6 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSTuesday - Tuesday, January 18, 1994 Women drop a heartbreaker, 64-63. Last-minute Wolverine comeback falls short against Wisconsin By BOB ABRAMSON DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER In the end, Shimmy Gray couldn't hold the tears back. With Wisconsin leading, 64-62, and 2.7 seconds left in the game, Gray stood at the free throw line, needing to make both attempts to tie the game. She buried the first, but the second rolled off the side of the rim. A last- second, putback attempt by Jennifer Brzezinski fell short, and the Badgers (1-3 Big Ten, 8-5 overall) escaped Crisler Arena with a 64-63 victory Sunday, preventing the Michigan women's basketball team (0-4, 3-10) from obtaining its first Big Ten vic- tory of the season. "I'm not a very good free throw shooter," a somber Gray explained. "But I just knew I made the second one. I didn't even think about it. "Then, when it went off, it was like my whole life flashed before me. Other than hurting my knee, it was probably the single biggest heartbreak that I have had playing basketball." Even with the miss, it was Gray- who finished with seven points and six boards - who kept the Wolver- ines close in the final minute. Trail- ing, 64-60, with 1:25 remaining, she nailed two pressure-filled, free throws to cut the lead down to two. "Shimmy's feeling really bad right now," Michigan coach Trish Roberts said. "We just tried to tell her that one shot didn't win or lose the game for us. There were a lot of things down the stretch that had we have done, the score wouldn't have been what it was." Similar to the game against Michi- gan State last week, it was a tale of two halves for the Wolverines. Michi- gan trailed, 31-19, at halftime, giving up numerous fast-break points and shooting a dismal 28 percent. Michi- gan point guard Jennifer Kiefer didn't even attempt a shot in the entire half. "It was the first time since the Big Ten had started that we really got our transition game going," Wisconsin coach Mary Murphy said. "In the sec- ond half, we didn't do as good of a job of rebounding and that was the key. We weren't able to get out and run." Michigan came out with a ven- geance in the second stanza, shooting 48 percent behind the play of Kiefer and Silver Shellman. Trailing, 37-21, the Wolverines went on a 21-8 run, cutting the lead to three, 45-42. But easy inside baskets by the Badgers' Jennah Burkholder (14 points) and Barb Franke (12), a prob- lem that plagued the Wolverines all afternoon, increased Wisconsin's margin once again, 55-45. With 6:20 remaining, Wisconsin started to pull away from the Wolver- ines, running out to a 60-47 advan- tage. But Shellman and Brzezinski brought Michigan back into the game. Shellman, who exploded for 21 points, including four three pointers, hit a three-pointer and a baseline jumper in consecutive possessions, and Brzezinski converted two lay-ins to cut Wisconsin's lead, 64-60. Of course Michigan would fall short once again, but the ending cer- tainly struck some fear in the hearts of the Badgers. "It was very nerve-wracking giv- ing the ballgame away down the stretch, when I thought we were in a pretty good position," Murphy said. "But their post players did a great job of aggravating our post people. "They just stayed with it and were very hungry for a victory. I am glad they didn't get it against us, but they are going to get some along the way." If Michigan is to be victorious in conference play, it is going to need consistent play from its backcourt for the entire contest, not just one half. Freshman guard Amy Johnson, who previously shot 1-14 against Detroit-Mercy and 4-11 against Michigan State, went 3-14 Sunday. Kiefer didn't come alive until the second half, finishing with eight points, nine assists and four steals. "We came so close," Roberts said. "But I think we are going to need more production out of our guards. Kiefer went the whole first half with- out taking a shot, and we told her we cannot have that. She needs to be more of an offensive player. "Amy is in a big slump and she's been inconsistent all year. She can come out and look like an All-Ameri@ can against Indiana and Purdue, and then at Michigan