All Sport Live

NEWLY-appointed New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney says one of his first assignments is to restore some pride in the Test jersey ahead of this year’s rugby league World Cup.

And he’ll have help from one of the best coaches in the game, with Brisbane mentor Wayne Bennett joining the Kiwi staff as an advisor.

Currently an assistant with NRL premier Melbourne, the former Test skipper was personally selected by Bennett for the role after the former Australia coach insisted a New Zealander have the top job.

Kearney takes over from Gary Kemble, who quit amidst a threatened player revolt following a 58-0 loss to Australia and a 3-0 series whitewash in against England late last year.

He said he had spoken to the senior player group, including captain Roy Asotasi, and had their full support.

Bennett, who will leave the Brisbane NRL club at the end of 2008 after 21 seasons, was tipped to take on the top job but said it was “vital” a New Zealander had the post.

His role is initially for the centenary Test against Australia in Sydney on May 9 with a view to continuing it through to the World Cup campaign at the end of the year.

“I’m a great believer that we need to do all we can to build up the international game,” the six-time premiership winning coach said in a statement.

“I’m keen to help New Zealand rugby league but I believe it’s vital that the coach is a New Zealander.

“I couldn’t think of a finer man for the job than Stephen and I’m really looking forward to helping him in any way I can.”

Contracted for the next two years, Kearney returned the compliment.

“It’s a dream really for me,” Kearney said. “Each week I get to work with (Storm coach) Craig Bellamy, who’s one of the best in the business and now I get the opportunity to work with Wayne Bennett, who I certainly hold in high regard so it’s going to be a great experience.”

Both men spoke of the talent within the Kiwi ranks but Kearney said they needed to regain their pride and passion if they were to challenge the world champion Australians.

“We need to play with a lot more pride and passion than we did last year and that’s something as a Kiwi group we’ve always held in high esteem and something we definitely want to bring back to the Kiwi jersey,” he said.

“From the results that we saw at the end of last year there was an element of that missing, among other things.”

Despite his lack of coaching experience compared to Bennett, Kearney said there would be no dispute over who called the shots.

“We’ve made things pretty clear right from the start, he’s been wonderful like that and he said the coaching will be left up to me, obviously with his guidance and expertise.”

The seed was planted for Bennett to be involved with the Kiwis last year after he accepted an invitation to hold the national reins for the historic New Zealand All Golds clash against the Northern Union in England.

“I’ve always said the Kiwis could be anything and I saw that first-hand working with the All Golds last year,” Bennett said.

“I have a very special appreciation now of what it is that makes New Zealand players so special and that’s what makes this opportunity so exciting.

“It’s going to be a privilege to be a part of it and that’s just what I want to be - to be a part of it, working with the coaching staff, management and players.”

Kearney said Bellamy and the Melbourne Storm had been very supportive of him taking on the role.

”Obviously my first priority is Melbourne Storm each week and I certainly don’t want it to interfere with that,” said Kearney.

“The first match is the Centenary Test in May and with Wayne on board we’ve got a bit of time to get things together.”

AAP

Source: Bennett to advise New Zealand

In an exclusive BATB audio interview, Darnell “The Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson explains last Friday night’s USBA Cruiserweight title loss to BJ Flores in Dover, DE.

Gabcast! Boxing Along the Beltway #99 - Wilson Explains Loss to Flores!

Former USBA Cruiserweight champion Darnell “The Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson gives a reason for his loss to BJ Flores in Dover, DE this past Friday night.

Source: Wilson Explains Loss to Flores!

Oklahoma improves to 4-1; faces Arkansas next Sunday

Feb. 10, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - No. 36 Oklahoma (4-1) shutout Wisconsin-Green Bay (1-4) on Sunday morning, by a margin of 7-0 at Minnesota’s Baseline Center.

OU did not lose a singles match against the Phoenix going a perfect 6-0 and only dropped one doubles match.

Andrei Daescu and Federico Chavarria started the match off for the Sooners in No. 1 doubles defeating Tim Prudlow and Mark Goldin, 8-4.

