Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Sports Monday - March 1, 1993

Rest pays big dividends
Eight-day layoff gives Blue cagers new lease on lfe

by Ken Sugiura
Daily Basketball Writer
COLUMBUS - If you could
measure a hiatus, this one would be
a size XL. After marching through
five games in 13 days, including two
road trips, Steve Fisher's charges
received an eight-day break from
Big Ten competition.
Following their 84-69 squashing
of Minnesota Feb. 20, the
Wolverines healed wounds and laid
groundwork for the rest of the year
in their longest break of the season.
"We definitely worked hard and
practiced a lot of things," forward
Chris Webber said. "We got to work
on a lot of things, so it worked out
well for us."
That was a sentiment widely held
by Webber's teammates. Juwan
Howard was an obvious benefactor
of the time off, turning in an
outstanding effort.
"After that week rest, I rested my
legs and was able to come here with
a different mindset and was able to
do my best," he said.
Howard knocked in a team-high
18 points and snatched a game-high
16 rebounds, after a 12-point, seven-
rebound performance against the
Golden Gophers. In addition, the
center dished out three assists

against the Buckeyes, tying him for
team honors with Ray Jackson.
It would appear that not only
Howard's legs were reinvigorated.
Besides Jackson, who was mired in
foul trouble throughout the contest,
the starters all saw at least 35
minutes of playing time. Webber
played 35, Howard and Jimmy King
played 37 each, and Jalen Rose
played the role of iron man with a
full 40-minute effort.
'I had a chance to sit
down by myself and
think about my goals
and aspirations for the
rest of the season as
well as the team's
goals. I think it
definitely helped.'
- Jalen Rose
Michigan guard
While the break apparently didn't
help Rose kick his shooting slump
- he shot 5-for- 15 from the floor -
it was, in his eyes, a boon in other
ways.
"It helped me, because I got a
chance to get a lot of rest," Rose
said. "I had a chance to sit down by

myself and think about my goals and
aspirations for the rest of the season
as well as the team's goals. I think it
definitely helped."
In addition, Rose said he shot 100
free throws after each practice
session. A 72-percent shooter for the
year, Rose knocked down 6-of-8
yesterday at rowdy St. John Arena.
His final two tries gave the
Wolverines their 65th and 66th
points, which provided the winning
total as Ohio State guard Derek
Anderson hit a layup with seven
seconds remaining to close out the
scoring at 66-64.
The vacation seems to have been
at an opportune time, as Michigan
now heads into the close of the
conference season and the NCAA
tournament. Including yesterday's
game, the Maize and Blue finish out
the schedule with five games in 13
days, mirroring the workload they
faced before spring break.
Following tomorrow night's
clash at Crisler against Iowa, the
itinerary reads: home vs. Michigan
State Mar. 7, at Illinois Mar. 10, and
home against Northwestern Mar. 13
to close out the regular season.
"We worked real hard," Jackson
said. "We've got to in order to get
ready for the tournament. That's our
focus now."

Michigan's Rob Pelinka, Jimmy King, and Eric Riley (left to right) overpower Minnesota's Chad Kolander for this
first-half rebound. The Wolverines outrebounded Minnesota 48-36 last Saturday at Crisler Arena.


SUGIURA
Continued from page 1
Ten. Calbert Cheaney, or Chris
Webber for that matter, would,
though.
You saw it again yesterday.
Check out these numbers. The
Buckeyes had 69 shots to the
Wolverines 49, they committed eight
turnovers to Michigan's 16. They
owned a 36-31 halftime lead. Nice
fgures, huh?.
* Not good enough, boys. You
need the goods. Even thought at
times it seems Michigan was trying
to give the game away -- witness
Jalen Rose's alley-oop pass to Row
3 and a host of other botched fast
breaks - the Buckeyes were unable
to take it.
The talented ones execute. The
Buckeyes did not execute. Take
Jamie Skelton, for instance. Ayers
takes time with just over five min-
utes to go. Down five points, the
Buckeyes need a basket. Skelton -

who is coming into the game on an
8-for-17 three-point streak - pops
for three and misses everything.
Apparently very un-gunshy,
Skelton later launches another, this
one to tie, with the same result.
Hello, air ball. Goodbye, game.
The Wolverines bring the ball
down court and Ray Jackson closes
out Ohio State by knifing through
the lane for a finger roll.
Talent, anyone?
Michigan-OSU '94 could be a
whole different scenario, a return to
the- one with which Fisher is more
familiar. Michigan may well be
without the services of six of this
year's players - the four seniors,
plus loss to the NBA of Rose and
Webber - while the Buckeyes' cur-
rent freshman class will be a year
older and wiser. The OSU starting
lineup should return; intact.
The Wolverines may find a way
to win in St. John Arena next year.
Don't count on it.

MICHIGAN (66)
FQ FT Rob.
Min. M-A M-A O -T A F Po..
Jackson 25 2-5 0-1 0-4 3 4 4
Webber 35 3-7 2-4 4-11 1 2 8
Howard 37 8-13 2-4 6-16 3 3 18
King 37 4-6 2-3 0-2 1 3 10
Rose 40 5-15 6-8 1-2 1 0 17
Voskuil 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Pellnka 18 3-3 1-2 1-1 1 2 9
Totals 20025-4913-22 12-371014 68
FG%.- .510. FT%- .591. Three-point goals:
3-7, .429 (Rose 1-3, Pelinka 2-2, King 0-1,
Webber 0-1.) Team rebounds: 1. Turnovers: 16
(Rose 5, Webber 4, Jackson 3, Howard, King,
Pelinka, Voskuil.) Blocks: 6 (Webber 4, Howard,
King. Steals: 7 (Rose 3, Jackson 2, King,
Weber.) Technical fouls: none.

