SportsMonday - January 24, 2000 - The Michigan Daily - 5B ° , Quote of the wee "We should have used Asselin up until we couldn't get anything else out f him. - Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe, on cnros Asselin's role in the loss at Iowa. Ase/in scored 2 points while taking only 13/lieid goa atempts Ioyw 83 Player of the game Iowa foward Rob Griffin Grifin scored 20 points and dished outfive assists in Iowa's 5-point victory over Michigan. Griffin killed the Wolverines from the 3-point arch, nailing four of six long range bombs. He also blocked two shots. LJ Michigan 78 _. _ _ _. Blue's loss: 7ive points here, fve Poeis there OWA CITY ---Ask anyone the difference in Saturday's Michigan-Iowa game, and the response will undoubtedly be the bounce-back second-half efforts of Job Jaacks and Dean Oliver, or th defensive intensity of Iowa, which held the Wolverines to jut 33 points Chris after halftime. Duprey *.That's miss- ing the obvious difference - fiVe points. After stum- bling out to a 125 deficit rl, h efrly, the Wlverines set- DUPE's tiet down and SCOOP began to work their game plan. Brian Ellerbe has Ochigan do a drill called "6-0 Run" over and over again in prac-. tice -- in which one team has to score three straight baskets without allowing one itself-- in hopes of sarking instant offense on the road, in situations like these. And in-the first half, the Wolverines responded with two 6-0 runs, help- ing- build a 41-29 lead with 3:33 n aining in the game's first 20 lnutes. And if Ellerbe had one chance to call the gods of basketball and end the first half immediately, forego the'last 3:33 and bolt to the locker- roohn, it's a good bet he would have. Michigan had a 12-point lead on the road and the momentum on its-side. That's about as good as one can expect in a hostile envi- ronment, Out there was no escaping those final three-and-a-half minutes. It was just enough tie for Iowa sharpshooter Joey Galloway - an innocent-looking-but-dangerous. Rob Pelinka-kind-of-guv whose only job is to enter the game, hit a choice 3-pointer or two, and leave as fuickly as he arrived - to get loose for a trey. ure enough, he hit it. The aver-Hawkeye Arena crowd went wild. The Hawkeyes were alive and well again. Three missed Kevin Gaines free throws down the stretch and an Ionia dunk later, the horn finally sounded. It was difficult to tell wh had the seven-point lead - the team slapping hands while run- nirg down the tunnel, or the Wolverines. ichigan was up seven. The 12- rt advantage had disappeared, nowvhere to be found. It was the kitfd of lead that should have been more than it was, and the Woverines knew it. Even so, the lead had been trimmed by only five measly points, and they were still up seven. What was there to worry about? was just five points. -Ih the second half, Michigan's fabfed shooting touch - the one that has bailed out the team so many times this season - with- ered and died. So the Wolverines played by the book and did what they were supposed to. They drove the ball to the hole - the foul trouble of guards Gaines and Jamal Crawford notwithstanding. They got hacked and went to the free tqw line. And they blew it. The third-best free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten acted out of character, earning 31 attempts and making jus 18. Iowa wasn't spectacular at the line itself, going 23-for-32. But it Evas enough. The Hawkeyes' etra touch with their free throws gave them a five-point advantage r Michigan, 23 to 18. shouldn't have been a big deal. . t was just five points. -yet in a game like this, those five points were huge. Actually, they turned out to be the difference inhe final score - 83-78. Foul trouble plagues slashing Wolverines PLAYER Crawford Blanchard Gaines Jones AVERAGE VS. I 16.9 152 2.8 9.6 By Chris Duprey Daily Sports Editor IOWA CITY - If the Carver- Hawkeye Arena crowd was eager to catch a glimpse of Jamal