ChipperF1
12-17-2001, 01:47 AM
A 14 point loss? Don't be fooled. Sunday's Nebraska-Drake wasn't as close as the score indicates.
For starters, the lasses built a nice lead for the first half. Keasha Cannon and Shannon Howell where leading the way with some clutch buckets. The game was higher scoring than we'd like but Nebraska was keeping Drake at bay.
Then with 4 minutes left, Drake made their move. Ja'nae Mosley and Stephanie Schmitz scored on back-to-back buckets, and opened up a 11-0 run to end the half at 50-44 Drake.
Perfect opportunity for Nebraska. They had confidently carried the fight for 17 minutes, and where still in it. All they needed to do was climb back in the fray in the second half.
Unfortunately, the Nebraska Cornhuskers just don't do that anymore http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/frown.gif
In the first 17 minutes of the first half, Nebraska scored 41 points.
In the first 17 minutes of the second half, Nebraska scored 16 points, and trailed by as many as 22. Drake called off the dogs in the final 3 minutes, and Nebraska made a nice symbolic run to try make the agate type in the Omaha World-Herald look good.
WHAT WORKED FOR NEBRASKA
1. Keasha Cannon. She was about the only thing that did. 14 points, 7 rebounds (led the team), 4 steals, 3 assists. Since being called out against Tulane, she has responded to the challenege in every game since.
2. Shannon Howell. She needs to get a little selfish offensively. She was passing some shots up today to pass off. Defensively she's still deficient, but getting better.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR NEBRASKA
1. Inside Play. The Huskers we're outrebounded 43-27, meaning the team had better become a better shooting team (Nebraska shot 58.1% in the first half, 33% in the second half. 24% in the first 17 minutes of the first half). The Huskers tried 5 different power forward-post combinations, and they combined for 8 rebounds.
Katie Morse, the starting center, had 1 board all day, and was benched for...
2. Stephanie "Charo" Jones. She had a golden chance to get herself back in the starting lineup...and she comes up with 3 points, 2 rebounds in 19 minutes on 1-for-5 shooting?
This is a High School "All-American"?
You know, Carla Bennett was never as lauded as Stephanie Jones was when they were both playing HS ball in Omaha.
It just goes to show you, you never know until they reach campus.
3. Katie Robinette. Don't be fooled by 16 points and 6 rebounds. She was worthless defensively today, as Drake was able to shot mid-range and penetrate, and more importantly draw fouls on Katie (she had 4). Foul trouble was Robinette's prime weakness in high school play, and its bit her today.
Robinette played 23 minutes, in a game where she was needed for 30+
4. Aggressiveness. Nebraska in the second half tried to K.C. Cowgill their way out of the hole, instead of challenging with penetration. Over Cannon wasn't taking it in on Bennett.
Proof of a Milquetoast response? Nebraska shot exactly 1 FREE THROW IN THE SECOND HALF!
THE LOWDOWN ON DRAKE.
How this team lost to Iowa State by 30 eludes me. But then again, Nebraska is a jabroni team for Drake. After all Drake's made back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances, and should make another this year.
Carla Bennett's presence opened up a lot of Bulldog opportunities. 19 points, 5 rebounds. But her biggest value was intimidation. Nebraska had no one who can play with her. The Huskers were forced to double team and triple team, and it opened up a lot of people, especially as Husker shooting went cold in the second half.
Jayme Anderson drove and shot to 19 points. Ja'nae Mosley put up 16 points. Stephanie Schmitz scored 11.
The biggest embarassment? Freshman backup center Maureen Head had 13 points and 4 rebounds. More than any post player designate on the Nebraska team.
For Carla Bennett and Ja'nae Mosley, the game was especially sweet. Both were Nebraska HS all-starters. Both were given short shrift by Nebraska at recruiting time.
OVERALL OUTLOOK: Only the most myopic Husker fan really thinks this team is good. How Nebraska got Top 25 votes last week baffles me.
As a fan, I'm disappointed. Its bad enough that the program put together a smoke-and-mirror schedule, but too often in the last two games, this team is starting to follow last years pattern. Get knocked down, panic, then resign to defeat.
The next two games feature two of the worst teams in the country. Chicago State is led by the worst coach in the country, period. Nebraska should NEVER lose to Cheryl Littlejohn coached team. Any college thet would hire this woman after what she did to Minnesota must seriously have it sanity questioned.