In No. 2 doubles Sergey Avdeyev and Alex Joitoiu were defeated by Matt Clegg and Matt Keesey, 8-4.

The Sooners took the point in doubles as Ryan Thomas and Vlad Marinescu overpowered Eric Plaushines and Brian Zaron, 8-4.

“I am very pleased with this victory because of the way we dominated,” head coach Paul Lockwood said.  “We could have come out sluggish after playing late yesterday but we focused and played very, very solid tennis.”

Daescu stayed perfect on the season, moving to 5-0 after winning his No. 1 singles match against Tim Prudlow, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’m happy to stay undefeated but that is not my main focus coming into matches,” Daescu said.  “My number one goal is to help this team win and get the team victory, which is what comes first for me.”

Playing No. 2 singles, Avdeyev defeated Goldin, 6-2, 6-7, 10-0.  The win put the Sooners up 3-0.

Marinescu wrapped up the match for Oklahoma in No. 3 singles as he swept Clegg winning, 6-1, 6-4.

Joitoiu got back on the winning track defeating Keesey, (4-6), 6-2, 10-7 in No. 4 singles.  OU moved ahead 5-0 with the freshman’s victory.

“My hope is that we can continue playing at the rate we did today because we will be facing some tough opponents in the next two weeks,” Lockwood continued.  “And to come away with victories we need to play the way we did today”

Chavarria picked up his second consecutive victory in as many days at No. 5 singles.  The San Jose, Costa Rica senior defeated Plaushines, 6-1, 6-2.

Rounding out the day for the Sooners was Thomas who overwhelmed John Brough, 6-0, 6-3.

The Sooners return home Sunday, Feb. 17, as they host Arkansas at Willow Creek Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City at 11 a.m.

Oklahoma 4, Wisconsin-Green Bay 0
Doubles
1. Daescu/Chavarria (OU) def. Prudlow/Goldin (WGB), 8-4
2. Clegg/Keesey (WGB) def. Avdeyev/Joitoiu (OU), 8-4
3. Thomas/Marinescu (OU) def. Plaushines/Zaron (WGB), 8-4

Singles
1. Daescu (OU) def. Prudlow (WGB), 6-4, 6-4
2. Avdeyev (OU) def. Goldin (WGB), 6-2, 6-7, 10-0
3. Marinescu (OU) def. Clegg (WGB), 6-1, 6-4
4. Joitoiu (OU) def. Keesey (WGB), ( 4-6), 6-2, 10-7
5. Chavarria (OU) def. Plaushines (WGB), 6-1, 6-2
6. Thomas (OU) def. John Brough (WGB), 6-0, 6-3

Source: Sooners Blank Green Bay, 7-0

Raul

MADRID, Spain - Raul Gonzalez and Jose Maria (Guti) Gutierrez each scored two goals on Sunday to help Real Madrid trounce Valladolid 7-0 and extend its lead atop the Spanish league standings.

Julio Baptista, Arjen Robben and substitute Royston Drenthe also scored for coach Bernd Schuster’s side, which led by five goals before halftime.

Madrid’s win, the league’s biggest of the season, stretched its advantage to eight points over second-place FC Barcelona with 15 games remaining. It also extended the defending champion’s perfect league home record this season to 11 wins.

Valladolid, whose defeat equalled the biggest in the club’s 79-year history, had played into Madrid’s hands, Schuster said.

"We saw from videos that they play far up the field in order to pressure opponents. It’s surprising for a team to play like that at the Bernabeu. It helped us," Schuster said.

Also, Florent Sinama-Pongolle scored twice to give struggling Recreativo Huelva a 2-1 win at Espanyol.

Other results were: Racing Santander 0, Atletico Madrid 2; Valencia 3, Real Betis 1; Osasuna 1, Zaragoza 0; Athletic Bilbao 1, Levante 0; and Mallorca 0, Almeria 0.

Later Sunday, Valencia hosted Real Betis.

