The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 13, 1999 = 58 C"" "' Quote of the weekend "I don't think my (shot selection) was that good. We forced some shots. As the point guard, I take responsibility for that." - Michigan freshman Jamal Crawfrd, who scored 27 points against Duke, but made oni two of nine 3-point shots. U Duke 103 Player of the game Duke forward Shane Battier The Mfichigan native erased a poor homecom- ing pee formance two years ago with 22 points, Saturday Battier :s play in the paint opened up the weak side for Carlos Boozer, who halted a Michigan comeback with his dunks. KG Michigan 96 Duke's easy baskets bury Wolverines in the paint By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Writer Michigan came oh-so close to defeat- ing 14th-ranked Duke on Saturday. But while the Wolverines played hard, it seemed oh so easy for the Blue Devils to keep Michigan at bay. Case in point: In the second half, 15 of Duke's 20 field goals were layups or 'dunks. The effortless baskets translated into Duke shooting 65 percent in the period. Meanwhile, Michigan found itself working for every play. And when the Wolverines would spring a run, Duke would always come up big with a block or a dunk. "Each team had its share of runs," Michigan freshman Jamal Crawford said. "I think we felt like we could claw back and hurry up and get the lead. It's frustrating. They made plays at the end." During one of those runs, in the sec- ond half when Michigan crept within five points at 82-77, Duke blocked two shots and stole the ball twice. Suddenly, the scoreboard read 91-81. On those seven possessions, Michigan mustered only one field goal and two free throws. Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer led Duke's defensive charge with 12 defen- sive rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Freshman Jason Williams added three steals as well. It seemed that all of those great defen- sive plays whittled away at Michigan's newfound momentum, giving Duke early Christmas presents at the other end. The Duke trio directed the easy-bas- ket charge with great penetration and dishing ability. One play that Michigan failed to stop four times in arow: Williams penetrating into the paint, drawing the Michigan post defender and then dishing to Battier or Boozer for (fill in favorite dunking synonym here). "Boozer definitely played his best game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Boozer being able to complete plays was key for us. He broke his foot in late August, and he was out for two months. He's been behind, and now he's starting get his bounce back. And he had a lot of bounce today." Williams quickly dispatched Michigan's defensive front line with a speedy first step, one the Wolverines haven't seen since Detroit's Rashad Phillips came to town. The freshman's eight assists also helped Boozer to a career-high 25 points on 8-of-1 I shooting. "I thought Jason's ability to play with three fouls in the second half and be under control when he penetrated was buge," Krzyzewski said. "He definitely was a difference in the game." In addition to the strong performances by Williams and Boozer, Battier responded from his poor performance at Crisler Arena two years ago with 22 points. Battier and the Blue Devils netted more effortless points from Duke's crashing of the offensive boards. Without a true center, the Blue Devils counted on tall, athletic power forwards to grab rebounds. Needless to say, Michigan struggled to find an answer, allowing far too many easy putbacks. But the easiest baskets the Duke three- some etched weren't dunks and layups - they padded Duke's slim leads with excellent free-throw shooting, nailing 19-of-23 for an 83-percent clip. Amazing as it sounds with all the free- bies it gave away, Michigan kept things close, twice closing to within three points, thanks to LaVell Blanchard's 15- point second half, including two clutch 3-pointers. "Blanchard's threes were huge," Krzyzewski said. "It seemed we would go up, then Blanchard would hit a three." Michigan didn't fare too well from behind the arc (8-of-25) forcing shots. #'We're lucky (Gavin) Groninger did- n't knock down a couple open ones against us," Krzyzewski said. Crawford