The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 9, 1994 - 15
*Cagers fail early test
against Cornhuskers
By RODERICK BEARD
Daily Basketball Writer
Half of the Michigan women's basketball team has not taken its first
collegiate final examination.
But the Wolverines had a test in a tough Nebraska squad last night at Crisler
Arena. The proctors took the form of the Cornhuskers, who taught the young
Michigan team that it still has a long way to go before it reaches honor roll.
One of the Wolverines' first lessons was Nebraska's stifling, trapping 1-2-
2 halfcourt press. Freshman Molly Murray, who is playing point guard instead
of her natural small forward position, couldn't handle the pressure. The press
surprised the young point guard like a pop quiz.
"I got a little flustered," said Murray, who had 11 turnovers. "They were
just mental errors."
Good golly, Miss Molly. Eleven
turnovers? Murray also gave away
O U Rthe ball 11 times when Michigan beat
Georgia State last weekend.
R ESS Though she may have flunked that
section of the test, she passed the
scoring portion with flying colors.
Murray poured in a career-high 27
points on 9-for-19 shooting; her five treys (in seven attempts) tied an all-time
school record.
Freshman PollyannaJohns also did well on her test. The 6-foot-3 center had
13 points and a game-high nine boards in 24 minutes.
The freshmen will come along, eventually; the team may come along
aster. Just ask somebody who already took the class.
"I'm impressed with how far they've come along," former Michigan
forward Shimmy Gray said. "Pollyanna and Molly really impressed me. I'll
expect big things from them as juniors and seniors."
Remember, the Wolverines don't have any seniors this season, and only
they have only onejunior-post-monster Jennifer Brzezinski. Johns could be
taking over that position in a few years.
"As a junior or senior, Pollyanna could be one of the best post players in
the Big Ten," Roberts said.
Michigan could also look over its notes on defense. The Wolverines
*llowed a season-high 99 points. Nebraska shot .672 percent - .002 off the
all-time high for a Michigan opponent. Wolverine defenders looked more like
matadors, conceding easy baskets to the bullish Nebraska offense.
If the Wolverines had won last night, not only would they have had more wins
than in each of the past two seasons, they would be better-prepared for future
exams. Michigan coach Trish Roberts said that the win would have would have
turned the team around and given the Wolverines a much-needed lift.
All they can do is study and prepare for the next one.
Women fall to
Nebraska, 99-81
By RAVI GOPAL
Daily Basketball Writer
The Michigan women's basket-
ball team played 30 minutes of solid
basketball last night.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines,
the Nebraska Cornhuskers played all
40.
As a result, Michigan was
swamped by the Huskers (6-2), 99-
81, at Crisler Arena.
After falling behind by as many as
12, the Wolverines (3-4) found them-
selves trailing by just three. The Husk-
ers' lead was 66-63 with 10:38 to go.
Then Michigan stopped playing,
and Nebraska's Anna DeForge
started.
The 5-11 freshman guard poured
in 11 of her 20 points to key a Husker
harvest. Coupled with a sputtering
Wolverine offense, Nebraska roared
to a 85-72 lead with 5:33 to play.
Michigan coach Trish Roberts finally
called a timeout, but it only got worse
for her club after the break.
The Wolverines came back into
the game and botched several routine
layups which would have narrowed
their deficit. Forward Jennifer
Brzezinski clanged two easy shots in
the paint. A subsequent 7-0 Nebraska
run put the game away.
"(After bringing it within three),
we couldn't score," Roberts said.
Michigan, literally, went face-to-
face with the tough Husker defense.
Looking to key on Wolverine sharp-
shooter Amy Johnson, Nebraska ac-
complished its mission. Johnson,
Michigan's top scorer, was just 5-of-
17 from the field.
"I didn't attack the basket enough,"
Johnson said. "We had to attack more."
In contrast with the Wolverines'
scoring woes, Nebraska had a hard
time missing the basket. Going 67.2
percent from the field (41-for-61), the
Huskers nearly broke a Michigan
record for highest field-goal percent-
age allowed. Ohio State holds the
record, scorching the Wolverines with
a 67.4 percent shooting performance
in 1986.
Nebraska's astronomical percent-
age stems from the location of its
shots. Most of the Huskers' attempts
came from within three feet of the
hoop, on layups and baseline drives.
Numerous errant passes by Michigan
allowed Nebraska to steal the ball and
drive down the court for easy baskets.
Wolverine point guard Molly Murray
had 11 turnovers on the night, with
most coming in a first-half flurry that
put Michigan in the hole for good.
Facing a 1-2-2 half-court press,
Murray threw the ball away four
straight times near the end of the first
stanza.
