- The Michigan Daily-Sunday, February 15, 1981-Page 9
Spartan surprise:
By BUDDY MOOREHOUSE
Special to the Daily
EAST LANSING-In a game of gian-
ts, it isn't very often that the little guys
make the difference. But in the last two
Michigan games, small men have given
the Wolverine cagers big headaches.
Last Thursday it was Ohio State's
Todd Penn, at 5-9, the smallest player
in the Big Ten. Penn tossed in a career-
high 24 points in the Buckeye win that
night.
YESTERDAY IT was 6-2 Kevin
Smith that gave the Wolverines fits, as
he ripped the nets for a game-high 28
points to lead his Michigan State
teammates to a 70-66 win over the
Wolverines before 10,004 screaming
fans in Jenison Fieldhouse.
The junior from Birmingham hit on
ten of 14 from the floor and added eight
of ten from the foul line to reach his
career-high total. "The last two games
I played really bad," said Smith. "I
knew I could do better. I almost went to
Michigan, so this was a really special
game for me''
"Kevin Smith is one helluva basket-
ball player," Michigan coach Bill
Blown to Sr
MICHIGAN STATE
Min fg/a ft/a R A PF Pty
Tower............34 2/3 0/0 2 2 1 4
Perry ............. 18 0/1 5/6 1 0 0 5
Vincent ........... 27 7/13 4/5 3 4 5 18
Brkovich...........11 2/4 0/0 2 2 0 4
Smith .............39 10/14 8/10 3 4 2 28
Kaye ............34 3/3 2/2 4 0 5 8
Bostic ............. 27 1/2 0/0 0 3 1 2
Bates .............3 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0
Cawood.......... 1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0
Morrison.......... 1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0
Gore............. 4 0/0 1/2 0 0 1 1
Fossum............ 1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0
Team Rebounds 3
Totals.............200 25/40 20/25 18 15 15 70
Smith sparks MSU;
'M' offense fizzles
Frieder remarked after the game. "We
haven't had that much trouble with a
guard in a long, long time."
THE WOLVERINES raced to an
early five-point lead in the game, but
eight unanswered Spartan points
ignited an offensive surge that helped
MSU to a 35-30 halftime advantage.
After the intermission, Michigan
State came out firing again, extending
its lead to as much as 11 points before
star center Jay Vincent fouled out at
4:23 with 18 points. Michigan State then
committed numerous turnovers, but
the Wolverines couldn't quite capitalize
on them as they never got closer than
four points in the second half.
Turnovers and missed shots by the
Wolverines allowed the Spartans to
hold off Michigan and up their record to
4-8 in the conference.
THE LOSS DROPS Michigan to 7-5 in
the league, two games off the pace. "It
really would have helped us if we could
have won this game," said Frieder.
"Now we're going to have to pick up a
game somewhere along the line if we
still want to make the NCAA (tour-
nament)."
Forward Mike McGee led the
Wolverines in scoring, as usual, with 23
points. Johnny Johnson had 14 and
Thad Garner and Marty Bodnar chip-
ped in ten apiece, but Frieder was not
happy with his squad's offensive per-
formance.
"We didn't play too poorly on defen-
se," said the Wolverine mentor. "Our
problems were on offense. We weren't
patient enough early, and it really hurt
us." The Wolverines shot 53 percent
from the floor, conpared to a blistering
63 percent for the Spartans.
THE WOLVERINES outrebounded
MSU, 23 to 18, and committed fewer
70-66
turnovers, 22 to 19, but it was
Michigan's poor shooting that
ultimately doomed them.
In a game filled with sloppy play, one
of the more unusual plays came in the
second half, when Smith was caught
travelling as he dropped the ball.
Michigan center Tim McCormick, not
hearing the whistle, picked up the loose
ball and raced downcourt for an uncon-
tested dunk. But the referees ruled that
McCormick was delaying the game,
and slapped him with a technical.
Smith then sank the free throw and his
team got the ball back out of bounds.
"That was ridiculous," said Frieder
when asked about the call. "Tim just
didn't hear the whistle. It was so noisy
down there that one of the officials said
that he didn't hear it, either. It really
was a bush call."
It's apparently not going to get much
easier for the Wolverines in the near
future, as they travel to Champaign on
Thursday to meet Illinois. Then after a
home game with Northwestern, the
Blue cagers head out to play Iowa and
Indiana on the road.
"It's not going to be easy winning
those road games," admitted Frieder.
