I The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, January 27, 2012 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 27, 2012 - 7
Wolverines falter
in paint at Crisler
Junior guard Nya Jordan collected a double-double against Penn State on Thursday, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Wolverines blowout loss.
Ps M
Pe nn a SWd Mi chigan
MICHAEL LAURILA
Daily Sports Writer
It's the same story, just a dif-
ferent chapter.
The Michigan women's bas-
ketball team lost to No. 18 Penn
State on Thursday at the Crisler
Center, their second loss to the
Nittany Lions in as many weeks.
Two weeks ago, when the
teams met at State College, the
Nittany Lions used their ath-
leticism and speed to score 24
points in transition, running the
Wolverines out of the gym in a
78-63 victory.
Thursday, Michigan was able
to contain a speedy Penn State
team, but was unable to stop
the Nittany Lions'. impressive
inside-outside strategy. Junior
center Nikki Greene, standing
at 6-foot-4, dominated the paint
the entire contest.
Greene's ability to establish
herself down low allowed the
Penn State guard trio of Zhaque
Gray, Maggie Lucas and Alex
Bentley to get open looks all
night.
"Nikki Green was pretty dom-
inant in the first half, and any
time you can have a post player
that has that kind of presence
inside, I think it opens things
up for our shooters," said Penn
State coach Coquese Washing-
ton. "Usually we're a team that
if we get great shots, we make a
pretty good percentage of them."
The Nittany Lions took advan-,
tage of those opportunities in
the first half to shoot 49 percent
from the field - with 22 points
coming from Lucas and Bentley.
Because the Wolverines were
forced to pay more attention to
Green than they anticipated, the
guards were freed up to score.
Michigan, which started out
playing a help-oriented defense,
switched to a zone for a majority
of the game to stop Greene.
But when the ball went to
Greene and the Wolverines
collapsed on her, she was able
to kick it back out to her open
guards.
Junior forward Sam Arnold
attributes the open looks to
Michigan testing different
defensive strategies.
"Since we were switching up
our defense, so much, you're try-
ing something new every time
down the court," Arnold said.
"You just need to know where
you're. at and find the people
near you."
Arnold, who comes off the
bench for junior forward Rachel
Sheffer, came into the game
because she was better able to
compensate for Greene's height
and strength. Though she didn't
fare much better than Sheffer on
defense, she was able to get some
tough points in the paint offen-
sively.
"(Greene) is a big girl and we
were outsized a little bit,"Arnold
said. "I also think it comes down
to knowing the other people on
the floor and we needed help to
be there."
The only problem was that
even when the help came, it
was ineffective because Greene
dished to the perimeter.
Greene, who averages 8.2
rebounds per game, finished
with 11 - four offensive and
seven defensive. Though Greene
isn't even one of the top-two
best offensive weapons for Penn
State, she was crucial in Thurs-
day's victory.
Neither coach said they had
made big changes following the
teams' first meeting two weeks
earlier.
Both Borseth and Washing-
-ton knew what their opponent's
game plan was. Penn State did
something entirely different
though - attacking the paint.
The key similarity was that the
Wolverines happened to come
out on the short end of the stick
yet again.
"Their best part of their game
is transition," Borseth said.
"They're really good.
"When they get you in transi-
tion, all of a sudden you're try-
ing to stop Bentley, who's just a
bulls-eye onthepull up, and then
you try to rush up with (Lucas),
and then you have to block out
(Greene), and one thing leads to
another, it snowballs, and (the
lead) just gets bigger and big-
ger."
COLLEEN THOMAS
Daily Sports Writer
If the Michigan women's
basketball team had trouble
with Penn State two weeks ago,
it wasn't
any better PENN STATE 77
Thursday MICHIGAN 561
night.
The Wolverines (5-3 Big Ten,
16-5 overall) shot uncharacter-
istically poorly in the first half,
digging themselves into a deficit
they couldn't overcome. It didn't
help that the 18th-ranked Lady
Lions (6-2, 16-4) shot 56 percent
on the night.
Michigan tallied a season-
low 19 points in the first half on
24-percent shooting. None of the
starters found rhythm early, and
a 13-0 run by Penn State in the
first half seemed to seal the deal.
The Lady Lions went on to win,
77-56.
"They're a good team," said
junior forward Sam Arnold.
"They were getting great shots
as well.
"We were trying to switch up
our defense and throw different
things at them based on who's in
our lineup and cater to the play-
ers out on the court."