Crawford, this highly-touted freshman, then all 15,500 of them must have been sorely disappointed - because they sure did- n't see much of him. Crawford was limited to 24 minutes, including just over four minutes of play in the first half. When he did play, he was tentative and inconsistent, missing the intangible do-anything part of his game - all because of early whistles. Just 2:30 into the game, Crawford picked up his second foul. He'd barely even started to sweat yet. But, follow- ing standard protocol, he found an empty seat on the Michigan bench. In Crawford's absence, Kevin Gaines was left to defend Iowa's perimeter players. Gaines also picked up his second foul quickly, with 14:05 left in the first half, unable to avoid the wrath of a Big Ten refereeing crew which took pride in blowing the whis- tle at any contact - even if the foul was 25 feet from the basket. Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe, to his credit, reentered Crawford with two fouls as soon as Gaines was whistled for his second. What good is your offensive turnkey sitting on the bench? But Crawford didn't last long before picking up his third. Actually, he barely lasted a minute. And with 13:02 still left in this seem- ingly never-ending first half, Crawford made yet another slow walk to the bench, this time done for the half. With Crawford and Gaines handi- capped, Michigan's game plan under- went a major transformation. The slashing transition game that the fresh- man guards and Michigan have come to rely on was no longer an option. These weren't just defensive hand- check fouls being called, they were offensive charges - calls that penal- ized the guards' aggressiveness and made them more tentative about cut- ting toward the basket. Knowing this, Iowa stiffened up its defensive efforts on the perimeter, forcing Michigan into a 2-of-10 shooting funk from 3- point range in the second half. The Michigan guards "had to adjust. Everyone was in foul trouble," Michigan guard Leon Jones said. "They just had to change their game a little." While the Hawkeyes were able to press defensively in the second half - none of their key players were in seri- ous foul trouble until the very end of the game - Michigan defenders had to toe the line between a passive defense and drawing fouls. Even phy- ing careful, try-not-to-foul defense, the Wolverines still got trapped early in the penalty, as Iowa shot 18 second-half free throws. "I can tell you one thing that helped them - being in the double bonus with 11:50 left in the game,' Ellerbe said. "There were a lot of those, I guess, to be diplomatic, could-have- gone-either-way calls." The everything-a-foul style of offi- ciating helped Iowa guard Dean Oliver break loose from the curse of a three- foul, zero-point first half. The key to the second half for Iowa was "just getting to the free-throw line," Oliver said. He wasn't kidding. REBOUNDING 11 18 14 5 1 9 11 7 Blanchard Smith Asselin Gaines ASS ISTS Crawford Gaines Jones STEALS Gaines Crawford Jones 79 6.2 5.8 4.6 4.6 46 2.1 1.4 1.1 1.1 2 S S 2 0 0 2 4 1, 2 TURNOVERS Gaines 3 5 Crawford 3.1 Jones & Blanchard 2.4' FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Young Anderson Asselin 3-PoINT Blanchard Groninger Gaines 18-24 10-15 58-99 PERCENTAGE 20-44 25-61 16-40 .750 .667 .586 ,455 .410 .400 FREE THROWI Blanchard Crawford Groninger PERCENTAGE 41-50 .820 38-48 .792 7-9 .778 Michigan center Josh Asseh scoring 22 points and grai; THE USUA 9: > Brian E[Herbe has reUed AP PHOTO o doule-ouble against the Hawkeyes, n:,abtnds. But Jacob Jaacks had the last laugh. d rnre on Josh Asselin and Chris in hpaint during the Big So >heir rninutes played. Michigan chokes at FT line Young, and let L Ten season. THE LINEUP: YON 6-9 SOPH. it. N ~K s : ,, , '"'! tSri HAWKEYES Continued from Page 1S last straw. The Wolverines bricked 13 of their 31 free-throw attempts on the night. Michigan converted just one field