The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 5, 1993 - Page 11 Women ,cagers ipe for victory by Rachel Bachman Daily Basketball Writer It sounds like the contents of a g oliday fruit basket you'd send to our worst enemies. "It would be one of those apples that looks shiny on the outside, but you bite into it and it's all mushy inside," junior forward Shimmy Gray said. She was describing not a fibrous treat, but the Michigan women's basketball team's season thus far. "I say it's a lemon, 'cause it's Ohighty sour," senior guard Stacie McCall said. While stated in good humor, the Wolverines' remarks reflect the frustration of a 1-17 team, a team which is still searching for its first conference victory. "It's very difficult for a team to go out and play hard and still not win," Michigan coach Trish Roberts said. "But we've got 10 more gamnes go, and we're going to improve in each one." The capers' latest chance at in- provemncnt comes tonight in Chamn- paign as Michig~an (0-8 Big Ten, 1- 17 overall) takes on Illinois (2-6 , 7- 10). Since the Illini have only posted two conference victories, the Wolverines also hope to come away with a "W". ~"(The 1llini) beat us last year, so is year I think they'll be overcon- fident," Gray said. With freshman Robbyn Preacely (15.1 points per game) leading the way, Illinois is a relatively young team. U~nderclassmen, such as 6' 1" freshman center Anti Clifton, comprise a majority of the starting lineup. The Illini have several ties to 4ichigan. Roberts was an assistant coach at Illinois during the 1984-85 season, and the Illini's senior point guard Jill Ester hails from nearby Plymouth, MI. With 498 career assists, Ester has a chance to join the elite in the Big Ten tonight. If she dishes off nine more, she will become Illinois' all- time leader in that category. Having defeated Wisconsin and *hen 20th-ranked Purdue in the past two weeks, Illinois has proven that it can contend with the Big Ten's best. A contributing factor to the team's success has been its re- bounding, a category in which it ranks second in the conference with 44 per game. Defensive rebounding is one area where Michigan wants to improve tonight. "We've got to box out," coach oberts said. "We can't give teams 20 and 25 offensive rebounds." With improvement strategies out- lined, the players still keep a sense of humor about the season. "Our team is like a green ba- nana," sophomore guard Carrie Stewart said. "We'll be ripe next year." Blue hopes for deja vu as it hosts Purdue by Ken Davidoff Daily Basketball Writer When we last left the Purdue Boilermakers, they were riding sky high on the throes of an impressive 9-0 preseason, only to have their morale deflated by the Michigan Wolverines. Now, just about a month later, Purdue (4-4 in the Big Ten, 13-4 overall) faces a crucial test when it visits Crisler Arena Sunday to battle those same Wolverines (6-2, 17-3). If the Boilermakers fall to Michigan, they will have a losing conference record at the halfway mark of the season, a foreboding sign considering they still have to play at Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. After Purdue's 62-57 victory at Ohio State Wednesday night, Coach Gene Keady expressed frustration with his team's inability to seal a victory. "We just can't learn to put people away," Keady said. "We've just got to learn to play with more poise." If the Boilermakers want to maintain a lead on Sunday, they might con- sider grabbing it early. Michigan displayed tremendous tenacity at Michigan State Tuesday night, never trailing despite allowing the margin to shrink to as low as three points. "You have to credit Michigan's defense," Spartans' coach Jud Heath- cote said. "They're a much better defensive club than people give them credit for." The Wolverines held the Spartans to a .391 shooting percentage, marking the sixth time in the last 12 games and the 10th time overall that Michigan's opponent shot less than 40 percent. As for the Boilermakers, superstar sophomore Glenn Robinson has lived up to his preseason billing. He leads the conference in scoring (22.6 points per game), ranks third in rebounding (9.6) and can be found among the Big Ten leaders in steals (1.9), blocked shots (1.5), free throw accuracy (.820) and even dunks (26 total). Michigan coach Steve Fisher will be going for his third consecutive vic- tory over the Boilermakers after dropping his first five contests. PrurdueatMcin ...Tm : I24 -pmJ ET r t r nzA n PaweT ::A ..... ... : :: Ray Jackson slams one home in the Wolverines'victory against Michigan State. Jackson and the rest of the Michigan basketball squad takes on Glenn Robinson and the Purdue Boilermakers at Crisler Arena Sunday . Softball team gets early notice 'from staff reports As the warm Ann Arbor weather hints at spring's arrival, the women's softball team has received some good news that makes it anxiously await the new season even more. The NCAA Division I Softball Preseason Coaches Poll has ranked Michigan No. 11. Moreover, the Wolverines have been selected as the top squad in the NCAA Division I Mideast Region Poll. Coach Carol Hutchins' squad will open its season on Feb. 21 against California Poly-Pomona. It will then take on No.2 Arizona in a Feb. 23 doubleheader in Tucson. Defending champion UCLA maintained its No. 1 ranking, with Arizona, Fresno State, California and Cal-State Fullerton rounding out the top five. LONDON* c4 LEARN H Lan " A a repre O February L C' .. PARIS * WASHINGTQN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS IOW THE WORLD WORKS Global Internships and nguage/Liberal Arts Programs ht C . I " esentative will be on campus: 8, 1993 " 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lobby of Student Union P BEIJING * SYDNEY * MOSCOW Name: Address: Phone:( ) University: Fall ) Spring 0 Summer 0 19- Internship Programs Language Programs Summer Programs OLondon 0 Grenoble 0 London OPoris O xford OMadrid OMoscow 0 Haf a 0 Podovo 0Sydney O Madrid 0 Paris Oshinegton.DC 0Paova 0 Sydney 0 ijng©oxford 0 Moscow return to:.Q Niamey O Being Boston University, Division of international Programs OWashington, DC 232 Bay State Road, Box Q, Boston, MA 02215 or call (617) 353-9888 BIdans Looking for a summer job or internship? Summer Job Fair March 10, 1993 12:00-4:00 pm Michigan Union Interview for summer jobs in a variety of fields Apply for openings across the country Feb. 5 and 6 Films From M411W BLADE RUNNER-8:00 PM A dark, futuristic thriller starring Harrison Ford as a detective who specializes in the extermination of genetically-engineered human "replicants". This is the director's cut, featuring additional footage. In 35mm. ' .