The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 2, 2004 - 3B
Players of the game
SUNDAY'S GAME
Cindy Dallas
(Illinois)
Dallas matched the play of Michi-
gan's Smith inside, scoring 26
points on 10-for-12 shooting and
6-6 from the charity stripe.
Jennifer Smith
(Michigan)
Smith scored 21 of her 31 points in
the first half, giving Michigan a five-
point lead at the intermission. Smith
also lead the team in rebounds with 7.
Michigan
Illinois
78
94
Talkin' the talk
"Really, I don't know how you can."
- Michigan junior Tabitha Pool when asked if she can stay
positive in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
MICHIGAN (78)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A
Pool 24 7-16 0-0 2-5 1
Gandy 38 5-15 1-3 0-1 1
Smith 39 10-18 11-13 6-7 1
Hauser-Price 31 1-2 0-0 2-4 1
Helvey 18 2-5 0-0 0-2 3
Andrews 0+ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
Carney 8 1-1 0-0 0-2 0
Reams 31 3-10 5-5 5-6 2
Burlin 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
McPhilamy 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
TEAM 2-7
Totals 200 2967 17-211734 9
FG%: .433. FT%: .810. 3-point FG: 3-22, .13
(Reams 1-5, Gandy 1-7, Pool 1-7, Hauser-Pi
Helvey 0.1, Smith 0-1). Blocks: 0. Steals: 6
Price 2, Gandy 1, Helvey 1, Reams 1, Smith
Turnovers: 15 (Gandy 4, Hauser-Price 3, Po(
Helvey 2, Carney 1, Reams 1, Smith 1). Tec
Fouls: none.
Illinois (94)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A
Williams 34 13-24 4-4 2-3 4
Wigley 35 6-7 2-4 4-7 4
Dallas 40 10-12 6-6 1-7 4
Acuna 40 2-4 0-0 0-7 3
Guthrie 35 4-14 9-9 4-9 6
Hughes 3 0-0 0-0 0-1 0
Mitidiero 0+ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
Guth 0+ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
Issenmann 8 0-1 0-0 0-0 0
Daugherty 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
Blackburn 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
Totals 200 35.62 21-23 11-34 21:
FG%: .565. FT%: 913. 3-point FG: 3-8,.375
1-1, Acuna 1-2, Williams 1-3, Guthrie 0-1, Is
0-1). Blocks: 6 (Dallas 4, Wigley 1, Williams
Steals: 9 (Williams 4, Acuna 3, Dallas 1, Wi
Turnovers: 13 (Acuna 5, Williams 3, Guthrie
las 1, Hughes 1, Wigley 1). Technical fouls:
Michigan...........................43 35-
Illinois...............................38 56 -
At: Assembly Hall, Champaign
Attendance: 2,962
Key Stat
56
Illinois' point total in the second
Michigan carried a five-point lea(
halftime, only to see it disappear
a double digit deficit for much of
second frame.
THURSDAY' S GAT
Ohio State
Michigan
Ohio State (51)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A
Turner 36 5-11 0-3 2-3 1
Davenport 26 5-6 1-1 38 1
Hoskins 32 4-9 0-0 0-3 1
Wilburn 40 2-10 0-2 3-6 4
Matter 35 5-13 3-3 310 3
Howe 6 1-2 0-0 0-0 0
Dark 6 0-3 0-0 0-1 0
Munoz 9 0-1 0-0 0-0 0
Blanton 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0
Haynam 6 0-0 0-0 1-2 0
TEAM 2-4
Totals 200 22-55 4-9 23-4810:
FG%:.400 FT%: .444. 3-poht FG: 3-12, .25(
2.5, Hoskins 1-2, Dark 0.3, Wilburn 02). Bi
(Turner 4, Davenport 1, Wilburn 1). Steals:I
ter 2, Davenport 1, Hoskins 1, Howe 1, Will
Turnovers: 14 (Hoskins 4, Wilburn 4, Matter
er 2, Davenport 1). Technical Fouls: none.