Madrid leads with 56 points, while Barcelona has 48. Villarreal follows with 42. Atletico rose to fourth with 41, two more than Espanyol.

On Saturday, Barcelona drew 1-1 at Sevilla, Villarreal downed Murcia 1-0 and Deportivo La Coruna drew 1-1 with Getafe.

Madrid’s overwhelming win, which came on the back of last weekend’s surprise defeat at Almeria, was achieved without injured leading scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy. Defenders Pepe, Christoph Metzelder and Gabriel Heinze were also out with injuries.

Robben, who has been plagued by injury since his off-season move from Chelsea, made a rare start and set up Baptista with a pass in the ninth minute.

Madrid forward Robinho then fell unchallenged to the ground four minutes later and was substituted with what reports said were stomach problems. Soon afterward, Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas required a bandage for an injured hand.

Valladolid caved in during a 13-minute spell before the interval.

Raul doubled his team’s lead in the 31st by rounding Valladolid goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo and angling his shot into the empty net.

Robben then scored his first league goal for Madrid two minutes later, steering the ball past Asenjo after being set free on the left by Guti’s long ball.

Asenjo’s bad night continued when he fouled Baptista and Raul converted the resulting penalty in the 39th for his 11th goal and Madrid’s 50th of the league season.

With Valladolid in disarray, Guti broke free in the 44th to receive Drenthe’s pass before sweeping the ball home for the fifth.

Guti’s second goal came in the 62nd when his curling shot from the edge of the area crossed the line after rebounding off Asenjo’s right post.

Drenthe closed the scoring when he burst past two Valladolid defenders to control Guti’s cross and fire the seventh goal in the 80th.

Recreativo is fighting to avoid relegation and the win marked a great start for new coach Manolo Zambrano, who guided his team to its first victory in eight games after replacing the fired Victor Munoz on Monday.

Sinama-Pongolle, who hit the post earlier in the game, swivelled to fire his first goal in the 18th minute.

The Frenchman doubled his tally eight minutes later when he turned home a bouncing cross from left back Poli Fernandez, who was ejected in the closing stages.

Espanyol reduced the deficit in the 40th through Ewerthon, who was making his debut. The Brazilian striker recently arrived on loan from Stuttgart to replace Espanyol’s captain Raul Tamudo, who will be sidelined until April with a broken arm.

Atletico striker Diego Forlan scored twice as his team won at Santander for its first victory in four league games.

The Uruguayan fired home in the 56th minute and added a second with a spectacular long-distance shot 16 minutes later, taking his season’s tally to nine goals.

Valencia, which ended a nine-game winless streak by beating Valladolid last weekend, continued its revival with another victory against strugglers Betis.

Striker David Villa opened the scoring in the 16th minute when he seized on a pass from left back Emiliano Moretti and fired home. The goal was Valencia’s first at home in the league since Nov. 10.

David Silva slid in the second goal eight minutes later although Villa appeared to handle before passing to his teammate.

Betis forward Edu Schmidt headed home to halve Valencia’s lead in the 47th, only for Villa to seal the victory with a free kick on the edge of the penalty area in the 89th.

Osasuna eased its relegation worries with a victory over Zaragoza thanks to Jaroslav Plasil’s goal on the stroke of halftime.

The game was the 609th of Zaragoza coach Javier Irureta’s career, making him the Spanish league’s second most experienced coach ever - behind Spain’s national coach Luis Aragones.

Bilbao also boosted its survival hopes by edging last-placed Levante behind striker Fernando Llorente’s 55th-minute header.

Levante, whose players complained this week about being owed a major part of their salaries over the past two seasons, is 12 points from safety and looks virtually certain to be relegated.

Almeria played out a dull draw at Mallorca.

Source: SPA: Real Madrid trounces Valladolid

Toronto Marlies

The Toronto Marlies are firing blanks, the good kind.

Justin Pogge stopped 33 shots and Andy Wozniewski netted the game-winner late as the Marlies earned their second shutout win of the weekend with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Aeros on Sunday afternoon in the AHL.

