Page 8-Sunday, January 27, 1980-The Michigan Daily
30T MARATHON
Cats zap
Blue, 85-82
By SCOaTT M. LEWIS
Special to The Daily
EVANSTON - The current segment
of Michigan's Big Ten schedule was
supposed to be the "easy" part -
Michigan State, Wisconsin and two
dates with last-place Northwestern.
Don't you believe it. The Wolverines
suffered their second straight setback.
and fifth in the last six games, a triple
overtime 85-82 decision to the Wildcats
before 4,391 disbelievers at McGaw
Hall and a regional television audience.
IT WAS Michigan's fourth Big Ten
otertime game of the season and third
in a row. The Wolverines hadn't gone
three overtimes since 1973.
The loss puts Michigan at 3-5, eighth
in the conference and 10-7 overall.
Hopes of receiving a post-season tour-
nament bid - which were raised just
one week ago after the upset of Ohio
State - aren't yet laid to rest, but if the
recent trend continues they'll be fading
fast.
Clutch free throw shooting by North-
western in the final overtime period
helped the Wildcats gain only their
second Big Ten triumph in eight attem-
pts, the other win coming at the expen-
MfCHIGAN NORIhWE.STERN
Min FG/A FT/A R A PF Tot.
r541-. 13/34 ¢4 4 4 0 1 36
r' ' 319 417 13 52 10
man 'S 5/ 57 4 3 5 ,L5
' 42 3 6 00 1 4 2 6
:1 21 12 2 S 3 5
/9 2/4 010 0 0 0 4
n L3 3/4 0) 2 0 3 6
8 26 O) 2 0 5 4
4 112 018 0 0 0 2
t2735 31/72 14/12D :umi 1$ t S
Mhn F'/A FT/A R A PF Nt.
Campbell 55 9/10 212 312 5 2
Stac ^a' 6/15 3f4 7 4 4 L3
Juntg tai 35 - 0 3 0 4 6
Gibson l 4 57 0 9 2 13
Bobersen 30 10/14 31 6 6 2 23
Gmdy 13 013 0/0 0 0 1 0
Riad'eI 2 23 2f32 1 3 6
Jenkins 6 1/ta00 2 0 2
'Mals 2 /5 35/58 i5/3 ii27t 19'i
Halime: Northwestern:39,Michigan37
Attendance: 4.391
se of Michigan State, also in Evanston.
ENTERING THE final stanza tied at
72, the Wildcats jumped to a four-point
lead, 76-72 with 4:10 remaining. Paul
Heuerman's basket from inside cut the
margin in half, but moments later Jim
Stack hit one of two from the line,
making it 77-74.
from that point Northwestern didn't
score another field goal. It didn't have
to, however, as the Wildcats (one of the
top ten foul shooting teams in the
nation) converted both ends of one-and-
one situation four times in the final
minute.
Keith Smith, the 6-0 guard who, like
Heuerman, fouled out in the waning
moments, pumped in a jumper,
bringing Michigan to within one at 77-76
with 1:49 to play. But Northwestern
freshman Gaddis Rathel, a key reboun-
der down the stretch, hit a pair of free
throws to put the Wolverines down by
three again.
THAD GARNER then missed badly
from right of the key. Rathel snared the
rebound and was fouled in the back-
court. The freshman canned the first
shot, then failed to connect on the
second. But Stack flew into the lane,
snatched the ball and dished out to
Brian Gibson, who was fouled by Smith.
The senior guard was perfect from the
line giving the Wildcats an 81-76 advan-
tage.
Michigan coach Johnny Orr expected
a close battle with Northwestern. "I
expected it to be tough," said Orr. "I've
been around a long time. I expect them
all to be tough."
Orr praised his cagers' effort yester-
day. "The ball just wasn't bouncing our
way at critical times," he said. "I can't
fault my team at all, as long as they
give that kind of effort. I feel sorry for
them."
SECOND-YEAR Northwestern men-
tor Rich Falk echoed Orr's sentiments.
"Give Michigan a lot of credit, the way
they played the game," said Falk. "Af-
ter their loss on Thursday, it's a credit
to them. They're a very good, well-
coached team."