MICHIGAN (49)
F PTS
3 15
2 12
3 31
1 2
2 4
0 0
3 2
2 12
1 0
0 0
17 78
16
ice 0.1,
(Hauser-
h 1).
o1 3,
hnical
F PTS
3 31
2 15
Solid offense can't bail out 'D' Everyone wins on Super
By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Writer
CHAMPAIGN - The Michigan women's basketball
team has been looking for offensive rhythm all season.
It finally found it against Illinois on Sunday.
But the Wolverines' 78 points - their highest point total
since the first game of the season - wasn't enough. Michi-
gan gave up 94 points to a Fighting Illini team that averages
just 58 points per game this season.
Illinois shot a school record 73.3 percent
from the field in the second half, thanks'
largely to easy transition buckets by for-
ward Angelina Williams.
"We have been working on trying to play
offensively 94 feet," Illinois coach Theresa
4 26 Grentz said. "When you are doing that, you will be able to
4 17 score. We had good penetration that helped us; it rejuvenat-
0 0 ed us, and it kept us alive and with good legs."
0 0 Defense has been the strength for the Wolverines this sea-
0 0 son. Coming into yesterday's contest, Michigan gave up just
1 0 60 points per game in Big Ten action.
ig y Playing with a loose zone in the second half, Illinois con-
senmann tinually beat Michigan down the court for easy transition
layups.
igley 1).
2, Dal- "The one thing we wanted to emphasize is that you can't
none. give them an easy basket, and you can't let them offensively
78 rebound," Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said. "We still
94 gave them way too many easy looks. They were making the
next pass, something I don't think necessarily has been char-
acteristic of the Illinois team."
FROZEN SOLID: Coming into yesterday's game, the
Wolverines were shooting a league-worst .237 from 3-point
range.
Against Illinois, the Wolverines continued to struggle,
shooting just 2-for-17 from downtown in the second half.
half. Despite center Jennifer Smith's ability to draw a double
d into team, the Wolverines consistently missed open long-
r into range shots.
the Michigan forward Tabitha Pool, coming off a career best
5-of-7 from 3-point land against Ohio State on Thursday, hit
just I-of-7 from downtown.
In their past five games, the Wolverines have shot
just .163 from 3-point range, due largely to opponents'
zone defenses.
"When teams are really paying (Smith) a lot of attention,
51 we just really got to hit an outside shot, and that's been our
struggle," Pool said. "We can't live and die by the outside
49 shot."
UNABLE TO RECHARGE: After Michigan's 51-49 loss to
Ohio State at Crisler Arena last Thursday, Burnett criti-
F PTST E GREE
i 1 .There's no doubt
1 9 Wolverines the g
1 15 fallen nlosewf
3 2 sarily a good thin
0 0 Michigan fires fr
0 0
0 0 Feb, l: at IlIn(
11 51 TEAM
)(Matter POO:
6l1cPool:6
6(Mat- f
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TEAM
Poo[: 'I
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Jennifer Smith led Michigan with 31 points, but her efforts were
not enough as the Wolverines were blown out by lilinois.
cized her team's recent inability to perform well early in
the second half.
The Wolverines are 7-1 this season when leading at half-
time, but a 43-38 Michigan advantage couldn't slow down
the Fighting Illini. Illinois began the second half on a 21-7
run, taking a 59-50 lead with 15 minutes left in the game.
Michigan allowed a season-high 56 points in the sec-
ond half.
"We're still starting slow," Burnett said. "But again, the
first five minutes killed us. It's a repetitive situation that we
need to figure out."
J. BRADY MCCOLLOUGH
The SportsMonday Column
There's no day that will ever
make me feel like more of a
loser than Super Bowl Sunday.
My name is James Brady McCol-
lough, and I've been a Buffalo Bills
fan since 1990.
That's right, just in time for "wide
right" - Scott Norwood's missed
47-yard field goal in Super Bowl
XXV that handed the Bills the first
of four Super Bowl losses in a row.
Four in a row - that's years 7
through 11. Crucial in every child's
development. Somehow, I think it
may have set my puberty back a few
years.
