Women's Basketball vs. Minnesota Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena SPORTS Men's Swimming and Diving vs. Michigan State Tomorrow, 7 p.m. Canham Natatorium Ask * VThe Michigan Daily Thursday, January 23, 1992 Page 5 1 xTh~ " FU LL CO UR T -PRESS --- 1 Blue cagers must lern from -losses by Tim Spolar Daily Basketball Writer °1MADISON -- The Michigan women's basketball team finds itself mired in last place in the Big Ten, winless after four conference games. Needless to say, the Wolverines have not had much to write home about. After an exceptional showing in the Seattle Times-Husky Classic, where the Wolverines upset one top 20 team and came within five points of beating another, emotions and expectations were running high entering conference play. However, after a pair of disappointing home losses to Purdue and Illinois in its first Big Ten weekend, it was readily- apparent that the team's confidence was shaken. The key to returning to winning form would be merely to forget these aberrations and play with heart for forty minutes. By doing so, next weekend's games would be a showcase for Michigan's move to the conference's upper division. But now 'next weekend's games' have become last weekend's games, and the greatness has not returned. Perhaps the Wolverines didn't forget enough of their first Big Ten weekend. Or maybe they forgot too much. Both Northwestern and Wisconsin routed the Wolverines last weekend. The Wildcats executed a full-court press to near perfection, while the Badgers used an up-tempo attack and veteran players to drub Michigan. The Northwestern game was so ugly that Michigan coach Bud VanDeWege called it an "embarrassment." "There was no excuse for that at all," VanDeWege said. "It was just a complete loss of poise, a complete lack of mental readiness on (Michigan's) part."d One of the Wolverines' biggest problems so far has been poor shooting. After losing to Illinois, the frustration which stems from missing shots one normally makes was evident on the faces and in the words of Michigan's players and coaches. "We didn't take many bad shots," VanDeWege said. "We took shots that we normally look for, but they just wouldn't fall for us today." "My shooting was off today," said Trish Andrew, Michigan's leading scorer. "The bad thing was that I let it frustrate me and let it affect the rest of my game."~ a.Unfortunately, that often happens in the game of basketball. Even the game's top players need confidence to excel. Shooting is often the aspect of the game most directly affected by confidence, but it is definitely not the only one. When one's shooting goes south, everything else usually follows suit. This is what the team meant by forgetting the bad performances against Purdue and Illinois. Putting an unlucky game out of its mind would be the first ingredient in burying Michigan's cold touch. What the team showed last weekend, though, is that the first few games might not have merely been results of bad luck. The Wolverines have played poorly since their great triumph in Washington, but they know they can repeat that performance. With Minnesota, the only team picked to finish behind the Wolverines in the preseason Big Ten coaches' poll, and Iowa coming to Crisler this weekend, it is time for the Wolverines to remember their first four confer- ence games. Forget about how great they were nearly a month ago. Get an- gry at the poor showings in 1992. Start getting better in each contest like they did in the Husky Classic instead of regressing through the Big Ten sea- son. It's time for Michigan to show its true colors. Wolverine Char Durand drives around an'opponent last season. Durand and the Wolverines hope to increase their level of intensity for the remainder of their schedule. Michigan faces Northwestern and Minnesota this weekend. BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK Starting slots open as women cagers head into 'home series Spikers spli~t weekend series by Dan Linna Daily Sports Writer The Michigan men's volleyball team salvaged the weekend by thrashing Wisconsin Saturday after falling to Michigan State Friday. Michigan vented its frustrations on the Badgers and ran away with the match, 15-4, 15-3, 7-15 and 15-7. Senior Mike McCune led Michi- gan with 12 kills and senior co-cap- tain Keith Baar had nine to help the team post a 41 percent kill average. The Wolverines also collected 