The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, November 29, 2012 - 7A
Duke blows past Blue
Loss serves as reality
check for Michigan
By GREG GARNO
Daily Sports Writer
In the opening seconds of the
Michigan women's basketball
team's game against No. 4 Duke
on Wednesday, senior guard Kate
Thompson dribbled near the top
of the key only to be swarmed
by a pair
of defend- DUKE 71
ers. Both MICHIGAN 54
reached for
the ball until it was ripped away
from Thompson and the whistle
blew for a jump ball.
It set the tone for a 71-54
defeat in which the Wolverines
were out-muscled, out-hustled
and out-played from start to fin-
ish.
"I think we showed signs of
being a really good team, but
we just have to get that consis-
tency," said Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico. "When you play
a great team like that scoring is
sometimes a problem when you
turn the basketball over as many
times as we did."
Michigan's lack of height con-
tributed to its defeat. The Wol-
verines were unable to establish a
presence in the paint with senior
center Rachel Sheffer or senior
forward Nya Jordan, who start-
ed for her first time this season.
Sheffer and Jordan scored eight
points despite the fact that both
played for more than 30 minutes
The Blue Devils rout contin-
ued after the early jump ball, as
they raced out to an early 11-2
lead. Thanks in part to Duke's.
full-court pressure in the open-
ing minutes, Michigan was left
scrambling, looking to settle in
and set up their strong-shooting
offense.
"It's a savvy quickness,"
said senior guard Jenny Ryan.
"(Duke) kind of gets you into
places on the court where you
don't want to be and then they
trap hard. They use their length
pressuring us. They were so
physical, and we weren't able to
do anything. When we turned
the basketball over, they got easy
baskets in transition."
Duke also returned to form
at the beginping of the half,
extending its lead back to 10 just
three minutes in on another bas-
ket from inside the paint. The
Blue Devils' quickness continued
to contribute to easy baskets in
transition, making the most of
the Wolverines' lack of depth.
The Blue Devils continued
their run, using a 3-pointer from
Shelby Grey to make the score
52-38.
Michigan, in an effort to claw
back into the game, fired shots
off without taking the time to
fully set up - a style of play that
ultimately hurt the Wolderines.
"Our quick shots were almost
the same as turnovers because
our quick shots resulted in them
taking off the other way," Barnes
Arico said. "When we ran the
shot clock down we had more
of an opportunity to set up our
defense the other way."
The game slowed down after
the opening minutes of the sec-
ond half, as Duke meticulous-
ly worked the ball down low.
The Blue Devils also limited
Michigan's leading scorer, Kate
Thompson, to just 10 points and
6-15 shooting, and Michigan's
second-leading scorer.
With 7:21 remaining, Duke
opened up its biggest lead, 64-43,
taking advantage of the Wolver-
ines' 20 turnovers and 0.6 assist-
to-turnover ratio.
Michigan's lone bright spot
was Ryan, who finished with a
team-high 18 points and three
assists. Sophomore guard Nicole
Elmblad ended her night leading
the team with seven rebounds.
But the Wolverines have little
time to reflect on the lopsided
loss, with Florida traveling to
Crisler Center on Saturday.
By ALEXA DETTELBACH
Daily Sports Writer
It'sback to reality for the Mich-
igan women's basketball team.
After winning five of their first
six games of the season, the Wol-
verines were reminded that there
is work to be done. They were
reminded of their shallow bench.
And they were reminded why
they are still unranked.
on Wednesday night, No. 4
Duke (5-0) did everything in its
power to remind Michigan (5-2)
that the Wolverines are still far
from complete.
The Blue Devils were more
aggressive, constantly trapping
Wolverines on the wing. On every
offensive possession, Michigan
would find itself backed into a
corner with two Duke players
pressuring.
In addition, the Wolverines
were forced to use most of the
shot clock on every possession
in the first half, unable to find an
open look to the basket.
Knowing the Blue Devils were
going to pressure proved to be lit-
tle help for the Wolverines. Duke
played fast, converging on the ball
on every Michigan possession. In
the first nine minutes of play the
Wolverines had eight turnovers -
20 total on the game.
The Wolverines rallied at the
end of the first half cutting Duke's
lead to as little as two points on a
15-1 run to end the half by hold-
ingthe Blue Devils without a field
goal for the last 6:41.
"(The fact) that we were down,
stuck together, were able to rally
back, and didn't quit showed a lot
of fight and a lot of perseverance,"
said Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico.
