Cyclones nip Huskers on controversial call HUSKERS from page 20 . -J ‘ . < ■ game, that the officiating wouldn’t be a factor. I didn’t expect a call down the stretch. Normally, after 23 years (of coaching), that’s what happens.” Kubik showed shades of heroism by scoring 15 points and picking up the slack for injured guard Brooke Schwartz and fouled-out center Casey Leonhardt. Schwartz took a finger to the eye with 2:13 left in the second half and never returned. The injury was later deemed “retina adema,” and her con dition for Saturday’s game against Oklahoma is unknown. Kubik was much more to-the point answers to the game-deciding question. When asked if she thought she fouled Gahan, she said “no.” When asked if she thought she traveled the play before, she paused, shook her head, smiled, and said “no.’ Emotion stemming from a build up of a game between two teams in the Big 12 hunt and a budding inter state rivalry contributed to a physical ly brutal battle. The whistles blew all night, as both teams were called for 21 person al fouls, many away from the ball and many receiving violent reactions from coaches, the players and the crowd. The product of all this? Both teams took 28 free throws - ISU mak ing one more than NU (20-19), which happened to be the difference. Sanderford was called for a technical foul at the 5:52 mark in the first half, in the middle of a 10-0 ISU run that gave their biggest lead at 32-21 with 5:21 left. Fennelly was on the refs’ heels much of the first half, as well. NU countered with its own 10-0 run to cut the lead to one just 1:38 later. This stretch featured two questionable ISU fouls that resulted in four free throws, and a reeling Fennelly. ISU led 38-37 at halftime. The final foul call on Kubik, how ever, will be the one the Huskers will remember. Sanderford said of the play, “I won’t bite into that one,” when asked about it specifically, as a Big 12 Conference rule prevents him from commenting directly on the officials. He did, however, ask reporters to ask Big 12 officiating supervisor Becky Marshall, who was in atten dance, about it. Marshall could not be found for comment. The officiating and frustration over it overshadowed an exciting back and forth game. Both teams had four players in double figures and traded several runs, with Nebraska making valiant comebacks in the last seven minutes of both halves - they were down by 11 at the 5:21 mark in the first, by nine with 7:21 left in the game. “(Sanderford) was proud of us,” said NU guard Melody Peterson, who scored a career-high 15 points. “We had a victory tonight because we got better ana didn’t let down. We fought and fought and fought.” It also overshadowed another clutch performance from All American Stacy Frese. Frese scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half on 4-of-8 3-point shooting, the final one giving the Cyclones a 75-73 lead with 1:48 left. -* Also lost in the whistleblowing was Peterson’s performance and her U (Sanderford) was proud of us. We had a victory tonight because we got better and didn ’t let down. We fought and fought and fought.” Melody Peterson NU guard 3-pointer with 28 seconds left that gave NU a 76-75 and sent the crowd into pandemonium. “It felt good,” Peterson said. “I hadn’t been shooting the ball that much or that well. I wanted to score more tonight.” The celebration ended quickly when Peterson fouled out 11 seconds later, prompting Frese to make one of-two free throws to tie the game. Desiree Francis, who scored a game high 19 points, grabbed the most important of her five rebounds and called timeout. Seconds later, NU forward Cisco Gilmore fouled Angie Welle, who missed the one-and-one. Kubik grabbed the rebound, took it down for the winning attempt, then heard the fatal whistle blow. Peterson was the most polite of the Huskers about the game’s officiat ing and said it’s just “time to move on” to Oklahoma, where NU will battle the league’s top team Saturday night. “It’s hard to play as hard as you can for that long and have it come down to that with only two seconds left, and there’s not much you can do about it,” Peterson said. “Better that happens now than the Big 12 Tournament. “Now, we just get ready for Oklahoma. We’re not out of any race. We’ll come back big next week.” ISU’S)Frese regains touch against NU FRESE from page 20 shoot the ball, and I figured at some point they’d have to start going in and luckily they did.” Until the shots started to drop for Frese, Iowa State hung in the game by going inside to Desiree Francis, who had a game-high 19 points. Francis did most of her damage as NU center Casey Leonhardt was mired in foul trouble. Leonhardt was limited to 20 minutes of action Wednesday night before fouling out with 4:33 left in the game. Fennelly said Leonhardt’s foul trouble might have been the biggest factor in his team’s victory. “It was important because she dominates the lane so much,” Fennelly said. “You want to double team her but then you leave the 3 pointers open. It opened up the mid dle a little bit. You never want to lose a key player, and that was a big loss for them The foul bug also caught Iowa State as its leading scorer at 15.5 points per game, center Angie Welle, was in foul trouble. Welle avoided fouling out, but she spent a consider able amount of time on the bench and finished with only nine points. But Iowa State got contributions it needed to win from Megan Taylor and Tracy Gahan. Gahan