aJte Sirbigutn &daIQ SPORTS UESDNEW Jr 1, 2003 SECTIONB lffiffi I IIIIIIJIM M01:11m:11:1iffs : 111 1:01:1 : I:i IS ; i:l:iiiiii 1:1!i::!:l 11:1 !:!I:l i :i: Eleventh heaven Cagers keep rolling, grab 11th straight By Chris Burke Daily Sports Writer EVANSTON - For the second straight game, halftime turned out to be the most important 15 minutes of the entire day for the Michigan bas- ketball team. After holding Ohio State to a mere 18 points in the second half of last Wednesday's 61-50 come-from-behind victo- ry, the Wolverines had MICHIGAN 77 inexplicably allowed Northwestern - the Big NORTHWESTERN 70 Ten's lowest scoring team - to put 40 points on the board thanks to 58-percent shooting from the floor in the first half on Saturday. Facing a 40-32 deficit at the break, the Wolverines decided things needed to change. "We weren't playing Michigan basketball," guard Lester Abram said. "That's playing with toughness and smartness - we had to make a lot of adjustments in the second half" Junior Bernard Robinson echoed the senti- ments. "We regrouped at halftime and had to get back to playing the way we've been playing," Robin- son said. "We recognized a few things they were doing and tried to get adjustments." Those adjustments allowed Michigan (4-0 Big Ten, 11-6 overall) to put a comeback together in the second half. After Northwestern guard Jitim Young threw down an alley-oop to give the Wild- cats their largest lead at 42-32 just seconds into the second half, Michigan - which now finds itself in first place in the Big Ten all by itself - took control. The Wolverines, led by two 3-pointers from Abram, quickly erased the Northwestern lead, posting a 12-3 run over the next tor minutes to knot the game at 45. From there, it was just a matter of time until the Wolverines got a handle on the game, pulling away from the Wildcats for a 77-70 victory, Michigan's 11th straight conquest. "It .was an intense basketball game," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "I didn't think we played a particularly good 20 minutes or smart 20 minutes in the first half, but they had a lot to do with that. "I thought we really took the bull by the horns in the second half and played a smarter game and came with a lot more passion." Michigan stayed hot after Abram knotted the game with 15:43 left. Senior LaVell Blanchard's two free throws gave Michigan the lead at 47-46, the first lead that the Wolverines had possessed since a 28-27 advantage in the first half. Freshman Daniel Horton then, once again, found the touch that has made him one of the most talked-about players in the Big Ten this year. Horton, who finished the game with 22 points and five assists, forced a turnover and nailed a 3- pointer to up the Michigan lead to 57-50. He then was instrumental in the Wolverines' efforts to ice the game. The point guard hit another triple from the corner after the Wildcats had cut the lead to two with under eight minutes left. Just moments later, Horton used an ankle-breaking crossover to free himself up for yet another 3-pointer, his See WILDCATS, Page 5B DANNY MOLOSHOK/ Daily Junior Stephanie Gandy missed two potential game-winning free throws, but the Wolverines still won. Problemsolved for now'M' gets conference win By Josh Holman Daily Sports Writer After junior forward Stephanie Gandy missed her pair of free throws with eight seconds left in Sunday's matchup against Indiana, it would have been easy for the Michigan women's basketball team to hang its head and figure INDIANA 77 that fate was against it. The 71- 68 lead did not appear very safe MK'HIGAN 70 against Hoosiers freshman Cyndi Valentin, who was already 4-6 from behind the arc in the game and finished with 21 points. But disappointment was not the feeling in the final huddle, and some tough defense forced the final Valentin three wide, securing the Wolverines' first conference victory. "I wasn't worried," Michigan senior LeeAnn Bies said. "I think we stayed confident the whole game and that was a major factor in our win. Michigan's first Big Ten win was a relief for a strug- gling team, but it did not come without its share of mis- cues. The Wolverines nearly surrendered an early second half lead of 16 points thanks to their propensity to cough up the ball. Their 28 turnovers was the second-highest total this season, allowing the Hoosiers to chip away and finally make a sloppy game competitive in the final min- utes. The difference in the game may have come from the Wolverines' ability to finally work the ball down low to Bies and junior Jennifer Smith, a facet of their game that had been lacking in their three-game losing streak. Bies led the way with 19 points off the bench, while Smith contributed 12. Michigan also got a helping hand from senior forward Raina Goodlow, who knocked down the first two buckets for the Wolverines with Bies on the bench and finished with nine points. "Between (Bies), Jennifer Smith and Raina