Thursday January 9, 2003 michigandaiiy.com sportsdesk@umich.edu SPORTS 01 8A Frantic rallysecures cagers' eighth victory NAWEED SIKORA By Chris Burke Daily Sports Writer With 5:36 left in last night's game between Michigan and Wisconsin, things couldn't have 1 o o k e d WISCONSIN 65 bleaker for the Wolver- MICHIGAN 66 ines. Michigan had put just 13 points on the board in the second half, and was steadi- ly watching its Big Ten opener slip away to the tune of a 59-44 deficit. But senior LaVell Blanchard - who had been sitting on the bench after start- ing the night 2-of-13 from the floor - returned to the lineup, and the Wolver- ines' hopes quickly returned with him. Blanchard hit three consecutive 3- pointers to pull Michigan within eight points with just under four minutes to go, turning around an evening that had, to that point, been miserable. "When I hit the first one and saw the ball go through the bottom of the net, I said, 'This is it, if we make a run, we've got to make a run now,'" Blanchard said. But while Blanchard's hot streak pulled Michigan back within striking distance, it was freshman Daniel Horton who took the Wolverines over the top. After two Kirk Penney free throws pushed Wisconsin's lead back to 10, Horton proceeded to sink two from behind the arc and a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 65-61. Michigan stopped the Badgers and then Blanchard, who finished with 17 points, found himself open again and drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to make the score 65-64 with just over a minute to go. "Blanchard was struggling all game but we had said that we were going to stick with it and have faith," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "He has ignited it for us, and Horton has been able to carry us through." Neither team was able to score over the next minute and after a traveling call against Wisconsin (0-1 Big Ten, 10-3 overall) with 18 seconds remaining, Michigan got the ball back facing a one- point deficit. The Wolverines again put the ball in the hands of Horton, and the phenom managed to hit a running one-handed jumper over two defenders, capping off See BADGERS, Page 9A Fearless freshman gives Blue glimmer of hope 9 Michigan true freshman Dan Wolverines to a 66-65 victor Nystrom, Helmnen back from. TThere's only one thing you can say about Michigan freshman point guard Daniel Horton's astounding performance down the stretch of last night's win: Fearless. It's been several years since a player like him has donned the maize and blue. Someone not afraid to take the ball in clutch situations - and confident enough to deliver. Someone who does- n't back down in desperate situations, and is able to turn it on in a moment's notice. With enough heart and passion to fill Crisler Arena last night, Horton put on one of the most gritty, determined and miraculous performances Michigan RYAN WEINER/Daily fans have ever seen. iel Horton raises his fist in triumph after willing the And as the freshman marched down ry over Wisconsin last night. the court, ball in hand, with just under a minute to play and Michigan trailing by one, he was poised. He knew it was his hockey haVen time, and he could do no wrong. A nearly impossible running bank shot with four arms in his face, followed difference was that the 2003 team "had a lot more by an unthinkable blocked shot against chemistry" than last year. Wisconsin's Devin Harris on the defen- The Michigan players took on bigger roles this year. sive end triggered a court stampede. Nystrom was surprised but thrilled to be named captain. He finished with one rebound, but it "Oh, it was an honor," Nystrom said. "To represent was the biggest of the game: He only the best 20-year olds and be the captain? And I had one blocked shot, but it was unfor- wouldn't have picked a better group of guys to lead." gettable. Both Wolverines dressed for all seven games. Helmi- You can argue that Michigan should nen scored four points on a goal and three assists. Nys- have never been in that situation to trom notched a shorthanded goal and two assists. begin with. If LaVell Blanchard had Nystrom and Helminen returned excited from their been able to settle down in the first half trip, and although Michigan coach Red Berenson said and drop a few shots, the 15-point guys don't always play well right after the 11-day tour- comeback would never have been nec- nament, the team is glad to have them back for this essary. If the Wolverines had buckled weekend's home-and-home series with Western down on their inside defense in the first Michigan. 20 minutes of the game, they wouldn't "It's like a family getting back together," Berenson have needed a lero. said. "There's been a couple of empty stalls in that But as it turned out, Michigan dug locker room for the last couple weeks. And when you itself a hole. The Wolverines had been see Dwight Helminen sit down, when-you see-irhm-there before numeroustimesbut they skate, he adds something to our team. And so does haven't had a go-to-guy to feed with the Nystrom." game on the line. They haven't had a player tough enough to take it at the defense in the closing moments. Certainly, Blanchard's revival late in the second half was just as important to the victory as Horton's performance. But last night, Horton became Michi- gan's go-to-guy. The comeback began with Blanchard, but ended on the wings of the freshman. "It shows that we have a lot of char- acter," Horton said. "When we started 0-6 a lot of people were doubting us and saying that it is the same old Michigan - but it is not." By engineering one of the most excit- ing Michigan basketball victories in more than four years so early in his career, Horton is giving the program a reason to believe a turnaround is in the near future. He proved that he has the potential to put the Wolverines on his back and lead them to victory. Tommy Amaker seems to have got just what he was looking for when he signed Horton. A court leader who could single-handedly dig them out of holes. Someone who wants the ball. The only question lingering in the minds of Michigan fans everywhere is will he be able to maintain this torrid pace. Playing nearly 40 minutes every game, it seems as though having Horton on the floor has become a necessity for this team. Will he have the energy five or 10 games down the road to put together another magical performance? "I think I can still play better," Horton said. A performance topping last night's would definitely be something to see. In fact, it might even be a little scary. But it certainly won't be scary enough to frighten Daniel Horton. By Courtney Lewis Daily Sports Writer Nearly a quarter of a million fans flocked to Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia for the 2003 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Dec. 26-Jan. 5. To Eric Nystrom, it felt like every one of them was rooting for Canada. Nystrom, along with Michigan teammate Dwight Helminen, helped Team USA to a fourth-place finish - the best American showing since 2000 - but he's not sure that anybody in the eastern Canadian province noticed. The home team "might as well have been the only team there, the way the press talked it up," Nystrom said. -But both Wolverines enjoyed playing in the hockey- crazy country and said the highlight of the experience was the semifinal game against Canada (which later lost the gold medal game to Russia). Helminen called it "unreal" and, even though Yost Ice Arena is known for its intense crowd, Nystrom said it doesn't compare to the Halifax Metro Centre during the Americans' 3-2 loss to their northern neighbors. "That was the loudest arena I've ever been in in my life," Nystrom said. "I've never heard anything like it. Even when we scored, they just stood up and started giving (the Canadian team) a standing ovation again." The two sophomores - who returned to Ann Arbor Monday and resumed practice with the Wolverines on Tuesday - were impressed with the host cities throughout the tournament. Nystrom had two words to describe the area: "Hockey haven." "People there embraced the tournament like I've never seen hockey get embraced," he said. "Even though they weren't rooting for us, just the enthusiasm they had, always wishing us good luck, it was just unbelievable. It was a great place to have it." This was Nystrom and Helminen's first trip to Nova Scotia, but their second to the World Juniors. Last year in the Czech Republic, they played for a United States team that placed fifth.- This year's squad reached the bronze medal game before falling to Finland, 3-2, and Helminen said one Naweed Sikora can be reached at nsikora@umich.edu. 0 ------------------------------ ----------- ,.;: f1 lf.COmM bYy / Now eWNW superstore www. half. com/textbooks I xfiqmnmm S AsWA. I :-'° A Intro to Economics Intro to Psychology Intro to Literature College Writing Skills Principles of Marketing TOTAL Retai l Price $ 4O75& -5-&: it54n& Price on Half.com $40.00 $7.60 $5.40 $19.00 $47.00 I Q44C ACC I = NJ 5O purchase* 0l $362.93 $119.00 You Save 1 Enter promo code "TEXT2003" in your shopping cart I U I I 0 ('nfinnn Fxniroc 92115103 - Aw.' - L=drT . i .. . :. = I