Monday Morning Sports – Husker Women Advance in WNIT, Husker Baseball Falters with Slow Start, Big Red Football Begins Spring Practices, Kearney Baseball Opens Season at Papio-South, Sweet Sixteen Set, Weekend Sports Recap

HUSKER WOMEN ADVANCE IN WNIT WITH WIN OVER PANTHERS:

Isabelle Bourne notched her second straight double-double to lead four Huskers in double figures, as the Nebraska women’s basketball team cruised to a 77-57 victory over Northern Iowa in the second round of the Postseason WNIT on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The Huskers, who improved to 18-14 overall, attracted their third-largest home crowd of the season with 6,478 fans while becoming the first team nationally to advance to the Postseason WNIT Super 16.

Bourne helped send the Big Red faithful home happy with team highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jaz Shelley added a big game of her own with 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot, while Alexis Markowski added 11 points.

Nebraska will advance to the third round of the WNIT to face the winner of Monday night’s second-round match-up between Missouri and Kansas in Lawrence.

NEBRASKA BASEBALL FAILS TO OVERCOME SLOW START:

Nebraska couldn’t climb out of an early three-run deficit, as the Huskers fell 10-7 in the series finale on Sunday against Nicholls at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.

Nebraska (11-6-1) had seven runs on 10 hits, while the Colonels (12-10) had 10 runs on 18 hits.

Nebraska returns to action on Tuesday, March 21, visiting Creighton at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. First pitch between the Huskers and Bluejays is set for 6 p.m.

HUSKER FOOTBALL BEGINS SPRING PRACTICES:

A new era of Big Red Football begins today for first year Husker Head Coach Matt Rhule. 

Nebraska opens their spring practices today, as the Huskers are allotted 15 practices that culminate in the Red-White Spring Game on April 22 in Memorial Stadium.

Each week has three practices per week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This week is the only week in which there is a Monday practice session. 

Head Coach Matt Rhule and a select players will be available for comments later today.

KEARNEY BASEBALL OPENS SEASON AT PAPIO-SOUTH:

The Kearney Bearcat baseball team begins their season today with a road trip to Papillion-LaVista South to face the Titans. 

Both teams had their opening season games postponed due to inclement weather over the past weekend. 

KGFW’s pregame coverage begins at 2:45 PM with first pitch set at 3 PM. 

STORM DROP OVERTIME HOME MATCHUP TO MUSKETEERS:

The Tri-City Storm dropped an overtime decision to the Sioux City Musketeers Saturday night at the Viaero Center by a final score of 4-3. 

The Storm scored the game-tying goal with six seconds left in the 3rd period to force an overtime finish to the battle. Cameron O’Neill, Kieran Cebrian, and Dane Dowiak netted the Storm’s goals in the loss. 

Tri-City will return to action with three consecutive home games next weekend against the league-leading Fargo Force.

HUSKER WRESTLING CLAIMS TOP TEN FINISH IN NCAA’s:

Husker senior Mikey Labriola (174) ended his stellar run at the 2023 NCAA Championships with a runner-up finish, and the Nebraska wrestling team scored 54.0 points to claim eighth overall. 

Labriola, the second-straight NCAA finalist for the Huskers and first five-time All-American, wrestled in the championship bout, but was pinned by No. 1 Carter Starocci. Labriola concludes his Husker career with a NCAA Championship record of 18-7 and an overall record of 120-28, the ninth-most wins in Husker wrestling history. 

Overall, Nebraska’s four NCAA All-Americans marks the fourth time in six years the program has had four or more claim the award. In the team standings, Penn State finished first (137.5), Iowa was second (82.5), while Cornell (76.5), Ohio State (70.5) and Missouri (64.5) rounded out the Top 5. 

USA ROUTS CUBA TO REACH WBC FINAL:

Trea Turner homered twice to give him a tournament-leading four, and the defending champion United States romped over Cuba 14-2 on Sunday night to reach its second straight World Baseball Classic final.

Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins also homered for the Americans, who scored in seven of eight innings — putting up crooked numbers in five of them. Turner and Goldschmidt had four RBIs each.

The U.S. plays Japan or Mexico in Tuesday night’s championship, trying to join the Samurai Warriors as the only nations to win the title twice.

NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND OF 32 RESULTS; SWEET SIXTEEN SCHEDULE:

ROUND OF 32 – SUNDAY RESULTS:

No. 3 Xavier 84-73 No. 11 Pittsburgh

No. 3 Kansas State 75-69 No. 6 Kentucky

No. 7 Michigan State 69-60 No. 2 Marquette

No. 4 UConn 70-55 No. 5 St. Mary’s (CA)

No. 6 Creighton 85-76 No. 3 Baylor

No. 9 Florida Atlantic 78-70 No. 16 FDU

No. 5 Miami 85-69 No. 4 Indiana

No. 3 Gonzaga 84-81 No. 6 TCU

SWEET SCHEDULE SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY:

No. 9 Florida Atlantic v. No. 4 Tennessee

No. 7 Michigan State v. No. 3 Kansas State

No. 3 Gonzaga v. No. 2 UCLA

No. 8 Arkansas v. No. 4 UConn

FRIDAY:

No. 5 Miami v. No. 1 Houston

No. 5 San Diego State v. No. 1 Alabama

No. 15 Princeton v. No. 6 Creighton

No. 3 Xavier v. No. 2 Texas

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

MONDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Baseball: @ Papillion-LaVista South – 3 PM
    • KGFW Pregame at 2:45 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • Women’s Golf: @ Midwest Intercollegiate @ Warrensburg, MO
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • Baseball: v. Dordt (IA) – 1 PM
  • Softball: @ Nebraska Wesleyan – 4 PM
  • Baseball: v. Dordt (IA) – 4 PM
  • Softball: @ Nebraska Wesleyan – 6 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Baseball @ Papillion-LaVista South (2:45 PM – 5:45 PM)
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Baseball: v. Papillion-LaVista @ Memorial Field – 4 PM
    • KGFW Pregame at 3:45 PM
  • Girls Soccer: @ Fremont – 4:30 PM
  • Boys Soccer: v. Lincoln Northeast @ Kearney High School – 7 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Tennis: @ GICC – 4 PM
  • Girls Soccer: v. Northwest – 4:30 PM
  • Boys Soccer: v. Northwest – 6:15 PM
• UNK:
  • Women’s Golf: @ Midwest Intercollegiate @ Warrensburg, MO
  • Softball: v. Augustana @ Council Bluffs, IA – 1 PM
  • Softball: v. Augustana @ Council Bluffs, IA – 3 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Baseball v. Papillion-LaVista (3:45 PM – 6:45 PM)
  • Nebraska Baseball @ Creighton (6:45 PM – 10:30 PM)

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Baseball: @ Lincoln Southeast @ Den Hartog Field – 4:30 PM
    • KGFW Pregame at 4:15 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • Softball: @ Upper Iowa @ Fayette, IA – 12 PM
  • Softball: @ Upper Iowa @ Fayette, IA – 2 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • Softball: @ College of St. Mary – 3 PM
  • Softball: @ College of St. Mary – 5 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Baseball @ Lincoln Southeast (4:15 PM – 7:15 PM)
  • Sports Nightly (7:15 PM – 8 PM)

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Track & Field: @ Lincoln Northeast Relays – 10:30 AM
  • Girls Soccer: @ North Platte – 6 PM
  • Boys Soccer: @ North Platte – 7:30 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Tennis: @ Hastings – 4 PM
  • Track & Field: @ Minden Triangular – 4 PM
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Baseball: @ LNK Invite @ Densmore Fields – 11 AM
  • Track & Field: v. KHS Indoor Invite @ UNK – 4 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Track & Field @ Aurora Invite – 1 PM
• UNK:
  • M/W T&F: @ Emporia State Relays @ Emporia, KS – 10 AM
  • Women’s Tennis; @ Newman @ Wichita, KS – 1 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Baseball v. Illinois (5:30 PM – 10 PM)

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Boys Soccer: v. KHS Invite
    • KHS v. Burke – 10 AM @ KHS
    • KHS v. Lincoln High – 4 PM @ KHS
  • Baseball: @ LNK Invite @ Densmore Fields – 12 PM
  • Girls Soccer: v. KHS Invite
    • KHS v. Lutheran NE/Norfolk Catholic @ KHS – 2 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Tennis: @ Ralson Invite – 8:30 AM
  • Girls Soccer: @ Seward Tournament – 9:30 AM
  • Boys Soccer: @ Seward Tournament – 9:30 AM
• UNK:
  • M/W T&F: @ Emporia State Relays @ Emporia, KS – 11:30 AM
  • Women’s Tennis: @ Emporia State – 11 AM
  • Softball: @ Fort Hays State – 12 PM
  • Softball: @ Fort Hays State – 2 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE: 
  • Men’s Tennis: @ Concordia – 11 AM
  • Women’s Tennis: @ Concordia – 11 AM
  • Softball: v. Doane – 1 PM
  • Baseball: v. Jamestown – 1 PM
  • Softball: v. Doane – 3 PM
  • Baseball: v. Jamestown – 4 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Baseball v. Illinois (1:30 PM – 6 PM)

SUNDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • Baseball: v. Jamestown – 12 PM
  • Baseball: v. Jamestown – 3 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Baseball v. Illinois (12:30 PM – 5 PM)