SPORTSMonday Trivia When was the last time the same two teams met in consecutive Super Bowls? 'A' '~'.' /flit &, 'r. "0% (Answer, page 2) A Y Inside SPORTSMonday Athlete of the Week Q&A The R.H. Factor Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Hockey Indoor Track Men's Gymnastics Women's Gymnastics Women's Tennis 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 7 8 8 'M' holds off lini, 74 -70 Wolverines survive second-half scare; Howard returns to score 20 By RACHEL BACHMAN DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER CHAMPAIGN - Although the venue was different, the story was the same. Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose combined for 48 points as their team once again relinquished an early lead, but topped Illinois, 74-70. After amassing two 20-point leads during the first half, Michigan (4-2 Big Ten, 13-4 overall) fell behind briefly in the second stanza, then re- grouped to squeak past the Illini (3-2, 10-4). "We got the early lead and we were hoping we could quit right then," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "We were really, really good early on, and that set the table for us." Jalen Rose led all scorers with 28 points, as he pulled Michigan into fourth place in the Big Ten behind Indiana, Minnesota and Purdue (4- @1). It was not until the clock showed 29.5 seconds remaining in the game that Michigan sealed the victory. Af- ter Howard's right side jumper missed, Jackson rebounded and put up another miss. Leon Derricks snagged the board and made the putback to put the Wolverines up, 72- 68. Two Rose free throws and a putback by Illinois' T.J. Wheeler ended the game, as the buzzer sounded and Howard palmed the ball and cel- ebrated at center court. After sitting out Thursday's game against Minnesota due to a bout with the chicken pox, Howard scored 20 in his home state of Illinois. But his fatigue showed as he notched just two rebounds, his first with less than two minutes remaining. "I'm at about 85 percent," Howard said. Coach Lou Henson was consider- ably more generous. "I've seen him play well, but I've never seen him play like that," Henson said. "He was unbelievable in the first half. When a guy's playing like that, it's hard to stop him." Howard shot 70 percent from the field (7 for 10) and totaled 16 points in the first 20 minutes. "He got fatigued but we, in my opin- ion, had to have him in," Fisher said. The first half saw streaks of the Wolverines' most flawless play of the season. Howard helped Michigan claim both of its huge 20-point first- half leads, the first on a fast break dunk with 8:38 remaining, the second just two minutes later on a 14-foot jumper in the lane. Jalen Rose was 6 for 6 in the first stanza, including three treys. In con- trast, the Illini shot just 31 percent during the same period. Michigan shot over 60 percent from the line and beyond, including a blistering 65 percent from the field. Leon Derricks snagged three de- fensive boards and starter Makhtar Ndiaye showed flashes of what Steve Fisher hoped he could do when the 6- foot-9 forward arrived at Michigan. His defensive presence resulted in two first-half blocks. The Wolverines See ILLINOIS, Page 4 Healthy Howard vital to Michigan's continued success CHAMPAIGN - Does Juwan Howard make a difference for the Michigan basketball team? Well, a sundae without hot fudge and nuts is just ordinary vanilla ice cream. And without Howard, the Wolverines become just an ordinary basketball team as CHAD A. SAFRAN Safrancisco Treat they displayed in their loss to Minnesota Thursday. Howard showed his importance to the success of this year's team in Michigan's win over Illinois as he overcame a week-long layoff because of the chicken pox. The junior center scored 20 points, including 16 in the first half, on 9-of-17 shooting, while playing 36 minutes. Twenty points after being ill for seven days and not picking up a basketball during that time? Following the game, Howard said he felt 85 percent How many players could perform that well if they were 100 percent? And at what is the most physically See SAFRAN, Page 4 EVAN PETRIE/Daily Makhtar Ndiaye dunks home two of his six points against Illinois yesterday. . 2"\Z