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Sanderford brings visibility, success in first year
By Sarah Dose
At the end of its regular season, a record 12,181 fans watched NU cruise past Iowa State 68-60 to a perfect home record. "I don't think women's basketball has ever been as visible in the state as it is now," Sanderford said after the Cornhuskers' loss in the NCAA Tournament to Old Dominion. But Nebraska, which finished its season 23-10, broke more than just attendance records in its 1997-98 season. Senior forward Anna DeForge finished her career fourth on the Husker career charts in four different categories: points (1,859), rebounds (804), assists (392) and steals (222). As a team, the Huskers recorded the most home wins in a season with 16 and tied for most wins in a season with three other seasons. Despite losing to Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, NU advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where it defeated New Mexico 76-59 in the first round. But Nebraska's success didn't last long. The Huskers fell to No. 2 Old Dominion 75-60 in the second round of the Big Dance. As a team, the Huskers finished the game shooting just 39 percent from the field. DeForge, who finished the season shooting 42 percent from the field, hit only 8 of 23 field goal attempts. During four years at Nebraska, DeForge was twice named to the first-team All-Big 12 team and was also an honorable mention All-America selection. Last month, she opted to enter the Women's National Basketball Association draft. After NU's loss to Old Dominion, Sanderford said it would be hard to replace seniors DeForge and Nicole Kubik. DeForge also said she would miss the team. "I'll never have teammates like this again," she said. "This is something that is never going to be replaced." But Sanderford remained confident for the future. "I can guarantee you those sophomores and younger players are going to learn from this," Sanderford said. "This might be the first time that I brought Nebraska to the tournament, but it won't be the last time." | |||
