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 The battle over killer online content has begun. And The AOL Greenhouse® is on the front line. Developed by America Online®D, the Greenhouse is an energetic environ- ment where creative, passionate "infopreneurs" can turn. their ideas into real online businesses. We've committed millions to this battle. If you think you're geek enough to join us, follow the orders below. AOL MISSION: Become an online entrepreneur and create the next wave of I