The Michigan Daily - SportMonday - November 26, 2001- 7B
Western shooting
downright upsetting
Ingerson, Bailey lift
energy level for 'M'
By Steve Jackson
Daily Sports Writer
KALAMAZOO - More than 45
minutes before Michigan and Western
Michigan met on Friday, long lines of
spectators formed outside of University
Arena.
The record-setting crowd of 5,649
was still filing in nearly eight minutes
into the first half.
It took the Wolverines even longer to
find their place, as the Broncos pulled a
stunning 79-73 upset victory.
From the opening tap, it seemed as
though the Broncos couldn't miss a
shot.
After Michigan forward Bernard
Robinson hit a runner in the lane to
start the game, Western Michigan (3-
2) rattled off five straight 3-pointers
- including one off the high glass -
on a 15-2 run. The Broncos never
FRIDAY'S GAME
MICHIGAN (73)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Robinson 32 4-10 3-3 1-4 3 5 11
Blanchard 28 3-11 2-2 2-5 1 4 8
Young 28 1-2 4-4 0-3 0 1 6
Gotfredson 17 0-1 0-0 1-1 3 0 0
Groninger 29 6-14 0-0 2-4 0 2 16
Queen 22 1-2 0-0 0-2 1 2 3
Ingerson 20 4-9 3-3 0-0 2 3 13
Bailey 14 6-9 1-2 5-7 0 2 13
Moore 10 0.1 3-4 1-2 2 2 3
Team 2-3
* Totals 200 25591618 14-31 12 21 73
FG%: .424. FT%: .889. 3-point FG: 7-23, .304
(Groninger 4-8, Ingerson 2-5, Blanchard 0-5, Robin-
son 0-3, Queen 1-1, Gotfredson 0-1). Blocks: 2
(Young, Blanchard). Steals: 6 (Ingerson 2, Robinson,
Blanchard, Young, Bailey). Turnovers: 12 (Queen 3,
Gotfredson 2, Groninger 2, Ingerson 2, Bailey,
Young, Blanchard). Technical fouls:nnone.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (79)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Slater 34 2-6 4-6 1-9 2 1 10
Reynolds 34 10-184-6 2-3 4 3 28
Kann 19 1-1 0-0 0-1 4 2 2
Collum 32 4-8 4-4 0-2 3 3 15
Reed 35 6-11 1-2 3-7 2 5 16
Bro 21 1-1 2-2 3-7 0 3 4
Scheu 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Willis 18 2-4 0-2 1-1 2 0 4
Bronson 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-1
Totals 200 26-4915-2210-3112 18 79
FG%:.531. FT%: .682. 3-point FG: 12-23, .522
(Reynolds 4-9, need 3-6, Collum 3-4, Slater 2-3,
Willis 0-1). Blocks: 3 (Bro 2, Slater). Steals: 5
(Willis 2, Collum 2, Slater). Turnovers: 15 (Reynolds
4, Collum 4, Slater 3, Bro 2, Kann, Willis). Technical
fouls: none.
-Western Michigan ......46 33 - 79
Michigan ............27 46 - 73
At: University Arena, Kalamazoo
Attendance: 5,649
trailed again.
"I don't care if they were playing
Duke or Kentucky," Michigan center
Josh Moore said. "They shoot 77 per-
cent (10-of-13 from long range in the
first half); what are you going to do?"
Nothing that the Wolverines (2-1)
tried in the first half worked, and the
Broncos took a 46-27 lead into the
break.
"They were tough for us to handle
from the opening tap," said Michigan
coach. Tommy Amaker, who suffered
his first defeat as Michigan's coach in
his first road game on the job. "We
were hoping they'd miss instead of
defending them and making them
miss."
Western Michigan senior forward
Steve Reynolds proved especially diffi-
cult for the Wolverines to handle.
Reynolds poured in a game-high 28
points, including four 3-pointers. He
torched Michigan for 26 in last season's
92-78 loss to the Wolverines.
"He definitely carried us tonight,"
said Western Michigan coach Robert
McCullum. "To beat us, you know you
have to shut him down."
But Michigan couldn't slow the Bron-
cos' shooters one bit in the first half.
