4 Friday November 12, 2004 sports. michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com PORS 10 .. .. ... .. .. ... Helvey's ejection sparks comeback In OT, Cameron sends 'M' onward Today's game: Northwestern {By Stephanie Wright :aily Sports Writer Just four minutes into the second half, sophomore Kelly Helvey drove hard into the lane and scored her third basket of the half, extend- Ang Michigan's MICIGAN 76 lead to 45-42. Seconds later, Helvey dove on the floor to grab a loose ball from the Australian Institute of Sport's Renae Camino. Fighting for the ball, the two players got into a physical alter- cation. Both Helvey and Camino were charged with double flagrant fouls and ejected from the game. Despite the loss of its emotional leader, the Michigan women's bas- ketball team was determined not to let the Institute gain momen- tum from the incident. Inspired to play more aggressively in Helvey's ibsence, Michigan overcame a four- pbint deficit at halftime to win its second exhibition game, 76-68. "It kind of shocked us at first because we needed her intensity defensive-wise," senior forward Tabitha Pool said. "So we just got into a circle and got everybody together. We came out and knew we needed to give the same intensity as Kelly. We kind of carried Kelly with us." While Pool quietly led the Wol- verines with 24 points and four assists, the freshmen added much pf the energy and intensity in their i)acreased minutes. We really had some kids step p," Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said. "We used that opportunity for ;sme others, and our players did ;well with that opportunity. But it was an unfortunate opportunity." Almost midway through the sec- ond half, freshman Becky Flippin intercepted an Institute pass and pitched the ball to freshman Jessica Starling, who lobbed it up-court to Pool. Despite getting fouled, Pool scored a layup and hit the ensu- ing free throw to give Michigan a seven-point lead. Playing 13 min- utes in the period, Starling grabbed six rebounds, while adding three assists. In just nine second-half minutes, freshman Janelle Cooper scored eight points and grabbed three offensive rebounds, giving her five for the game. The 5-foot-10 guard's physical play inside epitomized her team's second-half turnaround, as Michigan out-rebounded the Insti- tute 24 to 13 in the game's final 20 minutes. "When I asked Janelle Cooper how tall she is and she had five offensive rebounds - she does some great effort things," Burnett said. "It's those sparks that are really going to make us a better basketball team." In the first half, the Institute's pressing defense slowed Michigan, preventing it from fully showcasing its scramble offense for the second time. With three minutes left in the half, Pool was pressured into send- ing a pass out of bounds, and the Institute's Melissa Smith forced Starling to give up the ball on the next possession. The Wolverines committed 15 turnovers in the peri- od. "Once our youth figures out where they're supposed to be and when they're supposed to be there, (it will) take care of a lot of those By Jamie Josephson Daily Sports Writer One goal. That's all the Michigan men's soc- cer team needed to keep its hopes alive in the Big Ten Tournament. And for that lone goal, the * , Wolverines looked to one man - the CHGN captain who missed 17 games of the regular season due to a knee injury, the senior who has been struggling to rebound ever since his return: Knox Cameron. Yesterday, seventh-seeded Michigan upset second-seeded Ohio State 1-0 in overtime of the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on a game-winning goal by Cameron. Junior Ryan Sterba assisted the goal in the 97th minute of the game to give Michigan (1-4-1 big Ten, 10-6-4 overall) an emotional vic- tory against the Buckeyes and a spot in the semifinals of the tournament. "If we had lost, chances are, my col- lege career at Michigan would've been over," Cameron said. "That was pretty much all that was going through my mind at the time. I didn't want it to end like that." Cameron's goal was his first since his comeback from a knee injury on Nov. 3. Immediately after he scored, the senior was nearly trampled by his ecstatic teammates, who then proceed- ed to bow down to their captain. "I couldn't be happier for Knox to get that goal," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. "For him to score that goal in overtime, I think tears came to all the guys on the bench because they've seen how hard he's working and seen how he's shown so much character to fight through the frustration of