Murray wasn't the only one turn-
ing the ball over. Johnson coughed
the ball up four times, Brzezinski and
Silver Shellman three times each.
Yet, the Wolverines needed
Murray to make any sort of run. With
Johnson under wraps, the freshman
asserted herself on the offensive end.
Murray scored a game-high 27 points
on 9-of-19 shooting from the field.
Her 5-of-7 effort from beyond the arc
tied a school record for most threes
made in a game. Jennifer Kiefer,
Murray's injured teammate, converted
five trifectas against Minnesota last
season.
"Once I hit my first couple of
shots, I was willing to take more,"
Murray said.
The effort leaves the Wolverines
down-and-out for tomorrow's game
against the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee. The Panthers do not of-
fer the same level of competition as
the Huskers. With only seven players
on its roster, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
offers Michigan a chance to get back
on its feet.
"If we play like we did (to begin the
game)," Roberts said, "we should win.
DUOUGLAS KANTEFWDaily
Michigan's Jennifer Brzezinski guards Lis Brenen of Nebraska in last night's
99-81 Cornhusker victory over the Wolverines.
elcers look to stick Buckeyes, Broncos on road
By BARRY SOLLENBERGER
Daily Hockey Writer
The Michigan Wolverines are not
quaking in their skates over the Ohio
State hockey team.
After all, the last time the Buck-
eyes beat Michigan, George Bush was
in office, the Soviet Union was still a
country and few had heard of Jerry
einfeld.
The No.5 Wolverines (6-2 CCHA,
10-4 overall) are 18-0-3 in their last
21 games against Ohio State, includ-
ing a 10-2 thrashing of the Buckeyes
Nov. 4 at Yost.
Ohio State (0-8-2, 1-10-2) will try
to defeat Michigan for the first time in
nearly five years tonight at 7 p.m. at
the Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum
*n Columbus.
Tomorrow, the Wolverines head
west to Kalamazoo to take on West-
ern Michigan (5-4, 10-5-1). That con-
test is also slated to begin at 7 p.m.
The Broncos don't strike the fear
of nuclear war into the Michigan play-
ers, either.
The Wolverines are winners of
four straight over Western Michigan
and swept a three-game set with a
Bronco team that reached the NCAA
tournament a year ago.
Michigan left wing Rick Willis
said that the Wolverines can't afford
to slip up against second-division
teams on the road. Michigan is chas-
ing CCHA front-runners Michigan
State and Bowling Green.
"One of our goals this season is to
never lose to a team below us in the
standings," the Wolverine captain said.
Currently, Michigan resides in
third place in the CCHA; the Broncos
are tied for fourth with Miami (Ohio)
and Ohio State shares the conference
basement with Notre Dame.
While Wolverine coach Red
Berenson is confident about the pros-
pects of a Michigan sweep this week-
end, he cautions against looking past
the two conference rivals.
"These are games that, in theory,
we should win," he said. "But, you
always have to go out and prove it."
TheBuckeyes should pose moreprob-
lems for the Wolverines than they did in
the laugher earlier this season at Yost.
For one, the game is in Columbus.
"I don't think that anybody has
blown them out down there,"
Berenson said. "On a given night,
they're going to beat teams at home."
The fact that tonight's contest is at
the Fairgrounds and not at the Buck-
eyes' home rink, however, works to
Michigan's advantage. No one would
ever confuse the Ohio State Ice Rink
with a premier hockey facility.
"The (Buckeyes') home arena is a
tough rink ... that takes away from the
game of college hockey," Berenson
said. "It'll be a better environment
playing at the Fairgrounds."
Saturday, the Wolverines figure
to be tested by a Western Michigan
team that boasts one of the league's
top goaltenders in Brian Renfrew (10-
5-1, 3.09 goals against average, .872
save percentage).
Additionally, Berenson said that
Lawson Arena is no dreamland for
visiting teams.
"When Michigan plays Western at
Western, it's a war," Berenson said.
"It's a tough game physically and men-
tally and (the Broncos) will be into it."
Bronco coach Bill Wilkinson said
that the Wolverines' offensive attack
scares him. Michigan has more than
doubled the scoring output of its op-
ponents thus far this season (84-41).
"We have to play within our game
and can't let them outnumber us on
the offensive rush," Wilkinson said.
