Kubik shines late victory I
By Jay Saunders
Staff writer
DES MOINES, Iowa - With the
No. 23 Nebraska women’s basketball
team trailing 34-27 at halftime against
Drake on Thursday, NU Coach Paul
Sanderford criticized junior Nicole
Kubik.
Sanderford told the point guard she
wasn’t showing the leadership needed
for the Comhuskers to win. Something
Sanderford said must have clicked.
Kubik scored Nebraska’s last 11
points in the 75-72 comeback win in
front of 3,174 fans at the Knapp Center.
“Nicole is a gamer,” Sanderford
said. “She had
Neoraska 75 a good perfor
Drake 72 ”anc7,n ,he
utes sjjg sure
makes me look like a better coach.”
Kubik finished with 24 points,
leading all scorers. She led NU with six
assists and seven steals in 36 minutes.
The Huskers trailed 70-64 with two
minutes and two seconds left in the
game when Kubik took the game over.
A 3-pointer brought Nebraska
within three. After another Kubik bas
ket to tie the game at 70, Drake’s Sara
Stribe hit two free throws to put the
Bulldogs back ahead by 72-70.
Kubik then drove to the basket and
hit a shot with 37 seconds left Kubik
was fouled and converted the three
point play to give NU a 73-72 lead.
“I was just feeling it,” Kubik said.
“I didn’t play that well in the first half,
and I felt I had to make it up a little bit”
Kubik gave the Huskers the lead,
but the defense preserved it
Drake (2-3) inbounded die ball and
was forced to call timeout with five
seconds on the shot clock. When play
resumed, Drake guard Kristen Santa’s
shot was blocked by. NU junior Cisco
Gimore as the shot clock expired
On the following NU possession,
senior Cori McDill was called for trav
eling with 7.2 seconds left. As Drake
inbounded the ball, Kubik stole it and
was fouled She made two free throws
for the final 75-72 score.
“Our defense won the game for us,”
Sanderfoid said “We made stops when
you have to make defensive stops.”
NU (6-1) won the game despite 30
turnovers. But what junior guard
Brooke Schwartz said helped to over
come that number was post play.
Junior Charlie Rogers had 14
points and 10 rebounds. Schwartz had
14 points and a team-high 12
rebounds.Rogers had to guard All
American candidate Tammi
Blackstone of Drake. Blackstone was
held in check, scoring only 10 points in
17 minutes. She folded out with 4:22
left in the game.
Slechta, Lohr have impact despite youth
True freshmen break mold and are stalwarts on the defensive line
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Senior staff writer
An unexpected spotlight has fallen on Jeremy
Slechta and Jason Lohr during the past three
months. Unexpected because most true freshmen
on the Nebraska football team’s defensive line sit
on the sidelines.
Most don’t even crack
the rotation, let alone con
tribute in the waning min
utes of a close game.
But that’s what Slechta
and Lohr, two of only three
true freshmen listed on NU’s
three-deep roster, have done
in recent weeks. Both shined
in the Cornhuskers’ final
game of the season, a 16-14
victory over Colorado on Nov. 29.
The freshmen combined for two of the
Blhckshirts’ six sacks. Slechta, who also recovered
a fumble, nailed CU quarterback Mike Moschetti
for an 8-yard loss, while Lohr had a 6-yard sack.
“It felt great to get that sack,” Slechta, who
played against the Buffaloes in third-and-long situ
ations, said. “It was really kind of a surprise. We
were in a zone blitz, and I had dropped back a little
for pass coverage. Sometimes, you get lucky
enough to get in there.
“It’s kind of weird. Some days you’re just hot.”
Fellow defensive lineman Loran Kaiser said
Slechta’s and Lohr’s impressive play resulted from
more than just luck. The two freshmen have risen to
the challenges presented to them, he added.
“It would have to be tough to come in here and
play as a true freshman,” said Kaiser, a third-year
sophomore. “There is so much to pick up on so fast
And you have to come in and play with such a high
level of intensity.
“They have really come a long way - a lot fur
ther than anyone could have expected.”
But Slechta, a LaVista native, and Lohr, who
hails from Tulsa, Okla., were thrown into the mix
quicker than anyone could have expected. The
Huskers lacked depth at both interior line positions
coming into the 1998 season, and injuries to No. 1
nose tackle Jason Wiltz and No. 1 defensive tackle
Steve Warren weakened the spots even more.
Both freshmen took advantage of the situation.
Kaiser took over the No. 1 spot at defensive tackle,
but Slechta worked his way up to the No. 2 spot.
Lohr is listed as the No. 3 nose tackle behind Wiltz
and Warren.
“We both knew coming in we’d have a chance to
play,” Lohr said, “but I’m as surprised as anyone
about what we’ve been able to do.”