State, she didn't do very well. We just have to get her to play consistent." WISCONSIN (64) FU FT RES MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Rademaker 31 2-10 1-3 0-2 4 0 5 voigt 37 5-10 1-2 2-7 7 0 13' Johnson 21 3-7 1-2 0-5 0 1 71 Wiiams 36 4-9 1-3 1-4 5 2 9 Cattanach 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 O Burkholder 28 7-8 0-1 2-6 2 3 14 Franke 36 5-11 2-2 0-9 3 2 12* Winkler 12 2 2 0-0 1-5 1 2 4 Totals 200 28-57 643 7-40 2210 64 FG%: .490. FT%: .426 Three-point goals: 2-8, .250 (Rademaker 0-3, Voigt 2-2 Williams 0-2 Johnson 0-1). Blocks: 2 (Rademaker. Franke). Turnovers: 23 (Voigt 6, Franke 4. Johnson 3, Williams 3, Burkholder 3. Rademaker 2, Winkler 2). Steals: 7 (Johnson 3, Rademaker 2, Burkholder, Winkler). Technical Fouls: none. Amy Johnson attempts a shot over a Wisconsin player in the Badgers' 64-63 victory over the Wolverines. Michigan remains winless in Big Ten play. Blue shows mental toughness andst loss By J.L ROSTAM-ABADI DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER Like many other sports enthusiasts this past holiday season, I finally ordered my very own Sports Illustrated subscription, and with it, became the proud owner of the Michael Jordan thrill-pack. I was intrigued to discover all the on and off the court occurrences involved with the game. The intimidation. The mental game. Jordan tells an opponent during one game, "I'm going to shoot this one with my eyes closed," referring to his second free throw, and he does. After connecting on the attempt, you can see the smile on his face. It is a vision which is hard to erase. Another scene has Jordan going face-to-face with another defender, talking trash, trying to psych each other out. It was deja vu Sunday at Crisler Arena, when the Michigan women's basketball team took on Wisconsin. O URT The Wolverinesmay havebeen slightly undersized--the Badgers sported nine R Eof 12 players 5-foot-10 or over - but SMichigan was definitely up for the mentalchallenge. - Wisconsin seemed to dominate the first half, snatching up every rebound like they were the last drops of water on the planet and led at halftime, 31-19. But then it was Wolverine time. With the clock reading less than 15 minutes, something sparked the Michigan offense. It was a Maize and Blue rampage. Everything started dropping for Michigan freshman point guard Jennifer Kiefer, who hit two from three-point land. Fellow rookie Silver Shellman, who had a slow first half, followed suit, adding 14 of her 21 points in Michigan's second-half surge. Three minutes ticked by and the Wolverines were still going. The crowd of over 2,000 was going crazy. With the aid of the pep band's distracting antics, Michigan showed off its true colors. Desperate defenders wildly flapped their arms in the air, shouting, "Ball! Ball! Ahhhh!" in an attempt to intimidate the opposition. But the Wolverines kept filling the lanes. Michigan's efforts brought it within three points of the Badgers. Thundering steps and slick shots filled the rest of the half. The Wolverines weregrabbing the rebounds now. Wisconsin had been temporarily stunned. The Badgers concentration had been disturbed. Meanwhile, Kiefer had all the right moves, feeding passes to her teammates. Michigan's defense was as tough as the offense was successful, forcing Wisconsin mistakes. Yet asthe gamecame down to the final few minutes, the Wolverines could nothold on, losing by a measly point, 64-63. Alas, all the mental toughness in the world could not makeup for the physical presence the Wolverines lacked in the first half. Was this dynamic display of second half ballplaying just a fluke? Or rather, just a taste of what the future holds for Michigan women's basketball? To play in a conference like the Big Ten, a team needs to be ready for the mental game. It can get quite hot out on the floor and the Badgers were getting burned. They broke down mentally in the second half and lost control. Up to the very last seconds, the fate of the ballgame was no longer in their hands. The mind games had taken over. "Every game is a mental game," Coach Trish Roberts said."But this game, our team was paying a lot more attention to what we were asking them to do and doing it." Michigan proved