Page 6 -The Michigan Daily - Sports Wednesday - January 6, 1993
NoKA01
Continued from page 1
"Adonis does a lot of things besides
scoring. Defense (especially)."
Kansas (9-1) fell to No. 4 with
the loss.
Michigan's 79-78 victory over
the Tar Heels Dec. 29 put the
"classic" hack into the Rainbow
Classic. Both teams displayed Final
Four intensity throughout, and with
2:53 remaining, the scoreboard read
73-73. Tar Heel forward George
Lynch, who finished with a team-
high 16 points, made the first of two
free throws with two minutes
remaining to give North Carolina a
one-point lead, 74-73.
After the teams exchanged free
throw-conversions, the score stood
76-75 with 1:15 left.
Michigan passed the ball around,
looking for an open shot against the
matchup zone, the 45-second shot
MOST OUTSTANDING
PLAYER
Chris Webber, Michigan
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jalen Rose, Michigan
Eric Montross, North Carolina
Lindsey Hunter Jr., Jackson St.
Eric Pauley, Kansas
George Lynch, North Carolina
winding down. Rose, standing al-
most at half court, lofted the bal to-
ward the basket.
By design, as Rose and Webber
would later insist, Webber caught
the lob in front of the basket and
threw in a reverse lay-in. 77-76,
Michigan. Webber led the Wolver-
ines with 27 points and five blocks.
"We run plays like that in prac-
tice all the time," Webber said.
"I wouldn't lie to you, that was a
pass," Rose said.
With 13 seconds left to play, Tar
Heel forward Donald Williams, who
had just entered the game, made a
seven-foot jumper from the right
side. The Blaisdell Center exploded
with Carolina Blue. 78-77, North
Carolina.
With no time outs, Michigan
threw the ball up court. King re-
ceived the lob from Howard, who
had almost turned it over, and at-
tempted a six-footer from the right
side. No good. Rose rebounded the
miss and put it back at the buzzer.
This time, the explosion was all
Maize and Blue. 79-78, Wolverines.
"We had said 'No putbacks,"'
North Carolina coach Dean Smith
said. "Obviously, they got one."
"Jalen played his best gamne of
the season," Fisher said. "The last
basket was luck, but he had put him-
self in position to get that basket."
Rose finished second to Webber
with 22 points.
The first-half featured much less
drama. However, the Wolverines
displayed surprisingly good ball con-
trol in the half, committing only five
turnovers to North Carolina's 10.
Unfortunately for Michigan, for-
ward Ray Jackson separated his left
shoulder less than two minutes into
the contest, and was taken to a local
hospital for treatment. Rob Pelinka
took Jackson's place on the court.
While Fisher denied comparisons
between the game and a Final Four
contest, assistant Perry Watson said
he felt the tournament tension.
"It's North Carolina, and it's 1h1(1
tense," Watson said. "It feels defi-
nitely like it's NCAA Tournament
tine."
With the loss, North Carolina
(9-1) remained at No. 5.
Despite winning by a large mar-
gin, 88-73, Michigan found itself
dangerously close to playing in the
consolation round during its Dec. 28
contest with the Cornhuskers.
Riding a momentum wave from
guard Jamar Johnson's buzzer-beat-
ing triple at the end of the first stan-
za, Nebraska erased its. four-point
halftime deficit to take the lead, 41-
40, with just over 18 minutes left.
Paced by forward Eric Piat-
kowski's 20 points and seven re-
bounds, the Huskers utilized a solid
halfcourt offense to temporarily neu
tralize Michigan's fullcourt attack.
"Michigan's obviously a real
quality basketball team," Nebraska
coach Danny Nee said. "Our finish
to the first half was obviously the
key (to keeping the game close after
halftime)."
The Wolverines snapped back to
life when Pelinka drained a kaukoi
from the left baseline with 13:22
left, establishing a 53-49 advantage.
Webber scored 12 of his team-lead-
ing 20 points in the second half, and
Riley pulled down 10 second-half
boards to go with his 13 points.
"Eric Riley had his best game of
the season," Fisher said. "I also
thought Jimmy King was a big factor
for us, and while it may not show up
in the box score, Ray Jackson pro-
vided a spark for us tonight."
Nebraska (9-3) dropped out of
the Top 25 this week.
Michigan looked ready to chase
Johnny Orr's Iowa State ballclub (8-
3) out of town Dec. 19, beginning
the game with a 12-2 run and roaring
to a 30-12 lead with 9:28 left in the
first half. But the Palace crowd, and
a national ESPN audience looked on
as the Cyclones went on a 21-9 run
over the next 8:30 to cut the margin
to six points.
"We just lost our intensity for
awhile, for whatever reason. I'm not
sure what it was. They took advan-
BK A E K
BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK J-,
0
ignore pull of polls
by Adam Miller
A
EVAN PEt:IE/Daiy
Forward Ray Jackson remains out indefiitely with a separated left shoulder
suffered in Michigan's 79-78 victory over North Carolina.
tage of it," said Riley, who turned in
nine points and five rebounds for the
Wolverines.