Unfortunately for the Wol-
verines, no matter what defense
they threw at it, Penn State was
going to make its shots.
The Lady Lions were yet
again fueled by sophomore Mag-
gie Lucas, who led all scorers
with 23 points.
Juniors Alex Bentley and
Nikki Greene also put up double
figures, scoring 18 and 13 points,
respectively.
The trio was unstoppable,
combining for 23-for-33 shoot-
ing.
But it didn't work out as well
for the Wolverines, who made
only eight shots in the first half
and weren't able to improve
much in the second half. The
Wolverines shot 34 percent
overall and 15 percent from
behind the arc. Arnold led the
Wolverines with 12 points,.and
junior guard Nya Jordan and
senior guard Courtney Boylan
each had 10 points.
Though it was an off night for
Michigan, the team believes it
was getting the right looks.
"We were getting a lot of open
looks, and it was just a mat-
ter of knocking them down,"
Arnold said. "They were making
us move a lot faster and we just
needed to slow down and take a
good shot."
Added Jordan: "I think the
game started off fast, so a lot of
us were getting good shots. We
were shooting so fast because
their defense was really fast-
paced. We needed to take more.
time and focus on the shot."
But the Wolverines couldn't
execute that in Thursday's game.
Every missed shot turned
into a defensive rebound and
an opportunity for Penn State
to extend its lead. The lead was
stretched to 31 at one point, and
it didn't help that Michigan went
one-and-done almost every trip
down the court.
Though the Wolverines had
an off night, Borseth won't
detract from Penn State's stellar
play.
"They are by and far the most
talented team in our confer-
ence," Borseth said. "They're the
team in our conference that can
go and put a dent in the NCAA
tournament because they have
all the pieces in the puzzle.
(They're) big, fast, strong, ath-
letic, and (have the) shooters
and skills. They're a really good
team."
NOTE: Senior guard Car-
men Reynolds tied the program
record for career 3-pointers
tonight when she hit the shot
early in the second half. She now
sits atop the list with Alayne
Ingram ('99-'02) with 182 career
3-pointers.
. . . .M 'works in off-week
Behind Enemy Lines:Visiting
0 LIZ VUKELICH
with Ohio State's Craft,-Matta Dal prsWie
i
LUKE PASCH
Daily Sports Editor
Ohio State men's basketball
coach Thad Matta has proven
once again that he is one of the
nation's top recruiters.
A season after three of his five
starters graduated - Dallas Lau-
derdale, Jon Diebler and David
Lighty - his fourth-ranked Buck-
eyes still have the firepower to
hang with the country's perennial
elite.
Featuring a dominant front-
court led by returning NCAA
Freshman of the Year Jared
Sullinger and a backcourt led by
the nimble Aaron Craft, Matta's
Buckeye squad is still quite formi-
dable.
When No. 20 Michigan (6-2
Big Ten, 16-5 overall) travels to
Columbus on Sunday to take on
Ohio State (6-2, 18-3), the two
teams will be tied atop the Big Ten
standings.
And taking control of first place
won't be easy for the Wolverines,
as the Buckeyes haven't lost at
home in 38 straight contests.
At Big Ten Media Day in Octo-
ber, Matta and Craft sat down
with the Daily to discuss the
upcoming season.
The Michigan Daily: Is it dif-
ficult to replace guys like Lighty,
Diebler and Lauderdale?
Aaron Craft: It is definitely dif-
ferent. There were a few times in
the summer, when we went in the
locker room, went in the weight
room, and those three guys
weren't there. Not just from lead-
ership standpoint, but their per-
sonalities are gone. It's definitely
different.
(The team has) grown into
it now I think, -and it's a cool
experience. The freshmen have
been really understanding. Even
though Jared and I and (forward
Deshaun
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Matta: When you've (Darius Morris) left.
senior, one junior who's I loved him as a player. But I
ayed for you, and the rest think you look at what they have
homores and freshman, it coming back, I view them as a
big challenge.... The great great basketball team this year, I
ike aboutrthis team is they really do. ,
eve got a lot of work to do AC: The experience that they
play our best basketball. have coming back is always a
: Were you ever worried plus. Just losing the point guard,
linger wouldn't return for I think (freshman point guard)
omore season? Trey (Burke is) a great player, and
He had told me from day he could step into that role really
was returning) - it was well. Beilein is a great coach, and
n an issue. The only thing he's going to put them in the best
ad been fortunate enough position to win.
the National Champion- TMD: Did you notice that
may have gone. Burke showed up to last year's
njoys college. You know, Michigan-Ohio State showdown
years old, and he's a great in Columbus...
nan, He loves the univer- AC: ... wearing Michigan gear.
