4 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, March 7, 1994
Jackson's actions big in tough loss
Junior forward nets a career-high 22 points against Boilermakers
By RACHEL BACHMAN
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
As any presidential candidate can
tell you, valiant campaigns are usu-
ally overlooked if they do not result in
victory.
Yesterday at Crisler Arena, Ray
Jackson became a walking example
of that truism.
His career high of 22 points in
Michigan's 95-94 last-second loss to
Purdue was all but forgotten amidst
the mourning of a loss that let the
Boilermakers back into the Big Ten
championship race.
"It's sad for him to play that well
and for us to lose," Michigan center
Juwan Howard said. "(His perfor-
mance) would've looked even better
if we would have won."
Jackson said the outcome "defi-
nitely" tarnished his best game of the
season.
"Regardless of what I do or any
individual player does, it doesn't
matter unless you win a game," Jack-
son said. "We had it in our hands and
we ... let it slip away."
His teammates credited Jackson
with keeping Michigan in the race.
"Ray Jackson did a good job of
carrying his load and then some,"
Jalen Rose said. "If I could've carried
my load, we probably would've had a
better chance of winning."
"He played outstanding. He put us
back in the game when we were down
12 points," Howard said.
Jackson had a 16-point surge that
spanned the end of the first half and
the beginning of the second. During his
streak Michigan went from being down,
40-28, to leading, 59-53.
The junior forward scored his land-
mark 22nd point with 2:31 to go, on a
free throw earned by drawing Boiler-
maker Glenn Robinson's fourth foul.
His shot put the Wolverines up eight.
"I wasn't thinking about anything,
really," Jackson said. "Just getting a
victory."
Indeed, it appeared the Wolver-
ines had sealed the victory, as they led
94-87 with 1:37 left. But just like the
infamous "Dewey Defeats Truman"
headline, the celebration was prema-
ture. Purdue caught up, and the best
game of the year for Jackson became
the one he'd most like to forget.
Jackson is not new to untimely
heroics. He scored 19 points - his
previous personal best -against both
Coastal Carolina and UCLA in the
NCAA tournament, only to see his
team suffer a heartbreaking loss to
North Carolina in the finals. V
In the Wolverines' matchup at
Iowa Jan. 8, Jackson's 14-rebound,
13-point showing was upstaged by
the drama of teammate Jimmy King's
game-winning three-pointer in the fi-
nal seconds.
While he may not command the
headlines of a Rose or a Howard,
Jackson's ability is not lost on King.
"He's a 6-foot-6 player down there
fighting with 6-foot-9 and -10 play-
ers. That just shows his versatility,"
King said. "If we all would've played
like him, we would've won."
EVAN PETEDally
Ray Jackson (21) shares the joy of his fine afternoon with teammate Juwan
Howard. Jackson scored 22 points on
9-of-12 shooting.
PURDUE
Continued from page 1
missed a prayer as the clock ran down,
and Juwan Howard converted a
putback after time expired.
"With 1:30 to go, we thought we
had won," Michigan coach Steve
Fisher said. "I'm sure they say justice
prevailed."
Earlier in the contest, Purdue must
have believed justice was peering
through a Maize-colored blindfold.
The Boilermakers started strong, lead-
ing by as much as 15 in the first half.
Michigan encountered numerous
problems getting the ball inside
against a lineup that, at times, boasted
four players at least 6 feet 7.
Robinson was a monster in the
opemng stanza, leading his team in
scoring (22), rebounding (7), free-
throw shooting (6-of-6) and three-
point shooting (2-of-5).
But Michigan came back in a flash,
going on a 13-0 run from 3:58 to the
1:29 mark. Jackson scored six of the
13 points and finished the game with
a career-best 22 points.
At the half, Purdue was up by just
two points, 49-47.
Michigan stormed out of the locker
room with a purpose. It quickly manu-
factured a lead that grew to as many as
10 points. Howard, who led Michigan
with 27 points (13-of-19) and six re-
bounds, keyed the charge.
Late in the game, Michigan
seemed to believe it had the contest
sewn up.
"They were talking trash like the
game was over," Martin said of the
Wolverines.
"We felt we let it get away from us
in our house," Robinson said. "They
thought they had the game won."
But it was not enough, as Michi-
gan committed the mistakes that cost
it the game.
"We had a situation where we
didn't execute on late-game situa-
tions - right to the end," Fisher said.
"It hurts - for all of us."
PURDUE (5)
FQ FTRE
MIN MA WA OaT A F PTS
Robinson 37 11-24 11-11 1-9 2 4 37
Martin 33 7-12 2-3 1-1 3 4 21
Brantley 13 2-4 00 1-1 0 3 4
Waddell 26 4-7 4-5 2-2 4 4 15
Roberts 33 2-2 04 1-3 5 3 4
Stanback 26 3.5 1-1 4-10 3 2 7
Dove 14 1-2 1-3 3-5 2 2 3
Darner 12 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 2
Jennings 4 1-2 0-0 0.0 1 2 1
Williams 1 0-0 0.0 00 0 0 0
iFoster 1. 0-0 00 000 0 0
Totals 200 3240 ±123 1435 2023 95
FG%..533. FM% .826. Throe~oln t goals: 12-
25, .480 (Martin 5-9, Robinson 4-10, Waddell 3-
5, Darner 0.1). Blocks: none. Turnovers: 14
(Robinson 5, Roberts 3, Stanback 2, Dove,
Martin, Waddell). Steals: 2 (Dove, Roberts).