Freshman guard Ben Reed added 16
points and three treys of his own. As a
team, the Broncos connected on a
school record 12 3-point tries in the
game, with 10 coming in the game's
first 20 minutes.
"We gave them way too many open
looks," said Michigan guard Gavin
Groninger, who led the Wolverines with
16 points.
"When you are playing Division I
level guys, they are going to knock a lot
of those down."I
Western Michigan built its lead as
high as 22 points in the second half, but
the hot shooting could only last so long
for the Broncos.
Michigan started its comeback charge
behind the spirited play of freshmen
Dommanic Ingerson and Chuck Bailey,
who each posted 13 points off the
bench.
"It was unbelievable with those guys,
senior tri-captain Chris Young said.
"You could feel the energy when they
stepped on the court."
With 2:12 left, Michigan trailed 74-
62, but the fire still burned inside the
Wolverines.
AP PHOTO
Western Michigan's Taylor Bro,right, shoots over Michigan's LaVell Blanchard on
Friday night. The Broncos upset the Wolverines 79-73.
"Had we played this game last year,
we wouldn't have made as good a come-
back as we did," Young said. "We really
pulled it together there at the end."
Avery Queen and Groninger knocked
down back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the
lead to six with just under a minute left.
Then Bailey made a steal and drew a
foul. After he split the free throws,
Ingerson followed with a steal of his
own on the next possession.
He failed to convert, but Bailey fol-
lowed with a put-back to cut the lead.
to three with just more than a minute
to play.
But the Wolverines would not get any
closer.
With less than 20 seconds remaining,
junior forward LaVell Blanchard, who
finished with just eight points on 3-for-
11 shooting, missed an open 3-point
shot that could have tied the game for
Michigan.
"This win was huge for our program,"
said Western Michigan athletic director
Kathy Beauregard. "Things couldn't
have worked out better. I always said
that this team was a sleeping giant."
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
KALAMAZOO - Can a team have
more than one sixth man?
In Michigan's case, two freshmen -
shooting guard Dommanic Ingerson
and forward Chuck Bailey - could
make strong
claims for the BASKETBALL
label.N
Both bring Notebook
in u c h - n e e d e d
energy and instant intensity off a
Michigan bench that has already
proven successful in the Wolverines'
three games this season - outscoring
opponents' benches, 106-31. On Fri-
day, Michigan's reserves held a 32-6
advantage, and 26 of those points came
from Ingerson and Bailey.
It didn't take long for their presence
to be felt.
With the Wolverines down 15-2 six
minutes into the game and the scorch-
ing Broncos riding the enthusiasm of a
sellout crowd, Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker needed to stop the bleeding -
quickly. He immediately inserted
Ingerson and Bailey for struggling
starters Gavin Groninger and LaVell
Blanchard.
Ingerson answered the call by
attacking the basket and executing a 3-
point play that silenced the crowd, even
ifjust for a minute.
Bailey came in seconds later and
inherited Blanchard's task of shutting
down sharpshooter Steve Reynolds,
who already had nine points on three
treys. Bailey forced a turnover and hit
a layup in transition to help pull the
Wolverines within eight.
"They came in and were able to step
up big time and make some big shots
and big plays on the defensive end,"
said sophomore Bernard Robinson.
"And that's the type of stuff we need.".
Each chipped in 13 points, and
Amaker said they were the main rea-
son why Michigan trimmed the 19-
point halftime deficit to just three in
the final minutes.
Serving as one of the only Wolver-
ines to consistently crash the offen-
sive glass, Bailey grabbed five of
Michigan's 10 offensive rebounds.
Instead of merely spelling Blanchard,
Bailey started the second half in his
place, after Blanchard's poor perform-
ance.
ANOTHER DIMENSION: It was a good
thing that Michigan's bench came to
the rescue as its-starters remained
inconsistent, especially in the low post.
Senior tri-captain Chris Young - who
hasn't reached double figures yet -
and Blanchard combined for just 14
points and eight rebounds.
