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.