6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsWednesday - January 6, 1999 1 Reid and Wolverines g jugular in thrilling upse Asselin adds career high as Michigan post player By Andy Latack Daily Sports Writer It is a gesture that is undeniably reserved for big plays. And in last night's victory over No. 8 Indiana, few plays were larger than this one. Michigan guard Robbie Reid had just canned a 3-pointer to give Michigan a 67- 52 advantage - its largest of the game- with 8.33 to play in the game. Although there was plenty of time for the Hoosiers to # mount a comeback, Michigan and the fren- zied Crisler Arena crowd sensed the upset. Reid backpedaled down the court. pump- ing his fist as the crowd bordered on hyste- ria. And then he did it. As he crossed halfcourt, Reid defiantly slid his finger across his throat, signaling the figurative death of Hoosiers' chances. ; The senior co-captain was in full view of Indiana coach Bobby Knight, who was already having a pretty rough day. A murmur went up in the crowd. Isn't it a little early for that?' it seemed to say. After all, the talented Hoosiers were defi- nitely capable of coming back in the game. And maybe such an affront would be just what Indiana needed. SARA STILLMAN/Special to the Daily "I got a little emotional out there," Reid Robbie Reid continued his stellar play, pouring in 15 points to help Michigan beat indiana, its third said. "But I felt pretty good about our team ranked opponent of the season. The Wolverines are now 24 in Big Ten play. at that point." Average oes spark Michigan win And he had every reason to. Because, while the crowd may have winced at the gesture, Reid knew something that both the Crisler fans and the Hoosiers didn't. He knew that on this night, a Michigan team that had been victimized by oppo- nents' second-half runs would instead put together a run of its own. Down three at the half, Michigan went on a ferocious run, outscoring the Hoosiers 21- 6 in the first nine minutes of the half. Louis Bullock hit 3-pointers on three straight trips down the floor during the stretch, and things seemed over when Reid nailed the crucial three a few minutes later. He also knew that Michigan's much- maligned frontcourt tandem of Josh Asselin and Peter Vignier, which had pulled a dis- appearing act in Michigan's first two Big Ten games, would produce for 25 points and 14 rebounds. Asselin poured in career highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and forced many of the Hoosiers' post players into foul trouble trying to guard him. Talk about a role reversal for the sopho- more, who has been in foul trouble for what seems like the whole season. Asselin still fouled out yesterday, but with just one foul at the half, his playing time was never limited because of it. This lack of early fouls allowed Asselin to be By Josh Kleinbaum Daily Sports Editor Meet Joe Black. Joe Black did not hit a basket last night. He did not grab a rebound. He did not sink a free throw. He's not even a basketball player. But when Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe addressed the media after the Wolverines stunning 82-70 victory over No. 8 Indiana last night, Joe Black was the first person Ellerbe thanked. Why? Because Black, a senior at Michigan who has held season basketball tickets for four years, put on a T-shirt and got a little rowdy. Black was one of 500 students, all sitting in three sections along the side of the court, to receive free bright yellow "Maize Rage" T-shirts, part of Ellerbe's brainstorm to make Crisler Arena a feared environment. "It's a great idea," Black said. "They do things like this at other universities, but this is the first time they've done it in my four years here." So Black and 499 others put on their shirts, and then responded, pumping some life into the arena monikered "The Morgue." Forming a yellow wave of bouncing bodies, flailing limbs and throaty cheers, the crowd pushed the Wolverines to their most impor- tant win of the season. "The crowd was worth 10 points," Ellerbe said. "They inspired us." The T-shirts were just a small part of the Maize Rage, a long-term project to resusci- tate "The Morgue" headed by Michigan Director of Marketing and Communications, Tom Brooks. "We want to increase student involvement on gameday," Brooks said. "With the T- shirts, we've given them their own uniform. We hope they wear them every game." Yesterday's game was picked to launch the initiative for several reasons. With a top-10 opponent and long-time rival in Indiana, it was sure to draw a big crowd. With