PORTS michigandaity.com/sports sportsdesk@umich.edu THURSDAY JANUARY 17, 2002 8A __ Slow start kills chances early for Wolverines By David Horn Daily Sports Writer Four minutes and 24 seconds into the first half of last night's game against Northwestern, Michigan scored its first points. Four minutes and 50 seconds into the sec- ond half, the Wolverines notched their first point after NORTHWESTERN 58 halftime. The slow start in each half was one of many reasons MICHIGAN 54 Michigan (2-3 Big Ten, 6-8 overall) failed to defeat the Wildcats (1-3, 9-6) at home for the second straight season, losing 58-54. "Our start really doomed us," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "Getting in a hole against North- western with the way that they play is a very tough, uphill battle." That style of play is a patient, methodical one, rely- ing on ball control and backdoor passing. It is a style that Northwestern coach Bill Carmody brought with him from Princeton, and has employed with varying success in the Big Ten. But the backdoor scoring (which accounted for one- third of the Wildcats' field goals) was just one thorn in the Wolverines' side. Poor first-half shooting, timid, even lackadaisical ball movement and foul trouble all contributed to a poor showing that left the team with three straight losses, and a lot of questions. "If we dwell on this, that could prevent us from win- nizig big games," senior tri-captain Leon Jones said. "The whole team has to keep their head up and believe that we can bounce back from this." Whether the Wolverines can "bounce back" remains to be seen. But Amaker's squad did show its resiliency in the second half. It ended the first half down 31-19. "I told our kids at halftime that we can't be tenta- tive," Amaker said. "I thought we needed our energy level shifted to a higher gear." Michigan was down 35-19 in the midst of the sec- ond-half scoring drought. Coming out of the first offi- cials' timeout, freshman guard Dommanic Ingerson missed a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. Junior for- Northwestern slams backdoor on Cagers DAVID KATZ/Daily Senior Chris Young scored just eight points in 34 minutes of action and fouled out of the game with 3:47 to play. ward LaVell Blanchard chased down the rebound, then smartly drew a foul on a baseline runner. Blanchard broke the ice by knocking down his free throws, then led his team on a 9-0 run, scoring seven of those nine points. He ended the game with 11 points and nine rebounds. Blanchard and the Wolverines kept the score close from there, whittling the difference away to just one point. But down 55-54 with 40 seconds left, Amaker left the game up to his defense. Rather than fouling the Wildcats (who are the worst free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten) and forcing them to hit two shots on the line, Amaker opted to allow the Wolverines' defense to force a miss. Unfortunately it could not, and with three seconds left on the shot clock Verdran Vukusic found Jason Burke for the Wildcats' seventh successful backdoor pass of the game. Northwestern proceeded to foul guard Avery Queen, who failed to convert the front half of his one-and-one. By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor The Wolverines knew it was coming, they just couldn't stop it. Northwestern boasts an unorthodox, Princeton-style offense that milks the shot clock and utilizes numerous back- door cuts. The Wildcats put on a clinic last night, scoring seven of their 21 field goals (33 percent) on the back cut. "There was just mental breakdowns everywhere - on all our parts," senior tri-captain Chris Young said. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker mentioned how difficult it was to simu- late such an offense in practice, and freshman Dommanic Ingerson said Michigan just wasn't communicating enough on the defensive end. Those miscommunications trans- ferred to the other end of the court, as the Wolverines had 16 turnovers - the stat that Amaker labeled the "most dis- appointing." The Wildcats made themselves at home in Crisler Arena for the second straight season. Michigan's two straight home losses to Northwestern is the longest streak of its kind since 1960, when the Wolverines played their home games at Yost Fieldhouse. "This is a nice place to play"North- western forward Tavaras Hardy said. "Because the crowd isn't much of a factor." BURNING Up: After Amaker benched Ingerson and Avery Queen for most of the Illinois game on Saturday - play- ing three and six minutes, respectively - Amaker said the two guards had "pretty good" performances coming off the bench last night. Ingerson, recovering from a 103- degree temperature on Tuesday, scored five points and dished three assists in 16 minutes, but said he was never in long enough to get in a good rhythm. Queen was tied for the team lead with 11 points in 25 minutes of action. He shot 4-for-5 from the floor, including three huge' 3-pointers that Amaker said "gave us a chance to stay in the game." Michigan's starting backcourt, Mike Gotfredson and Gavin Groninger, had zero points and zero assists, while shooting 0-for-6 from the floor com- bined. YESTERDAY'S GAME Northwestem (58) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A O0T A F PTS Blake 38 411 0-0 1-4 1 1 10 Hardy 40 7-9 5413 441 3 1 19 Jennings 15 03 1-2 0-5 2 3 1 Drayton 39 3-8 