Huskers split in -Wisconsin
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The 13th
ranked Nebraska women’s basketball
team traveled to the winter wonderland
of Wisconsin with
plans to take a pair
of road wins into
Big 12 Conference
play.
Along with
watching a home
coming for
Niagara, Wis.,
native Anna
DeForge, the
Comhuskers (9-3)
hoped to get out of Milwaukee
unscathed on Saturday.
But Wisconsin-Milwaukee had
other plans in mind as the Panthers
fought off an early 14-2 deficit to knock
off Nebraska 88-76 in front of 562 at
the Klotsche Center. NU downed
Wisconsin-Green Bay 76-60 on Friday.
The Huskers struggled offensively
Saturday, shooting only 38 percent
from the field, including two of 22 from
3-point range, just one night after
shooting 53 percent from the field at
tne Phoenix Sports Center in Oreen
Bay.
“(UWM) really played tough
defensively, and they did take us out of
our game,” NU Coach Paul Sanderford
said. “We were unorganized and had to
back off our pressure because we
weren’t getting the job done.”
The Panthers (5-4) took advantage
of their chances at the ffee-throw line,
knocking down 38 of 45 shots (84 per
cent), including 19 of 20 in the first
half.
Three Huskers fouled out in the
game, including senior guard Jami
Kubik for the fifth time this year.
The amount of fouls called frustrat
ed the Husker players and Sanderford,
who was ejected with fewer than four
minutes remaining in the game.
“We didn’t get some critical calls to
go our way when we needed them,”
DeForge said, “and we really didn’t
deserve anything tonight, because they
just beat us.”
The win is UWM’s biggest upset
over a ranked team in its eight years of
Division I-A basketball. Panther Coach
Sandy Botham’s biggest win of her
coaching career came on her birthday.
“I told them the only present I want
is a win against Nebraska,” Botham
said. “This wasn’t a fluke. We’re a good
team, and our team plays hard five min
utes at a time.”
Botham, who won the 1996-97
Midwest Collegiate Conference coach
of-the-year award, saw five of her play
ers score in double figures.
Senior center Trina Rathke pound
ed the Huskers inside for 23 points, six
rebounds and four steals. Fifteen of her
points came in the first half as UWM
erased a 12-point deficit to lead 43-30
at the half.
“Our practice yesterday got us
ready for them today,” Rathke said.
“We knew they were physical, and that
was part of the reason we had a real
physical practice. It wasn’t pretty yes
terday, but it paid off today.”
The Huskers got within one point
early in the second half, but two 3
po inters by sophomore guard Daryl
Schaffeld opened a 12-point lead, and
late Panther free-throw shooting
doomed Nebraska.
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them that made me feel good.”
For the Nebraska offense,
squaring off against Tennessee’s
passing attack will present a dis
tinct contrast in styles.
Nebraska leads the nation in
rushing offense, averaging 392.6
yards per game. Tennessee ranks
52nd nationally on the ground,
averaging 151.1 yards per game.
What the Vols lack in rushing, they
make up for in passing the ball.
Tennessee, behind Manning,
ranks sixth in the nation in passing,
averaging 331.8 yards. Nebraska
ranks 104th, averaging 121.1 yards
behind quarterback Scott Frost.
But Nebraska, comes out ahead in
total offense, averaging about 30
yards more than the Vols.
“I think it’s a little bit of a con
trast,” Frost said.
However, Frost said, teams like
Texas A&M, which Nebraska beat
54-15 for the Big 12 championship,
have a hard time adjusting to the
Comhuskers’ option-style offense.
“You can see a little in the
A&M game,” Frost said. “Teams
who play us a lot know a little bet
ter what we do. You’ve got to be
ready for almost anything.”
A shot at part of the national
championship rides on this game
for Nebraska. Should the Huskers
win, it would likely take a
Michigan loss to Washington State
in the Rose Bowl to seal an outright
championship for NU.
Peter, who’s said several times
that he won’t worry about anything
other than what he and the Huskers
can control, said he’ll cheer for the
Cougars on Jan. 1.
“I’m a huge Washington State
fan,” Peter said with a grin. “You
know, that’s where I was going to
go if I didn’t go to Nebraska.”
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