scored 12 points, including the winning free throw with two seconds left, and Taylor scored 13 points. Fennelly was proud of the way his team stuck together and made the plays it needed to down the stretch. “We showed the kind of determi nation that we showed at the end of last year,” Fennelly^said, “when you lost a lead, and the crowd is in the game and you’re starting to look around at each other. “They looked at each this time and said, ‘Come on, lets go’ and everyone is making a play. It was one of those games where our kids hung in there in a tough situation, and that’s where good teams find a way to win.” * D P rt i| Onr Valentine's Section a a great way to Mart. Call** today at472-2588 or entail us at L dn@unl.edu to place yo«r Valentine. Hmr - wKn Vtt«»w wUtiAtidtMic um* tliU Nil’s Windisch to swim in Olympics By Brian Christopherson Staff writer There’s a quiet, easygoing confi dence in the way Michael Windisch talks. His speech carries the same smoothness of his swimming stroke as he discusses the climax of his swimming career, which stares the Nebraska swimmer directly in the eyes over the next few months. He sits at the pool side unwaver ing in his goals, carrying a swagger, because he knows very few have touched the wall before him in races this year. “It just all fell into place, and I really have felt it coming together this last month. I’ve come to the pool every day motivated,” Windisch said. Windisch should be confident, and maybe he should assume the nickname of Mr. January. Windisch was named Big 12 Swimmer of the Month just yesterday. He hasn’t lost a race throughout last month, staggering the competition in the 400 individual medley, 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard freestyle. Throw in the fact that Winchsch’s times are clearly under what pe’ll need to qualify for the Austrian National team for the Olympics, and he could be a train that will be hard to stop in these upcoming months. “It’s pretty well understood that Michael Windisch is going to repre sent Austria in the Olympics,” Nebraska Coach Cal Bentz said. Windisch’s parents are from Austria, and he is eligible to partici pate for their team, despite the fact that he was recruited by Nebraska out of South Africa, where his parents now reside. South Africa’s political views make it difficult for Olympians to qualify, unless they are assuredly medal contenders, making U It just all fell into place, and I really have felt it coming together this last month. Ive come to the pool every day motivated!* Michael Windisch NU swimmer Windisch’s decision to swim for Austria an easy one. It’s been a long road to reach this stage, but Windisch has thrived in the chase of improving in his four years at Nebraska, climaxing with the ulti mate gratification of swimming in the Olympics. . “The training for the Olympic Trials is a process which goes for four years, and then once you make it, the training process continues up until the Olympics,” he said. Before Windisch gets his hands on the Summer Olympics, he has some unattained goals to work on before this collegiate season comes to a rest. His goals lie as high as a national championship, although he is not about to be duped into guaranteeing anything. “NCAAs are definitely a goal, and the fact that it is in meters instead of yards, and the unpredictability of not knowing how the different swim mers will react to that makes it excit ing,” he said. - Windisch is confident about swimming in meters instead of yards. The NCAA’s decision to switch to meters compliments Nebraska. Nebraska had already changed to meters to be better prepared for the NCAAs. Windisch particularly has his eyes set on the 400-individual medley race, which he specializes in. One of his main competitors, Joey Montague, comes from Texas. Windisch said Montague.can have the conference meet. He’d rather be on top for the NCAA meet. “Big 12 will be more preparation than anything for me, because I prob ably won’t be shaven or tapered until NCAAs,” he says. Coach Bentz may want to look at sneaking another year of eligibility for Windisch. The coach says it’s the leadership, and not even so, much the talent, that he will miss next season. “Michael’s been a leader since he arrived here freshman year,” Bentz said. “Sometimes it’s more difficult to replace swimmers that bring the good attitude to the team than it is to replace just the talented swimmers.” Windisch is filling the role of co captain this season, and he says the turnaround in the team’s success has been as important to him as his indi vidual accomplishments. “I’m willing to give it more when I see that the team is giving it more,” he $aid. “When you know that every point counts, I’m not just swimming for myself, but also for the team.” The team appreciates Windisch, national title or not. “I won’t guaran tee anything, but it’s definitely the goal,” he says. The confidence is there, and that confidence and a load full of talent are a lethal combination. -- — ; ~ ^ A GIFT that remembers... j by helping others to live j When you lose someone dear to you-or when a' special person has a birthday, quits smoking, or has some other occasion to celehrate-memorial gifts made for them to your Lung Association help prevent lung disease and improve the care of those suffering from it + AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION. 7101 Newport Ave., #303 of Nebraska & t Omaha, NE 68152 1-800-LUNG-USA ^ _:_:_1__I V