January 4, 2001
Sports h6r-sday
STne Michigan Daiy .-- 8E
'> .
:I
Quote of the weekend
"Purdue played a lot harder than us. They
had a lot more heart."
- Michigan sophomore shooting guard Gavin
Groninger after the Ilblverines'80-60 loss at the
hands of Purdue.
Player of the game
Michigan guard Avery Queen
Michigan 60
C( uc r n -c vd his ibest,!
ACOi~rjfl" a (aivLT"r-71
1 ' i)rs irrtO cIi~sl,
17 i p ivems sss
Purdue
80
Bilock party
Purdue drubs hapless Blue, 80-60
By Dan Williams
Daily Sports Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE - After assembling a four-game
winning streak, the Michigan men's basketball team fell
face-first in a 80-60 loss against Purdue in last night's
Big Ten opener. The thorough drubbing seemed to evap-
orate any mirage of hope the Wolverines (0-1 Big Ten, 6-
6 overall) perceived after their holiday-season success.
Purdue (1-0, 9-3) never trailed in the contest.
"Purdue played a lot harder than us," Michigan sopho-
more Gavin Groninger said. "They had a lot more
heart."
Michigan returned to its four-game losing-streak form
of fundamental ineptitude. The Wolverines' turnovers,
missed free-throws and dire foul trouble allowed the
Boilermakers to operate with comfortable leads for most
of the game.
"Tonight was about a.lot of mental things," Michigan
coach Brian Ellerbe said. "Our free-throw shooting was-
n't very good, our turnovers were unforced. Purdue
doesn't play a trapping or pressing type of defense. Our
wing players were being overzealous and traveling."
The Michigan offense was derailed despite shooting
50 percent in the first half.
"Mental mistakes, turnovers - all the little things
added up," Michigan point guard Avery Queen said.
Michigan suffered from a lethargic start, missing two
3-pointers and turning the ball over twice in the first
four possessions. Purdue jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and
maintained a lead between three and nine points for
most of the half.
But in the period's waning moments, Austin Parkinson
skewed Michigan with a 3-pointer to increase the Purdue
lead to 43-33. Parkinson missed two free throws with
10.2 seconds left, but he scrambled for his own rebound,
stepped behind the arc and drained his jumpshot.
"I don't believe in luck - you've got to check out and
go get the basketball," Ellerbe said.
In the second half, Purdue blew the game open, lead-
ing by as many as 24 points. Purdue's offense didn't
exactly run like clockwork - Michigan forced the
Boilermakers to settle for stretches of difficult shots.
But the Boilermakers were opportunists.
Purdue made 10 more free throws than Michigan, was
YESTERDAY' S GAME
MICHIGAN (60)
[G V, R B3
MIN MA M A 0 T A PTs
Blanchard 31 5 14 00 3 S 1 4 11=
YOUno 18, )7 02 13 0 3
Asselin 32 5 5 7 29
Quecn 1G 13 00 1 6 51 B
Robinson 26 3 12 1 2 26 4 y
Jones .4 11 0 1 02 i 1
Searoht 7 03 00 0 1 0 G C .
Groninger 21 1 7 00 00 r 2 7
Moore 11 3 3 05 23 4 6
Totls 200 2560 617 14:3 <2 60
FGr' ,:417 FTP'or 35313 pont FG 19 T1 (Queen 3-
8 Blanchard 1 4 Goninger 0 4, Rohinson 0 3) Blocks:
1 (Moore). Steals: (R~obinson 2. Blan ch,-r'Jones,
Yo4ng4 .iunoveiss20 (Robinson 6,Bl' ai 5 Queen
4 Asselin 2, Young, Groninger, Moore). Tecnjai fouls
none.
Purdue (80)
FG FT REB
MIN MA MA OT1 A PTS
Lowe 32 78 22 02 4 3 19
Smith 2/77-13 1I1 (13 1 4 i6
Allison 32 39 8 10 2 6 n 4 1,n
Lewis 26 6 13 2 3 2 5 0 1 14
Cunningham 14 2 5 0 1 03 3 ' 5
Deane 20 2 3 2 2 00 0 6
Buscher 14 0 3 0 1 2 7 0 2 0
Richardson 8 22 02 13 3 0 5
Marshall 1 02 1 2 1 2 1 1 x
Garrity 16 02 00 01 0 2 0
Totals 200 2958 1624 935 13 19 80
FG% :500. FT% c.667 3 point fG 6 10, 600 (Lowe 3
3, Smith 1 2, Cunningham 12, Parkinson 1 1, Lewis 0 1
Marshall 0 1) Blocks:S5(Allison 3. Lowe, Smith). Stea
7 (Lowe 3, Allison, Lewis, Cunnngham, Parkinson). W
Turnovers: 12 (Dean 4, Allison 3, Smith 2, Lowe,
Buscher). Technical Fouls: none.
Michigan-
Purdue.