that it can play in the mental games of the Big Ten. Now it only needs to develop the physical part a little further. Their mental veracity was she main difference in the outcome of the second half. And a trend we will definitely be seeing in the future of Michigan women's basketball. MICHIGAN (63) FU FT RES MIN M-A M-A 0TA F PTS Kiefer 37 3-5 "- 0-3 91 8 Ross 12 1-3 0-1 0-1 1 2 2 Johnson 28 3-14 0-0 3-9 4 1 7 Gray 35 2-10 3-4 1-6 2 4 71 Brzezinski 25 45 1-2 2-7 2 2 9 Sheilman 35 8-15 1-2 0-5 0 4 21 DiGiacinto 28 4-11 1-2 1-3 0 4 9 Totals 200 25.63 61i 9-37 1818 63 FG%: .396. FT%: .545. Three-paint goals: 7-17, .411 (Shellman 4-7, Kiefer 2-4, Johnson 1-4, Gray. DiGiacinto). Blocks: 2 (Brzezinski, Sheilman). Turnovers: 20 (Johnson 5, Shellman 5, Kiefer 3, Brzezinski 3 DiGiacinto 2. Ross, Gray). Steals: 14 (Kiefer 4, Gray 2, Brzezinski 2,I Shellman 2, DiGiacinto 2, Ross, Johnson). Technical Fouls: none. Wisconsin......31 33 - 64 Michigan.-.-.19 42 - 63 At:: Crisler Arena; A: 2,351 0,S l INDIANA Continued from page 1 Rose pick of freshman guard Sherron Wilkerson that culminated in an ex- plosive alley-oop to King. "We come out and try to set the tempo in the first five minutes of the game and the first five minutes of the second half, but we weren't doing the things we needed to," said Indiana's Todd Leary, who came off the bench to score 16 second-half points. "They came out and took ad- vantage of it." The Hoosiers climbed back into it without the help of leading scorer Damon Bailey who, like Rose, couldn't get it going in the first half. Bailey, who averages 25 points a game, didn't score his first basket until a spin move along the baseline opened him up for a layup with 4:13 to go in the opening stanza. He had six in the half. After Henderson hit one of two free throws to cut the Wolverine lead to five, Michigan went on a 10-0 run to register its largest lead of the game. At the 5:55 mark, Jackson stole the ball from Brian Evans with a clear path to the basket. However, when Jackson went up for the dunk, Indiana'swathletic Steve Hart came out of nowhere to foul him. Though Jackson hit both free throws to give Michigan its 34th point and a 15-point lead, Hart's effort woke up the Hoosier crowd and provided the spark to ignite his teammates. Indeed, the Wolverines did not score for the rest of the half, while Indiana mustered a 12-0 run to nar- row Michigan's halftime lead to three. "Hart gave us a tremendous lift," Henderson said. "It wasn't a clean block, and he was called for the foul. But it was the hustle on the play. I think that was the turning point of the whole game." Michigan extended its lead to seven with a three-point play from Rose and a King layup to open the second half, but Indiana outscored the Wolverines, 40-18, over the next 14 minutes to take the 15-point lead with four minutes to play. "We succumbed to the pressure of their defense, and they found ways to get to the free-throw line," Fisher said. MICHIGAN (72) FO FT REB MIN M-A MA O-T A F PIS Jackson 31 5-14 4-4 5-9 3 4 15 King 37 6411 2-3 1-3 1 4 15 Howard 38 6-11 0-2 4-9 2 3 12 Rose 34 6-21 3-6 3-6 4 5 16 Fife 26 2-7 1-2 0-2 0 5 5 Crawford 16 2-6 0-1 0-2 3 4 5 Derricks 6 1-3 0-0 1-1 0 2 2 Ndiaye 9 1-2 0-1 2-6 0 4 2 Moore 1 020 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Saint-Jean 2 0-0 0-0 0-000 0 Totals 200 29.75 10-19 18-38 1331 72 FG%: .387. FT%: .526. Three-point goals: 4-22, .182 (King 1-5, Crawford 1-5, Rose 1-4, Fife 04, Jackson 1-3, Howard 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Jackson, King, Howard, Fife). Turnovers: 11 (King 3,Crawford 2, Jackson, Howard, Rose, Fife, Ndiaye, Saint-Jean). Steals: 10 (Jackson 4, Rose 3, Howard 2. King). Technical Fouls: Rose, 2nd 0:08.1 INDIANA ($2) FO FT RED MIN BAM -A 04 A F PTS Evans 35 4-10 5-6 3-15 0 4 14 Henderson 39 3-8 13-16 4-16 0 4 19 Lindeman 6 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 0 Wilkerson 17 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 2 2 Bailey 33 6-15 6-9 3-9 3 4 18 Graham 16 2-6 3-4 0-0 2 2 8 Hart 27 2-3 1-2 0-4 2 3 8 Leary 24 4-9 8-8 0-1 3 1 16 1 00 00 0-000 0 Knight 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 00 0 Hales 1 0-0 0-0 0.0 0 0 0 Totals 200 22-55 3645 14-49 1220 82 FQ%: .400. FT%: .800. Three-point goals: 2-16, .125 (Evans 1-4, Graham 1-4, Bailey 03 Leary 0- 3, Wilkerson 0-2 ). Blocks: 5 (Henderson 3, Hart 2). Turnovers: 17 (Henderson 3, Baily 3, Leary 3, Lindeman Z Graham 2, Hart 2. Evans, Wilkerson). Steals: 7 (Bailey 6, Wilkerson). Technical Fouls: none. Michigan. 