The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 24, 2005 - 5B WHAT DID YOU SAY? "It's our job to make sure we get into our offense and get great shots. We didn't do that today." - Sophomore Dion Harris on dissatisfaction with guard play SATURDAY'S SCORE PLAYERS OF THE GAME Wisconsin 72 61 Mike Wilkinson (Wisconsin) The forward finished his offensive onslaught with 28 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Michigan. Brent Petway (Michigan) As a spark off the bench, Petway tal- lied 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in just 24 minutes of playing time on Saturday. Michigan Guards struggle late n games By Eric Ambinder Daily Sports Writer Fatigue? Poor Execution? Bad judgment? Whatever the cause, Michigan's last two Big Ten losses have one noticeable similarity: Guards Daniel Horton and Dion Harris, the team's two most valu- able shooters, have combined to shoot less than 25 percent from the floor in the second half. Even though Harris and Horton com- bined for 32 points in Saturday's 72-61 loss to Wisconsin, the duo shot just 31.4 percent from the floor. "We haven't shot the ball this poorly in a while," Michigan coach Tommy Amak- er said. "We had to take some tough shots being behind, trying to scramble and catch up. Certainly I thought our shooting went away from us." Horton and Harris combined to shoot just 4-for-18 in the second half against the Badgers. At Indiana on Wednesday, Horton and Harris converted just 3-of-14 second-half shot attempts. "What it comes down to is our execu- tion," Harris said. "We feel if we execute our plays and our offense the way we're supposed to that we should be able to get good shots. For the past two games, that hasn't happened." Amaker admitted he didn't have an answer for Michigan's poor shooting late- ly, especially in the second half. "I don't know if we were fatigued and rushing things a little bit," Amaker said. "I sense that. (Saturday) afternoon was a little different than the last game because we got behind by double-digits. "We were trying to get back in it. When you're speeding it up, you're running the risk of maybe rushing on the offensive end." Horton - who was helped off the court after injuring his right knee with just under two minutes remaining - played most of the second half in foul trouble. When the junior was off the court in stretches because of his fouls, Harris had a tougher time finding open shots. When the sopho- more attacked the basket, he often drew a foul but had trouble finishing in the paint. Finishing is key for Blue down stretch JASON COOPER/Daily Junior Daniel Horton goes for a layup against Wisconsin's Ray Nixon. Horton went 6-for-19 on the day and 2-for-6 from behind the arc, good for 16 points. Harris quickly created short-range jump- ers or running floaters, mostly without screens or picks from teammates. "Harris is only a sophomore," Wiscon- sin sophomore Kammron Taylor said. "I think he's the leading scorer, so I'm pretty sure he had the green light to shoot the ball. When you tell a young kid that, they are going to make poor decisions. But tak- ing a lot of shots, you got to be able to hit them. And good thing for us, he didn't hit them." Harris said that Amaker allows the guards to create shots and that Wiscon- sin's defense - which has held opponents to a conference-best 59.6 points per game this season - didn't contribute to the poor shooting. "I don't think they were forcing us into tough shots," Harris said. "We didn't make certain shots that we normally make." Most of Horton's 13 missed shot attempts were also runners or short jump- ers that he was forced to create. And in the latter part of the second half, whenever one was shooting, the other wasn't look- ing to shoot. During one stretch late in the second half, with both guards on the floor, Horton took seven shots while Harris did not attempt one. Harris said: "I think it would help if we really knew when to take certain shots and took them at great times. When you come down on a fast break and pull up for a shot with no passes, we got to know when to take those type of shots and when not to." Amaker openly criticized the play of Michigan's backcourt after its loss to Indi- ana - in particular its inability to take care of the basketball. And in the first half against the Badgers, Horton and Harris responded with solid play. They combined for 20 of Michigan's 32 first-half points. "I think we were aggressive offen- sively and trying to attack and just trying to