12 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 1, 1995
ICERS
Continued from page 11
21 points on 9 goals and 12 assists.
"They are probably our best line
right now," Berenson said.
Hilton is second only to Morrison
on the team in scoring, tallying 44
points on 17 goals and 27 assists,
while Luhning leads all players in the
CCHA in plus/minus with a plus-28
rating.
"We (complement) each other
well," Luhning said. "We know where
Madden
each other are
going to be on the
ice.
"We all play
different parts on
our line and we
all like playing
with each other
which helps a
lot."
After a lot of
tinkering with the
cause they work hard. They're not
just a line of talented players, they're
a line of working players. That's an
inspiration to our team, and it's a
standard that we like to set - if you
work as hard as Hilton's line, you'll
get results."
Do YOU KNOW ME?: Michigan's
matchup against Ohio State Sunday
will be the first time in 19 years that
the Wolverines won't see Jerry
Welsh behind the Buckeye bench.
Welsh was fired Feb. 14 and re-
placed by assistant coach John
Markell on an interim basis.
"When a team has done poorly
the last few years, there are prob-
ably questions about the coach or
the direction of the problem,"
Berenson said. "But I was surprised
that (the firing) happened during
the season."
Welsh compiled a 328-381-56
mark since taking over the Ohio State
program in 1976 after playing for the
Buckeyes.
In head-to-head meetings against
Berenson, Welsh held a record of 12-
27-4.
In his 19-plus seasons with Ohio
State, Welsh was 18-30-4 against
Michigan.
So far this season, Markell is 1-3
at the Buckeye helm.
By John Lerol
Daily Basketball Writer
With two point guards succumb-
ing to injuries and one playing more
like a forward, freshman Akisha
Franklin has carried the bulk of the
load.
It is always rough to change point
guards in the middle of a season, but
changing to a freshman floor leader
midway through the season in the Big
Ten is almost unheard of.
Franklin's emergence as acompe-
tent ballhandler and a poised floor
leader have helped the Wolverines
through a rebuilding year. The'
Elmhurst, Ill. native is averaging nine
points per game to go along with three
rebounds and almost four assists per
contest.
Only recently has Franklin become
comfortable as a Big Ten point guard.
Franklin's first starting role was
against Michigan State Jan. 6 and it
only took her a month to adjust.
Franklin caught fire in February be-
ginning with a Feb. 10 matchup with
then-No. 12 Penn State.
The freshman set a career high
with five steals and scored 13 points
against the Nittany Lions. Though
Franklin's quickness and determina-
tion make her a decent defender,
Penn State's Tina Nicholson burned
her for 15 points and 10 assists in a
true display of point guard prowess.
The following game, against Iowa,
Franklin again had five takeaways
and netted 13 points. Against Michi-
gan State, Franklin scored a career-
high 19 points, playing all 40 min-
utes.
Coach Trish Roberts has shown
plenty of confidence in the soft-spo-
ken Franklin, even after Mekisha
Ross, the starting point guard at the
beginning of the season, returned to
action two weekends ago. Franklin is
averaging almost 37 minutes a game
since taking over as the starting point
guard.
"Akisha is playing very well for
us, especially considering that she is a
freshman," she said. "I think she is
doing a very good job at the point."
JUST A 'BREEZE': Junior center
Jennifer Brzezinski is currently lead-
ing Michigan in scoring (13.1 ppg),
rebounding (9.6), steals (2.14) and
blocked shots (1.41). Brzezinski is
tied for second in the Big Ten in
rebounding and is fourth in blocked
shots despite her relatively short 6-
1 frame. She has been Michigan's
leading rebounder in 14 of 26 games
and has paced the Wolverines in
scoring nine times.
The junior from Warren moved
into eighth place on Michigan's all-
time three-point list and is second in
three-point shooting percentage (.424)
behind 1994-95 medical redshirt Jen-
nifer Keifer (.434).
Brzezinski scored her 300th point
of the season against Northwestern,
Feb. 17. She has totaled 560 points in
her three-year Wolverine career.
BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK:
Franklin emerges as floor leader for Cagers
SPEAKING OF THREES: With eight
triples over spring break, including
four against Northwestern, sophomore
guard Amy Johnson moved into sec-
ond place on the all-time three point
list. Her 77 treys surpassed Leah
Wooldridge's total of 73 and leaves
her just eight short of Jen Nuanes'
mark of 85.
FAMILIAR FOE: In the first round
of the inaugural Big Ten tourna-
ment, it's only fitting that 11th-
seeded Michigan will face sixth-
seeded Michigan State. The Spar-
tans and Wolverines split their sea-
son series with each team winning
on their home floor. Most recently,
Michigan State beat Michigan, 70-
65, Feb. 19 in front of 7,147 fans in
East Lansing. The Spartans lead the
all-time series, 32-6.
0
0
lines, Berenson said that this trio is
pretty well entrenched heading into
the playoffs.
"They've played so well that if we
broke them up it would only be for the
benefit of the team," he said. "They're
a sparkplug type of line for us be-
0
i'tminrg & BA~n 0 (Raft the RiversWild
0
USA Iaft
1-800-USA -RAFT
TONYA BROAD/Daily
The Wolverines begin Big Ten tournament play Friday against sixth-seeded
Michigan State. The Spartans beat the Wolverines, 70-65, Feb. 19.
Cheat, New, Nolichucky, Nantahala & Ocoee RiversJ
PO Box 277 - RowlesburgWV 26425
On One of the Holiest Occasions in Islam, We Would Like to
A- -
On One of the Holiest Occasions in Islam, We Would Like to
Wish the University of Michigan Community
Ramadan Mubarak
i: :: :i:: - --
( I
I
I
and Happy
Eid
-l/
All are invited to join the Muslim students on
campus in celebration of Ramadan on March 6 at
the Markley Cafeteria for ethnic and halal cuisine
from 4:30 to 7:30pm, as well as information about
the significance of the Holy Month of Ramadan in
Islam and entertainment beginning at 7:30pm.
I