Sports
Page 8 ^ __Thursday, November 11,1999
Walker’s 3-pointer helps NU to victory
■ The Huskers trailed 55-37 at
halftime, but spirited performances
by Kimani Ffriend and Steffon
Bradford allowed NU to win its
first exhibition game
By Joshua Camenzind
Staff writer
Nebraska showed perseverance and a no
quit mentality in its first exhibition game of the
season in a 107-99 win over the California
South All-Stars before 5,630 at the Devaney
Cento:.
Alter being down at one time by 20 points,
the Huskers rallied to cut the lead to 10 with five
minutes, 24 seconds remaining. NU cut the lead
down to 86-84 in the final 30 seconds after two
Kimani Ffriend slam dunks. Eddie Shannon hit
two free throws to put California South up four,
but guard Rodney Fields was able to make a lay
/ up.
\ On the^ensuing possession, NU fouled Marie
Sanford, and he made his first free throw to
extend the lead to three. After taunting the
crowd, Sanford missed the second, and Danny
Walker had the ball with less than five seconds
remaining. Walker drove past half court and
spotted up just inside the “H,” swishing the
Nebraska 107
Cal South All Stars 99
game-tying shot to tie the game at 89 and send it
into overtime.
“(Sanford) got the crowd on him,” Walker
said. “So that was the first good part. Then the
crowd got loud, and he missed the second. And I
was intent to get a good shot. If it wasn’t me, it
was hitting Cary in the comer.
“Once I got across half, I made up my mind
I was going to take the shot because I could see
how the defense was setting up.”
Nebraska took control of the overtime peri
od early and never looked back. NU shot 5-7 on
field goals and 7-9 on free throws in the extra
period. The Huskers held California South to 4
15 shooting on their way toanl8-10OT scoring
edge.
Walker finished the game with 19 points -
one of six Huskers in double figures. Senior
Larry Florence led the team with 20, Ffriend
had 19, Steffon Bradford had 16, Cochran
scored 13, and Louis Truscott finished with 10.
Bradford and Ffriend dominated the glass
for NU, getting 16 and 14 rebounds respectively.
“We were down,” Ffriend said. “We had to
win. So we decided that we had to crash the
boards. We were quicker and athletic, so we just
had to get position.”
The Huskers came into the game looking to
show off their new run-and-gun offense, but it
«
What I’m really proud of
is that even though they
knocked us down in the
first half they did not
knock us out!’
Danny Nee
NU basketball coach
was the All-Stars who were running early.
At half time, NU found itself dazed, down
55-37. Sanford and Shannon combined for 32
points in the first half while the All-Stars
torched Devaney, shooting 60.5 percent from
the field.
But the two were held to 12 points combined
in the second and overtime periods. Shannon
played 40 minutes in the game and looked tired
near the end, and Sanford missed most of the
second half in foul trouble.
Husker Coach Danny Nee said he was
impressed with his team’s fight.
“What I’m really proud of is that even
though they knocked us down in the first half,
they did not knock us out,” Nee said. “We just
kept our cool and came back.”
GREICHALY CEPERO will play volleyball only this season before playful basketball and volleyball for the next three
seasons. When asked what her favorite sport Is, she replied, “It's net a question I like to answer.” Really, she
relented a response, sayln basketball was her favorite becaoso of what she learned free her father.
Mike Warren/DN
NU FORWARD Larry Florence, one of the few
returning starters from last season, tries to
dunk after crossing underneath the hoop.
Florence would miss the dunk and Nebraska
trailed at the half of its first preseason game
against the California South All-Stars. The
Huskers came back to win 107-99 In overtHhe.
story by Samuel McKewon
photo by Lane Hickenbottom
outdoor courts
blue dolphins
new revolutions
aaron babock
and other things
relevant to the
\
I
By her own admission, sports is her life. Her name, in
Spanish, means “Greece,” a direct reference to the
Olympics. She cannot visualize her life without sports.
She “prays to God” she never gets hurt. Honestly, she’s
not sure she could handle the boredom.
And for Greichaly Ceperb, this feeling started long
ago.
“My Dad used to come home from work, and he’d
come in the house. The basketball court was right out
side - it was an outdoor court. I always used to wait for
him at the door and grab his pinky to ‘take me, take me.’
“He’d make me sit on the sidelines, and he’d tell me
‘just dribble the ball to over there and go back.’
“But I’d always get on the court, and they’d have to
stop the game.”
She was 2 years old.
Please see CEPERO on 10
lC _/• . “T' '
