.6
The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - Monday, January 27, 2003 - 3B
YESTERDAY'S GAME
Blue nipped at wire
STEVE
SPenn State
72
70
JACKSON
jMichigan
By Brian Schick
Daily Sports Writer
Gueva-rant
"We went eight or nine posses-
sions where we could not buy a
basket. Their zone really stymied
us. "- Michigan coach Sue Guevara,
on Penn State's second half defensive
scheme that handcuffed the Wolverines.
Daily's MVP
Tanisha Wright
Wright performed for Penn State when
Kelly Mazzante could not. Wright
drained 13 points, including the game-
winning shot.
Key Stat
8:04
The time Michigan went without a
field goal in the second half. The
Wolverines saw a 13-point lead shrink
to a 4-point deficit.
YESTERDAY'S GAME
Penn State (72)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Mazzante 32 6-18 1-1 1-2 3 2 13
Brungo 33 9-16 4-4 3-6 1 4 25
Tomlinson 21 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 3 0
Oi Strom 38 4-7 0-0 0-1 5 3 11
t Wright 33 6-11 1-3 3-10 6 3 13
Joseph 18 2-2 0-1 2-3 1 4 4
Brenden 23 2-4 0-0 0-2 1 3. 6
Croser 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 200 29-58 6-9 9-27 17 23 72
FG%: .500. FT%: .667. 3-point FG: 8-22_ 364
(Strom 3-4, Brungo 3-5, Brenden 2-4, Mazzante 0-
9). Blocks: 5 (Brungo 2, Mazzante, Tominson,
Wright). Steals: 4 (Strom 2, Mazzante, Wright).
Turnovers: 15 (Strom 5, Brenden 3, Brungo 2,
Croser 2, Mazzante, Tomlinson, Wright). Technical
Fouls: none.
MICHIGAN (70)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Pool 33 5-11 0-0 2-5 3 2 11
Goodlow 21 4-6 1-2 0-4 3 1 10
Smith 21 5-7 0-0 0-5 1 1 11
Carney 36 2-6 2-2 1-1 5 3 7
Gandy 40 5-11 0-0 0-2 2 1 10
Bies 28 2-4 7-10 4-8 1 2 11
Reams 17 1-3 8-8 0-1 1 2 10
Andrews" 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 200 24-49 18.22 7-29 16 12 70
FG%: .490. FT%: .818. 3-point FG: 4-12, .333 (Good-
low 1-1, Carney 1-2, Smith 1-2, Pool 1-5, Gandy 0-1,
Reams 0-1). Blocks: 2 (Gandy, Goodlow). Steals: 7
(Carney 4, Goodlow, Reams, Smith). Turnovers: 16
(Smith 5, Bies-2, Goodlow 2, Pool 2, Andrews, Car-
ney, Gandy, Reams). Technical fouls: none.
Penn State..........,...........29 43 - 72
Michigan..........................38 32 - 70
At: Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor
Attendance: 1,058
After freshman guard Niki Reams hit her second free throw
to tie the game at 70 with 22 seconds left, all Michigan needed
to do was stop Penn State one last time to send the game into
overtime. With the clock winding down, Penn State's Tanisha
Wright drove down the lane untouched and layed it in to put
the Nittany Lions up 72-70 with 5.7 seconds left.
The Wolverines inbounded the ball to point guard Rachael
Carney, who dribbled down the court and passed to Reams -
the hot hand on the court - cutting in along the baseline. She
put up a close-range shot at the buzzer but couldn't get it to fall.
"We would have set the same play (had we called a time-
out);' Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "(Reams) was driv-
ing on the left side of the basket. It was a great job, but it just
didn't fall."
The 13th-ranked Nittany Lions (6-1 Big Ten, 16-5 overall)
avoided a huge upset at the hands of the Wolverines (2-4, 11-
6), who watched a 13-point second half lead evaporate. This
was largely due to an eight-minute span in which Michigan
failed to hit a single field goal.
In a reversal of the first half, the Nittany Lions began to
pound the ball inside, as both Penn State starting forwards
combined for 21-of-43 second-half points.
Michigan had been exploiting the post in the first half, when
forward Jennifer Smith went 5-for-5 from the floor with 11
points. She failed to score in the second half. A defensive
switch by Penn State coach Rene Portland created problems
for Michigan's post players.
