VOLLEYBALL ROCKS HILL Follow the team as through its prepa- rations for their Mock Rock act. PAGE 8B THE SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN: Ian Herbert retells a few feel good stories from Super Bowl media week. PAGE 3B ERDMAN RACES TO VICTORY: Junior runner runs the nation's fastest time in 800-meter race PAGE 6B SPORTSONDAY - -- - ------------ 81RmAIi9anmotlQ I1 February 6, 20 6 lB No. 21 Michigan 66 TS T Streak ends as Hawkeyes drain threes By Scott Bell Daily Sports Editor IOWA CITY - With three minutes remaining in the game, Iowa guard Tony Freeman raced down the court and bounced the ball off the backboard for teammate Doug Thomas. Although Michigan forward Brent Petway got in the way of Thomas's attempt to dunk it home, the sellout crowd at Carver- Hawkeye Arena was unphased. The fans didn't have any reason to be angry. The Hawkeyes had their bench in the game and a secure 25-point lead. At that point, it was all fun and games - at least for Iowa. On Saturday, No. 21 Michigan's five-game win- ning streak was snapped with a vengeance, and its Big Ten title hopes took a hit as it was blown out by No. 23 Iowa, 94-66. "I was disappointed in a lot of things about our team (Saturday), but as I've said before, a lot of things in this game become contagious," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "I thought it was cer- tainly that way for them, and in a lot of ways was that way with us." As three minutes remained in the first half, the visiting Wolverines (6-3 Big Ten, 16-4 overall) actually held a 29-28 lead. Little did they know that at the same point in the second half, the Hawkeye starters would be relaxing on the bench, celebrat- ing a blowout victory over first-place Michigan. Where did it go wrong? Was it Iowa's 15-4 run to end the first half? Was it the 13-for-19 clinic Iowa put on from 3- point range? Or was it Iowa's season-high 65.3-percent shoot- ing performance? There could be multiple reasons for Michigan's worst loss of the season. But senior point guard Dan- iel Horton summed it up best: "They just came out, and they kicked our butts," he said. The loss put Michigan in a second-place tie, a game behind Iowa in the conference standings. Michigan started the game on an 8-2 run, which was jumpstarted by Horton's six points. Then junior Dion Harris picked up two fouls in the game's first two minutes of play. Amaker was forced to change his gameplan when the Wolverines' already-thin backcourt - which was without guard Jerret Smith (mild concussion) and wing Lester Abram (sprained ankle) - became See HAWKEYES, page 5B AP PHOTO Cowher led the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl victory. . Steelers wi Super Bowl in Detroit DETROIT (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers finally gave coach Bill Cowher some Super Bowl satisfaction. Moments after the Rolling Stones rocked a Ford Field filled with Terrible Towels, Willie Parker broke a record 75-yard touchdown run, sparking Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory yesterday over the Seattle Seahawks. Not only did the Steelers earn that elusive fifth championship ring - and their first since 1980 - but they completed a magic Bus ride that made Jerome Bettis' homecoming - and farewell - a success. "I'm a champion. I think the Bus' last stop is herein Detroit," Bet- tis said. "It's official, like the referee whistle." On this night, satisfaction was more than Mick Jagger's signature song that closed the halftime show. It was sweet validation for Cowher with a title in his 14th season as their coach, the longest tenure in the NFL. The tough guy teared up as he walked to midfield to embrace Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren. "It's surreal," Cowher said. "I'm going to tell you, this is a special group of coaches, a special group of players. I was one small part of this." Bettis's role was minimal in what might be the final game for the NFL's No.5 career rusher. With Parker's burst and Seattle's self-destructive tendencies, the Steelers completed their postseason march through the NFL's top four teams: Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver and Seattle, with all the wins coming away from Heinz Field. Super Bowl MVP Ward had five receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. Seattle, looking nothing like a team that rampaged through its con- ference, damaged itself all day. It had four penalties for 40 yards in the opening half, one that nullified a touchdown pass. The 23-year-old Roethlisberger achieved it more with his legs than his arm. He dived into the end zone from the one-yard line late in the first half - the TD was upheld on replay - and converted enough second-half first downs to wind down the clock. The Steelers were 7-5, then won their final four regular-season games to secure the AFC's last playoff spot. They went to Cincinnati and won a wildcard game. They won at Indianapolis, which had the league's best record. And then they handed Denver its first home loss in the AFC championship game. Bettis made his Super Bowl debut 2:47 into the second quarter with the Pittsburgh offense in dire need of a boost. The Steelers got it, but from an eight-yard completion to Randle El for their initial first down - 19 minutes into the game. With Seattle's other safety, Marquand Manuel, sidelined in the sec- ond quarter with a right ankle injury, Roethlisberger began finding open receivers. Ward gained 12 yards, Cedrick Wilson got 20 and, moments after Ward dropped a pass in the corner of the end zone, he outwrestled Boulware for a 37-yard completion. The Bus couldn't roll in on two tries, then the 6-foot-5 Roeth- lisberger dived left and barely squeezed the ball over the goal line. A replay review upheld the touchdown with 1:55 remain- ing in the half. It didn't get a lot better in the second half for Seattle, and Holmgren failed to become the first coach to win Super Bowls with two franchises. In 1997, his Green Bay Packers beat Denver. ALEX DZIADOSZ/Daily Top: Junior Courtney Sims walks off the court after the loss. Left: Coach Amaker's deflated look said it all for Michigan who shot just 8-for-25 from the field in the second half Saturday. Fourforfour zv two weeks would have been too good to be true IOWA CITY - This year's Michigan team is always exceeding my expectations. At the start of the season, I did my best prognosticating and predicted the Wolver- ines would win a grand total of 16 games. With last Wednesday's win over Penn State marking that figure, only a breakdown reminiscent of last year's squad can salvage my pick. During the nonconference season, I thought there was no way Michigan would go unde- feated on the road. Then it did exactly that. Two weeks ago, when the Wolverines prepared for a stretch of games that included matchups with two ranked teams at home followed by two conference opponents (one ranked) away from Ann Arbor, I set my standards. If they won just one game (Penn State on the road), I wouldn't have been shocked. Two victories (Penn State plus one of the ranked teams at home), and I would have been pleasantly surprised. So when they entered the Iowa game having won all three, you can imagine my disbe- lief. Leave it to Michigan to once again exceed my expectations - albeit not in See HERMAN, page 5B JACK HERMAN On Tap WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Losing ways Spectacular Saturday redeems Friday flop " 0 continue in Minneapolis By Sara Livingston Daily Sports Writer During the Wolverine's game against No. 12 Minnesota in mid-January, the Golden Gophers lit up Crisler Arena, taking 63 shots and causing By H. Jose Bosch Daily Sports Writer One shot. One goal. One emotional win. The puck had bounced' off the boards in the neutral zone. Michigan freshman Travis Turn- bull streaked down the coach Red Berenson said. "He's had his ups and downs, and he's been working hard. He's trying to stay positive, and he won the race for the puck and took the shot. You never know. When you're working hard, good things happen." For the first 40 minutes of the game, the Buckeyes appeared to be the aggressors. After two periods, Ohio State outshot Michigan 29- 13. But the Wolverines only trailed 2-1. "(The seniors) only have eight games left -~ ~ ANfm~ :.