leRTidlStanilp I michigandaily.com/sports sportsdesk@umich.edu FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2002 9 Women seekng payback on Illini By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's basketball team gained some confidence in the second half of last Sunday's win over Indiana, but this Sunday the Wolverines won't have the intangibles going for them. The Wolverines (2-6 Big Ten, 12-7 overall) will go into Champaign to face Illinois (5-3 , 12-6), a team full of con- fidence and experience. "They haye much, much better chemistry (than last year)," Guevara said. "They lost their starting back- court, and they still have 15 or 16 assists a game." Illinois is looking to pack more than 10,000 fans into Assembly Hall in a rematch of both teams' Big Ten opener. Michigan shot a team record 66.7 per- cent from the field and had five players score in double figures, but committed, 18 turnovers in an 85-81 Illinois win. The Illini, after finishing just one game above .500 last season, are tied for third in the Big Ten and are suc- ceeding with a core group of players that play well with each other. In the first game between the two teams, Illi- nois had four players play more than 35 ASSEMBLY HALL Who: Michigan (2-6 Big Ten, 12-7 overall) vs. Illinois (5-3, 12-6) When: 3:00 p.m. Sunday Latest: The Wolverines need a win on the road in this rematch to start the second half of the Big Ten season minutes and score in double figures while dishing off 22 assists and com- mitting just nine turnovers. In order to come out of the Land of Lincoln with a victory, Michigan is going to need big games from LeeAnn Bies and Jennifer Smith. The Illini are last in the Big Ten in rebounding, but against the Wolverines they pulled down 15 offensive boards while hold- ing the Wolverines to just four. Bies, after having a couple of off-games, scored 17 against the Hoosiers in the second half. Smith had an off day, post- ing just four points and three rebounds. Michigan is also going to need to maintain the defensive intensity they displayed in the second half of the win against Indiana. The Wolverines were playing lackluster defense throughout the Big Ten season until they showed some life and held Indiana to less than 30 percent shooting. To continue its momentum, Michigan will play the same 3-2 zone it used against Indiana while also mixing occasional man-to- man sets. "Our defense has to be different," Guevara said. "We can't give up 85 points and expect to win." With this game kicking off the sec- ond half of the Big Ten season, Michi- gan needs a victory against a quality opponent to put it back on track. To have a shot at postseason play, Michi- gan will probably need to win at least six of its final eight games. B uckeyes~f demol.0ish } im) ' 69-47 ByJoe Smith Daily Sports Editor , {.. , COLUMBUS - Maybe the Wolverines shouldn't have shown up last night. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker called the game his team's "worst per- formance of the season," as No. 20 Ohio State outhustled and outplayed the Wolverines, 69-47, on national tel- evision in front of MICHIGAN 47 18,103 at f. Value City OHIO STATE 69 Arena. For first-place Ohio State (6-0 Big Ten, 15-2 overall), it was its 13th straight conference win and its seventh consecutive win over Michigan, dating back to 1999. "Our players knew everyone in the nation was watching this," said Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien, who has mentioned how his Buckeyes deserve more respect in the polls. "They were really pumped up going into this one" For Michigan, it was an entirely dif- ferent story, "You need to show poise, patience and toughness in situations like this," Amaker said. "And we didn't show any of those three." Sound harsh? Michigan's players echoed the sentiments. "They were definitely tougher than us today," said senior tri-captain Chris Young. "When there was a loose ball, they were on the ground and then we were on the ground." But surprisingly, Michigan (3-4, 7- 9) hung with the Buckeyes for the first 18 minutes, with a Dommanic Inger- son 3-pointer giving the Wolverines a 23-21 lead with 2:18 to play in the half. But that was the beginning of the end. Ohio State went on an 8-0 run to end the