4B - January 12, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 4

4B - January12, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom j


Resurgent defense
sparks Blue victory

ANNA BAKEMAN/Daily
Senior Melinda Queen tied for a team-high 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds in a 58-54 loss to Wisconsin on Sunday.
Road woes continue as
'M' comeback falls short

By ALEX PROSPERI
Daily Sports Writer
A 7:45 a.m. wake-up call threw
a curveball to the Michigan men's
basketball team. But maybe that's
just what the Wolverines'struggling
defense needed.
Against Iowa on Sunday, Michi-
gan surrendered
just 49 points and NOTEBOOK
collected aseason-
high 12 steals in a game that started
at 11:30 a.m.
In the Wolverines' three prior
games, their defense struggled early.
In the first half, Wisconsin shot 65
percent on Dec. 3t, tllinois shot S9
percent on Jan. 4 and tndiana shot
50 percent on Jan. 7.
But it was a completely different
story against town.
The Hawkeyes, third in the Big
Ten in field-goal percentage, made
just a half-dozen shots in the first
half against Michigan's tenacious
1-3-1 zone defense.
"Just come out and jump on them
from the start," said sophomore for-
ward Manny Harris, who matched
his career-high with four steals, of
Michigan's game plan.
Michigan coach John Beilein left
the game pleased with what he saw
defensively.
"I am really proud of the way we
defended tonight and defended well
enough that we could actually get
into some transition baskets," Beil-
ein said.
WELCOME BACK: Michigan's
1974 Big Ten Championship team
was honored at halftime of Sunday's
game.
The team, led by All-American
Campy Russell and coached by Big
Ten Coach of the Year Johnny Orr,
tied Indiana for the conference title.
At the time, only the conference
champion went to the NCAA Tour-
nament, so the two teams played a
one-game playoff in Champaign.
Michigan won the game and went
on to beat No. 3 Notre Dame in the
first round of the NCAA Tourna-
ment. Russell led the team with 36

Michigan coach John Beilein led Michigan to a 64-49 win over Iowa on Sunday. His
defense collected a season-high 12 steals and forced 18 turnovers against Iowa.

By JOE STAPLETON
DailySports Writer
It was the sixth time it hap-
pened this season.
Once again, the Wolverines
were on the road. Once again,
there seemed to bea lid on the rim.
And once again, they walked out of
the unfamiliar stadium the losers,
this time to Wisconsin falling to
Wisconsin 58-54.
But this game added a little
wrinkle to the Michigan road rou-
tine. After being down by as much
as 18 in the second half, the Wol-
verines went on a spectacular run,
and cut the large Wisconsin lead to
just three. The comeback signaled
that the team may be developing
some toughness away from home.
Wisconsin, statistically the
best defensive team in the Big
Ten, held Michigan without a
field goal for over eight minutes
until junior center Krista Phillips
knocked down a midrange jumper.
The Wolverines didn't break into
double digits until there were less
than six minutes left in the first
half. And the Badgers held Michi-
gan to a 24-percent shooting clip
in the first half, about 10 percent
worse than the Wolverines' road
average.
"We didn't have any rhythm
at all in the first half," Michigan

coach Kevin Borseth said. "We
just couldn't buy a basket."
But Michigan trailed by just
eight at halftime because it flexed
its own muscle on the defensive
side of the ball, allowing just 26
Wisconsin points in the first half.
Trailing by just eight at halftime
after the way the Wolverines
played was a small miracle.
The Wolverines slowly started
to slip in the second half. The Wis-
consin lead slowly ballooned to 13,
16, 18.
It was at the seven-minute mark
when Michigan began to slow the
Badgers. Down 51-35, senior for-
ward Carly Benson hit a layup.
Senior guard Jessica Minnfield
hit two free throws, and senior
forward Stephany Skrba hit a
jump shot. After a three-pointer
by senior forward Melinda Queen,
Michigan was down by nine and
rolling toward a comeback.
Withlittle to no post presencein
the first half, Borseth credited the
abrupt turnaround to getting shot
opportunities near the basket.
"We kept getting to the rim,"
he said. "They would foul us or we
would convert, but we were get-
ting to the basket."
After a deflating Wisconsin
three-pointer, Michigan con-
tinued its meteoric climb up the
scoreboard, and cut the Wisconsin