score more and trying to create more (in the first half)," Harris said. "We didn't think Wisconsin could guard us on the perimeter off the dribble. We really tried to attack." Though Horton and Harris missed a combined 24 shots against the Badgers, they did help shut down Wisconsin start- ers Clayton Hanson, Sharif Chambliss and forward Alando Tucker. The trio - which had averaged a combined 32 points per game coming into the contest - totaled just 12 points on 2-for-16 shooting. Horton was unavailable for comment following the game because doctors were tending to his injured right knee. JOSH HOLMAN Part Icon, Whole Man Conventional basketball wisdom says that good teams start and finish strong in each half. With this little nugget, it's obvious who the best team was at Crisler Arena on Saturday. Wisconsin beat Michigan 72-61 in con- vincing fashion, and it opened and closed the game just like a good team should. The Wolverines spent most of the time watching just how good of a basketball team Wisconsin can be, especially at the bookends of each half. The Badgers opened with a 9-2 lead in the first five minutes. They outscored the Wolverines 11-4 in the final 4:20 of the half. That stretch stung even more when Wisconsin sophomore guard Kammron Taylor hit a pair of free throws after get- ting fouled on the fast break. On what should have been the last possession of the half, Taylor picked off a lazy pass and turned a two-point deficit into a 37- 32 lead at halftime after hitting his free throws. The Badgers began the second half with a 13-4 run to open up a 50-36 lead. That effectively put Michigan away. The Wolverines hadn't been knocked out, but they had a black eye in the middle rounds, making any sort of comeback difficult. "When you have to come back, that's something you have to do," junior tri- captain Graham Brown said. "It's not that we're suited for it, it's not that any team is suited for it. You just have to know when you have to fight and when you have to turn it up." But there's a difference in knowing when you have to fight and actually being close enough to put up a fight. Wisconsin didn't even need a late knockout blow. And even when the Bad- gers let up on the reins late in the game, the Wolverines couldn't finish for cosmet- ics sake. They missed shot after shot in front of the rim as the irrelevant minutes wound down. It was a fitting ending - one team could finish while its opposi- tion could not. And it was finishing in every sense of the word. Wisconsin knew how to finish the halves, finish its shots and finish off the Wolverines. If Saturday's game was a race, senior Mike Wilkinson would have finished first. He shot 9-for-11 from the field for 28 points, one shy of his career high. He was hitting every shot, whether it was just inside the rim or outside the arc. (The forward actually went just 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.) His game was so complete that Michigan coach Tommy Amaker called it "flawless." But Michigan's big men had their share of flaws. The forwards could not establish any kind of post game all day. "When you get it (inside), obviously you have to finish," Amaker said. "There are times where we didn't do that as well as we should have." Not all the blame can go to the men inside. For starters, someone has to actually pass them the ball. That activ- ity stopped in the second half, when the burden of scoring fell entirely on the shoulders of guards Daniel Horton and Dion Harris. But even the Wolverines' two biggest offensive threats still had trouble finishing an offensive play with much efficiency. The backcourt combination took 37 of Michigan's 60 total shots from the field. It connected on just 11. "It's our job to make sure that we get into our offense and get great shots," Har- ris said. "We didn't do that (Saturday) as much in the second half." To make matters worse, Horton couldn't even finish the game. He injured his right knee - not the knee that kept him out for six games - with less than two minutes to play. Horton's status is uncertain for Thursday's game at Michigan State. Even though the Wolverines showed no signs of being able to go into Breslin Arena and win - something they have not done since 1997 - not all hope is lost. If you take that wisdom about strong starts and finishes and apply it to Michi- gan's whole season, things seem on track. The Wolverines began their preseason with three straight wins and ended it with three more. Then they reeled off three wins to