half, which Amaker said "was the difference in the game." The Buckeyes started the second Road woe Michigan begins run towards NCAA berth ALYSS LaVell Blanchard and his teammates didn't fight hard enough for the ball in yesterday's 69.47 loss at Ohio State. By Dan Rosen Daily Sports Writer The Michigan water polo team is hosting the Michigan Invitational this weekend to begin its second season as a varsity sport. There are high hopes for the Wolverines this year, after the Collegiate Water Polo Association ranked them first in its annual presea- son top 10. This year, Michigan has added 16 freshmen to its roster, a move that Michigan coach Amber Drury- Pinto feels is a very posi- NATy tive step forward for the Who: Michiga young program. Santa Barbar "We've added a lot of Michigan Stat depth to our squad," she When: Tomor said. "We're fairly young day - we're about half fresh- Latest: In its men now." son, the WolvE Drury-Pinto resists the expected to c notion that the influx of the national ti freshmen makes the Wolverines young. "Those freshmen come in with a great deal of high school, club and national experience," she said. Last season, the Wolverines com- piled a 21-11-1 overall record but fell short of the NCAA Tournament with a fifth-place finish at the Eastern Con- ference Championship - a first place finish would have earned them a spot in the four-team event. "It was a great first .season," Drury- Pinto said. "We performed well. Of course we 'would have liked to have finished better, but overall we were very pleased with how we did." Facing Michigan in the pool this weekend will be California-Santa Bar- s set for return to Ohio0 By Matt Kraier Daily Sports Writer Just one day removed from being named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for women's gymnastics and six days removed from winning her second consecutive all-around title, Michigan sophomore Calli Ryals gets one more gift tomorrow - she gets to go home. That's because the No. 11 Michigan woman's gymnastics team (1-0 Big Ten, 3-2) is heading to Ryals' home state of Ohio to face No. 23 Ohio State j A A 2l 4-r-vv__ t , n m i:n I ITO an,( a, F ite, crow sec erir om tie bara, Hawaii, Michigan State and Indi- ana. Michigan State is still a club team, leaving Indiana as Michigan's only Big Ten varsity foe and its most obvious rival. The two teams faced each other five times last year, with Michigan compiling a dominating 4-0- 1 record against the Hoosiers, includ- ing two overtime victories. The Wolverines defeated Indiana 8-2 in the final match of the season, earning them fifth place at the Eastern Confer- ence Championship. But Drury-Pinto does not want to put any added impor- AM tance on Sunday's game 'RIUM California with Indiana. Hawa i "We're taking (the Indiana match with Indiana) just and Sun- like any other match," she said. "Because they're the ond sea- only other Big Ten school, nes are there's always that extra pete for added rivalry. But we see -___ them so often that it really is just another game." Michigan also faced Hawaii and Michigan State last year. History shows that it will be impor- tant for Michigan to get off to a good start this year. Four wins in five games at last year's season opening Princeton Invitational helped to propel the Wolverines to their midseason success. "It's always important (to get off to a good start), especially having us open up at home - that's always a huge motivation," Drury-Pinto said. "The biggest key is just for us to play well. If we play well and we lose, I can deal with it. But, of course, we want to defend our home pool and come away with as many wins as possible." S"*""" COLUMBUS Who: Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 3-2) at Ohio State (0-0, 0-3) When: 7:00 p.m. Latest: Michigan guns for its 29th straight Big Ten victory against the struggling Buckeyes. title against Northern Illinois on Jan. 13, Ryals scored a career best 39.925 last Saturday to help the Wolverines upset then-No.. 5 Minnesota 195.125- 195.025. The win was Michigan's 28th straight in Big Ten competition. Ohio State has struggled early. But the Buckeyes have faced tough compe- tition; their 0-3 record is deceiving considering they have faced Kentucky, Utah and Oklahoma, all teams