BASKETBALL
The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - February 24, 1997 -58
Minnesota
clinches
share of Big
Ten title
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - John
omas sank two free throws with 4.7
seconds left, lifting second-ranked
Minnesota over No. 23 Illinois, 67-66,
Saturday and giving the Gophers at least
a share of the Big Ten championship.
Thomas, a senior center who had been
shooting only 59 percent from the line
this season, was fouled by Chris Gandy
and sank both shots for Minnesota (13-1
Big Ten, 24-2 overall), which trailed for
uchof the game.
llinois guard Kiwane Garris, who led
all scorers with 23 points, tried to drive
for a final shot but lost control of the ball
"This is definitely the low point of my career:' - Michigan forward Maurice Taylor
Downward
longer for
By Danielle Rumore
Daily Sports Editor
WEST LAFAYETTE - The Michigan men's
basketball team broke new ground yesterday in its
67-58 loss at Purdue, but the Wolverines should not
be so proud.
The loss was the Wolverines' third straight -
dropping them to 7-7 in the Big Ten - and marked
the first time this season the Wolverines have lost
CONFERENCE
Roundup
at the free-throw
line as the game
ended.
Bobby Jackson
scored 18 points
for Minnesota,
which can win the
three in a row. After grabbing a
20-point lead against Indiana at
home Feb. 16, they fell in an over-
time heartbreaker. Four days later,
they fell to Iowa in Iowa City.
"If we walk out of here with
our heads down, we know the sea-
son's over" said Michigan for-
ward Maurice Taylor, who fin-
ished with 10 points. and six
' ,
' E aa
~
.' k, ::,
.',
-z'.:a.t'
spiral gets
Wolverines
come out, and we need to get a victory at home
against the conference champions. Minnesota."
RAISE THE FLOOR: The Wolverines must not like
heights, because they have had trouble playing on
raised floors.
Purdue's Mackey Arena and Minnesota'$
Williams Arena are the only two arenas in the Big
Ten with raised floors - and Michigan has lost on
both this season and many times in the past.
The Wolverines lost at Mackey last season, 69-64.
They lost at Williams, 70-64, on Jan. I1. Th
didn't visit Williams last season, but they lost ther
80-58. during the 1994-95 season.
In fact. the Wolverines haven't won at Mackey
since 1993-94 and at Williams since 1992-93.
AssIST M : This season, Travis Conlan leads
Michigan in assists per game and has been the only
Wolverine to dish out an assist every game.
Yesterday, Conlan's five assists-pushed him past
Ray Jackson and into 10th place on Michigan's
career assist list. Conlan, who now has 299, moved
past Jackson with his fourth assist of the game.
With 10:59 remaining in the second half, Conlan
dumped the ball inside to sophomore center Robert
Traylor for two of his 18 points. Traylor's layup cut
the Boilermakers' lead to three45-42.
RECORD-SETTING DAY: Despite the loss, some
Wolverines had career days. Conlan finished with
nine rebounds to lead Michigan. His previous
career- and season-high was seven boards, set
against both St. John's and Michigan State earlier
this season.
Traylor finished with 18 points, tying his career-
high and surpassing his season-high by one. But he
finished was just five boards - nine short of his
career-high.
,g Ten title outright for the first time
Wce 1982 by beating Michigan on
Wednesday.
Bryant Notree scored 12 points for
Illinois (8-6, 18-8).
IOWA 69, Otno STATE 56
Ryan Bowen scored 17 points and
Andre Woolridge had 15 while Iowa's
defense held host Ohio State's top two
scorers to a combined four points in the
Hawkeyes' 69-56 victory Saturday night.
The victory marked the first time in
1 meetings, dating to 1915, that Iowa
M beaten Ohio State (5-9, 10-13) seen
straight times.
Damon Stringer, Ohio State's leading
2sclrer at 15.2 points a game, went score-
less while missing all seven of his shots
from the field. Second-leading scorer
Shaun Stonerook (12.1) totaled four
points on 1-of-4 from the field.
=P:The Hawkeyes (9-5, 18-8) pulled away
'with a 10-3 run in the second half that
tched their lead to 54-38. Ohio State
got as close as nine points in the final two
minutes, but by that time many in a
crowd of 12,323 had already left.
INDANA 64, NORTHWESTERN 49
'Indiana coach Bob Knight wasn't' on
the bench Saturday as he recorded his
699th victory.
Knight, who started four freshmen and
kept veterans Neil Reed and Charlie
Miller on the bench with him, was eject-
with 35.4 seconds remaining in the
st half.
Despite his absence, No. 24 Indiana
(8-7,21-8) defeated Northwestern (2-13,
7-19), 64-49, as Richard Mandeville
scored 16 points and grabbed nine
rebounds.
