Friday February 3, 2006 sports. michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily.com OeRO4TS ga ilu 6 8 . ......... . .... Five awful minutes der drown 'M' By David Murray Daily Sports Writer STATE COLLEGE - It's not always good to be a trendsetter. In close games this season, the Michigan women's basketball team has fallen victim to a disturbing trend - holding a lead late in the first half but letting it slip away in the second. This time, the Wolverines held a 12-point lead with 13:10 left in the first half - the largest advantage they have possessed in the Big Ten season. But Penn State went on a late run during the first MIcaHCAN 62 half, counteracting Michigan's hot start and giving the Lady Lions control of the game. That first-half streak pro- pelled Penn State to a 78-62 victory. "I was really proud of our players," Michigan head coach Cheryl Burnett said. "We played hard. We tried to take them out of some things that they wanted to do. I thought we played a brilliant first 15 minutes of the basketball game. Penn State started changing some of their pressures and getting out and defending better, and for five minutes, we struggled a bit. I think that was the major difference in the game." Michigan's chances looked promising at the start. On Penn State's first possession, Wolverine freshman Stephany Skrba stripped the ball from Lady Lion Adrienne Squire and then took it all the way down the court for an uncontested lay-up. The Wolverines (0-10 Big Ten, 6-16 overall) held a slim 7-6 lead early in the first half. Then, to the dismay of the 5,429 fans in the Bryce Jordan Center, Michigan went on a 13-2 tear with guards Janelle Cooper and Jessica Minnfield combining for nine of those points. "At that point, we were getting excited to be up by that much," sophomore forward Katie Dierdorf said. But the Lady Lions' defense carried them back into the game. Michigan scored just seven points during the next nine minutes and its lead fell to five. The Wolverines became frustrated with the Lady Lions' full-court pressure and changing defenses, and it showed in the score. Penn State (4-6, 10-11) strolled to a 10-point halftime lead, behind a 17-2 run over the Lady Lions pressure Blue into submission By Ian Robinson Daily Sports Writer STATE COLLEGE - Can you han- dle the pressure? For this year's Michigan women's basketball team, the answer has usually been "no." Opponents have challenged the Wol- verines with a full-court press many times this season, and Michigan hasn't responded well. But when Penn State went to the press for the first time last night, the guards broke it with ease, although freshman Melinda Queen missed a lay-up off a backdoor cut. On other occasions early on, Michi- gan simply beat the press and ran a half- court offense. Michigan's relative ease at handling the press represented a welcomed change of events for a team that turned the ball over five times before crossing mid-court in a game at Michigan State earlier this year. But as last night's contest wore on, Penn State's defensive intensity picked up and Michigan's trouble against the pressure increased. "That is when we struggle," Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said. "(The pres- sure) was a big difference in the game." After committing just two turnovers during the first seven minutes of the game, the Wolverines had 11 in the last 13 minutes of the first half. "(Our guards) weren't playing any defense at all (at the beginning of the game)," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. As the first half progressed, her back- court's defense improved. "We went after their guards," Port- land said. "That's where it starts." The increased pressure was part of a 19-2 Penn State run that bridged the first and second halves. It helped turn a five-point Michigan lead into a 12-point advantage for the Lady Lions. Later on, Penn State used a backcourt trap that forced Michigan's forwards and centers to dribble the ball up the court. This took Michigan out of its offensive rhythm. "They had a big kid dribbling it up the court and that seemed to throw them off a bit," Portland said. On one occasion, Penn State's trap made forward Katie Dierdorf take the ball up the floor. She looked for fresh- man Stephany Skrba cutting to the hoop, but her pass sailed over Skrba's head and went out of bounds. Penn State freshman guard Brianne O'Rourke - who had a career-high seven steals - was a major factor in Penn State's ability to disrupt the Michigan offense. Two of O'Rourke's takeaways turned into uncontested fast- break lay-ups, and others led to easy baskets. Once