34 38 - 72 Indiana......31 51 - 82 At: Assembly Hall; A: 17,267 EVAN PETRIE/Daily Jimmy King goes skyward against Indiana in Michigan's 82-72 loss. Fundamentals finally win out over Michigan's talent in loss to Hoosiers ., ," .. . , Registrar's Bulletin Board Dates to Remember Last Day to: Tue., Jan. 25 Tue., Feb. 15 Beginning Wed. Jan 26 Withdraw From Winter Term-with payment of the $50 Disenrollment Fee and $80 Registration Fee Drop Classes-with a reduction in tuition and without a $10 Change of Election Fee. NOTE: Some units (Law, Medicine and Dentistry) begin classes on a different academic calendar and this date will vary for those units. Withdraw From Winter Term-with payment of half tuition, $50 Disenrollment Fee and $80 Registration Fee. NOTE: This date will vary for the units having a different academic calendar. Withdraw From Winter Term-pay half tuition, $50 Disenrollment Fee and $80 Registration Fee through Tuesday, February 15. This fee adjustment applies only to complete withdrawals from the term and not to a reduction of credit hours. $10 Change of Election Fee Due-payable in advance at the Cashier's Office for drops, adds or modifications to Winter term schedule. BLOOMINGTON - The Michigan basketball team would make a great literary character. The Wolverines certainly have plenty of hubris. There surely would not be a lack of plot lines. And perhaps most importantly, the team embodies the tenants of man versus himself. Michigan, it seems, is in a constant battle with itself. Raw talent versus basketball fundamentals. With this team, rarely do the two coexist. Game after game, the Wolverines commit costly errors. Most times, though, Michigan's superiority of talent outweighs any blunders it makes. However, against top teams with exceptional coaches, this just does not fly. "They are expertly coached," BRET'T Wolverine coach Steve Fisher said FORREST of Indiana after Sunday's 10-point Forrest Hoosier victory. "They rarely miss Fires a free throw. They have a multitude of ways to hurt you." The Wolverines knew Indiana possessed these attributes before taking the court Sunday. The entire college basketball world knows Bob Knight's team will hit its free throws and play in a disciplined manner. The Hoosiers have done so for years. Michigan had to know the only way to end Indiana's 36-game home winning streak was to play its smartest game possible. The closest thing to mistake- free basketball the Wolverines could muster would - on the blocks and draining baskets off Indiana turnovers. With 5:55 left in the first half, Michigan was up 15. Then the roof caved in. The Hoosiers forced Michigan into mistakes and made few of their own the rest of the half. Michigan guard Jalen Rose missed the front ends of two one-and-t.-; ones, while Makhtar Ndiaye missed one front end. Michigan committed three fouls and two turnovers, and could not find the basket. "We've got to learn to put away a team when we've got them down," said forward Ray Jackson, in a statement that hearkens back to last season's NCAA tournament. The second half further evinced Michigan's duality. of character. The Wolverines continued to miss free throws and send Indiana to the line. Hoosiers Alan Henderson (13- of-16) and Todd Leary (8-of-8) were golden from the charity stripe, as Indiana scored 36 points in 45 attempts from the line. Meanwhile, Michigan hit just 10 of 19 free throws, with Howard - the team's go-to big man - garnering only two attempts the entire game. "You can't do that against a good team on their home turf," Fisher said of his team's free-throw effort. Worse than that, though, was Michigan's apparent lack of perspective on the contest. Instead of slowing down the game's tempo when Indiana began to pull away in the second half, and concentrating on getting easy looks at the basket, players as individuals tried to light it up from outside. "While they were on a run," Fisher said, "we took 1