Lincoln – Nebraska’s cold-shooting night proved costly, as the Huskers dropped a 64-42 decision to No. 16 Creighton Thursday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

A sellout crowd of 13,368 – the Huskers’ first non-conference sellout since 2006 – saw the Huskers held to a season-low 32.1 percent from the floor, including 25 percent in the first half, as the Bluejays (8-1) jumped out to a 28-17 halftime lead and were in control for much of the night.

All-American Doug McDermott led all scorers with 27 points for the Bluejays, while Gregory Echenique had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Creighton, which snapped the Huskers’ two-game win streak and picked up its first win in Lincoln since 2004.

Seniors Dylan Talley and Brandon Ubel led the Huskers (6-2) with 14 and 10 points respectively, while Ubel grabbed eight boards in a losing effort. Nebraska held Creighton to a season-low 64 points, nearly 20 points below its season average, but NU missed 13 of its first 18 shots and never got untrack offensively.

The matchup between the two rivals was a defensive battle for most of the half, as both offenses were held in check for the first 20 minutes and neither team shot better than 40 percent from the field. Nebraska was within 14-12 with 6:39 left following a Ray Gallegos basket, but the Bluejays ran off seven straight points as part of a 10-2 spurt to build a 24-14 advantage.

In the second half, Nebraska got baskets on its first two possessions to pull within 32-21 and was within 40-28 after a Shavon Shields’ 3-pointer with 15:08 left, but Creighton quickly responded. The Bluejays, who hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half, got 3-pointers from McDermott and Austin Chatman to push the lead back to 18 points and Nebraska was never able to cut into the CU advantage.

The Huskers will be off for final exams and will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 15, when they travel to take on the Oregon Ducks. The game will be carried on the Huskers Sports Network with a 3:30 p.m. (central) tip on Root TV (formerly Fox Sports Northwest).

With assistance from KNEB Radio in Scottsbluff.

Sin City has changed into a cowtown …. with the start of the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Round one of 10 rounds of rodeo begins Thursday night, Dec. 6, at the Thomas and Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV.

The top 15 competitors in seven events are set to compete for the world championship in Rodeo.

Nebraska will be watching two-time World Champion Steer Wrestler Dean Gorsuch of Gering as he makes his –7th trip to the National Finals Rodeo.

Grosuch, a 1998 graduate of Alliance High School,  is currently sitting third in the world.  However, early on in the year his fast gray horse “Pumpjack” shattered his pastern, shortly after that his replacement horse died.

Gorsuch goes into the 2012 NFR with $87 thousand in earrings, just $11 thousand out of first place. With ten rounds ahead of him, he doesn’t worry about the numbers.

Gorsuch is a talented athlete.  He was a state runner-up in high school wrestling in the Class A 189-pound division in 1998 for AHS.

The NFR will be shown live on GAC staring at 8pm. Round one begins tonight with the NFR culminating on Saturday, December 15th.

The 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo gets underway tonight in Las Vegas with the first of 10 rounds of competition at the Thomas and Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV.  It airs on the GAC channel at 8-pm. ]

Each of the 10 rounds pays the winner $18,257…which goes toward the World Championship standings. The scores or times from the 10 rounds are also added together for an average that determines the WNFR winner, who earns another $46,820 and a saddle.

World Champions are determined by adding together a contestant’s WNFR and regular season earnings, bringing them a traditional gold buckle that signifies they are the world’s best in the sport of rodeo.

Of top interest locally are two former World Champions…2-time champion Steer Wrestler Dean Gorsuch of Gering, an Alliance High School graduate, and 2006 Saddle Bronco champ Chad Ferley of Oelrichs.

Gorsuch comes into the NFR sitting third with $87,000 in earnings…just $11,000 out of first…despite losing two horses, one to a broken leg and the other to a brain anuerism. This is the 7th trip to Las Vegas for Gorsuch.

Ferley has only a slim chance of claiming his second Saddle Bronco title. He sits 6th with $76,000…leaving him $57,000 behind the leader.

Steven Dent of Mullen is 2nd in both Bareback Riding and the All-Around Standings. There’s no way he’s catching perennial All-Around winner Trevor Brazile…his $144,000 in earnings is $104,000 less than Brazile…but he’s less than $900 out of 1st in Bareback with $141,000.

