Sports – Page 383 – North Platte Post Archive

Abdullah Hurt, No. 17 Nebraska Beats Purdue 35-14

Posted on November 2, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Imani Cross ran for two short touchdowns after Heisman Trophy hopeful Ameer Abdullah left the game with a mild sprain to his left knee, and No. 17 Nebraska defeated Purdue 35-14 on Saturday to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West.

The Cornhuskers (8-1, 4-1, No. 15 CFP) are a half-game ahead of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin after their third straight win. Purdue (3-6, 1-4) lost its third in a row.

Tommy Armstrong Jr. ran for 70 yards and a touchdown and passed for another score. Cross carried 20 times for 66 yards. Akeem Hunt led Purdue with 66 yards on 21 carries.

Abdullah, who came into the game third nationally in rushing at 156 yards a game, injured his left knee on the Huskers’ second possession while recovering Armstrong’s fumbled snap at the Purdue 1-yard line. Abdullah returned to carry one more time, losing 5 yards, and didn’t return.

The senior has run for at least 200 yards in a nation-leading four games and has 1,250 for the season.

Rockies Decline $12M Option on Anderson

Posted on November 2, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies declined left-handed starter Brett Anderson’s $12 million option for 2015 on Saturday.

The Rockies will pay Anderson a $1.5 million buyout, and he became a free agent.

Anderson went 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA in an injury-filled season, his first in Colorado after a five-year stay with the Oakland Athletics.

Anderson had two stints on the 60-day disabled list The first was with a fractured left index finger and the second with lower back problems. He ended up starting just eight games, finishing with 29 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Anderson is 27-32 with a 3.73 ERA in his career.

Chiefs Elevate Sorensen for Depth, Release Square

Posted on November 2, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have elevated defensive back Daniel Sorensen to the 53-man roster and released defensive end Damion Square ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Sorensen, who signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, played in the season opener against Tennessee on Sept. 7 before getting released. He signed with their practice squad four days later and has been working out with the Chiefs ever since.

Kansas City was in need of depth after ruling out cornerbacks Jamell Fleming with a hamstring injury and Chris Owens with a knee injury for Sunday’s game.

Square was claimed by the Chiefs from Philadelphia on Aug. 31. He played in 10 games for the Eagles last season but had not played for the Chiefs.

Royals Decline 2015 Option on DH Billy Butler

Posted on November 2, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have declined their option for next season on Billy Butler, making the former All-Star designated hitter a free agent for the first time in his eight-year career.

The Royals elected to pay Butler a $1 million buyout rather than exercise their $12.5 million option for next season. There is still the chance Butler could sign a new contract with the club that chose him in the first round of the 2004 amateur draft.

Butler was an All-Star two years ago, when the game was played in Kansas City. But he hit just .271 with nine homers and 66 RBIs this season, far below his career averages.

He hit .262 with eight RBIs during the playoffs as the Royals reached World Series.

Capitols Edge Storm In First Ever Meeting

Posted on November 1, 2014

MADISON, Wis. – The Tri-City Storm (6-3-1) played catch-up for most of the night and fell short, losing 5-4 to the Madison Capitols (2-5-2) in the teams’ first ever meeting at the Alliant Energy Center on Friday night.

Four different Storm forwards scored in the loss, including Nick Master, Nolan Aibel, Chris Wilkie and Chase Berger. For Aibel, the tally was his first of the season, while Wilkie got his team-leading sixth of the year.

The Capitols took the lead on the first shift of the game, scoring just 11 seconds into the contest on a shot by forward Guillaume Leclerc.

Madison held the early advantage until late in the period when Master stole a puck at the top of the offensive zone and beat netminder Darren Smith up high with a wrist shot to tie things at 1-1.

After the first intermission, the Capitols once again regained the lead with an early goal at 1:19 of the middle frame. Forward Ryan Lohin gave Madison a 2-1 lead, his first of two tallies in the period.

