SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, March 14, 1994
11
Cowboys shoot blanks against'Huskers
Boone leads Cornhuskers to first title
The'Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Danny Nee just took another step toward putting that other program at Nebraska on the man.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys 77-68 yes.
Nebraska won the Big Eight's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the first time in 98 years of 'Huskers basketball that the team has won the tournament and posted consecutive 20-victory.seasons.
terday in the final of the Big Eight tournament — the first tournament title for a basketball team used to playing in the shadow of one of the nation's best football programs.
souri and No. 23 Oklahoma State for the conference tournament title. "Our guys showed heart, determination and mental toughness. It is a real feat to beat Oklahoma State, Missouri and Oklahoma in three days."
Nee will lead Nebraska, 20-9, into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time.
"This is a giant step for the Nebraska program," said Nee after Nebraska went through Oklahoma, No. 3 Mis-
"We definitely have gained respect," said senior forward Eric Platkowski, named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. "We like to run up and down the court. I think that's the way basketball should be played. Run-and-gun and have a good time."
Oklahoma State picked the wrong day to have trouble shooting and got badly out-rebounded, leaving Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton feeling bad.
"Other than losing the game, this probably hurt us most in seeding." Sutton said in reference to the NCAA Tournament selections. "We've just got to put it out of our minds and go back, regroup and get ready for the 'Big Dance.'"
Oklahoma State, 23-9, had beaten No.11 Kansas in the semifinals Saturday.
The 'Huskers went on a 15-5 run late in the second half, breaking the game against the Cowboys open. Junior forward Melvin Brooks completed a three-point play, then hit two free throws, putting Nebraska ahead 68-61 with 2:05 left.
The Cowboys then missed shots on two trips down the court and Johnson completed a three-point play on a fast break for a 71-61 Huskers lead with less than two minutes to play.
Oklahoma State stayed close with 3-pointers by senior guard Scott Sutton and junior guard Randy Rutherford.
Nebraska opened up a 56-51 lead with 7:30 to play, but the Cowboys came back to a 56-56 tie on a three-point play by junior Bryant Reeves and a basket by Rutherford.
It was the ninth tie in a game that featured 15 lead changes.
Reeves, the Cowboys' 7-foot, All-Big Eight center, made just six-of-18
shots. Oklahoma State made only 35 percent of its shots. Reeves finished with 18 points.
Platkowski, Nebraska's best scorer, also had a bad game, hitting just four-of-16 shots and finishing with 10 points. He had set a tournament record with 42 points in the opener against Oklahoma.
The Cowboys were out-rebounded by a wide margin for the second straight game, losing the battle of the backboards 52-39.
Sophomore guards Jaron Boone had 15 points and Erick Strickland added 13 for Nebraska.
Cowboys rope' Hawks in tournament semifinal
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas' possible seed in the NCAA Tournament was in the back of the players' minds after losing to Oklahoma State 69-68 on Saturday in the Big Eight Tournament.
Although the No.23 Cowboys were the higher seed in the conference tournament,No.11 Kansas' loss may have affected its placement in the national tournament.
The Jayhawks' record dropped to 25-7 overall and 1-1 in postseason play, and the Cowboys will enter the "Big Dance" at 23-9 and 2-1.
"I'm a little disappointed after losing, but the tournament will be an exciting time," Kansas freshman guard Jacque Vaughn said. "I'm looking forward to it."
After the Cowboys defeated Kansas, they lost to Nebraska 77-68 yesterday in the conference tournament final. Nebraska won its first conference tournament title ever, and its play in the tournament secured it a spot as one of the final 64 NCAA Tournament teams.
For many Kansas players, losing in the conference semifinals was a disappointment. Senior forward Richard Scott said the team had wanted to win the championship after losing the regular season title to Missouri.
Another unhappy player was Kansas senior forward Patrick Richey, who was unable to play against Oklahoma State because of a hip pointer. He suffered the injury in the Jayhawks' 73-52 victory against Kansas State when he drove for a lavun and landed on his hip.
Richey, who is from Lee's Summit, Mo., said he was angry that he could not play in Kemper Arena.
"It's so frustrating because this is it for me," he said. "Everybody knows that this is my favorite place to play."
The defeat might have been easier to take if it would not have ended in such
dramatic fashion. The dramatics have become commonplace when the Cowboys face the Jayhawks. The last four games between these two teams have been decided by a total of six points.
Oklahoma State had a 69-68 lead with 29.3 seconds left when Kansas took possession of the ball. Kansas senior guard Steve Woodberry dribbed down the right side and put up a bank shot that hit the backboard, then the rim, and came out.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said, as a fan, he thought that Woodberry had been fouled on the shot.
"Steve had one from 8 feet out that you would love to have seen a foul called on," he said. "But I'm not complaining."
Kansas junior center Greg Ostertag tried to tip Woodberry's miss, but it rolled over the back of the rim with no success.
A tie-up for the ball followed, and the Jayhawks had possession for an out-of-bounds play with 00.9 seconds on the clock. Sophomore forward Sean Pearson tried to find Scott, but the ball was jugged underneath the basket while time expired.
Ostertag said he and Oklahoma Statejuniorcenter Bryant Reeves had battled throughout the game. Ostertag ended with 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.
