DeForge leads NU to perfect home record
■ The Huskers beat the
Cyclones 68-60 Saturday
to end the regular season.
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Senior Reporter
As Anna DeForge stood at center
court and waved to the crowd at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center prior to
Nebraska’s Saturday night game with
Iowa State, she knew' it would be a night
to remember.
“It was a chance to be undefeated at
home. It was senior night, and I broke
the record (for 3-point field goals
made),’’ DeForge said. “I just wanted to
have a good memory about my last
game here."
It was a near-perfect ending for the
senior All-American’s last regular sea
son game.
With a 68-60 victory over ISU, the
Comhuskers f inished the season 16-0 at
home and broke the school record for
attendance for the second time in a week
with 12,181 fans.
“I remember the first four games
when I was saying there would be a
home-crowd advantage here," NU
Coach Paul Sanderford said, “and I look
up tonight and see 12,000 fans. It was
tremendous. It makes me think this was
n't such a bad move after all.
“But I’m the most happy for the
kids. I've pushed this group about as
hard as I possibly can.”
After holding a 37-21 advantage at
the half. Nebraska's lead began slipping
away.
The Huskers led by 11 with 12:15
remaining in the second half when
ISU’s Stacy Freese hit a 3-point field
goal. From that point on, the Cyclones
outscored NU 13-6 to pull within one.
_ . . Michael Warren/DN
NEBRASKA GUARD Jami Kubik wrestles for a loose ball with Iowa State guard Stacy Freese after Freese fell on the play. Kubik was one of five Nebraska
seniors to play in their last regular season game on Saturday night.
DeForge then sank three straight
shots - including back-to-back 3-point
ers - to push the Huskers’ lead to 62-54
with 3:17 remaining in the contest.
“After that second 3, it was turn off
the lights - the party is over,”
Sanderford said.
DeForge made 5 of 8 3-pointers,
moving her career total to 150 and vault
ing her past Kate Galligan (1992-96) as
NU's career leader. DeForge, who was
named a first team All-Big 12 guard this
season, finished with 25 points. 12
rebounds and six assists.
The Cyclone’s Janel Grimm, one of
four ISU players who scored in double
figures, said DeForge’s 3-point field
goals were critical.
“It really burst our bubble,” Grimm
said. “You’re in there clawing to get
back in it, and then all of a sudden it’s
like ‘boom, boom’ when she hits those
3s. It's hard to be all right when you've
climbed back from 16 and then that hap
pens.”
ISU Coach Bill Fennelly said the
Cyleones hurt themselves early in the
game. Down six with 10:58 to play in
the first half, ISU experienced one of its
worst droughts of the season.
The Cylcones committed seven
turnovers, missed seven straight shots
and were outscored 13-1. For the game,
the Fluskers outrebounded ISU 41-39 -
only the fifth time this season the
Cyclones have been beaten on the
boards. Iowa State also committed 18
turnovers to NU's season low of eight.
In the two teams’ last meeting in
.Ames, Iowa, a hot-shooting ISU (52.2
percent) defeated Nebraska 83-69.
“The difference was that every shot
went in for us in Ames,” said Fennelly,
whose team earned the No. 2 seed in the
Big 12 Tournament.
“Tonight, we couldn’t even throw it
in the ocean. It’s tough,to stay in it when
you only make six field goals m the first
half.”
With the win, Nebraska earned a
bye in the first round of the Big 12
Conference Tournament in Kansas City,
Mo. The Huskers will play Wednesday
at 2:20 p.m. against the Missouri
Oklahoma State winner.
JMU doses out season
with six-game streak
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
AMES. Iowa - Six games ago,
Nebraska point guard Tyronn Lue said
the Comhuskers needed to win their last
six games to get an invitation to the
NCAA Tournament.
They did their part.
The Huskers won their sixth straight
and third in a row on the road with a VO
62 victory over Iowa State in front of
13,465 at the Hilton Coliseum.
The strong finish gave the Huskers
a 19-10 record overall (10-6 in the Big
12 Conference), but Coach Danny Nee
refused to discuss the possibilities of
getting invited to the Big Dance.
“We’re not worried about it,” Nee
said. “If we’re not in the top 64 in the
country, then we belong in Russia.”
Lue, who scored a game-high 24
points, echoed Nee’s belief that talking
about the NCAA Tournament just isn’t
worth it.
“Coach (Jimmy) Williams says,
‘Those who think they are safe, are the
ones in danger,”’ Lue said. “We still
have to go to the Big 12 Tournament.”
Lue had plenty to worry about
against Iowa State as he and guard
Cookie Belcher provided 45 of NU’s
VO points.
Just two minutes into the contest,
forward Larry Florence went down
with a sprained right ankle.
Less than a minute later, center
u
If we re not in the
top 64 ... then we
belong in Russia”
Danny Nee
NU coach
Venson Hamilton picked up his second
personal foul and received a technical
foul for arguing with officials.
Hamilton sat on the bench the rest of the
first half.
Despite the early departures of
Hamilton and Florence, the Huskers
were led throughout the first half by
Belcher.
The sophomore nailed a 3-point
field goal to open the game and closed
the first half converting on 5 of 6 shots
for 12 points.
“Usually when I hit my first shot, it
means that I’ll have a pretty good
game," Belcher said.
Belcher finished the game with a
season-high 21 points.
Lue, a junior, was held without a
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Matt Miller/DN
HUSKER SHOT PUTTER Jane Linsenmeyer recorded an eighth-place toss of 46 feet, Vi inch at the Big 12
Indoor Track Championships Saturday. The Nebraska women finished second behind Texas.
Husker men take Big 12 title
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
AMES, Iowa - A combination
of power and finesse proved to be
enough as the Nebraska men’s
track team captured its fifth
straight conference champi
onship at the Big 12 Indoor Track
Championships at the Lied
Recreation Center.
The Husker men were guided
to their 26th indoor conference
title by two defending champions.
Senior Chris Wright won the
conference long jump title for the
second time with a personal-best
jump of 26 feet. NU freshman
Kevin Grant finished second with
a jump of 24-8Vi.
“I had God pushing me all
season, and this victory is really
for him,” Wright said.
Senior Scott Warren led a
group of three Huskers who fin
ished 1-3-4 in the 35-pound
weight throw.
Warren’s toss of 65-23/4 gave
him his second straight confer
ence title. Junior Joe Erdkamp
finished third, and sophomore
Jeff Armitage finished fourth,
giving the Huskers a total of 21
team points in the weight throw.
Nebraska also scored big in
the shot put. Sophomore Jack
Melson finished second, with
Warren finishing fourth.
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