lead to three with a minute to go
on arunner in the lane, courtesy of
freshman guard Courtney Boylan.
Down four with 12 seconds left,
a layup from Minnfield rattled out
to end the game.
The second half saw Michigan
drastically improve its shooting to
39 percent, but it wasn't enough.
"Sometimes we passed on shots
we should have taken and we took
shots we shouldn't have taken,"
Borseth said. "We need to learn
from that."
Sophomore guard Veronica
Hicks did her best to help Michi-
gan out, even showing some swag-
ger as she put a finger to her lips
after nailing a three-pointer in the
second half.
Hicks, who has gradually
become a regular among the
team's scoring leaders, ended the
night tied with Queen for the team
lead in points (12).
But the question remains: why
can't Michigan play the way on the
road it does at home, where it has
won six of seven games? Until the
Wolverines find the answer, their
road woes are likely to continue.
Borseth said the game was far
from a complete disappointment.
"We stuck together when it
looked really dismal," he said.
"You don't want to quit. And we
kept playing."

points and 18 rebounds.
According to Russell, this year's
team looks familiar.
"I think this team is kind of remi-
niscent ofa team that we had. When
you look at it and you say, 'Who are
those guys?"' Russell said. "But once
you start playing, once you see how
hard they're playing and how will-
ing they are to sacrifice for each
other, that says to me that you got a
good team."
After the game, two members of
the 1974 squad talked with Beilein
about the game and complimented
his team's effort.
Specifically, Beilein used the 1974
team to describe the hustle of fifth-
year senior C.J. Lee.
"You know Steve Grote would
have done that with Campy (Russell),
C.J. (Kupec) and all those guys, they
would have done those same things,"
Beilein said. "It is just huge."
FRESH START:In the three-game
stretch with Wisconsin, Illinois and
Indiana, Harris was a combined
13-for-40 from the field and was
held below his season scoring aver-
age (18.6) in each game. It was his
worst stretch of the season.

Harris scored 18 points Sunday,
but it was his 6-for-12 shooting that
shows he's back on the right track.
It was the first time he hit half his
shots since Dec. 20 against Eastern
Michigan.
"It feels good every game out,"
Harris said. "But some games you
just don't have your best game.
Today, I did a little bit better than I
usually do."
A FAN OF BEILEIN: Iowa guard
Devan Bawinkel can't say enough
about Michigan coach John Beilein.
Bawinkel appeared in 20 games
under Beilein at West Virginia and
averaged less than two points per
game.
He was recruited by Beilein out
of Winnebago High School in Illi-
nois and was drawn to Beilein's
unique offense, winning tradition
and character.
But when Beilein took the Michi-
gan job after the 2007 season,
Bawinkel decided to leave West Vir-
ginia.
The junior tried to transfer to
Michigan, but it didn't work out due
to scholarship numbers and Bawin-
kel ended up at Iowa.

I


HAWKEYES
From page 1B
and a large cast on his right foot.
Without Tate, the Hawkeyes were
severely limited on offense.
"Let's not lose sight of the fact
that Cyrus Tate is a huge player in
the Iowa program," Beilein said.
"To get them with two days of prep
time (to come up with a game plan
without Tate), it is a very difficult
thing to coach and to adjust to. We
don't get up and get that lead that

we did when Cyrus is in. He's a
heck of a player."
Tate, who has more than 100
points this season, has almost 40
more rebounds than anyone else
on the roster and leads the team in
blocked shots.
Although Michigan's defense
looked much improved, Harris
stole the show.
After a dismal 4-of-12 shoot-
ing performance against Indiana,
"Manny Fresh" was an efficient
6-of-12, pouring in 18 points and
helping out on both sides of the

ball with eight rebounds and four
steals.
Even though the game was
against a struggling Iowa team
trying to cope with their Cyrus
Tate-less future, it was a big win
for the Wolverines, especially
with their schedule amping up in
the coming weeks.
"We're sitting right where we
want to be coming into these next
couple games," freshman Zack
Novak said. "We still gotta go get
it done on the road now, but we're
ready for the challenge."