50 digs in the victory. Although the Wolverines were burried in the first two games against MSU, 15-7 and 15-5, they made a comeback in the third game to take a 13-7 lead. However, Michigan State battled back to take the game - and the match - 17-16. "We were a little nervous in game one," Michigan coach Tom Jo- hengen said. "We made a lot of mis- takes. We were trying too hard. Michigan State had a great effort and they were very consistent." McCune and junior Chris Pierce led the team with eight kills each as the Wolverines posted a sub-par 28 percent kill average. "We didn't block well, and this allowed them to score more easily than they should have," Johengen said. One of the bright spots for the Wolverines was the play of sopho- more Justin MacLaurin who was ef- fective in both matches and made no hitting errors during the weekend. "(MacLaurin) gives us the pos- sibility for a new hitter in the fu- ture," Johengen said. "He has the highest vertical leap on the team and should be able to hit over anyone in the league." .The Wolverines agreed that even though the weekend didn't produce the two victories the team was looking for, they learned a valuable lesson. "We got into a rut against MSU and people were trying to pull us out on their own," sophomore Tony Poshek said. "We learned that we need to play entirely as a team." by Ryan Herrington and Tim Spolar Daily Basketball Writers MADISON - After last weekend's lopsided de- feats at Northwestern and Wisconsin, losing by scores of 83-57 and 93-66 respectively, Michigan coach Bud VanDeWege made it clear that the Wolverines' individual levels of intensity have not been high enough to get the job done in the Big Ten. The inconsistent nature of the team thus far has put four of the five starting positions up for grabs. "People who step forward are going to get a chance to play," VanDeWege said. "We just need to find people who are going to play well. If I need to sub a lot to get it, I'm going to do it. (Center) Trish (Andrew)'is your given and after that I'm willing to look at anybody and anything." Among the Wolverines who have begun to excel is sophomore forward Rhonda Jokisch. Her play last Sunday against the Badgers was her best performance of the season. Jokisch scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds in limited court time. She has also turned heads in practice, most notably VanDeWege's. "She's much improved," he said. "I'm really pleased she's coming along so well." GROUNDED IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE: As if Michigan's dismal weekend on the road could have gotten any grayer, the Wolverines faced flight delays during their return to Ann Arbor. After taking off on their scheduled flight following Sunday's game in Madison, their plane had to circle back and land when its landing gear would not retract. Michigan was forced to switch flights and take an indirect route through Minneapolis before landing at Detroit .Metro at 12:45 a.m., a little more than five hours later than the team's original arrival time. RECEIVING NO CHARITY: Michigan didn't make life any easier for itself against the Badgers and Wildcats. The Wolverines managed to go to the free throw line only 12 times Friday against Northwestern, as the Wildcats were charged with 10 fouls the entire night. Against the Badgers, the numbers improved somewhat as Michigan went to the line 21 times. Even when the Wolverines made it to the charity stripe they encountered problems. Michigan shot 21- 33 for the two games, resulting in a 63 percent clip. The poor-shooting bug even bit reliable Nikki Beaudry, who went into the weekend leading the Big Ten in free throw percentage. Beaudry went three for eight for the weekend, a far cry from her 84 percent season average. Woe runners hope to maintain momentum HOCKEY NOTEBOOK Evans avoids 'goat' label in victory by Bernadette Ramsey Coming off an excellent per- formance in Bloomington last weekend, the Wolverines are gearing up for their home opener. The women's track team will take on SKent State and Toledo in a trian- Wgular meet Saturday at the Track and Tennis Building beginning at 12 noon. Riding high after beating defend- ing champion Indiana on the Hoosiers' home track, Michigan hopes to continue its momentum. "Toledo and Kent State are both good teams and this should be an ex- citing meet," Michigan coach James *Henry said. "The team is really en- thusiastic right now and looking forward to this meet." Henry feels he is getting just what he needs from the team right now. "We have a good mix of older members and newcomers who are coming through with solid perf or- mances," Henry said. "I could go on for a long time praising this team."