The Michigan Daily - SPORTSTuesday - Tuesday,_January 16, 1996 - 3B
Wolverines remain winless
in Big Ten after loss to Lions
9ARREN EVERSON
Darren to be Different
For Robert
basketball in t
the only thingto
kamfm books
ortunately for the Michigan
women's basketball team,
coach Trish Roberts doesn't
read much of what Bobby Knight
has to say.
Roberts is an avid reader,
someone who tries to learn from the
authors she reads. However, nothing
thored by the fiery Indiana men's
sketball coach - the General, as
he is often called - sits on
Roberts's nightstand.
Perhaps that's why, after seeing
her Wolverines (0-5 Big Ten, 6-9
overall) drop six in a row, Roberts
is still more likely to curl up with a
good book than to throw a few at
her team.
"I'm not a screaming, yelling,
violent coach," Roberts says.
Mtead, she releases the stress and
tension caused by Michigan losses
by reading the works of the top
scholars in her field: NBA coaches
Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, to name
a few.
"These are guys who have been
successful," Roberts says, "so
hopefully some pf that will rub off
on me."
It hasn't just yet - not at
ichigan, anyway - but Roberts is
still alive, well and in good spirits,
despite all that's happened during
her time here. Despite criticism
from former players and their
parents, despite a rash of player
wijuries and despite one loss after
another, Roberts is still plugging
away, trying to turn around
Michigan's eternally dormant
woman's basketball program.
And it appears she's making some
ogress. After going 2-25 in 1992,
-her first season, Roberts's Wolver-
ines have posted a better record
- each year since.
Those seasons were all marked by
improvement, as Michigan began to
seriously compete with its Big Ten
foes. But those years were all
marked by more defeats than
victories.
Michigan is used to losing with
ch frequency - the Wolverines
have had but three winning seasons
in their 22-year history - but for
Roberts, failure is something new.
"I've always been a winner in
everything I've done," says the 40-
year-old Roberts. She's excelled as
both a player (she was Tennessee's
leading scorer and rebounder in
1976-77) and as a coach, winning
72 percent of her games while at
*aine from 1988-92.
"I envisioned us turning this
program around a lot quicker than
we are," she says. "I knew it was
going to be tough. But coming from
a school like Maine ... the level of
competition has gotten tougher.
(And) we've been such an inconsis-
tent team."
That's what puzzles Roberts most
bout her Wolverines - their
4ility to compete with strong teams
like they did against No. 6 Penn
State Sunday, and their inability to
beat the teams they should, like
Northern Illinois earlier this season.
"I understand what she's saying,"
forward Silver Shellman says. "I
don't know if we expect to lose or
what."
Shellman doesn't think that's it,
and she's probably right. The
Jolverines are like any other team,
competing in practice with game-
like intensity. But they're also loose
enough to sing a tune from a car
dealer ad, the one with the guy
playing a banjo with his dog, that
ends, "Get a good deal." -
There's something about winning,
though, that has an effect on a
player's attitude. At least, that's
what Roberts's experience has been.
@ "Every school that I've been with
that's won, it's had a winning
tradition," she says. "The players go
in there thinking, 'I'm expected to
win.' I'm not so sure that our kids
come in with the same attitude."
They might have begun to
develop that kind of attitude at the
By Andy Knudsen
Daily Sports Writer
With the Michigan women's basket-
ball team (0-5 Big Ten, 6-9 overall)
hosting No. 5 Penn State (4-1, 13-3),
many might have expected the mascot
game at halftime to be more exciting.
But after losing their first four con-
ference games, the Wolverines were
not going to roll over and be fodder for
the Nittany Lions.
"We just wanted to win," Pollyanna
Johns said. "We'rejust sick and tired of
losing."
Michigan gave a strong effort in the
79-64 loss in front of 2,853 fans at
Crisler Arena, and the game was closer
than the score would indicate.
Junior Amy Johnson nailed a 3-
pointer from the right corner with 8:21
left in the game to bring the Wolverines
within five points, 49-54. The trey
capped a 14-3 run by Michigan over
5:23.
