The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
8 - Friday, February 5, 2010
'M' holds on for midweek win
By TIM ROHAN
Daily Sports Writer
BOWLING GREEN - Two
goals, both scored during a five-
minute power play in the first
period,_
proved MICHIGAN 2
to be all BOWLING GREEN 1
the Wol-
verines needed to defeat Bowling
Green 2-1 at BGSU Ice Arena last
night, propelling the team to the
coveted fourth-place position in
the CCHA.
It all started when Falcon sopho-
more Brennan Vargas made a quick
cut towards the goal from the neu-
tral zone and the Bowling Green
forward received a crisp pass.
All that was between him and
the goalie was senior defenseman
Chris Summers. Vargas could spark
a great start for the Falcons -he just
had to get by the Michigan captain.
But Summers poked the puck
away, into the corner of the defen-
sive zone. Players from each team
started to pile up and chaos ensued.
Cheers roared down from the
crowd as shoves were exchanged,
and Bowling Green forward
Tommy Dee wrapped his arms
around Michigan freshman Chris
Brown and took him to the ice.
Dee received a five-minute major
and a game misconduct for his role
in the brawl and the Michigan
hockey team took full advantage.
Junior Matt Rust cleaned up a
rebound on a shot from the pointby
senior defenseman Steve Kampfer.
Then, Brown exacted some revenge
with awristshotfromthe lowerleft
slot. He was wide open and placed
the puck top shelf on the stick side
of the goal.
Michigan took Thursday's game
as a chance to wash the bad taste
out of its mouth against the Fal-
cons. Last time the teams played,
the Wolverines split a disappoint-
ing series with Bowling Green, the
11th-place team in the CCHA.
Report: Recruit
Dorsey confessed
to robbery charges
By RYAN KARTJE flict resolution training and anger
Daily Sports Editor management."
The report goes on to cite an addi-
After questions arose at yester- tional burglary charge in June 2007.
day's Signing Day press conference Dorseywasacquittedoftheburglary,
about star recruit Demar Dorsey's and according to the Free Press, "got
previous felony charges, the Detroit a break then, too, with prosecutors
Free Press obtained documents sending him to the diversion pro-
yesterday gram."
that report- First seen on The Free Press reports that the
edly show that documents show that in November
Dorsey was -the game 2007 Dorsey and four other men
an active par-. were driving in a car with several
ticipant in and confessed to two bur- stolen items as well as "window
glaries in 2007. punches," which are used to quietly
Accordingto the Broward County shatter windows. Dorsey and one of
17th Judicial Circuit Court of Flor- the other men reportedly broke into
ida, an individual with the same the back of a house and were sub-
name and birth date as the Michigan sequently confronted by the hom-
recruit had two felony charges on his eowner in the living room.
record: one for robbery with a deadly Dorsey was also reported to have
weapon in 2008 and another for bur- worn his football gloves at the scene
glary of an unoccupied dwelling in tocoverup fingerprints, accordingto
2007. the Free Press article.
Both cases were subsequently TheFreePressreportalsoclaimed
closed, according to the court's web- that in Dorsey's June2008 court case
site. for felony robbery charges, the Fort
The Free Press's report from Lauderdale, Fla. native was charged
yesterday says that in November as an adult, but the case was thrown
2007, after being charged for his out due to a lack of evidence.
part in two early morning burglar- During Wednesday's press con-
ies, Dorsey was never convicted and ference, Michigan coach Rich
instead was put through a "diver- Rodriguez responded to questions
sion program for juvenile defenders" of Dorsey's character by defending
with the Urban League of Broward his prized recruit, citing that young
County. people are "sometimes in the wrong
Accordingto the Urban League's place at the wrong time."
website, "Participants are first "There's nobody on this football
time offenders who are referred by team thatwe're signingthatchas a fel-
the court to a diversion program ony conviction and there's nobody on
in lieu of receiving a jail sentence. this football team that we're signing
Participants must complete and that has a misdemeanor conviction,"
graduate from a 12-week program Rodriguez said. "You have to look at
which includes community resto- the whole story before you pass judg-
ration activities, victim advocacy ment on ayoung man. Not everybody
services, victim restitution, con- is perfect."
