The Michigan Daily-Friday, December 7, 1979-Page 13 by STAN BRADBURY THE STAGE is set. Michigan trails Toledo by just one point. The Wolverines have the ball and 45 seconds to kill before going for another last shot victory. Somehow the Wolverines just know they are going to win it, just like they did on shots at the buzzer against Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern and Michigan State last year. The handful of Michigan suppor- ters in the otherwise rabid Rocket crowd at Toledo's Centennial Hall sense a win. They bite their nails while they wait and watch Mark Lozier and Marty Bodnar stall the time away. The only question is, who would be our hero tonight? It could be Mike McGee. McGee has played a super game, having already scored 26 points. Or, it might be Bodnar, alias full court I S. Disciplined D' lead Toledo over Cagers ol' reliable, but he has been shut down by a very tough Toledo defense all night. It could well be John Garris, who is in the midst of his finest game ever for Michigan. Or it might even be Thad Garner, Mr. En- thusiasm, or hustling senior co- captain Lozier. The Wolverines plan to go into their offensive attack with 12 secon- ds remaining. The seconds tick away and the noise grows in volume. Lozier has the ball with 15 seconds left. He looks for the time but is con- fused because it is in an unfamiliar place. The scoreboard is hanging over the playing court instead of above the yellow seats behind the backboard as in friendly Crisler. The star of the game proves to be none of the above. It is Dick Miller, Toledo's senior captain and top player, who intercepts Lozier's pass with just nine seconds left in the game. The crowd erupts like they all just won first prize in the state lottery. Michigan is forced to foul Jay Leh- man in the backcourt with two seconds left and the game is iced with two successful free throws. The place turns into a madhouse. It's a complete and total hear- tbreak for the young and exciting Wolverines. It's their first of the year ahd it's an awfully tough way to lose on the road. It's also a good way for Toledo to win at home. The Rockets struggled through their first two games. They lost on the road to UNC-Charlotte in the season opener and only beat Massachusetts by ten points on Monday night. Yes, that's the same group of Minutemen Michigan clob- bered by 48 points in the season opener on Saturday. The Rockets had a lot of things to prove Wednesday night. They had to prove they have a good team this year. They had to prove that they are a true basketball powerhouse, able to compete at the same level or better than the Big Ten. And Toledo has proven that. The Rockets are a legitimate college basketball organization. They have won 20 or more games three con- secutive years while playing in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo was a regional finalist in the NCAA tournament last season when they lost to Notre Dame. . Toledo is also one of only four colleges or universities in the nation that has not suffered through a losing season in the past 20 seasons. The only other schools are UCLA, Louisville and Princeton. To top it off, the Rockets have won five straight games against Big Ten foes. Michigan has fallen twice (the other time was in overtime at Crisler in 1977) while Iowa and Ohio State fell last year and Indiana lost the year before. Not many teams have been able to push the best basketball conference in the country around like that. But the Rockets' streak may run out when they play at Indiana on Dec.' 18. All the credit for Toledo's basket- ball success must go to Bobby Nichols, in his 15th season as the Rockets' head coach. Nichols is simply one of the greatest (and most underrated) active coaches in basketball. He has complete control over his team and his players. He is a strict disciplinarian and he believes in good old fashioned defense and a slow and patient passing offense. And he makes the Rockets what they are, winners. Toledo has one of the best defenses- ses in the country this year. Just ask the Wolverines. Bodnar will vouch for that. Marty was held to four poin- ts, all on free throws, as he missed all three field goal attempts the Rockets allowed him. Michigan shot very well from the field for the game, 58.3 per cent, and most of the shots were from the out- side because the Rockets did such an amazing job of closing up the mid- dle. Toledo played both a tough man- to-man and 1-3-1 zone defense to shut down the Wolverines who had scored an average of 104 points in their first two games. The Rockets did very well denying the passes inside while keeping pressure on the Michigan guards. The entire Toledo game, offense and defense, showed the signs of a very well coached ball club: Especially since Toledo does all this without the big stars that other teams have. Nichols goes after the team player when he recruits. He does not go af- ter the high scoring hot-shots, only the solid fundamental players who will do what he asks and will listen to what he says. He has built his program around players that Big Ten schools passed over. You won't find any 7-0 giants on Toledo, the tallest player is under 6- 8. You will find the Rockets in the nation's Top 20. at CANTERBURY LOFT A NEW MUSICAL PLAY BY TOM SIMONDS T HE WINEDRINKER A Celebration of Homosexuality Amongst the Brotherhood' December 6 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 and 15 8 p.m. at CANTERBURY LOFT 332 S. State Street-second floor general dmission $2.50 at the door beginning at 7:30 p.m. on performance nights announcing... GAY a PRIDE WEK;"~ DECEMBER 8=14 Sponsored by E.M.U. Gay Students Association Dec. 8 - Lesbian and Gay Male Dance,' Anderson Room, Michigan Union, U-M, 9pm-1am Dec. 10 - "V.D. - Fact and Fiction," 7:30pm, Guild Hall, McKenny Union, E.M.U. Dec. 12-- Coffeehouse, 8pm, main lounge, Jones Hall, E.M.U. Performance by "Guerrilla Queen.'' for more information call 487-0381 or 763-4186 Marty Bodnar ... closed down Cowens traded by Royals TORONTO (AP)-The California Angels sent first baseman Willie Mays Aikens and infielder Rance Mulliniks to the Kansas City Roya~ls ysterday for outfielder Al Cowens and infielder Todd Cruz in a deal completed at baseball's winter meetings. Aikens, 25, hits .280 with 21 home runs and 81 runs batted in for the American League West Division champion Angels last season. He is considered one of the see more sports pp. 11, 12, and 14 game's coming stars. Mulliniks, 23, divided his time between Salt Lake City of the Pacific Coast League and California in 1979. He hit .343 in 116 games with three homers and 59 RBI in the PCL. Cowens, one of the key figures in the ,Royals' three consecutive AL West Division titles from 1976-78, hit .295 with nine homers and 73 RBI in 1979. CINEMA II PRESENTS 104 EL (THIS STRANGE PASSION) (Luis Bunuel, 1952) The director of THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE here presents a frightening portrait of a paranoid mind. The story of a mon obsessed with jealousy, it is a bitter indictment of middle-class morality, filled with Bunuel's characteristic black humor and surrealistic imagery. Spanish with subtitles. (82 min) 7:00 only THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY (Luis Bunuel, 1974) Bunuel's liveliest and funniest film, THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY is a unique blend of surrealism and comedy. Through a seem- ingly unconnected series of events and characters, Bunuel presents a hilarious satire of social and sexual mores and manners as he searches for the elusive spirit of human liberty. With JEAN CLAUDE BRIALY, MONICA VITTI and MICHEL POCCOLI. (104 min) 9:00 only ANGELL HALL $1.50 one show, $2.50 both shows Tomorrow: DAYS OF HEAVEN I ENGINEERING STUDENTS. Turn your holiday break into a career opportunity. Check out Pratt & Whitney Aircraft's "Operation Opportunity." 1.i t w4 Always the mark of distinction, Cross precision writing instruments make the~ reliable gift choice to please and delight every style, every taste. Available'., in Chrome, 12 kt Gold, 14 kt Gold, and Sterling..... singly, from $6.80, or Pratt & Whitney Aircraft offers avast spectrpm of rhnilanninn rnrGGr nnnnrti in itinc fnr nnnim- state-of-the-art technology and your chance to {