Dority retires to sidelines after knee surgery
Coach Kendig redshirts sophomore gymnast
By Jason Merrihew
Staff Writer
As she sat along the sideline against Iowa State
last week with her leg propped up, sophomore Bree
Dority cheered on her teammates on what was a
magical night for the women’s gymnastic team.
“I wish I was out there,” Dority said. “Especially
at a meet where everybody is jumping around”
Dority, who on Feb. 12 had her knee scoped to
repair a strained retinaculum patella tendon, was
injured during a preseason dismount off the uneven
bars on Dec. 29.
Despite the pain and discomfort, Dority tried to
battle through her injury in hope of competing and
contributing for the team this season.
After sitting out the first three road meets,
Dority was allowed by Coach Dan Kendig to com
pete against Missouri in Nebraska’s first home meet
on Jan. 29.
Kendig penciled-in Dority in the lineup on the
uneven bars, her favorite event, to try to wean the
1999 Big 12 newcomer of the year back into the all
around competition. Dority was able to finish the
event with a score of9.275.
But the pain and discomfort that was felt when
dismounting proved to be foe main deciding factor
when it was time to opt for the season-ending
surgery. After the surgery, Coach Kendig redshirted
one of his main components from last yearns Big 12
championship team.
Although this year’s team is loaded with talent,
the loss ofa gymnast who finished 17th overall in the
all-around at nationals could prove to be hurtful
when it comes to the postseason.
“Without Bree, it is going to be hard,” senior All
American Heather Brink said. “She is just a key
asset to the team.
“She has done so well in die past, and she could
definitely contribute on all of die events.”
Last year, Dority did contribute to the Huskers’
success, scoring a season-high 39.175 at nationals, a
Please see DORITY on 18
Lydia S. Gonzales/DN
NEBRASKA GYMNIST Brae Dority streches her leg out alongside teammate Jess Wertz dur
ing practice Monday. Dority, an all-around gymnastics competitor, said she would most
likely be out for the next year but would continue working to heal her knee Injury.
NU beats
OSUin
overtime
close call
By John Gaskins
Staff writer
With no safety net beneath them, the
Nebraska women’s basketball team nearly
fell off the tight rope they had been walking
all season Tuesday night
But with the weight of dying NCAA
■"« ■' Tournamentpos
HUSKERS 75 sibilities and a
COWGIRLS 71 bitter end to their
careers weighing
on their shoulders, the Husker seniors
found a way to stay on for another game.
It was a balancing act they’ve become
quite accustomed to.
Playing out-of-hand, trailing most of the
game and down by eight points wife under
six minutes left in regulation play, NU gut
ted out a 75-71 overtime win to stay on the
NCAA Tournament selection committee’s
radar screen.
The Huskers improved to 14-11 overall
and 8-6 in die Big 12 conference, a half
game behind fifth-place Texas with two
regular season games and die Big 12 tour
nament remaining.
If die significance of die victory could
not be felt from the volume of the 3,589
fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, it
was expressed by the players afterward.
“I acted like we had won die national
championship,” said NU senior guard
Brooke Schwartz, who scored seven of her
19 points in overtime and made the winning
steal and free throws for NU.
After freshman Isha Kelley’s jumper
gave NU a 72-71 lead with 49 seconds
remaining, Cowgirl forward Toya Releford
missed the put-back off teammate Mandy
Struber’s missed 3-pointer.
Schwartz grabbed die rebound and was
fouled by OSU’s Chantoya Hawkins.
Schwartz then hit one of two free throws to
put NU up 73-71 with 17.8 seconds left
But the Gering native made possibly the
biggest life-saving play of her career on die
ensuing play. After freshmen Shahidrah
Roberts and Isha Kelley’s full-court press
trap suffocated OSU guard Hawkins off die
in-bounds pass, Hawkins threw the ball to
Struber.
Schwartz stripped the ball and fenced
Struber to foul with five seconds left
“I knew die didn’t want to dribble it”
Schwartz said. “She had it out in front of
her, put it out in front of me, and I was right
there. I’ve been watching Nicole (Rubik)
Josh Wolfe/DN
Charlie Rogers battles with Oklahoma State’s Devon Magness for control of a
rabonnd during the first half. The Huskers cane back fren being nine points
behind at the half to win 75-71 in overtime.
too much.”
