Monday Afternoon Sports – Husker Women Prepare for Monday Night Matchup, McGowens Earns Another Big Ten Honor, Super Bowl Stays Home with LA, Local Sports Schedule

HUSKER WOMEN PREPARE FOR MONDAY NIGHT MATCHUP:

Nebraska returns home from a three-game Big Ten road trip to collide with No. 7 Indiana on Valentine’s Day at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the Huskers (18-6, 7-6 Big Ten) and the Hoosiers (18-3, 10-1 Big Ten) is set for 6 p.m. 

Monday’s game will include a celebration of Black History Month, which will include special uniforms worn by the Huskers.

Jaz Shelley led four Huskers in double figures with 21 points in an 82-63 road win at Illinois on Saturday. Fellow Australian Isabelle Bourne added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Bella Cravens contributed a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.

Nebraska will be looking to avenge a 72-65 loss at Indiana on Jan. 13.

McGOWENS EARNS ANOTHER BIG TEN HONOR:

Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens picked up his third consecutive Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award Monday, as he was honored by the conference. 

McGowens averaged 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in helping the Huskers to a 1-1 week. In NU’s win over Minnesota, McGowens had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and four rebounds in the 78-65 victory. He posted his seventh consecutive double-figure effort against Iowa with 11 points and four rebounds in the loss to the Hawkeyes.

It is the sixth time McGowens has received the honor, as he becomes the eighth Big Ten Freshman to receive at least six honors in a season since the freshman weekly award started in 2010-11.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY BELONGS TO LA, FORMER HUSKER TAYLOR AND BENGALS LOSE TO RAMS IN SUPER BOWL 56:

It was not meant to be the Cincinnati Bengals coronation on Sunday, as the Los Angeles Rams came back to win in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 56. 

Former Nebraska Quarterback Zac Taylor’s Bengal squad held a 20-16 advantage through most of the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell on a late touchdown to Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp. 

Former Husker wideout Stanley Morgan appeared in the big game on the special teams unit. 

The win was the Rams’ first in the Super Bowl since the 1999 season and the first under coach Sean McVay. The Bengals were in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season.

ZAC TAYLOR POST-SUPER BOWL COMMENTS:

TAYLOR – RAMS DESERVED TO WIN, PRAISES ORGANIZATION

Head Coach for the Cincinnati Bengals Zac Taylor held his team’s head high in his postgame comments after the Super Bowl 56 loss but gave praise to his former employer the Los Angeles Rams… 

The former Nebraska quarterback was a quarterbacks coach for the Rams in LA’s last Super Bowl run when they fell to the New England Patriots. 

TAYLOR – TEAM SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEIR EFFORTS

Head Coach Zac Taylor on the Cincinnati Bengals spoke in the postgame of Super Bowl 56 about how he is still proud of his team’s efforts all season long… 

The Rams late touchdown sealed the game as Los Angeles won their first title as a franchise since 1999. 

HUSKER MEN BLOWN OUT BY HAWKEYES:

Iowa had a pair of double-digit scoring runs during a dominant first-half performance that powered the Hawkeyes to a 98-75 victory over the Nebraska men’s basketball team Sunday afternoon in Iowa City.

Nebraska led by four six minutes into the game, but Iowa used two huge runs to take a 28-point lead into the locker room at halftime.

Nebraska returns home on Friday for a matchup with the Maryland Terrapins at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

UNK’S EIGHMEY EARNS CAREER WIN 200:

With a win over Rogers State on Saturday afternoon, ​​UNK gave head coach Carrie Eighmey her 200th career win (200-97). 

She is in her seventh season at UNK (132-66) after beginning her career at Hastings College (68-31; three years).

LOPER HOOPS EARNS WIN OVER ROGERS STATE:

The Nebraska-Kearney women’s basketball team sunk eight three pointers and 14 free throws to hold off Rogers State, 70-62, Saturday afternoon at the Health & Sports Center.

The UNK men followed senior forward Austin Luger having a double double and the Lopers went on a 26-6 run to down Rogers State, 68-58, Saturday evening at the Health & Sports Center.

Both teams head to Warrensburg, Miss. on Thursday to battle Central Missouri.

STORM DROP ROAD CONTEST TO FORCE:

The Tri-City Storm dropped a road game to the Fargo Force by a final score of 5-3 to conclude a six-game road trip. The loss for Tri-City was the first regulation loss of the 2022 calendar year. 

The Storm had its season-high 13-game point streak snapped in the loss. 

Tri-City now returns home to host the Omaha Lancers at the Viaero Center on Friday, February 18th after playing eight of the last nine games on the road.

UNK SOFTBALL FINISHES WEEKEND:

The Colorado Christian Cougars scored three runs in the top of the seventh to down Nebraska-Kearney, 4-2, Sunday morning in Lubbock, Texas.

This was the third and final day of the Visit Lubbock Collegiate Classic. UNK (2-3) split on Friday and Saturday and then finished the trip with a single game today.

UNK heads to the Oklahoma City area next weekend for another five games in three days.

