Buckeyes rock
(Continued from Page l)/
minutes and played our best defense of
the year."
Buckeye stars Herb Williams and all
Big-Ten guard Kelvin Ransey lived up
to their advance billing and more, as
the 6-10 sophomore center and Ransey
combined for 44 points, while Williams
yanked down 10 rebounds.
Down 36-25 at the half, Michigan
came out with its head held high in the
rebounds and making the shots just
when it appeared Michigan might
crawl back into the game.
"He made some great shots for a big
man," said Johnny Orr. "We didn't ex-
pect Herbie to make the outside shots
he did."
THE WOLVERINES used a Lone
defense in the first half, hoping to limit
the effectiveness of Williams.
But Ransey responded with five field
goals, gunning over the Michigan zone,
while forward Jim Smith and Williams
popped in two buckets apiece in the first
half.
Having little luck with the zone,
Michigan went with the man-tp-man in
the second half, pressing the Buckeyes
all over the court.
"In the second half, we had to do
something. You can't just sit around
and get your head knocked in. So we
threw the press on and tried to speed it
up," Orr said.
That's when Williams went into his
act, scoring 14 points in the second half
to keep the Buckeye machine moving.
"I didn't play too well in the first
half," observed Williams. "But in the
second half Kelvin was attacking the
basket and getting the ball to me."
FOR THE determined Wolverines, it
was largely a case of missed oppor-
tunities down the stretch, mostly in the
form of free throws. Michigan missed
13 freebies, 11 of those coming in the
second half.
"We committed more fouls than we
would have liked to," said Miller of the
Wolverines' 40 charity chances..
"Michigan is capable of shooting 85-90
per cent at the line. If they had done
that, it would have been a different
game."
The game did sound two encouraging
notes for the Wolverines in the play of
Phil Hubbard and Keith Smith. Hub-
bard rolled in 14 0oints, while leading
the game with 14 rebounds. Smith
totaled 16 points in playing all but one
minute of the contest.
Orr and as
encouraged
although both
needed if Mi
in the future.
"HUBBAR
been lately,"
Michigan
ssistant Bill Frieder were inside by the Buckeyes.
by Hubbard's play, THE BLUE cagers were simply out-
h realized improvement is muscled by the taller, stronger Buck
chigan is to get anywhere frontline of Jim Smith, 6-8, 218, and
Williams at 240.
D WAS better than he has "We need more size," said Frieder.
said Orr. "He still made a "They were able to post a man down
low and get the easy points, but we
can't do that to them."
Mike McGee returned as high point
man for Michigan, tallying 21 points
despite hitting on only five of 17 from
the field. The sophomore forward hit
most of his points from the charity
stripe, throwing in 11.
"We just gotta keep hanging in
<:I ithere," said Frieder, thinking of his
team's home meeting with MSU on
Thursday night. "We're gonna catch
somebody. Maybe we'll catch the Spar-
tans on Thursday."
Blue bucked
OHIO STATE
Min. FG/A FT/A R A PF
Kelvin Ransey
second half, eventually pulling to within
five points, 64-59, with five minutes to
go.
But Williams canned the front end of
a one-and-one, and then sank two tur-
naround jumpers to put the game on-ice
for the Buckeyes, as Michigan could
respond only with a pair of free throws
by Mike McGee during that span.
Williams was the key for Ohio State
down the stretch, garnering crucial
few silly mistakes, and you can't do
that."
Michigan grabbed a 10-8 early lead on
a Hubbard layup, two tallies by Smith
and a layup by Mike McGee.
But jumpers by Williams, Ransey
and forward Jim Smith, along with a
Carter Scott swish from twelve feet put
Ohio State ahead to stay, with little over
seven minutes elapsed in the first half.
Controlling the boards continued to
be a chronic problem for the
Wolverines as they could add little to
Hubbard's total, and were dominated
Scott ..........
Smith, J.......
Williams ....
Ransey.
Penn ........
Hall........
Cline ..........
Ellinghausen.
Smith, R...
Miller .........
Team Rebounds
Totals .........
McGee ........
Hubbard ......
Heuerman .....
Bodnar, My....
Smith .........
Hardy .........
Staton .........
Garner...
Lozier .......
Bodnar. k....
Garris .........
Team Rebounds
Totals.......
