon Watson and for
ward Mike Clemens each
picked up two first-half fouls.
UTSA Coach Tim Carter said
the play in the middle was a
huge factor in the Huskers' win.
“We struggled inside,”
Carter said. “We only had one
big guy tonight. When it got
tough, we needed to dig deep
er.”
Sour season
ends for CU
BUFFS from page 9
my hands a lot It was just a good battle.
At that time in the game, you’re not
supposed to call anything. With a
minute or so left, the flow of the game
is going. Let it flow. Let the guys on the
field decide the winner of the game.”
Hessler agreed.
“What makes me so upset about it
is that I know daina well that
Nebraska defender was up there
holding him,” Hessler said. “What’s
the big deal with a little push?”
pletihg 19 of 35 passes for 362 yards
and three touchdowns and two inter
ceptions.
“These guys, they knew it was
going to be a dog fight,” Savoy said.
“They knew it was going to be a
knock-down, get-up game. And sure
enough, we battled.”
NU cruises
past Aggies,
Longhorns
STREAK from page 7
Monson was just exhausted, so
Befarends cosies in, we tie the game up,
Monson comes back and gets a block.”
Monsonh Hock ofUTb JaneWinkel
allowedthe Buskers to tie the game at 10.
NU then built a three-point lead
off two Texas hitting errors and kills
- by Monson and Korver before UT
outside hitter Katie Austin pounded
two straightattempts long, allowing
NU to close the game and die match.
Monson posted 16 kills and a .308
hitting percentage alter pounding 15
kills and a .419 percentage Friday,
extending her streak of matches with
.300-plus hitting to seven.
Senior Lisa Reitsma, playing her
final regular-season match at the col
iseum, led all players with 22 kills.
“It’s the first time I can honesdy
say I was nervous before a match,”
Reitsma said, “but what a great way
to end the season.”
The team and fans hemmed Reitsma
- an All-American who in leads NU this
season in attacks, kills and blocks -
before the match with a standing ovation
and a special introduction.
“Lisa deserves all the recogni
tion,” Pettit said. “This season, she
has taken a team and helped to turn it
around. The fans wanted her to know
they appreciate what she’s done.”