Two other Nebraskans also made the WNFR competition…Cort Scheer of Elsmere is 10th in Saddle Broncs at just under $68,000 while Barrel Racer Trula Churchill of Valentine sits 14th with just under $61,000.

Also from the Double Q Country listening area are two South Dakotans… Steer Roper Todd Suhn of Hermosa, and Barrel Racer Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs. Both are 9th in their events…Suhn with $66,000 and Lockhart with $72,000.

As for Trevor Brazile, he comes in with a record 9 All-Around World Championships, 3 in Steer Roping, 3 in Tie-Down Roping, and 1 in Team Roping.

His almost certain All-Around victory will be his record 7th in a row and would give him a record 17 World Champion gold buckles by a multi-event cowboy.

If he and partner Patrick Smith win in Team Roping, Brazile would match legendary Steer Roping specialist Guy Allen for the most championship buckles overall with 18, and he would become the first cowboys with multiple world championships in 4 different categories.

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team is living up to the national attention they are receiving right now, vaulting in the national spotlight with a No. 6 ranking in the latest NJCAA national polls.

The ranking or unbeaten record is not a surprise to the team. Ashley Stevens, a freshman form Bridgeport, said what they are doing on the court is a testament of the hard work they have put in during the pre-season.

“It has been a long road to get here but it is nice that all the hard work is paying off,” she said. “We put in a lot of hard work we first came here, including getting up on Fridays and running our miles to.”

Stevens said the only pressure that is on their back is the everyday pressure of playing together as a unit.

“There is the pressure that we need to play good every game. It will be nice if we can keep going this way, but if not, we will need to regroup and get back on it,” she said. “Being ranked is news to me and it is good that we are getting some recognition now. We just need to play every game because we know everybody will be after us knowing that we are up there.”

The Cougars will showcase their talent to the fans this weekend when they host the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic. Action begins Thursday when the Cougars face Colby Community College at 7 p.m. Action continues Friday and Saturday as the Cougars face Hastings College junior varsity on Friday at 5 p.m. and then Air Force Prep at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Stevens said they are looking forward to playing at home this weekend.

“This weekend we just need to keep our noses to the grindstone and pushing through,” she said. “We can never give up on anything. Even if we are tired, we still need to keep going. It is the will to win more than anything.”

The Cougars success this season is a combination of a stellar defense and an offense that just gets the job done. Stevens said having those two components equals wins for the team. The Cougars are in the top 20 in scoring at 74.9 points a game. WNCC has scored over 85 points a game four times season, including a 96-31 win over Colorado Christian.

Better yet, the Cougars defense right now is one of the best in school history as the Cougars are giving up just 40 points a game. The Cougars have given up the least amount of points in Region IX this season with the other regionals with Central Wyoming allowing giving up 50 points a game and Eastern Wyoming College allowing 60 points a game.

Stevens said having both sides of the ball performing well is a testament to the work ethic of the players.

“Our defensive pressure is what helps gets us our offensive points,” she said. “What we are doing is just a team effort.”

WNCC’s explosion in the rankings has come as a surprise. The Cougars last were ranked in the nation in February 2011. Last season, the Cougars never were ranked. This season, the Cougars entered the rankings at No. 22 on Nov. 21. Then, after bettering Casper College by 30 points 72-42 on Nov. 20, the Cougars leapfrogged the competition to a number 8 ranking last week.

This week, the Cougars are tied at sixth with Georgia Highlands College. The top five in the poll include North Idaho College at 9-0 on top followed by Hutchinson Community College (10-0), Northwest Florida State College (10-0), Iowa Western Community College (11-0), and Trinity Valley Community College (11-1).

Only one other Region IX team is ranked and that is Gillette College at No. 14 with a 12-1 record.

The rankings this season will play a big part in the national tournament after the NJCAA revamped the men’s and women’s tournament. Gone is the 16-team tournament with a consolation bracket. Instead, the tournament is now up to 24 teams with the addition of four at-large teams along with four different regions each year getting a second team into the tournament. Region IX won’t get an automatic second team until 2016, but they still can get an at-large team besides the Region IX champion.