in the top 12 in the nation. "I haven't even really been able to look much at Ohio State," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "I'm spending so much time with our team and our team's injuries that I haven't had any time to enn,++h nt+" half where they had left off in the first, playing fundamentally sound basket- ball and converting on both ends of the floor. Ohio State guard - and Detroit native - Brent Darby hit three 3- pointers in a matter of minutes, as the Buckeyes jumped out to a daunting 46-29 advantage with just over 12 minutes to play. The Wolverines could only respond with turnovers, poor ball movement and offensive futility. Their offense sputtered, crashed and burned like a broken-down 1989 Dodge Dynasty, especially at the end of the game. In tying a season-low with 47 points, the Wolverines shot a dismal 25 percent and dished out a season-low six assists - five of which came from the hands of Avery Queen. LaVell Blanchard led Michigan with 11 points on 4-15 shooting. Ingerson and Bernard Robinson com- bined for 4-17 from the floor and were plagued by some poor shot selections. On the other hand, Ohio State's s continue forBlue By David Horn Daily Sports Writer COLUMBUS - Michigan has not fared well on the road in its recent history. Its win against Penn State in State College to begin this season's Big Ten campaign was its first conference road win in nearly a year. So it would have been surprising to see the Wolverines taking it to No. 20 Ohio State at Value City Arena. BASKETBALL But with 2:24 left in the first Notebook half, Michigan was looking more than competitive. It had fought back from a 15-5 deficit to take a two-point lead. After a jumper by reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Brian Brown knotted the score at 23, Michigan fell apart. "We just had some mental breakdowns," Michigan forward LaVell Blanchard said. "We turned the ball over and took some quick shots." Coming out of a timeout with just over a minute remaining in the half, the Buckeyes flexed their undefeated muscles. An 8-0 run to end the half fol- lowed by a 19-6 run after the intermission put Ohio State up 19 before the Wolverines could finally put together a solid possession. Eight minutes into the second half the game was over, and the contest became the sort of blowout Michigan fans are getting used to seeing when their team is on the road. "The way we ended the first half was a sign of things to come for the rest of the game," Amaker said. LOCAL FLAVOR: Detroit native Brent Darby was the ignition for an Ohio State offense that seemed to sputter out early in the game. During the run that began the second half, Darby scored 11 of the Buck- eyes' 13 points, including three 3-pointers to put the game out of reach. He ended the game with 16 points on 4-of-6 shoot- ing from behind the arc. His four 3-pointers are a season-high for any Buckeye. "I know a lot of people on that team, so it's kind of fun to have an opportunity to play against them," Darby said. T.V. EXPOSURE: The Wolverines have not fared well in their three nationally televised games this season. Their home games against Duke and Boston College were televised on CBS; last night's game was tele- vised nationally on ESPN. In those three games Michigan has been outscored by an average of 85-68, and has averaged more than 17 turnovers per game. There were no complaints from the Buckeyes, who will likely face Michigan on CBS when they meet in Ann Arbor on March 3. "It was a great win," Brown said. "It was even bet- ter because it was on national television." YESTERDAY' S GAME Michigan (47) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-TA F PTS Robinson 22 2-8 0-0, 2-7 1 4 5 Blanchard 31 4-15 2-4 1-7 0 2 11 Young 29 3-6 2-2 2-7 0 3 8 Jones 24 2-6 0.0 0.1 0 3 4 Queen 33 1-4 2-2 03 5 1 4 Dill 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 00 0 Gibson 1 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Ingerson 19 2-9 2-2 1-2 0 2, 8 Gotfredson 5 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 1 0 Groninger 15 1-5 0-0 1-1 0 0 2 Bailey 15 2-2 1-3 1-4.0 1 5 Adebiyi 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Totals 200 17-56 9.13 9-34 6 1$ 47 FG%:.340 FT%: 692 3-point FG: 4-20 200 (Ingerson 