OHIO STATE (64)
FG
Min. U-A 6
Funderburke30 7-11
Skelton 33 2-14C
Watson 15 0-2
Simpson 35 7-15
Anderson 36 5-162
Dudley 16 1-3C
Brandwie 12 0-1
Davis 5 1-4C
Macon 14 2-3C
Wi bDufft 4 0.0

FT
M-A
4-4
0-0
0-0
2-2
2-3
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-0

Rob.
O-T
6-10
2-3
1-2
0.3
3-4
1-2
1-3
2-2
1-3

A
1
4
0
1
2
0
0
0
0-

F Pts..
2 18
3 6
2 0
0 20
3 12
1 2
20
1 2
2 4
_2_ 0

0


t


Totals 20025-69 8-9 19-34 918 64
FG%."-.32. FT%- .889. Three-point goats:
6-20, .300 (Skelton 2-9, Simpson 4.7, Anderson
0-3, Davis 0-1.) Team rebounds: 2. Turnovers: 8
(Anderson 2, Funderburke 2, Simpson 2, Macon,
Watson). Blocks: 3 (Funderburke 3). Steals: 9
(Skelton 4, Anderson 2, Brandewie 2, Simpson.)
Technical fouls: none.

Michigan ............... 31 35 -
Ohi State........ 36 28 -
At St. John Arena; A-13,278

66
64


Jimmy King scrambles for a loose ball with Minnesota's David Washington in the second half of last Saturday's
victory over the Golden Gophers. King contributed 12 points and four steals to help the Wolverine cause.


OHIO STATE
Continued from page 1
not commit a single turnover in the initial stanza, while
Michigan had eight. For the game, the Wolverines
doubled the Buckeyes' turnover output, 16-8.
"We had a lot of turnovers," Fisher said. "On first
impression, it looked as if a great many of them were
unforced."
This factor, combined with Ohio State's 19 offensive
rebounds to Michigan's 12, contributed heavily to the
Buckeyes taking 20 more shots than the Wolverines,
69-49.,
Center Juwan Howard kept his team in the game in
the first half, as he led the way with 12 points and 13
boards. He wound up with 18 and 16, respectively.
"I thought for us, the first half, Juwan Howard was
The Lone Ranger," Fisher said. "He fought tooth and
nail in the jungle and everybody else was standing out-
side afraid to get into the fight."
Michigan forward Chris Webber, facing double
coverage most of the game, tallied a season-low eight
points. Nevertheless, he chalked up 11 rebounds and
blocked four shots, and he came through with some im-
portant buckets in the second half.
- "At halftime, I was thinking, 'We've gotta go out
and win,"' Webber said. "It doesn't matter how you do
in the first half, and that's why I think I went out and
played well in the second half."
Rose and Jimmy King scored 17 and 10 points
apiece, while Simpson led Ohio State with 20.
As for the Minnesota contest, what could have been
the first laugher of the Big Ten season for the Wolver-
ines turned into a match just close enough to leave fans,
coaches, and players alike dissatisfied. Whereas Michi-
gan led 71-45 at one point, the Gophers closed the gap
to 78-69 with :21 left in the game. Four clutch Rose free
throws and a memorable 360-degree dunk by Webber
eliminated any chance of a miracle comeback, but the
Minnesota rally proved substantial enough to leave a
bitter taste in Fisher's mouth.
"I was pleased with our effort until we got the huge
second-half lead," Fisher said. "When we built up the
26-point lead, we got lazy, probably got a little bored,
and it almost looked like we were. So we tried to do
some things we shouldn't have done, and it allowed
Minnesota to creep back in the last stages. And you
can't do that."
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BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Youthful Buckeyes
reaching for tourney
by Ken Davidoff
Daily Basketball Writer

0

COLUMBUS - Earlier this season, they dropped six consecutive Big
Ten games. This past week, they defeated Indiana, the No. 1 team in the na-
tion, and put a big scare in No. 5 Michigan. What has become of the Ohio
State Buckeyes?
"This is a much, much improved team than what we saw in Ann Arbor
earlier (the Wolverines defeated Ohio State 72-62 Jan. 26 at Crisler Arena),"
Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "Their young kids, a lot like ours a year
ago, are not so young anymore ... the future is obviously bright for the
Buckeyes."
"I think this team has gotten better all around and some guys have
stepped up here. (Derek) Anderson, Greg Simpson, and Jamie (Skelton)
have played extremely well," Buckeye forward Lawrence Funderburke
said.
Ohio State would need to win its three remaining Big Ten games to have
a shot at an NCAA berth. If it does not reach this goal, it would become one
of the marquee names in the less prestigious NIT tournament.
MY HOW THEY'VE GROWN: In return for Fisher's praise of the
Buckeyes, Funderburke and his coach, Randy Ayers, gushed about the
Wolverines. Funderburke went as far as making Michigan his favorite in the
NCAA tournament.
"They're my pick to win the whole thing," Funderburke said. "They're
much more athletic and talented than Indiana and they're much better than
last year."
"I think their experience stepped forward," Ayers said. "Jackson had a
nice drive to split our defense at the end and I don't know if he was able to
do that last year. So give them credit for stepping up."
INJURY UPDATE: Michigan center Eric Riley sat out the contest after
spraining his right ankle in practice last Wednesday. Front court men Chris
Webber and Juwan Howard had to increase their playing time, with 37
and 35 minutes, respectively. Forward James Voskuil gave both players
breathers when they needed them, but he totaled only eight minutes and
didn't even put up a shot. Considering Webber and Howard only accumu-
lated two and three fouls apiece, it seemed the club hardly missed Riley's
presence.
BUT WILL THEY STAY AROUND FOR 2,000?: Webber and guard
ian Ros eboth reached the career 1,000-point milestone over the break.

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