AREtLtBOND/Daily
Freshman Chris Brown (pictured above playing in Michigan's lossto Bowling Green in November) scored one of the Wo ser-
ines' goals in their 2-1 victory at Bowling Green yesterday. Brown is third on the team in scoring this season.
Michigan led 2-1 entering the
third period at home on Nov. 20.
But the Falcons (3-14-4-3 CCHA,
4-19-4 overall) capitalized on two
power-play opportunities in the
final period, three unanswered
goals to win the game 4-2.
It was the only time the Wol-
verines (11-9-1-0, 16-12-1) have lost
a game that they led entering the
third period all season - they are
15-1 in such instances.
Play got sloppy after the first
period, but Michigan held to the
win in the defensive contest.
"A lot of turnovers, a lot of chanc-
es, I can't tell you much more,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"It was mostly a shinny game more
than a hockey game."
The Wolverines had to hold back
the Falcons, and had a little luck on
their side.
Junior goaltender Bryan Hogan
came out of the net to play a puck
and disaster almost struck the Wol-
verines similar to previous games
against Boston and Michigan State.
The puck bounced awkwardly off
of the zamboni door and right out
in front of an open net.
"It was a miracle they didn't
score onthat," Berenson said. "That
might've been the closest chance of
the period."
Berenson has been concerned
about his team's five-on-five play
lately, and it wasn't exactly an area
the Wolverines excelled in last
night. Michigan did clamp down
for the final forty-plus minutes
of the game to seal the victory -
something the Wolverines couldn't
accomplish two months ago at Yost.
"We're trying to win the third
period," Berenson said. "And we
didn't win it, but we tied it at least.
We didn't give up a goal. You don't
know what's going to happen. And
I feel fortunate to come out of here
with a win."
With the win, Berenson moved
into a tie for sixth place for NCAA
hockey all-time coaching wins. He
is tied with former Clarkson and
Boston College coach Len Ceglar-
ski with 689 wins.
But Berenson's accomplishment
was drowned out by the team's..
The Wolverines and Berenson have
made it clear that one of their goals
is to finish in the top-four of their
conference this season, which is
where they stand after last nights
win.
Now, the Wolverines head out-
doors and take on No. 3 Wisconsin
in the Camp Randall Classic on Sat-
urday.
Michigan's Vinson
becomes driving force
n her senior season
Basement-dwelling Northwestern ends
Blue s three-game conference winstreak
By CASANDRA PAGNI
For the Daily
Next time you hop on one of the
Michigan blue buses, check quick-
ly and see if the driver is decked
out in Michigan track and field
apparel.
"I drive the blue bus," redshirt
senior Shana Vinson said. "I drive
all the routes, really: commuter,
Bursley-Baits. I've been driving for
going on four years. It's one of the
better paying student jobs."
While she admits she doesn't
have much free time in addition to
working and training during the
indoor and outdoor seasons, that's
something the senior can live with.
Vinson, a Detroit native, walked
on to the Michigan track and field
program in her freshman year. As
a sophomore, she made the travel
squad and began competing, even
though her premier high school
event - the 400-meter dash.
"When I first actually started
competing," Vinson said, "I was
excited, new to the scene. We had
a lot of girls already on the team
who ran the 400. So, my sopho-
more year, I ran the 4x400(-meter
relay). I was an alternate (in the)
DMR (distance medley relay) at
nationals."
Today, the 400-meter dash is
again her premier event, but Vin-
son has tried a few different events
along the way. She regularly com-
petes in the 200-meter dash, the
400-meter dash, and runs the last
leg in the 4x400-meter relay.
This season at the Simmons-
Harvey Invitational, Vinson com-
peted in a new event, the 60-meter
dash, to prove to herself and
her coach that she "had speed."
Michigan coach James Henry said
he "would never let her run the
60-meter dash" as a regular event,
but admitted that her desire to
show versatility will prove valu-
able in her other events.
"She knows if she can utilize her
foot speed in her premier event,
she can make significant improve-
ments," Henry said.