Michigan stopped the run when
Webber buried a long-distance trey
at the halftime buzzer, extending the
Wolverines' lead to 44-33.
"That was a nice boost for us,"
Fisher said. "We felt a little better
about ourselves coming off the
court."
After a slow start to the second
half, which saw the Cyclones close
to 44-37, Michigan pulled away and
it was $howtimne in Auburn lills.
Webber's reverse jam off the
break with just over 11 minutes left
put an exclamation mark on the
contest. Final score: Michigan 94,
Iowa State 72.
However, it was Michigan's 31
assists, and not its numerous dunks,
that received the most attention from
many onlookers, especially those
that had perceived the Wolverines as
a selfish team.
"(Playing selflessly is) what
you're supposed to do," Fisher said.
"I think most teams do that. In fact, I
think our team does that, also."
The Wolverines began their win-
ter break Dec. 14 by stomping
Cleveland State (4-2) at Crisler, 88-
56. It was a rude homecoming for
former Michigan assistant Mike
Boyd, head coach of the Vikings,
and ex-Wolverine Sam Mitchell,
who played in his first post-
Michigan game that night.
Webber and Howard tied for the
team lead with 21 points each.
The Wolverines also swept the
other "Michigan" teams they faced
over break, defeating Central Mich-
igan (3-4), 94-69, Dec. 21 and East-
ern Michigan (5-6), 88-58, Jan. 2.
The game against the Chippewas
was marked by the absence of
Fisher, who was attending the fu-
neral of his father, George, at the
time. Watson coached the team in
Fisher's absence.
After finding themselves down,
25-15, with 8:50 left before
halftime, the Wolverines went on a
27-8 run to lead 42-33 at intermis-
sion. The run continued through the
first 10 minutes of the second half,
and Jackson's lay-in with 9:06 re-
maining pushed the score to 74-48,
prompting a Central timeout. Mich-
igan coasted to victory from there.
Despite having arrived in Ann
Arbor on the red-eye from Honolulu
less than 36 hours earlier, the
Wolverines wrapped up the vacation
schedule by thumping Eastern
Michigan, 88-58.
Daily Basketball Writer
HONOLULU - After the No. 3 Michigan men's basketball team0
cruised by No. 4 Kansas, 86-74, to take the Rainbow Classic crown, the big'
question in the interview room was what the results would do to the national
rankings. Kansas was then ranked second by the Associated Press. Michigan
was merely No. 6.
Both coaches were asked about how this would affect the rankings.
Neither expressed any interest in the question.
"I'm not worried about the rankings. I think right now, we're right where
we want to be," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said.
"To be honest, I don't worry about that at all," Jayhawk coach Roy
Williams said.
ROSE'S REDEMPTION? Michigan point guard Jalen Rose has been'
heavily criticized by the media - especially ESPN analyst Dick Vitale -
for lacking the skills of a "true" point guard. Vitale, and other detractors,
have claimed the 6-foot-8 Rose does not compare favorably to smaller,
faster guards such as Kansas' 5-foot-1II Adonis Jordan.
During Michigan's clash with the Jayhawks, Rose shot 9-for-15, includK
ing 1-for-3 from beyond the three-point stripe, had six assists and finished
with a team-high 25 points.
On the other hand, Jordan, who played the point opposite Rose, shot 2-
for-10, including 0-for-3 from three-point territory, had six assists and fI -
ished with only four points.
So the question had to be asked of Rose: Is this vindication?
"I don't worry too much about (the criticism)," Rose said. "I just want to
go and play a good game. It doesn't matter what size you are if you got the
skills to play in the game."
GOLDEN BOYS: After sleepwalking past Nebraska in the tournament
opener, the Wolverines cane out and played, arguably, their two best ganes
of the season against the Tar Heels and Jayhawks.
The difference'? Some say it's the uniforms. The designated "road" teaini
throughout its bracket, Michigan wore its blue uniforms against the'
Huskers, but broke out the gold for the semifinals and championship. ""
After the Kansas game, Michigan forward Chris Webber was asked i'f"
the yellow uniforms are now Michigan's outfit of choice.
"They're definitely our home uniforms now. I definitely like gold."
Especially since we won," Webber said.
"And we hated them last year," Fisher added. The Wolverines lost both;
gaies they played last season when wearing the gold uniforms, home cof
tests against Duke and Purdue.
Speaking of the Boilermakers, Michigan won't be able to wear the yet-
low uniforms tomorrow. Purdue wears - you guessed it - gold uniforms
at home.
HOOSIER COMPARISONS: The Jayhawks beat Indiana this season:
Then Michigan beat Kansas. Williams was asked to compare these two Bid
Ten favorites.