"They went into a zone, and we stopped moving on the
wings," Guevara said. "We went eight or nine possessions and
we couldn't buy a basket."
In addition to a stifling zone defense, the Nittany Lions
pressed the Wolverines for the majority of the game. But
unlike a month ago - when St. Louis pressed Michigan for
40 minutes and forced numerous turnovers - Carney was the
floor general yesterday. She turned the ball over just once,
while dishing out five assists. In just her third career start, Car-
ney showed the poise of a senior.
"It seemed they always played one of their girls up on me,
and we worked (in practice this week) beating players one-on-
one," said Carney, who finished with career bests in points,
assists, 3-pointers and free throws. "I tried to beat my girl
down the court to set something up."
As Carney continued to blow by her defenders, she helped
share the wealth on offense. The Wolverines had the most bal-
anced scoring attack of the season, as six of the seven players
Super Bowl deserves to
become national holiday
NICOLE TERWILLIGER/Daily
Forward LeeAnn Bies struggles for possession in yesterday's
72-70 loss to Penn State. Bies led the team with 11 points.
who saw significant action scored in double figures.
Although the Wolverines were fortunate to have everyone
on the court contributing, Penn State only needed key players
to make the shots down the stretch. Forward Jessica Brungo
finished with 25 points and preseason All-American Kelly
Mazzante added 13, despite shooting 6-of-18 from the floor
and 0-for-9 from behind the arc.
"I think the key was other people stepping up," Mazzante
said. "Everybody stepped up and made their shots."
The Super Bowl needs to be a
national holiday. There is no
question about it. The game
should be moved to a Monday night,
and the entire country should be
allowed to devote an entire day to
watching the NFL determine its
champion.
Close the post offices, close the
banks, close the schools and close
the factories. This is what it's all
about. It's time to write a letter to
your congressman.
Last night's "Pirate Bowl" was much
more than a football contest between
the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers. The game wasn't
especially close or exciting, but that
doesn't mean much. Ten years from
now, football fans will watch Steve
Sabol and NFL Films_
make this game seem No weeken
like one of the all-time
classics. year will ,
It's not just a day for weddings
football fans either. Bowl h
According to market- _
ing researcher Insight-
Express, nearly 40 percent of people
watching the Super Bowl did so
because of the ads, which this year cost
$2.2 million for each 30-second spot.
Who can forget "Bud ... Weis ... Er"
in the swamp or Mean Joe Greene trad-
ing his Steelers' jersey to a young fan
for a Coke?
The Super Bowl takes men and
women from all religions, all ethnic
backgrounds and all socio-economic
classes and engages them in one activi-
ty for an entire night.
No other single event can unite more
people in celebration of all things
American. Millions come from all
walks of life to pay homage to con-
sumerism, violence, competition, sex
appeal and gambling.
What other holiday can say that?
Christmas and Easter, at least in the-
ory, are Christian holidays. New Year's
and St. Patrick's Day are nationwide
drinking days more than anything else.
We have holidays to celebrate the
lives of famous dead people (Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day
and Columbus Day) and others that, in
practice, merely mark the beginning of
spring, summer and fall (Groundhog
Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day).
Thanksgiving already set the prece-
dent for holidays built on a football
foundation. So why not follow the will
of the masses - nearly one BILLION
fans worldwide tuned in last night -
and show the proper respect for the
event that single-handedly taught gen-
erations of Americans how to use
Roman numerals.
nd
ha
th
wei
Last night there was an NHL game
and a Michigan women's basketball
game that took place during the Super
Bowl. That is a crime. I don't care what
the random number generator said the
attendance at Crisler was. The Super
Bowl deserves the undivided attention
of everyone in America. Here are a few
facts compiled by my crack research
team that proves just how important
this event really is.
Six months after Neil Armstrong
took his first steps on the moon, Super
Bowl IV drew a higher television audi-
ence than that famous moonwalk.
More than 130 million Americans
tuned in last year to watch former
Michigan quarterback Tom Brady and
the New England Patriots upset the St.
Louis Rams. That's about 35 million
more people than voted
during the in our last presidential
election - give or take
ye fewer a few hanging chads.
an Super No weekend during
ekend. the year will have fewer
weddings than Super
Bowl weekend.