4


4

MAROSEVIC
From page 1B
would eventually finish his studies
and graduate from Michigan with
a degree.
"It's great when a coach gets
to see their players earn their
degrees and move into law school,
or find that first job as an engineer,
or leave school early and begin
their professional career as a soc-
cer player," Burns said. "That was
really Peri's goal and ambition all
along, and he's taking hold of his
dreams."
But Marosevic began taking
hold of his dreams long before he
arrived at Michigan three years
ago.
Marosevic moved away from
Rockford, Ill. at the age of 14 to
live, attend school and train at The
Soccer Academy in, Bradenton,
Fla.
After playing on the Under-14
soccer team for a year when he
was 13, officials asked him to move
to the training home of the US
Under-17 National Soccer Team
to pursue his professional soccer
aspirations more seriously.
At The Soccer Academy, Maro-
sevic flourished under a rigorous
soccer and academic schedule.
He graduated high school in three
years as the valedictorian at the
age of 17. Following graduation,
he had multiple scholarship offers
but chose to move north to Michi-
gan to play for Burns.
"(Burns) will tell you every-
thing straight up," Marosevic said.
"He's not going to keep anything
hidden behind closed doors. I
wanted a coach that wasn't going
to hold anything back, that was
going to tell me the truth no mat-
ter what happens. I got that from
Burns - from my first impression,
he was exactly who I wanted to be
coached by."
In his freshman year, Maros-
evic forward led the Wolverines
in goals scored and points, the first
time in program history a fresh-
man accomplished the feat. Over

the next two years, he continued
his streak of leading Michigan in
scoring, while racking up honors
including the NSCAA/Adidas All-
Great Lakes Region first team,
All-Big Ten first team, Academic
All-Big Ten Conference and U-M
Athletic Academic Achievement
awards.
A week after receiving the Gen-
eration adidas contract, Marosevic
traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to
play in the MLS Player Combine.
The combine divides 70 top
MLS prospects into four teams.
Over five days, the four teams
practice and compete against one
another, offering MLS coaches
and managers a final chance to
evaluate the top talents for Thurs-
day's MLS draft.
Less than four hours from
where he spent his high school
years, Marosevic wasted no time
proving himself worthy of the
MLS, scoring during the first
match of the combine.
As Michigan soccer looks for-
ward to a Marosevic-less offense,
Burns knows there will be more
opportunities for a few of his play-
ers as he calls on them to be more
of an offensive presence. Burns
explained that having Marosevic
on the field provided other players
with the confidence to take chanc-
es, because they know Marosevic
would control the middle of the
field.
"Aside from his play on the
field, what I'll miss more than any-
thing is Peri's personality," Burns
said. "He's a guy that makes our
job as coaches fun, and he has a
great sense of humor and a great
approach to life."
While Marosevic waits to find
out which MLS team he will end
up with, he couldn't be happier
with how his dreams have become
a reality. Few 19-year-olds can say
they've accomplished their life
goal.
"Professional soccer was always
mydream fromwhenI firststarted
playing at age three to now," Maro-
sevic said. "And now, being able to
be living that, it feels great."

