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take Superior stuns Wolverines, sweeps 2-game series
By Alan Goldenbach
Daiy Sports Writer
SAULT STE. MARIE - A week ago, the Michigan hockey
team looked like a world-beater after pasting first-place Michi-
gan State, 8-1.
This weekend, the Wolverines looked like the world had
*ten them.
Lake Superior State handed Michigan its first pairofweekend
setbacks this season with a thrilling 5-4 overtime win Friday and
a 7-3 blowout the following night.
Keith Aldridge's overtime score at the 2:16 mark gave Lake
Superior a 5-4 come-from-behind victory Friday night. The
emotion from the win undoubtedly spilled over to Saturday's
game. The Lakers were fired up to play their final home game
of the regular season and dominated a lifeless crop of Wolver-
ines.
With the losses, the Wolverines all but cost themselves a shot
at the CCHA regular-season title and an automatic bid to the
NCAA Tournament.
"We're not as worried about first place as we are about how
we play down the stretch," Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"If we don't finish in first place, it won't be our season. But we
have to rebound and see what kind of team we can be."
The Wolverines now find themselves in a second-place tie
with Lake State with 42 points and two games remaining.
However, the Lakers get the edge in the event of a tie in the
standings because they took two of the three games against
Michigan. Michigan State, idle this weekend, paces the confer-
ence with 45 points and also has two games to play, including
one against the Wolverines.
The dark horse of the conference may prove to be Western
Michigan, which has three games left at conference patsy
Alaska-Fairbanks this week. The Broncos have 41 points.
But for the moment, the Wolverines are still probably in
shock from Friday's heartbreaking defeat.
The Lakers played catch-up with Michigan for basically
the whole night as the teams staged a skating exhibition. The
Wolverines staked themselves to a 2-0 lead early in the
second when Bill Muckalt popped home his 21st goal of the
season.
Lake Superior retaliated with power play goals from Matt
Alvey and Gerald Tallaire and the game went into the second
intermission tied at 2.
That's when the fun began.
Matt Herr continued his hot play with his 17th of the season
at the 2:14 mark to put the Wolverines ahead. But Sean Tallaire
brought the Lakers right back less than 90 seconds later off a
See LAKERS, Page 4B
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
'M' women win 10th
straight swmmng title
Wolverines complete decade of dominance
i
By Chris Murphy
aily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's swimming
team issued a statement to the Big Ten
this weekend:
Lest there be any doubt, Michigan
is the dominant team in the confer-
ence. Bar none.
After fighting
through a regular
season that saw the
eam drop meets to
ams like Southern
Cal and Stanford,
the Wolverines
came out with a Gustin
vengeance in this
weekend's Big Ten
Championships in
Minneapolis.:
Michigan's de-
liberate training and.
conditioning pro-
ram often got in Jackson
the way of the
team's record. Many weekend's saw
the Wolverines facing top programs
while fatigued.
This weekend the team was com-
pletely rested and the results were
almost frightening.
Michigan finished the meet with
939 points, the highest score in Big
Ten Championship meet history.
The Wolverines' closest competi-
tor was Wisconsin. But the margin of
victory turned out to be a formality, as
the Wolverines almost doubled the
Badgers' score of 492.5.
Michigan asserted its dominance
by putting together a performance that
coach Jim Richardson called the best
team performance of the year.
Every swimmer scored on the week-
end, and the majority of the swim-
mers finaled in their respective events.
Moreover, the Wolverines got con-
tributions from every part of their
roster. Upperclassmen and freshmen
alike stepped up.
"It was a total team performance,"
Richardson said. "Our freshmen
stepped up and did a great job. Every
single freshman on the team finaled."
Michigan received a boost from
two of its veteran swimmers. Junior
Rachel Gustin returned from a shoul-
der injury, and senior co-captain Beth
Jackson overcame mononucleosis to
contribute to the Wolverines' effort.
Both Jackson and Gustin have been
See SWIMMING, Page 3B
Wolverines take 3rd
en women's track
By Jeremy Horellck
For the Daily
Outstanding senior leadership can
only carry a talented young team so far.
The Michigan women's track and field
team discovered this at the Big Ten
hampionships, held Friday and Satur-
day at Wisconsin.
Illinois garnered 129 points en route
to capturing the conference crown.
Wisconsin just missed the title with
an impressive I I1-point performance.
Michigan's 48 1/2 points placed it a
distant third.
While none of the Wolverines
earned first-place finishes, several
athletes turned in noteworthy efforts.
Senior Courtney Babcock finished
second in the 5,000-meter at 16:47.96.
That mark placed the five-time All-
American just over two seconds be-
hind Wisconsin's Kathy Butler
(16:45.68), one of only two NCAA
automatic qualifiers in the event.