NEBRASKA (99)
FU FTREB
MIN M-A M-A 04T A F PTS
Brenen 32 9-11 3-4 0-2 2 3 21
Kubik 28 4-7 1-2 0-0 2 3 9
Aarden 29 5-5 1-5 3-8 1 1 11
McClain 34 6-9 4-4 14 3 0 16
Deforge 34 8-12 2-3 1-4 5 1 20
Upthegrove 16 5-10 0-0 1-4 0 2 10
Galligan 16 2-5 2-3 0-3 1 3 7
McEwen 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Dillavou 5 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 2
Bynum 5 1-1 1-2 0-1 2 0 3
Totals 200 41-61 14-23 6.27 1613 99
FG%: .672. FT%: .609. Three-point goals: 3-5,
.500 (Deforge 2-3, Galligan 1-2). Blocks: 2
(Aarden, Deforge). Turnovers: 24 (Galligan 5,
Brenan 4, Kubik 4, Deforge 4, Aarden 3, McClain
3, Dillvou). Steals: 16 (Brenen 5, McClain3,
Kubik 2, Galligan 2, Upthegrove 2, Deforge,
Dillivou). Technical Fouls: bench.
Nebraska.........
MICHIGAN (81)
MIN
Murray 39
Johnson 39
Brzezinski 33
Shellman 25
Digiacianto 18
Franklin 4
Elverton 9
Sikorski 2
Johns 24
SFO
M-A
9-19
5-17
5-10
1-5
2.4
0-1
0-3
0-1
6-7
Fr
MA
2-3
5-5
2-3
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-0
1-1
REB
1-1
3-5
2-2
3-4
1-2
0.0
0-0
0-0
3-9
A
3
3
3
6
1
1
1
0
1
F PYS
2 27
3 15
3 13
4 2
1 4
0 0
4 0
00
1 13
Willard 7 2-2 2-2 1-4 1 2 7
Totals 200> 319 12-14 1427 1920 81
FG%: .485. FT%: .857. Three-point goals: 7-14,
.500 (Murray 5-7, Brzezinski 1-1, Willard 1-1,
Franklin 0-1). Blocks: 5 (Willard 2, Brzezinski,
Digiacinto, Murray). Turnovers: 26 (Murray 11,
Johnson 4, Brzezinski 3. Shellman 3, Digiacinto 2,
Franklin 2, Willard). Steals: 11 (Brzezinski 5,
Shellman 3, Murray 2, Johnson). Technical Fouls:
none.
49 50 - 99
Michigan...s...38 43 - 81
At: Crisler Arena
Grapplers face Illini in
first Big Ten contest
By DANIELLE RUMORE
Daily Sports Writer
As the fall semester comes to an
end, it is easy to see the imminent
arrival of new beginnings. As the stu-
Vdents leave the campus for winter
break, they will return to find a new
semester and a new year.
However, some things are begin-
ning before the new year.
The Michigan wrestling team
embarks on the Big Ten season, and
its first dual meet, against No. 21
Illinois at Cliff Keen Arena at 1 p.m.
tomorrow.
The Wolverines have been suc-
*essful all year long, overcoming a
multitude of knee injuries suffered
last season. The squad is very young,
featuring four freshmen in the 10-
person lineup. Solid performances at
the Eastern Michigan Open, the
Michigan Open in East Lansing, and
the Las Vegas Invitational propelled
Michigan from a No. 31 preseason
ranking all the way up to No. 11.
I "I have been real pleased with the
progress of our kids," Michigan coach
Dale Bahr said. "The Big Ten is gonna
be strong. Our kids feel pretty confi-
dent right now."
The Fighting Illini come to Ann
Arbor having dropped their last six
seniors Steve Marianetti and Charles
Gary. Marianetti and Gary are ranked
third and eighth, respectively. They
will facejunior Jake Young (150) and
senior Chad Biggert (167), who are
both ranked 12th. Young and Biggert
are both coming off fourth-place fin-
ishes at the Las Vegas Invitational.
Bahr said that though his team is
strong in the upper weight classes, it
will need a couple of wins in the first
four classes.
"We can't give up a few early and
expect to win," Bahr said. "We need
two of the first four."
Senior Mike Ellsworth (142) will
wrestle freshman Eric Siebert. The
remainder of the Wolverine lineup
consists of senior Matt Stout (118),
freshmen Brandon Howe (126), Brian
Aparo (134) and Jeff Catrabone (158),
junior Jesse Rawls, Jr. (177), senior
Jehad Hamdan (190) and freshman
Airron Richardson (heavyweight).
Catrabone (158) was the Wolver-
ines' top finisher while capturing sec-
ond place at the Las Vegas Open. He
also finished third at the Michigan
Open in East Lansing and first at the
Eastern Michigan Open.
The Illini are coached by Mark
Johnson, who has gone 16-9-1 in two
years as coach of Illinois. This meet
will cr Ca n c r ,~n na rnincr fr
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