goal attempt in the final 3:53 - a token Gaines layup - while Iowa hit all its free throws the entire 11 minutes it was in the double bonus, ending the game on a 7-2 run. "We helped a good bit for sure - opportunities missed on the free throw line," Ellerbe said. "It was something where we lost poise and composure. Our young guys looked like young guys in that situa- tion." Griffin hurt the Wolverines most in the second half by feeding his team- mates. The junior passed off to Jaacks and Luehrsmann, who each hit three-point- ers before Griffin hit a triple, himself, to erase Michigan's halftime lead. Iowa tried to break away midway in the second half, but couldn't build a lead larger than five points, thanks to a combined team effort by the Wolverines on offense, as seven Wolverines scored in an early nine- minute stretch. MICHIGAN (78) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Jones 33 2-8 1-3 1-5 5 4 5 Blanchard 28 6-11 4-4 0-1 3 5 18 Asselin 32 9-13 4-6 4-11 1 S 22 crawford 24 3-8 4-5 0-1 2 4 11 Gaines 37 6-14 1-5 1-7 5 3 14 Groninger 14 0-2 00 0-1 0 0 0 Smith 18 1-3 3-6 3-9 1 4 4~ Young 14 1-3 1-2 0-2 0 3 2 Totals 200 28-62 18-31 11-42 17 28 78 FG%:,452 FT:581 3-point FGr4-17 ,235 (Blanchard 2-3, Crawford 1-4, Gaines 1-5, Groninger 0-1, Jones 0- 4). Blocks: 3 (Asselin, Groninger, Smith Steals: 8 (Groninger 3, Gaines 2, lanchard, Asselin, Your~ Tumovers: 15 (Crawford 4, Asselin 3, Blanchard, Gaines 2, Groninger 2, Jones, Smith). Technical Fouls: none. IOWA (83) FG FT REB MiN M-A M-A 0-T A F PS Griffin 34 6-13 4-4 0-2 5 3 20 Thompson 8 00 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 haacks 25 4-11 1-7 3-10 0 4 10 Olver 32 1-7 6-7 2-3 6 3 8 Luehrsmann 30 5-11 2-2 1-10 5 4 4 Price 8 1-2 2-2 0.2 0 2 4 Ferino 16 3-4 2-2 2-6 0 2 8 Henderson 30 5-9 4-6 1-4 0 2 14 Galloway 16 1-4 2-2 0-1 1 3 5 Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0' 0 0 Totals 200 28-61 23-32 1042 18 25 83 FG% .426 FT%: .719 3-pont FG: 8-18, A44 (Griffin 4- 6, Luehrsrann, 2-5, Galloway 1-4, Jaacks 1-2, Oliver 0- 1). Blocks: 4 (Grillfir. 2, Jaacks). Steals: 6 (Oliver 4, Henderson, Price), Turnovers: 13 (Henderson 4, Luehrsmann 4 Griffin 3, JaacksOliver). Technical Fouls: none. The scene: at M nesoa 4 at Purdue, 2 vs. llinois,7 vs. 3 Northwestem, at Iowa 13 4 11 4 22 7 13 14 . Michigan..........._45 Iowa.:..................38 33 -78 8 45 - Smpletes improbable comeback At: Carver-Hawkeyye Arena Attndace:;1,500 Associated Press NEW YORK -- ven Oh Stae coach Jim O'Brien thought St. John's had this one kueked up. With his 13th-ranked Ike railine No. 19 St. John's by 10 points with 2:48 t% lav, O'Brien was thinking just what the rest of t crowd of 15,164 at Madison Square Garden w "Privately, I didn't think we mold do i' he said. "I thought it was one of those gams where we just could- n't get anything done- s The Buckeyes totrned up the defense, got some offense from a struggdin :ichel Redd and blocked two shots over the final fur seconds as they soted the game's final II points for a 65-64 ictory over St. John's on Saturda. "This was aba iin for us O'Brien said. o w iu the game and for h was not one of our ids refused to fold up an g at The Buckeyes (1 i left when Bootsy Tho o ns Ohio State then orms next three possessis aensfied over the final secons were blocked - a moe ith four seconds lef y empt by Erick Barkley n "What happened wSe to hang around and be in a position for players like Redd and Penn to do what they do best," St. John's coach Mike Jarvis said. "We paid the price for not taking care of the ball when we had to." Redd, who came into the game averaging 15.1 points per game, struggled offensively as St. John's seemed to take control of the rematch of last season's NCAA Tournament regional final that was won by 77-74 by the Buckeves. No. 10 MICHIGAN ST. 69, NORTHWESTERN 45 EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill was realistic when he compared his