knowing you can play better than you're showing. (Today), he was rewarded for it." Cameron's game-winning goal was Michigan's first tally on the scoreboard in more than 466 min- utes. Not having scored a goal since October, the Wolverines' offense finally sparked when it counted. "Hopefully, it's a sign that our offense is coming alive again," Burns said. In regulation, neither team's offense could convert on numerous scoring chances. Ohio State (5-1, 10-6-2) fifth- year senior Justin Cook had a pair of scoring opportunities in the last 10 minutes of the second half. Both times, his shot went over Michigan's net and kept the Wolverines' chances alive. Besides allowing the team to advance in the Big Ten Tournament, the win was special for Michigan, which was served a 2-0 defeat during its final game of the regular season by the Buckeyes last Saturday. "The challenge to our team was to rebound from that loss to Ohio State and show that we had the will to win and the will to compete for the entire game," Burns said. "(I give) credit to our guys and a lot of credit to Ohio State because they are a very good team. They had their chances, but it wasn't their day today. It was ours." As host of the tournament, Michi- gan was not about to hand rival Ohio State a second consecutive victory on the Wolverines' home turf. This time, Michigan came out with an eye on a championship and a heart full of ven- geance. "(Ohio State) came in here on Sat- urday and it hurt, the way they beat us," Cameron said. "We just wanted to get revenge, and that's what we did. (Revenge) was definitely sweeter against them." Michigan will take on third-seeded Northwestern today in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field. On Oct. 24 in Evanston, the Wildcats defeated Michigan 2-1 in overtime. The Wolverines hope to earn another upset victory against a tough North- western program in their quest for a Big Ten championship and subsequent NCAA bid. "When you talk about the Big Ten Tournament, it's a special time of the year because if you win, you go on," Burns said. "And (now) we go on to the next game. We still have life." RYAN WEINER/Daily Sophomore Kelly Helvey was tossed from yesterday's exhibition game early in the second half. Her absence sparked a comeback win for Michigan. issues," Burnett said. "But we still need to communicate better. When you're breathing hard and playing a lot of minutes, it is pretty tough (for young players)." Like its defense, Michigan improved its communication in the second half, committing six fewer turnovers. And much of this prog- ress also originated with the fresh- men. In the closing seconds of the game, freshman Krista Clement audibly instructed her teammates to hold onto the ball and not force a shot on their final possession. "We still need to be more vocal on the floor," Pool said. "We just need to talk and communicate more. Once we get that down, I think we'll be much better." JBurnett adds four to recruiting dass 4y Matt Venegoni 'baily Sports Writer Before the current freshmen class has even taken the floor for a regular season game, the Michigan women's basketball team has signed QoUr standout players for next year's class. The players who committed during the early -signing period are 6-foot-2 forward Carly Ben- 09n from Carney, 6-foot-2 forward Ashley Jones :rom Detroit, 6-foot-1 forward Melinda Queen %rom Oak Forest, Ill., and 5-foot-7 guard Jessica Winnfield from Toledo. "This is really the first class where we knew vhat our needs were," coach Cheryl Burnett laid. Burnett's initial class - the current seven 'reshmen - was a guard-heavy class featuring e players in the backcourt. To balance that lass, three athletic players - 6-foot-1 or tall- - were brought in along with another point guard to complement current freshman Becky l ppin. With just two seniors - Tabitha Pool and Bre- nne McPhilamy - leaving next year, the class ,:vJll help provide depth to a Michigan team that has just 10 scholarship players on the current roster. "In terms of the entire class and their ath- leticism, they are tremendously athletic and skilled," Burnett said. Benson - a senior at Carney Nadeau High School - is enjoying a great senior season, aver- aging 21.