Huskers Fall to Red Raiders 73-68

Lubbock, Texas- Rayford Young's driving basket with 1.9 seconds remaining lifted Texas Tech to a 73-68 victory over Nebraska Saturday evening.

Young's basket gave the Red Raiders (13-14, 5-9 Big 12) a 69-68 lead before Texas Tech added four free throws to seal the upset. Chad Johnson's two free throws had given Nebraska a 68-67 lead with seven seconds remaining, but Young, who finished with 25 points, received the inbound pass and went coast to coast for the winning hoop.

"Young is a great player," Nebraska Coach Danny Nee said. To have the poise to take the ball to the basket and execute the play in that situation is very difficult. You have to give Texas Tech credit. We came hard at them in the second half, but they never bent."

Young's basket overshadowed a school-record performance by junior Cookie Belcher, who tied Greg Downing's school record of eight steals against UMKC during the 1982-82 season. Belcher was one of three Huskers in double figures as he also finished with 12 points and six assists.

"We dug ourselves a hole and had to fight to come back," Nee said. "We did everything to put ourselves in a position to win, but win the game. We are disappointed, but I am proud of how the kids fought back. We have two games left and we have to play well."

Venson Hamilton posted his 15th double-double of the season with 24 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks while Larry Florence added 14 points as the Huskers drop to 17-10 overall and 9-5 in the Big 12.

Stan Bonewitz and James Ware joined Young in double figures with 19 and 11 points, respectively. Bonewitz connected on five-of-nine 3-pointers, while Ware led the Red Raiders with nine rebounds.

The Huskers travel to Manhattan, Kan., for a game with Kansas State this Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7:05. The Huskers return home to face Texas A&M on Saturday, Feb., 27 at 12:45 p.m. Both games will be available on the internet at http://huskerwebcast.com

Texas Tech vs. Nebraska Men's Basketball
Saturday, February 20, 1999 * Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech Guard Rayford Young
"I come into every game with the same mental attitude. The team has turned to me the last two home games."

Texas Tech coach James Dickey
"We never gave up. What about Rayford Young? The game was on the line and he came through. I was glad we kept our composure. We kept fighting back, even when we were down. I felt good about our effort. Even at the Texas game. What we want to do is look forward to Colorado and go on the road at Oklahoma State. As far as the tournament, our guys know it is a one-game shot and we will be ready to play. I was so happy for Rayford. He was the Big 12 Player of the Week and he comes in here tonight and makes the deciding plays."

Nebraska Coach Danny Nee
"It was a real tough game. It was a great basketball game. I was real proud of the players and the way they came back. We did every thing we could be win the game. I thought we did well to come back in the second half. We dug ourselves a hole and kept coming back and coming back. Rayford Young is a great player and he really came through tonight, making great play after great play."

Game Notes
* The Huskers used a different starting lineup for the first time in 17 games. NU had gone with a starting lineup of Joe Holmes, Cookie Belcher, Venson Hamilton, Andy Markowski, and Larry Florence for 16 straight games, but Chad Johnson replaced Holmes in the lineup tonight.

* Nebraska has now hit less 3-pointers than its opponent in each of the last 11 games. Tonight NU hit one compared to Tech's 9. Oklahoma State had eight to NU's one on Wednesday night.

* Cookie Belcher seta new career high and tied NU's school record with 8 steals tonight. Belcher is now 8 steals from Erick Stricland's single-season school record of 89 steals and 14 steals away from Strickland's career record of 257.

* Belcher scored 12 points tonight and is now just 32 points from becoming the 21st Husker with 1,000 career points. Belcher would become just the eighth Husker to reach 1,000 points before their senior year.

* Venson Hamilton moved from 11th to ninth place on the NU career scoring list wit his 24 points tonight. Hamilton now has 1,320 career points.

* Hamilton scored in double figures for the 16th straight game and the 23rd time this year. Hamilton has scored 20 or more points in five of the last eight games.

* Hamilton recorded his Big 12 leading 15th double-double and his 11th in Big 12 play.

* Hamilton has had 16 games with three or more blocked shots this season with his four tonight. He now has 67 blocks this season, tied for fourth on the single-season chart and 228 in his career, eight from Mikki Moore's school record.

* Cary Cochran tied his career high with five rebounds.

* James Ware's 10 field goal attempts and nine rebounds were both career highs.

* Rayford Young surpassed 20 points in a game for the second time in three games. He has averaged just over 25 points per game over the last three games. His 17 field goal attempts tied his season-high (set against Kansas).

* Andy Ellis did not score in double figures for the first time in six games.

* Texas Tech's all-time men's basketball team, as voted by fans throughout the season, was announced at halftime. The team members were Dub Malaise, Will Flemons, Darvin Ham, Bubba Jennings and Rick Bullock. There was a reunion of ex-lettermen at the game, including 11 members of the first team to play in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum during the 1956-57 season.