The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 22, 2001- 5
Quote of the weekend
"If this was when I played, we'd be on the
floor right now practicing. But the NCAA
rules don't allow that."
- Iowa head coach Steve Alford after his 14th-
ranked Hawkeyes lost to Michigan.
SATURDAY'S GAME
Player of the game
Michigan forward LaVell Blanchard
Blanchard recorded a cawer-high 30 points,
including 18 in thefirst half:
Michigan
0 Iowa
70
69
I a
Incredible' Blanchard gets
plenty of help in the clutch
By Dan Williams
Daily Sports Writer
IOWA CITY - Time and again,
Michigan has proven that it has lit-
e or no chance of recovery once it
igs itself a deficit.
But in their win over Iowa, the
Wolverines demonstrated a level of
skill and initiative that cculd make
them a dangerous team in the
future. Michigan sprinted to a 15-
point lead in the first half. Then,
whenever the Hawkeyes threat-
ened, Michigan had a lethal
nswer.
"When everything's going,
everything is going," Michigan
freshman Avery Queen said.
"Everyone was getting good
touches and getting wide-open
looks. When you get wide-open
looks, you are going to make
shots."
Michigan sophomore LaVell
Blanchard was the focus of the
offense in the first half, nailing
lmost every outside jumper he
ok. Blanchard posted 18 points
in the first 20 minutes.
"He's an incredible player," Iowa
coach Steve Alford said. "He went
at guys tonight that don't under-
stand how to guard, and he took
advantage of that tonight."
Blanchard was characteristically
humble about his outing, which
impressed everyone in Carver-
Hawkeye Arena.
"I had some great picks by the
big fellas, the guards passed it to
me when I was open and the ball
went down for me tonight,"
Blanchard said.
But Blanchard wasn't the only
one to score key points. Michigan
received clutch contributions from
nearly every member of its nine-
man rotation.
"Everybody stepped up and
made clutch shots," Michigan
junior Chris Young said. "It defi-
nitely puts us on the right track."
While outside shooting appeared
to be a major weakness for
Michigan in prior losses, the team
was highly effective from the
perimeter against the Hawkeyes.
The Wolverines hit seven 3-point-
ers and shot 41 percent from
behind the arc.
"We worked on our spacing this
week, and that's what opened up
our 3-point shots," said Michigan
sophomore Gavin Groninger, who
hit two key treys in the game.
"They were set shots off of pene-
tration or an extra pass."
Meanwhile, until the game's
final five minutes, Iowa missed its
open looks, especially from behind
the arc. The Hawkeyes made just
3-of-16 3-pointers.
"Your shooting doesn't improve
by playing Playstation or watching
College Hoops 2Night," Alford
said. "I assume they're in there try-
ing to see which of their names are
going to get on (that show)."
In beating Iowa, Michigan creat-
ed a blueprint to follow for the rest
of the season. While it's just one
victory, Michigan's clutch play
against the Hawkeyes has the
potential to be quite therapeutic as
the Wolverines attempt to distance
themselves from a dismal start.
SATURDAY'S GAME
MICHIGAN (70)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A OT A F PTS
Blanchard 35 12-19 4-4 36 2 5 30
Young 36 2-3 2-2 0-3 0 3 6
Asselin 26 33 44 0-6 0 5 13
Queen 27 0-2 1-4 1-2 9 2 1
Robinson 30 4-14 5-6 17 1 2 15
Jones 12 1-3 0-0 0-0 3 1 2
Searight 13 0-0 0O 0-1 2 2 0
Groninger 15 2-5 0-0 1-1 0 2 6
Moore 6 02 0-0 13 0 5 0
Totals 200 24-51 15.19 8.30 17 27 70
FG%:.471. FT%: .789, 3-point FG: 7-17, .412
(Blanchard 3-6. Jones 0-1, Queen 0-1, Groninger 2-
5, Robinson 24). Blocks: 9 (Blanchard 3, Asselin
2, Young. Robinson, Searight. Groninger). Steals: 4
(Asselin 2, Queen. Jones). Turnovers: 12 (Moore
3.Young 2,.Robinson.Searight,.Asselin,.Blanchard,
Groninger, Queen). Technical fouls: none.