Even though I haven't been a real
loser on Super Bowl Sunday since
1994, it always feels that way. The
greatest win the Bills ever had in a
Super Bowl was when Don Beebe
ripped the ball away from Leon
Lett's fat ass in No. XXVII - the
Bills' first whipping at the hands of
the Dallas Cowboys.
I lived three hours from Dallas. I
spent my entire adolescence listen-
ing to natives of Shreveport,
Louisiana hop on the Cowboy band-
wagon and yell "HOW 'BOUT
'DEM COWBOYS!" in my ear.
So, here I am, 10 years later,
pulling for the Patriots (AFC pride,
baby). As they drive the ball down
the field with a minute left in regu-
lation, tied 29-29 with the Panthers,
I hear my friend Ken predict, "The
J. Brady luck is going to kick in."
Thanks, Ken.
But on an evening that's known
for making the firm distinction
between the winners and the losers,
it was "everybody" who won last
night in my living room.
The big winners
It's 4 p.m. when two of my room-
mates, Adam and Eric, realize they
have no team allegiances to the Pats
or Panthers and need something to
spice up their evening.
Like Rogers and Hammerstein,
when Adam and Eric combine on
something, it's normally worth
watching. This time, they decided
they would place $100 each on the
Panthers to beat the 7-point spread
favoring New England in an effort to
make $200 toward a $400 "special
gift" our house has been coveting.
I've got to hand it to the Pats and
Panthers; they made sure watching
Adam and Eric between plays was bet-
ter than listening to Phil Simms talk
about what makes a good quarterback.
I love watching the people who bet
on games just to make them interest-
ing to watch; I've never had that
problem. By the time the second half
rolls around, Eric - a music major
who does try to relate to my obses-
sion with sports - is referring to
Carolina as "we." Later, he critiqued
Jake Delhomme's "throwing tech-
nique" on an overthrown ball.
By the middle of the scoreless sec-
ond quarter, Adam and Eric (I'll go
with A&E from now on) were chanti-
ng, "3-0 would be outstanding."
They were also basing their hopes
on the "defense wins champi-
onships" theory, which ultimately
proved to be total bull. The Pats and
Panthers, under the direction of
defensive masterminds Bill
Belichick and John Fox, both gave
up more than 300 yards passing.
"I'm going to need to be pretty
drunk by the end of the game, so if I
lose, I can handle it," Adam said.
Unfortunately, we ran out of suds
sometime in between P. Diddy and J.T.
At 29-22 New England, it looked
as if A&E were going to be neither
winners nor losers. Luckily, that
never happens on Super Bowl Sun-
day: Somebody always wins, and
the other person inevitably loses.
"You're a loser, a big fat one,"
Adam said to me, even though my
team was ahead and his bet was
about to "push."
Within a few minutes, when Tom
Brady and Adam Vinatieri com-
bined once again to make New Eng-
landers forget about the Red Sox for
just a few seconds, A&E could
rejoice. The Patriots won, 32-29,
and A&E suddenly didn't care who
won anymore. They were rich.
"It didn't matter that I didn't have the
money to bet right away," Adam said.
When you don't have the money to
begin with, it's an even bigger win.
Everyone can win
One afternoon in second grade, I
ran home crying to my mom
because the girls down the street
kept calling me "Brady Bunch" and
singing "Here's a story of a man
named Brady ..."
What now, ladies?
I love Tom Brady. I love him
because he's a Michigan man. I love
him because every time he throws a
touchdown pass or even completes a
pass with a tight spiral, my stock
increases nine percent. Trust me,
I've charted it.
As Brady collected his second
Super Bowl MVP trophy, if you
looked closely enough, you could
see my stock soaring through the
Reliant Stadium retractable roof.
Admit it. Since Tom Brady has
become an American icon and
Miranda named her baby "Brady"
on HBO's Sex and the City, guys
named Brady have increased their
chances of success with girls ten-
fold. The Jakes and Toms on campus
should expect the same effect.
So, kudos to A&E for their $208
victory last night, and kudos to me:
The team from the AFC won, my
stock is in excellent shape and I
can still enjoy the benefits of
A&E's win for another two-and-a-
half months.