students just coming back from winter break, it was the first Big Ten game that students could attend. And with ESPN providing a national television audience, the program could get some widespread exposure. All in all, it was the ideal springboard. "This is just the beginning," Brooks said. "Later in the season, we're going to have all sorts of promotions, like tuition give- aways" The program was Ellerbe's idea. He approached Brooks before the season and said he wanted Crisler to be intimidating. The two came up with Maize Rage, modeled after a similar program at Georgia Tech, where Brooks used to work. "We chose the name Maize Rage because rage implies chaos and energy, and that's what we want in Crisler Arena," Brooks said. There may not have been chaos last night, but there was definitely energy. The yellow- clad students were on their feet for the entire game, bellowing and raising signs, includ- ing one that read "Impeach Bobby Knight" and another that said "Fife needs a spank- ing. "The crowd is much more into it today," said sophomore Jeremy Fagel, wearing his new yellow shirt. "There wasn't much excitement about this team, but they're a competitive group of guys and it's nice that the school will get behind them." One of Brooks' long-term goals is to move all of the students down to the lower level, completely surroubding the court, like Duke's Cameron Indoor Arena. "It's on the horizon," Brooks said, but added that there was a lot of red tape to cut before it happens. In the meantime, Joe Black will stay where he is, in the same student section he has sat in for four years. Only this go-round, he has his own uniform. ) for the t of Indiana s answer call aggressive and make plays like his l- lenge of Lynn Washington's dunk that resulted in just his third foul with nine min- utes to play. That's the kind of aggressiveness Ellerbe has been looking for from Asselin for the entire season. And when Asselin left to:a standing ovation with 1:53 to play, he hd been just as instrumental as Reid or Louis Bullock in the Wolverines' upset victory. "It just shows that if we step up and play aggressive, we can play with anyb ," Asselin said of the frontcourt's play. "Ik throw it in the post, good things are going to happen." Reid must have known all these things, which is why he felt confident enough to make such a bold gesture. And even as Indiana roared back, cutting Michigan's lead to 71-68 with 4:34 left, Reid wasn't worried. Just to prove it, Reid hit another crucial three with just under a minute remai ~g, giving Michigan a 81-70 advantage id truly putting the nail in the Hoosiers' cof- fin. And if Reid's fortune-telling proves as accurate as it was last night, things coulde turning around for the Wolverines. "Tonight, we proved to ourselves that we're here to play," Reid said after the game. "If we play hard, we're going to be in Michigan co9 Brian Ellerbe pointed to the * increased fan support, visibly clad In maize T shirts, as part of the resnfote S tional victory over Indiana SARA sTlLLMAN/S oe3 to the Daiy - M' jumps all over Hoosiers HOOSIERS Continued from Page 11 3-point attempt. This closed the half with Indiana leading 41-38, down from a 39-31 lead only seconds ear- lier. With momentum building from its late run, Michigan took charge earl in the next period with Brandon 5 th helping build a 54-47 Michigan : ad with more than 12 minutes left. And from there, Bullock took over, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to strength- en Michigan before Indiana made its final'run. Michigan was unable to contain Recker, who added 28 points, but was successful in shutting down Indiana's other high-scorer, Guyton. The senior guard finished the game with eight points. INDIANA (70) FO FI RED MIN MA MA 0-4 A F PTs Richardson 12 2-4 0-0 2-3 0 0 4 Washington 26 2-4 2-5 3-9 1 5 6 Recker 28 816 9-10 1-2 2 1 28 Turner 13 1-4 0-0 1-1 2 1 3 Guyton 21 3-8 0-0 2-4 2 1 8 RandleEl 9 1-2 0-2 1-2 0 1 2 Fife 19 0-5 0-01-4 0 30 Jiminez 5 0-2 0-0 1-1 0 0 Lewis 29 2-3 0-0 1-1 5 4 Gladness 21 2-8 0-2 4-8 3 4 Haston 17 5-9 1-2 5-7 0 4 11 Totals 200 26465 12-212243 15 20 70 FG%: .400. FT%: .571. 3-point FG: 6-18, .333. (Recker 3-7, Guyton 2-4, Turner 1-2, Fife 0-3, Jiminez 01, Lewis 0-1). Blocks: 2 (Washington, Guyton). Steals: 9 (Washington 2, Recker 2, Richardson, Fife, Lewis, Gladness, Haston). Turnovers: 15 (Guyton 6, Washington 2, Gladness 2, Richardson, Recker, Randle El, Fife, Jiminiez). Technical Fouls: 0. /r?' ,r. '{ . . . . ' . ' t. } r;;. ti V * . 5 !1 To lure you to the Clinique counter, we have a special gift.