open their conference schedule, the second half of their season. Good teams go through tough stretches in a game. Even Wisconsin endured some stretches Saturday where Michigan looked like it might have some life. But good teams find a way to come through in the end. "I think we've been pretty solid throughout this season with the way we want to play," Amaker said. "We're not doing everything we need to get done right now obviously, otherwise we would maybe have won two games, but we didn't." Michigan's two-game losing streak has included losses to Indiana and Wis- consin with Michigan State to come - certainly a tough stretch. But if the Wolverines roll over dead, they might get knocked out before they even have a chance to finish strong. Coleman Sims Brown Horton . Harris Wohl Andrews H arrell Petway TEAM MIN 28 28 28 32 34 3 18 5 24 FG M-A 2-6 4-8 0-2 6-19 5-16 0-0 1-2 0-0 4-7 FT M-A 2-2 2-2 0-0 2-6 4-6 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-3 SATURDAY'S GAME Wisconsin 72 FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A O0-T A F PTS Helmigk 15 3-7 2-2 1-5 1 1 8 Tucker 23 0-9 4-4 3-11 3 0 4 Wilkinson 34 9-118-105-15 1 3 28 Chambliss 21 0-4 4-4 0-1 0 2 4 Hanson 35 2-3 0-2 0-1 2 3 4 Nixon 18 0-2 2-2 0-1 0 3 2 Chappel 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Bronson 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Flowers 4 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 Taylor 30 4-11 5-8 1-3 2 1 13 Butch 6 2-3 0-0 1-1 0 2 4 Stiemsma 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 T Morley 11 2-5 1-1 13 1 2 5 TEAM 3-5 Totals 200 22-5526-3315-47101872 FG%: .400 FT%: .788 3-point FG: 2-10, .200 (Wilkinson 2-3, Chambliss 0-3, Tucker 0-1, Hanson 0-1, Nixon 0-1, Taylor 0-1). Blocks: 1 (Wilkinson) Steals: 4 (Hanson, Nixon, Bronson, Morley). Turn- overs: 14 (Taylor 5, Tucker 3. Chambliss 2. Morley 2. Helmigk, Nixon). Technical fouls: None. MICHIGAN 61 Totals 200 22-6012-19 9-3212 25 61 FG%: .367 FT%: .632 3-point FG: 5-17, .294 (Horton 2-6, Harris 2-7, Andrews 1-2, Coleman 0-2). Blocks: 9 (Petway 5, Sims 4). Steals: 6 (Brown 3, Coleman, Horton, Wohl). Turnovers: 10 (Harris 2, Horton 2, Coleman, Sims, Brown, Wohl, Harrell, TEAM). Technical fouls: none. Wisconsin..................37 35 - 72 Michigan........32 29 - 61 At: Crisler Arena Attendance: 13,751 'M' STATS REB 0-T A 14 0 3-4 1 2-6 0 0-4 5 0-1 3 0-0 1 0-3 2 0-0 0 3-100 F PTS 26 3 10 4 0 4 16 4 16 3 0 1 3 0 0 4 10 Player Harris Horton Hunter Sims Petway Coleman Abram Brown Andrews Mathis Harrell Ba Wohl Bell Brzozowicz G 19 13 14: 19 17 15: 3 10; 17 9 16 2 6 7 2 Min 36.9 32.1 20.5 25.4 23.5 25.6 28.7 24.6 19.5 8.5 12.0 1.0 7.5 6.6 1.5 A 3.7 4.2 0.8 0.6 1.0 1.3 1.3 0.8 1.6 0.3 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 Reb 2.8 2.8 3.8 6.1 6.4 2.9 4.7 7.0 2.4 1.6 1.4" 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.0 Pts 13.8 12.4 11.2 10.4 8.1 7.3 6.7 4.8 3.7 2.3 1.7 1.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 BIG TEN STANDINGS Hunter may return against State By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Writer Michigan junior Chris Hunter's presence was sorely missed on Saturday when Wisconsin forward Mike Wilkinson lev- eled the Wolverines' defense both inside and outside the paint. Wilkinson had scored a whopping 28 points by the end of his offensive onslaught and had exposed the hole that Hunter, who is arguably Michigan's most versatile scorer, left in the lineup when Hunter was forced onto the bench with an injury during Michigan's game against Iowa on Jan. 5. Captain Graham Brown, who frequently went head to head with Wilkinson in the frontcourt, expressed his feelings regarding Hunter's absence. "(Hunter) is a great player," Brown said. "Of course it will help when he comes back. But that's no excuse for how we played today." Fortunately for the Wolverines, Hunter believes that his jump from the sidelines to the lineup is imminent. "I want to play in the Michigan State game," Hunter said. "That's my goal, and I believe it's definitely realistic." The junior has been running and working out with the team's athletic trainer but still has not made it through an entire prac- tice since Michigan played Iowa at the beginning of January. "There's still a good bit of soreness," Hunter said. "But it's getting better every day." INJURY REPORT: With just 1:55 left in Saturday's contest, junior Daniel Horton fell to the ground, writhing in pain. There was a collective gasp from the Wolverine faithful in attendance as