"Butler's considered one of the top,
if not the top, distance runners in the
country," said assistant coach, Mike
See TRACK, Page 3B
Michigan
rebounds
to beat
Mfinnesota
By Brent McIntosh
Daily Sports Editor
Is it possible that a man who is al-
ready 6-foot-9 can be standing a little
taller? If so, then Maceo Baston better
start ducking when he enters rooms.
The Michigan sophomore forward
had 20 points and nine rebounds, six of
them offensive, in only 22 minutes as
the Wolverines came back to beat Min-
nesota, 65-62, Saturday night.
Baston was averaging I1.5 points
per game coming into the weekend con-
test, but at the half Saturday, it didn't
look like he was going to reach that
mark. The Wolverines (7-7 Big Ten,
17-10 overall) were
down, 29-23, and |||
Baston had a lonely
two points to go
with his three fouls;
the latter kept him N.
on the bench for all
but six minutes. In .
the second half, A
though, Baston had
18 points and no
fouls in 16 minutes, Baston
all while turning the ball over only
once.
"Maceo's had games like that,"
Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "In
the second half, it was like he said, 'I'm
going to post up and I don't care --
nobody's going to stop me."'
The Wolverines desperately needed
Baston's contribution: Without his 7-
of-10 performance, they made a mea-
ger 12 of their 50 attempts. The Golden
Gophers (7-7, 15-11) outrebounded the
home team, 43-35, and fared better from
the floor at 44 percent, but in the end,
free throw shooting was critical.
"They made their free throws, and
that was the difference in the ballgame,'
Minnesota coach Clem Haskins said.
The Wolverines went to the charity
stripe 27 times and converted 23 of
them; they were 22-of-25 in the second
half. Freshman forward Albert White
seemed to spend the whole evening
shooting free throws. Despite making
only two of his 1I field goal attempts.
White earned a 15-point performance
by missing only one of his 12 charity
tosses. The Gophers, on the other hand.
went to the line only 13 times, making
eight.
"We've gone from a team that (our
free throw shooting) was a big liability.
to a team that it's a huge asset for us,'
Fisher said.
Even that asset may not have mat-
tered for the Wolverines were it not foi
a second-half, offensive burst fron
Baston.
With the game knotted at 40 and the
Wolverines out on the break, Loun
Bullock tossed a pass over the defense
to a streaking Baston, who dunked fo
his ninth and 10th points.
After a tip-in by Minnesota'
Courtney James, Baston drew a foul or
a made layup and converted the free
throw. James hit another layup, anc
then Baston scored another 3-point play.
Three possessions became eight
Travis Conlan and the Wolverines came back from their loss Thursday at Penn State to down the Golden Gophers.
M-per contest as ugly as itgets
Michigan
men
stumble
to 6th
place in
track
The Michigan
men's track and
field team, led by
Neil Gardner,
finished sixth at
Big Tens in
Columbus this
weekend.
See
Page
The Minnesota and Michigan men's basketball teams
put on a clinic Saturday night at Crisler Arena.
A clinic of ... well ... horrendous basketball.
The Wolverines won, 65-62, but it was hardly cause for
celebration, considering they made just 19 field goals
while clanging 41. If you take away Maceo Baston (7-for-
10 shooting), Michigan was an icky
12-for-50 from the field. Albert White
was one of the Wolverines' stars, f.
z:.X
finishing with 15 points. But 11 ofF
those came from the charity stripe - V -
he went just 2 for I1 from the field.
The Golden Gophers shot the ball a
little better (25 for 57, 44 percent), {
but lost because they kept sending the BARRY
Wolverines to the free throw line. BARR
Michigan finished 23-27 from the
charity stripe. Sollenberger
"The difference in the game was in Paradise
free throws," Minnesota coach Clem
Haskins said. "We had some critical turnovers and they
made their free throws down the stretch."
Saturday's game had the excitement of C-SPAN. The
game was a bore even when it was close down the stretch.
When Michigan coach Steve Fisher called timeout to set
three, the crowd booed - and for good reason. Fisher was
delaying the end of a terrible basketball game.
The last 20 seconds felt like they took about 20 minutes.
The Wolverines led by five with 21 seconds to go and
their 17th victory was all but wrapped up. But then
Minnesota got back in the game, thanks to Michigan's
friendly defense. The Wolverines twice let Bobby Jackson
travel the length of the court for layups.
Each time Jackson took about 0.5 seconds.
"We did not do a good job with 20 to 25 seconds to go,"
said Fisher in the understatement of the night.
The Golden Gophers climbed to within one on
Jackson's 3-pointer with six seconds left, but then Louis
Bullock mercifully brought the game to an end with a
couple of free throws.
As a Michigan fan after the game, you probably felt like
you had just gotten over a sickness. You were relieved
that it was over and knew that it was something you never
wanted to go through again.
Indeed, both teams played like they were sick.
The Golden Gophers are 15-11 this season, but watch-
ing them Saturday night, it was hard to believe they had
won more than a handful of games all season.
Michigan isn't much better. The Wolverines are painful
to watch. They blow lavups. They miss wide-open
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