Blanchard? Gaines Jones REBOUNDING Blanchard I Vignier Asselin Gaines Crawford Blanchard STEALS Gaines Jones Crawford I TURNOVERS Crawford Gaines Jones 8.4 6.9 5.3 5.3 4.7 2.3 10.4 1.1 0.9 3,4 3.0 3.0 9 6 4 6 6 4 1 4 I 1 1 2 4 18.9 27 13.3 17 10.7 23 9.3 11 ./, A '' - , ° re. 1 Z oN ... FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Young 7-9 .778 Anderson 10-15 .667 Vignier , 19-31 .613 LOUIS BROWN/Daily Iuke guared Jason Williams' driving penetration opened up holes in the paint for e Blue Devils, and big men Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer combined for 47 points, many coming off of feeds from Williams. 3-POINT PERCENTAGE Groninger 17-34 Blanchard 8-16 Jones 8-17 .500 .500 .471 Sycamores top Hoosiers FREE THROW PERCENTAGE Crawford 15-17 .882 Asselin 12-16 .750 Blanchard 15-21 .714 BLOOMINGTON (AP) - Indiana State beat Indiana for the first time in 75 years and ended the Hoosiers' dominance in the Indiana Classic with a -60 victory in front of a stunned Assembly Hall Trowd. Kelyn Block and Matt Renn scored 15 points apiece for the Sycamores (5-4), who earned their first win over Indiana since a 28-24 triumph on December I1, 1924. The Hoosiers (6-1) failed to win the Indiana Classic for the first time in the tournament's 26-year history. They fell to 51-1 all-time in the event one night after setting a classic record with a 51-point victory over Buffalo. Indiana had two chances to tie in the final four econds, but A.J. Guyton and Luke Jimenez both Isfired on 3-pointers. Michael Lewis scored 19 points for Indiana, which leads the all-time series between the schools, 15-3. Indiana trailed, 60-50, with five minutes left but used a 10-1 run to get back into the game. Guyton scored five points with a 3-pointer and basket in the lane. Following a free throw by Block, Kirk Haston made two from the line and Lewis drained a 3-point- er, bringing the Hoosiers within 61-60. Indiana State's Michael Menser misfired on a 3- int attempt, but Guyton and Lewis scored on dIiana's next two possessions. Block hit a pair of free throws with 17.9 seconds left for the game's final points, and Indiana had chance to tie it, only to have Guyton miss. The ball was knocked out of bounds to Indiana, which ran a play for Jimenez. But the senior guard could not connect from the left corner as the buzzer sounded. No. 16 OHIO STATE 99, FLORmDA A&M 47: Freshman Slobodan Ocokoljic scored a season-high 18 points as No. 16 Ohio State continued to get well, pulling away early and never looking back in a 99- 47 blowout of Florida A&M. The Buckeyes (3-1) have won three straight since a disappointing 59-57 home loss to Notre Dame in the Preseason NIT on November 16. George Reese had 12 of his 16 points in the first half to pace Ohio State to a 54-24 halftime bulge and it cruised the rest of the way, holding its fourth straight opponent below 60 points. Michael Redd collected 17 points and backcourt mate Scoonie Penn added nine and a career-high 12 assists for the Buckeyes, who have outscored their last three opponents by an average of 35.6 points. Sophomores Brian Brown and Will Dudley scored career-highs with 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Ohio State, which posted its largest win since 1991. No. 24 Gonzaga 59, No. 11 UCLA 43 The little school that shocked the NCAA Tournament with its run to the final eight last season pulled off another big surprise Saturday. Reserve Ryan Floyd scored a caree~r-high 17 points, including five 3-pointers, and No. 24 Gonzaga held No. I 1 UCLA to its lowest point total ever at Pauley Pavilion in a 59-43 victory. The Bruins' previous low was 44 against Southern California on March 8, 1969 -their first- ever defeat at Pauley Pavilion, which opened in 1965. The loss matched UCLA's worst in a home non-conference game, having lost by 16 points against DePaul in the 1983-84 season. UCLA (3-1) shot 26 percent for the game - a school-record low in Pauley - and had 16 turnovers. Once again e Michigan found * itself in foul trou- ble against Duke. The Wolverines, and their often over-agressive s defense commit- ted 26 personal fouls, and Leon. Jones (right, with" the ball) and Josh ~ Asselin fouled out In the game's waning seconds. Jones