Thursday February 17, 2005 sports. michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily. com UJdt tCb ilgu SPORTS . 41 8A.- ...... .... . Forward leads Badgers B k. By Josh Holman Daily Sports Editor MADISON - Mike Wilkinson must really like playing against Michigan. But that's not saying much these days. The Wolverines (3-9 Big Ten, 12-14 overall) lost their Dion Harris scored in d ninth straight game last night, 76-50, to Wiscon- played just 26 minutes sin at the Kohl Center. in the first half. Wilkinson led the Bad- WISCONSIN 76 Sophomore Dion H gers (8-4, 17-6) with his Michigan's cause on 5- second notable perfor- third straight game sco mance against Michigan this season, 22 points But beyond the duoc and nine rebounds. igan had nothing to w "(The Wolverines) have some good big guys the Badger juggernaut. that play hard all the time," Wilkinson said. "It's "We're just not play just a challenge. It's fun to go out there against said. "Individually, sor good guys, good competition, and that's what games, but, as a team,N they are." The Wolverines we Wilkinson thrashed the Wolverines in Wiscon- statistical category, b sin's 72-61 win at Crisler Arena on Jan. 22, when rebounding departme he scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. cleared the boards 39 But the Badgers didn't need that kind of per- Michigan's 28. formance from Wilkinson last night in a blow- "When your team is out where they led by as much as 30. those kind of things be Wisconsin also had plenty of help punctur- do and accomplish," D ing any dream Michigan had of an upset. Four Amaker said. "Makin Badgers scored in double figures. Forward Zach bing the ball and gettir Morley finished with 12 points, while Ray Nixon as simple as you'd like1 and Alando Tucker each chipped in 10 points. Wisconsin's inside Forward Courtney Sims led all Michigan damage to the Wolveri scorers with 16 points, 12 of which came in the half. Wilkinson and N second half. With his eight rebounds and three points, respectively, pu blocks, the sophomore had the most productive 17 lead at halftime. night of any Wolverine by far, considering he Michigan's ability t S* NOTE Women's swimming team jumps out to early lead in Big Ten Championships After one day of competition, the Michigan women's swim- ming and diving team has taken an early and surprising lead at the Big Ten Championships. The No. 17 Wolverines edged out Penn State by just one point. Armaker must consider SAPAC ad in decision, - RYAN WEINER/Daily double digits for the third consecutive game. s because of foul trouble [arris added 15 points to -of-17 shooting. It was his gring in double figures. of Sims and Harris, Mich- ithstand the onslaught of ing well as a team," Sims me people step up certain we're not playing well." re beaten in nearly every ut most notably in the ;nt, where the Badgers times in comparison to s struggling, it seems like come very hard things to Michigan coach Tommy g a simple play of grab- ng possession of it wasn't to think it is." game caused the most nes, especially in the first Morley scored 13 and 10 shing the Badgers to a 37- o counter was hurt early on, when junior forward Chris Hunter aggravat- ed a left ankle injury that forced him to miss five games earlier in the season. He did not return for the second half. "He's been battling a lot of injuries all year, and, at halftime, he indicated that he was still hurt," Amaker said. "So we opted to go in a dif- ferent direction with Courtney Sims and held Hunter out for the second half." Outside shooting on both ends of the court stunned Michigan early. The Badgers went 6- for-Il from beyond the arc in the first half while Michigan failed to convert from 3-point land, going 0-for-8. The Wolverines shot just 8-of-24 from the field in the first half for 17 points, the fewest they have scored in a single half this season. The number could have been worse were it not for a Harris jumper as the halftime buzzer sounded. Michigan may soon be getting help in the form of junior Daniel Horton, who practiced with the team Tuesday for the first time since he was suspended indefinitely. Amaker said his playing status is yet to be determined. "We're going to keep trying to find ways to end (the losing streak)," Amaker said. "We're not going to walk around with our heads down. It's a tough time right now for our team." Yesterday, we learned that coach Tommy Amaker is still undecided as to whether Daniel Horton, who on Monday pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend, will play in Sunday's home game against Indiana. When I heard this, one simple thought sprang readily to my mind: Are you kidding?3 There are those who say that Horton has already paid for his crime - he pled guilty, saving both himself and his girlfriend from the MEGAN KOLODGY emotional tumult that they would surely under- Megology 101 go if the case were taken to trial. He has already missed seven games because of the suspension he received when the news of his charges broke, and he