23
29
32
33
27
12
24
17
I
1
1/2
3/8
9/14
10/17
2/7
1/4
2/4
3/5
/0
0/0
4/4
2/2<
1/2
5/8
0/1
0/0
2/2
2/2
0/0
0N0
10
io
5
0
2
2
4
4
0
4
200 31/58 16/19 41
MICHIGAN
Min. FG/A FT/A R
8 30
2
0
2
3
0
0
0
0
5
5
4
4
2
3
3
4
0
0
A PF Pts.
37
39
13
26
39
26
14
3
1
1
5/17
5/8
0/0
1/4
4/10
4/10
2/2
0/b
0/0
0/0
0/0
11/15
4/10
0/0
0/0
8/9
3/4
1/2
0/0
0/0
0/0
0/0
I
14
4
1
3
0
0
0
0
5
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
I
2
3
4
4
2
3
0
0
0
21
14
0
2
I1
11
5
0
0
Pts.
6
8
19
25
4
2
6
8
0
0
78
Daily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG
200 21/51 27/40 32
6 21
o ALL EYES ARE on the ball as Ohio State's Kelvin Ransey lobs a pass to teammate
Jim Ellinghausen (41), a former Plymouth Salem prep star. Michigan's Thad
69 Garner (at right) vainly attempts to defend against Ransey, who led all scorers
with 25 points, in OSU's 78-69 win over Michigan.
Halftime: Ohio State 35, MICHIGAN 25
Att. 13,609
full court
Michigan cagers ...
. . .not short on desire
BY DAVE RENBARGER
IT IS UNFORTUNATE that the Wolverines are not a professional basket-
ball team. Then, at least these last 12 Big Ten games would have some
meaning for the players - it would be their salary drive.
Sadly, the way things now stack up in the conference, the Michigan
players won't be playing for anything besides their own pride for the next six
weeks. And, no matter how charming, how valiant, or how sportsmanlike
that may sound - it's never very much fun. Just ask anybody from North-
western.
You have to go way back to the 1969-70 season to find a Michigan team
that stumbled out of the Big Ten starting blocks so badly. That year, just like
this year, the Wolverines lost four of their first six conference games - and
they went on tofinish in sixth place.
With just one-third of the schedule in the record books, Michigan must
now satisfy itself by playing the role of the spoiler rather than the contender.
After losing to front-running Ohio State by nine points yesterday, it's going to
take a lot more than a minor miracle to alter Michigan's plight. Rather, it's
going to take five major miracles - such as two victories each over
Michigan State and llinois, plus a road triumph over these same Buckeyes.
And that just ain't gonna happen..
Cagers played tough
But don't think - not even for one minute - that writing a Wolverine
obituary like this is an easy task after watching that Ohio State game. It's
mighty tough, because Michigan played a mighty tough ballgame.
The Maize and Blue cagers knew that it was now-or-never against the
Bucks, even though some of them wouldn't admit it. It was time to put up or
shut up, so to speak. And they played like they meant business. They gave it
their all. They played with feeling, especially in the second half.
Remember, they were down by 11 at halftime, 36-25. They could only
manage eight baskets in the entire opening period. And, when OSU hit two
quick ones to go up by 15 right away, a Michigan comeback seemed about as
likely as a Johnny Orr endorsement for Brylcreem.
But Orr's team did come back, back to within five points with slightly
more than five minutes left. They closed the gap with a lineup of Keith
Smith, Tom Staton, Alan Hardy, Mike McGee and Phil Hubbard, and it was
certainly a team effort. All five players on the floor displayed the all-too-rare
ingredients of hustle and enthusiasm. Their hustle made the difference on
the usually-ineffective zone press, forcing the Bucks into costly turnovers.
But all the hustle and enthusiasm in the entire arena couldn't help
Michigan's players make their free throws. The Wolverines were throwing
up bricks from the line throughout the abortive comeback, missing 11 of
their 29 freebies in the second half. This frustrating inaccuracy, coupled with
the phenomenal play of OSU's Herb Williais and Kelvin Ransey, ex-
tinguished Michigan's flickering hopes.
Bucks were better
If you were at the game yesterday, or even if you caught it on TV,
probably the things that stick in your mind the most were Michigan's
frequent silly mistakes. The three traveling calls on McGee might come to
mind, or his pitiful shot selection on several occasions. Hubbard's forty per
cent free throw accuracy didn't help the Wolverines' cause much either.