nonethe- less finished the game with 11 points, fourt assists and four steals. DAVID RoCHKIND/Daily r Maize IRge becoming a viable forUe-1 for Mchia Duke (104) FG FT' REB MIN M-A MA O-T A F PTS Carrawel 31 2-14 2-4 2-8 3 3 7 Battier 39 8-13 6.6 1.6 0 3 2 Boozer 32 8-11 9-11 3-10 2 4 25 James 36 8-11 0-2 5-6 3 3 18 Williams 29 6-12 4.6 1-5 8 4 17 Horvath 7 1-2 2-2 1-1 0 0 4 Buckner 1 0-0 0-0 .0-0 0 t 0 Sanders 1 0-0 "00-0 01 0 Dunleavy 24 4-9 3-3 3-7 1 2 11 Totals 200 37-72 26-34 16-44 17 212104 FG%: .S14 FT%4: .765 3-point FGQ 4-14,.286 (tames, 2-3 Carrawell 1-2, sbileams-2, Battier, 0-3 Duileavy 0-3 Horvath, 0-1). Blocks: 7 (Boozer 3, Battier 2, Horvath 1, Dunleavy 1) Steals: 6 (Williams 3, Battier 2. Boozer 1). Turnovers 14 (Williams 4, Boozer 3, James 3, Dureavy 3, Carawelu). Technical Fouls: none. MICHIGAN (97) FG FT RfEB MIN WA MA -T A F PTS Jones 31 4-10 2-3 1-2 4 5 11 Blanchard 30 6-10 3-3 4-9 4 3 17 Asselin 22 2-3 0-0 1-4 0 5 4 Crawford 38 11-24 3-3 0-2 6 1 27 Gaines 40 6-19 8-12 0-5 6 4. 23 Groninger 8 0-4 00 0-0 0 2 0 Young 10 2-2 2-2 2-3 0 2 6 Anderson 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Vignier 16 4-5 1-2 4-6 0 3 9, Totals 200 35-77 19-25 1636 20 26 97 FG%: ASS FrW.760 3-pont FG: 8-25, .320 (Gaines 3-6, Blanchard 2-2, Crawford 2-9 Jones 14, Groninger 0.4). Blockcs: 3 (Crawford,2, Asselin). Steals: 8 (Jones 4, Crawford, Gaines, Groninger, Vgnier). Tumovers 10 (Jones 2, Vignier 2, Blaridhard, Crawford, Gaines, Groninger, Young, Anderson). Technical Fouls: none. Duke... ............... 48 56- 104 Michigan ....._..._.......42 55- 97 At: Crisier Arena Attendance:13,562 Arizona wrecks Spartans TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Arizona's Loren Woods was late for second-ranked Wildcats' game with No. 4 Michigan State because of a minor car wreck Saturday. But his second-half surge could- n't have been more timely. The 7-foot-1 center scored the first six points in a crucial 12-2 run as Arizona (7-1) stretched its ecourt winning streak to 36 games with a 79- victory over the Spartans. "He played with the most aggressiveness he's played all season," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. With Mateen Cleaves still out with a stress frac- ture in his right foot, Michigan State (7-2) could- n't contain Arizona's freshman point guard Jason Gardner. Gardner, who struggled against Khalid El-Amin in Tuesday night's 78-69 loss to No. 6 Connecticut, had a career-high 20 points, nine assists and six r ounds. He played all 40 minutes. SThe kid is so coachable. He's like a sponge," Olson said. "He's good right now, but he's going to really be something once he gets some experi- TIGERS Continued from Page 1B Much like Vanderbilt, the Tigers pounded the Wolverines on the low blocks. Michigan's com- bination of Ruth Kipping, Alison Miller and -Ann Bies was simply no match for "Baby 6kley," otherwise known as DeTrina White. The reigning national freshman of the year, White used her considerable bulk to push around the Wolverines. She scored 10 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. White wasn't the only Tiger who was tearing it up. Junior forward April Brown complemented ence." In a Texas, span of eight days, Arizona beat No. 10 lost to Connecticut, then beat Michigan State. "We knew we could play with any team in the country," Arizona's Richard Jefferson said. The Wildcats outscored the Spartans, 20-9, over the last 8:20 after Michigan State rallied from an early 19-point deficit to tie it at 59-59. Arizona sealed the victory by going 10-for-10 at the foul line over the last 4:04. Jefferson, who scored 18 points, had six of those free throws down the stretch. Gilbert Arenas, who didn't start because of a hip flexor, scored 13 points for Arizona. Woods added 12. Morris Peterson scored 15 of his 17 points in -the second half for Michigan State, but was only 5- for-15 from the field. Charlie Bell led the Spartans with 20 points. Michigan State shot 40 percent, compared with Arizona's 53 percent. By Jacob Wheeler Daily Sports Writer Did they take personal the accusations that their cheers are as ineffective as desparation fouls in the final minutes? Did they need a study break before exams boxed them out this week? Or were