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,