Nationals will now feature a single elimination tournament beginning on Monday and one loss and a team’s season is finished. The at-large teams will be determined by three factors, and the rankings in the national polls play a 60 percent factor in the selection. After that, 20 percent each of the at-large selection will be based on strength of schedule and the region’s history at the national tournament.

For now, though, the Cougar women are focused on the task at hand and that is just getting better game by game. Stevens said this team has a lot of talent, especially after this weekend when they beat a talented Las Vegas Heat all-star team that featured players that played at Division I schools. WNCC won 91-68 against Heat.

“They [Las Vegas Heat] were very athletic and knew what to do,” she said. “They played college basketball before. Coach Harnish told us that one of the girls played at Notre Dame. They were just smart. We just ran the floor well because they weren’t in shape like us, so we had to tire them out.”

The Las Vegas Heat and Casper wins really have set this team apart. Stevens said the depth of the team is starting to stand out.

“We have a full bench of players that can come in at any time,” she said. “Offensively this team is starting to gel. We are getting to a point where we can see each other. We play well together and we know where each other will go. Our offense is coming around a lot.”

After this weekend’s Holiday Classic, the Cougars will wrap up the first semester with a road trip to Colorado Christian junior varsity on Tuesday. Then the Cougars will begin sub-region play in January with hopes of winning the south sub-region and hosting the Region IX tournament in March.

Lady Cougar Holiday Classic Schedule

Thursday, Dec. 6

7 p.m. – WNCC vs. Colby

Friday, Dec. 7

3 p.m. – Colby vs. Air Force Prep

5 p.m. – WNCC vs. Hastings College J.V.

7 p.m. – WNCC men vs. Northwest Kansas Tech

Saturday, Dec. 8

1 p.m. – Colby vs. Hastings College J.V.

3 p.m. – WNCC vs. Air Force Prep

Omaha – Hailie Sample scored a career-high 20 points but No. 25 Nebraska suffered a 66-57 loss to in-state rival Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena on Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Huskers slipped to 6-3, with all three losses to 2012 NCAA Tournament teams. The defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Bluejays improved to 4-2, notching their first win over a top-25 team in three tries on their homecourt this season. Nebraska’s setback snapped a seven-game winning streak in the series with the Jays.

Sample, a 6-1 sophomore forward from Marcus, Texas, hit 9-of-14 shots from the field and both of her free throw attempts to finish with 20 points – doubling her previous career high. She added five rebounds and a pair of assists to go along with one steal.

Senior point guard Lindsey Moore added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 three-pointers. She added six assists, two rebounds and three steals for the Huskers.

Tear’a Laudermill added eight points off the bench on 3-of-5 shooting, while Meghin Williams pitched in six points on another 3-of-5 effort. While those four Huskers went a combined 21-of-35, the rest of NU’s roster went just 3-for-24 on the night. While Moore went 2-of-3 from three-point range, the rest of the Huskers were 0-for-10.

As a team, Nebraska shot 40.7 percent (24-59) from the field and 2-for-13 from three-point range, while going 7-of-8 at the line. NU fell despite outrebounding CU, 33-28, and winning the turnover battle, 14-11.

Freshman Marissa Janning led Creighton by tying her career high with 19 points. Janning hit 4-of-6 three-pointers while connecting on 7-of-10 shots from the field. She added three assists. Junior McKenzie Fujan added a career-best 13 points while hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers and 4-of-6 shots from the field overall.

Creighton won the game from long range, hitting 9-of-22 shots from beyond the arc to outscore the Huskers by 21 points from three-point range. Overall, CU hit 56.3 percent (27-48) of its shots from the field, but just 3-of-8 free throws.

Creighton shot to a 36-27 halftime lead on its homecourt thanks to 6-of-11 three-point shooting in the first half. Overall, CU hit 62.5 percent (15-24) of its shots in the first half. While the Bluejays were hot, the Huskers were not. NU went just 1-for-6 from long range, while going 12-of-30 overall from the field. Nebraska did outrebound Creighton, 16-12, including 7-1 on the offenseive glass, and won the turnover battle 7-6 in the first half.

Nebraska led 19-18 with 6:22 left in the first half after back-to-back buckets by Sample. But CU responded with three consecutive three-pointers to push the lead to 27-21 with 4:12 left. NU cut the margin back to 27-25 after Emily Cady’s first two points of the game, but the Jays closed the half on a 9-2 run in the final two minutes.