Technical Fouls: Dove.
MICHiGAN (94)
FO FRU
MN MA M-A OT A F PTS
Jackson 29 9-12 4-7 3-4 3 4 22
King 39 6-12 44 2-3 4 2 18
Howard 27 13.19 1-2 2-6 3 4 27
Fife 39 1-4 2-3 3-5 3 2 5
Rose 37 4-17 5-6 1-5 9 4 13
Ndiaye 2 0.0 0-0 0001 0
Saint-Jean 11 3-3 0-0 1-2 0 5 7
Derricks 4 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 2
Totals 200 37488 16-22 13.30 2324 94
FG%:.544. FT%:.727. Thre-olt goals: 4-20,
.200 (King 2-7, Fife 1-4, Saint-Jean 1-1, Jackson
0-3, Rose 0-5). Blocks: (Ndiaye). Turnovers: 7
(King 2, Rose 2. Fife, Howard. Jackson). Steals:
3 (Fife, Jackson, King). Technical Fouls: none.
Vlsltors......... 49 46 - 95
Home........47 47 - 94
I At: Crisler, A.' 13,562
SAFRAN
Continued from page 1
other Boilermakers. Prior to the game against
Purdue, Fisher spoke of not allowing the
"others" to hurt his club.
He must have forgotten to follow through
on his policy. I guess the Wolverines are more
like the U.S. government than I originally
thought.
Fisher's players must also have had a
major memory lapse during the game as well.
Here's a refresher - the game is 40 minutes,
not 38.
Certainly the Wolverines know the length
of a college basketball game, but they did not
play defense that way. With 1:37 remaining in
the second half, Michigan appeared headed to
victory and clinching at least a tie for the
conference championship, taking a 94-87 lead.
Yet, appearances are deceiving - another
government likeness. The Boilermakers reeled
off eight consecutive points, including
Robinson's game-winner. An incredible
comeback, if you play for Purdue. A shameful
letdown if you are a Wolverine.
When the Boilermakers were setting up
their winning shot during a series of time outs,
Michigan set up its defense. After the first two
time outs, Fisher placed a defender on the
inbounds man. Then, he changed his mind,
SUGIURA
Continued from page 3
"If you don't know Asher, then you don't
know Michigan basketball," summarizes Matt
Kulekofski, an LSA sophomore Asher has
befriended through the line. "Everyone knows
Asher."
But a free -shirt, a small amount of fame
and the chance to watch a few practices does
not - cannot -explain away three weeks of
living out of a car without showering.
"The whole reason I came to school here
was only for sports," he says, without any hint
of sarcasm. "I told everyone if I wanted to get
an education I could basically go anywhere.
Michigan's got a good education, but I basi-
cally came here to see hockey, basketball and
football."
Don't get him wrong, though. Asher car-
ries a 3.5 GPA which would probably be
higher if he didn't have this time-consuming
hobby. It is a fact he pointed out on his
-application to Nebraska's medical program,
where he intends to enroll next fall.
He plans to come back to Ann Arbor,
though, and hopes to find that what he has
helped establish in Crisler - which is slowly
becoming a louder, more intimidating place
for opponents- will still be flourishing.
As do most students, Asher looks at Duke,
with its "Cameron Crazies," as an example of
presumably to set up a double-team on
Robinson.
Yet, Robinson somehow got the ball
dribbled it and made the dramatic shot. Michi:O
gan had to know that Robinson was getting
the ball because everyone else in the arena
did. The double team never appeared.
"When I started to drive, I had to spin
away from (Ray) Jackson," Robinson said.
He should have had to spin away from
Jackson and someone else, perhaps even a
third defender. Jalen Rose came off his man to
help out, but that was after Robinson had
already received the inbounds pass.
Michigan should have made sure that never
happened in the first place.
Although it appears the Wolverines will
have to share a conference title if they want
any part of the Big Ten crown, their poor
defensive performance in the, two-game los-
ing streak has doomed any chance they have
for a number one seed in the tournament.
They have also severely damaged their chances
for a two seed.
As everyone knows, a lower seeding weak-
ens a team's security in reaching the next
round. Michigan's chances of making a third
straight trip to the Final Four, while already
tough, have been made more difficult.
Maybe not as difficult as winning three
elections, perhaps.
what the student section can become.
"I don't want to say we have bad fans. As it
is, we have really harsh conditions compared to
Duke," he explains. "But if they stay out for
seven days, we can stay out for two or three."
And once inside Cameron Indoor Sta-
dium, students ring the court, relegating the
alumni to the seats in back. At Crisler, stu-
dents have only a part of the lower section.
"(As an alumnus), I'd much rather sit in
the back as long as it's a loud stadium."