Henry, who named Vinson as
one of three captains this sea-
son, said that he has seen Vinson
develop into an incredible athlete
over the past four years, adding
that the program will miss "one of
our greatest quarter-mile runners"
when she graduates.
"She already has the third-fast-
est time at Michigan ever (in the
400-meter dash), and she's only
a snap away from becoming our
best 400(-meter) indoor runner,"
Henry said. "I think she's also
overlooking the possibility that
she can become our 200-meter
record-holder as well. She's capa-
ble of being one of our best ath-
letes ever."
Breaking the Michigan indoor
record for the 400-meter dash is at
the top of Vinson's 'to-do list' these
days. The time she ran last week-
end at the Rod McCravy invita-
tional was 54.74. The school record
- held by Serita Williams - is just.
.34 seconds faster.
"It would mean a lot to me (to
break the school record)," Vin-
son said. "I've been trying to get
there. I feel like I've always had
the potential but this year I feel a
lot stronger and a lot faster. Right
now, it means the world to me. I'm
giving everything for it."
Some extra incentive for Vinson
to break Michigan's 400-meter
dash record is that the provisional
qualifying time for indoor nation-
als in that event is 54:40, just one
hundredth of a second faster than
the school record.
While Vinson may be deter-
mined to break the school record,
she doesn't let that imopact her
training on a day-to-day basis. Her
level head and lead-by-example
attitude was one of the reasons
Henry selected Vinson as a cap-
tain this year. She trains the same,
regardless of the outcome at a
meet.
"I just count every day as
another day for me to get better,"
Vinson said. "After I have a good
meet, of course I'm excited, but I
always think about what I could've
improved on and what I could've
changed in the race. It probably
gives me more inspiration to train
harder because I know I can get
there."
When asked if running profes-
sionally was in her future, Vinson
said she was unsure. Right now,
she's moving along with plans to
attend graduate school for pub-
lic health, but said that she will
always "run for fun."
"She is a perfect example of
someone that walks on to the pro-
gram and finds her spot the hard
way," Henry said. "She developed
into being both (a student) and an
athlete. The program is going to
miss someone that is a star in the
making."
By ALEX HERMANN
Daily Sports Writer
EVANSTON - It was the Wol-
verines' final possession, down
just three points with 17 seconds
remain- _
ing, and MICHIGAN 60
fresh- NORTHWESTERN 64
man
guard Dayeesha Hollins dribbled
the length of the court, passed it
off to sophomore forward Carmen
Reynolds who, unable to find an
open look, dished it to classmate
Courtney Boylan for a desperation
3-pointer that was tipped as it left
her hand.
The series of events epitomized
the Wolverines' 64-60 loss at
Northwestern yesterday - they
tried hard and came up just short.
"We drew a play up, and it didn't
work," Michigan coach Kevin
Borseth said. "I should've just
taken a timeout and organized -
and I didn't. And that, really, that's
the thing right now, that probably
bothers me more than anything."
Michigan's second loss to the
Wildcats (7-7 Big Ten, 14-9 over-
all) this season ends the Wolver-
ines' three-game conference win
streak.
Despite shooting 44 percent
from the court and 10-of-25 from
downtown, the Wolverines never
seemed to develop a rhythm
against Northwestern's bigger for-
wards.
"It didn't even look like we
played organized basketball,"
Borseth said. "We never really had
rhythm, the entire game. That's
the second time we've played them
and never had rhythm."
The lack of cohesion on offense
was largely a result of the team's
inability totake care of the ball. In
their win over then-No. 23 Penn
State on Sunday, the Wolverines
had a season-low 11 turnovers.
Yesterday, Michigan (5-7, 13-9)
committed 16 turnovers, including
nine in the first half.