again, the pressure was too much for the Wolverines to handle. Stefany Skrba's 10 points and nine rebounds were not enough in the Wolverines' 78-62 loss to Penn State. first frame's final five minutes. Michigan looked as deflated in the first few minutes of the second half as it did in the last minutes of the first, and Penn State quickly turned a 41-31 lead into a 46-31 lead. "We started a little bit slow in the second half, which, unfortunately, we have a habit of doing," Burnett said. "We need to get that changed. But our players continued to fight and claw and hustle to get back in it." But the Wolverines didn't back down to that daunt- ing 22-2 run. Michigan cut the lead to just six with 10:17 remaining in the game. "The one thing about this group of people, we are never going to give up no matter what," Dierdorf said. "No matter how much we're down by or up by, we're never going to give up. We are never going to let down." Despite their strong effort and valiant response to the Lady Lions' run, the Wolverines couldn't contain the sharp shooting of Squire. The Pittsburgh native poured in 15 of her game-high 21 in the second half, converted on all three of her treys, all six of her free throws and all but one of her seven shots from the field. But none of those points were more important than the two 3-pointers she drilled from the right wing in the waning minutes. Squire's two triples sent the crowd into a frenzy, dashing any hopes for a Wolverine comeback. MEN'S BASKETBALL 40 Sims succumbs to tiny Nittany Lions 6 By Scott Bell Daily Sports Editor leers renew rivalry with Bucks By Mark Giannotto Daily Sports Writer Flash back to nearly two years ago. On March 23, 2004, then-No. 6 Michi- gan faced off against then-No. 12 Ohio State in the CCHA Super Six Finals. The Buckeyes, who were the decided under- dogs, jumped out to a 3- 0 lead in the first period THIS W1 and never looked back, Ohio S holding on despite a No.6 6 third-period Wolverine surge to win 4-2. 7:3 Now take a trip down Yost Ice memory lane to last sea- Fri: C c son's CCHA Champion- _ Sa__ ship, where then-No. 4 Michigan faced then-No. 10 Ohio State. Two goals from senior Milan Gajic pro- pelled the Wolverines to a hard fought 4-3 win. Those two battles are not lost on No. 6 Michigan (10-6-3 CCHA, 15-9- 3 overall) heading into this weekend's huge series with the Buckeyes. "(Last year) that was a war. And the year before that, that was a war too," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. Unlike intra-state rival Michigan State - who the Wolverines face at least four times a season - this weekend's games are the only two meetings between Michigan and Ohio State this season. Despite the infrequency of meetings, the two teams do not get along. "We hate these guys as a school and as a rival," said senior goalie Noah Ruden in anticipation of Friday night's game at Yost Ice Arena. "There's cer- tainly some bad blood there." But the rivalry isn't the only impor- tant factor in this weekend's set. There are also numerous postseason ramifica- tions that come into play. Following Tuesday night's 7-3 win over Western Michigan, the Wolverines sit in a tie with Lake Superior State for second place in the CCHA. But Michi- gan is just one point ahead of Michigan State and Northern Michigan. , Ohio State (9-9-2, 13-11-4) cur- EEKEND State at vlichigan p.m. Arena cstLocal STV rently occupies sixth place in the CCHA, just three points behind the Wolverines. When all is said and done this weekend, both Michigan and Ohio State can be as high as second or as low as eighth. "When we play (Ohio State), it is always seri- ous," Berenson said. "I know they are going to be trying to prove something, and I know we are going to be trying to prove something," The Buckeyes were the unanimous preseason pick to win the CCHA, but they faltered in the beginning of the season, going 2-5-1 in their first eight games. Since then, they've been a solid 11-6-3, and claimed a win over CCHA- leader Miami (OH). They rely on a veteran-laden team that combines qual- ity defense and solid goaltending. They have allowed just 1.86 goals per game so far this season. "Their record has to be thrown out the window, because they have had some quality wins," Ruden said. "We have to be ready for a defensive game. Ohio State is going to take care of its own zone first." On the other hand, Michigan is the youngest team in the CCHA. The Wolverines got off to a blazing 9-1-' start this season, but since then, they have been a mediocre 7-8-2. Michigan offense is its strength - it averages a robust 392 goals per game. The goalies could be a