Kubik, who is 15th on the all-time
NCAA steals list, was a good model for
Schwartz to follow in carrying the team.
Schwartz had to do just that after Kubik
fouled out with 1:07 to play, finishing with
a team-high 24 points.
Prior to that, Kubik showed die same
tenacity she showed with NU’s backs
against die wall before last season’s NCAA
Tournament appearance.
Down 57-49 with 5:44 left, the Huskers
gave up on continuity and watched Kubik
drive for every point or foul she could force
up. In the next 39 seconds, Kubik made
seven free throws off of three different OSU
fouls to cut the lead to 59-56.
The Cowgirls held on to their once
comfortable lead until the 2:22 mark. That’s
when Kubik’s 3-pointer gave NU its first
lead since midway through the first half,
64-62.
“When we got up by nine or 10 there late
in the game, that’s when Kubik got them
back in it,” 0$U Coach Dick Halterman
said. “She got herself to the foul line on that
3-pointer. Then she had two or three nice dri
ves to the basket ThaPs where the ball game
was won-when she took over.”
Kubik committed her. fifth foul when
she ran into OSU guard Jennifer Crow with
1:07 left Crow made the two free throws to
tie fee game at 64.
NU Coach Paul Sanderfbrd, who called
Kubik^s final foul “silly” and uncharacteris
tic fora senior leader, had to really sweat
when junior Melody Peterson foul out by
fouling Crow wife just two seconds remain
Please see OSU on 19
Nee: NU won’t
make light of
Kansas attack
By Joshua Camenzind
Staffwriter •
While many are counting out the Kansas Jay hawks this season,
don’t count Nebraska basketball Coach Danny Nee among them.
“The standard is so high for them that when they lose a couple
of games or (are) not in first place, everyone says they are down,”
Nee said. “Anyone who counts Kansas out and doesn’t think they
have a good basketball team is mistaken.” «
Nee’s team will meet KU at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Bob
// T j , i . , Devaney Sports Center. ’
•• i uOn t think The Jayhawks have
, . lacked the invincibility they
theV€ IS Ciny have shown in years past on
' _ _ their way to a 19-7 overall
doubt they smell record.
But they took care of the
blood Cl little Cornhuskers back in
January with ease and are
bit ” coming off a 53-50 win
against Oklahoma.
Roy Williams ,. Both the Jayhawks and
irn ma/'K the Huskers are supposedly
having down years, but the
difference between the two can be shown by looking at their con
ference records. NU is 3-9 with one win coming against Baylor and
the other two against the bottom two teams of the Big 12
Conference.
rvu, uu Liic uuici iixuiu, us o—t wiui iwu luaaca iu wwa ouuc auu
road losses at Missouri and Oklahoma State.
Kansas Coach Roy Williams said his team, which has been
starting three freshman as of late, has seen tee best shots of every
team it has faced this season.
“I don’t think there is any doubt they smell blood a little bit,”
Williams said.
Williams said it is a “flattering situation because it means we
have been winning a lot”
January’s 15-point loss to KU does give Nee hope.
“We are selling the positives,” Nee said. He said he will show
his team tee previous Kansas game tape instead of tee Oklahoma
State tape.
Nee said tee game, much like many of NU’s losses this season,
have been solid performances with lapses teat lead to big opponent
runs. i
Runs teat have been devastating on tee road have been scarcest
home.
“It’s a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Nee said. “Obviously, we play
way better at home. I think our chances of winning at home are way
“We have been way more competitive with tee good teams
home than we woe cm tee road.”
The Huskers have lost by cm average of 19 points on tee roadv
but in the friendly confines of the Devaney Center, NU sports
almost a two-point advantage over opponents.
Despite NU’s playing better at home than on the road, point
guard Danny Walker said a closer game because oftiieWEnue is not
a given.
“It don’t go like that,” Walker said. “We have to come out and
play, you know, get tee crowd in tee game and get some energy
going in the arena so we can have teat mentality to go ahead and
finish tee game in tee end. We have been lacking that on tee road.”
