Men's Basketball
vs. Tulane
Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Crisler Arena
Sl
RTS
Women's Basketball
vs. Eastern Michigan
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
Women
pagers face
EMU short
on bodies
By BOB ABRAMSON
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
Trish Roberts and Paulette Stein
are in the same boat, each trying to
keep their teams from falling back
into the bottom depths of their respec-
tive conferences.
Stein, Eastern Michigan's first-
year head coach, inherits the reign of
a team that finished 3-22 overall, and
ninth in the Mid-American Confer-
ence last year. Roberts, in her second
year as head coach of the Wolverines,
is coming off a season that saw her
team dip to a lowly 2-25, and finish
last in the Big Ten.
The two teams square off tonight
at Crisler Arena, hoping to begin the
reconstruction of their programs.
"We're in the process of rebuild-
ing," Stein said. "I hope to mix the
experience with the newcomers. We
have a situation very similar to Michi-
gan. The only difference is that we
have a much bigger roster at this point
in time."
The Eagles have 15 women on
their roster, seven of whom are new
additions to the team. With the loss of
seniors Reeshema Wood (15 ppg) and
JenniferTenorio, (8.9 rpg), Eastern is
forced to depend on Jean Akin. Akin,
a senior guard, averaged 9.5 points,
3.8 rebounds and 4:4 assists per game
last season.
Michigan is short on bodies com-
ing into the season opener. With inju-
ries to sophomore forward Jennifer
Brzezinski and senior forward
Yeshimbra Gray, the Wolverines have
only seven players on their roster.
This forces Roberts to go with a start-
ing lineup of five players who will get
their first taste of collegiate competi-
tion.
"I'm nervous, but I think we're
ready to go," Roberts said. "We have
had some setbacks with some injuries
to some key players, but I think the
freshmen are a little more focused
now after playing in the exhibition
game. We had 21 turnovers in that
game, and to have that many young
kids on the court at a given time,
you're gonna make a lot of mistakes."
Cagers squeak by Vikings
'M' overcomes slow start, earns 84
By RACHEL BACHMAN
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
Last night at Crisler Arena, Michi-
gan survived a "little scare", over-
coming an eight-point first-half defi-
cit to squeak past Cleveland State, 84-
71.
"We should've learned from North
Carolina," Michigan guard Bobby
Crawford said, referring to the Tar
Heels' upset loss to Massachusetts in
the preseason Big Apple NIT.
Blaming the Wolverines' sluggish
start- they didn't lead the entire first
half and most of the second - on
himself, Michigan coach Steve Fisher
summed up his team's performance.
"We played frustrated, they played
smart. They were better prepared," he
said. "I don't think you could say any-
body played good, solid basketball."
On his star guard's performance,
Fisher said, "You got anything to say
Jalen?" to which Rose replied, "Yeah,
I stunk."
Fisher also gave credit to the Vi-
kings, one of whom, Reggie Welch,
scored 22 to tie his career high.
"They did a great job of finding
the open man for layups in the low
post," Fisher said.
"You can't give up 23 offensive
rebounds against a Michigan team,"
said Cleveland State coach Mike
Boyd, a former Michigan assistant.
With 24 turnovers and a meager
six points from the bench, Michigan
was down by as much as 10 points.
"It was sloppy overall," Michigan
point guard Dugan Fife said. "We
never got in sync (the first half). The
second half, it was just the opposite."
After a lackadaisical first half,
Michigan stepped up the tempo. An
8-0 second-half run, including a three-
pointer by Fife, narrowed the gap to
48-44, Cleveland State.
A putback dunk by transfer Sam
Mitchell stopped the run, but Jimmy
King's three-pointer pushed Michi-
gan over the top. Another King three-
pointer less than 30 seconds later made
it 54-50 Wolverines.
Mitchell, who spent his 1990-91
and '91-92 seasons at Michigan, played
in all 29 games his freshman year.
After receiving a cool welcome
from the crowd, Mitchell said, "It
didn't affect my play at all. They had,
a better team, better athleticism, just
wore us down."
Juwan Howard, who said that
Mitchell was "one of the reasons I
came to the University of Michigan,"
led all scorers with 25. He brushed
aside suggestions that the responsi-
bility to win ultimately fell on his
shoulders.
"All the guys pitched in to start the
run," Howard said.
1-71 victory
Still, Howard proved the team's
workhorse for the night, snagging
forgotten rebounds and making buck-
ets in heavy traffic down low.
Errant passes in the first half cost
the Wolverines dearly. At the 9:39
mark, a pass by Saint-Jean was saved
by a dive by Fife, who tossed the ball
to King from the ground. King then
lofted it crosscourt past Saint-Jean
and out of bounds.
A stray pass by Jackson with just
under6:30 left led toaDerrick Zeigler
layup. He was fouled by King, then
converted the three-point play.
One and a half minutes later on a
fastbreak, King'stwirling shake-and-
bake move at midcourt was spoiled
by a miscommunication with Rose
when King's soft pass found the band
instead of Rose's hands.