The lack of an inside presence,
along with a lack of penetration by
Michigan's guards, forced the Wolver-
ines to be a one-dimensional team that
relied on outside shots. Groninger said
that the Wolverines rushed many of
those outside opportunities as Western
Michigan jumped out to a double-digit
lead early, and it reflected in their 9-of-
29 shooting in the first half.
"That's going to happen on some -
nights," said Amaker, who suffered his
first loss as Michigan coach Friday
night. "We're not always going to make
our shots."
TRI-FECTA: The Broncos didn't to
have any trouble shooting, as they
broke a school record with 12 treys. In
the first half, Western Michigan shot a
daunting 77 percent from behind the
arc. Groninger said that the Wolverines
were too often forced to help out after
middle penetration by Western Michi-
gan, leading to open looks.
But Young said that most times, the
Wolverines "closed out on them but
wouldn't necessarily get our hand in
their face as fast as we should of, say-
ing 'Maybe they'll miss this one.' "
MICHIGAN MAN: Western Michigan
standout freshman Ben Reed played as
a 13-year old on the same AAU team
as Blanchard. Reed said that the two
friends trash-talked a couple times over
the two weeks leading up to Friday
night's game.
Reed sparked the Broncos with 16
points on 6-of-l1 shooting and said it
felt especially good since he was a
Michigan fan all his life.
"Even my dad came here with a
Michigan hat on," said a smiling Reed.
"I'm going to pound (my dad) when I
get home. He tried turning (the hat)
over to make it a 'W' but it didn't turn
out too well."
NOTES: Injured senior tri-captain
Leon Jones said that he plans to return
for the showdown with Duke a week
from Saturday ... Western Michigan
has won three of the past five meetings
with the Wolverines ... Michigan shot
89 percent from the foul line (16-18).
Josh Moore, who shot 24 percent from
the line last year, made 3-of-4 attempts
and is now 75 percent for the season
(9-12.)
Return of the MAC
Western Michigan coach Robert McCullum said that every time his Broncos
face a nonconference opponent, they want to "make a statement for the Mid-
American Conference." But the Broncos' upset victory over Michigan -their
third in the past five years - is not the only statement the resurging confer-
ence has made this season. Three MAC schools may even get votes in the AP
top 25 this week.
Western Michigan:
The win against Michigan on Friday was the Broncos third straight non-conference win.
Ball State:
During their improbable run to the final of the Maui Invitational, the Cardinals knocked off
No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 UCLA. Although Ball State could not dethrone No. 1 Duke, it gave
the Blue Devils all they could handle, leading the game 27-18 midway though the first half.
Kent State: After a NCAA tourney win last season, the Golden Flashes are now 3-1
Reynolds wraps Wolverines in bevy of threes
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
KALAMAZOO - Western Michigan senior for-
ward Steve Reynolds prides himself on being an
avid student of the game.
This was evident than in what Reynolds did on
his bus ride to the Mid-American Conference
Media Day in Cleveland a few weeks ago.
All Western Michigan's captain did was study
his brand new playbook.
"You'd think that Steve just got a new bicycle,"
McCullum joked. "He was so happy, so proud, that
he didn't let it out of his sight."
All of Reynolds' cramming paid big dividends as
he scorched the Wolverines Friday night for 28
points, including 4-of-9 shooting from behind the
arc. This stud performance came just two days after
Reynolds' recorded a career-high 32 points in a
last-second victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"T ot in the workn ver the suammer and it finlly
the direction of strength coach Nick Juday,
Reynolds has developed into Western Michigan's
strongest player.F
Reynolds' strength was put to the test in Friday's
game, as he matched up with preseason Naismith
Award candidate LaVell Blanchard for most of the
first half. It was something Reynolds said he anx-
iously anticipated.
"I probably made it more personal than he did,"
Reynolds admitted. "Obviously he's one of the best
players in Michigan and I felt I could play with
him."
Reynolds certainly held his own against Blan-
chard, nailing his first three treys in sparking a 15-
2 run to start the game. He also helped contain
Blanchard to just eight points and 3-of-11 shooting
from the field.
But McCullum says that's nothing new for
Reynolds, whom the Broncos not only depend on
for leadership as their lone senior and captain, but
also in evervthinp thev do on the floor
"I think he's very underrated."
Reynolds is not used to being a "go-to-guy."
The journeyman and junior college transfer spent
his freshman year at Weber State before making
the trek to Treasure Valley Community College in
Oregon. That's where Reynolds had a breakout
year, averaging 19 points and seven rebounds per
game.
But there was still a very important link missing
for the South Bend, Ind. native, as he was never
able to see his parents in the stands at any of his
games. The homesick Reynolds wanted to be closer
to home, and Western Michigan proved to be the
perfect fit as it is only an hour from his hometown.
His parents haven't missed a game since.
When Reynolds took his first glimpse of the
stands in University Arena on Friday night, he was
pleasantly surprised for another reason.
He saw 5,649 rabid Broncos fans, the largest
crowd in the arena since it was renovated in 1994,
and a far crv from the average attendance of about
I PUL III IC WUIK VCI LIM ,ULLLIICJ UILU IL Alllily MNL) 111 Vy g y t . al aIa y gILlJ LaJ av11tII; Ii*Sttt. v, t. a v
paid off," Reynolds said. "He's our go-to-guy," McCullum said. "The ball 2,000.
Reynolds (6-foot-7, 220 pounds) put in hundreds goes through him. Even on out-of-bounds plays, "I came out and looked at the crowd and it w
ofhours over the summer in the weight room in an the ball goes through him. And if he's not in the like a dream come true," Reynolds said. "The
attempt to become a more physical presence. Under game, we don't execute as well. were humans everywhere."
Spartans, Hoosiers fall in preseason tourneys
vas
ere
NEW YORK (AP) - Maybe
Melvin Ely is just a slow starter.
No. 23 Fresno State's 6-foot-10
center was scoreless in the first half
but more than made up for it with 14
second-half points to lead the Bull-
dogs to a 63-58 victory over No. 13
Michigan State on Friday in the con-
solation game of the preseason NIT.
"Our goal was to win in New
York," Ely said.
And he made sure they did.
Ely shook loose for seven second-
half baskets, including four in a row,
as Fresno State held off ,Michigan
State.
"The coaches have been working
on my shooting when I'm double-
teamed," Ely said. "In the first half, I
was happy to throw the ball out and
get assists for my teammates."
Ely missed both of his first-half
shots but had six rebounds as Fresno
State 'built a 32-23 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs were hot even if Ely
was not.
Fresno State hit 12-of-21 shots
from the field while Michigan State
managed just 10-of-34.
Coach Jerry Tarkanian said Ely
was walking around the dressing
53-42 lead for the Bulldogs (3-1).
After Michigan State (2-2) used an
8-2 run to narrow the lead, Ely
scored again.
With the score at 57-53 and 1:52
to play, Wolfe's put-back cut Fres-
no's lead to a basket. Chris Jefferies
hit three free throws and Matt
Mitchell had one for the Bulldogs in
the final minute.
Chris Hill's 3-pointer cut the lead
to three points with 6.2 seconds left.
But two more free throws by
Mitchell sealed the victory.
Jackson had 14 points for Fresno
State. Wolfe led the Spartans with 11
points, and Adam Ballinger and Hill
had 10 apiece.
Coach Tom Izzo said he was dis-
appointed with the lack of consisten-
cy from Michigan State's key play-
ers.
"We didn't give ourselves a
chance to win," he said.
MARQUETTE 50; INDIANA 49:
Dwayne Wade scored the deciding bas-
ket on a play that was not even
designed for him.
Wade scored 17 of his 21 points in
the second half, including a lay up
with 11 seconds left, to lead Mar-
quette to a 50-49 victory over No. 20
Indiana in a semifinal game of the
,Great Alaska Shootout Friday night.
In the frenzy of activity in the
lane, Jared Jeffries stripped the ball
from Nnamaka. But Wade snagged it
in heavy traffic and put it in with 11
seconds left.
"We needed an aggressive attitude
in the second half and not to shy
away from contact," Marquette (4-0)
coach Tom Crean said. "We finally
settled down and played our style."
Food for Thought
Iraq Embargo
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Michigan forward LaVell Blanchard was benched to start the second half In favor of
freshman Chuck Bailey Friday night against Western Michigan.
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