8 - Friday, January 11, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com MICHIGAN 51 ALMOST THERE Upset attempt falls just short Rebounding woes ByCHRIS MESZAROS m continue to haunt Daily Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE - It was the biggest test so far for the Michi- gan women's basketball team, and it was quite the nailbiter. The Wolverines have had little experience with close contests, and their ability to perform in the clutch was more than tested last night at Purdue. Michigan couldn't convert two opportunities in the waning min- utes of the game, allowing the Boil- ermakers to pull away with a 56-51 win. The Wolverines had a chance to tie the game at 54 in the game's final seconds when they got the ball after two Purdue free throws. The play was designed to get sophomore KristaPhillipsopenfortheshot,but Michigan couldn'tget her the ball. Instead, junior Jessica Minnfield took the shot and missed. Purdue sunk the final two free throws to make it official. Moments earlier, the Wolverines missed another crucial opportu- nity. Down by one, Michigan (2-2 Big Ten, 9-5 overall) inbounded the ball to Minnfield. After another agonizing possession, junior Carly Benson found the ball in her hands as the shot clock expired. Despite the turnover, Ben- son played one of her best games this season. She led the Wolverines with 17 points and eight rebounds. The junior even hit a crucial shot with six minutes left in the second half that brought the momentum back to Michigan. With just seconds remaining on the shot clock, the Carney native banked in a miraculous 3-pointer to pull Michigan within two, leaving the Purdue crowd stunned. "I happened to have the ball and tried to get as close as possible, and luckily, it banked in," Benson said. Benson's performances in the previous two games left much to be desired. She shot just 2-of-8 against Northwestern and 1-of-6 against Ohio State. But the power forward got back on track last night. "It's really critical for us to get some points out of that position," in tough road test By: ANTHONY OLIVEIRA Daily Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE - Start- ing a play is the easy part. All it takes is a dribble down the court. Finishing NOTEBOOK it, though, has been difficult for the Michigan women's basketball team. "We've been trying to empha- size to our kids: Finish the play," Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said. "We did a great job defen- sively, I felt, but we just didn't fin- ish the play." The Wolverines held Purdue to just .404 shooting from the field in last night's 56-51 loss. But Michigan's troubles unfolded after Purdue's players released the ball. For the seventh straight game, the Wolverines were over- whelmed on the offensive boards. Purdue finished with a 13-9 advantage. In the final three minutes, Michigan gave up three offensive boards. The most crucial was won by Purdue junior Lakisha Free- man. With 1:15 remaining, Free- man scored off the rebound to put the Boilermakers in the lead for good. Michigan knew boxing out would be a key to success in West Lafayette because of the Boil- ermakers' size - Purdue boasts three starters taller than six feet. But as hard as the Wolverines fought, the Boilermakers simply wanted the ball more. "There were so many fumbled rebounds," Minnfield said. "We had (the ball), but they knocked it out of our hands. We get it again, and they just knock it out." While Michigan works to mas- ter the basics of Borseth's offense, it can't afford to give teams sec- ond chances, especially down the stretch. And with the Wolverines posting a .409 field-goal percent- age, getting those rebounds is even more important. "Finishing the play is so criti- cal, especially if you can't score very well," Borseth said. CHARITY EARNINGS: The Wolverines were much better than Purdue at the free-throw line. In fact, they were perfect. The catch? They shot just twice from the stripe. The Boilermakers, on the other hand, got 18 chances. And while they made just 10, those points made a difference last night. "We never got to the free- throw line," Borseth said. "We weren't very doggone aggressive, I didn't feel. They just wanted it more down the stretch." Suffering a SO-point blowout against No.1 Connecticut on Sun- day, the Boilermakers learned the importance of grit. "I was just being aggressive." Purdue senior Kalika France said. "That's just what I wanted to do. I learned a lot from our last loss." With a close loss against Pur- due, Michigan hopes the same lesson can be applied in time for Michigan State on Sunday. MAKING AN APPEARANCE: The average Crisler Arena crowd is 1,386. The attendance at Mackey Arena on Thursday? Over 8,800. Michigan players cherish the crowds and the spotlight, but the Wolverines are a measly 1-4 play- ing in front of crowds of more than 3,000. But these crowds all come out on the road, and three of the teams are nationally ranked. Against Michigan State Sun- day, Michigan willhost an NCAA/ Big Ten "Pack the House" event aimed at bringing more maize- and-blue clad fans to the game. Junior Carly Benson poured in 17 points and eight rebounds in the Wolverines failed upset attempt last night at Purdue's Mackey Arena. The Wolverines fell 56-51. Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said. "She hit some shots at a pretty good percentage." Michigan started its final come- back attempt strong. Senior Krista Clement nailed a three on the next Wolverine possession to pull Mich- igan back to within two. Phillips later added two buckets that briefly gave Michigan the lead on two dif- ferent occasions. But Michigan just wasn't clutch in the final seconds of the game, largely because of poor offensive rebounding. Purdue's leading scor- er, Lakisha Freeman, poured in a late-game hoop off an offensive board to give the Boilermakers a lead they didn't relinquish. The Wolverines couldn't convert in late-game situations - an aspect of the game that is almost impos- sible to simulate in practice. Michi- gan has been in just a few close games this year. The Wolverines' closest game was a four-point win over Kentucky at Crisler Arena. "There are some drills that Coach said we are going to work on," Benson said. "They are called special situations, just making sure we are in a pressure situation where we know we have a certain amount of time and need to get a certain shot." Learning how to make big shots will be another step Michigan must take to continue the program's turnaround. Fierce competition in practice brings out the best in young Blue 'M' turns to DVD for spark