"But our kids have a lot of heart, and
hopefully they can bounce back."
mith-ereens
MICHIGAN
Min fg/a ft/a
McGee...........36 9/19 5/7
Garner ............ 40 5/8 0/1
Heuerman........23 0/2 1/2
Johnson..........37 7/11 0/0
Bodnar ............ 32 5/10 0/1
McCormick ....... 24 3/5 0/0
Person...........7 1/2 0/0
Burton ............ 1 0/0 0/0
Team Rebounds
Totals...........200 30/57 6/11
R A PF Pts
0 1 4 23
7 3 5 10
2 0 5 1
5 6 1 14
0 9 4 10
3 1 46
3 0 0 2
0 0 0 0
3
23 20 21 66
Razor Sharp
By DREW SHARP
Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK
MICHIGAN'S MIKE McGEE (40) goes up for a shot against Michigan
State's Rick Kaye. McGee led Wolverine scorers with 23 points, but it wasn't
Fouled Out: Heuerman, Vincent
Technical Fouls: VincentMcCormick
Halftime: Michigan State 35. MICHIGAN 30
Attendance: 10,004
enough as the Spartans won, 70-66.
BIG TEN ROUNDUP:
;:v ,
Illini down Bucks, keep
pace
COLUMBUS (AP) - Seventeenth-
ranked Illinois, led by guards Criag
Tucker and Derek Harper, outscored
Ohio State 8-2 in the final two minutes
last night to defeat the Buckeyes 63-57
in a Big Ten Conference college basket-
ball game.
Tucker's basket with two minutes left
gave the Illini, 16-5 overall and 8-4 in the
conference, the lead for good at 57-55.
The victory kept the Illini one game
behind conference co-leaders Indiana
and Iowa and was the second time this
season that they had beaten the
Buckeyes, 12-9 overall and 7-5 in the
conference.
Minnesota 92, Purdue 72
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Sophomore
center Randy Breuer erupted for a
career-high 29 points, powering Min-
nesota to a 92-72 Big Ten basketball vic-
tory over Purdue last night.
Breuer, a 7-foot-3 giant, connected on
13 of 17 field goal attempts and was vir-
tually unstoppable against the much
shorter Boilermakers.
Breuer had 17 points by halftime, as
the Gophers assumed a 39-30 lead. Pur-
due scored the first basket of the second
half, but Minnesota then got 10 of the
next 12 points to forge a 15-point lead at
49-34.
Iowa 82, Northwestern 64
IOWA CITY (AP) - Steve Krafcisin
and Bob Hansen scored 14 points apiece
and led a balanced attack as No. 14
Iowa romped to an 82-64 victory over
Northwestern in Big Ten basketball
yesterday.
Iowa took control early, outscoring
the Wildcats 14-4 in the first 10 minutes.
The Hawkeyes coasted to a 38-25 half-
time edge on the strength of Krafcisin's
12 first half points.
Indiana 59, Wisconsin 52
MADISON (AP) - Indiana, paced by
Randy Wittman's 15 points, fought off
scrappy Wisconsin yesterday as the
20th-ranked Hoosiers posted a 59-52 Big
Ten college basketball victory.
Wittman scored nine of his points in
the second half as he led the Hoosiers to
their 16th victory of the season. In-
diana, 16-8 overall, remained tied with
Iowa for the Big Ten lead at 9-3 in the
conference.
Big Ten Standings
Conference
Iowa .........
Indiana......
Illinois ........
MICHIGAN ..
Purdue .......
Ohio State ....
Minnesota ....
Michigan St...
Wisconsin.,.
Northwestern
W
9
9
8
7
7
7
6
4
2
1
L
3
3
4
5
5
5
6
8
10
11
Overall
W L
17 4
16 8
16 5
16 5
14 7
12 9
14 7
10 11
8 12
7 14
Yesterday's Games
Michigan St. 70, MICHIGAN 66
Indiana 69, Wisconsin 62
Iowa 82, Northwestern 64
Illinois 63, Ohio State 57
Minnesota 92, Purdue 72
Medley team leads women
tracksters to twi-meet wn
Michigan State sports
.. a rapid fall in two years
DOOLEY'S, EAST LANSING
The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is competition that can best be
described in one word - fierce. When they're not battling each other on the
playing field, they're usually engaged in a crossfire of verbal attacks.
"Hey, Spartan!" said the Michigan student. "Why do they have artificial
turf at Spartan Stadium? Give up? So the Homecoming Queen won't graze
on the field at halftime."
"Look here, Mr. Meechigan!" countered a MSU student. "You know what
'A-square' really stands for - arrogant asses!"
It is this kind of spirit that makes college sports great and was the reason
why I decided to watch yesterday's game at this popular watering hole in-
stead of that archaic sardine can, Jenison Fieldhouse.
With such an emotional confrontation taking place, it would be safe to
assume that the bar would be packed with enthusiastic fans who were unable
to get their hands on the hottest ticket in town.
I was wrong.
There were a measly 10 people watching the game on one of the tavern's
three television sets. It was definitely a weird feeling to hear the cry "Jud's
Duds" instead of the chant "Go Blow."
The people watching the game there were just like me'<Someone who just
dropped by to have a few beers and watch a basketball game. There wasn't
any wild hysteria like there is whenever a Michigan game is televised in the
local pubs.