That was as close as the Wolverines
would get in the second half, however,
as Angie Potthoff carried the Nittany
Lions from inside with a game-high 26
points and 13 rebounds.
"I think the biggest turnaround was
when Pollyanna (Johns) went out with
her fifth foul," coach Trish Roberts
said. "We just didn't have anybody to
match up as far as size inside with
them."
Johns, who led Michigan with 20
points and 15 rebounds, fouled out with
4:40 left, but the Wolverines pulled
back within ten points with 2:46 left.
Seven straight Penn State points killed
any of Michigan's hopes for a miracle
comeback.
The Wolverines accomplished what
they wanted to do on defense, playing a
zone to limit Penn State's inside looks
and keeping even with them on the
boards.
"In the games where we have lost
people have played a zone," Penn State
coach Rene Portland said. "When we
saw the zone against Michigan we knew
they at least did their homework."
Penn State couldn't break the zone as
they hit only one of their 10 shots from
the arc in the first half.
"We relied too much on the 3-point
shot and that was really poor shot selec-
tion on our part," Portland said.
But Penn State got most of the loose
balls and won the transition game, as
Michigan couldn't buy a friendly roll
on its few breakaway attempts.
The Nittany Lions' aggressiveness also
caused 23 Wolverine turnovers, while
they only surrendered the ball 14 times.
But Roberts was pleased overall with
her teams' performance.
"I think we played a very good game
for 75 percent of that ballgame," Rob-
erts said.
Roberts, though, still saw some of
the same problems she's been seeing all
year.
"I want us to be able to hit key shots
down the stretch," she said. "When you
go three or four minutes without scor-
ing, that really hurts."
The Wolverines hadonly six fieldgoals
in the first half, but kept even with the
Nittany Lions for the first 13 minutes
primarily due to
Johns' ability to
draw fouls. Johns
had nine of
Michigan's 13
points from the char-
ity stripe in the half,
while the team com-
bined for only 12
points from the field.
The Wolverines
got their only lead
after a Johns' free
throw made the
score 22-21 with
7:01 left in the half.
But Penn State went
on al7-3 run for the
rest of the half, giv-
ing them an insur-
mountable lead.
"We have a rule
that we want to win
the last five minutes
of each half," Port-
land said, which
they did handily in
both cases.
One of the
brighter points for
Michigan was the
play of Catherine
DiGiacinto off the
bench. She was
eight-of I from the
field for 16 points
and 13 rebounds to
complement Johns Catherine DiGlanci
in the paint. effort, but were un
The Nittany Lions' frontcourt rota-
tion was limited by an injury to sopho-
more center Stacey Hrivnak, whosejaw
locked open in a recent practice.
"We're lucky we got away with what
we got away with inside," Portland said
of her depleted frontcourt.
The Wolverines hope this strong per-
formance against a highly ranked team
will serve as a confidence-builder.
Michigan next plays at Illinois Fri-
day and at Ohio State Sunday. And after
this Sunday's close lose, Johns said.
"We're looking forward to (the games),
as a matter of fact we can't wait."
,UNYA UR VAU /Dly
Michigan forward Sliver Shellman drives the lane in the Wolverines' 79-64 loss.
Portand
quetons
etofficials'cal
By Dan Stillman
Daily Sports Writer
Penn State women's basketball coach
Rene Portland questioned the referee's
interpretation of legal defensive posi-
tion, or what Portland called "straight-
up" position, in the press conference
following Sunday's 79-64 victory over.
the Wolverines.
