12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 14, 1994 'M' gymnasts search for recognition Men's early season success as springboard in Chicago By AARON BURNS DAILY SPORTS WRITER The talent has always been there. But before last Friday's upset over Minnesota, the Michigan men's gym- nastics team was not regarded as a major threat in the Big Ten. The win over the then-third ranked Golden Go- phers may have brought the Wolver- ines respect. But this squad wants more than respect. Tomorrow, the Wolverines travel to Chicago to test themselves at the Windy City Invitational. The test, Michigan coach Bob Darden said, is for the team to prove to itself that it can maintain the consis- tency needed to compete intheBigTen. The Wolverines missed 10outoftheir 36 routines against Minnesota, and al- though Darden called that rate "pretty good," he wants them to do better. "Numbers translateintoperformance," Darden said. "We have one more week of training behind us now so our number (of misses) should go down." There should be considerable pres- sure on the Wolverines. All Big Ten teams except Penn State will be on hand, plus a few other smaller schools. "The meet is importantpsychologi- cally because it's our first chance to compete in a tournament situation," Darden said. Ohio State will likely be Michigan's most formidable opponent. But if you put credence in numbers, take note: the Wolverines score from last Friday was an impressive 274.8. Apparently, they are ready to chal- lenge powerhouses like the Buckeyes. "We're looking for a top-four fin- ish," Darden said. If their talent shines through like it did against Minnesota, the Wolverines just might prove that they are a team to be reckoned with. All season long. Confidence is women's key to victory By MELANIE SCHUMAN DAILY SPORTS WRITER The time has come to leap into compe- tition for the Michigan women's gymnas- tic teamasit travels into easternterritory to face an ambitious pack of Panthers and to overcome a sturdy set of mountains. This weekend the Wolverines will face West Virginia's Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh's Panthers when they venture to Morgantown, W.Va. for their first meet of the 1994 campaign. "The thing we have to concentrate on is to do the best that we can do individually," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said, "which means keep our focus, keep our composure and present ourselves well. If they are capable of doing their individual jobs, the rest will come ... the win will be there." The team is hoping to make a state- ment on a-national level and gain the attention of its competitors who may once again realize that Michigan is a team to respect. Twenty-four routines, all of which will be judged according to a new scoring system, will demonstrate new combinations of greater difficulty. "It's really a chance for our whole team to see where we're at and what are our strengths and weaknesses," junior Wendy Wilkinson said. West Virginia is the stronger of the two opponents this weekend, but Michigan's major obstacle remains the need to build enough confidence to successfully compete in its first meet. "We've had a few injuries and I want to strengthen my role on the team by being able to fill in," Andrea McDonald said. f 'I ELIZABETH LIPPMAN/Daily Shimmy Gray hopes to kick start the rest of the Michigan women's basketball team as it hosts its first home Big Ten contest against Wisconsin Sunday in Crisler Arena. Both teams are winless in the Big Ten. oSU Continued from page 10 ever, the Buckeye defense forced Leon Derricks to throw the ball over the head of his intended receiver, Rose, who was stationed near the timeline, with 21 seconds left. Ohio State knotted the score, 71- i Whv nononvwhAre elsA? I Dynamic! Head of the Civil F Commission Author of Th Child Care, I Myth of the 4 . Innovating D d~micated! Rights ka \ . ~~~. {,C . ~ ~~~.IL~32Wen of the Year, ""........'N} ,+ agazine, 1986 71,on ajumper by Charles Macon with nine seconds showing Like the game against Iowa last Saturday, the Wol- verines had a chance to win it in regu- lation. Yet, a Rose traveling violation, followed by a OSU turnover on the inbounds with nine tenths of a second remaining yielded only a desperation attempt by Derricks, hitting nothing but iron. With a renewed intensity on the defensive end of the floor, the Wolver- ines were able toovercomeafive-point Buckeye halftime lead, that was up to 10 at the 15:24 mark of the second half. Michigan tied the game, 57-57, for the first time since the 12:40point of the first half when itwas 14-14. Rose hit the little put back with 6:06 remaining. Besides the scoring of Rose (28 points), the rebounding of Juwan Howard (10 rebounds) and Ray Jack- son (nine) allowed the Wolverines to claw back in the game. Those two combined for only seven boards in the first stanza before renewing their ag- gressiveness later in the game. Howard's intensity led to a verbal altercation between the two teams, re- sulting in technical fouls for Howard and Buckeye forward Antonio Watson. This helped lead to Howard fouling out with 2:16 left in the second half. One of those who stepped up was Maktar Ndiaye, who made his debut last night. Ndiaye helped shutout Ohio State's main inside force, LawrenceFunderburke (16 points) for the rest of the game. Michigan's first half began much like it concluded as the Wolverines burst out to an early 9-2 lead. However, the Buckeyes quickly came back, going on an 11-2 run. "They stayed on top of us," said Michigan guard Jimmy King(16 points, six rebounds). Surely, Fisher will be looking for his team to break out of its first half doldrums when the Wolverines take on Indiana in Bloomington Sunday at 3:45 p.m., orelseFife's prediction may come true. Deadlines move fast... Fortunately, we move faster! 9 U " I1