The passes - along with 35 per-
cent field goal and 0 percent (0 for 5)
three-point shooting-translated into
an eight-point halftime deficit for the
Wolverines. Michigan turned the ball
over 13 times in the first 20 minutes.
The game's few highlights - a
Ray Jackson jam to end the game and
a Rose in-your-face dunk at the 4:42
mark - were overshadowed by an
abysmal overall effort.
"We can't start in the second half,"
Howard said. "We've got to start from
the first jump ball in the game."
CLEVELAND STATE (71)
FO FT REB
MIN W-A M-A OT A F PTS
Hill 28 5-12 0-0 3-8 2 3 10
Welch 3410-22 0-0 4-6 3 1 22
Mitchell 27 6-11 2-4 4-5 1 5 14
Zeigler 31 2-3 1-1 3-3 2 3 5
Caldwell 39 3.8 0-0 0-1 9 3 6
Dellinger 15 2-3 0-0 0-1 0 3 4
Moore 16 2 4 0-0 0-1 1 2 4
Bolden 10 2.4 0-0 0.0 0 0 6
Totals 200 32-67 3-5 16-28 1820 71
FG%: .478. FT%: .600. Three-point goals: 4-11,
364 (Bolden 2-2, Welch 2-7, Caldwell 0-2).
Blocks: 2 (Mitchell 2). Turnovers: 21 (Caldwell 6,
Zeigler 4, Mitchell 3, Welch 3, Hill 2, Bolden,
Moore, team). Steals: 8 (Caldwell 2, H-ill 2,
Mitchell 2, Bolden, Zeigler). Technical Fouls:
none.
MICHiGAN (84)
FQ FT REB
MIN M-A M-A O4 A F PTS
Jackson 30 6-11 6-6 6-9 3 3 18
King 31 4-9 5-7 3-6 3 1 15
Howard 35 12-19 1-3 7-12 2 3 25
Fife 27 1-4 0-0 1-2 3 0 3
Rose 37 5-15 7-8 2-5 3 1 17
Crawford 23 1-5 2-2 0-1 4 0 4
Derricks 5 0-1 0-0 041 0 0 0
Bossard 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Saint-Jean 10 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 1 2
Totals 200 3066 21-26 23.42 1810 84
FG%: .455. FT% .808. Three-point goals: 3-13,
.231 (King 2-3, Fife 1-3, Crawford 0-3, Rose 0-3,
Howard 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Howard 3, Saint-Jean).
Turnovers: 24 (Rose 7, Jackson 6, King 4,
Howard 3, Fife 2, Crawford, Saint-Jean). Steals:
15 (Rose 5, Crawford 4, Howard 3, King 3).
Technical Fouls: none.
Cleveland State...37 34 - 71
Michiganr... A:......29 55 - 84
At: Crisier Arena; A: 12,977 (paid)
*1
"
0
"
Cleveland State's Sam Mitchell shoots over Michigan's Juwan Howard last
night at Crisler Arena. Mitchell's Vikings lost, 84-71.
FULL COURT PRESS:
Despite lack of points, bench sparks Blue
By TIM RARDIN
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
Among the proverbial forest of Division I col-
lege basketball teams, the No. 5-ranked Michigan
basketball team entered this season standing tall
among its counterparts, with as solid a trunk as any
tree in the country.
Indeed, before the season's christening, Minne-
sota coach Clem Haskins remarked that Michigan
was the most talented team in the Big Ten one to
four. For coach Steve Fisher's Maize and Blue tree,
the foundation of Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy
King and Ray Jackson was not the problem.
The problem was the roots, or in basketball
lingo - the bench.
And as everyone knows, it is the roots which are
the tree's lifeline. And though it is the trunk and
branches which get all the attention, the roots are
what makes the tree so strong.
Just ask last year's team. Primary benchees -
seniors Rob Pelinka, Eric Riley, James Voskuil and
Michael Talley - all started at one point or another
in their careers.
All of them combined to make the Michigan
basketball team that reached two NCAA champi-
onship games more than just the Fab Five.
This year, that bench is gone.
In its place- two freshmen in Bobby Crawford
and Olivier Saint-Jean, an inexperienced sopho-
more in Leon Derricks and a seldom-used senior in
Jason Bossard.
In their first game against Georgia Tech, that
foursome combined for a whopping four points -
count 'em - four points.
Yesterday against Cleveland State, the bench
had six to up the its season total to 10. Last year's
seniors averaged 14.3 a game.
With little help from the bench thus far, the
starters have accounted for 94 percent of the Michi-
gan offense. The Fab Four alone have accounted
for 87 percent.
But for now, maybe that's OK. The Wolverines
haven't needed that bench scoring. They have won
without it, and have instead gotten that spark in
other ways - ways that don't really show up in the
box score the next day.
"When we got in the game, we kept up the
intensity level," said Crawford, who had four points,
four assists and four steals against Cleveland State.
