SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24,1995
SECTION B
It 'Haase' to be: 'Hawks win 84-67
Guard scores career best 25;bests 'Huskers
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
Jerod Haase's life is in perfect order now.
"I feel I'm in more of a rhythm in my life right now," Haase said. "Life operates a lot better when you have a set rhythm."
the sophomore team operated very well last night scoring a career-high 25 points as the No.7 Jayhawks defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 84-67.
So does basketball for Haase.
Kansas improved to 14-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Eight Conference. Nebraska fell to 14-4 and 1-2.
Haase said that he was playing better because his life was in a set schedule of going to class, practicing and studying.
But Williams said Haase's success was linked to sophomore guard Jacque Vaughn's play.
"Jerod had the hot hand and Jacque did a great job of penetrating and pitching," Williams said. "I think the last couple of games he's shot it much better. Jerod's the kind of kid who's going to play his tail off."
And Hase's play at the end of the first half knocked Nebraska on its tail.
Kansas sophomore forward B.J. Williams caught the ball, drove the lane and passed the ball to a wide open Haase. Haase then nailed a three-pointer to put the Jayhawks up 46-30.
"We were a little late with the play but B.J. was the one who really made a good play." Williams said. "B.J. could have taken the shot, but he penetrated and saw Jerod and got it to him. It was a nice way to end the half."
Although Haase played well offensively, it was Kansas' defensive intensity that decided the game.
The Jayhawks held a Nebraska team, that had been averaging 50 percent from the floor, to 32 percent last night.
"Coach said he wanted us to let the defense set the tone," said Vaughn. "When we can limit the other team to one shot and grab the rebound, we will do pretty well."
Playing well in Allen Field House is something that Kansas had not done for a while, which is why the victory was so important for the Jayhawks.
"The last couple of games we have been in a lull," Kansas freshmen forward BaeL Frentz said.
That lull was broken by Kansas' defensive plav.
"To me the whole key of the game was our play on the defensive end of the floor," Williams said. "For the most part we got a hand up on the shot and held them to a low percentage. We tried to negate their quickness because they really are a quick team with great speed and a great perimeter attack."
The Jayhawks' defense broke the game open during the middle of the first half. Kansas
went on a 19-to-seven run that put the Jayhawks ahead 30-15.
Williams was not pleased with the effort of the Kansas big men during the run.
"Our big guys weren't really alert early in the game," he said. "I took one 20-second time-out in the first half just to tell them to start catching the dad-gum thing or I was going to tell Jacque to stop throwing it to them."
Kansas 84, Nebraska 67
KANSAS (14-2,3-1)
Player fgm/fga ftm/ta tp
Pearson 4-11 1-1
LaFrentz 5-6 1-2 11
Ostertag 2-3 3-4 7
Vaughn 7-1 1-2 7
Haase 3-7 1-2 3
Pollard 4-5 3-5 11
Williams 2-7 3-5 4
Gurley 0-1 0-2 0
Thomas 4-7 0-0 10
McGrath 0-0 0-0 0
Whatley 0-1 0-0 0
Novosel 0-0 0-0 0
Totals 32-63 10-18 84
NEBRASKA (1.4-4, 1.2)
Badgett 0-5 3-4 3
Boone 5-14 4-4 18
Moore 4-8 1-2 9
Wald 3-10 0-0 6
Strickland 3-14 1-1 8
Brooks 2-6 4-4 8
Sallee 1-6 1-3 3
Glock 4-7 0-0 10
Surles 1-4 0-0 2
Totals 23-71 14-18 67
Hafftime Kansas 46, Nebraska 30
Point game Kansas 10-24 (Peason 1-
6, Hasee, 7-12, Thomas 24), Nebraska
2-3 (Bone 49, Strickland 16, Glock
3), Rubicon Kansas 47 (Ostertag
5), Oklahoma Kansas 48 (Kansas
18, Vaughn 8), Nebraska 3 (Strickland
3) Total foule Kansas
16, Nebraska 19 Attendance 16,300
Sean R. Crosier / KANSAN
Sean R. Crosier
KANSAN
Kansas
sophomore
guard
Jacque
Vaughn
attempts to
grab a
rebound
before
Nebraska
junior
foreward
Terrance
Badgett
gets to it.
KU won the
game last
night at
Allen Field
House 84-
67.
Kansas forward Reef LaFrentz shoots over Nebraska forward Terrance Badgett. Kansas shot almost 51 percent from the field last night.
Defense key to the victory
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
Players and coaches on both sides agreed that defense meant the difference in the game. Kansas defense held Nebraska to a 32.4 field-goal percentage, while Kansas made 50.8 percent of its field goals.
Strong defense and impressive shooting gave the Jayhawks a victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers last night.
Freshman forward Raef LaFrentz said intensity was one main source of defensive power.
"I think our defense was up on their shooters and distracted them a little bit," he said. "Challenging them every time was a big reason for their 30 percent."
Nebraska junior guard Jaron Boone said the difference in statistics was notable.
"They out-hustled us on the board, broke down our defenses and made us play defense more than we wanted to," Boone said. "That gets hard on a team."
Sophomore guard Jacque Vaughn said momentum gave Kansas an advantage.