In more than two weeks, the big 12 schedule starts. Based on what I've seen, Nebraska is still uncompetitive.
In
For starters, the lasses built a nice lead for the first half. Keasha Cannon and Shannon Howell where leading the way with some clutch buckets. The game was higher scoring than we'd like but Nebraska was keeping Drake at bay.
Then with 4 minutes left, Drake made their move. Ja'nae Mosley and Stephanie Schmitz scored on back-to-back buckets, and opened up a 11-0 run to end the half at 50-44 Drake.
Perfect opportunity for Nebraska. They had confidently carried the fight for 17 minutes, and where still in it. All they needed to do was climb back in the fray in the second half.
Unfortunately, the Nebraska Cornhuskers just don't do that anymore http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/frown.gif
In the first 17 minutes of the first half, Nebraska scored 41 points.
In the first 17 minutes of the second half, Nebraska scored 16 points, and trailed by as many as 22. Drake called off the dogs in the final 3 minutes, and Nebraska made a nice symbolic run to try make the agate type in the Omaha World-Herald look good.
WHAT WORKED FOR NEBRASKA
1. Keasha Cannon. She was about the only thing that did. 14 points, 7 rebounds (led the team), 4 steals, 3 assists. Since being called out against Tulane, she has responded to the challenege in every game since.
2. Shannon Howell. She needs to get a little selfish offensively. She was passing some shots up today to pass off. Defensively she's still deficient, but getting better.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR NEBRASKA
1. Inside Play. The Huskers we're outrebounded 43-27, meaning the team had better become a better shooting team (Nebraska shot 58.1% in the first half, 33% in the second half. 24% in the first 17 minutes of the first half). The Huskers tried 5 different power forward-post combinations, and they combined for 8 rebounds.
Katie Morse, the starting center, had 1 board all day, and was benched for...
2. Stephanie "Charo" Jones. She had a golden chance to get herself back in the starting lineup...and she comes up with 3 points, 2 rebounds in 19 minutes on 1-for-5 shooting?
This is a High School "All-American"?
You know, Carla Bennett was never as lauded as Stephanie Jones was when they were both playing HS ball in Omaha.
It just goes to show you, you never know until they reach campus.
3. Katie Robinette. Don't be fooled by 16 points and 6 rebounds. She was worthless defensively today, as Drake was able to shot mid-range and penetrate, and more importantly draw fouls on Katie (she had 4). Foul trouble was Robinette's prime weakness in high school play, and its bit her today.
Robinette played 23 minutes, in a game where she was needed for 30+
4. Aggressiveness. Nebraska in the second half tried to K.C. Cowgill their way out of the hole, instead of challenging with penetration. Over Cannon wasn't taking it in on Bennett.
Proof of a Milquetoast response? Nebraska shot exactly 1 FREE THROW IN THE SECOND HALF!
THE LOWDOWN ON DRAKE.
How this team lost to Iowa State by 30 eludes me. But then again, Nebraska is a jabroni team for Drake. After all Drake's made back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances, and should make another this year.
Carla Bennett's presence opened up a lot of Bulldog opportunities. 19 points, 5 rebounds. But her biggest value was intimidation. Nebraska had no one who can play with her. The Huskers were forced to double team and triple team, and it opened up a lot of people, especially as Husker shooting went cold in the second half.
Jayme Anderson drove and shot to 19 points. Ja'nae Mosley put up 16 points. Stephanie Schmitz scored 11.
The biggest embarassment? Freshman backup center Maureen Head had 13 points and 4 rebounds. More than any post player designate on the Nebraska team.
For Carla Bennett and Ja'nae Mosley, the game was especially sweet. Both were Nebraska HS all-starters. Both were given short shrift by Nebraska at recruiting time.
OVERALL OUTLOOK: Only the most myopic Husker fan really thinks this team is good. How Nebraska got Top 25 votes last week baffles me.
As a fan, I'm disappointed. Its bad enough that the program put together a smoke-and-mirror schedule, but too often in the last two games, this team is starting to follow last years pattern. Get knocked down, panic, then resign to defeat.
The next two games feature two of the worst teams in the country. Chicago State is led by the worst coach in the country, period. Nebraska should NEVER lose to Cheryl Littlejohn coached team. Any college thet would hire this woman after what she did to Minnesota must seriously have it sanity questioned.
In more than two weeks, the big 12 schedule starts. Based on what I've seen, Nebraska is still uncompetitive.
In