2-2 0-4 3 3 8 Young 24 3-8 2-2 1-1 0 1 9 Vukusic 23 2-3 1-3 1-1 3 1 6 Long 11 1-3 0-00-0103 Burke 10 1-3 -0 0-1 0 1 2 Totals 200 21.48 1.1-22 7-28 1.311i 58 FG%:.438 FM .500 3-point FG: 5-22 227 (Blake 2- 7, Young 1-3, Vukusic 1-2, Long 1-3, Hardy 0-2, Jen- nings 02, Drayton 0-2, Burke 0-1). Blocks: (Hardy). Steas: 8 (Young 3, Blake 2, Drayton 2, Long). Tumnovems: 6 (Blake, Hardy, Drayton, Young, Vukusic, Burke). Technical fouls: none. MICHIGAN (54) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Robinson 32 5-14 0-0 3-8 1 1 10 Blanchard 26 4-10 2-3 3.9 0 5 11 Young 34 3-5 2-3 2-9 3 5 8 Gotfredson 9 00 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Groninger 14 0-6 0-0 0-1 0 2 0 Jones 25 3-7 0-0 1-3 0 1 9 Queen 25 4-5 0.1 0-2 3 2 11 Bailey 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Ingerson - 16 1-4 2-2 0-1 3 0 5 Adeblyi 15 0-0 0-0 1-3 0 2 0 Totals 200 20-5 1 69 12-391018 54 FG%: .392. FT%: .667. 3-point FG: 8-22,_364 (Jones 3-4, Queen 3-4, Blanchard 1-4,2ngerson 1-4, Robin- son 0-1, Groninger 0.5). Blocks:4(Young 2, Robin- son, Adebiyi). Steals: 1 (Young). Turnovefs: 16 (Robinson 5, Groninger 2, Jones 2, Queen 2, Blan- chard, Young, Gotfredson, Ingerson, Adebiyi). Techni- cal fouls: none. Northwestern ..........31 27 - 58 Michigan.............19 35 - 54 At: crisler Arena, Ann Arbor Attendance: 10,884 I Cuban- best *l M', State to duelwithou1t a spectacle By Seth Klempner Daily Sports Writer The last time the No. 8 Michigan hockey team saw No. 6 Michigan State, it was skating off a sheet of ice in front of more than 70,000 fans in the middle of a football stadium. At the time, both teams were playing their first game of the season and neither quite knew what to expect from the other. "This game brings out a whole new level of play in both teams," assistant coach Billy Powers said. "At the 'Cold War,' people saw the emotion and HOCKEY the energy they Notebook expect when these teams play, but did- n't see the talent. I think the game will be much less sloppy and will be more disciplined with the same emotional high as in East Lansing." While Saturday's game will not be a record-breaking event, it may be even more important for both teams. By win- ning 3-2 over Ferris State, the Spartans moved ahead of the Wolverines by two points in the CCHA standings. A Michigan win would create a tie for Guevara decides to simplify team defense attraction in the NBA ast week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made nation- al headlines when he incurred a $500,000F ine for disparaging remarks he made about the quality of officiating in the NBA. Cuban - who has made a substantial fortune in the corporate world - lashed out at the NBA's director of officiating, Ed Rush. According to Cuban, Rush is so incompetent at what he does that . Cuban "wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen." It wasn't enough that Cuban was slapped with the largest single fine in NBA history. The higher-ups at Dairy Queen heard what he said and chal- lenged the billionaire to actually manage a metro Dallas Dairy Queen for a day, to see if it is as easy as he made it out to be. As most of you know, Cuban happily accepted Dairy Queen's challenge and worked behind the counter yesterday, dispensing Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards to wide-eyed 15-year-olds. Predictably, the whole event was a media circus, and just as predictably, Cuban has received a storm of criticism for his actions. A number of people have comeput and called Cuban just about eve y ame in the book, with some of the mo printable ones being "selfish",' a- ture' and "naive." They can't be that he would incur such an enor fine, and they are even more tak aback by his blase attitude - dismissed the NBA's fine d!lapan the wrist and matched the fine it donation to charity (which iswhth always does whenhe gets fine4),. I have a differing opinionfronithe Cuban-haters. Not only do I find the idea of Cuban working at a Dairy Queen to be hilarious, but I agreed with his assessment of NBA officiating. Fur- thermore, I think he's the best thing - possibly the only good thing - that the NBA has going for it right now There was a time when I loved watch- ing pro basketball. That was about 10 years ago, when a team scoring 100 points in a game wasn't cause for a heart attack. It was back when guys who were handed multi-million dollar con- tracts could actually shoot, and when overmatched high schoolers (read: Tyson Chandler) attended college for a few years before turming pro. Those were the glory days. Over the last 10 years, I watched the NBA devolve into a league where 82-75 snoozers between (fill M Easten Con- ference teams here) are written off to "good defense." I almost completely lost interest in the NBA. But then, Cuban came along and took over the Mavericks a few years ago. He brought a cocky attitude and an enthusiasm that had been missing from the league for years. He also brought a deep pocket and a willingness to spare no expense to make once-moribund Dallas a winner, and the proof is in the pudding: The Mavericks advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year and look like a contender again this year. Pro basketball is fun again in Dallas, and a big chunk of credit should go to Cuban. Players seem to like playing for him, and the fans in Dallas love him. Cuban sits in the stands with the