But don't forget about the other side of the ledger. Smith played his best
game yet in a Michigan uniform, getting 16 points while running the entire
offensive show. Hubbard came down with 14 rebounds. And the whole team
played with the intensity that Orr likes to see. It seemed like the Wolverines
were on the floor diving after loose balls all afternoon long. We've come to
expect this from guys like Staton and Marty Bodnar, but not from Hubbard,
McGee and others. Hardy went down once and came up with a bloody lip.
Also, don't forget how good Ohio State's team is. Clearly, the better team
won. Williams, the 6-10 center with a shooting touch that won't quit, was un-
stoppable down the stretch, scoring nine of his 19 points in the last nine
minutes. And Ransey, whose radar jumpers continually found their mark,
BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Spartans spank Iowa in overtime
EAST LANSING (UPI)-Earvin Johnson scored
25 points to pace sixth-rated Michigan State to an 83-
72 overtime victory over a stubborn Iowa team last
night in a crucial Big Ten contest.
Ronnie Lester, who led the Hawkeyes with 21, had
hit a pair of free throws to put Iowa ahead, 65-63, but
then committed his fifth foul on the Spartans' Mike
Brkovich with three seconds left in regulation time.
Brkovich hit both free throws to send the game in-
to overtime, where MSU had little trouble with
Lester out of the game.
Michigan State, now 11-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big
Ten, jumped out to a 36-21 halftime lead. The Spar-
tans outscored Iowa 20-4, in the final 11 minutes of
the first half.
BUT THE HAWKEYES, now 11-4 overall and 4-2
in the league, slapped on a full-court press in the
second half, consistently cut away at MSU's lead
and tied the game at 55-55 on a basket by Tom Nor-
man at the 8:30 mark.
Greg Kelser added 22 points for Michigan State
and Norman scored 16 for Iowa.
Purdue 69, Illinois 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.-Center Joe Barry Carroll
scored 24 points and Purdue outscored Illinois 22-0
from the free throw line in the second half yesterday
as the Boilermakers upset the fourth-ranked Illini
69-57 in Big Ten basketball.
Purdue, which upset then-No. 1 rated Michigan
State Jan. 13, had only six field goals in the second
half, but buried Illinois with the barrage of free
throws. Illinois, meanwhile, did not make an ap-
pearance at the charity stripe in the final 20
minutes.
Purdue went into a four-corner offense with 7:25
to go, but the Illini whittled away at the Boiler-
makers' advantage. Trailing 61-55 with 59 seconds
remaining, Illinois had a chance to cut the margin
to four points but committed a turnover. I
ILLINOIS' COMEBACK effort was hampered by
fouls. Three Illini-Neil Bresnahan, Mark Smith
and Derek Holcomb-fouled out.
Purdue opened the game in a full-court press and
caused several Illinois turnovers. Arnette Hallman
pumped in 13 of his game-total 17 points as the
Boilermakers took a 35-27 halftime lead.
-AP
Indiana 74, Northwestern 45
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Junior Mike Woodson
scored 28 points Saturday and moved into the No. 6
spot on Indiana's all-timt scoring list as the Hoosiers
bombed hapless Northwestern 74-45 in Big Ten
basketball action.
Big Ten Standings
INDIANA jumped to a 7-0 advantage and was in.
command all the way as Northwestern never drew
closer than five points in climbing to 2-4 in the con-
ference and 10-8 overall. The Hoosiers, who hit 18-of-
32 shots from the field in the first half, led 42-13 at the
intermission.
It was the 15th consecutive Indiana victory over the
Wildcats, 0-6 in league play and 4411 overall in Rick
Falk's first season as head coach.
Woodson hit 10 of 14 from the field to pace an In-
diana offense that hit on .509 per cent of its shots from
the field 28-55. Butch Carter contributed 14 points to
the offense and Ray Tolbert had 10.
-AP
North Carolina 54, Maryland 53
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Al Wood's 15-foot jumper
with three seconds remaining gave second-ranked
North Carolina a 54-53 victory over 19th-ranked
Maryland in an Atlantic Coast .Conference game
yesterday.
Co
Ohio State
Iowa
Illinois
Mich. State
Purdue
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan
Indiana
)NFERENCE
W L - Pct.