Sales of big screen televisions
increase by 500 percent in the week
before the Super Bowl.
In 1984, the Super Bowl's half-
time was blamed for a water main
break in Salt Lake City. While there
are no hard facts, it was alleged to
have broken because too many people
went to the can.
According to the American
Institute of Food Distribution, the
Super Bowl is second only to
Thanksgiving in terms of total food
consumption. In this one day, nearly
16 million pizzas will be delivered.
More than 4,000 tons of popcorn
and 15,500 pounds of potato chips
will be consumed. And the Califor-
nia Avocado Commission issued a
press release that claimed Ameri-
cans would eat enough guacamole to
cover the Super Bowl playing field
with a five-foot deep layer from end
zone to end zone. I'll take their
word on that one.
In what might be a related note,
sales of antacid tablets increase by 20
percent the day after the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl has everything
except its own Charlie Brown special.
It is a day that deserves to be marked
with red letters on calendars across the
country. The American people have
spoken. The Super Bowl is destined to
be this country's next official holiday.
Steve Jackson is the leader of a one-man
crack research team. He can be reached
at sjackso@tmich.edu.
Mazzante tamed by M' defense
By Daniel Bromner
Daily Sports Writer
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Conference Overall
Team W L W
Ohio State 6 1 15
Penn State 6 1 15.
Purdue 5 2 16
Wi2 i -T'( 3 ,3
Minnesota 4 3 15
Michigan State 4 3 10
Michigan 2 4 11
Iowa 2 4 10
Indiana 2 5 9
Wisconsin 2 5 4
Northwestern 1 7 6
Weekend results:
PENN STATE 72, Michigan 70
Purdue 76, NORTHWESTERN 60
OHIO STATE 74, Iowa 59
ILLINOIS 94, Minnesota 80
Michigan State 64, INDIANA 53
Arizona 62, WISCONSIN 55
L.
3
3
3
7
6
7
8
14
13
For 40 minutes, the Michigan
women's basketball team did a tremen-
dous job defending All-American guard
Kelly Mazzante. But in the end, it was
Penn State's other shooters that would
end up killing the Wolverines.
Mazzante - who is currently third
in the nation with 26.1 points per game
- managed just 13 points on 6-for-18
shooting Yestbttay's game marked the
only time all season that Mazzante
"failed to conlect on a 3-point field
goal (0-9).
"I got open looks, and those are shots
I usually make," Mazzante said. "They
just weren't falling for me tonight."
Penn State's trio of three point
snipers - forwards Jessica Brungo,
Jess Strom and Jennifer Brenden -
combined to scorch the net eight times
on 13 attempts.
"Everybody knows Mazzante's a
shooter," Michigan coach Sue Guevara
said. "But you also know Penn State has
a lot of (other) shooters."
"Sometimes (losing focus on the
other shooters) can be done," Penn State
coach Rene Portland said. "I think you
get fired up to play a kid like Kelly,"
Brungo kept her team close with all
three of her triples coming in a first half
in which the Wolverines outplayed the
Lady Lions.
"Her 3-pointers were big time," Port-
land said.
, Proving that they can drain it from
anywhere on the court, Brungo and
Brenden each connected on three point-
ers (in the first half) from NBA three
point range. This forced the Michigan
defense to guard them as far as 25 feet
from the basket.
"Actually I think for a couple of
them, I was wide open," Brungo said.
"They were probably concentrating
more on Kelly."
In an effort to combat Penn State's
outside fire, the Wolverines tried giving
them some different looks defensively,
switching to a zone defense.
"I thought for the most part (the zone
D) did a pretty good job," Guevara said.
"We knew Jessica Brungo can shoot, I
know Jennifer Brenden (can shoot). She
came in in the first half and hit some
shots. That's why we went into the
zone."
Michigan was able to hold Penn State
to just 3-of-10 from behind the arc in the
second half, generating some steals that
led to easy buckets the other way. A
swipe by freshman Rachael Carney led
to a Stephanie Gandy layup with 12:29
to go, and Michigan had its biggest lead
of the game, 56-43.
"Our key as a team is defense," Car-
ney said. "Basically, we wanted to keep
our hands up the whole time, not allow
tem to get any easy shots."