Tri-City tied things up again under a minute later. During a delayed penalty, forward Matthew Freytag found Aibel in front for a redirection. The tally was the Brookville, N.Y. native’s second in USHL play, after scoring one goal during the 2013-14 season.

Minutes later, forward Will Johnson gave Madison a 3-2 lead with his third goal of the season before Lohin made it 4-2 with his second tally to open up the game.

Towards the close of the second period, Wilkie capitalized on a power play just nine seconds into the man-advantage. Forward Jake Wahlin found the Omaha native open in the high-slot and Wilkie shot the puck into the lower left corner of the net to make it a 4-3 game.

Berger tied things back up for the third time with his second goal of the season just 2:59 into the final period. After the goal, the Capitols pulled Smith in favor of backup goaltender Garrett Metcalf.

But the Capitals regained the lead less than a minute later on a goal by Sam McCormick and held on for good.

Metcalf stopped all 12 shots that came his way after replacing Smith, earning the victory for Madison.

Alec Dillon got the start in net for Tri-City and made 29 saves in the loss. The Storm outshot Madison 35-34 on the night.

The two clubs will finish their weekend series in Madison on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.

Tri-City will return home to take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks Nov. 7-8 at the Viaero Event Center in Kearney.

Notes: The Storm scratched forward Wade Allison and defenseman Gordi Myer. Forwards Garrett Gamez and Conner Valesano were also scratched, serving a two-game suspension…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Madison – Guillaume Leclerc (Will Johnson) 0:11
Tri-City – Nick Master (unassisted) 17:45

2nd Period

Madison – Ryan Lohin (Sam McCormick, Alec Vanko) 1:19
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel (Matthew Freytag, Aleksi Ainali) 1:57
Madison – Will Johnson (Haralds Egle, Cooper Watson) 4:28
Madison – Ryan Lohin (power play) (Mason Anderson, Alec Vanko) 11:05
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (power play) (Jake Wahlin, Bobby Nardella) 16:15

3rd Period

Tri-City – Chase Berger (Jake Wahlin, Cody Milan) 2:59
Madison – Sam McCormick (Mitch Hults, Guillaume Leclerc) 3:45

PENALTIES

1st Period

Tri-City – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 10:03
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), 2 min, 18:14
Madison – Marco Richter – (Elbowing), 2 min, 18:14

2nd Period

Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Holding), 2 min, 10:03
Tri-City – Aleksi Ainali – (Tripping), 2 min, 12:20
Madison – Tommy Muck – (Roughing), 2 min, 13:08
Madison – Will Johnson – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 16:06
Madison – Will Johnson – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 16:06

3rd Period

Tri-City – Matthew Freytag – (Holding), 2 min, 4:17
Madison – Jarod Zirbel – (Roughing), 2 min, 9:01
Tri-City – Alec Dillon – (Roughing), 2 min, 9:01
Madison – Guillaume Leclerc – (Tripping), 2 min, 13:04
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 20:00

Power Play

Tri-City – 1/3

Madison – 1/4

Shots

Tri-City: 10, 10, 15 = Total: 35
Madison: 12, 15, 7 = Total: 34

Saves

Tri-City – Alec Dillon – 29/34
Madison – Darren Smith – 19/23, Metcalf – 12/12

Huskers Sweep Past Rutgers

Posted on November 1, 2014

New Brunswick, N.J. – The No. 14 Nebraska volleyball team took care of business in a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-18) sweep at Rutgers on Friday night at College Ave. Gym.

The win was the first-ever for the Huskers against their new Big Ten foe, although the teams only met once previously in 1978.

Kadie Rolfzen led the Huskers (13-7, 7-4 Big Ten) with 20 kills and hit .372. Kelsey Fien added 12 kills, and Amber Rolfzen had eight kills, nine digs and four blocks. Melanie Keil chipped in six kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Mary Pollmiller had 42 set assists, and Justine Wong-Orantes led the team in digs with 16.