The Huskers cut CU’s lead to three at 43-40 on Moore’s second three-pointer with 12:43 left. But Jordan Garrison, who finished with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, got a layup and was fouled on the following possession. She missed the free throw, but Carli Tritz, who managed six points for the game, got the offensive board and putback to quickly extend CU’s lead back to seven points with just over 12 minutes left. NU could not get the lead back to one possession again.

Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper was held scoreless for the first time in her career, going 0-for-7 from the field. She and Creighton’s Sarah Nelson, nearly shut each other out on the night, as Hooper held Nelson to just four points.

The Huskers return to the Devaney Center for a top-25 showdown with No. 24 Florida State on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off between NU and the unbeaten Seminoles (7-0) is set for 2:05 p.m., CT, with tickets available now at Huskers.com.

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Giovana Melo is the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) West Region Coach of the Year. This is Melo’s third consecutive year of winning the honor and put her in the running for national coach of the year.

The AVCA selects eight coaches from the four regions as finalists for the national coach of the year honor, The national coach of the year will be announced at the AVCA annual convention Dec. 13 in Louisville, Kent.

Melo is in her fifth year as head coach of the WNCC volleyball program and helped lead this year’s team to a 40-3 record and a runner-up finish at the NJCAA national tournament. The Cougars strung together 34 straight wins before falling in the national championship match to the College of Southern Idaho.

Other coaches up for the national honor include Heidi Cartisser of College of Southern Idaho, Sharon Nelson of San Jacinto College, Nabil Mardini of Los Angeles Pierce College, Darin McBroom of Iowa Western Community College, Chip Will of Grand Rapids Community College, Nephtali Delgado Reyes of Monroe College, and Gary Larkin of Hillsborough Community College.

Melo has a 225-17 coaching record at WNCC, including a national title in 2010. Her teams have always finished in the top four at the national tournament.

Melo played for WNCC in 2001 and 2002, earning first team all-American honors her sophomore year. Melo then went on to play at NCAA Division I Arizona State.

CHADRON – Chadron State College head softball coach Rob Stack has signed 4 high school seniors to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Three are from Colorado, while Taylor Bauer is from Rapid City, S.D. The Colorado recruits are Bekka Prokaski of Broomfield, Morgan Wilhelm of Littleton and Courtney Lecher of Fort Collins.

“Each of these student-athletes comes from extremely successful club and high school softball teams,” Stack said. “Their work ethics are phenomenal and their passion for the game of softball is unparalleled. Each come from great families and all are well-suited to be successful in the classroom.

The addition of Bekka, Courtney, Morgan and Taylor help give our program excellent depth in positions where we are in need. I’m looking forward to having them join our program in the fall of 2013.”

Bauer, an infielder, was a two-time all-state and South Dakota all-tourney selection at Rapid City Central.  She  hit .511, drove in 43 runs and belted 10 home runs last season, and was named her team’s top defensive player and MVP in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Bauer also played on the under 18 USSA Fastpitch National Champion team in 2012 and the No. 1-ranked USAA Rapid City Sizzle. In addition, she played volleyball and basketball. Her older sister, Alyssa, is a sophomore setter on the CSC volleyball team.

Prokaski is a 3-time All-State  infielder who helped Legacy High School in Broomfield win back-to-back state titles in 2010 and 2011. She started one year at Romeoville in Illinois and three years at Legacy. Prokaski hit a school-record 20 doubles in 2011, then hit .570 with 19 doubles and 36 RBIs this year.

Wilhem was a three-year letter winner in the outfield at Dakota Ridge, where she was a 2-time all-conference choice. She helped Dakota Ridge finish as the state runner-up this year as a team captain who hit .432, stole 10 bases and slugged .689.

Lecher, a three-time all-conference choice at third base and shortstop, hit .590 at Fossil Ridge High School this year. She also posted a fielding percentage of .952 and was an academic all-conference honorable mention.

Chadron State was 17-32 last season with a 14-24 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Eagles begin their 2013 schedule Feb. 8-10 at a tournament in Las Vegas.

Alex Helmbrecht, Sports Information Director