Top of the heap in '79
Two years ago, they were at the pinnacle of collegiate basketball, riding
the waves of Earvin Johnson's and Greg Kelser's talents all the way to an
NCAA title. Following that season, the Spartans have wallowed in the depths
of the Big Ten's second division. Such a complete regression is enough to
make even the most loyal fans turn sour.
"You've got to be depressed when you've gone through such a complete
reversal," said MSU student Jeff Schwartz, a senior from Flint. "It's hard to
believe that the championship was only two years ago. It seems like an eter-
nity. Back then, (in 1979), we were on top in everything and now the bottom
has fallen out."
Along with the basketball championship that year, Michigan State was
football co-champ with Michigan (the Wolverines went to the Rose Bowl only
because the Spartans were still suffering through that disastrous NCAA
probation, and conference champ in baseball. For the first time in years,
Michigan State could honestly say that they had a better athletic year than
their archrival down south.
A decrease in enthusiasm
"We're at the point right now where we're saying, 'The past was great, but
what have you done for me lately,' " said Bob Dixon, another MSU senior.
"The confusion involving the quick departure of (former football coach
Darryl) Rogers coupled with the rebuilding of the basketball team didn't
create an ideal situation here.
"Everyone has got to accept the fact that there will never be another
Magic Johnson. It's going to take some time to build a winner here. Until
then, we wait."
However, the wait doesn't have to be a silent vigil. It was a madhouse in-
side Jenison during the game, but before the contest, it was unusually dull.
Where were the "Beat Michigan" banners that are usually prominent?
Where were the cars filled with boisterous students, who cruise the streets
with horns blaring, rooting for a Spartan triumph? It's little things like those
which make college competition come alive, unlike its professional counter-
part.
As the final pitcher was being quaffed, the last seconds were counted down
as Michigan State defeated the Wolverines. There was applause and mild
celebration. The Spartans may very well have permanently derailed
Michigan's bid for the Big Ten championship, but that generated only a
feeble show of appreciation.
"We're living off our past," said Dixon. "Memories. All we have are
memories.
I/
By SARAH SHERBER
"This is the best test we've had in this
type of triangular competition." Such
were coach Ken Simmons' comments
as he described the Michigan women's
track meet against the University of
Western Ontario and Central Michigan
last night. The teams' final tallies were
132, 106, and 72 respectively.
The meet marked the last time the
women will run at the Track and Tennis
Building this season, as they closed
their home season. It also kept the
Wolverines undefeated in tri-meets as
they brought their record to 4-0.
THE HIGHLIGHT of the meet came
early for the Wolverines when the
distance medley team of Sue
Frederick, Branda Kazinec, Melanie
Weaver and Lisa Larsen set a new
Michigan and fieldhouse record with a
time of 11:45:0. The squad also
qualifited for the AIAW meet at Idaho
State next month.
The spectacular performance in the
distance medley actually hindered the
Wolverines throughout the rest of the
meet. "The one-mile, two-mile and
three-mile races were sacrificed by
putting the distance medley together,"
said Simmons.
Indeed the one-mile run was
sacrificed. With Lisa Larsen, the
Michigan record holder who has con-
sistently run under five minutes, absent
from the heat, fellow Wolverine Carol
Lam was left with the task of compiling
a win. It appeared as if she had a good
chance until the gun lap, when Central
Michigan's Teresa Quilty kicked past
Lam taking the first place spot with a
time of 5:11.81.
MICHIGAN'S RELAY teams con-
tinued their fine performances as both
the 4 x 220 and the 4 x 440 had an easy
time defeating their opponents. The
half-mile team found themselves with
such a large lead at the last handoff
that anchorwoman Kazinec slowed her
pace to a near-jog as the team com-
pleted its course with a time of 1:46.5,
almost five seconds slower than their
AIAW qualifying time.
Joanna Bullard, who in past events
had been performing at sub-par,
realigned her steps and took first place
in the high jump with a height of 5-8.
Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTROM
CATHERINE SHARPE hands off to Renee Turner during the 4x220 relay
last night. The relay squad went on to win the event with a time of 1:46.5. The
team posted their fourth tri-meet victory with a final score of 132.
SIX PINSIKEY ROMP:
S'M' grapplers crush Ball State
By JIM DWORMAN
The Michigan wrestling team started
out fast and never slowed down en route
to:a 45-6 victory against the outmanned
Ball State Cardinals last night in
Gr'isler Arena. The Wolverine grapplers
wOn the first six matches of the meet
A a~nd nin ni of tp n . fnr thPu aia
held a 4-2 lead over Ball State's Alex
Conti before he finally held Conti's
shoulders to the mat. Pearson had a 4-1
advantage over the Cardinal's Harry
Brown before finally recording the pin.
Kelly Lewis then proceeded to record
an impressive, 11-2 major decision for
the lone Cardinal victory, pinning the
Wolverine's Dave Lusk in the 167-pound
division midway through the second
round.
Rob Rechsteiner immediately got the
Wolverines back onto the winning
track, scoring a 20-2 superior decision
over Ball State's Jim Armour.
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