In a game filled with hard bodychecks, the knockout blow wasn’t delivered until just over six minutes remained in the third period. After Alex Foster worked hard and retrieved a loose puck in the corner to set him up, Wozniewski fired a point shot that appeared to deflect off a Houston player before beating goalie Nolan Schaefer (17-12-0).

”It was a great pass by Alex Foster, he put it right in my wheelhouse so I could get the one-timer off and it found the way in,” Wozniewski said.

The marker was Wozniewski’s first AHL goal in just his second game after the defenceman was sent down by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

”It definitely feels good (to contribute),” he said. ”It’s good to get some wins, obviously the team is on a good streak here. I’m glad to come down and contribute.”

As the game wore on, it became very apparent one goal would likely decide the proceedings. Pogge said he avoids worrying about having little margin for error.

”You just kind of don’t think about it,” he chuckled after the game.

Toronto coach Greg Gilbert could also smile following the final buzzer given the way his second-year stopper performed.

”Pogge played real well, he made some big saves for us, especially late. There was a couple shots where they walked right in front and he made the big saves,” Gilbert said.

The win marked the second consecutive whitewash posted by Toronto (33-11-1-4) after Scott Clemmensen blanked the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. With the exception of an empty-net marker, the Marlies have gone 133:35 without surrendering a goal.

Pogge said his teammates did a good job of limiting Houston’s opportunities.

”We’re blocking a lot of shots, we’re making them shoot from the outside, they’re letting me see the puck and clearing the rebounds so there’s not much else you can ask for,” he said.

The game featured lots of good, clean hits, the best of which came in the middle frame when the Aeros’ Cal Clutterbuck stepped into Toronto’s Derrick Walser in open ice and sent the blue-liner flying.

”They come hard and forecheck pretty hard with two men,” Wozniewski said. ”They were finishing pretty much every check.”

Gilbert thought the hard-fought contest had a playoff tone.

”It was one of those games that was won in the trenches and along the walls,” the coach said. ”Our goalie stopped them all and theirs let one in. It was a heck of a hockey game, I thought both teams competed hard.”

Houston (26-19-2-3) carried the play during a crisp first period, outshooting the Marlies 17-9. However, the Aeros couldn’t squeeze a puck past Pogge (18-4-4).

”I thought early in the game our thought train was opposite; we were thinking offence before defence and they were creating chances,” Gilbert said. ”We got back to playing our style and everybody stepped it up.”

One day after ending Hamilton’s four-game winning streak, the North Division-leading Marlies once again played the role of spoilers by halting Houston’s victory run at four contests. The Aeros had also won five consecutive road games prior to their visit to Toronto.

NOTES: Houston outshot Toronto 33-26The Marlies played their second consecutive game without leading scorer David Ling, who’s with his family following the recent passing of his father.

Source: Pogge and Marlies blank Aeros

Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven-Goran Eriksson embraced before the game

Fans at Sunday’s Manchester derby immaculately observed a minute’s silence to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash.

There had been fears some Manchester City fans would disrupt the silence before the game - in which the visitors beat rivals Manchester United 2-1.

But both sets of supporters inside Old Trafford stood for the full minute without any interruption.

However, several loud bangs appeared to come from outside the stadium.

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson said: “I would like to say a big thank you to our fans. They were absolutely fantastic before the game during the minute’s silence and of course during the game.”

And the visitors captain Richard Dunne added: “Our fans were fantastic - everyone within the club knew they would be.

“We are very proud of them and hopefully they are very proud of our performance.”

Inside the ground, United and City supporters held up special commemorative scarves that had been handed out before the game.

Banners around Old Trafford paid tribute to the 23 people, including eight United players, who died in the disaster on 6 February 1958.

A lone piper led the United and City players out on to the pitch, where they were greeted by a guard of honour of United’s youth and reserve players, and mascots wearing shirts bearing the names of the victims, which included former City keeper Frank Swift.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his City counterpart Eriksson laid wreaths in their club colours on either side of the centre circle before embracing.