couldn't even travel or practice with the Wolverines. His story has been blown up in every paper in the area. And besides, what he did doesn't really have anything to do with basketball, right? Not quite. Last season, the NCAA lifted self- inflicted sanctions off Michigan, making the Wolver- ines eligible for post-season tournament action. And just like that, it wiped clean the program's previously messy slate. Redemption was finally a possibility. Although domestic abuse won't get the team slapped with more sanctions, condoning it doesn't do much for the clean image that coach Tommy Amaker has worked hard to construct during his nearly four-year tenure in Ann Arbor. One of the most prominent and pertinent exam- ples of the "good-guys" edifice that Amaker has created runs in the Daily on a fairly regular basis. Amaker appears in an advertisement for the Uni- versity's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center that declares, "Take a stand against sexual violence at U-M." And there's Amaker, second from the left, with his hands on his hips, looking very stern indeed. Obviously, he means business - if it's convenient. I understand that "pushing" your girlfriend, as Horton claimed he did, is not quite the same as sexu- ally assaulting someone. But domestic or relation- ship violence and sexual assault are inextricably and inarguably linked. And there is no "just" in this type of situation - choking is as bad as pushing is as bad as ... you get the idea. It's all a big deal because violating trust in romantic relationships by physically hurting a partner is always a big deal. Should the ad be reworded to say, "Take a stand as long as the perpetrator isn't your best shot at making it to the NIT or moving past the first round of the Big Ten Tournament?" The only way that Amaker is taking any kind of stand is if "stand" has suddenly come to mean "standing idly by." But I'm pretty sure that's not what SAPAC had in mind. This is not the first instance when Amaker has overlooked a player's poor judgment by letting him back on the team. Two seasons ago, standout Ber- nard Robinson Jr. pled guilty to two accounts of mis demeanor assault and battery for allegedly fondling a female student in a West Quad stairwell. After he pled guilty, he was back in action on the court. The fact of the matter is that Horton has a prob- lem. No matter how furious you are at someone else - especially someone who likely has little chance to legitimately physically defend herself against you - you should be able to control your- self enough to keep your hands off of her. Abuse is not a normal response. And according to police reports, Horton's behav ior was at least somewhat chronic. His girlfriend had called the police on multiple occasions when her situation with him was getting out of hand. I am not saying that Horton should necessar- ily be thrown in jail, or that he should never be allowed back on the team. I realize that he is an excellent basketball player, and that it is possible that, career-wise, his future may lie in the sport. But this period, when he has publicly admitted his guilt, should be one of reflection and counseling. He should focus on his conscience and behavior - not be the focus of NCAA-highlight reels and opposing teams' scouting reports. He has already missed 13 games this season, and his team is on a nine-game losing streak. The only way the season will be salvageable for Hor- ton is if he saves basketball for next fall and takes care of his personal life. And as for Amaker - who is typically a class act and a role model not only for players, but also for the University community - please be more than just a face for SA PAC. Your team depends on you for guidance on and off the court, and I do not think that condoning assault is congruent with your beliefs, or the image you want to project. If Horton takes the time to get help now, it is less likely that there will be a repeat of a similar incident. It would also set a more positive precedent in regard to assault than the one that is currently in place - one that doesn't hold students responsible for their transgressions and rewards them for pleading guilty, as was the case with both Horton and Robinson. Or at least he should think twice before "stand- ing" for SAPAC next year. Megan Kolodgy can be reached at megkolo@umich.edu. The 800-yard freestyle relay of Amy McCullough, Lindsey Smith, Justine Mueller and Susan Gilliam took first, setting a pool record and hitting the NCAA automatic qualification mark with a time of 7:09.42. The 200-yard medley relay, which consisted of Carolina Sierra, Kaitlyn Brady, Valeria Silva and Abby Seskevics touched the wall just over a second after the victorious Penn State squad. The Wolverines clocked in at 1:40.75, which is an NCAA consideration time. The Big Ten Championships will continue through Satur- day, and are being held at Indiana. Ever have those friends who always jump on the bandwagon? 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