Yeah, our ticket lady was really
angry about that.
They got tickets and were right
behind our bench with Michi-
hen you've gan stuff on, and she wasn't very
happy about that. But good thing
t one senior we played well and won that
game, so that kind of cooled her
ma es a big off a little bit.
mh aesa if" TMD: Are you excited to play
h lenge. against Trey like in your high
school days?
AC: I've known him - we both
played AAUunder the same name
How has he grown over of All-Ohio. And he knows Jared
eason? and (Diebler) really well. I've seen
le's still the goof-around, him, I've played against him a few
ound Jared, but he knows times. He's an awesome kid. He's
's time to get things done definitely grown since I've met
knows when things need him and his family, so it'll be fun
ten serious. to see him up there.
I think the biggest thing TMD: Any trash talking
as able to discipline him-. between you two?
se the weight that he did. AC: Nothing major. He came
ast an awesome testament into our gym this summer before
haracter and person that he left, played with us, kind of
talked to us. A little jeering here
What do you see out of and there, but nothing major.
Senior defenseman Greg
Pateryn has been working hard
this season to bring certain tro-
phies back to Yost Ice Arena.
December saw 'the return of
the Great Lakes Invitational's
MacInnes trophy to its familiar
perch on a table outside of Michi-
gan coach Red Berenson's office.
A month later, it was joined by a
40-pound figure of a hockey play-
er from the Wolverines' victory at
the Frozen-Diamond Faceoff.
But on Thursday, Pateryn
brought a different trophy out of
hibernation.
A Michigan hockey helmet
set on a wooden platform left its
usual home on top of a refrigera-
tor in Yost and saw ice for the first
time in a couple years.
This week saw the Michigan
hockey team pitted against each
other as White versus Blue in a
weeklong battle of three-on-three
games that culminated in a skills
competition.
This year, the Blue team -
under the direction of Pateryn -
won the contest and brought the
unnamed trophy out of the case.
"(The trophy) started years
ago," Berenson said. "We used to
have a time when we had a week
off. We decided to have a three-
on-three trophy. It's been around
for a long time."
Though the competition isn't
a staple event for the Wolverines,
they're currently on a bye week,
Berenson thought a friendly chal-
lenge would give the team a little
fun while still staying focused on
upcoming games.
. Michigan started playing its
three-on-three games on Tues-
day, with the points adding onto
each other as the days progressed.
Though the bulk of the week's
practice focused on improving
some of the Wolverines' lacklus-
ter units - notably the power play
- the scrimmages allowed for a
little bit of experimentation on
Berenson's end. Berenson specifi-
cally divided the teams by match-
ing players who don't normally
skate together.
"You'll see us do three-on-
threes early in the week some-
times, especially for players that
don't silay a lot," Berenson said.
"They get a chance to get in a good
competitive situation."
The skills-based portion of the
competition saw the lighter side
of the Wolverines' practice, which
started off with a radar gun mea-
suring the team's hardest shooter.
"Two years ago one of the base-
ball kids brought a handheld gun
out there," Pateryn said. "I got a
96 (mph)."
How much of an improve-
ment did Pateryn see Thursday?
Enough to win him the title of
Michigan's strongest shooter.
"Today, I finally got the 100."
Other skill-based drills includ-
ed breakaway simulations, accu-
racy tests and agility relays.
Berenson tried to highlight each
player in areas where he thought
they'd best excel.
Though the Blue team ulti-
mately walked away from the
week victorious - freshman
forward Alex Guptill marked
the occasion by mimicking a cel-
ebrational photo shoot with the
trophy - the contest was closely
contested.
Though the White team led in
the three-on-three, its Blue coun-
terpart snuck ahead to seize the
win with victories in the skills
categories.
In fact, Berenson compared the
end result to a situation the Wol-
verines have become quite famil-
iar with this season.
"It's like a shootout," he said.
"The one team might have been
the better team, but the other
team wins in the shootout."
NOTE: Senior forward David
Wohlberg collided with a team-
mate at the beginning of practice
on Thursday. He wore a sling on
his left arm, as a precaution for an
upper-body injury.