key to this STATE COLLEGE - Just 15 seconds into the game, it looked like Michigan coach Tommy Amaker's wish would be granted. After Graham Brown secured the open- ing tip, Daniel Horton took the ball at the top of the key. He quickly found a soft spot in the zone and hit team- mate Courtney Sims deep in the paint. Sims went up strong and dunked the ball TONI home. The junior appeared to be on his way to back-to- No.21 Mic back solid performances, .3 just as Amaker hoped would 5:10 p happen. Carver-Hawk "If we can get (Sims and ESPN P guard Dion Harris) playing like they're capable of play- ing for three weeks or a month, it would be incredibly helpful for our team," Amaker said Monday. While Harris answered the call with 23 points on Wednesday, but Sims struggled, seemingly losing any confidence he gained from Saturday's 18-point performance against Wisconsin. Sims followed his early dunk with a 0- for-5 showing the rest of the game. He lost two entry passes out of bounds and also traveled en route to a three-turnover game. The lone bright spot in Sims's game was his seven rebounds, which he collected in just 12 minutes of playing time. Following Wednesday night's game, Amaker was disappointed with the junior's play. "It wasn't going well for him," Amaker said. "I think he tried too hard ... It was almost like quicksand for him. I felt for him, because we thought he could have a big night for us with our size advantage:' Despite Sims's struggles in conference play, his teammates still have faith in him. "I think anyone would struggle if they had to see a different look every night," Horton said. "We know what Courtney is capable of. We know when the time comes, he's going to be ready to step up:' LESTER SIGHTING: It might not have lasted long, but it did provide optimism for worried Michigan fans. Six minutes into Wednes- day's game, junior Lester Abram checked in for Ron Coleman. Abram - who hadn't seen court time since severely spraining his ankle against Minnesota a week and a half earlier - didn't take long to contribute. On the first offensive possession he was a part of, Abram cut in from the left wing toward the top of the key. There, he received .HT higan at Iowa ).m. eye Arena Plus Abram said. SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE: Saturday, Mich- igan's five-game winning streak will be put to the test against another impressive streak. The Wolverines will travel to Iowa City to take on an Iowa squad that possesses one of the nation's best home-court advantages. The 23rd-ranked Hawkeyes have won 14 consec- utive games at Carver Hawkeye Arena. "In the Big Ten, you have to get as many road victories as you can if you want to win this thing," senior co-captain Chris Hunter said. "It's a huge game for us; we're going to have to go in there and try to be more focused." The teams will battle to remain at the top of the Big Ten standings. Both enter with a 6-2 conference record and are tied with Illinois for the conference lead. After losing two close road games against Indiana and Illinois, Michigan will look to pick up its first road win against one of the "big seven" - the seven Big Ten teams with winning conference records. NOTES: Horton was named one of the sixteen finalists for the Bob Cousy award yesterday. The award is given to the nation's top point guard.... Michigan was ranked No. 17 in the NCAA's first edition of its RPI rankings. The Wolverines are among seven Big Ten teams in the top 20, led by No. 6 Michigan State. 0 a pass from Horton, took a step in and made a left-handed lay- up. Amaker and Michigan's trainers both noticed Abram's limping and discomfort. He only played for two more min- utes and remains day-to-day. Abram is unsure of his status for Saturday's game. "I was just testing it out to see what I could do out there," JUSTIN BASS/Daily Brandon Naurato and the Wolverines face Ohio State in a huge weekend series. weekend. Goals will be at a premium because of Ohio State's strong defense. The Buckeyes have fifth-year senior Dave Caruso in net, but the pipes have been a revolving door for the Wolver- ines. Freshman Billy Sauer has started the last three games, but after surrender- ing eight goals over the last two games, his status is far from certain. "(The Buckeyes) are a strong senior- laden team with a lot of depth," Beren- son said. "And if they keep their goals against down, they are going to win a lot of games" Laughter prevails when wealth and love collide in roaring 20s New York City dhd Dorlsd~lAk~rXX~jVE Join America's #1 Student Tour Operator CANCUN ACAPULCO JAMAICA BAHAMAS FLORIDA £ I 11 [ I rA I i I & Y' I