Lauren Cloyd led Rutgers (7-17, 0-11 Big Ten) with 12 kills, and Mikaela Matthews had eight. The two had just two combined attacking errors and hit .439, while the rest of the Scarlet Knights hit .051 on the night.

The Huskers hit .292 as a team to .198 for Rutgers. Nebraska had a 49-47 advantage in digs. Rutgers outblocked NU 9.0-6.5.

The Huskers had to play from behind to begin the match, rallying from a 14-11 deficit to take a 15-14 lead after four consecutive kills by Kadie Rolfzen. That lead marked NU’s first of the match. Rutgers, however, did not go away and had the set even at 23-23, forcing the Huskers’ second timeout. Nebraska finished strong, though, with a Kadie Rolfzen kill and a Pollmiller/Meghan Haggerty stuff to finish the set at 25-23. Rutgers outhit NU .361 to .298 in the first set and had a 5-1 blocks advantage. But Nebraska scored 20 of its 25 points on kills. Kadie and Amber Rolfzen had nine and five kills in the set, respectively, and the duo combined to hit .393.

Nebraska jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second set, but Rutgers regrouped and rallied to take a 10-9 lead on a Matthews kill. Kira Larson entered the match and produced two key kills to give the Huskers one-point leads, but Rutgers tied it each time. The Huskers put together a 3-0 run to go up 20-17 with a kill by Fien and a block by Amber Rolfzen and Keil. But Rutgers fought to win the next two points and cut it to 20-19. The Huskers finished out the 25-21 win on the strong play at the net of Larson and Amber Rolfzen. The two teamed up for back-to-back blocks and got their hands on numerous other Scarlet Knight attacks to ensure the Huskers took a 2-0 lead.

Set three was back and forth, but Kadie Rolfzen tipped a kill, and Pollmiller won a joust at the net for a 14-11 Big Red lead. Rutgers pulled within 15-14, but consecutive kills by Fien and a hitting error by Rutgers made it 18-14 NU. Leading 19-17, the Huskers got another kill from Fien and Annika Albrecht’s second ace of the night to go up 21-17. After a Rutgers timeout, Keil and Amber Rolfzen combined for a block, and then Keil and Kadie Rolfzen teamed up to put NU up 23-17 before the Huskers wrapped up the sweep.

The Huskers are right back at it on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT) at Maryland, who was swept by Iowa on Friday evening. No TV or Internet viewing options are available for Saturday’s match.

Seniors Lead Huskers to 2-1 Comeback Win

Posted on November 1, 2014

Lincoln, Neb. – Seniors Samantha Areman and Caroline Gray each scored to lead Nebraska to a 2-1 victory over Iowa on Senior Day in the final game in Nebraska Soccer Field history on Friday afternoon.

Areman’s goal came in the 35th minute off her corner kick, which sailed past the Hawkeye goalkeeper on the near side. The goal marked her first of the season and third of her career at Nebraska, as the Huskers tied the score 1-1.

Gray broke the tie in the 76th minute when she knocked in the game winner to the upper left corner off a Mayme Conroy assist. The goal marked Gray’s third of the season, as Conroy picked up her third assist of the 2014 campaign.

Iowa’s goal came in the sixth minute when Cloe Lacasse chipped it over Husker goalkeeper Kelly Schatz off a breakaway, giving the Hawkeyes an early 1-0 lead. Schatz collected three saves for the game.

The Huskers outshot Iowa 15-8, which included an 8-3 edge in the second half. Conroy, Haley Hanson and Caroline Flynn each contributed to NU’s seven shots on goal for the game.

The Huskers finish the regular season with an 8-9-2 record, which includes a 4-7-2 mark in Big Ten play. The eight-team field for the Big Ten Tournament will be announced following tonight’s remaining games. The tournament starts on Wednesday and runs through Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Huskers Impress at Intrasquad

Posted on November 1, 2014

The Nebraska wrestling team held its annual Coaches Clinic/Intrasquad event on Friday at the Devaney Center, which gave fans their first chance to see the 2014-15 Huskers.

