FIRST IN 16
After 15-consecutive wins, the water
polo team lost to Indiana - its big-
gest rival - for the first time ever.
PAGE 3B
GOLDEN GRAPPLERS GENNARO FILICE
The wrestling team defeated No. 4
Minnesota yesterday to set up a show-
down for the Big Ten title next week.
PAGE 7B
Student section
gave up on its most
talked-about cheer
PAGE 8B
The SportsMonday Column
SPORTS DAY
January 31, 2005
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Losing steam
PURDUE 84, Michigan 55
Amaker must
JASON COOPER/Daily
Senior captain Eric Nystrom is pushed to the ice while fighting for the
puck against Northern Michigan Friday.
* Icers' defensive
stand salvages
wee kend sit
By Gabe Edelson
Daily Sports Writer
With just over six minutes remaining in Saturday night's game at Yost
Ice Arena, the Michigan hockey team found itself in a tough spot.
Despite leading Northern Michigan by a score of 3-1, the No. 4
Wolverines (17-3-0 CCHA, 20-7-1 overall) were at a two-man disad-
vantage. With both Tim Cook and Matt Hunwick - one-third of the
team's defensive corps - in the penalty box and
the Wildcats (11-6-3, 13-8-5) on the attack, it was .
up to the Wolverines' recently-porous penalty-kill-
ing unit and the goaltending of Al Montoya to keep .,Ic
Michigan on top. If Northern Michigan scored le,
early enough in the one-minute-and-40-second
stretch of 5-on-3 play, it would still have a one-man edge for a chance to
tie $he contest in the waning moments.
But the Wolverines responded with impressive defensive poise that
prevented the Wildcats from scoring and whipped the crowd into a fren-
zy. Montoya made three stops during the span, which was punctuated
by the netrilinder's sprawling glove save of a Nathan Oystrick shot from
the middle of the slot. The acrobatic effort prompted a standing ovation
from many fans. Michigan's skaters also rose to the occasion during the
penalty kill by making big hits, blocking shots and clearing the puck
to the Wildcats' end a few times to effectively shut down the Northern
Michigan rally.
"It was a big boost," forward Milan Gajic said of the successful pen-
alty kill. "Once that happened, I think we kind of started rolling, and the
game was over."
Michigan coach Red Berenson was proud of his team's effort with the
game on the line.
"That's a tough position to put yourself in late in the game," Berenson
said. "It's not like you're hanging on, but, if they get another one, who
knows? They had us on our heels, and I thought we did a great job."
Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle was disappointed with the out-
come of his team's late-game chance.
"We've got our best players on the ice, and they have to be our best
players," Kyle said. "They have to make plays at that time, and we didn't
make plays."
After the Michigan's 4-1 loss to Northern Michigan on Friday - its
first conference defeat at home since falling to Michigan State on Feb.
28, 2003 - the Wolverines were anxious for a weekend split to sal-
vage the series. Though Michigan remained in first place in the CCHA,
second-place Ohio State swept Western Michigan to inch within three
points of the top spot. Another loss on Saturday would have left the Wol-
verines with a hair-thin one-point margin.
"We've had a lot of good games, but this was an important good game,"
See WILDCATS, page 4B
evaluate team's
lost season
W EST LAFAYETTE- Pop!
That's the sound of the Michigan basketball
team's NCAA Tournament bubble bursting. Yes-
terday's 84-55 loss to a Purdue team that was winless in the
Big Ten has all but officially shut the door on any chance
for the Wolverines to be dancing in March - at least in the
tournament that matters anyway.
There are so many ways to describe
the magnitude of the loss. The 29-point
deficit was the second-largest of the
season, second only to the 31-point
defeat at the hands of then-No. 4 Geor-
gia Tech. Michigan was outrebounded
on the defensive end by 10 (25-15), the
largest margin of the season. BRIAN
Sophomore Dion Harris - Michi- SCHICK
gan's leading scorer and go-to guy with Schick
Daniel Horton suspended - failed to
score in double figures for the first time Happens
since Dec. 29 and shot 3-for-14.
But the one thing that is most worrisome about this team
is the current lack of a direction for the program. The Wol-
verines are riding the longest losing streak of the season and
have fallen below .500 in conference action.
After the game, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker was
asked if there was a letdown by his players after Thursday's
loss to Michigan State.
"You can search for a lot of reasons, but I don't have an
answer for that," Amaker said. "As a coach, sometimes you
find yourself in that situation when you scratch your head
and wonder."
Amaker was later asked about Harris's shooting woes
of late.
"I don't have an answer for it," Amaker said.
Those are not thend of statements people want to hear
from the leader of a team that is struggling to overcome a
whirlwind of problems this year. Amaker needs to figure
out how to right this sinking ship before things start to spi-
ral out of control.
I'm not upset that Michigan lost this game. I'm frustrated
in the way it lost.
Purdue came out wanting this win more than Michigan.
The Boilermakers also looked well prepared and knew
exactly what Michigan was going to bring to the table.