The Wildcats mixed and
matched defenses all game. From
possession to possession, the
Northwestern defense would run
a full-court press, half-court trap
and drop back into zone. The var-
ied strategy led to 10 Wildcat steals
and kel
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Michig
pt Michigan off balance for Veronica Hick's 16 points. Hollins,
f the game. who shot 3-for-15 in the first game
Wolverines couldn't help against Northwestern, also put in
'lves at the free-throw line, a solid effort yesterday, scoring 11
The team shot 8-for-14 at points.
e, a crucial stat in such a But despite the balanced offense
tss. from Michigan, the Wildcats'
're in that same boat of not shooting was even better. North-
western shot over 47 percent from
the 3-point line, including 6-for-11
in the first half.
e really never "I don't know what their 3-point
percentage was in the first half,
I rhythm , the butI feel like they didn't miss one,"
~ Hicks said. "So I think the open
tlire game." looks they got in the firsthalf made
us lose a little momentum, coming
into the second half we really just
had to grind and fight."
free throws," Borseth said. Despite the digging and the
lling us. You cannot shoot grinding, the team came up just
ent from the free-throw short in the end.
d expect to win basketball "That might be a little sign of
And I don't know what it is, some of our youth," Hicks said
just are the worst free throw regarding Michigan's inability to
gteam in the country." close out the game. "You're asking,
pite the loss, the Wolverines you know, sophomores and fresh-
gain established a balanced men to make those types of plays.
attack, with four play- And the teams that we're play-
oring at least nine points. ing against aren't sophomores or
an was led by junior guard freshmen."
Wolverines look to avenge pre
loss in defensive batte wit V
By CHRIS MESZAROS
Daily Sports Editor
The last time Michigan played
Wisconsin, senior DeShawn
Sims started his midseason tear
through the Big Ten schedule.
The forward led
the Wolverines
with 23 points
and 13 rebounds
in perhaps his
most impressive
effort of the sea-
son.
Unfortunate-
ly, the Wolver-
ines blew a lead
that they held for
the game's first
26 minutes. The
Wisconsin
at Michigan
Matchup: Wis-
consin 17-5;
Michigan 11-11
When: Satur-
day at 4 p.m.
Where:
Crisler Arena
TV/Radio:
CBS
State in the heart of its Big Ten
schedule.
One of the biggest reasons for
the loss was Sims's lack of touches
in the final minutes. While the
senior dominated in a physical
low-scoring matchup against the
Big Ten's top defense, Michigan.
(4-6 Big Ten, 11-11 overall) settled
for low-percentage jump shots
when Wisconsin made it close.
The Wolverines started a three-
game skid that likely sealed their
fate as a middle-of-the-road Big
Ten team that may not make the
NIT.
Despite the disappointment in
the last five games, Michigan will
look for redemption this Saturday
when it takes on Wisconsin (7-3,
17-5), this time at Crisler Arena.
While the Badgers have always
played tough defense - they
lead the conference in the fewest
points allowed per game - the
Wolverines are a surprising sec-
ond.
Coming into this season, Mich-
igan was expected to win games
based on its three-point shooting.
But despite shooting poorly from
the field the Wolverines stayed
in games by holding opponents to
just 61.3 points per game.
But, in last Monday's contest,
Michigan started to show some
chinks in the armor. While North-
western didn't score much more
than the average allowed, win-
ning the game 67-52, it was the
way the Wildcats took over the
contest that was concerning.
"I think they continued to hit
shots," freshman Darius Mor-
ris said. "You would think they
would probably let up, but not in
their house, they just keep get-
ting wider and wider, and we just
didn't convert on the offensive
end."
Not only did the Wildcats just
pour it on from behind the arc,
vious
Visconsin
shooting 50 percent, but they
Wildcats slashed through the
Michigan defense, scoring 28'
points in the paint.
"We got off to the bad start to
start the second half," Michigan
coach John Beilein said. "We still
hung with them because they
missed some shot or we played
good defense, but once they hit a
three and hit another three and
got a back door basket all of a sud-
den it was 12 or 13 and it was very
difficult for us to come back from
that far."
While Wisconsin prides itself
on fundamentals, this season,
Michigan hasn't been able to
pride itself on anything on a con-
sistent basis. Perhaps that's why
both these teams are heading in
opposite directions.
"They just do not beat them-
selves," Beilein said last time the
teams played. "They play tremen-
dous fundamental basketball."
Badgers went on
a 24-9 run to finish the contest,
giving Wisconsin the win at home
54-48. Michigan lost its next two
games to Purdue and Michigan