Yet, even after a night of big win-
ning, I'll still be a Bills fan when I
wake up this morning.
At least my name isn't Bill.
J Brady McCollough is working to have
guns like last night's head referee, Ed
Hochuli. He can be reached at
bradymncc@umich.edu.
MIN
Pool 38
Helvey 19
Smith 34
Hauser-Price 30
Gandy 23
Andrews 7
Carney 10
Reams 27
Burlin 5
McPhilamy 7
TEAM
Totals 200
FG
M-A
11-18
0-4
5-13
2-4
0-3
0-0
0.1
1-3
0-0
0-2
19-48
FT
M-A
2-2
0-0
0-0
1-2
2-4
0-0
0-0
00
0-0
0-0
54s
REB
3T
3-11
0-1
1-5
0-1
1-2
4-0
0.0
1-4
2-2
1-6
9-32
A F PTS
0 2 29
2 0 0
0 3 10
2 4 2
0 00
3 1 3
S0 0
1215 49
FG%: .396. F%: .625. 3-point FG: 6-15, .400 (Pool
5-7, Reams 1-3, Gandy 0-2, Helvey 0-2, Hauser-Price
0-1). Blocks: 1 (Pool). Steals: 8 (Hauser-Price 4,
Pool 2, Andrews 1, Carney 1). Turovers: 16 (Smith
4, Helvey 3, McPhilamy 2, Pool 2, Reams 2,
Andrews 1, Gandy 1). Technical fouls: none.
Ohio State...........21 30 - 51
Michigan...........................20 29- 49
At: Crisler Arena
Attendance: 1,556
BIG TEN STANDINGS
WOMEN
Continued from Page 1B
A 3-pointer from sophomore Niki
Reams four minutes into the half
pushed Michigan ahead of the Fighting
Illini for the last time, 48-46.
But after a 9-0 run, Illinois took
control of the game and kept a con-
sistent double-digit lead as the
Wolverines struggled from the floor.
An effective zone defense shut
down Smith and Michigan's perime-
ter shooting. The Wolverines cut the
lead to five with three minutes to
go, but Illinois would not let them
get any closer.
A positive that came out of the game
was that many Michigan bench players
contributed to the team's scoring effort.
Reams' 12 points - only the third time
this season the sophomore has reached
double digits - and six assists were
the highlight.
Prior to this game, Illinois sat in
10th place in the Big Ten standings,
while Michigan had dropped to
eighth. After this game, both teams
remain at their respective places, but
the Wolverines have taken a signifi-
cant blow to their postseason
chances.
A potential saving grace for
Michigan is that, after being on the
road four of the last five games, it
will now return to Crisler for its next
three contests.
After being asked how she can stay
positive after losing a third game in a
row, Pool responded, "Really, I don't
know how you can."
"When you're trying to do things
right in the program, and you're
working hard, trying to do the things
the coaches are asking you to do, it
doesn't always pay off," Burnett
said. "And this was one of those
games."
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Penn State
Purdue
Iowa
Michigan State
Minnesota
Ohio State
Indiana
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Northwestern
Big Ten
W L Pct.
9 0 1.000
7 1 .875
6 2 .750
6 3 .667
5 3 .625
4 4 .500
3 6 .333
3 6 .333
2 6 .250
2 7 .222
0 9 .000
Overall
W L Pct.
17 3 .850
17 2 .895
12 7 .632
16 4 .800
16 3 .842
12 7 .632
10 10 .500
10 12 .455
8 10 .444
8 12 .400
7 13 .350
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Illinois at Northwestern
Ohio State at Iowa
Penn State at Indiana
Purdue at Michigan
Wisconsin at Michigan State
Sunday, Feb. 8
Penn State at Minnesota
Illinois at Indiana
Northwestern at Michigan State
Ohio State at Purdue
Wisconsin at Michigan
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Purdue at Iowa
Thursday, Feb. 12
Indiana at Northwestern
Iowa at Wisconsin
Michigan State at Michigan
Minnesota at Ohio State
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