The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
SCagers catch fire
from downtown
Thursday, January 18, 2007 - 5A
By MARK GIANNOTTO
Daily Sports Writer
It was one of those dirty lit-
tle secrets that nobody wanted
to admit,
but it had NOTEBOOK
reached the
point where
nobody could deny it anymore.
Michigan isn't a good 3-point
shooting team.
Heading into last night's game
against Penn State, the Wolverines
were not just last in the Big Ten in
3-point field-goal percentage, but
they were also last in 3-pointers
made.
But judging from its perfor-
mance against the Nittany Lions,
Michigan didn't get the memo.
Facing a zone defense for nearly
the entire contest, the Wolverines
had plenty of open looks from the
outside. And for the most part,
they took advantage from down-
town in last night's 77-57 win.
For the game, Michigan was 12-
of-21 from beyond the arc.
"I think a lot of this can be con-
tagious," Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker said. "If you hit one or two
(3-pointers) early, boy does it tend
to have that semblance of order
for the remainder of the ballgame,
and that's what happened to us.
We started off hitting a few threes,
and I think that allowed our shoot-
ers to settle down and feel good
about it. ... They need to see that
ball going through the hole."
Junior Ron Coleman led the
way for the Wolverines, breaking
out of a shooting slump that had
haunted him for all of December
and the better part of January.
The Romulus native was on fire
in the first half, knocking down
all three 3-pointers he attempted.
In the process, he helped Michi-
gan navigate past some early foul
trouble, as seniors Harris, Lester
Abram and Courtney Sims were
all saddled with two fouls at one
point in the first half.
"I've been working pretty hard,
trying to find my shot again,"
Coleman said. "I felt comfortable
enough to shoot it, ... and I kept
shooting because I knew, hope-
fully, it would fall for me."
But it wasn't just Coleman
knocking down threes. Abram,
Harris, freshman Reed Baker
and sophomore Jerret Smith all
knocked down multiple trifectas.
Earlier this season, when fac-
ing zone defenses, the Wolverines
swung the ball around the perim-
eter searching for an open look.
This time around, Michigan's
guards focused on penetrating
into the interior and kicking the
ball back out to the perimeter into
the waiting hands of wide-open
teammates.
"It was nice to see our guys
stepping up and making some
open shots," Amaker said.
REBOUNDERS REBOUND: Get-
ting outplayed wasn't something
Michigan's big men wanted to get
used to.
So following Saturday's loss to
Purdue when the Wolverines were
beaten on the boards, the front-
court players knew something had
to be changed.
And considering their perfor-
mance last night, that something
was fixed.
Michigan took matters into its
own hands. The Wolverines' for-
wards and centers pounded the
Nittany Lions on the glass, out-
rebounding them 35-24 for the
game.
Penn State came into the contest
with the Big Ten's top rebounder,
senior Geary Claxton, but he was
held to just three boards.
And it wasn't as if there was a
Ben Wallace-like performance
from one person on the glass.
Four Wolverines had five or more
rebounds. Freshman Ekpe Udoh
was particularly impressive, cor-
ralling four offensive boards.
"We worked on it right after
that (Purdue) game," Petway said.
"We pride ourselves on beating
teams on the glass. As a team we
came back tonight saying, 'We
were going to get back to our iden-
tity.' "
LET ME ASSIST YOU WITH
THAT: Being a former point guard
himself, Amaker always empha-
sizes having a positive assist-to-
turnover ratio.
But for the most part this sea-
son, the Wolverines haven't been
able to accomplish his goal. They
came into last night's game aver-
aging just over 11 assists per game,
but committed nearly 15 turnovers
in the process.
And while Michigan still had
15 turnovers against the Nittany
Lions, it was able to combat those
errors with 19 assists. It was a key
reason why the Wolverines scored
77 points against a Penn State
team that tends to slow down the
game.
Senior Lester Abram tied for a team-high 13 points in a 77-57 win over Penn State last night.
Lons caged iVnCrisler
By H. JOSE BOSCH
Daily SportsEditor
It's nicknamed "The House that Cazzie Built."
Its real name is Crisler Arena.
And if you're a cynical Michigan fan, you may call
it a dump.
But the Michigan men's
basketball team calls it home, PENN STATE 57
and no other place has been MICHIGAN 77
sweeter all season.
Relishing the comfort of the familiar environs, the
Wolverines jumped out to an early lead they never
relinquished, defeating Penn State 77-57 on their
home court last night.
"I think being at home sometimes helps you feel a
little bit more comfortable," Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker said. "We showed that here tonight and our
crowd (and) fans gave us the boost that we needed
when they came back against us. ... And I thought
being at home really helped us in that case."
Crisler has been especially kind to Michigan this
season. The Wolverines have amassed a 12-1 record in
front of the home crowd this year compared to a 2-3
mark on the road.
It's clear that for Michigan, Crisler brings out the
best in everyone. Despite facing the same situations
they faced against Purdue, the Wolverines took their
game to an unseen level that wasn't there at Mackey
Arena.
Eerily similar to last Saturday's road contest,
Michigan jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead, just to see
it vanish.
But rather than fold, like it did against the Boiler-
makers, Michigan (3-1 Big Ten, 15-5 overall) had an
answer for the Nittany Lions' quick rebound.
With the Wolverines up 13-12, senior Lester Abram
took control of the game by drawing a shooting foul
and nailing both free throws to stop the 10-5 Penn
State run. On the next possession, Abram again drove
to the basket and put his shot off the glass to make it
a 17-12 game. Two more baskets by junior Ron Cole-
man and senior Courtney Sims put the Wolverines
well ahead and kept the crowd on its feet.
"Tonight we just had a great all-around team
effort," senior Brent Petway said. "It seemed like
whenever we needed it, someone different would
step up and answer a run that they would try to make
at us. It was just a good night for the team."
The Wolverines controlled the first half despite
having senior Dion Harris sent to the bench with two
fouls just eight minutes into the game. While Harris
spent the rest of the half watching from the sidelines,
Abram was essential in stopping Penn State's only
true run of the game en route to six first-half points.
Meanwhile, Coleman continued to be a force to be
reckoned with for the entire half.
The Romulus native was perfect from the field (4-
for-4), with three of those being three 3-pointers. He
had 13 first half points.
"I knew I was going to be a key player out there
with Dion being in foul trouble," Coleman said. "But I
knew we had other players that could step up, too."
Petway, Sims and freshman Ekpe Udoh crashed
the boards in the first half, combining for 10 of the
team's 16 first-half rebounds. Their presence down
low kept the Nittany Lions' second-chance opportu-
nities to a minimum.
The onslaught carried over into the second half,
and the Wolverines extended their lead to as much as
25 points before the end of the game.
It's nicknamed "The House that Cazzie Built."
Its real name is Crisler Arena.
And if you're a cynical Michigan fan, you may call
it a dump.
But after last night's win, it's the only place where
the Wolverines' tournament dreams are still alive
and well.
BENJI DELL/Daily
The perimeter shooting of junior Ron Coleman and freshman Reed Baker helped Michigan reverse its 3-point shooting woes
last night. Coleman hit three from long range and Baker two.
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