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MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Alaska-Fairbanks did not pose much of a challenge to the
Michigan hockey team, which muscled its way to 8-1 and 11-0
wins over the Nanooks in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.
hICrs
ano os 111
first rund
Dan Stillman
1y Sports Writer
The regular season did mean something after all.
Consider the Michigan hockey team's reward for finishing
on top of the CCHA - a first-round conference playoff series
with Alaska-Fairbanks.
On paper, it was no contest between the No. 1 seed
Michigan and the eighth-seeded Nanooks, making their first-
ever CCHA playoff appearance after joining the conference
last season.
On the ice at Yost Ice Arena it wasn't even close, as the
Wolverines swept the best-of-three series with an 8-1 thrashing
* Friday, followed by Saturday's 11-0 blowout.
The Nanooks, now 0-12 lifetime against the Wolverines,
have lost the three games they have played at Yost since join-
ing the league by a combined score of 32-2.
While Alaska's (8-18-1 CCHA, 14-22-1 overall) playoff
stint is over, Michigan (21-3-3, 32-3-4) has advanced to
Friday's semifinal game against Bowling Green at Joe Louis
Arena. The fifth-seeded Falcons swept their first-round series,
pulling off the mild upset of the No. 4 seed, Lake Superior.
Saturday's game was the last atYost this season and with the
victory, Michigan completed its first undefeated season at
*me in Yost's 25-year history.
,Michigan forward Jason Botterill, playing in his final home
giitpe along with the eight other seniors, led the Wolverines
with four goals, giving him 101 for his career, and an assist.
Btiterill continued his late-season push with a total of eight
poimits in the weekend's two games.
- The Wolverines, already in command with a 5-0 lead after
two periods, rode a wave of momentum to the final buzzer.
Senior forwards Warren Luhning, Mike Legg, John Madden
and Botterill each recorded a goal in the first four minutes of
the third period extending the lead to 9-0.
"Our seniors as a class have really played well," Michigan
each Red Berenson said. "I think they can see the end in
sight. They're working hard, they're leading our team by exam-
ple."
After Botterill scored again later in the period, left wing
See NANOOKS, Page 4B
A head
,above the
rest
By Chris Farah
D iy Sports Writer
icole Forrester is not one to blend into a crowd.
Actually, standing at a height of 6-foot-2 1/2, the
star high jumper for the Michigan women's track
team doesn't exactly have much of a choice.
Sure, 6-2 1/2 might not be unique for the women's
basketball team, but in a sport like track, Forrester tow-
ers above her teammates. Her slim physique and espe-
cially long legs help to add to her stature and also
helped to inspire the nickname her fellow Wolverines
and Michigan coach James Henry have playfully given
r - "Sticks."
"I got that nickname when I came here last year,"
Forrester said with a laugh. "I was so skinny - not that
I'm not right now, but I was incredibly skinny, so James
used to call me 'Sticks.' Now I'm 'Pole,' because I'm
not as skinny as last year. He called me 'Sticks,' but the
name just stuck around and now everyone calls me
that."
Win over Ohio
State hardly a
consolation
By Will McCahill
Daily Sports Editor
COLUMBUS - Even though the ball bounced the
right way for a change, it didn't have enough spring to
get the Michigan men's basketball team into the Big
Dance.
The Wolverines (9-9 Big Ten, 19-11 overall) came
back from a 12-point deficit to beat Ohio State, 86-81, in
overtime yesterday, thanks to late-game heroics from
their three guards and their big man in the middle.
Sophomore center Robert Traylor scored nine points in
a Michigan run that tied the game at 67 after the
Wolverines trailed, 53-44, with just under 1 minutes
remaining in regulation
SMichigan 86 in front of 12,570 at St.
ME~h'an $6 John Arena.
Ohio State 81 Traylor grabbed an
offensive rebound and
put it back in to tie the
game with 2:46 to play. The bucket broke Traylor's career-
high of 19 points, and he finished the contest with 22.
But Ohio State (5-13, 10-17) did not let the
Wolverines' momentum propel them into the lead.
Sophomore guard Neshaun Coleman nailed a 3-point-
er with 42 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 72-69
lead. When Michigan guard Louis Bullock missed a hur-
ried trey on the Wolverines' next trip downcourt, Traylor
was forced to foul Ohio State guard Otis Winston.
Winston sank both free throws to put the Buckeyes up,
74-69, with 30.5 seconds remaining, and Michigan's run
seemed to have come to an end.