"I wished I would have dunked it on that play," he said. "I tapped it, and it didn't go in. I don't think I played quite as hard today as I had in the past. They're really the only team in the Big Eye that matches up with us well."
Reeves performed better than he had in his two regular season games against Kansas. He improved on his two-game 15.5 points a game average with 27 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday.
Williams said it had been tough to defeat the Cowboys with Reeves hitting 15 of 17 free throws.
Oklahoma St. 69. Kansas 68
OKLAHOMA ST. (23-9, 12-5)
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Roberts 2-3 1-2 5
Burley 4-8 1-1 10
Reeves 6-17 15-17 27
Rutherford 0-5 2-2 2
Thompson 3-8 0-0 9
Sutton 0-1 0-0 0
Collins 1-1 0-0 2
Manzer 4-8 1-1 12
Pierce 1-1 0-0 2
Phillip 0-0 0-0 0
Totals 21-52 20-23 69
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Vaughn 3-7 0-6 6
Woodberry 8-15 1-2 20
Scott 5-9 4-7 14
Ostertag 6-11 1-1 13
Pollard 0-1 2-2 2
Rayford 0-1 0-0 0
Gurley 1-4 1-2 4
Pearson 4-11 1-2 9
Williams 0-1 0-0 0
Totals 27-61 10-16 68
KANSAS (25-7,10-6)
Halftime Oklahoma St. 30, Kansas 32.
3-point goals Oklahoma St. 7-17 (Thompson
3-5, Manzer 3-6, Burley 1-2, Sutton 0-1,
Rutherford O-3) Kansas 4-12 (Woodberry 3-
5, Gurley 1-4, Pearson 0-2, Vaughn 0-1).
Rebounds Oklahoma St. 25 (Revenel 1-1),
Davis 1-4 (Davis 1-4), Oklahoma St. 16 (Thompson 5, Sutton 0-1).
Kansas 14 (Vaughn 6). Total fouls
Oklahoma St. 17, Kansas 16. Attendance
17,496
"We sent him to the line too much," he said. "You can't guard him at the foul line. He's a 59 or 60 percent free throw shooter, so it does show the type of competitor he is."
Kansas let a 40-32 lead slip away in the beginning of the second half. Vaughn said the defeat would be tough to forget.
"We can't put our heads down," he said. "When we have a team down, we have to keep them down. Games like this really linger in the back of your mind."
Tom Leininger / KAN$AN
With 8 seconds left, Kansas senior guard Steve Woodberry attempts a shot over Oklahoma State freshman guard Chianti Roberts. The ball bounced off the rim, and junior center Greg Ostertag tried to tip the ball in, but could not. Time eventually ran out for the Jayhawks, who lost to the Cowboys 69-68.
E
While he crosses home plate after hitting a home run, senior outfielder Darryl Monroe is greeted by junior third baseman Brent Wilhelm. The Jayhawks beat Central Missouri state yesterday 14-5.
Heather Lofflin / KANSAN
Second inning helps 'Hawks kick Mules
By Andrew Gilman
Kansas survived a rocky first inning and rebounded with six runs in its half of the second, recording its eighth consecutive victory, 14-5, against Central' Missouri State yesterday at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Kansas improved to 11-4 and kept its home record perfect at 8-0. The Mules dropped to 12-3 but made things tough for the Jayhawks early in the game.
Kansan sportswriter
During the first inning, Central Missouri State was the beneficiary of two Jayhawk errors, a wild pitch and a hit batter by senior Kansas pitcher Chris Corn. But the Mules could muster only one run.
"Coach came out and told me I was being too defensive," Corn said. "He said that we were throwing inside and outside but not throwing to get guys out."
Corn settled down, got a fly out and then picked off a runner, getting out of the jam.
Although Corn walked four batters in six innings, he allowed only four hits and one
Kansas, which had another solid outing from its pitching core, got the big inning in the second, providing some relief for Corn.
The inning was highlighted by senior center fielder Darryl Monroe, who during the seventh inning hit his fourth home run of the year. Monroe went three for five with four RBIs. His two-run double put the Jayhawks ahead 6-1.
"I'm feeling a lot more confident with my stroke," Monroe said. "I'm working on trying to be more aggressive and confident."
Monroe is doing just that. He leads the team with seven stolen bases, bats .381 and is tied for the team lead in home runs with four and RBIs with 15.
"Darrylis just a great player," coach Dave Bingham said. "He's very experienced, and he knows what to do at the right time. He's the anchor we rest on."
Kansas put the game away in the second and added two more runs in each of the
Sophomore pitcher Clay Baird started the seventh inning and pitched three innings. He gave up three runs and five hits on his way to recording his second save of the season.
earned run, which was good for his second victory against no losses this season.
next three innings, building a comfortable 12-2 margin.
...!?
The Jayhawks pounded Mules' starter Bob Poisal for eight runs in just two and two-thirds innings. Four of the runs were unearned
Poisal absorbed the loss. He was 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA coming into the game but was the victim of Mule errors, two of which came in the second inning.
The Jayhawks defeated Central Missouri State on Saturday 8-7.
Kansas scored two runs in the ninth inning, giving sophomore Jason Schreiber his first win of the season.
The Jayhawks will try to tie a program record tomorrow when they go for their ninth consecutive win. They will play host to Emporia State at 3 p.m. at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
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