they just attracted to Saturday's game because of the free gifts passed out at the door? Whatever the reason, the Michigan student- fans showed up in drones to back their exciting, new-look Wolverines in a true test of might and perseverance. And whenever "hometown boy" LaVell Blanchard sank a three-pointer, or "raz- zie-dazzle" point guard Kevin Gaines picked a Blue Devil's pocket, the Michigan fans went bal- listic. Dubbed the Maize Rage, a swarm of yellow shirts, painted bodies and dyed afro's- fought as hard as they could for the better part of 40 min- utes to cast off the poor reputation that murky Crisler Arena has given them since its inception. Michigan's ravenous fans, seated mostly far behind the benches and the scorers table, created a warm and inviting environment worthy of an Italian wedding when their Wolverines were introduced before tipoff. Blanchard's, Crawford's and Josh Asselin's invocations produced the most noise. But when Duke power forward Shane Battier tort the floor, the winds shifted to cries of villain and traitor, as if in an epic tale. Like Blanchard, Battier is also a hometown boy who can run, rebound and shoot with anyone. But the latter left the state of Michigan and chose an ACC school for his college career. The Maize Rage greeted Battier with jeers of "sell-out" when he warmed up before the game, and whenever he visited the free throw line dur- ing the coMntest. SIGNS, EVERYWHERE ARE SIGNS: The Michigan fans cheered with their silent wit as well as their voice boxes. Cardboard posters flooded the stu- dent section before the Duke game. Many of them formed CBS acronyms, since the game aired on national television. Signs such as "Crawford, Blanchard, our Saviours" or "Crush Battier, Sellout" or "Gavin, Country's Best Shooter" proved the fans' wit as well as their rage. WOOING A RECRUIT: Fans sitting behind Michigan's bench couldn't control their salivary gands when fiey spied Tyson Chandler, a 7-foot- 2 high school junior sitting right behind Michigan's bench. They chanted "We want Tyson" and dreamed of the Compton, Ca. native, who was on an unof- ficial recruiting visit, in a maize and blue uni- form in two seasons. Sunday Dec. 19th Michigan at Boston College, 2p.m. The freshmen have fallen back to reality. All attention is upon how they will respond to their first collegiate loss, and their first holiday season on the road. Will, the shot selection of the frontcourt improve? Will Groninger find his sweet shooting touch again soon? Will Brandon Smith return in the new year? Will assis- tant coach Scott Trost change the part in his hair in the new year? Tuesday, Dec. 23rd Duquesne at Michigan, Criser Arena 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28rd Towson at Michigan, Crisler Arena 7:30 p.m. in the last game that actually counted toward record, Louisiana Tech pummeled No. 8 U 82-64 on December 5. Last year, Louisiana Tech pounded Mich 84-66 at Crisler Arena. For the Wolver revenge means winning in Ruston, where Techsters are virtually unbeatable. "The Louisiana Tech game is part of a competitive schedule that we have, and I t it's exactly what this team wants and exa what this team needs," Guevara said. "I'm g to need Lady Clairol after this non-confer schedule." After returning from Louisiana, Michigan Georgia Tech feeling blue after fourth-straight loss very After losing three straight hink games, the Yellow Jackets had an actly opportunity to break their losing oing streak against the most unlikely of ence opponents - third-ranked will A 3-pointer by Georgia Tech's w Tony Atkins. four feet behind the Team 1. Cincinnati 2. Arizona 3. Stanford 4. Michigan State 5. Kansas 6. Connecticut 7. North Carolina 8. Aubum 9. Florida 10. Texas .. 7-0 7-1 6-0 7-2 7-1 6-1 6-2 5-1 6-1 5-2 This weekend's results Beat Miss. Valley St., 74-48 Beat Michigan St., 79-68 Beat Georgia Tech, 64-61 Lost to Arizona, 79-68 Beat Pittsburg St, 96-71 Idle Idle Beat Pennsylvania, 80-70 Beat Beth.-Cookman, 93-77 Beat San Deigo, 76-66 BIG-EN STAN DINGS Conference Overall Team W L W L Minnesota 0 0 6 0 Michigan 0 0 6 1 Indiana 0 0 6 1 Penn State 0 0 6 1 Michigan State 0 0 7 2 Purdue 0 0 6 2 Ohio State 0 0 3 1 Illinois 0 0 5 2 Wisconsin 0 0 6 3 :~I.E3n n c d