The triple-overtime experience was
novel to Falk. "It's the first time I've
ever been involved in one, and I don't
want any more," he said. "With each
overtime, we seemed to dig down just
that much more. It showed how they
(the Wildcats) wanted it,"
With about seven minutes remaining
in regulation, few persons in McGaw
Hall could have predicted a North-
western victory. A Heuerman jumper .
at the 7:24 mark gave Michigan its
largest lead of the game, 59-51. ,The
Wildcats gradually clawed their way
back into the foray, Rod Roberson's off-
balance shot bringing his team to
within three at 63-60.
ON ITS NEXT possession,
Michigan was victimized by a highly
questionable call. The officials whistled
Garner for charging at 1:08, and eight
seconds later, Roberson struck again,
this time from 15 feet to make it a one-
point deficit.
At :39 Garner cashed in on only one of
two from the line, giving Northwestern
a chance to tie the contest at 64 with a
field goal. Stack did just that, taking a
pass from Gibson and pumping in a
short fadeaway with twenty-five secon-
ds to go.
Michigan inbpunded the ball at mid-
court and worked for a final shot, but
Mark Lozier's effort from left of the
lane was short.
"WE JUST wanted to move and get
good shots," said Orr. "The missed
free-throws in regulation - that's the
thing which cost us the game."
If not for Mike McGee, who scored
eighteen of his game-high 30 points in
the first half, Michigan may well have
found itself trailing by a larger margin
than 39-37 at the intermission. The
game was tied thirteen times in the
opening session.
Heuerman had fifteen points, twelve
coming after the half while Garner had
ten. Roberson led the home team with
23 points, Mike Campbell registered
twenty, and Stack had fifteen.
Michigan will try to avenge its loss
this Saturday when it hosts North-
western. Before that affair, however,
the Wolverines (0-4 on the road in Big
Ten action) must travel to Wisconsin
Thursday to face the Badgers, who, like
the Wildcats, are 2-6.
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AP Photo
MICHIGAN CENTER Paul Heuerman drives past Northwestern counter-
part Brian Jung in yesterday's disheartening 85-82 triple-overtime loss to the
Wildcats. Despite a four-inch height disadvantage, Heuerman held the
seven-foot Jung to just six points while pumping in 15 of his own for the
Wolverines.
° fulic
.o r}
Gymnasts in top ten;
aiming for nationals
U
I
Dance
till you Drop
with
i
BY LEE KATTERMAN
National prominence is common-
place for Michigan athletic teams and
this week, the men's gymnastics squad
also entered the limelighyt.
The most recent Collegiate Gym-
nastics Coaches' Statistical Report lists
the Wolverines among the top ten in the
nation. The team's 265.95 against UCLA
January 12 earned Michigan ninth
place in the coach's rankings, its first
appearance in the top ten this season.
MARINER
'XI
4c. (K appearing
x L . ~ i r
_ ."V
/' ' .,
thru Sunday
-
t0
THE IMPORTANCE of this honor
goes beyond the recognition Michigan
will receive, for it moves the
Wolverines into the running for one of
ten team spots at the NCAA finals, set
for early April in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Furthermore, today's dual meet
gives the Wolverines a prime oppor-
tunity to move up in the rankings. Min-
nesota, the reigning Big Ten champions
and the team just ahead of Michigan in
the top ten, moves into Crisler Arena at
2 p.m. for this year's confrontation with
the Wolverines.
Dual meet records mean more than
they ever have. Rather than using
regional qualifying meets, a coaches
committee will select the team finalists
based on dual meet performance. Four
berths at the finals are reserved so that
each of the country's four regions will
be represented, with the remaining six
teams picked on an at-large basis.
THE SELECTION committee will
look closely at this score (Michigan vs.
Minnesota)," said Michigan coach
Newt Loken. "If we can beat.Minnesota
in man-to-man competition, it will
really enhance our chances to be selec-
ted."
Loken also noted that the next four
meets with Minnesota, Ohio State, In-
diana and Indiana State, will go a long
way in propelling his team into the
finals - if his team "continues to im-
prove and excel in their meets". Three
of these four teams (all but Indiana)
are currently ranked in the coaches' top
twenty.
The only gymnast with physical
problems is sophomore Marshall Gar-
field, who is still recovering from his
second dislocated fingermthis season.