Knight was ejected after receiving two
technicals. Referee Steve Wehner called
the first technical in front of the Indiana
bench while Knight was arguing that
*rthwestem's Evan Eschmeyer was
holding Haris Mujezinovic inside the
key.
MICHIGAN STATE 71, PENN STATE 57
Ray Weathers scored 16 points and
Antonio Smith had a career-high 17
rebounds Saturday to lead host Michigan
State to a 71-57 victory over Penn State.
The win was only the second in nine
games for the Spartans (6-8, 13-10). Penn
State (2-13, 9-15) lost for the eighth time
nine games.
Pete Lisicky led the Nittany Lions with
13 points and Greg Stevenson added 11.
Big Ten Standings.
Team Conf. Overall
Minnesota 13-1 24-2
Purdue 10-5 15-10
Iowa 9-5 18-8
WisconsIn 9-5 16-7
Ilinois 8-6 18-8
Indiana 8-7 21-8
Michigan 7-7 17-9
Nichigan State 6-8 13-10
Ohio State 5-9 10-13
Penn State 2-13 9-15
Northwestern 2-13 7-19
rebounds.
"This is definitely the low point of my career."
Until yesterday, the Wolverines' longest losing
streak had been two games, when they had fallen to
Pittsburgh, 85-78, and Ohio State, 73-71, over the
holidays.
Ironically, the last time the Wolverines lost three
straight was when they fell to Indiana, Iowa and
Purdue - in the same order - last season.
The Wolverines have four games remaining, two
at home and two on the road. Next up is No. 2
Minnesota, which comes to Crisler Arena on
Wednesday. The Golden Gophers have already
claimed a share of the Big Ten title and can win it
outright by beating Michigan.
"Obviously, Wednesday is a critical game for us,"
Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "We need to
I g:;.
.--.i
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Michigan guard Louis Bullock shoots over Purdue's Chad Austin yesterday. Bullock finished with 1.3
points on five-of 16 shooting. He also dished out five assists.
exactla
ST LAFAYETTE -7
see Michigan basketbal
Fisher on the street, giv
back. He needs it.
Tell him he did a good thing ye
probably the smartest coaching m
Tell him that it was a solid coa
this bunch of Wolverines, and itN
gy against the Boilermakers, who
under 6-foot-3.
Tell Fisher that starting a
three-guard offense was a
good idea. Starting the usual
Louis Bullock and Travis
Conlan and replacing Jerod
Ward with Brandun Hughes
could have been great. It
works well normally, and
starting all three should have
been even better.
The Wolverines are quick,
especially in transition, and F
the trio of guards can really
push the ball up the floor.
And starting them against theE
small starting lineup is a good me
dump the ball inside.
And then tell Fisher it's all righ
out as planned. Not much has for
ly. Then walk away, and have you
le. After all, you just used the wo
describe something the Wolverin
the funny part. Ha, the Wolverine
That's good for a chortle.
"We needed to do something,
wanted to make a change, get a i
feel out there."
So the Wolverines' new feel re
outcome - another loss, dejecte
broken promises. But what else i
Three straight losses, and it's a
tournament time.
So what's the deal with this tea
terday's game was ugly, and both
be desired. But Purdue, a team wi
on its 12-man roster, did what itn
win, and Michigan did not.
To get the victory, the Wolveri
with smarts, and they certainly n
taught to play that way. The story
game was fouls, dumb fouls. The
are inexcusable, the kind a teamr
smarts just doesn't commit.
S woefu play not
laughing matter
The next time you None of this is rocket science - fouls have been
l coach Steve an issue all season. Everyone knows the Wolverines
e him a pat on the have a seven-man rotation, and everyone knew it
would get them in trouble sooner or later.
esterday at Purdue, Everyone, that is, except the Wolverines - they
hove all season. have been in denial the entire season.
ching strategy for Yesterday, it began with Ward and filtered down.
was a smart strate- He played a whopping two minutes in the first half
start three players after picking up four fouls just I1 minutes into the
game.
How does that happen?
Why does that happen? Coaching, or lack there-
of. It needs to be drilled into players' heads that they
need to play a little more cautiously when they are
in foul trouble, particularly on a team as thin as
Michigan.
And you'd better believe the Wolverines need
everyone to contribute, a tough thing to do sitting
DANIELLE on the bench.
RUMORE Ward was slapped with his third foul seven min-
utes into the game, and Fisher put him back in the
Hu Ire game just minutes later. But in the blink of an eye,
-as tWard was back on the bench after picking up his
fourth foul. Purdue forward Mike Robinson had a
Boilermakers' wide-open basket in transition, and Ward slapped
ove - it's easier to his arm.
That should never happen.
ht that it didn't turn Not when a player has three fouls.
r Michigan recent- Compare: In the second half, the Boilermakers
irself a little chuck- buried 15 of 17 free throws. The Wolverines made
rd smart to four trips to the line over the same span, and all
es did, and that's were unsuccessful. That's the game right there.