~ * This mixture of quality gives the Wolverines plenty of depth. Henry may have to rely on that depth if, key team members remain unhealthy. Susy Thweatt, a hurdler and sprinter, pulled up lame during the 200-meter hurdles at Indiana. She has been plagued with a recurring quadriceps injury this season. Also, Courtney Babcock missed the Indi- ana meet due to injury. * "Babcock's injury was very dis- appointing considering her superb One bright spot was Amy Bannister, who was able to compete; last week without being bothered by a previous hip injury. "Hopefully, everyone will be ready to go, but at this point it is too soon to tell," Henry said. "This weekend should be a good indicator of where we really are and what ar- eas we may still be weak in. Kent State and Toledo have more depth than our previous competition and Henry should provide better matchups." Runners to face tough weekend competition by Bruce Inosencio Daily Sports Writer The men's track team runs up against tough competition this Saturday as it faces Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan State. Coach Jack Harvey is looking for his team to improve after a disappointing loss to Indiana last weekend. "It will be a tough meet, but we should do better than we did against Indiana," Harvey said. "We did better in our intrasquad meet two weeks ago than what we did against Indiana." Although,Harvey felt that last weekend was not a true display of his team's abilities he remains optimistic. "Michigan State and Ohio State are both strong in the sprints and hurdles, but I feel we can hang in there and battle it out." distances, while MSU boasts Rick Gledhill in the mile and FreJ Kyles in the 55-meter sprint. Penn State looks to finish well in the shot put, the 3,000 and mile runs, and the pole vault, long jump and triple jump events. The Wolverines are looking for strong performances from All- Americans Brad Darr (pole vault) and Dan Reddan (high jump). In the mile run, Michigan's Chris Childs and Joe McKown are candidates for victory, both entering the meet with a 4:15. In the 3,000 Dan Oden and Jim Finlayson are running near an 8:30 pace, giving each of them an opportunity to cross the line first. Saturday's meet gets under way at noon beginning with field events. Preliminaries for hurdles and sprints start at 12:30, followed by by Rod Loewenthal Daily Hockey Writer Michigan defenseman Doug Evans almost ended up the team goat in the Wolverines' overtime triumph Saturday night. With both teams scoreless 11:25 into the third period, Evans was called for a two- minute minor after drilling Mark Zdan into the boards almost a full second after the referee's whistle had stopped play. The penalty left the Wolverines with a 5-on-3 disadvantage and allowed UIC to score on the power play 16 seconds later. Fortunately for Evans, the Wolverines were able to score the equalizer to send the game into overtime. In the jubilant locker room following the game, Evans was clearly the happiest guy in the room. "I didn't hear the whistle blow, I swear," Evans said. "If I Said I heard that whistle I'd never play a period of Michigan hockey again." OLD MAN AND THE KNEE: Michigan right wing Dan Stiver was forced to sit out of Saturday's game after straining ligaments in his knee during Friday's second pe- riod. The junior may return within a week, but remains questionable for the upcoming series with Ohio S tate. A FISK IN THE C R OWD: Watching from the balcony Friday night was none other than baseball legend and Chicago White Sox catcher. Carlton Fisk. Fisk was in Iattendance with his daughter Car- lvn_ a111C s~e'nior- whoi dtes" .CC H A S:>::::>:::::>::... cre a .. . 2- Mic i an St ate:(1 _: ; .. 1....3 4.2.....6.61 3 I~ldigan(164-3) 114 3 23' '5 4.: :::" >:"::"::::":;"::: >:":"::"10:8:"2::":;8:"78 ........ .......a. . -....3 . ...........3................................. Blomeie oher*ue>...:::::6:10:226::....4 1 :0 Steve Shields:: s.::.:;.:: 13 ::::7 s 3 .02.82...3 .. MieStoet: :M$Us 16:::" ..47.. :3 . 2: :3 Z . 8. :: 3. .> ...........L.....:..:... 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