"I think we got the job done when we needed to."
True, for now, that is what Michigan needs. But
eventually it will need scoring. Eventually, Michi-
gan will not be able to rely on the starters, on the
Fab Four, to put the ball in the hole.
"The bench is young and we don't have a lot of
experience," Saint-Jean said. "But when we get
that experience, we'll put up some numbers.
"I think when we get better, the whole team will
get better."
Let's hope so.
01
Water polo comes up shy in
bid for third straight title
-- - Q T HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
By ELISA SNEED
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Sometimes you fail just one test.
But it happens on your biggest test of
the year.
Despite an impressive season, the
favored Michigan men's water polo
failed to live up to its expectations in
the Big Ten Championships earlier
this month.
"We had a tremendous season up
until the last day," Michigan coach
Scott Russell said. "We played against
some of the best teams in the country,
but we can compete with them."
Michigan did indeed compete with
the best all season long. Its final record
was 22-9-1. Four of those losses came
to Big Ten club teams. The others
were at the hands of varsity squads.
That record - the best in the Big
Ten - gave the two-time defending
champions the top seed in the Big Ten
Championship tournament. But a third
championship in a row was not in
store for the Wolverines.
In the semifinal round, Michigan
was defeated, 7-2, by Michigan State,
a team it hadn't lost to in four years.
Prior to this contest, the offense
had been averaging 14 goals per game,
but against the Spartans, the ball
wouldn't go in the net.
"Everyone gave their best effort,"
Russell said. "Itjust didn't go our way."
The Wolverines were not the only
team to experience an unexpected loss.
Northwestern, a club team the caliber
of Michigan, was defeated by Ohio
State in the other semifinal match.
After the two teams lost in the semi-
finals, the rest of their seasons were
"very anticlimactic," Russell said.
"(Northwestern and Michigan)
were clearly expecting to play in the
championship game," Russell said.
"Neither team was excited about play-
ing. At that point, it didn't matter, we
weren't playing for first place."
That lack of excitement lead to an
11-10 Northwestern victory and a
fourth-place finish for Michigan.
Now Michigan is looking to next
season.
"We expect to be very competitive
next year and we'll shoot for the tourna-
ment again next year," Russell said.
The Wolverines will only lose one
senior and all of their top performers
will return in 1994.
W iseman returns from
injury; notches five points
By ANTOINE PITTS
DAILY HOCKEY WRITER
AUBURN HILLS - Captain Brian Wiseman returned to the Michigan
lineup Friday after missing one game with a strained knee. Wiseman was listed as
doubtful for this weekend's games at the Palace but returned to record a goal and
four assists in the two games.
"At times you feel a twinge, but overall (the knee) held up well," Wiseman said.
Wiseman's four assists against Minnesota Friday gave him 200 career points.
He now ranks seventh on Michigan's all-time point scoring list.
THE MAIZE AND BLUE: The Wolverines donned their maize jerseys for the first
time this season in Saturday's game against Wisconsin.
"We like to wear them in special games," Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"We've worn them in Joe Louis (Arena). We've worn them in the NCAAs, big
games in the playoffs. I think ourteam has alot of confidence when we wear them.
They seem to play well with them."
Michigan now has a 5-2 record while wearing maize.
ON HOT ICE: The Palace ice surface did not receive any rave reviews following
any of this weekend's games.
"I can't say the ice was great, but it wasn't terrible either," Berenson said.
The Zamboni created many of the problems itself. Before Friday's first game,
the machine stalled in the middle of the ice dumping a load of water in the center
ice area. The next time it went around, The Zamboni spewed smoke.
The less-than-perfect conditions caused the officials in the games to use the
squeegee almost as much as they used their whistles.
STILL No.1: The Wolverines remain the top team in the latest WMEB college
hockey poll. Michigan received 13 of 15 first-place votes and 146 total points.
Michigan is one of three CCHA teams in the poll. Lake Superior State is second
while Bowling Green is 10th. With Saturday's loss, the Wolverines have a 1-1-1
record against teams currently ranked in the poll.
FUTURE PLANS: Next season The College Hockey Showcase will move to the
St. Paul Civic Center, home of the this year's NCAA hockey championship, with
Minnesota hosting. Michigan State hosts the 1995 Showcase at Joe Louis Arena,
with Wisconsin getting its chance in 1996 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
BYPASS THE BOOK STORE
Buy Or Sell
Used Textbooks
With Other Students from your College.
EVAN PETRIE/Daily
Michigan center Brian Wiseman skates up ice against Wisconsin at The
Palace Saturday. Wiseman was listed as doubtful for the College Hockey
Showcase, but returned to score five points on the weekend.
Read about this weekend's clash between the
top-ranked Michigan hockey team and CCHA
foe Western Michigan in SPORTSMonday.
All University of Michigan students, faculty, and staff
fn L121". . 1.1/4 tTfth #.9A -
1