And he would also like to see Fisher rein-
state Midnight Madness, the basketball cel-0
ebration that occurs on the first official day of
practice.
"The fans would really like to see a dunk-
ing contest, a three-point shooting contest,"
he reasons. "With me, this is half the reason
I'm coming out. When am I ever going to be
able to see this kind of talent? Never, espe-
cially being from Nebraska."
Which is likely where he will return next
fall, even though the ticket office has offered
him a job. But before that, there is his final
home game Wednesday, and if the student
ticket lottery is kind, the NCAA tournament.
And still, despite the notoriety, he doesn't
quite understand all the fuss.
"Basically, I think I'm pretty average. If I
was at North Carolina or Duke, it wouldn't be
that special," he says. "Except that I could
probably camp out much longer."
Losing streak goes on
for women cagers
By SCOTT BURTON
DAILY BASKETB ALL WRITER
EVANSTON - If you are not one
who believes in curses, then you prob-
ably haven't seen the Michigan
women's basketball team play a sec-
ond half lately.
Befuddling coaches and players
alike, no matter how well the Wolver-
ines (0-16 Big Ten, 3-22 overall) play
in the first half, anything that can go
wrong in the second half does.
Wolverine shots roll over rims.
Rebounds fall into the welcome hands
of the opposition. Even something as
simple as dribbling up the court be-
comes a challenge. It's called "the
second-half curse", and Michigan fell
victim to it twice this weekend.
Both Illinois (4-11, 9-15) Friday
and Northwestern (8-8, 16-9) yester-
day overcame second-half deficits and
rode remarkable 20-point turnarounds
to defeat Michigan.
"This has been a puzzling team all
year," Michigan coach Trish Roberts
said. "What happens in the second
half is that they are so tired, they pace
themselves and a lot of times you
catch them standing around."
Michigan's 82-70 loss to North-
western was an enigma worthy of the
pages of Mysteries of the Unknown.
The Wolverines had taken a 47-35
lead on the Wildcats - their biggest
lead of the year - and had com-
pletely captured the momentum.
But after a Northwestern timeout
at 18:03 of the half, the Wildcats
whittled away the lead, and after go-
ing on a 24-7 run to take a 61-55 lead,
Michigan simply collapsed.
Underlying Michigan problems in
the second half was improved defen-
tant to the turnaround, she drew a
fourth foul on Michigan center Jenni-
fer Brzezinski, sending the Wolver-
ines' hottest player to the bench at
14:16 of the half.
"There was a sense of urgency
there," said Babcock, who finished
with 28 points. "They denied the post
real well in the first half. I think we
took our time a lot more in the second
and really looked inside."
In remarkably similar fashion to
the Northwestern loss, the Wolver-
ines played two contrasting halves
against Illinois. In the first, Michigan
executed offensively as well as they
have all year, and took a 32-28 lead
into the locker room. In the second
half they collapsed, watching the Illini
outscore them 45-24 - including a
17-2 run in the last 7:19.
"This has been a tradition of our
season this year," Roberts said. "We
thought we had a good game plan, but
in the second half we made little men-
tal mistakes."
Indeed, even as they took a lead
into the second half, foul trouble
loomed as a strategic problem for the
last twenty minutes of the game. Lead-
ing scorer Amy Johnson and forward
Silver Shellman began the half on the
bench with three fouls.
But the most damaging foul trouble
belonged to Brzezinski. She had kept
opposing center Anita Clinton, Illi-
nois' lone post option, honest all game,
registering two blocked shots. She
also came with a much-needed big
game in the post, hitting for 16 points,
helping Michigan to a 47-46 lead at
11:37 of the second half.
"Clinton was prone to foul trouble
so I really tried to take it at her - if
Jimmy King goes up for a layin during yesterday's game
with Purdue. King scored 18 in the 95-94 loss.
S ~
Despite few w ins,
Blue shows talent
By J.L ROSTAM-ABADI
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
EVANSTON - Nobody likes to lose, especially 17 times
in a row. Just ask the Michigan women's basketball team.
But like it or not, the seven lone Wolverines are dealing
with this massive losing streak.
For each loss, there are the age old excuses - youth and
fatigue. But after playing 25 games, the inexperience line has
gotten a little weak.
Of course, when matched against opposing lineups of
upperclassmen, they don't exactly have the upper hand, but
let's not forget about the Fab Five.
In spite of a dismal record, Michigan does show potential.
After each game, the opposing coach has acknowledged the
individual talents on the Wolverines, predicting that they will
become a force to be reckoned with and a Big Ten contender
in the near future.
"(Jennifer Brzezinski) was making some shots in there
that were just incredible in that first half," Northwestern
coach Don Perrelli said. "I mean she was just turning around
and shooting. She was making everything.
"(Amy) Johnson's a great shooter from the outside and a
great penetrator, and (Jennifer) Kiefer can certainly run the
offense.
"I felt that in watching some of their games and looking at
some of their scores, that they can certainly play," Perrelli
said. "If they can keep that group together and play...they'll
give a lot of teams trouble. They've got a good group to build
on and we'll see them moving up in the Big Ten."
But until that day arrives, it is crucial that the Wolverines