"When they were shooting the ball, we made sure the shots were going over our hands," he said. "It got to a point where inside and outside it was just clicking, and I think once we establish ourselves that way we are very hard to guard."
Kansas coach Roy Williams said the defense and shooting of the team were excellent.
"For the most part we got a hand up on the shot and held them to a low percentage," he said. "We tried to negate their quickness because they have great speed and a great perimeter attack."
AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through
| rank | tea | record | pba. | pr |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1. UMass (44) | 13-1 | 1,616 | 1 | |
| 2. UConn (19) | 14-0 | 1,594 | 2 | |
| 3. UNC (2) | 14-1 | 1,506 | 3 | |
| 4. UCLA(1) | 11-1 | 1,460 | 4 | |
| 5. Kentucky | 12-2 | 1,368 | 5 | |
| 6. Syracuse | 14-1 | 1,267 | 6 | |
| 7. Kansas | 13-2 | 1,258 | 7 | |
| 8. Maryland | 14-3 | 1,192 | 8 | |
| 9. Arkansas | 15-3 | 1,164 | 9 | |
| 10. Mich St. | 12-3 | 1,028 | 12 | |
| 11. Iowa St. | 15-2 | 943 | 14 | |
| 12. Arizona | 13-4 | 898 | 11 | |
| 13. Ariz. St. | 13-4 | 740 | 13 | |
| 14. G'town | 12-3 | 688 | 10 | |
| 15. Virginia | 11-4 | 662 | 18 | |
| 16. Wake For. | 10-3 | 614 | 15 | |
| 17. Stanford | 12-2 | 514 | 21 | |
| 18. Oregon | 12-2 | 490 | 17 | |
| 19. Cinn. | 14-5 | 443 | 23 | |
| 20. Missouri | 14-3 | 397 | 16 | |
| 21. Ga. Tech | 11-6 | 233 | 22 | |
| 22. Villanova | 11-5 | 213 | — | |
| 23. Florida | 9-5 | 197 | 24 | |
| 24. NM St. | 13-4 | 162 | 19 | |
| 25. Okla. | 14-3 | 100 | — | |
Other receiving votes: Tulane 82,
Oklahoma State 52, Illinois 51,
Alabama 47, Indiana 43, LSU 43,
Iowa 41, Minnesota 38, North
Carolina Charlotte 38, Nebraska
35, Saint Louis 33, Ohio U. 17.
Source: The Associated Press KANSA
Early on, the Kansas sophomore guard followed her father to most of his basketball practices and games. Once, she even ran suicides, which are conditioning drills, with her father.
However, not all of Bowers' college memories are happy. Ten games into his senior season, he suffered a severe knee injury that all but ended his career. Despite being an NBA draft lottery pick before the injury, Bowers had to take his game into the professional leagues in Europe.
Father inspires Jayhawk
Kansas' Dixon credits her dad for helping during hard times
By Jenni Carlson
"He tells everybody that story." Dixon said, smiling.
Kansan sportswriter
Dixon's father, Russell Bowers, was no regular playground basketball player. In his first three collegiate seasons at American University in Washington, D.C., he recorded 179 tests.
Since the time she could walk, Tamecka Dixon has known the way to the basketball court.
"It put his whole life into perspective," Dixon said. "I think that whole experience taught me something."
That something became clear during her sophomore year in high school. After Dixon's freshman year, she transferred into the Linden, N.J., school district. During her first year there, Dixon said she did not do well in the classroom.
Dixon said her father understood that basketball was not permanent and stressed the importance of education. In her final two years at Linden, Dixon was named to the academic honor roll.
"When I got down a little bit, he was there to pick me up," Dixon said. "I think I had a jump on a lot of things because my dad had been through it."
Following Dixon's sophomore year, her life got better in
the classroom and on the hardwood. After Linden won its first-ever county title that year, the team went on to win two consecutive state titles.
Dixon earned most valuable player honors in both state championship games and also was named a Kodak All-American after her senior season.
When it came down to choosing a college, recruiters from across the nation came to Dixon. But she had to overcome a brief bout with culture shock coming to Kansas from Linden, which is located between Staten Island, N.Y., and Newark, N.J.
"Now, I like Kansas a lot," she said. "I think it's laid back and slow—very slow—but I really like the environment here."
With the experience at point guard last season and this summer, Dixon has worked to become more comfortable with her role. Already this season, she has recorded 48 assists, six more than she did all of last year.
"As a freshman, it hit me kind of hard," Dixon said. "I had to be Coach Washington on the floor."
"She's really come a long way," Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said earlier this season. "She really wanted to assume responsibility this year."
Dixon said she was also comfortable coming off the bench this year. She started six games as a freshman but has started just one this year.
"My role as being the sixth or seventh man coming off the bench is to give our team a lift, an emotional lift," Dixon said.
Dixon did just that during Kansas' 73-81 loss to Oklahoma State on Sunday. She scored 13 points and dished out five assists as the Jayhawks nearly overcame an 18-point second half deficit.
"Certainly this should help boost Tamecka's confidence, "Washington said. "I thought she did a very nice job on both ends."
1.
Valerie Crow/
KANSAN
Tamecka
Dixon,
Westfield,
N.J.,
freshman,
dribbles down
the court in
the KU game
against
Oklahoma.