Iowa (69)
FG FT RE8
MIN M-A M-A O-T A F PTS
Henderson 20 3.5 2-3 3-7 0 2 8
Evans 37 8-13 6-11 6-10 3 2 22
Reiner 20 0-4 2-2 2.5 1 1 2
Oliver 37 3-7 6-7 1-2 6 2 14
Recker 32 6-14 5.5 2-5 2 3 18
Hogan 18 0-7 1-2 1-1 2 1 1
Worley 15 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 4 0
Boyd 6 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Scott 13 2-2 0-2 1-4 0 2 4
Sonderleiter 2 0.1 0.0 0 0 0 0
Totals 200 22-57 2232204214 18 69
FG%: .386. FT%: .688. 3-point FG: 3-16, .188
(Henderson 0-1. Oliver 2-4, Recker 17. Hogan 0-1,
Worley 0-1, Boyd 0-2). Blocks: 0 Steals:7
(Henderson 2, Evans 1. Oliver 2, Recker 1. Hogan
1). Turnovers: 11 (Henderson 2, Evans 5, Oliver 1.
Recker 2. Worley 1). Technical Fouls: none.
Michigan........... ..36 24
Iowa.......... ... ...............24 45
-70
-69
At: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
Attendance: 15.500
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Conference Overall
AP PHOTO
LaVell Blanchard grabs one of his six rebounds In addition to his career-high 30 points.
The sophomore repeatedly made Important shots until fouling out with 1:13 left.
Early lead makes difference;
Searight matters at both ends
Team
Illinois
Michigan State
Purdue
Minnesota
Iowa
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Indiana
Michigan
Penn State
Northwestern
W
5
3
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
0
L
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
6
W
15
14
12
15
14
12
11
11
11
7
L
4
1
5
3
4
5
4.
8
8
11.
By Michael Kern
Daily Sports Writer
IOWA CITY - After nine straight losses
away from Crisler Arena, the Michigan men's
basketball team was starting to get a bit anxious.
But with Saturday night's 70-69 victory over No.
14 Iowa, the Wolverines
fought through the anxiety BASKETBALL
and got their first win on
the road since they defeat- Notebook
ed Northwestern in
Evanston, 61-55 in overtime, on Feb. 26, 2000.
"On the road, it's tough to win in the Big Ten,"
sophomore Gavin Groninger said. "To beat a
team at the top of the board like that shows that
we can play. Tonight we showed how important
the starts of games are."
With this past Thursday's 8-4 start at Ohio
State being the exception, Michigan's pattern on
the road has been to fall behind early and have to
play catch-up the rest of the game. The
Wolverines have held the lead in just one other
road game all season -- their 97-83 loss to St.
John's on Dec. 3 in the BB&T Classic.
But on Saturday, Michigan took the lead from
the beginning and never looked back.
"When we don't have to play catch-up and we
get a lead, we play better," freshman Maurice
Searight said. "We play harder every posses-
sion."
With the win, the Wolverines also got their
first Big Ten road win in four tries this season.
Michigan has not played a season without a con-
ference road win since the 1966-67 season -
the year after Michigan legend Cazzie Russell
graduated. The Wolverines finished last in the
Big Ten that year with a 2-12 conference record.
Then-Michigan coach Dave Strack, who led
the team to a 24-4 record and an NCAA
Tournament runner-up finish only two years ear-
lier, left the team just one season later and was
replaced by Johnny Orr, the school's all-time
career wins leader with 209.
SECOND THREAT: Searight continues to
impress and earn time in the Michigan lineup.
Saturday night, Searight played the final 13 min-
utes of the first half and was critical in frustrat-
ing Iowa shooters on the perimeter.
The Hawkeyes shot just 1-of-10 from beyond
the arc in the first half, including a 0-for-4 per-
formance from sharp-shooting guard Luke
Recker.
"I just want to go out, give some good minutes
and play tough defense," Searight said. "I tried to
make sure everyone was together and everything
was going good"
While Searight's play at the point is improv-
ing, fellow freshman Avery Queen continues to
be the go-to guy down the stretch. Queen played
the entire second half and tied a career-high with
nine assists. More importantly, he and Searight
combined for just two turnovers.
"Maurice can get it in the paint, and they've
got to worry about him a little more when he
penetrates," Groninger said. Avery "looks to run
the team more and teams don't have to worry as
much about him penetrating. They're two differ-
ent looks, and they combine nicely with each
other."
Last Saturday's results:
Michigan 70, Iowa 69
Minnesota 78, Indiana 74
Purdue 78, Northwestern 59
Illinois 92, Penn State 60
Penn State 73, Northwestern 66
Tomorrow's games:
Penn State at Yale, 7 p.m.
Purdue at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Wednesday's games:
Michigan State at Northwestern, 8 p.m.
Iowa at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Ohio State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Thursday's game:
Illinois at Michigan, 7 p.m.
Saturday's games:
Indiana at Iowa, 1:05 p.m.
Michigan State at Ohio State, 3:15 p.m.
MICHIGAN AT NORTHWESTERN, 8 P.M.
Penn State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Purdue, 8 p.m.
