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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1999)
Sports FINALLY! NEBRASKA 84, KANSAS 69 NU stuns Jayhawks in 2nd half By Adam Klinker Senior staff writer Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Danny Nee had two speeches prepared for the media after Wednesday night’s game with No. 22 Kansas. One dealt with how bad he was feeling after a loss to KU. The other, well, it was the one he gave after the Cornhuskers upended the Jayhawks 84-69 in front of 13,680 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center for their fifth straight win. Nebraska 84 tending one Kansas 69 sJrea^,he H u s k e r s ended another. It was the first time since the 1993-94 season that NU had beaten KU in any way, shape or form. And afterward. Nee had one of his catch phrases to describe the feeling. “We're just really pleased with what’s going on,” Nee said. “I'm really pleased with our team effort. It feels great.” The Huskers (13-7 overall, 5-2 in the Big 12 Conference) led the entire first half until KU sophomore center Eric Chenowith knocked down a 3 pointer with 15 seconds remaining to put the Jayhawks ahead at 38-37 at halftime. But the majority of the second half belonged to NU. “(Kansas) played very well in the first half,” Nee said. “They made their typical KU rally and I was on our players at halftime because I thought that spurt was going to come and the shots were going to fall, but it didn’t happen that way. We played even better in the second half.” Coming out at halftime, the Huskers quickly took back the lead on a Venson Hamilton jumper in traffic that put the 6-foot-10 senior center at the free-throw line for a chance at a 3-point play. Hamilton knocked down the extra point, but the Jayhawks answered on the other end with a second-chance basket by forward Nick Bradford to tie the game at 40 40. NU and KU (13-6 and 5-2) then proceeded to play nip-and-tuck for the next six minutes, as the game see-sawed between a Husker lead and a tie until the Jayhawks went up by two on a Chenowith dunk. The game tied again, and KU Mike Warren/DN NEBRASKA’S LARRY FLORENCE puts the ball off the glass as Kansas’ Eric Chenowith tries to reach in over his back to block the shot. Nebraska defeated the Jayhawks 84-69 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. retook the lead, 53-51, with 12:55 remaining. But that was all. Kansas hit a rut and Nebraska just kept going. Over the next eight minutes, the Jayhawks scored just 4 points as the NU lead was established, strength ened and maintained behind 17 Husker points - seven of them from Hamilton, who finished the game with his 10th double-double of the season - 20 points and 12 rebounds. Twelve of Hamilton's points came in the second half. “The first half, Eric (Chenowith) was blocking my shots,” Hamilton said. "But Coach came in there and barked at me for awhile, told me I had to pick it up. That's what I did.” Chenowith, who played with Hamilton on last summer's Big 12 Please see WIN on 11 KU coach: Team lost its poise late By Darren Ivy Senior staff writer Kansas Coach Roy Williams came out of the Jayhawk locker room Wednesday night, walked to the end of the hallway and stared at the door for a minute. He composed himself and then went back into the locker room for a few sec onds before finally coming out to address the media. Williams was in unfamiliar territory after No. 19 KU wa$ upset 84-69 by Nebraska before 13,680 screaming fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. This was the first time Kansas had lost back-to-back games since the 1994 season. It was the first time in %% Big 12 Conference The crowd history that the Jayhawks WOS chanting had lost to a ( , team other ‘overrated’ than Missouri. It also was the CLYld We first time in 10 , 7 7 meetings that pwbabfy KU had lost to ,, the Corn- Cire. huskers. “You’ve Roy Williams got to give Kansas coach Nebraska _______ credit, Williams said as his team fell to 13-6 and 5-2 in the Big 12. “They simply out played us in every phase of the game. “The crowd was chanting ‘overrat ed,’ and we probably are.” For the Jayhawks, it was a scoring drought midway through the second half that did them in. Between the 12:55 and 2:58 marks, KU was outscored 23 7. During that stretch, the Jayhawks made 3 of 16 shot attempts. Several of those were outside shots after one or two passes, Williams said. Then players drove into the lane where they had the ball stolen or swatted away. “It wasn’t a good game for us,” Williams said. “We lost our poise out there, and took bad shots during that stretch and it went from a 3-point game to 12-point game. Again, you go back and Danny’s club totally outplayed us.” Ironically, at the time the run start ed, KU had just started to play it’s best basketball of the game. They were on a 8-4 run. Then, boom. NU had some real quick hitters, said KU’s 7-foot center Eric Chenowith. Please see WILLIAMS on 11 Sanderford hopes NU can snap drought on road 66 A win at Iowa State would help us get back on our feet. We need to learn that we can win without our home crowds Brooke Schwartz NU guard By Christopher Heine Staff writer Nebraska Coach Paul Sanderford sounded like a weary traveler as he apologized to reporters at the end of Monday s press confer ence. His mood was somber throughout the inter view session. The Bob Devaney Sports Center press room felt like a funeral home. Sanderford admitted he was tired and still mourning the Cornhuskers’ disappointing loss at Colorado last Saturday night. The emotions and wear and tear are under standable. Sanderford and his Huskers are working hard to reach their goals that include a conference championship and postseason tour nament victories. Sanderford closed the press conference saying that he had been up late watching tape in prepara tion for tonight’s contest at No. 16 Iowa State. “Any other questions?” Sanderford said. Sanderford !^one . „ , I appreciate it, he said. “It’s hard for me to smile.” Sanderford wasn’t grateful to the local media because they were allowing him to go home early to get some rest - he had player meetings scheduled late into that afternoon. Rather, Sanderford was grateful because not one reporter could find the nerve to ask him the question that had been upsetting the coach for the last month. “Thanks for not asking me about the road,” Sanderford said. “Y’all were probably scared how I’d react.” The topic of NU’s road woes has started to Please see ISU on 11