But after junior guard Brandun Hughes' driving layup
cut the deficit to three with 19.4 seconds left, Bullock
and junior forward Maceo Baston forced a turnovers
which resulted in a held ball.
The possession arrow was in Michigan's favor, giving
the Wolverines one last shot.
And that opportunity fell to Bullock, who had been
mired in somewhat of a late-season slump. With just over
eight ticks on the clock, Bullock nailed his only three of
the game - in seven attempts - to tie matters at 74 and
send the game into overtime.
The Buckeyes grabbed a 79-77 lead with 1:10 left in
the extra frame, after sophomore forward Shaun
Stonerook hit one of two free throws.
But Traylor - with a season free-throw percentage of
44.9 - tossed one in from the stripe to knot the score at
79.
See BUCKEYES, Page 9B
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Brandun Hughes finished with 16 points, helping lead the Wolverines past Ohio State in overtime, 86-81, yesterday. But the
win was not enough to earn the Wolverines a bid to the NCAA tournament.
* ad t
roye
OLUMBUS - Let me be the first
to congratulate the Michigan bas-
ketball team. Yesterday, the.
Wolverines made one of the best deci-
sions they have made all season - to
accept the NIT's invitation.
Many members of the media expected
Michigan would be arrogant enough to
turn down the invitation. We all thought
the Wolverines believed it was their god-
given right to be in the NCAA tourna-
ment.
But, for the first time since December,
Michigan impressed me with its desire to
compete, something I thought it had lost
weeks ago.
It was a difficult decision for Steve
Fisher and the rest of
the team to make. It
may appear to some
that the Wolverines
have nothing to gain
and everything to
lose.
With all apologies
JOHN to Syracuse,
LEROl Michigan is far and
Out of away the best team in
Bounds the NIT. Win the
_______________m whole thing and it
will be expected. Lose in any round and
the Wolverines look like a bigger flop
than they already do.
So why go? How about pride? How
about proving to everyone - including
themselves - that Michigan is not a
team of egotistical, overrated players who
think that baggy yellow shorts are as
much a part of college basketball as John
Wooden?
How about sucking it up and saying,
"We blew it late in the Big Ten season,
but we're not going to cry about it."
If the Wolverines belong in the NCAA
See LEROI, Page 9B
The Top Ten
Oh, come on. Going to
the NIT isn't so bad for
Michigan. There are a lot
of reasons to be happy.
Here are 10:
10. Chance to repeat 1984 heroics
9. More home games
8. Chance to get past first round
7. No sunny Southern
6. Games will give big-time exposure to
small-time schools
5. Fans can concentrate on hockey team
4. Steve Fisher can give another plea for
crowd support
3. Players can catch up on homework
2. Nike's ticked
1. Chance to finish the season ranked as
high as No. 65
Men's tankers
reclaimRtitl e
By U. Berka
Daily Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON - For one year, the Michigan men's
swimming and diving team has been tuning up for this meet,
trying to prove that it was not ready to relinquish its domi-
nance in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines rationalized last season's loss to Minnesota
in the Big Ten championships, claiming that Olympic train-
ing weakened their squad.
No rationalization was necessary this year. The Wolverines
reasserted their dominance last weekend by coming from
behind to defeat the Golden Gophers, 648-631, at the Big
Tens in Bloomington. The victory was Michigan's 11th in 12
years.
"We were down the first day and we were down the second
Grapplers grab
ffth-place finish
By Tracy Sandier
Daily Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS - Looking to continue a 61-year streak as
Big Ten Championship finalists, the Michigan wrestling team
found its saviors in a crisp Bill, strong Bones and an aspiring
Dr. Richardson.
All-American wrestlers and tri-captains 150-pound Bill
Lacure, 167-pounder Jeff "Bones" Catrabone and heavy-
weight Airron Richardson represented the Wolverines in the
conference championship finals yesterday at Williams Arena,
leading Michigan to a fifth-place finish.
Lacure lost to Iowa's two-time NCAA champion Lincoln
Mcllavry, 19-7, and strained his hip in the match. Catrabone
was at the losing end of a hard-fought, 4-3, battle with
Wisconsin's Kevin Wilmot, while Richardson lost to Penn
State's NCAA champion, Kerry McCoy.
"Pio hn T ovn adA i,rmn ctavtcn here, (their
AP PHOTO
The Wolverines, aftter losing to Minnesota last year in the
Big Tens, defeated the Gophers this year to win the title.
I