-s playing smart. How do you get to the line? You get fouled, that's
how, and the Wolverines did plenty of fouling in the
Fisher said. "I second half. Ward fouled out, as did Hughes.
ittle bit different And Robert Traylor and Maceo Baston each had
four fouls at game's end. Traylor committed a cou-
sulted in the same ple of cheap fouls, like pushing a Purdue player in
d faces, and more the back while battling for position under the bas-
s new? ket. Just not the thing to do when your team needs
ilmost March - you.
am? Granted, yes-
teams left a lot to
vith seven freshmen
needed to do to
nes need to play
eeded to have been
of yesterday's
type of fouls that
playing with
"If we're as good individually as people some-
times say we are, then you step up and make a
play," Fisher said.
"We're all in the boat together."
Once again, Fisher was right on the money.
For the Wolverines, the time has come to suck it
up. The time has come to think, or to be taught how
to think. And if they don't, they might want to start
getting ready for the NIT.
After all, New York starts to get nice in March.
- Danielle Rumore can be reached over e-mail at
diumore@umich.edu.
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Michigan center Robert Traylor is double-teamed by Purdue's Gary McQuay (left) and Brad Miller. Traylor
led the Wolverines with 18 points in 33 minutes of action. He also grabbed five boards.
FOILERMAKERS
Cotinued from Page 1B
drew a foul on the Michigan center.
The nail in Michigan's coffin came on its next trip down when
junior forward Maceo Baston missed a dunk. Purdue replied
with a pair of free throws from freshman guard Jaraan Cornell
and then a dunk from Miller, giving the Boilermakers a five-
point lead with just less than a minute to go.
Purdue closed out the scoring with eight free throws while
Michigan launched one desperation 3-pointer after another.
With the victory, the Boilermakers claimed sole possession of
ond place in the conference, behind only No. 2 Minnesota.
Michigan now sits in seventh place, half a game behind Indiana
and just one game ahead of Michigan State.
"It wasn't too pretty to watch," Purdue coach Gene Keady
said, "but we got the W"
Purdue led for much of the first half, thanks to the outside
shoting of Austin who hit for 15 noints including 3-of-5 from
MICHIGAN (58)
FG FT REB
MIN MA M-A O-T A F PTS
Hughes 28 4-12 0-0 0-2 2 5 10
Taylor 33 4-10 2-2 2-6 0 2 10
Traylor 33 8-10 2-4 4-5 1 4 18
Bullock 33 5-16 1-2 1-2 5 2 13
Conlan 34 1-7 0-0 6-9 5 1 2
Baston 27 0-3 2-6 5-8 0 5 2
Ward 7 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 53
Streets 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Oliver 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 200 23-61 7-1421-361325 58
F%: .377. FT%: .500. 3-point FG: 5-13,
.385 (Hughes 2-3, Bullock 2-6, Ward 1-2,
Conlan 0-2). Blocks: 5 (Traylor 3, Baston,
Taylor). Steals: 9 (Baston 4, Bullock 2,
Conlan 2, Hughes). Tumovers: 14 (Baston
3, Hughes 3, Conlan 2, Taylor 2, Traylor 2,
Ward 2).Technical Fouls: none.
PURDUE (67)
FG FT REB
Ward's premature exit hu
A -
By Alan Goldenbach
Daily Sports Editor
WEST LAFAYETTE - The stat line of the
year: two minutes, four personal fouls.
A conglomeration one might expect from
foul-prone sophomore center Robert Traylor.
The dubious digits followed junior forward
Jerod Ward's name in the halftime box score of
yesterday's 67-58 loss at Purdue.
Those numbers would even get a wow from
former NBA goons Scott Hastings and Greg
Kite - players who made careers out of being
professional butchers.
With 8:59 left in the first half, Ward was
pushed to the point where he couldn't afford to
throw out of what was minimal contact on
Ward's part.
Immediately, the second-guessing began as to
whether Ward should have even been in the
game with three fouls.
Ward, however, didn't fear playing with his
foul situation.
"We needed players at
that time," he said. "I was-
n't worrying about (com-
mitting another foul)."
Evidently, his team-
mates were surprised to
see the fourth foul called.
too.
irs niue
The call ultimately served to swing the
game's momentum to Purdue. At the time, the
score was knotted at 23. But after Ward took-a
seat on the bench with his fourth foul, Purdue
went on a 10-4 run to give itself a comfortable
lead.
Ward eventually wound up fouling out with
9:55 left in the game. His final numbers: seven
minutes, three. points, five fouls.
Needless to say, he was given a heartfelt
good-bye from the Purdue faithful.
The play that began his forgettable afternoon,
his first foul, resulted from a scrap for a loose
ball under the Purdue basket. The rough
sequence forced Purdue forward Brian Cardinal.