5B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - February 18, 2002 Trash talk "We've got a losing record ... We're almost playing for nothing." - Sophomore forward Bernard Robinson, on his team s lack of effort in recent games, specifically in yesterday 's loss to No. 22 Indiana. SATURDAY'S GAME 3 Indiana 75 Michigan 55, Players of the game Chris Young Michigan Young did more than just score a team- high 18 points for the Wolverines. He did his part down low in drawing fouls from the Indiana big men. Kyle Hornsby Indiana It's hard to pick a player of the game for Indiana. Three Hoosiers scored 17 points, but it was Hornsby s S-of-5 3- point shooting that earns him the honor Hoosiers offense still runs smooth despite injured star By Steve Jackson Daily Sports Editor Indiana's star forward Jared Jeffries played just 18 minutes and scored just four points, but the Hoosiers' frontcourt dominated the Wolverines anyway. Kyle Hornsby, Jarrad Odle and Jeff Newton each scored 17 points yesterday. As a team, Michigan made 18 field goals, but those three made 20 for Indiana. Newton came off the bench and gave the Hoosiers a lift, tying his career high for points and adding five rebounds and three blocks in just 23 minutes. "This was (Newton's) best game since he has been at Indiana," Indiana coach Mike Davis said. Michigan center Chris Young also had one of his best games of the year, pulling down five boards and scoring 18 points. "We did a very good job of making sure Chris got touches," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "He was 5-of-6 from the floor and really efficient, cQnvert- ing a lot of free throws. I like to see that because he becomes more of a weapon for us. If he is getting to the line, he becomes a much more difficult player to guard." g But despite Young's inspired play, the Hoosiers sim- ply had too many big bodies to throw at the Wolver- ines. Odle and Newton each picked up four fouls, but both were still able to do their damage on the inside, finishing a combined 14-of-25 from the field. "The thing we were really struggling with was we weren't pressuring the ball," Young said. "What we weren't doing is what we always do - getting out in the passing lanes and denying guys." That lack of pressure enabled the Hoosiers to utilize the high-low game to great success. Indiana finished with 23 assists for the afternoon. "They have a really solid interior post game, " Amaker said. "They pass the ball very well, and they stretch you because they can all shoot it from long dis- tance. Anytime you get stretched out, that opens you up on the inside." When the Indiana post men weren't getting easy layups and dunks, they were finding Hornsby for open looks on the outside. Hornsby set a new single-game percentage record by connecting on all five of his 3-point attempts. His 17 points were also a career high. "It's hard to combat size," Michigan senior Leon Jones said. "We're one of the smallest teams in the Big Ten, so we try to combat it with quickness. But it doesn't always work." SATURDAY'S GAME Indiana (75) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Jeffries 18 2-3 0-0 0.2 2 2 4 Hornsby 25. 6-7 0-0 2-4 0 3 17 Odle 28 8-14 1-2 1-6 3 4 17 Coverdale 32 3-8 0-0 0-1 5 0 6 Fife 39 3-5 0-0 0-3 7 2 8 Moye 21 0-5 0-0 3-7 3 2 0 Leach 2 0-0 0-0 0.0 1 1 0 Perry 10 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 Johnson 1. 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Tapak 1 1-1 0-0 0.0 0 0 3 Newton 23 6-9 5-5 2-5 2 4 17 Totals 200 30-57 6-7 9-30 23 18 75 FG%: .545. T%: .857. 3-point FG: 9-15, .600 (Hornsby 5-5, Fife 2-4, Perry 1-1, Tapak 1-1, Coverdale 0-3, Moye 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Newton 3, Jef- fries). Steals: 8 (Fife 3, Jeffries 2, Coverdale 2, Moye. Turnovers: 14 (Fife 4, Coverdale 3, Jeffries 2, Hornsby, Odle, Moye, Perry, Netwon). Technical fouls: none. MICHIGAN (55) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Robinson 29 5-11 1-1 1-3 2 4 11 Blanchard 27 3-13 2-2 5-5 1 3 8 Young 33 5-6 8-9 2-5 0 3 18 Jones 33 3-7 1-3 0-3 1 1 10 Gotfredson 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Queen 25 0-4 0-0 1-2 2 0 0 Gibson 10 0-1 1-2 1-1 1 1 1 Ingerson 12 2-3 0-0 0-3 0 1 5 Groninger 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Bailey 19 0-2 2-4 2-5 1 2 2 Adebiyi 1 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Totals 200 18-48 152112-28 9 15 55 FG%: .375. FT%: .714. 