4 (he idiigt 1aiI PORTS michigandaily. com/s ports sportsdesk@umich.edu WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2001 8 4 In need of offense, Blue turns to defensemen Falcons pose realistic threat to 'M' on road By Seth Klempner Daily Sports Writer This past weekend, Michigan defensemen answered the coaches' call tosstep into plays and score - providing four of the team's seven goals. Whether it was taking a shot from the point or pinching up to make a play, defenders were finding ways to score. After junior Jeff Jillson departed early for the NHL, many suspected the offen- sive production of the blue line would suffer. Instead, players like sophomore Mike Komisarek and freshman Eric Werner (who scored 42 points in his Points by the 'D' Michigan's blueliners have account- ed for 21 percent of the team's points this season. Name GP G A Pts Mike Komisarek 13 5 5 10 Eric Werner 13 0 6 6 Jay Vancik 13 1 2 3 Andy Burnes 13 0 1 1 Brandon Rodgers 9 0 1 1 Totals 6 15 21 junior hockey league last year) have stepped up to provide some offense. Even senior defenseman Jay Vancik was able to take advantage of his oppor- tunities. On Friday night against Min- nesota, he scored his first goal since scoring against Queens College in an exhibition match earlier this season. "I think (offensive play) is something that (Michigan coach) Red (Berenson) is stressing this year a lot more than he did last year," sophomore defenseman Andy Burnes said. "When a defense- man can join the rush and turn a three- on-three into a four-on-three, that is one of the.things you can do to catch the other team off guard." What has compounded the need for defensive scoring is the lack of produc- tion from some of the Michigan for- wards. Coaches hope that defensive attacking can open things up for for- wards down low and in the corners. "We need (defensive play making) because we are not creating any goals from our forwards right now," assistant coach Mel Pearson said. "The last cou- ple of weeks, we have been trying to get our defensemen to become more 400 a DEBBIE MIZ L/Daily Michigan defenseman Eric Werner has five assists in the team's last five games. involved offensively and just get up the ice with the play." Komisarek already surpassed his goal production from last year (four) when he scored his third goal of the weekend and his fifth of the season on Saturday night. In addition, Werner has also provided an offensive threat from the blue line. While the freshman has yet to score a goal this season, he leads all defense- man with six assists. He has been play- ing strong of late with five assists in as many games and two multi-assist games for the Wolverines. Werner, a slippery player with good instincts, is considered to be the most offensive defenseman for Michigan. These skills have earned him a spot working the point with Mike Cammal- leri on the first powerplay unit for much of this season. "He is comfortable in that role," Berenson said. "He also sees open seams to make passes." By Steve Jackson Daily Sports Writer If the Michigan basketball team wants to avoid back-to-back road losses against Mid-American Con- ference teams, several questions need to be answered. Tonight at 7 p.m., the Wolverines will travel to Bowling Green, which already has proved it can play with the big boys of college basketball. After opening the season with an 82-78 overtime victory over 2001 Sweet 16 participant Mississippi, the Falcons posted a 73-70 win over Delaware, a 20-game ANDERs winner last season. Washington coach Who: Michig; Bob Bender, whose Bowling Gree team dealt Bowling when: 7:OO Green its lone defeat TV: Not broa this season, went so far . The X as to call them an look to avoidI NCAA Tournament ond straight t team. Mid-American Bowling Green (3-1) sits at No. 22 in the latest RPI rat- ings, light years. ahead of the 210Oth- ranked Wolverines (2-1). On Friday, Western Michigan displayed tremendous outside shooting ability, jumping all over Michigan with a 15-2 run that con- sisted of five 3-point shots. Despite a late surge, the Wolverines left Kalamazoo with a 79-73 loss. The most pressing question for Michigan is: Can it improve its perimeter defense? It better, because the Falcons have already proven their ability to open up with a hot hand at home. On Saturday night, Bowling Green set a school and MAC record by draining its first 10 3- pointers. The Falcons went on to defeat Defiance, a Division III school in Ohio, by the score of 107-80. "We don't depend a lot on our outside shooting," Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich said. "We could- n't be that hot again in an empty gym. But when people give us the open shot, we'll make it." Even after dealing with the chal- lenges that Bowling Green pres- ents, Michigan must still overcome its road