Thousands of supporters had arrived early at Old Trafford early to leave flowers at a temporary shrine opposite the statue of Sir Matt Busby, the legendary manager in charge of United at the time of the crash.

There were tributes left from all over the world, with one shirt emblazoned with the message ‘Busby Babes, forever champions in heaven’.

A new, permanent exhibition about the tragedy was open for the first time, built into the walls of the South Terrace at Old Trafford, which has been renamed the Munich Tunnel.

Source: Fans respect silence for Munich

BOSTON — Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett withdrew from the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday and was replaced on the Eastern Conference roster by Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace

Garnett

The announcement was made by the commissioner’s office after Garnett missed his seventh consecutive game with an abdominal strain. Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who will coach the East in the Feb. 17 game in New Orleans, said Garnett will not play until the team returns from the break.

“He’s out until after the All-Star break,” Rivers said after the Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs 98-90 to improve to 5-2 since Garnett was injured.

Garnett was averaging 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game before being sidelined two weeks ago after straining a stomach muscle on Jan. 25 against the Timberwolves. He was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game, but Rivers said that Garnett would probably not play Tuesday or Wednesday, in Boston’s last two games before the break.

Rivers, who will coach the East in the game, said he hoped Ray Allen would be considered as Garnett’s replacement.

“He should be [an All-Star] anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t Ray they use,” Rivers said. “It would be nice to have Ray on. I would take Ray.”

Wallace will join teammates Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton for the All-Star Game New Orleans. It will be his fourth All-Star appearance.

Wallace is averaging 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds this season, and leads Detroit in blocks and steals.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Source: ‘Sheed gets nod to replace KG in All-Star Game

Zednik Cut by Skate in Panthers Loss

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Panthers forward Richard Zednik was in stable condition at a Buffalo hospital while having surgery to close a deep gash on the right side of his neck, which was sliced by a teammate’s skate during a game against the Sabres on Sunday.

Blood gushed from Zednik’s neck after he was hurt midway through the third period of Buffalo’s 5-3 victory, creating a frightening moment that delayed the game for about 15 minutes.

Zednik was behind the play and skating into the right corner of the Sabres’ zone, when teammate Olli Jokinen was upended by Sabres forward Clarke MacArthur. Jokinen fell head-first to the ice, and his right leg flew up and struck Zednik directly on the side of the neck.

Clutching his neck, Zednik immediately raced to the Florida bench, leaving a long trail of blood. Arriving at the bench, he nearly fell into the arms of a team trainer, who quickly applied a towel to the cut. Zednik was then helped off the ice by the trainer and teammate Jassen Cullimore, and escorted immediately to the Panthers’ dressing room.

Panthers spokesman Justin Copertino said Zednik was transported by ambulance to nearby Buffalo General Hospital. Copertino said the team was making arrangements to have Zednik’s wife, Jessica, fly from South Florida to Buffalo by a charter flight Sunday night.

The team was scheduled to return to Miami, but assistant general manager Randy Sexton and assistant trainer Dave Zenobi were going to stay behind to be with Zednik, Copertino said.

Zednik’s injury left players and coaches on both benches in shock, and a silent hush fell over the crowd at HSBC Arena.

As crews scraped the blood from the ice and the surface was cleaned by Zambonis during the extended delay, the public address announcer said: “Richard Zednik is in stable condition and on his way to a Buffalo hospital.”

The crowd stood in applause during the announcement.

Prior to resuming the game, referee Bill McCreary and Panthers coach Jacques Martin consulted in the tunnel outside the Panthers’ dressing room.

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier was also spotted talking with NHL vice president Colin Campbell. Campbell, the league’s director of hockey operations, attended the game in part because his son, Gregory Campbell, plays for the Panthers.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Source: Panthers’ Zednik cut in neck

QUEENSLAND’s semi-final hero, Reinaldo, says he and his teammates head into this weekend’s preliminary final confident that Newcastle Jets cannot match the Roar’s speed and relentless running.