3-point FG1: 4-16_ 250 (Jones 3-5, Ingerson 1-2, Queen 0-4, Blanchard 0-3, Robinson 0-1, Gibson 0-1). Blocks: 6 (Gibson 2, Blanchard, Young, Queen, Bailey). Steals: 7 (Queen 3, Robinson, Blanchard, Young, Bailey). Turnovers: 16 (Robinson 4, Blanchard 3, Young 3, Queen 2, Jones, Gotfredson, Ingerson, Bailey). Technical fouls: none. Indiana ...................38 37 - 75 Michigan b...........27 28 - 55 At: Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor Attendance: 11,379 DANNY MOLOSMOK/Ual Indiana superstar Jared Jeffries receives instruction from coach Mike Davis. Jeffries, who was suffering from an ankle injury, played just 18 minutes. But his teammates picked up the slack. HOOSIERS Continued from Page 1B games since 1999 and is 1-8 on the road, the Wolverines didn't have much to be optimistic about coming into yes- terday's loss. "We seemed to be a little deflated and I don't think we had as much energy as we usually do here at home," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. And Indiana made the lethargic Wolverines pay. Even with All Big Ten forward Jared Jeffries hobbled by an ankle injury, the Indiana offense seemed to score at will on Michigan. Whether it was layups, dunks or wide- open 3-pointers, the Hoosiers made use of their shots. "They really stretched us and their guards were very efficient," Amaker said. "They didn't force shots, and the open shots they were able to get - they made every one of them" Well, almost. Indiana shot 55 percent from the floor, 60 percent from 3-point range and 86 percent from the line. The funda- mentally sound Hoosiers also had 23 assists on their 30 made baskets, a sign of excellent ball movement. Amak- er said that Indiana's offensive output forced the Wolver- ines to hastily try to keep up with Indiana, rather than running through their offense, which created a lot of qtik shots and turnovers. But Bernard Robinson's electric dunk and 11th point of the first half cut Indiana's lead to just eight points with under a minute to go in the half. Seconds later, however, Indiana forward Kyle Hornsby once again found himself open from 3-point range and knocked down a trey to give the Hoosiers a 38-27 halftime lead - and kill Michi- gan's momentum. This started an 11-3 Indiana run that spilled over five minutes into the second half. It was a run that Amaker said was the "most crucial part of the game", "We certainly had a lot of breakdowns," Amaker said. "We weren't as tough as we needed to be in crucial moments." Michigan's breakdowns gave Indiana's frontcourt of Hornsby, Jarrad Odle and Jeff Newton plenty of open looks and easy buckets down low. Each ended the game with 17 points, making up for the fact Jeffries scored just four points in 18 minutes of action. Hornsby broke a school record in 3-point percentage for a game by going 5-for-5, while Odle just missed his third straight double-double and Indiana coach Mike Davis said that Newton had his best game in a Hoosier uniform. But when Davis needed Jeffries, the Big Ten's leading scorer came through. Davis wasn't planning on playing Jeffries in the sec- ond half, but when Chris Young, who led Michigan with 18 points, scored his sixth straight point and drew Odle's fourth foul with 13 minutes left - Jeffries told Davis he wanted in. Jeffries immediately found Hornsby for a wide open 3- pointer in Indiana's first possession out of a timeout, and the floodgates opened on the Wolverines. Indiana went on a 15-4 run, extending its lead to 64-44 with five min- utes to go, and it cruised from there. The Hoosiers' defense suffocated Michigan, holding it scoreless for a 7:08 span in the middle of the second half - setting the tone for the rest of the game. Foul trouble helped limit Robinson to zero second-half points, and LaVell Blanchard ended up shooting 3-for-13 - allowing just as many baskets as turnovers. "The only way you can win is playing defense," said Davis, whose Hoosiers are looking for their first Big Ten title since 1993. "I felt that when you contest shots, take away cuts and make it hard to pass the ball - it makes it real tough for the opposing team. Michian will need to play like i practices JACKSON Continued from Page 1B exceeding expectations. Setting the bar too low is just as "unfair" as setting it too high. Amaker has been focused on the long-term since day one, forcing his team to adapt to his pressure defense and motion offense, benching players that don't give him the effort he wants, and putting a renewed emphasis on off-court behavior. But in the short term, he needs to get his team to play like they practice. "Our kids have worked hard in practice, and that to me is the sign more so than the actual game," Amaker said. "You can judge some things by how we practice." Yep, some things. But not everything. Right, wrong, or indifferent, players and coach- es are judged on their performances when thou- sands of people are watching. Amaker can have the greatest practice squad in Michigan history, but at the end of the day, his team needs to win games to be as successful as "efficient" teams like Indiana. "I'm very confident that, in due time, we'll be able to become an efficient basketball team," Amaker said. Deep in his soul, Amaker believes in that promise. But before he can expect the rest of the University community to take his word at face value, his team has to show more signs of success on the court. BIG TEN Team Ohio State Indiana Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota Northwestern Michigan State Michigan Iowa Purdue Penn State STANDINGS Conference Overall W L W L 9 3 18 5 9 3 17 8 9 5 16 11 7 5 19 7 7 5 14 9 6 6 15 9 6 6 15 10 5 8 10 14 4 9 15 12 4 9 12 15 3 10 7 17 Last Saturday's results: No. 23 Ohio State 72, IowA 66 No. 18 Illinois 75, SETON HALL 65 Wisconsin 67, MINNESOTA 62 Northwestern 55, PENN STATE 49 Michigan State 62, PURDUE 59 Yesterday's game: No. 22 Indiana 75, MICHIGAN 55 Tomorrow's game: Iowa at WISCONSIN, 7 P.M. Wednesday's games: Penn State at No. 18 ILLINOIS, 8 P.M. No. 23 Ohio State at No. 22 INDIANA 8 P.M. Purdue at NORTHWESTERN, 8 P.M. Thursday's game: Minnesota at MICHIGAN STATE, 7 P.M. SATURDAY, FEB. 23: DAVID KATZ/Daily Bernard Robinson dumped in 11 points yesterday against the Hoosiers, including this Steve Jackson can be reached at acrobatic layup over Jeff Newton. Robinson was held scoreless in the second half though. sjjackso@umich.edu. Jeires return from bench spurs Indiana Luke Recker AP PHOTO By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor Helplessly sitting on the bench with ice bags draped around his injured right ankle, Jared Jeffries had seen enough when Michigan BASKETBALL closed his team's lead to Notebook nine points. The sophomore for- ward is the Big Ten's leading scorer and Indiana's most valuable player, but coach Mike Davis had planned to rest his star for the entire second half against the Wolverines in hopes of keeping him healthy for the Hoosiers' stretch run. But after having to watch Chris Young score three straight baskets on the inside against Indiana's two other big men - Jar- rad Odle and Jeff Newton - Jeffries couldn't take it anymore. "Coach, I'm ready," Jeffries told Davis on the bench. Davis reluctantly unleashed the reigns seconds later and Jeffries entered the game. It didn't take long for him to make his pres- ence felt. On the first possession, the Wolverines collapsed on Jeffries in the paint. But just like he has so many times this season, Jef- fries found a wide open Kyle Hornsby for a 3-pointer, which started a 15-4 Indiana run. "J.J.'s presence is most important," Indiana guard Dane Fife said. "Just him being in the game really makes people and defenses take notice. "I think he was a big help and psychologi- cally it helped us - and hurt Michigan." Even though Jeffries had just four points in 18 minutes, by the time he sat back down on the bench and placed the ice bags back on his ankle, Indiana had a 20-point lead. "I just wanted to give my team confi- dence," Jeffries said. "But when we got the lead back up to 15 or 16, I knew my job was done." HOT AND COLD: Michigan guard Bernard Robinson was one of the Wolverines' lone bright spots in the first half; scoring 11 points and delivering a highlight-reel dunk over Fife in the half's final minutes. But three quick fouls in the second half forced Robinson to the bench just five min- utes in. The sophomore had one point on 0- for-4 shooting in the five minutes he played in the second half. "The energy definitely left when I picked up that foul," Robinson said. "I didn't want to foul out of the game. I started taking jump shots and stopped taking it the rim." 10)87 At 4-9 Iowa may be the most disappointing team of the Big Ten season. But the Hawkeyes do dress two of the conference's best in guard Luke Recker and center Reggie Evans. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27: i WEEKEND NOTES HOW THE AP Top 25 FARED No. 22 OHIO STATE 72, IowA 66: - Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien saluted his counterpart for sending a mes- sage. Then he applauded his own team for playing through the emotion that message generated. Iowa gave the Buckeyes all they could handle even though Reggie Evans, the league's top rebounder and his team's No. 2 scorer, did not play, benched by coach Steve Alford for missing class. "I tip my hat to Steve Alford," O'Brien said. "There was absolutely no ques- tion about the imoortance of this No. 6 Florida 68-51 Saturday. The Rebels' best shot at beating the deeper and more athletic Gators was to make it an ugly game, and that's exactly what they did. Ole Miss snarled the high- est-scoring offense in the SEC, holding the Gators to their lowest point total in six seasons under coach Billy Donovan. No. 3 MARYLAND 87, No. 1DUKE 73 - No last-minute collapse. Maryland finally beat Duke at Cole rield H-ouse_ and the venerable your players because what if you lose? You just get ready to play." No. 8 GONZAGA 91, PEPPERDINE 78 - Gonzaga couldn't wait to get another shot at Pepperdine. Once it came, the eighth-ranked Bulldogs didn't waste it. Dan Dickau scored 26 points as Gon- zaga handed Pepperdine its first West Coast Conference loss this sea- son. The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Waves, who hadn't been beaten since Dec. 28 at Ari- Team 1. Duke 2. Kansas 3. Maryland 4. Oklahoma 5. Cincinnati 6. Florida 7 Alabama 8. Gonzaga 9. Arizona 10. Kentucky 11. Marquette 1" e s-,9 r Record 22-2 21-2 20-3 19-3 22-2 18-4 20-4 22-3 17-6 16-6 21-3 IC £ This week's results Lost to No. 3 Maryland 87-73 Beat Baylor 87-72 Beat No. 1 Duke 87-73 Beat Kansas State 73-62 Beat Southern Miss 89-37 Lost to Mississippi 68-51 Beat Tennessee 95-82 Beat Pepperdine 91-78 Lost to No. 25 Southern Cal 94-89 Lost to No. 21 Georgia 78-69 Beat Louisville 75-63 Pon 1AlchnnnnCtntpr, -AA WISCONSIN Michigan played perhaps its best game of the season when it knocked off Wisconsin at Crisler, 64-53. The Badgers will play hard at home as they jockey for postseason position. SATURDAY, MAR. 2: