6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 24, 2003 Women's hoops overcomes 20-3 deficit for win 35-9 run, Jennifer Smith's game-high 32 points spark win over Western Michigan By Ellen McGarrity Daily Sports Writer Eleven minutes into Friday's women's bas- ketball game against Western Michigan, Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett looked up at the scoreboard to find her M____GAN____ team trailing 20-3. The ____N____3_ players were tired after having competed in three rounds of the pre- season Women's National Invitational Tourna- ment over the past seven days, and Burnett questioned whether her team could rally to come back against the tough Bronco offense. An hour later, Burnett had her answer. The scoreboard revealed Michigan as the victors, 66-53, sparked by a 35-9 run over the first and second halves. "Our players could have panicked and fold- ed, or they could have set their jaw and fought their way back in it," Burnett said. "And I'm very proud to say they fought themselves back in it." To say Michigan got off to a bumpy start in this game would be an understatement. After just five minutes on the court, stand- out freshman Kelly Helvey went out for the game with a hip-pointer. Michigan didn't even get on the scoreboard until the 13-minute mark after a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Mie Burlin. By the third media timeout, Michigan still lagged behind, 20-8. The team needed to get back in the game or prepare for an embarrass- ing loss. "I think everybody was getting down and then we were like, 'Okay, let's go,' " junior forward Tabitha Pool said. "We took a timeout for our coach to yell at us, and (she said) we needed to go out there and play. That's what got our confidence back up." In the last seven minutes of the half, Michi- gan scored 18 points, coming within one point of the Broncos, 27-26, at the break. The energy that helped the Wolverines close the scoring gap in the first half carried over into the second, as Michigan took the lead immediately on a basket by center Jennifer Smith and held it for the remainder of the game. Smith dominated the second half, scoring 21 of her game-high 32 points in the second frame. "We were making better decisions of get- ting the basketball in to Jen," Burnett said. "I see Jen's face and her desire to want the bas- ketball, and (she has) what I call a 'steely glare.'" But Burnett gave the award for effort to sophomore forward Niki Reams, who took Helvey's position. Reams finished the game with six assists and an even more impressive six offensive rebounds. Pool also stood out, scoring 18 points in the game - three coming on a crucial basket from behind the arc midway through the sec- ond half. Michigan led by just six points at the time, and the triple sparked a 17-9 Michi- gan run. Another difference in the game was Bur- nett's use of her bench players. Last Wednes- day against Rutgers, Burnett kept her five starters (Smith, Stephanie Gandy, Pool, Helvey, Sierra Hauser-Price) in for the majori- ty of the game and Michigan lost, 65-50. Against Western Michigan, Burnett continu- ously gave Reams, Burlin and sophomore guard Rachel Carney opportunities to play. The three combined to play 63 minutes and grab 17 boards. Their efforts also helped pick up the slack for senior Gandy. She had been averaging 18.3 points per game, but Friday, she scored just four points on 1-of-6 shooting. 4 LAURA SCHLECTER/Daily Michigan senior Jennifer Smith paced the Wolverines, scoring 21 of her 32 points In the second half. Western Michigan (53) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Moore 15 3.10 0-0 0-1 1 5 7 Crisman 36 2-9 2-4 6-11 1 4 6 Rost 40 4-19 1-2 2-6 5 3 10 Jilian 39 1-9 3-3 0-5 5 3 5 Koerber 28 6-9 0-0 2-5 0 2 12 Tyson 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 3 2 Versupet 9 1-5 2-3 1-1 0 1 4 Origgett 15 1-4 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 Owens 13 2-3 1-2 2-4 0 2 5 Totals 200 21-70 9.14 16-39 12 23 53 FG%: .300. FT%:.643. 3-point FG: 2-15 133 (Moore 1-4, Rost 1-7, Koerber 0-1, Versupet 0-2, Driggett 0-1). Blocks: 0. Steals: 5 (Jilian 3, Crisman 2). Turnovers: 13 (Moore 2, Jilian 2, Tyson 2, Owens, 2, Crisman, Rost, Koerber, Versupet, Driggett). Technical Fouls: none, MICHIGAN (66) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Pool 38 8-16 0-0 2-9 4 2 18 Helvey 5 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Smith 37 11-20 10-12 3-13 0 3 32 Gandy 30 1-6 2-2 2-3 1 3 4 Hauser-Price 23 1-4 0-1 0-1 2 3 2 Andrews 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Carney 24 0-3 2-2 0-2 2 3 2 Reams 26 1-5 1-3 6-12 6 3 4 Burlin 13 1-3 1-2 03 0 1 4 McPhillamy 3 0-0 0-0 0.1 0 0 0 Totals 200 23-58 16-2215511518 66 FG%:.397. FT%:.727. 3-point FG: 4-12,.333 (Pool 2-3, Smith 0-1, Gandy 0-1, Carney 0-3, Reams 1-1, Burlin 1-3.Blocks: 4 (Gandy 2, Pool, Smith). Steals: 6 (Gandy 2, Carney 2, Helvey,'Hauser-Price).. Turnovers: 18 (Smith 5, Reams 4, Carney 3, Gandy 2, Hauser-Price 2, Pool, Burlin). Technical fouls: none. Western Michigan.............27 26 - 53 Michigan .......................26 40 -66 Elementary school kids get taste of college basketball Niki Reams has stellar second half after Kelly Helvey leaves with hip-pointer; Dan Dierdorf pays a visit to Crisler Arena By Eric Ambinder Daily Sports Writer The tipoff of the Michigan women's basket- ball game against Western Michigan on Fri- day was earlier than usual. As a part of the "Maize and Blue 101" pro- motion, the University treated all area fourth and fifth- graders to the game against the Broncos. To accommodate the stu- dents, the game began at 2 p.m. Michigan didn't begin play- ing until 2:30. The Wolverines shook off a sluggish start it a point to actively recruit fans since she was named head coach. So far this season, the Wolverines are 3-0 at Crisler Arena. Two of those victories came against 2003 NCAA tournament teams. "We want to establish a home-court advan- tage, and it comes with our success on the court," said Burnett after last week's second round preseason WNIT victory over Cincinnati. IN THE NIK OF TIME: Michigan starter Kelly Helvey suffered a hip-pointer after colliding with a Bronco early in the first half. The injury caused her to sit out the rest of the con- test. Helvey's status is uncertain heading into tonight's game against Alabama. Her replacement at forward, junior Niki Reams, may have been the difference-maker for the Wolverines. Reams did it all on Friday, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists. "You know you can talk about Jen Smith every time, but you better recognize Niki Reams and what she did today," Western Michigan coach Ron Stewart said. Burnett echoed Stewart's evaluation of Ream's play. "Get the ball into Niki's hands because she makes such great decisions with the basket- ball," she said. "We needed to get some more offensive rebounds, and her effort to do that was just spectacular." DIERDORF AT HOME WITH BURNETT: With all of the hoopla surrounding the University this past weekend, several high-profile athletes were in attendance at the women's basketball game at Crisler Arena on Friday afternoon. Michigan alum and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf scouted the future team of his daughter, Katie, one of Michigan's recruits for next season. "She was indoctrinated early," Dierdorf said about his daughter's decision to attend Michigan. "We must have 100 pictures of Katie since she was born in different Michi- gan sweatshirts, baseball hats and t-shits." Dierdorf, a resident of Missouri, was famil- iar with Burnett during her days as coach of Southwest Missouri State, and was excited when Burnett accepted the head coaching position at Michigan. "I've been a big fan of hers for a long time," Dierdorf said. "When the Michigan job came open, instantly I thought she'd be the perfect candi- date. "I think it's a marriage made in heaven." in a 66-53 win, due in part to the constant support from the young crowd. "I want to congratulate our marketing and promotion group because having elementary school kids really created a very nice environ- ment that we needed today," coach Cheryl Burnett said. Burnett understands the impact that high attendance has on team performance, making RYAN WEINER/Daily Junior Niki Reams had 12 rebounds and six assists. 'M' volleyball swept by Gophers at home Parent's night special for freshmen as well Bowman and Cobler impress By James V. Dowd For the Daily It's no secret that momentum always plays a role in any sport. The Michigan volley- ball team found MINNESOTA that out this week- end, opening the weekend on Friday night with a three- game sweep of Iowa, and then falling 3-0 Saturday night against Minnesota. On Friday, Iowa ran with the Wolverines (10-8 Big Ten, 18-11 overall) in the first game until seniors Nicole Poquette and Erin Moore won three consecutive points to break a tie, bringing the momentum to the Wolverines' side. This momentum helped the Wolverines to an early lead in game two. At one point, Michigan opened up a 10-point lead. The kill from Moore inspired the Wolverines as they entered game three. Sophomore Erin Cobler had two consecutive kills, sandwiched by one from Moore and two from senior Lisa Gamalski, which sent the Wolverines on a 16-3 run. Cobler closed the match out with three kills in four points, giving the Wolverines a 30-10 victory in game three. At points this season, Michigan has had trouble gaining and taking advan- tage of momentum. Establishing its presence early became a priority dur- ing practice this past week. "We've been talking a lot this week about coming out and starting quick- er," coach Mark Rosen said. "Espe- cially defensively, I think we did a really good job with that, but I really liked the way we finished tonight." Rosen understood that they would need Friday's momentum to carry over to Saturday, as second-place Minnesota was coming into town. "Our goal has to be to come out and perform as we did tonight against a more physical team," said Rosen after Friday's game. Moore was pleased with the victory Friday, but was also wary of the Golden Gophers looming just 24 hours away. She was confident that they could run with Minnesota after taking them to four games earlier in the season. The Wolverines used momentum from Friday, and their previous per- formance at Minnesota, to come out firing on all cylinders. The first game was tied at 22 before Minnesota made a small push to take a three-point lead. Michigan made a run of its own after a timeout, but the Gophers held on to a 27-25 lead and captured a 30- 26 victory in game one. The second game ended with the same score, and a similar tone. The teams traded points throughout the entire game. Michigan even took a one- point lead on a blistering service ace from Cobler, but after Minnesota called a timeout, it was able to rebuild its momentum to win again. In the final game, Minnesota took advantage of the momentum it had built at the end of games one and two. The Gophers' defense, anchored by sophomore All-American Paula Gentil, held strong. Not even two thunderous spikes, one each from Moore and junior Jennifer Gandolph could slow Minneso- ta's offense, as it built a 19-11 lead. By Ian Herbert Daily Sports Writer With Parent's Night on Friday and Senior's Night on Saturday, the Michigan volleyball team's weekend was supposed to be about the elders. But it was freshmen Erin Cobler and Megan Bowman that stole the show. "Our veterans did what we expected," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "They did a great job. I thought that the two players that really stood out were the two freshmen." Friday night against Iowa, Cobler caught the attention of Rosen by dominating the outside hitter position. She had 12 kills, second only to senior tri-captain Erin Moore, who had 13. Bowman was right behind them with nine kills. Rosen credited their hard work in practice for their success on the court. "Both of them are working real- ly hard in practice," he said. "They are getting there early. They are doing extra stuff in practice, and it's nice to see that show when their level is getting raised." Cobler said that the things she worked on all week in practice were able to translate to better play during the games on Friday against Iowa. "I just focused on bringing more power and learning more shots," Cobler said. "So I was trying to do those things better." Perhaps even more impressive than the number of kills on Friday was the lack of errors. The two freshmen combined for only one error during all three games on Friday night, and Rosen thought that their work was a major reason that Michigan was able to domi- nate Iowa. "They know that if they can get better, this team gets better, because they are the young ones," Rosen said. "They are the new players. And I was just really pleased with how they played tonight." Saturday night was a little dif- ferent for the freshmen. They still were able to get their share of kills, combining for eleven in three losses to Minnesota. But they also made more errors. Bowman had two errors on the night, and Cobler had six. They were playing against a more physical Minnesota team, and with Erin Moore being shut down, more of the burden was placed on the other players like Bowman and Cobler. They strug- gled against a Minnesota team that was taller and stronger than Michi- gan. "Well, I think it was a little harder on them (on Saturday)," Rosen said. "I think that they played well, but those are posi- tions that we need to continually get better and better at. If we are going to take steps, it's going to be about getting more balance out of our whole team, and those players will need to continually get better." I JOEL FRIEDMAN/Daily Senior Nicole Poquette, along with Erin Moore, helped the Wolverines jump to an early lead against Iowa on Friday. The Wolverines were swept by Minnesota on Saturday. After Michigan's second timeout, it was able to put together a five- point run to pull within three, but a Minnesota timeout neutralized Michigan's newfound momentum, and the Gophers finished with a 30- 20 victory to earn the sweep. Rosen attributes the shift in momen- tum to frustration on Michigan's part. "Emotionally we got a little frus- trated and the game went the other way," Rosen said. The Wolverines will prepare to face Illinois Friday in Champaign, Ill., and Northwestern Saturday in Evanston, Ill. No such thing as week off for swimming By Gabe Edelson Daily Sports Writer It would be sensible to assume that, in the midst of a two-and-a-half-week gap between meets, the Michigan men's swimming and diving team would be resting and relaxing. It would also be far from the truth. "They're not going to have any time off," coach Jon Urbanchek said. "They're going to be so tired that they'll wish they were sitting a chance to get caught up on the weekends where you might have been busy with compe- titions." Sophomore Davis Tarwater has a typical swimmer's schedule. "I get up at about seven in the morning, come to the pool for a workout at 7:30, and get in the pool for about an hour-and-a-half," he said. "I go through my usual class routine during the day, come back at three o'clock for stretching and jump in the pool at 3:30 (for Urbanchek is proud of the commitment his team has shown during optional workouts. "The swimming is mandatory and every- thing else is optional," Urbanchek said, refer- ring to weight training and dry-land exercises. "We have such a good, dedicated team that I think the peer pressure makes everybody do what (is necessary) to be a good swimmer no matter how many hours it takes." The coach understands time must also be left for educational pursuits. : :. . ....