6 0 1.000
ALL GAMES
W L Pct.
11 4 .733
4
4
4
3
2
3
2
2
2
2
2
3
4
3
4
4
.667
.667
.667
.500
.333
.500
.333
.333
1
t
11
16
11
13
8
4
2
3
5
7
.733
.889
.785
.722
533
Northwestern 0 6 .000
Yesterday's Results
Purude 69, Illinois 57
Ohio State 78, Michigan 69
Indiana 74, Northwestern 45
Minnesota 82, Wisconsin 72
Michigan State 85 Iowa 72 (OT)
7
8 7 .533 The victory left North Carolina, playing without in-
8 6 .571 jured starters Mike O'Koren and David Colescott, in
10 8 .556 first place in the league with a 5-1 record while
4 11 .267 Maryland dropped to third place behind Virginia with
a 3-2 record.
Two baskets by Albert King, one after a steal by the.
Maryland sophomore, gave the Terps a 53-49 lead
with 1:59 remaining.
.
SESCORES
Men's Basketball
Big Ten
Ohio State 78, MICHIGAN 69
Purdue 69, Illinois 57
Indiana 74, Northwestern 45
Michigan State 83, Iowa 72 (OT)
Other College
North Carolina 54, Maryland 53
Texas 87, Southern Cal 68
Ball St. 67, Kent St. 62
Louisville 67, Florida St. 65
Miami 0.) 73, N. Illinois 69
Central Michigan 88, Eastern
Michigan 74
Indiana St. 90 Creighton 80
Tennessee 66, Kentucky 55
Iona 61, Ala. Birmingham 59
Wake Forelst 100, Rollins 79
Syracuse 103, Casisius 92
Vanderbilt 78, Georgia 76
Cincinnati 66, St. Louis 63 (OT)
Dayton 68, DePaul 64 (OT)
Women's Basketball
MICHIGAN 93, Notre Dame 66
CURRIER STARS IN 93-66 WIN
Blue women cagers nail Irish
By LIZ MAC
The women's basketball team found
its offense yesterday and scalped Notre
Dame 93-66, thanks to a record setting
performance by sophomore Abby
Currier at Crisler Arena.
Currier set three Michigan records in
the contest by tallying 33 points, grab-
bing 20 rebounds, and hitting on 90 per
cent of her free throws.
"It helped when I put Abby on the
wing," said coach Gloria Soluk. "When
she's playing where she's used to, she's
great."
Both the Wolverines and the Fighting
Irish were cold in the first half, shooting
37 and 38 per cent from the floor. The
score remained tight during the first
part of the half with Michigan leading
by three at the midway point.
But the boards belonged to the
Wolverines, and at the half the Blue
cagers led 44-33. Currier contributed 13
rebounds in the first half, and some
hustling on defense was shown by
passing; especially early in the game;
Michigan threw a few misplaced fast
break passes before it really started
working in the second half.
Junior guard Terry Schevers com-
mented on the cagers' fast breaking
ability. "The last three or four games
we haven't run the fast break; this was
the first time in a long time," she said.
"We intended to slow it down and set it
up today. The fast break was a little
rusty."
Currier concurred with the team's
preference for the fast break. "We're
always trying to run the break," she
said.
Rounding out the Wolverines' scoring
attack was Diane Dietz with 18 points,
Kris Hansen with 9, and McNamara,
Yvette Harris, and Penny Neer with
eight.
The Fighting Irish were led by Pat
McManus with 16, and Jayne Politiski
and Cashman with 11.
Coach Sharon Petro's team ran a
hustling game, but as she pointed out;
"Michigan is twice our size." Three of
her squad's starter's were 5-6 or under.
"They're small and quick." Soluk
said of Notre Dame. "We had to switch.
to a zone. We had wanted the team to
get the man-to-man down before using
the zone, but it was a good thing we had
it today."
Frequent substitutions marked
Michigan's first half. ."We're still
looking for good combinations," said
Soluk. "Also, our team is young and
we're still trying to give everyone a
chance."
Women wallop
NOTRE DAME
MICHIGAN
Min 1
FG /AFRT/A
R
inm n.E riA WVI irn
A
I
PF
Pts.
Min.;
FG/A FT/A
R A PF
MO ~ M.PG/ TAlf R A PP r
Pts.