young basketball team to Michigan State's veteran squad. "I think they have a better chance of beating us 10 in a row than we have of beating them once in 10 games," O'Neill said Saturday after the No. 10 Spartans rolled past his Wildcats 69-45. "They're not at the top of their game now and they probably won't be until the Big Ten Tournament, but by the end of the year that's a team that will play for it all, O'Neill said. Charlie Bell scored 14 points and Morris Peterson and Andre Hutson added 11 apiece to extend the Spartans' winning streak in East Lansing to 22 games. Michigan State (13-5, 4-1) had its 21-game Big Ten winning streak snapped by Ohio State last Thursday. Northwestern (4-13, 0-5) lost its eighth straight. "It's good to bounce back with a win," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "I thought we did some things well, but there are still some concerns about where we are and where we want to be for a shot at repeating (as Big Ten champions). "We're still not in sync. I said that I hoped to be there by the end of January, and we're still 10 days away from that, but the (shoulder) injury to (freshman Jason) Richardson muddies the waters. I just hope we can sur- vive until we get everyone back in sync." PURDUE 83, No. 11 INDIANA 77 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Jaraan Cornell's ugliest shot was the one that hurt Indiana the most. The Purdue senior scored 25 points and hit six 3- pointers, including an off-balance shot he banked off the glass to give the Boilermakers the lead in the clos- ing minutes of an 83-77 victory over the No. I1 Hoosiers on Saturday. "It wasn't luck;' he said. "I just had to adjust my body. I was backpedaling, trying to get open, and I saw Michael Lewis come out. He got a hand on one of my shots earlier, and I had to get more arc in it than normal and it just caught the glass. "It definitely was one of my better games," said Cornell, whose scoring offset the 27 points by Indiana's A.J. Guyton. "Their role is to get A.J. the ball, and they do a good job of it," he said. "We just had to counter the attack. With the seniors on the court, we didn't get discour- aged, and I had a chance to get some nice looks:' Michigan vs. Michigan State, Cnler Arena, 7p.m. Crisler Arena's Maize Rage student fan group seeks to redeem itself after getting shelled by the "lzzone" in Ann Arbor last season. When Robbie Reid, Louis Bullock and company looked around their "homecourt, all they saw was Sparty- green out-cheering the Michigan faithful. In the battle of the state's youth, LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor) takes on his high school foe Jason Richardson (Saginaw). Conference Overall Team W L W L Ohio State 4 1 13 3 Michigan State 4 1 13 5 Purdue 4 1 13 S Indiana 4 2 14 3 Michigan 3 2 12 4 Penn State 3 3 11 6 Illinois 2 3 10 6 Minnesota 2 4 10 6 Wisconsin 2 4 10 8 Iowa z 4 8 9 Northwestern 0 5 4 13 'Losing co teamscr T 1he Associa College basemi1u uncertaint athe i top 10, an n weekend. On ranked oppo (2 Arizon iglu- (the only re ttnn n Seton Hall reschedules after tragic dorm fire Ssociated Press Seton Hall set new dates Friday for bas- ketbal games postponed following a dor- mitory fire Wednesday that killed three Ku his pr'si Tem 1 Cincinnati(61) 2. Arizona (4) 3 Stanford,(1) 4. Auburn (3) 5. Duke 6. Syracuse (1) 7. Kansas 8. Connecticut 9. Florida 10. Michigan State - 11. Indiana 16-1 15-2 14-1 15-1 13-2 14--0 14-2 12-3 13-2 12-4 13-2- 11-1 This weekend's results Inc. Lost to USC, 80-72 Beat California, 81-70 Lost to Mississippi, 79-77 Beat Wake Forest, 75-61 Seton Hall game postponed Lost to Missouri, 81-59 Beat Georgetown, 92-71 Beat Alabama, 77-73 Beat Northwestern, 69-45 Lost to Purdue, 83-77 1 no- to. Tpxas AM .6-59 '/ - -I too as - - -students. The men's basketball game at No. 6 Syracuse has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. t 1b. 7. it was originally scheduled for