AP PHOTO
Josh Asselin blocks Reggie Evans's shot. Evans finished with 22 points but missed the game-winning shot.
ROAD RESPECT NOW WITHIN REACH
After losing its first six road games by a range of seven
to 43 points, did the Michigan men's basketball team
begin something when it won at Iowa? The Wolverines next
two road games are winnable - at Northwestern and Penn St ' -
A comparison of the last seven times Michigan
played on the road compared to Saturday.
UPE T
Pontinued from Page 18
the first half. Meanwhile, Iowa shot under
percent and looked largely disoriented.
"Michigan is going to come at you," Alford
Said. "Don't believe what you read about a
vounded team,
"We were at an absolute loss on the bench
trying to figure out what we were doing."
LaVell Blanchard opened the contest with a
3-pointer and proceeded to slay the Hawkeyes
with 30 points, a new career high.
Blanchard shot with the proficiency of a
player fully deserving of an All-American or
qerstar tag. Working mainly from the
perimeter, Blanchard connected on 8-of-12
shots in the first half and shot over 60 percent
on the night before fouling out with 1:13 left
in the game.
Blanchard cooled off in the second half, but
Michigan made enough timely baskets to steal
its first victory outside of Crisler Arena this
season.
Michigan's unlikely win puts it back in the
hunt for postseason play. The Wolverines have
seven home games and four road games
remaining on the Big Ten slate, with a
Thursday night home contest against No. 7
Illinois next on the schedule.
"Without a doubt it's a big win," Blanchard
said.
Game
Oakland
Maryland
St. John's
Duke
Purdue
Illinois
*Iowa
Final score
97-90
82-51
97-83
104-61
80-60
80-51
70-69
Halftime score
44-34
45-23
36-34
59-18
43-33
38-23 .
36-24 ~
The Illini's Frankie Williams takes a charge.
Thursday
Illinois at Michigan,
Crisler Arena,
7 p.m. (ESPN)
Illinois beat the
Wolverines by 29 points the last time
these two teams met. But the Wolverines
Chris Young that played Saturday night looked like a
AHT different team from the one that got
oounded in Champaign last weekend.
HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
* Michigan won and led at the half.
WEEKEND NOTES
BIG TEN ROUNDUP
No. 17 ARIZONA 88, UCLA 63: With
the 17th-ranked Wildcats trailing
UCLA 43-35 at halftime Saturday,
Lute Olson expressed his displeasure
with his players' defensive effort.
They obviously got the message.
The Wildcats blitzed the Bruins 55-
22 in the second half in an 88-63
rout.
"It wasn't fire and brimstone,"
Olson said. "It was just 'We've got
to get after it.' I thought we were
dead in the locker room."
" ---- _ ,w n ,- _.. ..u c. , - . .. t
"We're very fragile.
The most fragile r'
team I remember
coaching."
VANDERBILT 63, No. 7
FLORIDA 61.: An injury
problem is on the
verge of becoming a
free fall for No. 7
Florida. Freshman
Brendan Plavich and
Vanderbilt pushed the
Gators closer to the
edge Saturday.
No. 3 MICHIGAN STATE 71, OHIo
STATE 56: Jason Richardson scored
24 points as No. 3 Michigan State
beat Ohio State 71-56 Sunday to
extend the nation's longest home
winning streak to 40 games.
Michigan State (4-1 Big Ten, 15-
1 overall) will play its next three
games and five of its next six on
the road.
Richardson showed, once again,
that he's more than just a high-
MINNESoTA 78, INDIANA 74:
Dusty Rychart scored 21 points,
including two free throws with
three seconds left in overtime, as
Minnesota overcame a 13-point
second half deficit and edged
Indiana 78-74 Saturday.
Minnesota (3-2,.Big Ten, 15-3
overall) trailed 68-55 with 3:18
to play in regulation before scor-
ing 14 of the last 15 points to
tie the game, the last two on a
baseline jumper by Shane
Team
1. Stanford
2. Duke
3. Michigan State
4. Tennessee
5. Kansas
6. North Carolina
7 Florida
8. Syracuse
9. Georgetown
10. Wake Forest
11. Illinois
12. Maryland
Record
17-0
17-1
14-1
17-2
15-1
15-2
11-4
15-2
16-1
13-3
15-4
14-4
This week's results
Beat New Mexico 75-44
Beat Georgia Tech 98-77
Beat Ohio State 71-56
Beat Mississippi State 84-79
Beat Texas A&M 100-70
Beat Florida State 80-70
Lost to Vanderbilt 63-61
Lost to No. 18 Seton Hall 77-65
Lost to Pittsburgh 70-66
Beat Clemson 71-63
Beat Penn State 92-60
Beat North Carolina State 75-61
I
emmenoma,