By NATE SANDALS Daily SportsEditor Things have looked easy for the Michigan hockey team this season. The Wolverines are ranked first in the country and have lost just twice. Michigan But what few vs Western fans see is the Mcg intensity in prac- MiChigan tice from Mon- Matchup: day to Thursday. Purdue 6-13-1 Players aren't Michigan 18-2 just compet- When: Tomor- ing on weekends row, 7 P.M. - they're fighting Where: Yost during practice Ice Arena just to make the lineup. This season, forwards Brandon Naurato, Danny Fardig and Brian Lebler, who were regulars last year, have sat out of the lineup at times with freshmen takingtheir spots on the ice. Players say the increased level of intrasquad competition has helped the team stay focused in game situ- ations. "I think practices are probably the same, butguys just carry it over into games a lot better this year - probably because of the youth of our team," junior alternate captain Mark Mitera said. Freshman Max Pacioretty cred- ited Michigan's comeback wins, like the 4-2 victory Michigan earned in early December at Bowling Green, to the hard work that begins at practice. Although the Wolverines haven't played an official game since Dec. 29, the battle for ice time in practice is effectively simulating game situ- ations. The talented freshmen have driven up the intensity in practice, not just by fighting for spots in the lineup but also with seemingly end- less effort. ZACHARY MtISNER/Daily Junior Mark Mitera and the Wolverines chalk their good fortunes up to practices that are more intense than in years prior. The intensity has added a little jump to the coaches' steps, too. With 12 freshmen on the team, the coaching staff is doing much more teaching than it has in the past. "We set a standard as coaches this year that we couldn't accept a lot of last year's mediocre efforts, and it was going to start in practice," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. Despite the competition, this team is one of the most cohesive in recent memory. Unlike in past seasons, there are no divisions between classes or positions. Senior captain Kevin Porter called this year's squad the "closest" of his four years at Michi- gan. "Everyone's competitive with each other," freshman Max Pacio- retty said. "Then, after the drill, we're laughing, joking around with each other. It makes everything that much easier." While the team has usually spent about half an hour less time on the ice each afternoon than it did last season, the time has been used more efficiently. There is rarely a wasted moment as players and coaches maneuver quickly from drill to drill. For the mostpart, Michigan(18-2- 0 overall, 11-1-0 CCHA) has plowed through its opponents this season as rapidly as it has gone through practice. But just as practice is not as effortless as it might appear to the casual observer, Michigan's first half was no walk in the park. To start the second half of the season, Berenson expects this weekend's series against lowly Western Michigan (6-13-1, 2-10-0) to be tough, too. All conference matchups are, if you ask a coach. But Berenson knows even tougher weekends against Notre Dame, Michigan State and Miami (Ohio) are looming in the next month. With his team working together, "working hard and working smart," he's confident Michigan will be up to the test. "These guys are like a fam- ily," Berenson said. "Families don't always agree but they should stick together - that's always been our theory. We keep reminding them: We may not have the best players but we could have the best team." By H. JOSE BOSCH Daily Sports Editor After trying positive reinforce- ment and adages like, "practice, practice, practice," to motivate his team, Michigan men's basketball coach John Beilein is trying some- thing new age: A highlight video. Michigan at "I put the N'westem order in today to make a Matchup: positive tape, Michigan 4-11; get everyone N'western 5-7 going, so they When: Tomor- can watch row, 2 P.M. their tape over Where: Welsh and over again, -Ryan Arena making every TV: shot," Beilein BTN said following Tuesday's loss to Indiana. "We can get them to believe that they can do this." Beilein's highlight DVD is an attempt to give his team the confi- dence it's currently lacking. Rather than just telling the players about each good play all season, the first- year coach intends to show them. It remains to be seen whether the film Will help Michigan defeat Northwestern Saturday when it tries to avoid being on the losing end of a Wildcat "feel-good story." Both teams are 0-3 in the Big Ten, and the Wolverines are just one loss away from matching their all-time worst conference start. With a win, Northwestern, long considered the whipping boy of the Big Ten, could symbolically put the Wolverines in the Wild- cats' usual home - the conference cellar. "It's an uphill battle now," red- shirt junior C.J. Lee said. "We have to go to Northwestern now and, basically, get a'W."' IfMichigan's whole season were a movie, it'd likely do worse than Waterworld at the box office. But .4# q Michigan coach John Beilein is turningto a highlight DVD to motivate his players. by concentrating on just the posi- tive images, Beilein's DVD could be as inspiring as It's a Wonderful Life, showing the players they still have a conference season worth playing. A continuous loop of highlights will prove to Beilein's players that they've actually made shots this season. The Wolverines are shoot- ing just 41 percent from the floor, worst in the Big Ten. "We're getting the looks," Lee said. "I wouldn't question our shot selection. I would just say the ball's not going in the basket. As a scorer and a shooter, you can't get down on that. ... You have to have confidence. It's going to be a great day when those shots start going." The highlight video offers plen- ty of opportunities for players to see the shots falling before they even step onto the hardwood in Evanston. Any piece of confidence squeezed out of watching the video may be enough to help Michigan avoid another embarrassing loss. Until then, the Wolverines must continue to play with the weight of a 4-11 record on their shoulders. During the Big Ten coaches' weekly teleconference Monday, the conference moderator, as she did with all the coaches, intro- duced Beilein, mentioning Michi- gan's overall record. "Thanks for rubbing it in that we're 4-10," Beilein said. "But I realize you have to give the facts." The fact is, one more loss andO Michigan's futility will be as prominent as a movie marquee. And the teleconference modera- tor won't be the only one rubbing it in.