33 27 60
43 37 80
At Mackey Arena, West Lafayette
Attendance: 11,329
AP PHOTO
Purdue drew seven more free-throw attempts than Michigan in the
Boilermakers' 8060 win last night. Purdue made its living off
converting opportunities.
6-for-10 from 3-point territory and turned the ball over
just 12 times.
Without an athletically superior team, sound basket-
ball was enough to propel Purdue to an easy victory.
"Any time you can beat Michigan by 20 it's a great
win," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "We got them sit-
ting around."
Avery Queen was the brightest spot for Michigan,
scoring a career-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
"I've been working on my shot because I was strun-
gling at the beginning," Queen said. "I'm definitely
more comfortable being a point guard in the Big Ten.
But it doesn't matter if we lose."
Michigan falls to 0-5 away from Crisler, all double-
digit losses. It returns home .an. 9 to face Indiana.
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Conference Overall
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daly
Junior Chris Young and sophomore LaVell Blanchard swat Eastern's hopes
of winning over break.
unPrepared in
C erenCe ebut
Team
Michigan State
Minnesota
Penn State
Wisconsin
Iowa
Illinois
Ohio State
Purdue
Indiana
Northwestern
Michigan
W
1
0t
0
0
1
1
i
0
0
U
L
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
a
a
w
12
11
9
9
1'?
10
9
9
6
L
0
2
2
3
i
6
6
\ k
WIN-TER WONDERLAND
By Michael Kern
DaIly sports Writer
WEST I.AFAYETTI§ - In last
night's 80-60 loss to Purdue, it was
pretty clear from the start that the
Michigan men's basketball team was
not ready for its first conference
game of the season.
Signifying things to come, the
Wolverines turned the ball over
three times in the first thee minutes
cn route to 20 turnovers for the
,ame,
It was the fifth time in 12 games
this season that Michigan has fin-
shed with at least 20 turnovers. The
Wolverines' record is 1-4 in those
i " C -tmes.
"We didn't come out ready to
play." said freshman Bernard
Robinson, who finished with six
turnov ers and just 3-of-12 shooting
from the field. "No one came out
ready. I know I didn't come out like
I should have."
Fron tiheir first possession, the
Wolverines looked sluggish both
ouiensi clv and defensively. Rather
than set up the offense, they took a
number of quick shots from the
perimeter.
But with just 4-of-19 shooting
from beyond the are, Michigan gave
up a number of long rebounds that
lead to easy transition opportunities
for the Boilermakers. Those oppor-
tunities became easv baskets as the
Wo therines failed to get back on
(ICefen se.
"They cashed in on a lot of the
mistakes we provided them with,,"
Mlichigan coach Brian Ellerbe said,
"We capitalized on their turnovers
and quick shots." Purdue forward
Rodney Smith said. "We got all of
the loose balls and dove on the floor
and did all of the little things that
help teams win."
A couple of times when the game
was still close in the first halt, the
Wolverines had opportunities to tie
the game.
But poor shot selection and execu-
tion held Michigan back from 'get-
ting over the hump. With 7:43 to go
in the first half, the Wolverines
pushed the ball up the court down
just three points: Sophomore Gavin
Groninger had an open three to tie
the game, but the shot rimmed out
harmlessly.
"We were trying to make our
comeback on one or two shots,"
Groninger said. "We put shots up
too quick and that just dug us in a
deeper hole."
While Michigan shot the ball
poorly, it outrebounded another
opponent, crashing the offensive and
defensive glass. The rebounding
margin was only 38-35 in favor of
the Wolverines. . But many of
Purdue's rebounds came by outhus-
tling Michigan and being the first to
loose balls.
"They beat us in all of the hustle
areas, diving on loose balls and
such," Michigan junior Chris Young
said. "That's why we lost the game."
Purdue guard Maynard Lewis
admitted that the Wolverines were
probably a more talented team. But
that and the sour taste of last year's
Big Ten home-opening double-over-
time loss to Michigan motivated the
Boilermakers to try and win the
game by outworking the Wolverines
and playing with more intensity.
"If there is one thing we should
have known about Purdue, it's that
(Purdue coach) Gene Keady gets
them to play hard," Groninger said.
"He doesn't have any superstars. ie
just has a lot of guys who play their
tails off."
Dec. 13: The Michigan basketball team snapped its four-game
losing streak with an 89-71 win over Bowling Green. The
Wolverines were paced behind sophomore forward LaVell
Blanchard, who scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed eight
rebounds. Senior center Josh, Asselin chipped in 18 points .and
nine rebounds.
Michigan held on to a slim three-point lead with four minutes
to play but scored six quick points to put the game away.
Vesterao,'s e:uk:
PURDUE 80, Michigan 60
No. I MICHIGAN STATE 98, Penn Mtate '.
No: 9 ILLINOIS 80, Minnesota 64 -
OHIO STATE 73, Northwestern 5e
Todav' game:
Indiana at Wisconsin, 7 p.m
Saturdacysgames.