woes. Last year, the Wolverines were 2- 11 away from Crisler Arena. Michi- gan has managed a combined road record of 9-34 in Brian Ellerbe's three seasons as head coach. During the Fab Five era, Steve Fisher coached his team to a record of 32-9 outside of Ann Arbor and ON ARENA an (21) at n (3-1) p.m. tonight dcast locally (760 AM) Nolverines will losing to a sec- eam from the conference. two Final Four appearances in as many years. If the Wolverines want to return to the glory days of old, win- ning on the road will be a key part of that resurgence. Finally, Michigan must find a way to rebound after its poor showing against West- 4 Women's hoops hopes to raise intensity By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer Defense may not always be glorious, but it is imperative. Offense sells tickets, but defense wins games. This fact is not lost on the Michigan women's basketball team. Coming off two impressive offen- sive performances last weekend, including Sun- day's 62-percent shooting from the field against Syracuse, the Wolverines (3-1) are confident that their offense can fill the seats. But Michigan also showed it can play defense to win games as it put together two imposing defen- sive halves over the weekend. The problem is these two halves' came in different games. Against New Hampshire on Friday, Michigan put together a superb second half of defense as it held the Wildcats to just 19 points on 28-percent shooting. Then on Sunday against Syracuse, the Wolverines played excellent defense in the first half, holding the Orangewomen to just 31 points. But in each of these games, the defense was only able to hold up for one half. Michigan needs to find a way to play good defense for 40 minutes. The key to this lies in keeping up the defensive intensity. "When our defensive intensity went down, obvi- ously so did our defense," coach Sue Guevara said. The Wolverines have been stressing defensive intensity in practice this week. It is the intensity in practice that translates to good defense in the games. For example, Stephanie Gandy has been a solid defensive player for the Wolverines, due in large part to her work ethic. "I think I'm one of the top defenders on the team because I work so hard," Gandy said. "(Gue- vara) always puts me on the best player, period." Playing primarily on the wing, Gandy can find herself isolated with no one to help her. It is at these times that denying the middle of the floor becomes crucial. "I try to keep them out of the middle," Gandy said. "I always have the mentality that if my player goes down the middle the whole defense is dead." Despite high intensity, at times players will get beaten. This is when the second part of the Michi- gan defensive scheme becomes imperative. If she is beaten, Gandy immediately calls out to the rest of her team that someone is in the middle. This type of communication is essential to play- ing defense. Talking on defense makes the other defenders' jobs easier. "Sometimes you get caught watching your play- er and it helps a lot when someone is calling shot," Guevara said. The Wolverines place great importance on team defense, which is a result of good communication on the floor. It falls to the players to call out screens, picks and back picks for each other. "If you are beat and you don't call help, your teammate won't know you're beat," Gandy said. ern Michigan. There are several schools of thought on how the Wolverines should do this. Some players are taking the loss in stride, while others are furious, awaiting their chance to shine. "We can't sit here with our heads down," said sophomore forward Bernard Robinson. "This was just the third game of the season." "Every game, we have to play like we're down, even if we're up 30," said freshman guard Domman- ic Ingerson. "We have to fight through this." Michigan coach Tommy Amaker has taken a wait-and-see attitude. "This is a long horse race," Amaker said after the Western Michigan loss. "This is some adversity that we are going to face right here. "I am anxious to see how we are going to respond." 4 U V G -MMA .LEAM jr4c pi e pE~R sU A Yaffe Center for Persuasive Communications Speaker Series I a Come hear Ronald Reagan's speechwriter, and a distinguished researcher on political communications, share their insights about successful political communications...and hear what professional and academic experts share what they've learned about the secrets of persuasive communications from LESSONS FROM POLITICAL PERSUASION Friday Nov 30, 4-5.30pm, Wolverine Room, Business School Clark Judge, Former Speechwriter for the Ronald Reagan White House Professor Shanto lyengar, Stanford University, Communication/Political Science No Registration Required! Reception follows presentation For more information: www.yaffecenter.org 0 i