A total of 22 personal fouls were
PENN STATE (79)
FO FT RES
MIN M-A M-A 4-7 A F PTS
Parsons 28 3-9 1.2 24 1 1 7
Nicholson 35 38 0-0 0-3 9 3 8
Mack 27 6-11 4-6 24 1 216
Potthoff 30 10-21 6.9 7-13 4 3 26
Calhoun 25 5-10 1-1 5-9 0 4 11
Longworth 12 3-6 0-0 2-3 1 0 7
Macciocco 12 0.4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Hall 10 1-5 1-2 M- 0 2 3
Brewer 8 0.1 0-0 0-2 01 0
Jarosz 7 0-0 1-2 12 0 4 1
Portland 6 0-1 0-0 0-2 1 1 2
Totals 200 31-76 14-22 2248 1622 79
FG%: .408. FT%:.636. Three-point goals: 3.-14, .214
(Nicholson 2-5, Longworth 1-4, Macciocco 0-2,
Parsons 0-2, Portland 0.1). Blocks: 6 (Calhoun 4,
Parsons. Jarosz). Turnovers: 14 (Potthoff 4,
Nicholson 2. Calhoun 2, Macciocco 2, Parsons.
Mack, Longworth, Brewer). Steals: 12 (Nicholson 7,
Potthoff 2. Macciocco. Longworth. Portland).
Technical Fouls: none.
MICHIGAN (64) F
MIN WA MA 0-T A F PTS
Franklin 29 1.8 4-4 0.2 5 1 6
Kiefer 32 1-6 0-0 2-4 0 0 3
Johnson 40 5-15 0-0 1-6 4 3 11
Johns 28 4-15 12-18 515 1 5 20
Brzezinski 16 2-2 1-2 2-2 1 3 5
DiGiacinto 34 8-12 0-2 6-13 1 2 16
Shellman 12 1-1 1-3 11 1 2 3
Murray 7 0-1 0-0 0-1 0.-0 0
PO tits 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 00 0
Willard 1 0-1 0.0 0-0 00 0
Totals 200 22.60 18-29 21-49 1316 64
FO%:.367. FT%:.621. Three-point goals: 2-10- 200
(Johnson 1-6, iefer 13, Franklin 0-1). Blocks: 0
urnovers: 23 (ifer 6, Franklin 4, Johnson 3. Johns
3, Brzezinski 2, DiGiacinto 2, Murray 2, Shellman.
Steals: 9 (Kiefer 3, Franklin 2. Johnson, Brzezinski,
DiGiacinto. Shellman). Technical Fouls; none.
Penn State...... ...38 41 - 68
Michigan----------25 39 - 83
At: Crisler Arena; A: 2,853
TONYA BROAD/D
into and the Wolverines put up a strong
able to hold off No. 5 Penn State.
fCAMP TAIKAJ0l
Notebook
called against the
Nittany Lions in
the contest. A ma-
jority were block-
ing fouls under the
basket.
Michigan
sophomore center
Pollyanna Johns
drew eight of those
fouls resulting in
12 points from the
free-throw line.
".
for Boys
Long Lake,
Naples, Main
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Thirteen of Michigan's 25 first-half
points came from the charity stripe.
"I'd love to see the description of
straight-up," Portland said. "That will
be the clip tape that we send to the Big
Ten office to ask for an explanation
because the official just refused to give
it to us - and they were doing the same
thing on (the Michigan) side. The Michi-
gan kids were like, how much straighter
up can I go? So who knows what that
interpretation of the rule was today,
because I felt (the referees) were con-
sistent on both sides."
OUTFORTHESEASON: Freshman guard
Ann Lemire suffered a season-ending
injury when she tore her anterior cruci-
ate ligament in practice on Dec. 15. She
underwent surgery earlier this month.
Despite her freshman status, Lemire
was well on her way to playing a
major role on the squad. Through the
first seven games of the season,
Lemire averaged 10 points per game
and shot 50 percent from three-point
land.
"(Lemire's injury) really hurt us a
lot because her speed and quickness
gave us what we needed on the perim-
eter," Michigan coach Trish Roberts
said. "We were able to do a lot more
defensively with Ann. I really didn't
realize what an impact she had on our
team until the last few ball games
(before her injury)."
IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Junior for-
ward/guard Amy Johnson became
Michigan's all-time leading 3-point
scorer when she drained her 86th ca-
reer trey against Northwestern last
Sunday.
Johnson now ranks among the top
20 in nine categories in the Michigan
record books.
MAscOTs GALORE: Team and
coporate mascots from across the re-
gion took to the Crisler Arena floor at
halftime of Sunday's contest for the
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