Head Coach Mark Manning, who enters his 15th season at Nebraska, introduced the team before the exhibition and shared facts about each wrestler during the competition. Assistant Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs also spoke to the crowd about the upcoming season.

The 90-minute workout included matches from all 10 weight classes that will assist the coaching staff in selecting starters for the season.

Reigning All-Americans James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each begin their senior season on Saturday at the NWCA All-Star Classic at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa. The competition begins at 6 p.m. (CT) as Green battles Ian Miller of Kent State and Kokesh wrestles Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon.

The Huskers begin their dual season on the road against Wyoming on Friday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. Nebraska’s first home dual is Sunday, Nov. 16 against Maryland at the NU Coliseum at 1 p.m. NU’s five remaining home duals after Maryland will be contested at the Devaney Center.

No. 16 Huskers Open Exhibition Play with No. 6 Wayne State

Posted on November 1, 2014

The Nebraska women’s basketball team begins its 2014-15 exhibition season by taking on Wayne State College on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The game, which marks the first meeting between the Huskers and Wildcats in women’s basketball since January of 1979, will be carried with free live audio by the Husker Sports Network on Huskers.com.

Tickets for Sunday’s game are available in advance by visiting Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Tickets also will be available at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket Office before the game. Reserved seats are just $10, while adult general admission tickets are just $5. Youth and seniors receive discounted rates, while UNL students with ID are admitted free.

Sunday’s matchup between Nebraska and Wayne State promises to offer quality early season action. The Huskers return four All-Big Ten starters who led the Big Red to a 26-7 record, a Big Ten Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament second round. Honorable-mention AP All-American and first-team All-Big Ten point guard Rachel Theriot rejoins seniors Emily Cady (second-team All-Big Ten), Tear’a Laudermill (second-team All-Big Ten) and Hailie Sample (Big Ten All-Defensive) in 2014-15.

Theriot, a 6-0 junior from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, claimed preseason first-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 assists per game as a sophomore. She averaged 18.7 points and tournament-record 10.0 assists on her way to 2014 Big Ten Tournament MVP honors.

Wayne State returns three starters from a 28-5 team that won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular-season title for the third time in the last four years. The Wildcats have earned trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament four times in the last five years and were recently picked No. 6 nationally in the Division II Women’s Bulletin Preseason Top 25.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (26-7, 12-4 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 6.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – JUCO
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 14.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 11.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Off the Bench
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 3.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg
2 – Kaylee Page – 6-2 – Fr. – F – High School
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – High School
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – High School
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – High School
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (241-142); 25th Season Overall (436-282)

Wayne State College (28-5, 14-4 NSIC)
44 – Jordan Spencer – 5-11 – Sr. – F – 16.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg
3 – Alex Nelson – 6-0 – RFr. – F – Redshirt
31 – Katie Hoskins – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 2.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
21 – Sadie Murren – 5-8 – Jr. – G – Nebraska
12 – Ashton Yossi – 5-8 – Sr. – G – 11.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Off the Bench
40 – Millie Niggeling – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 11.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg
5 – Lauren Davis – 5-10 – Jr. – F – JUCO
22 – Haley Moore – 5-8 – So. – G – Eastern Michigan
15 – Kacie O’Connor – 5-10 – Fr. – F – High School
23 – Jasmine Bretoi – 5-10 – Fr. – G – High School
35 – Maggie Schulte – 6-0 – Fr. – F – High School
42 – Taylor Reiner – 6-3 – Fr. – C – High School
52 – Paige Ballinger – 6-1 – Fr. – F – High School
Head Coach: Chris Kielsmeier (Iowa State, 1999)
Seventh Season at WSC (144-40); 15th Season Overall (323-84)

Husker Seniors Begin Pursuit of Fourth Straight NCAA Bid
Nebraska’s four-player senior class of Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery form the heart of the Husker lineup in 2014-15, after helping the Big Red to the most successful three-year stretch in school history.