REDHAWKS
From page 1B
strength. On the power play. Even '
off a Miami defenseman's skate.
It was just that kind of weekend.
"We buried our chances when
we had the opportunity," junior
captain Chris Summers said. "We
just got a little bit of puck luck."
The Wolverines jumped out to a
3-0 lead in the first five minutes of
Saturday's game to set the tone for
the entire series. Michigan never
trailed this weekend, and the Yost
crowd made sure the RedHawks
knew it. Fans shook the building
with each goal of the early scoring
onslaught.
"It's everything," Berenson said
of the early lead. "It gets the crowd
in the game, number one. That's
huge. That's home ice. It gives your
team that confidence that it needs
so much at home."
Again on Sunday, the Wolver-
ines took the lead in the contest's
first five minutes and never looked

mon description of the series, both
by players and coaches.
Not just because of major impli-
cations in the CCHA standings.
Not just because the Wolverines
wanted to exact revenge on the
only team that dealt them a week-
end sweep.
With a series against confer-
ence top dog Notre Dame looming
in three weeks, Michigan (9-5-0
CCHA, 15-7-0 overall) needed to
make a statement.
And it achieved its goal thanksto
a smothering defense that blocked
25 shots in Sunday's game alone,
solid goaltending from sophomore
Bryan Hogan and, most of all, a
balanced offensive attack.
Since the last series against
Miami six weeks ago, the 10th-
ranked Wolverines have won seven
of eight games. They have scored
36 goals in that stretch, a long cry
from their one-goal weekend in
Oxford.
"Some teams are second-half
teams," Summers said. "Hopefully,
we can be one of those teams."

SAID ALSALAH/Daily
Junior Chris Summers recorded two points in Michigan's sweep of Miami this weekend.

I

back.
There were times in both games
when Michigan was outplayed.
Berenson and players alike were
quick to criticize their play in both

blowout victories. Berenson called
Saturday's win "ugly" and listed
puckhandling mistakes that need
to be fixed after the sweep.
But "huge" was the most com-

4

EISENSTEIN: Michigan moving up in the CCHA ranks

From page 1B

46 shots and capitalizing on its
opportunities. The team is work-
ing hard and starting to climb
back up the conference standings
when the Wolverines need it the
most.
There's not much doubt in any-
one's mind that, even after this
weekend, there's a lot of room to
move upwards.
"I don't think anybody's been
comfortable with sitting where
we've been (in the standings),"
Berenson said.
The Wolverines, currently tied
for fifth in the CCHA with Ohio
State, are aiming for one of the
top-four slots in the- conference
to earn a bye in the CCHA Tour-
nament and home-ice advantage
for the quarterfinals. Becoming
one of the conference's top-four

teams usually secures an NCAA verines managed just seven com-
Tournament berth, something bined shots in the second and
Michigan has done for a record 17 third period Saturday - the team
consecutive years.. is showingthat it has what ittakes
First-place Notre Dame is com- to win back-to-back games and
fortably ahead of the rest of the dominate the scoreboard against
CCHA, but Nebraska-Omaha, one of the country's top teams.
who Michigan has yet to play, is And what does this mean? The
just three points ahead of Michi- Wolverines' second half of the
gan in third. The Wolverines also season will probably be a lot more
have Ohio State coming up, which interesting than last year's.
gives them a chance to pull away After the first half of last sea-
from the Buckeyes in the stand- son, they had established them-
ings. selves as one of the nation's top
With the schedule that's com- teams and were cruising to a like-
ing up, Michigan can definitely ly top seed in the NCAA Tourna-
get back into the top few spots ment.
of the conference standings. The This year, Michigan is fight-
only question coming into this ing just to secure a berth. The
weekend's series was if the Wol- Wolverines' up-and-down con-
verines could complete a sweep of ference season began with a tie,
a top team. a Michigan sweep, a tie, another
Though Michigan didn't play tie, and getting swept at Miami.
its best this weekend - the Wol- Since then, the Wolverines have

tripped up just once, a November
loss at Wisconsin in senior goalie
Billy Sauer's last start.
"Some teams are second half
teams, and hopefully we can be
one of those teams because obvi-
ously we didn't have a great start
to the season this year," acting
captain Chris Summers said.
It's not about just the sweep in
and of itself. The key is turning
the Miami series into a season-
momentum changer. And Sum-
mers understands exactly that.
"We're hoping to build off this
weekend, build off each practice,
and just kind of go from there,"
he said.
-Eisenstein is thinking Michigan
hockey can put together a run
just like his Baltimore Ravens
are right now. He can be reached
at mseisen@umich.edu.

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