aver- age, paying customers and cheers as loudly as (or louder than) anybody else. In an age where most owners sit in lux- ury boxes and hold fans hostage for new, publicly-funded arenas, Cuban is a breath of fresh air. He's good for pro basketball - no, he's great for pro bas- ketball --and I hope he's around the NBA for years. And, if that doesn't work out, there's always the lucrative world of ice cream, right? el By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer After losing 78-65 at Penn State this past Sunday, Michigan women's basketball coach Sue Guevara joked that the Wolverines were the cure for all the shooting woes of their oppo- nents. But when Michigan faces than any other team in the confer- ence. Even against Minnesota's explo- sive offense, Michigan is confident heading into the game. "I think every team we played we could have won, but something was- n't there and hopefully we can find that (this time)," Smith said. DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan could use some scoring help from freshman Michael Woodford on Saturday. first place, with the Wolverines holding the potential tiebreaker. "There is obviously a lot more at stake this time around," associate head coach Mel Pearson said. "We are get- ting down to the last part of the season. We have played a lot more games now, so we know a lot more about our team and what their guys are capable of." ON THE TOWN: What do 26 college- aged bachelors do with their Friday night off? If they are members of the Michigan hockey team, they go see Jerry Bruck- heimer's new movie "BlackHawk Down." "The rest of the guys wanted to see some girlie movie, but I stepped in and said 'No, we are going to see "Black- Hawk Down,"' and no one put up a fight," freshman Michael Woodford said. SPORTING GREEN: Michigan's elder statesman, Kevin O'Malley, drove home the importance of Saturday's game to Michigan players off the ice. Former Michigan center Mike Com- rie - who centers a line between two Michigan State alumni in Shawn Hor- coff and Anson Carter on the Edmonton Oilers - called to tell his former class- mate, O'Malley, that he has to wear a Michigan State shirt if the team loses. Since Comrie joined the Oilers in mid- season last year, Michigan has not beat- en Michigan State. _ Want to write for Daily Sports? Mass Meetings will be held at 420 Maynard on Jan. 22, 24 and 28 at 8 p.m. Minnesota tonight, the Wolverines will take on an opponent with no offensive woes at all. To try to slow down the Minnesota offense - which is ranked third in the Big Ten - Michigan will get back to basics and change its defensive scheme to a simpler strat- egy. Michigan has used various defenses during MINNEAPOLIS Who: Michigan (1-5 Big Ten, 11-6 overall) vs. Min- nesota (2-2, 12-3) When: 8 p.m. Latest: At 1-5 in the Big Ten, the Wolverines need a big performance on the road from their defense to get back on track. According to Gue- vara, one win will not make the team's prob- lems. The key for Michigan this weekend is to manage turnovers and rebounds. "Those are two areas of mistakes that we have to cut down on. Now if we can cut down on those and win a game, that is wonderful," Gue- S U This Weekend in Michigan Athletics Presented by: clngUarsM WIRELESS the season, including different zone looks, man-to-man and a full court press at times. The Wolverines' defensive scheme was complex, but Guevara will simplify the strategy to just two or three defenses to help the team get back on track. "I have to change (the defense) up," Guevara said. "I think we're going to have to go strictly with one zone and man-to-man." Earlier this season, Michigan was dominating teams in rebounding, both offensively and defensively. But the Wolverines have seen their rebounding margin drop steadily to just 2.7 more boards than their oppo- nents per game. More importantly, Michigan has allowed its opponents to get second-chance shots off from the offensive glass - something it cannot allow. "I know I really need to concen- trate on boxing out this time, pushing them back, making contact to get rebounds," Michigan center Jennifer Smith said.' Minnesota has defensive woes of its own. The Golden Gophers are giving up 79 points per game in Big Ten play, which is four more points vara said. "If we cut those down and we lose, it is still a step. But maybe instead of taking two steps, you only take one." * I Men's and Women's Track & Field Sat., January 19 Red Simmons Invitational Field Events - 9:30 a.m. Track Events - Noon U-M Track Building Free NIKE water bottles to the first 200 fans! Admission is $4 for adults; $2 for children and senior citizens. U-M students admitted for free with valid ID! Men's Gymnastics Sat., January 19 Michigan vs. Minnesota 7:30 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena j Admission is $4 for adults; $2 for children and senior citizens. U-M students admitted for free with valid ID! Tennis Sat. January 19 01 DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Heather Oesterle needs to provide her team with a lift off the bench. Arun Gopal can be reached at agopal@umich.edu. U I Women's U-M vs. Western Michigan 10 a.m. Men's FREE DELIVERY F R E E CATERING SPECIAL 6, $5.00 OFF With The Purchase Of Any ANY $3.00 NIU O Sub Of Equal Or Greater I A 0.00 OFF Value & A32-oz Drink ANY $60.00 MINIMUM ORDER _. -1-_7 -,fMh -^i7% UW I