But both readily point out aspects of their
games that need improvement. Slechta admits he
has problems against run-block teams.
“I have trouble holding my ground against 300
pound linemen,” said Slechta, who’s main objective
during the offseason will be to improve his
strength.
The 6-foot-5 Slechta hopes to weigh in at about
290 pounds next spring, and the 6-3 Lohr also
hopes to use the off season to add some muscle.
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys on the team about
how things have been getting easier for me, and
they’ve all said that this first year is when I’m going
to see that improvement the most,” Slechta said.
“After that, they say you have to lift weights and get
stronger to do die rest”
While he is focusing only on preparing for
Nebraska’s bowl game, Kaiser said the thought of
playing with an experienced Slechta and Lohr next
season excites him.
“Against Colorado, we had a true rotation going
where everyone was playing with everyone else,”
Kaiser said. “It was nice to see the young bucks get
in there and get some sacks. That definitely boosts
our confidence. We see that we have a great future
with them.”
Coliseum big part ofNJJ\s home dominance
COLISEUM from page 9
Nebraska fans just enjoy good volley
ball.”
The atmosphere of winning
While Nebraska Coach Terry Pettit
has his own opinion of the NU
Coliseum in the volleyball media
guide, he defers to a well-known his
torical figure, Sir Winston Churchill,
to nail down just how important the
coliseum is to the Huskers.
Churchill said: “In the beginning
we build buildings. In the end, we are
shaped by die buildings we live in.”
Pettit said the atmosphere of the
coliseum helps shape NU’s winning
streak inside.
“It’s a significant advantage in
playing at home,” Pettit said. “The
crowd can help you when you’re
fatigued.”
Senior outside hitter Jaime
Krondak agrees. Growing up in
Lincoln, Krondak has been watching
matches at the coliseum since the third
grade, when she was “still afraid to go
to the bathroom by herself.” Even then,
it was the electricity of the crowd that
made Krondak want to attend NU.
“I’d come to die game, and I’d just
see these games and this atmosphere -
this atmosphere of winning. It’s
rockin’. It’s a rockin’joint”
And Krondak says Nebraska’s fan
support is special, too. It ranked behind
Hawaii in overall attendance last sea
son, but few places can be louder.
“Wisconsin comes pretty close,”
Krondak said. “Because, you know,
they’re red, too. But they’re nowhere
close in terms of intensity and just a
level of fun.”
For many years, that level of fun
and intensity played at an even higher
pitch. From 1926 to 1976, the colise
urn was home to the Nebraska basket
ball team. And there were some
moments in its history when the colise
um was louder than it is now.
The day they took down Wilt
The 1957-58 Nebraska men’s bas
ketball team was by no means spectac
ular. It was only 10-13. But the
Huskers pulled off one of the biggest
victories in their history. And the
Coliseum experience for those in
attendance won’t be lost.
Don Bryant, NU Sports
Information director emeritus, was one
of those in attendance Feb. 22,1958, as
the sports editor for the Lincoln Star.
Almost 40 years later, Bryant remem
bers the coliseum atmosphere when
NU beat No. 1 Kansas and basketball
legend Wilt Chamberlain 43-41.
“The seats at the coliseum were
close to the court - so close that peo
ple’s feet extended beyond the out-of
bounds line,” Bryant said. “People
would take their hat pins and stick 'em
in guys’ legs as they’d run by. The stu
dent section was right down there.
“The lights hung low and only over
the court, so the rest of the arena was
dark. Folks could yell and scream, and
nobody could look at them. It was
unforgettable.”
The game was, too. Only 12 days
before, Chamberlain matched NU
with 46 points in a 102-46 rout. The
Huskers used a stall offense to win -
and an ending right out of the movie
“Hoosiers.”
“Jim Kubacki, the team’s best
guard, was sitting out the game
because of a knee injury,” Bryant said.
“Now Jim convinced the coach, Jerry
Bush, to put him in and kept harangu
ing him about it, and Bush finally put
him in.
“Well, the game came right down
u
I’d come to the game, and I’d just see
these games and this atmosphere - this
atmosphere of winning. It’s rockin ’.
It’s a rockin ’joint.”
Jaime Krondak
senior outside hitter
to Jim taking a shot right at the end of
the game. He shot the ball at the top of
the key, and the ball floated right over
Wilt’s hand. He just stood there and
watched it. The gun went off, and the
ball went in.
“The whole place just exploded.
People were running all over the court
and just going absolutely nuts. Best
basketball game I ever saw.”
Krondak said she wasn’t aware of
the basketball team’s history when
asked about it, but had no doubt the
coliseum had a hand in winning the
KU game.