On the other hand, Michigan often looked flat and unin-
spired. The Wolverines often looked confused and couldn't
slow down any of the Purdue players.
For a team that had a size advantage, Michigan's starting
power forward and center - Graham Brown and Courtney
Sims - grabbed just four combined defensive rebounds; 5-
foot-l guard Dani Wohl had four himself. This looked like
a team that just wasn't ready to play yesterday.
Or was it? Talking to forward Brent Petway after the
game, he felt Michigan was ready to face the Boilermakers.
"We definitely were ready to try to bounce back (yes-
terday) and get a win," Petway said. "I don't think it was
anything to do with preparation from the coaches. We came
in here feeling real good, and we couldn't turn the practice
into the game."
This can mean one of two things: either Petway is lying,
or, worse, the team isn't responding to Amaker's coaching.
Both suggest that not only are the players and coaches not
on the right page, they're not even in the same chapter.
I have great respect for what Amaker has brought to
Michigan over his four-year tenure at the helm. He has
helped restore a program that was disgraced and has
brought class and dignity to this team. He brought the team
back to national prominence last season by winning the
National Invitation Tournament.
See SCHICK, page 5B
MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily
Purdue guard David Teague steals a rebound from Michigan freshman Ron Coleman in the Wolverines' 84-55 loss.
Blue drops fourth straight
Boilermakers cruise to first conference win
By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Editor
WEST LAFAYETTE - Even Purdue basketball
coach Gene Keady admitted he didn't see it coming.
After losing their first seven Big Ten games, the
Boilermakers crushed the Wolverines 84-55 yesterday
at Mackey Arena.
"We're not in the cellar anymore by ourselves,"
Keady said.
Michigan dropped its fourth-consecutive confer-
ence game.
"This is the lowest point that I have been with this
team," forward Courtney Sims said. "But we gotta
bounce back."
Michigan (3-4 Big Ten, 12-9 overall) trailed by at
least 14 points for the entire second half. Four walk-
ons - wing Sherrod Harrell, guard Dani Wohl, guard
Ashtyn Bell and wing John Andrews - played a
combined 46 minutes in the second half while starters
Dion Harris, Sims and Ron Coleman logged just 16 in
the final frame.
"We are going to play the players that we think will
give us the best chance to win the ball game, and that's
what we did," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said.
Harris struggled to find his shot all game,
shooting just 3-for-14. Without backcourt-mate
Daniel Horton - who remains suspended indefi-
nitely - the sophomore was forced to create most
of his shot attempts.
"I think, in first half, I was kind of forcing some
things, just trying to take it all on my shoulders for
our team," Harris said. "I think that kind of hurt us
a little."
Said Amaker about Harris's performance yester-
day: "I don't have an answer for it. Part of the problem
is that they played great defense on him. That's one
reason he struggled."
The Boilermakers (1-6, 5-13) never let the Wol-
verines gather any momentum in the second half.
They had progressively stretched the lead to 29 -
the largest of the game - when the game-ending
buzzer sounded.
See PURDUE, page 5B
Brannen just misses
collegiate mile record
0 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Late comeback effort
can't stave off Badgers
7 By Pete Sneider
Daily Sports Writer
The time it takes for light to trav-
el around the earth is roughly one
tenth of a second.
That's also approximately the
margin by which Nate Brannen
missed setting a collegiate record in
the mile this weekend.
Brannen came .11 of a second shy
of the collegiate indoor mile record
Saturday at the Boston Indoor
Games. But his time of 3:55.11 was
fact enn-in to automat ia ouifv
injuries and little things like that,"
Brannen said. "I haven't felt like
I've run to my capability, so this is
definitely a step forward."
Said Michigan coach Ron War-
hurst: "What do you say? 3:55 is
fantastic. He's proven that he can
compete not only on the NCAA
level but also on the international
level."
It was the second week in a row
that Brannen met an NCAA qualify-
ing standard. Last week at the Red
Simmons Invitational, he made an
NCA A nrnvisinnal n1lifvini time
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Writer
MADISON - For the last six minutes
of its game against Wisconsin, the Michi-
gan women's basketball
team showed its true
offensive potential. The
Wolverines scored 26
points in that span, drilling six 3-pointers.
"I guess we're the team that, at least,
never says die," Michigan coach Cheryl
Burnett said. "We really tried to have a
comeback. which I'm proud of our kids
opportunities for them in the open floor
that I don't think we guarded very well,"
Burnett said. "It made the difference in
the ballgame."
Despite their struggles for most of the
game, the Wolverines did not give up.
Wisconsin had a 65-45 lead with 5:45 to
go in the game, but freshman co-captain
Krista Clement's triple signaled a change
in momentum. After freshman Ta'Shia
Walker and sophomore Kelly Helvey each
drained two free throws, senior co-captain
Tabitha Pool took over. Within a minute
and a half, Pool drilled two 3-pointers
W - f.J U~ - I