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 6.5 steals and five assists per game, while earning a spot as one of nine finalists for the 2004 Michigan Miss Basketball award. Benson is another example of the type of well-rounded student-athlete Burnett is looking for. She is the president of the Carney Nadeau chapter of National Honor Society. "We look for special people, players and stu- dents," Burnett said. "Our players succeed in the classroom, on the court and socially." Benson is not the only 2004 Michigan Miss Basketball award finalist in the class. Jones, who attends Martin Luther King High School, is also an award finalist. Jones is averaging 13.0 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game. "We are always going to establish the success of this program by recruiting Michigan players , and this is true for a variety of reasons," Burnett said in a statement from the Michigan athletic department. "In any program, whether its foot- ball or basketball, if you are keeping the cream of the crop at home, you will always be able to build that in-state pride." Michigan was also able to get some solid out- of-state players. Minnfield - who hails from the same high school as current Wolverine Kelly Helvey - averaged 16 points, nine assists and four steals per game as a junior en route to All- Toledo and All-District first-team honors, as well as all-state honorable mention honors. Melinda Queen, the final member of the class, has twice been a Street and Smith's All-Ameri- can honorable mention. Queen has helped lead her team to two conference championship and joins Benson as a National Honor Society mem- ber. "I think this second recruiting class is a major step forward in our program in terms of the overall skill and athleticism," Burnett said in her statement by the Michigan athletic depart- ment. "After getting to know the seven freshmen currently in the program, this was first time we could recruit a class that would complement who we already had in the program." 4 4 BASKETBALL A dream comes true for Brzozowicz y Eric Ambinder oily Sports Writer Remember the NCAA commercial at says, "There are over 360,000 udent-athletes and just about all pus will be going pro in something her than sports?" P'That's exactly (who I am)," Mich- an basketball freshman Alex Brzo- )wicz said. "Obviously, I'm not Sing to play in the NBA, and I'm >t looking for a career in basket- 11. I wanted to be a small part of )mething bigger." Brzozowicz played for St. Igna- 4s Catholic Prep in Chicago - and 'eraged 18 points, five rebounds, to steals and two blocks - before Stook a shot at walking on to play Isketball at Michigan. The 6-foot-3 guard took an uncon- pItional path to make the basketball am. The Michigan coaches were familiar with his game before the season began, and he was allowed to participate in open gym practices, as well as lift weights with the team. He didn't have to experience a tra- ditional walk-on tryout like fellow newcomer Hayes Groom did a couple of weeks ago. Michigan boasted a dual threat that was enough for Brzozowicz to turn down offers from Division III schools such as Loyola University- Chicago and Illinois-Wesleyan. "I wanted to come to (Michigan) because it has such a good (basket- ball) program, and it is such a good school academically," Brzozowicz said. Brzozowicz considered enrolling in the School of Art and Design, but he has decided that he wants to study architecture instead. "I've always loved architecture," Brzozowicz said. "My grandfather was a structural engineer, and I've always wanted to follow in his foot- steps. (Ron Coleman) is my room- mate, and I have pictures all over the place, on his door and my door." The transition from high school to college basketball, Brzozowicz admits, has been a bit difficult. But he is thankful that his more experi- enced teammates have helped him develop. "I've messed up as a freshman," he said. "We did this drill that I got wrong like eight times in a row. I didn't know what the hell I was doing and then Dani (Wohl) pulled me aside and helped me and was like, 'This is how we do it.' " Brzozowicz did play in Mich- igan's 60-43 exhibition win over Michigan Tech. And when he received the ball, the Crisler Arena fans and the basketball team rose to their feet and cheered for a shot attempt, but it never came. "I think the most (attendance) we ever got in high school was 2,000," Brzozowicz said. "When you come (to Michigan), you have 9,000 watching an exhibition game. It's the big time. I love it here." Michigan has four other non- scholarship walk-ons on its roster: John Andrews, Ashtyn Bell, Hayes Grooms and Dani Wohl. PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily Senior Knox Cameron scored the lone goal in Michigan's overtime win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. It was also Cameron's first goal of the season. TIME Is * "Don't let your :HA IR aet ahead of wii - a r!2 IU I hI hi I i. _ U .I i