2- 8, Robinson 1-2, Blanchard 1-3, Groninger 03, Jones 0-2, Queen 0-1, Gotfredson 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Young 2, Bailey 2). Steals: 2 (Queen, Gotfredson). Turnovers: 14 (Bailey 3, Young 3, Ingerson 2, Robinson 2, Blanchard, Gotfredson, Queen, Jones). Technical fouls: none. OHIO STATE (69) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-TA F PTS Williams 30 2-4,00 0-8 1 2 4 Radinovic 12 1-2 0-0 1-3 0 4 2 Darby 28 6-11 0.1 0-4 1 1 16 Brown 30 713 0-0 1-6 1 1 17 Savovic 31 5-12 46 1-4 7 2 15 Cheatham 13 1-4 0-0 0-2 3 1 2 Connolly 18 1-5 1-2 0.1 3 0 3 Heflin 1 0-0 -0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0.0 0 0 0 Dials 24 3-7 0.4 1-61 3 6 Dudley 3 0-0 0.0 1-1 0 1 0 Martin 8 0.1 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 Marinchick 1 0-2 4-4 2-2 0 0 4 Totals 200 2661 917 940 17 1569 FG%:.426. FT%: .529. 3-ont FG:822, .364 (Darby 4-6, Brown 3-5, Savovic 1-7, Connolly 0.2, Cheatham 0.1, Mar- inchick 0-1). Blocks: 3 (Radinovic 2, Dials). Steals: 4 (Savovic 2, Connolly, Darby). Turnovers: 7 (Brown 2, Williams 2, Darby, Dials, Dudley). Technical fouls: none. Michi'gan ....................23 24 - 47 Ohio State ...........29 40 - 69 At: Value City Arena, Columbus Attendance: 18,103 backcourt of Darby, Brian Brown and Boban Savovic combined for more scoring than the entire Michigan team with 48 points. And the rest of the Buckeyes gave Michigan a clinic in fundamentals. Ohio State had only seven turnovers all game to go along with 17 assists. "They just don't make mistakes and don't shoot themselves in the foot," Young said, "And the way we played, that's not how you beat a team like that." leers, aiming for sweep of Falcons - I ! I t I'M life] , 11 . psi' By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Writer Michigan's Eric Nystrom skipped practice on Tuesday in order to nurse an ankle injury he suffered against Alaska-Fairbanks on Jan. 11. Nystrom, who played hurt against Michigan State last weekend, is not yet 100 per- cent recovered. So why is the freshman winger suiting up for this weekend's series against Bowling Green - one of YosT I the weaker teams in the Who: Michiga CCHA this season - CCHA,13-7-5 when he could be treating Bowling Gree his injury? It's simple. 15-5) "We can't afford to lose when: 7:301 any more games," Nys- 7:00 p.m. tot trom said. Latest: Michi After dueling to a 1-1 overcome inju tie last weekend in Ann and complac Arbor, the Wolverines and the 11th-plaC 9nartanc echhave1a0p i Agame s CE an 5o yen ( p.m mo ga juri en ce F play our best hockey." On the other side of the rink, Bowl- ing Green is currently sitting in 1lth place in the CCHA, just one point ahead of last-place Lake Superior. Scoring has been the biggest issue for the Falcons, as their 2.5 goals-per- game average is far too low to contend with any of their conference oppo- nents. Picked to finish eighth in the CCHA by the ARENA media, coach Buddy Pow- (1044 ers' Falcons were expect- verall) vs. ing to turn some heads 4-10-2, 6- this season after a strong showing in last year's n. tonight, CCHA Tournament. In rrow the first round, the No. 9 n looks to seed Bowling Green upset es, illness No. 2 seed Miami. The cy against Falcons went on to defeat Falcons Northern Michigan in the nlav-in zame h t lost a toch 2-1 10 in Ann Arbon "We have to play the best game we' can play, and we have to find a way to get a puck past (Michigan goalie Josh) Blackburn," Powers said. "When their fans get fired up, it's like Michigan has an extra guy out on the ice." Given Bowling Green's position in the standings, it would seem likely that the team has begun to look toward next season. But the new format of the CCHA Tournament, in which every team in the CCHA gets invited, is keeping Powers focused on the present. "We're starting to look at (the future) a little bit, but I think we still have an opportunity to make a move in the standings before the playoffs," Powers said. "We're focused right now on moving up the ladder." Meanwhile, keeping pace with the Spartans is the main thing on the Wolverines' mind. But they will also he concerned with developing some SCOREKEEPERS gp6rt 9de & ;0ag S on-Home Games T $1.0 CALL A RNKS M FRI DAY.Qm I i i ii III, r -I .1- ..: .... _ __ .1