HUSKER SOFTBALL MIXED OPENING WEEKEND:

The Nebraska softball team could not produce the clutch hits it needed in a 6-2 loss to South Dakota State Sunday morning, as the Jackrabbits claimed the victory. Each team had seven hits in the game, but the Huskers left nine runners on base while SDSU only left three. 

The Huskers hit the road again next week as they travel to New Mexico State for the Troy Cox Classic. NU will face New Mexico State on Thursday, Feb. 17, Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, Feb. 18, UT Arlington and Northern Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 19, and will finish the weekend on Sunday, Feb. 20 against Iowa State.

NEBRASKA WRESTLING EARNS ANOTHER DUAL WIN:

The No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team defeated Illinois 23-11 to move to 6-4 on the season. The Huskers won seven of 10 bouts, including two by major decision, in route to their third conference win of the season.

The Huskers are back in action against No. 2 Iowa on Feb. 20 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The dual is set to start at 6 p.m. and will air nationally on the Big Ten Network.

AQUALOPERS BEST FINISH AT RMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The Nebraska-Kearney Aqualopers scored 223 points to place sixth at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships this weekend in Grand Junction, Colo.

The four-day meet began Wednesday morning and was hosted by Colorado Mesa.

Having its highest point total at this meet since 2009, UNK saw two more school records fall on Saturday. Senior Claire Nash (Overland Park, Kan.) twice broke her own record in the 100-freestyle (53.08), set this past November. She managed a converted 52.76 in the prelims and then went 52.36 in the evening finals to finish sixth. Nash now owns UNK records in the 50, 100 and 200 free.

LOPER MEN’S TRACK SET MORE RECORDS:

The Nebraska-Kearney track and field team set four new school-records this weekend at the Indoor Gorilla Classic and Ichabod Invite.

Late Friday, the foursome of Hastings junior Seth Simonson, Wallace sophomore Micah Swedberg, Fremont redshirt freshman Wes Ferguson and McCool Junction junior Luke Stuckey finished fourth (9:41.05) out of 27 teams in the distance medley relay. This time currently ranks fifth on the national list and ninth in D2 history.

On Saturday, it was time for UNK to set a new mark in the 4×4 relay. Swedburg, Ferguson, Willis and Ravenna freshman Jack Drahota turned in a 3:14.41. That broke a 21-year old UNK record (3:16.61) and was good for 10th in a tough field of 48.

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • WRESTLING: DISTRICT WRESTLING @ Kearney High School
  • 13 Qualifiers, District A-3 CHAMPS
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: @ Fremont
    • FHS 71-56
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: @ Fremont
    • FHS 74-62
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • WRESTLING: DISTRICTS @ O’Neill
    • Sam Luther, Kade Uelmen State Qualifiers
• UNK:
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: v. Rogers State @ Health & Sports Center
    • UNK 70-62
  • MENS BASKETBALL: v. Rogers State @ Health & Sports Center
    • UNK 68-58
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: @ No. 8 Morningside
    • No. 8 Morningside 69-38
  • MENS BASKETBALL: @ Morningside
    • Morningside 81-64

MONDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: C1-10 SUB DISTRICTS @ Broken Bow – 6 PM
    • #4 KCHS v. #5 Cozad
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: C1-10 SUB DISTRICTS @ Broken Bow – 5:30 PM
    • TBA
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: v. Midland U. @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 6 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: v. Midland U. @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 7:45 PM

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • WRESTLING: BOYS STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • WRESTLING: BOYS STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: C1-10 SUB DISTRICTS @ Broken Bow
    • Championship TBA
• UNK:
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: @ Central Missouri – 5: 30 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: @ Central Missouri – 7:30 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • WRESTLING:BOYS STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: v. Millard North – 6 PM @ Kearney High School
    • Pregame on KGFW at 5:45 PM
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: v. Millard North – 7:45 PM @ Kearney High School
    • Pregame on KGFW at 7:30 PM

• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • WRESTLING: BOYS STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: @ Adams Central – 5:30 PM
• UNK:
  • SOFTBALL: @ Oklahoma City, OK (Central Oklahoma)
    • v. Harding – 10:30 AMv. Oklahoma Christian – 5:15 PM
  • MENS/WOMENS TRACK @ Nebraska Tune Up @ Lincoln, NE
  • MENS/WOMENS TRACK @ Loper Tune Up @ Kearney, NE
  • WOMENS TENNIS: @ Augustana
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • SOFTBALL: @ Lindsborg, KS
    • v. Bethany College (Doubleheader)
  • M/W T&F: GPAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • WRESTLING: BOYS STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • WRESTLING: BOYS STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
• UNK:
  • SOFTBALL: @ Bethany, OK
    • v. Arkansas Tech – 12:45 PM
    • v. Southern Nazarene – 3 PM
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: @ Lincoln U. – 1:30 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: @ Lincoln U. – 3:30 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • SOFTBALL: @ Salina, KS
    • v. Kansas Wesleyan U. (Doubleheader)
  • BASEBALL: @ Joplin, MO
    • v. University of St. Mary
    • v. Evangel University
  • M/W T&F: GPAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: v. No. 16 Northwestern College @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 2 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: v. Northwestern College @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 3:45 PM