“Hey, hey, I’m telling you,”
Krondak said. “You can beat a lot of
teams in this place.”
Penn State pandemonium
For die volleyball team, that same
type of fan explosion occurred in
1996, when NU beat Penn State 15-12,
8-15, 15-13, 9-15 and 20-18 to
advance to the Final Four. The fifth and
final game twisted back and forth
before NU finally prevailed.
“It was an amazing, amazing
thing,” Krondak said. “You couldn’t
hear others talk. They couldn’t hear
you. Oh, it was just insane.”
The match even brought the NU
Coliseum back to its old days, where
fans were hugging the court, waiting
for the end of die match.
“I didn’t even realize we had won,”
Korver said. “I was dumbfounded.
And then, all the crowd is just right
there, standing next to the court ready
to give us all hugs.”
That coziness is something Korver
will miss when she leaves. The very
last match NU could play at home is if
the Huskers win die regional final next
week and advance to the Final Four.
With her memories, Korver said
she’ll remember the big wins and
many of the fans. In fact, she’s memo
rized where many of them are now.
“Oh yeah, I know them,” Korver
said, pointing out into the arena.
“There’s where my parents sit”
She swings her body around to
point above her.
“There’s where my grandparents
sit The student section’s down there, f.
the band’s over there. I know where the
Coach Pettit’s wife sits with his daugh
ter,Anna
“Then there’s this lady - she does,
like, candle parties sometimes - she
and her two htde daughters always sit
in the front row.
“The fans are so loyal. They’re
there every game. You can’t keep them
away.”
Even, if, occasionally, they have to
take a ball or two in the head.
NU wrestlers
open season
at Penn State,
Lock Haven
ByLisaVonnahme
Stajfwriter
When the Nebraska wrestling
team travels to the East Coast this
weekend to take on Lock Haven (Pa.)
and Penn State, most of the
Comhuskers will be in unfamiliar ter
ritory.
But for redshirt freshmen and
Pennsylvania natives Bryan Snyder
and Josh and Joe Henson, the
Keystone State means home.
Snyder and the Henson twins will
return to their “stomping ground,” as
NU Assistant Coach Jason Kelber
said, to show their native state what
Nebraska has done for them.
With the help of the Pennsylvania
trio, the Huskers will face Lock
Haven tonight in NU’s first dual of the
season. Third-ranked Penn State will
be the Huskers’ next obstacle when
they take on the Nittany Lions on
Saturday.
And Penn State is a wrestling
powerhouse that NU Coach Tim
Neumann and the No. 20 Huskers are
eager to face.
“This is supposed to be Penn
State’s year,” Neumann said. “They’ve
put it all together, so this should be a
good season for them. We scheduled
this dual early to see where we are.”
The Huskers will have their hands
full when they wrestle Penn State at
the Bryce Jordan Center. Six of the 10
Penn State grapplers are ranked in the
top 10 of their respective weight class
es.
Four matches - at 125, 141, 157
and 174 pounds - will be die keys to
NU’s success.
“These are matches that Penn
State is looking at and saying, ‘We’ll
win those for sure,’” Neumann said.
“And they should They’re older, more
experienced and ranked higher at each
of those weights.
“But I don’t think they’ll win all
four of them.”
At 125, NU junior and seventh
ranked Paul Gomez will take on All
American Jeremy Hunter, who is
ranked No. 3, while Husker Jose
DeAnda will face Penn State’s Biff
Walizer at 141. Both are fifth-year
seniors and “are good enough to be
All Americans but haven’t been,”
Neumann said.
It will be “new guy against old
guy” at 174 pounds, Neumann said.
Charles McTorry, who will return to
the Husker lineup for the first time
since 1997, will battle senior Glenn
Pritzlaff of Penn State.
Of the four, Neumann expects the
best match at 157 pounds. Snyder, a
native of Easton, Pa., will vie for the
win with No. 2 Clint Musser - some
one Snvder knows well.
Snyder, whose father was a Penn
State wrestler, visited Penn State on a
recruiting trip, and Musser was one of
the guys who showed him around.
“It’s definitely going to be weird,”
Snyder said. “I’ll be wrestling against
guys from my home state, guys that I
know.
“Musser’s got good defense, and
he’s real solid. I’in not intimidated by
his ranking. I know I can wrestle with
him.”
For the rest of the Huskers, State
College, Pa., home of Penn State, is a
city that they’ll want to get used to.
And they’ll want to go back -
especially in March when the Nittany
Lions play host to the NCAA
Wrestling Tournament
As for Lock Haven, NU expects
less of a challenge but is not overlook
ing anyone.
“The guys are hungry” Kelber
said. “The good thing about a young
team is that they’re hungry to make
their mark. This weekend gives them
an opportunity to see how they do
against some of the best”