"They're different teams," Williams said. "Michigan gets the ball inside
- Webber, Juwan (Howard), and (Eric) Riley comes off the bench:"
Indiana is more perimeter-oriented - Calbert (Cheaney), Damon
(Bailey), they're more of a scrappy team.
"They'll be two of the best teams in college basketball," Williams said.
"It will be an interesting Big Ten race."
TRUE DEDICATION: Nancy Torgerson, a member of the official"
Rainbow Classic Tour and a 1988 masters graduate of Michigan, took'
Wolverine boosting to new heights Dec. 31. The Wolverines flew back toy
Los Angeles on the same flight as the tour group, so their bags were on the
curb of Honolulu International with the group's bags.
Torgerson pulled out her camera, and photographed the tearn's luggage.
"I just wanted to do that," she said.
.:
Mercy downs women cagers*
'M' falls 77-73 to Detroit, notches first season victory vs. Buckner
by Mike Hill
Daily Basketball Writer
Monday night's 77-73 loss to
Detroit Mercy completed a holiday
break the Michigan women's bas-
ketball team (1-8) would just as soon
forget.
The Wolverines, who went 1-6
during that span, had every oppor-
tunity to knock off the Lady Titans
(5-4). Down by three with 17.9 sec-
onds to play, the Wolverines got the
ball back when Detroit's Ann Shaw
turned it over on a double dribble.
Trish Andrew missed a three-
point try, but Michigan got another
chance when Detroit knocked the
rebound out of bounds. The Wol-
verines could not get another shot
off, as Shaw redeemed herself with a
game-preserving steal.
"We just made too many mis-
takes tonight," Andrew said. "Now's
the time to put the preseason behind-
us and look forward to the Big Ten.
But we have to learn from our mis-
takes."
Andrew, who finished with a
team-high 25 points and 16 re-
bounds, hit two of her 11 free throws
to cut the Detroit lead to two. Mercy
countered with Patrice Martin, who
drained a triple while being fouled
by Nuanes. Her foul shot, followed
by another trey, gave the Lady
Titans a seven-point swing and an
insurmountable 10-point lead. Mar-
tin finished with 30 points, including
5 of 6 three-pointers.
But the Wolverines handled the
pressure defenses fairly well in the
early going.
At the 8:35 mark of the first half
the Wolverines went on a 13-2 run,
led by seven Jen Nuanes points.
Shimmy Gray buried a jumper from
the free-throw line to cap the
Michigan tear, giving the Wol-
verines their largest lead at 13. But
the cushion was quickly squelched
by an 11-0 Detroit run.
Still, Michigan led, 43-40, at
halftime. But the pressure defense
started to take its toll in the second
stanza. Michigan turnovers, 15 in the
second half, led to another 11-0 run
early in the second half which gave
Detroit the lead for good. Anita
Jones hit a short jumper and Stacy
Kraiza notched an eight-footer and a
left-handed layup. Martin capped the
run with a triple giving Detroit a 56-
50 advantage.
"We came out in the second half
and lost our composure," Roberts
said. "We got beat on the boards and
in transition. And there was just no
'We came out in the
second half and lost
our composure. We got
beat on the boards and
in transition. And
there was just no
defense at all. We have
never played two good
halvA'
Stewart
tively. Brzezinski, who got her firt
start of the season because Nikki
Beaudry was sidelined with blistered
feet, added 14 boards.
"I just went out there and tried t6
play as hard as I could," Brzezinska
said. "I feel like right now, asI
freshman, I'm just trying to find my
role."
Michigan found its first victot
Dec. 29 in Miami at the Orange
Bowl Holiday Classic. After sti
straight losses, the Wolverine$
knocked off Bucknell, 83-77. Poi4
guard Stacie McCall scored a care.
high 20 points and Andrew notched
a career mark in rebounds with 21.3
Michigan used its most balanced
scoring of the season to garner the
victory. Along with McCall's game
high, Andrew chipped in 17, Beau-
dry scored 15 and sophomore Carrie
Tannisha Stevens sits on the bench recovering from an eye injury suffered as the result of the accidental
shattering of a car window. Emergency surgery was conducted to remove the shards of glass from her eye.
Eye injury ends Stevens' hoops season
by Mike Hill
Daily Basketball Writer
Life is full of challenges. But
Michigan freshman guard Tannisha
Stevens seems to have been dealt
one that really wasn't necessary.
Aboard an airnort shuttle van.
Institute. She suffered lacerations
around her right eye, and glass that
was lodged in the eye had to be re-
moved. Stevens can distinguish light
and dark, but its doubtful that she
will ever regain sight in the eye.
Originally gunshots were thought
The freak accident ended an im-
pressive rookie season for Stevens.
The guard was Michigan's first op-
tion off the bench and was averaging
10 points a game. What's more,
Stevens appeared to be the outside
scoring threat the Wolverines have
01