Purdue at Northwestern, 2 p.m
Ohio State at Illinois, 8 p m.
Wisconsin at Minnesota, 8 p.
Iowa at Penn State, 1 pr.
Sundas gaines:
Michigan State at Indiana TBA
Dec 23: Five Michigan
players scored in double
figures as Michigan
downed Morris Brown 95-
81. Michigan was led by
Bernard Robinson, who
scored a game-high 17
points and dished out six
assists. Blanchard and
shooting guard Gavin
Groninger both scored 16
points, Asselin had 12
points and freshman cen-
ter scored 10 points.
Michigan shot 59 percent
from the field, its season
high, topping its 53 percent
performance against
Wagner. The game marked1
the third game in the
Wolverines' prior four that it
topped the 90-point mark.
Robinson's streak of 22-
straight free-throws made
was snapped.
Tuesday
,'ndianaat Michigan
C-isle Aiena, 7p.m
(ESPN)
This will be the fiist - and possibly only-
opportunity for Michigan fans to see Mike
Davis, Bobby Knight's successor. Davis has
struggled to replace the Hoosier legend,
coaching indiana to a 7-5 mark entering
Big Ten play.
Davis publically questioned his ability to
coach Indiana after the Hoosiers lost to rivai
Kentucky. This fueled speculation that Davis
would leave indiaria following tnis season.
All Pnotos MARJORIE MARSHALL/Oaily
Freshman Avery Queen and Michigan held Bowling
Green in check for an 89-71 win over break.
Dec. 27: Michigan almost reached a
new low, as Towson's Brian Allen missed
a last-second 3-pointer which would
have won the game. The Wolverines' 73-
71 win improved their record to 5-5 on
the season. Blanchard led the way for
Michigan, recording 23 points and a
career-high 13 rebounds and Asselin
chipped in 15 points.
The Wolverines held Tamir
Goodman, Towson's highly-touted
freshman, to only nine points on 4-for-
5 shooting.
"We had to come together as a team,"
Asselin said. "We bounced back and
tried to play through the deficit. We
knew we had to pick up the intensity in
the second half. Every night we need to
come ready to play."
Dec 30: Michigan concluded its nonconference season with a
90-73 win over Eastern Michigan. The Wolverines were led by post
players Chris Young and Asselin, who combined to shoot 19-for-22
from the field and scored 26 and 19 points respectively, both career
highs.
"That was a very good way for us to end the nonconference
season," Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said. Asselin "played well.
One of the things that was really evident was our guys made
really good entry feeds. (Josh) finished plays after getting hit,
which I really, really liked. You want to see that out of our big
people."
I
WEEK'S BEST
BIG TEN ROUNDUP
HOW THE AP Top 25 FARED
SUDAN-LY LEAVING: Connecticut's
Ajou Deng will transfer to
Fairfield. The junior from Sudan is
leaving because of playing time.
The 6-foot-10 Deng was averag-
ing 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds
per game in 15 minutes per
game as a sophomore. Deng
began taking classes yesterday.
BANTA MENACE: Penn State's
Marcus Banta was arrested and
charged with tampering with a
motel fire alarm. The sophomore
WOODEN IT BE NICE: Duke's
Shane Battier and Notre
Dame's Troy Murphy were two
of the 30 finalists for the
Wooden award, given to the
nation's best player.
The other leading
<candidates for
the award are
Michigan
State's Charlie
Bell,
Tennessee's
r, Tony Harris
- nnri: Ari..nA A
No. 1 MicHIGAN
STATE 98,
PENN STATE 73:
EAST LANSING
(AP) - The
Spartans
(12-0) used
a 25-4 run
midway through
the second half to
extend the nation's .
longest winning
streaksto 23
games and the
best run at home .
and we reciprocated in
the second half."
No. 9 ILLINOIS 80,
MINNESOTA 64:
Marcus Griffin scored 27
points as No. 9 Illinois beat
Minnesota 80-64 yesterday in
the Big Ten opener for both
teams.
The loss ended an eight-game
winning streak and one of the
best starts in school history
for Minnesota (12-2), whic
got 21 points from Dusty
Team
1. Michigan State
2. Stanford
3. Duke
4. Wake Forest
5. Florida
6. Tennessee
7. Kansas
8. Virginia
9. Illinois
10. Connecticut
11. Seton Hall
12 Wisconsin
Rec.
10-0
10-0
10-1
11-0
9-1
12-1
10-1
9-0
10-3
11-1
8-2
8-1
This week's results
Beat Wright State 88-61
Beat Salita Clara 78-63
Beat North Carolina A&T 108-73
Beat Virginia 96-73
Beat New Hampshire 102-54
Beat Hawaii 69-58
Beat SW Missouri State 77-43
Beat Dartmouth 102-56
Beat lilinois-Chicago 67-53
Beat Stoney Brook 67-58
Central Conn, postponed
Beat South Florida 63-61