the standout point guard lay there on the empty court with coach Tommy Amaker and a team trainer hovered over him. At first blush, it appeared as if Horton may have re-injured his left knee, an ailment from which he recently recovered. On second glance, however, the crowd noticed something far more disturbing. Horton was clutching his right knee. After the game, Horton's status was unclear, and Amaker did not have any postgame updates regarding the injury. Although Horton performed fairly poorly on Saturday, shooting 6-of-19 from the field and 2-of-6 from the charity stripe, another Horton injury would likely prove detrimental for Michigan's already aching cause. The junior missed most of December while undergoing rehabilitation for his knee. The final game he played before having to sit on the bench was Michigan's nail-biting win over formerly No. 21 Notre Dame on Dec. 4. He returned just in time to help the Wolverines beat then-No. 14 Iowa on Jan. 5. Those wins have been Michigan's only two wins against ranked opponents thus far this season. Senior Dani Wohl, who also missed several games due to an elbow injury, gave the crowd a bit of a scare late in the first half. The point guard left the court with a trainer in the middle of the game. After the game, he explained that he had simply banged up a few of his fingers. He returned later in the second half to relieve Horton and sophomore Dion Harris off the bench, and had one assist and grabbed a steal. Josh Holman can be reached at holmanj@umich.edu. Team Illinois Michigan State Indiana Wisconsin Minnesota Michigan Iowa Ohio State Penn State Northwestern Purdue 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 1 0 Big Ten Overall 0 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 6 19 12 9 13 13 12 14 12 7 8 4 0 3 7 3 5 7 4 7 11 9 12 JASONC OOPEF Daniel Horton grimaces after injuring his right knee In the closing minutes on Saturday. Horton had recently returned from a knee injury earlier this season. THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS: Wisconsin 72, MICHIGAN 61 IowA 71, Purdue 57 Michigan State 69. MINNESOTA 55 PENN STATE 65, Northwestern 62 INDIANA 67. Ohio State 60 TUESDAY'S GAMES Illinois at Wisconsin 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY'S GAMES Wisc-Milwaukee at Purdue 7 p.m. Northwestern at Iowa 7:05 p.m. Indiana at Minnesota 8 p.m. Penn State at Ohio State 8 p.m. THURSDAY'S GAMES Michigan at Michigan State 7 p.m. SATURDAY'S GAMES Ohio State at Northwestern 11:15 a.m. Minnesota at Illinois 1:30 p.m. Indiana at Iowa 4:05 p.m. Wisconsin at Penn State 8 p.m. Oakland at Michigan State 8 p.m. SUNDAY'S GAMES Michigan at Purdue 1:30 p.m. KEY STAT 2 The number of feld goals missed by Mike Wilkinson en route to his 28 point, 15 rebound performance. UP NEXT: MICHIGAN STATE With their only conference blemish being against Wisconsin, the Spartans look primed to make another run into the NCAA Tournament. They boast numerous athletes who can beat their opponent in a multitude of ways. Six players on the roster average nine points or more. They're AP TOP 25 Week 10 (Jan. 17 - Jan. 23) Team: 1. Illinois 2. Kansas 3. Wake Forest 4. Duke 5. Oklahoma State 6. North Carolina 7. Syracuse 8. Kentucky 9. Boston College 10. Washington 11. Gonzaga 12. Georgia Tech 13. Arizona 14. Louisville 15. Texas 16. Connecticut 17. Mississippi State Record: 19-0 14-1 16-2 15-0 14-2 16-2 19-1 14-2 16-0 16-2 14-4 11-5 16-3 16-3 14-4 11-4 16-4 Last game: beat Iowa, 73-68 lost to Villanova, 83-62 beat Cincinnati, 74-70 beat Florida State, 88-56 beat Baylor, 82-53 beat Miami 87-67 beat West Virginia, 72-64 beat LSU, 89-58 beat Villanova, 67-66 beat Washington State, 66-48 beat San Diego, 68-56 lost to Virginia Tech, 70-69 beat Oregon State 92-83 beat Tennessee, 85-62 lost to Oklahoma, 64-60 lost to Pittsburgh, 76-66 beat South Carolina 73-65 BADGERS Continued from page 1.B But in the second half, the guards cooled off and the frontcourt strug- gled. Amaker attributed the poor out- side shooting to the inside-out game falling apart early in the second half. "We didn't shoot the ball well from the perimeter," Amaker said. "If you don't shoot it well from the perimeter, there's no sense in people running out guarding you. So you're going to sluff off in the inside, and it's hard to get it in there." Petway had perhaps the most excit- ing plays for Michigan, when he blocked two consecutive shots on the same series. He finished with five on the game and recorded with his sec- - . ..