Still, 'Garfield will perform on parallel
bars, and freshman Kevin McKee will
take the spot usually filled by Garfield
on high bar.
Loken has anotherreason for wanting
his team to do well in the Minnesota
meet. "I always like to look good again-
st Minnesota," said Loken, "because
it's my alma mater." As a Gopher,
Loken won NCAA championships in
high bar in 1941 and the all-around in
1942.
By STAN BRADBURY . EVANSTON
Will somebody pull the ripcord? The Michigan skydivers are going to be
crushed into little pieces unless someone can stop this nightmare plunge.
Falling, falling, falling, Michigan has to pull out of it before they face
Wisconsin, or it will be too late - the Wolverines will pass away from
whatever Big Ten title hopes they have.
The conference aerial excursion started out well for Michigan. After a
smooth takeoff' from Crisler International Airport the Wolverines were off
and flying as they buzzed over Mipnesota and Iowa.
But then they hit some very rough turbulence over Indiana and took a hit
to the fuselage over Illinois.
That wasn't enough to stop Michigan. The flight continued and hit
maximum altitude last Saturday with the shooting down of the Ohio State
Buckeyes, the Big Ten flying aces.
Michigan then looked ahead to the friendly and calm skies over
Michigan State and Northwestern. Everything seemed to be going well for
Commander Johnny Orr and his crew against the Spartans until three guys
in black-and-white striped uniforms pushed Michigan out of the plane.
Taking a dive
The Wolverines ended up free-falling past Michigan State and continued
to dive right by the Wildcats of Northwestern on regional TV yesterday. By
the end of the game, they must have seen their whole 'season flash before
their eyes. ,
Will they find the cord in time or will they crash in Madison Thursday
night? And if the chute does open and they touch down softly in Wisconsin, it
still remains to be seen if they can find a new fighter plane to get back into
the Big Ten battle.
Michigan seems to be making a habit out of taking each battle down to
the last seconds. .. or longer. The Wolverines have now played in three
consecutive overtime contests, winning the first, but losing the latter two.
That makes three overtime losses in the past six games. Turn those
three games around (Indiana, Michigan State, and Northwestern), and the
Wolverines would be in solid second place in the Big Ten.
Champions are made, and losers are given excuses in games like these.
SQ far, the breaks haven't been going Michigan's way.
Last season it was just the opposite. Michigan won the close ones, in-
cluding four games in the last second. Northwestern lost six games in the
waning seconds; among those was a two-point loss to Michigan on an Alan
Hardy 15-footer at the buzzer one year ago.
Perhaps the breaks are evening out.
Perhaps the problem is me.
I'm a jinx
I'm somewhat of a jinx to Michigan basketball. I've reported on five
games this year - Toledo, Indiana,, Purdue, Michigan State, and North-
western - and we've lost all five. I have never been given the opportunity of
writing up a Michigan victory.
But, Wolverine fans, take heart; I have only two more games to cover.
-They are Indiana and Pardue at home..
On the positive side of things, every game I've watched as a fan and not
as a reporter, Michigan has triumphed. And I plan to see all the rest of the
games.
The Northwestern game was fought without a plane, but that didn't stop
Mike McGee from gunning in 3 points to pace all scorers. It was McGee's
second 30-point performance in a row.
Michigan played a good game, but Northwestern was at their top for the
year. The Wildcats hit an amazing .603 field goal percentage. It is the highest
against the Wolverines this year.
Northwestern really won the game at the free throw line, where they hit
eleven of fourteen attempts in the third overtime period. Michigan was
never given a chance to come back with marksmanship-like that.
The Wildcats are, incidentally, marksmen from the free throw line.
They have a team free throw percentage of .750 going into the game, seventh
best in the nation.
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SCORES
College Basketball
Northwestern 85. MICHIGAN 82 (30T)
Indiana 69, Purdue 58
Iowaf80.Minnesota 73
Illinois 74, Michigan State 65
Wisconsin 72. Ohio State 71
Kentucky 56, Georgia 49
Louisiana State 66. Florida 58
Notre Dame 64, Maryland 63
Central Michigan 73, Kent State 71
Wake Forest 67, Georgia Tech 59
Open Saturdays
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