In the end, though, stopping the three
was not enough for the Wolverines.
Penn State was held without a trey in the
last nine minutes of the game, but man-
aged to pull out the victory when they
went inside in the second half.
Thursday's games:
Michigan at MicHmAN STATE
Indiana at IOWA
Ohio State at PENN'STATE
Purdue at ILUNOIS
Wisconsin at NORTHWESTERN
Sunday's games:
Michigan at WISCONSIN
Indiana at PENN STATE
Illinois at IOWA
Northwestern at MINNESOTA
Ohio State at PURDUE
8 p.m.
7 p.m.
7 p.m.
7 p.m.
7 p.m.
1-p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
Despite accuracy from line,
misses come at bad times
By Daniel Bremmer
Daily Sports Writer
'M' STATS
Player G
Smith 12
Pool 17
Gandy 17
Bies 17
Reams 15
Goodlow 17
Andrews 17
Hauser-Price 15
Burlin 15
McPhilamy 9
Carney .15
Cortis 9
Min
23.9
28.3
32.3
25.1
25.5
15.6
20.1
12.4
16.2
3.2
12.3
3.0
A
1.1
1.8
1.9
1.2
1.9
1.2
2.9
0.9
1.9
0.0
1.6
0.2
Reb
6.1
7.4
5.2
5.4
2.9
3.0
1.8
0.7
2.2
0.6
0.9
0.4
Pts.
13.4
12.4
12.3
11.9
7.5
5.7
4.6
4.2
2.4
1.0
0.9
0.4
Shooting 18-for-22 from the free throw line in, a
game is something most coaches would die for. But
during yesterday's 72-20 loss to Penn State, the Michi-
gan women's basketball team found out that 81 percent
isn't always enough.
"I know we shot 81 percent for BASKETBALL
the game from the free throw Notebook
line," Michigan coach Sue Gue-
vara said. "But we had some big,
big misses, and you've got to make free throws."
Two key misses were from senior captain LeeAnn
Bies, a 79-percent free throw shooter on the season.
Bies failed to connect on the front end of two one-and-
one situations in the second half.
On the other hand, freshman Niki Reams was clutch.
Despite earlier misses, she remained calm with the
game on the line, connecting on two free throws with
22.6 seconds left to pull the score even at 70. Reams
was 8-for-8 from the line for the game.
OFF AND RUNNING: During the first half of yesterday's
game, the Wolverines' offense clicked in ways rarely
seen this season. Michigan opened up a 2-0 lead on its
second possession on a jumper from Jennifer Smith.
Following a steal by Rachael Carney, senior Raina
Goodlow connected from inside the paint.
Several minutes later, Michigan opened up a 17-11
lead with 13:09 left to play in the first half.
"I thought we did a pretty good job of executing our
offense," Guevara said. "I thought we were able to get
the ball inside out, against their man (defense)."
The Michigan offense peaked with 11:07 left in the
first half, when a 3-pointer by Smith gave the team an
11-point lead, 22-11.
IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED: A key for Penn State
-in the second half was its second-chance points. The
Lady Lions fought for seven points from offensive
boards compared to just one for the Wolverines.
"I thought in the second half Penn State did a pretty
good job of rebounding their missed shots" Guevara
said. "They had some big offensive rebounds."
Despite being outrebounded 29-27 for the game,
Penn State had six offensive rebounds in the second
half, compared to Michigan's tally of just three.
BALANCING ACT: Despite coming up short in the end,
six Wolverines finished in double figures in the points
column for the first time all season - the previous
high number of double-digit scorers was four. Carney
came up just short of double figures with seven points
of her own.
"It was balanced scoring, but there wasn't enough of
it;" Guevara said.
NEXT:
MICHIGAN
STATE
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Breslin Center, East Lanping
The Spartans have been a little better
than average so far this season, with a
4-3 record in Big Ten play, and they will
have the home court advantage Thurs-
day night when the Wolverines come
to town.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Vietnam Protesters
Truong Nhu Tang, afounder of
NICOLLET EILLGER/D a
Freshman point guard Rachael Carney sets up on defense against Penn State's Jess Strom.
Carney had a career day in points (seven) and assists (five), and had four steals, the team high.
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