Cady and Sample have started all 100 games over the past three years, helping the Huskers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 25 wins per season. NU’s .750 winning percentage over the past three years represents the most successful stretch in school history.
In 2014-15, returning starters Cady, Sample and Laudermill and three-year contributor Jeffery will try to become the first class in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA tournaments.

Big Red Begins in AP Top 25
The Huskers opened the season at No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Thursday, Oct. 30. Nebraska closed the 2013-14 campaign at No. 13 in the AP rankings, which did not include NCAA Tournament results.

NU, which went 26-7 last season and 12-4 in the Big Ten before winning its first Big Ten Tournament title, ended the season at No. 17 in the final USA Today Coaches Top 25. Both Nebraska’s final AP and Coaches Top 25 rankings were the second-best year-end rankings in school history. The Huskers have finished the season in the AP Top 25 four times in the past five years.

The Huskers finished No. 19 in the official NCAA RPI, which was its third-best RPI finish in history – all in the last five seasons.

Before Nebraska Coach Connie Yori came to Nebraska for the 2002-03 season, the Huskers had never finished a season ranked in the top 25 in either of the major polls or the RPI.

Nebraska Opened Basketball Season with Big Red Tip-Off
The Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball programs hit the floor for the first time together on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Big Red Tip-Off at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The fun family-friendly event included 15-minute scrimmages by both the men’s and women’s teams and a head-to-head three-point contest between the two programs.

Nebraska women’s basketball Coach Connie Yori and men’s basketball Coach Tim Miles both addressed the thousands of fans who filled the arena for the free event.

The two teams wrapped up the night with an autograph session at the arena.

Husker Season Ticket Sales Reach Another All-Time High
Nebraska’s second season inside the spectacular Pinnacle Bank Arena promises to be packed with action from start to finish, and Husker women’s basketball fans are showing that they want to see it all in person this season.

Heading into their exhibition opener with Wayne State on Sunday, Nov. 2, Nebraska had already sold a school-record 3,887 season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign.

In their first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, Nebraska shattered its previous season ticket sales record with more than 3,700. The previous record came in 2010-11, when NU sold approximately 2,700 season tickets.

Last season, Nebraska ranked No. 11 nationally with an average home attendance of 6,161 fans per game. The Huskers ranked No. 8 nationally in total attendance with 110,892 fans flocking to the arena to watch the Big Red roll to a 16-2 home record.

Theriot Claims Preseason All-Big Ten Honors
Nebraska junior Rachel Theriot captured preseason first-team All-Big Ten team announced at Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Media Day on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Theriot, a 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, joined senior point guards Rachel Banham (Minnesota) and Samantha Logic (Iowa) on the five-play honor squads of both the conference coaches and media. Michigan State sophomore Aerial Powers and Northwestern sophomore Nia Coffey rounded out the coaches top five. Sophomores Amanda Zahui from Minnesota and Lexie Brown from Maryland, along with junior Ameryst Alston from Ohio State claimed spots on the media’s six-player team.

As a team, Nebraska was picked No. 3 in the conference by the media, trailing Maryland and Michigan State. Iowa earned the No. 3 spot ahead of the Huskers in the coaches ranking of the top three teams.

Scouting the Wayne State Wildcats
Coach Chris Kielsmeier brings a talented Wayne State team to Lincoln for Sunday’s game. The Wildcats are coming off one of the best seasons in school history in 2013-14, when they ran to a 28-5 overall record and their third Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular-season title in the last four years. They also earned their fourth trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in the last five seasons.

Wayne State opens the 2014-15 season at No. 6 in the Division II Women’s Bulletin Preseason Top 25. Kielsmeier, who owns an impressive 144-40 record entering his seventh season at Wayne State, is a 1999 graduate of Iowa State and spent time as an intern under Coach Bill Fennelly with the Cyclones before spending one season as an assistant at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, in 1999-2000. He became Howard Payne’s head coach in 2000.

The Wildcats featured an efficient offense under Kielsmeier in 2013-14, averaging 75.8 points per game while hitting 46.2 percent of their shots, including 38.3 percent of their threes. WSC also knocked down 75.2 percent of its free throws. The Wildcats owned a plus-3.1 team turnover margin and committed just 14.0 turnovers per game last season.

Wayne State returns just two starters from last year’s team, but those two were WSC’s top two scorers.

Jordan Spencer, a 5-11 senior forward from Omaha, averaged a team-best 16.2 points while adding 6.2 rebounds last season. The UNO transfer and Millard West grad also led the Wildcats with 51 steals.

Senior Ashton Yossi added 11.5 points and 2.8 boards as WSC’s top three-point threat. The 5-8 guard from Dallas Center, Iowa, knocked down 68 three-pointers while shooting at a 38 percent clip from long range.

Wayne State’s No. 3 scorer from a year ago, Millie Niggeling also returns after averaging 11.3 points and 3.5 boards per game. Niggeling, a 6-1 senior forward out of Iowa’s Sioux City Heelan High School, came off the bench every game last season. She underwent offseason shoulder surgery and recently returned to practice, but is not expected to play against Nebraska in the exhibition opener.

The Wildcats must replace starters Addy Roller (9.1 ppg) and Ellen Hansen (8.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 4.7 apg), who both started all 33 games last season. Wayne State also lost starter Shantel Lehmann, who averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds while starting all 33 contests.

Wayne State could rely on former Husker Sadie Murren to make an instant impact. Murren, a 5-8 guard from Colon, Neb., is expected to start at guard for the Wildcats to help compensate for the 76 combined threes and nearly 40 percent three-point shooting that WSC got from Roller and Hansen in 2013-14.

The Wildcats also added another Division I transfer in Haley Moore. The 5-8 guard from Milford, Neb., went to Wayne State after spending the 2013-14 season with Coach Tory Verdi at Eastern Michigan. WSC added junior college forward Lauren Davis from Gillette College along with a solid five-player freshman class that includes 6-1 forward Paige Ballinger from Pender, Neb., and 6-3 freshman center Taylor Reiner out of Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Freshman center Maggie Schulte from Wynot, Neb., or redshirt freshman Alex Nelson from LaVista, Neb., could earn a start alongside 6-2 junior center Katie Hoskins from Wayne High School.

Nebraska vs. Wayne State Series History
Nebraska faces Wayne State for the first time since Jan. 28, 1979. The Huskers cruised to a 95-42 win to end a string of three straight lopsided victories, including a 93-35 win on Dec. 16, 1978.
The Huskers and Wildcats played each other 10 times in the first five seasons of women’s basketball at Nebraska, splitting the series 5-5.

Nebraska’s fifth game in history came in a 72-44 loss to the Cats at Rice Auditorium in Wayne. WSC added a 74-58 win, March 20, 1975, then beat the Big Red, 68-53, Jan. 23, 1976. NU notched its first win, 71-66 in overtime, Feb. 21, 1976. It was the first of three games in three days at the State Tournament in Fremont. NU added an OT win over the Cats on Feb. 23, 1976.

Hawkins’ $2.25M Option Exercised by Rockies

Posted on November 1, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Closer LaTroy Hawkins’ $2.25 million option for 2015 has been exercised by the Colorado Rockies.

The 41-year-old right-hander, who will be entering his 21st major league season, was 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA and 23 saves in 26 chances for the Rockies this season. His saves total was his highest since 2004 with the Chicago Cubs.

Colorado had until Friday to make a decision on the option, which carried a $250,000 buyout. Hawkins also made $2.25 million this year.

The Rockies also said infielder-outfielder Matt McBride had been sent outright off the 40-man roster to the minors.