—BIG 12 CONFERENCE—
Questions surround A&M’s
buzzer-beating triumph
By Jason Merrihew
StaffWriter
Texas A&M beat Texas Tech 88-86
with a layup at the buzzer Saturday
night
Or did they?
The game
ended in a 39
minute delay after
Texas Tech coach
es protested that
the game-winning
shot came after
the buzzer.
After the
game official
Watkins Charles Range
had already counted the basket, Texas
Tech officials protested and Range and
his officiating crew reviewed the shot
on a TV replay.
The officials then reversed their
previous call and called off the basket,
forcing an overtime period.
However, Texas A&M Coach
Melvin Watkins protested the reversal
by not returning to die court
“I didn’t need to debate anything or
wait around,” Watkins said. “The bas
ket was good and the game was over.”
Watkins’ protest paid off for the
Aggies. The referees reversed their call
once again and awarded the basket to
A&M.
Big 12 officials are trying to figure
out if Texas A&M left the court before
the game was concluded. The Aggies
may be penalized by league officials if
they believe A&M left the game before
it was over.
“I don’t know what he (Watkins)
was instructed specifically to do when
the team first left the floor,” Big 12
commissioner Kevin Weiberg said.
“They were working under the pre
sumption that the game was over.”
League officials will continue to
work on the problem. Commissioner
Weiberg wasted little time in suspend
ing referee Range for the rest of the
season.
“Mr. Range is an experienced and
successful official, and we anticipate
that he will be a part of our officiating
staff in the future. Officials Paul
■ Mr. Range is
an experienced
and successful
official...”
Kevin Weiberg
Big 12 commissioner
Janssen and Eddie Jackson, the other
two officials working the game, han
dled their responsibilities in this situa
tion appropriately,” Weiberg said.
Video footage by KXAS-TV in
Dallas showed that the Aggies’ Andy
Leatherman had the ball in his hand
when the clock read 0.0.
Leatherman’s last-second layup
put A&M ahead of Tech 88-86, giving
the Aggies a victory in Lubbock for the
first time since 1994. Ironically, the
1994 game ended with a last-second
shot, causing a brawl.
The Red Raiders play Nebraska
tonight.
Fizer, Cyclones turning heads
■ Iowa State shoots to the
top of the Big 12, thanks to
junior forward’s solid play.
By Trevor Johnson
Staff writer
When you think about Iowa State
basketball, you don’t think about tra
dition. You might think about former
stars Jeff Hornacek, Kelvin Cato or
Dedric Willoughby, and maybe you
remember their NCAA Sweet 16
appearance in 1997.
But odds are you aren’t thinking
about a great basketball program.
And sometimes when you think
about Iowa State basketball, you are
thinking about a team that should get
you a win.
The Cyclones want to change
your thinking.
Riding a school record 12-game
winning streak which includes three
in a row in league play, ISU is now the
hottest team in the Big 12
Conference.
Lighting the fire for this team has
been the improved all around game of
junior forward Marcus Fizer.
Fizer has burned his opponents
averaging over 21 points a game for
the season, and 22.7 in conference
play. He has led his team in scoring in
12 of 17 games it’s played this year.
While improved offensive num
bers have grabbed headlines, his
defensive work is getting the atten
tion of Big 12 coaches.
“He’s much better defensively
than he was last year,” Kansas State
Coach Tom Asbury said. “And he’s
rebounding better... I know he’s an
NBA guy”.
ISU coach Larry Eustachy also
commented on the forward’s new
ability to take over a ball game.
“This year Fizer is a different guy,
he’s dictating the game where as last
year the game dictated him.”
Fizer has been dictating many
games this year, but he’s had his share
of help. Transfer guard Kantrail
Horton has stepped in to make a solid
back court with Michael Nurse, and
senior forward Stevie Johnson has
helped solidify the frontcourt.
Even though the Cyclones are rid
ing a hot streak that is starting to
seem like it won’t end, Eustachy is
keeping his team realistic about the
situation.
“We are going to lose another
game this year,” Eustachy said. “We
have a difficult four game stretch
coming up.”
It’s hard to get too optimistic con
sidering most of ISU’s victories have
come on its friendly home court
where they are 12-0.
But a conference road win over
Nebraska last Saturday gave the
Cyclones confidence. And if they get
a victory tonight at Kansas State, this
year’s Cyclones team could change
the way a few people think.
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NU victory over Missou
was rife with turnovers
By Brandon Schulte
—-—-i
Staff writer
It was fitting that Nebraska
Coach Paul Sanderford knocked over
his beverage in his post-game inter
view.
“We only had 18 of those tonight
(turnovers), and they had 28,”
Sanderford said.
The spill typified the women’s
basketball game between Nebraska
and Missouri. Fouls and turnovers
were plentiful commodities in a slop
pily played game that the
Cornhuskers won 80-63 in part
because they made fewer mistakes
than their counterparts.
The teams combined for 46
turnovers and 53 fouls. The fouls led
to 70 free throw attempts, including
44 for Nebraska, four attempts from
a school record.
NU’s main defensive focus was to
pressure MU point guard Natalie
Bright. The Huskers caused her to
commit seven turnovers — five more
than her season average.
Missouri Coach Cindy Stein said
Nebraska didn’t do anything unusual
to stop her team.
“I’m not sure Nebraska did any
thing in particular,” Stein said. “I
think they just are a good solid defen
sive team. They kept pressure on our
point guards, and they forced us wide
on our offense. All those things we
should be able to handle.”
Plenty of things didn’t go right
for Stein’s team, which had been
averaging 81.5 points per game and
was held to a season low 63. The
Tigers gave up 21 more points than
their season average of 58.9.
“Tonight was just a night that
things weren’t going right for the
Missouri Tigers,” Stein said. “And
sometimes you have to eat that.”
Early, the Tigers seemed to have
the Huskers right where they wanted
them. MU trailed 28-26 with 6:31
left in the first half. Nebraska’s most
experienced players — Nicole
Kubik, Brooke Schwartz and Charlie
Rogers - were on the bench.
“I felt like the game was going
our way,” Stein said.
“We don’t want a physical game
with them, and they’re in foul trou
ble. Unfortunately, we didn’t play
within a framework to execute what
we needed to do.”
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Join the Fun
Jon a League
LEAGUE STARTING DATE & TIME # PLAYERS PER TEAM
BIG 12 DOUBLES TUESDAY, JAN. 25, 7 P.M. 2
NITE OWLS WEDNESDAY, JAN. 26, 8 P.M. 4
PIN POUNDERS THURSDAY, JAN. 27,6 P.M. 4
TRIOS THURSDAY, JAN. 27, 8 P.M. 3
■
All leagues bowl 3 games per night. Cost is $5.00 per person per night Teams and/or individuals
must pre-register at the East Union Lanes N’ Games (or call 472-1751). UNL Students, Faculty,
Staff, and friends are eligible.
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