Goodlow, they did a nice job of looking for each other," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "We worked on the high-low (offense) and the double team all week." The bruising inside game drew 25 fouls from Indiana. Center Angela Hawkins fouled out at the 8:29 mark, fol- lowed by forward Brigett Branson with 1:53 left. See HOOSIERS, Page 3B DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan freshman Daniel Hunter avoids the block of Northwestern's Jason Burke In the Wolverines' 77-70 win over the Wildcats. The win was the 11th straight for Michigan, which now stands alone atop the conference standings. Frosh Hunter developing at right time By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer EVANSTON - With 11 minutes left in the second half of Saturday's game against Northwestern, Michi- gan freshman Chris Hunter drove baseline, pumped once, then laid the ball in with a reverse layup. Not bad for a 6-foot-11 center. "I just tried to avoid the defense," Hunter said. "(The defender) had a good shot at blocking my shot. So I just had to scoop it under and use the rim to protect the ball." The impressive drive showed the promise the Wolverines have been looking for from their young center this season. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker has been pleased with Hunter's progress over the last few weeks. After a slow beginning in which Hunter lost the starting spot to Gra- ham Brown, Hunter has come on strong recently. "I think with all our freshman play- ers you've seen them becoming more confident and comfortable," Amaker said. "And I think Chris is probably as big of a statement we can say as for how our freshman players have devel- oped and come along." Hunter's combination of power and finesse has come as no surprise to Amaker. "We've always known him to be a kid who is fairly skilled for his size," Amaker said. "He is a very agile player for that size." Hunter's ability to score extends beyond the area around the basket. The big man is able to play facing the basket and square up for the mid-range jump shot. Northwestern did not respect Hunter's ability to shoot the ball, and he was able to get good looks from outside the lane. A gifted athlete, Hunter's versatility is due in part to the amount of practice he puts in and his coaching. "My versatility comes from high school," Hunter said. "My high school coaches made me do all the drills, the big man drills and the See HUNTER, Page 5B Michigan extends its conference streak to 40 The Mysterious Driver By Michael Nisson Daily Sports Writer Call them the walking wound- ed. Call them the second coming of the cardiac kids. Heck, you could even call them what they really are: Undefeated. On Friday the No. 7 Michigan women's gymnastics team con- tinued its dominance in the Big Ten with a win over No. 12 Min- nesota, outscoring the Gophers 194.7-191.85. The win extended the Wolverines record-setting Big Ten winning streak to an incredi- ble 40 straight meets. It marks the second straight win for the Wolverines, who con- tinue to leave other Big Ten teams in their dust. But as impressive as the streak may be, it is even more mind- boggling if you consider that has had to do all season. Sopho- more Lauren Mirkovich, who last year participated in one meet before tearing her ACL, captured her first individual title by win- ning the uneven bars with a score of 9.850. In addition, sophomore Kallie Steffes, who had been out because of shoulder surgery since the beginning of the sea- son, scored a 9.7 on vault in her first event this season. "I'm so excited that they're back," senior captain Janessa Grieco said. "I've watched them struggle. Lauren, she had a rough freshman year, so it was absolutely wonderful to see her do great on bars."' "It felt very good," Mirkovich said. "It was very exciting. It's definitely a confidence booster for me to come out and hit my routines." really tough to sit and watch on the sidelines (last year)." Grieco did not do too shabby herself, capturing the all-around title with a personal-best score of 39.275 and also winning the beam with a score of 9.825. "It was very exciting, you know, being my senior year it meant a lot, especially in front of a home crowd," Grieco said. "But more importantly than an all- around victory was our team doing great again. We've got very limited numbers right now, so I'm really proud of everyone on this team." Said Michigan coach Bev Ploc- ki: "I would expect (junior) Calli Ryals and Janessa (Grieco) to be our leaders out there, and then have Jenny (Deiley) jump (in) every now and again when she has a great meet and be in that pack of 41~ro ' f nll --A JT - - - - Don't think you know Lloyd Carr? He's the football coach for one of the most recognizable and scrutinzed programs in the nation, yet he seems to find himself off the radar. For an in depth look at the man who roams the sidelines at the Big House. flip to the back. I II