Still beaming after his spectacular first-half goal in the 2-0 minor semi-final win over Sydney FC at Suncorp Stadium, the affable Brazilian striker, nursing a corked knee, said the squad was reaping the rewards of hard work during pre-season training.

Under new trainer Craig Starcevich, players were put through what many said was the most demanding regime of their careers, as the former Brisbane Lions whipcracker sought to provide Roar coach Frank Farina with a squad capable of maintaining the high-pressure game plan he wished to implement for a full 90 minutes.

Never were the results more evident than in the second leg of the semi-final when, on a rain-soaked Suncorp Stadium pitch, the Roar simply dismantled John Kosmina’s outfit, which had no answer to their rivals’ ability to break at pace in attack and swarm around the ball in numbers in defence.

While Robbie Middleby’s sending off exacerbated the problem for Kosmina, the signs were there from the outset, with young speedsters Robbie Kruse and Michael Zullo and tenacious midfielders Matt McKay and Massimo Murdocca moving the ball out of defence with ease.

Up front Reinaldo, whom Starcevich described as a truly gifted athlete, is in the best form of his career. Farina also has the luxury of drawing from a bench with Taj Minniecom, Mitch Nichols and Simon Lynch, who have all shown ability to create scoring chances.

Minniecom earned the penalty late in the semi-final, which veteran defender Sasa Ognenovski slotted home, to seal the result.

Midway through the second half, the Sydney FC players had ground to a halt, with the Roar seemingly parked in Sydney’s half for the final 15 minutes of play.

It is a formula that Reinaldo, 23, expects the Roar to use in the finals, saying he has no doubt Queensland are the fittest, hardest-working side in the A-League.

"I think our fitness is our biggest weapon, especially so late in the season," the former Corinthians striker said.

"Our pre-season was very, very difficult. We have worked hard on our fitness and it tires you sometimes through the year, but now we are seeing the positives. I definitely believe we are the fittest team in the A-League.

"Our midfield runners never stop. Where other teams slow and tire late in the second half, we are able to keep our pace and our pressure up. It is what Frank tells us every week, to just keep working hard every second you are on the field, to keep running - and that’s what we do."

Starcevich, a key part of Lions coach Leigh Matthews’ set-up in Brisbane’s premiership wins, meanwhile said that GPS tracking of Roar players revealed Murdocca and McKay covered up to 15km in a game, comparable with the efforts of AFL midfielders.

Having shared in the Lions’ successes, Starcevich saw many similarities between the two and the interaction of players at training and in the sheds.

"In both places, training is very intense, very competitive," he said.

"They drive each other to work harder, which makes my job much easier.

"As a group dynamic, too, you have that blend of youth and experience, which every successful team is built on."

Starcevich said that Roar captain Craig Moore had been worth his weight in gold, providing guidance for the many youngsters in the squad.

But his greatest compliment was for former Australia hard man Danny Tiatto, who returns from suspension this week, likening him to inspirational Lions captain Michael Voss.

Source: Fit Queensland ready to Roar

Nebraska defeats the Sooners by a 21-9 final Sunday afternoon

Feb. 10, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners (12-5, 0-4 in Big 12) got to within three points, 12-9, after a huge upset at 125 pounds, but was unable to rally on No. 2 Nebraska (12-3, 3-0 in Big 12) in Lincoln on Sunday, losing 21-9.

OU’s true-freshman Joey Fio upset No. 4 ranked defending national champion Paul Donahoe of NU at 125 pounds to give the Sooners hope for an upset victory. Oklahoma was unable to capitalize, falling short in the final three bouts.

“I am not displeased with our effort at all today,” head coach Jack Spates said. “This dual will be a great building block for us as we near the end of the season.”

The dual between the Big 12 foes began at 157 pounds, and Sooner Chad Terry put OU on the board first by defeating No. 16 Chris Oliver, 6-1. No. 20 Terry recorded two takedowns and four points in the final period to take the win.

No. 20 Max Dean then took No. 10 Stephen Dwyer down to the final period at 165 pounds but was unable to get the win, dropping the bout 8-6 and tying the team score at three. J

eff James, coming off his first Big 12 victory of his career on Friday against Missouri, took No. 5 Brandon Browne down until the final seconds at 174 pounds. Browne used a takedown at 19 seconds to gain a 5-4 edge in the match to seal the victory and give the Huskers a 6-3 team lead.

Oklahoma’s 184-pounder Joshua Weitzel quickly tied the team score with a win over No. 9 Vince Jones. Weitzel posted three takedowns and only gave up a reversal in the first period to record a 7-2 decision. He is now 2-1 in Big 12 duals on the season and 21-2 overall.

No. 10 Craig Brester regained the lead for NU at 9-6 with a 6-1 decision over 197 pound Joel Flaggert, ranked No. 5. Flaggert took the lead 1-0 by garnering an escape point in the second period after a scoreless first. Brester then took control by scoring six unanswered points, including riding time, to end the bout.

Nebraska extended the team lead to 12-6 when heavyweight Jon May, ranked 20th, bested OU’s Nathan Fernandez by a 6-3 decision. Fernandez was only able to score escapes in the loss.

The match then returned back to the light weights, pitting Fio against the defending national champion Donahoe. Fio, also coming off of his first career Big 12 victory Friday versus MU, refused to be intimidated and posted the upset with a 6-5 decision over Donahoe. Fio trailed 4-3 headed into the final period, but scored a takedown and an escape to record his biggest career win as a freshman.

“Fio’s win was absolutely huge for us,” Spates said. “He works so hard and refused to lose against the defending national champion in Donahoe. We are really proud of his effort this weekend.”

No. 13 Brian Shelton at 133 pounds was unable to keep the Sooner rally going, losing to No. 8 Kenny Jordan by an 11-4 final decision. The win gave the Huskers a 15-9 advantage in the match headed into the final two bouts of the afternoon.

Nebraska ended the Big 12 matchup winning the final two, with Mike Rowe defeating No. 15 Zack Bailey by an 11-4 decision and No. 7 Jordan Burroughs topping No. 13 Will Rowe by a 5-3 final.

Oklahoma returns home and will prepare for the first annual “Beauty and the Beast” event at the Lloyd Noble Center on Friday at 7 p.m., versus Cal Poly. The squad will share the floor with the OU women’s gymnastics team competing against Iowa State.

The marketing department has announced several promotions for the dual-sport event, including one lucky fan will win 2 round trip tickets to Las Vegas, two tickets to “Le Reve” at the Wynn and a $300 check card.

First 500 fans arriving at the event will receive an event T-shirt and raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. Both teams will also take part in an autograph session at the conclusion of the event.

“This is going to be a fan’s delight,” head coach Jack Spates said. “We encourage all Sooners to come out and support these two premiere programs in their respective sports.”

Tickets are $5 for children and $7 for adults. Admission is free for OU students with a valid student I.D.

  Match-by-Match Results

125: Joey Fio (OU) dec. No. 4 Paul Donahoe (NU), 6-5
133: No. 8 Kenny Jordan (NU) dec. No. 13 Brian Shelton (OU), 11-4
141: Mike Rowe (NU) dec. No. 15 Zack Bailey (OU), 7-4
149: No. 7 Jordan Burroughs (NU) dec. No. 13 Will Rowe (OU), 5-3
157: No. 20 Chad Terry (OU) dec. No. 16 Chris Oliver, 6-1
165: No. 10 Stephen Dwyer (NU) dec. No. 20 Max Dean (OU), 8-6
174: No. 5 Brandon Browen (NU) dec. Jeff James (OU), 5-4
184: No. 6 Joshua Weitzel (OU) dec. No. 9 Vince Jones (NU), 7-2
197: No. 10 Craig Brester (NU) dec. No. 5 Joel Flaggert (OU), 6-1
HWT: No. 20 Jon May (NU) dec. Nathan Fernandez (OU), 6-3

Source: Wrestling Falls Short in Lincoln