But the Blue Devils didn't let
that momentum last long. They
came out in the second half with
the same fire they started the
game with, outscoring Michigan
11-2 in the first 2:42. The Wolver-
ines didn't give up, fighting Duke
every step of the second half
despite a double-digit deficit, but
the Blue Devils were too aggres-
sive, too big, too strong and too
good.
"We did a bunch of good
things, but obviously their pres-
sure really affected us," Barnes
Arico said. "They're a No. 4 team
in the country filled with a team
of All-Americans, so it was nice to
see in the first half when we did
get down we were able (to stay)
together and (rally) back and we
fought. There were a lot of posi-
tives."
If the direction of this team
was ever in question it isn't now.
The Michigan women's basket-
ball team has character, heart,
and promise.
The Wolverines aren't far off
from where they want to be, put-
ting that on display when they
made a run to tighten the game
late in the first half.
"I'm proud of our team for that
run that we made," Ryan said. "It
showed we had a lot of fight. It
showed that we are proud of who
we are and what we stand for. It's
good for the future."
In their first four games the
Blue Devils held their opponents
to 45 points per game while scor-
ing 89 points per game of their
own, but Michigan scored 54
points and held Duke to a season-
low 71 points. In addition, the
Wolverines kept the Blue Devils'
rebounding in check - Duke only,
out rebounded Michigan by one,
winning the battle on the boards
32-31.
"There's a lot of good signs
(from' the game)," Barnes Arico
said. "A lot of good positives that
we can take from the night. We
showed signs of being a really
good team."
Senior guard Jenny Ryan scored 18 points and registered three assists in Mich-
gao's 71-54 loss to Duke at Cislnr Center on Wednesday.
and their athleticism really well,
and I think it's not so much quick
as smart is how they get you."
Duke continued to extend
its lead throughout the first
half until Ryan snapped the hot
streak with back-to-back bas-
kets. The Blue Devils took advan-
tage of Michigan in transition,
and held its biggest lead of the
half at 6:41 when they doubled
the Wolverines' 17 points.
But suddenly, as if it had just
awoken, Michigan fired back,
as Jordan hit a bucket at 6:21 to
begin a 15-1 run to close the half.
Thompson hit a 3-pointer to pull
within single digits with less
than three minutes to go. With
less than 30 seconds to go in
the half, Sheffer made the score
34-32 to bring Michigan's run to
a close.
"I don't think (Michigan) did
anything differently," said Duke
coach Joanne McCallie. "When
you turn the ball over four
straight times you open the door
a little bit."
The Wolverines walked into
the locker room at halftime down
three, but they were unable to
carry the momentum after the
break.
Michigan mustered just. 22
points in the second half, half of
which came with less than eight
minutes to go when the game
was already out of hand.
"I think to start the second
half, they went back to that man
(defense)," Barnes Arico said.
"That really gave us our most
difficult time when they were
* Error-free, selfless
play characterizes M'
By COLLEEN THOMAS
Daily Sports Writer
During the first two posses-
sions for the Michigan men's
basketball team in its 79-72 win
against North Carolina State (4-2)
on Tuesday, the Wolverines played
the way some experts believed
they would play prior to the sea-
son - ine--perienced, with fresh-
man mistakes. Two turnovers and
a Wolfpack dunk later, Michigan
stopped its careless play.
During a 25-minute stretch that
spanned across the first and sec-
ond halves on Tuesday, the third-
ranked Wolverines (6-0) played
mistake-free basketball and bust-
ed open what was' once a close
contest. Michigan turned the
ball over just six times all game,
and sophomore point guard Trey
Burke, didn't cough the ball up
once. For junior guard Tim Hard-
away, Jr., those numbers were
quite surprising.
"We only had six?" Hardaway
asked. "Dang. I thought we had
more than that. N.C. State did a
good job trying to deflect passes,
strip the ball and running in the
passing lane like they did in the
first two possessions."
The Wolverines easily won the
turnover battle and continued
this season's trend of rarely turn-
ing over the basketball. Through
the first six games last season, the
Wolverines averaged 12 turnovers
per game, but this season, Michi-
gan has kept giveaways to a mini-
mum, averaging less than 10 per
game.
Hardaway and head coach John
Beilein credit this downward
trend to unity and recognition of
what isn't working.
"In practice we really empha-
size (no turnovers)," Beilein said.
"As long as we have the ball, good
things can happen."
A lot of the change has come
from Burke's confidence level and
his improved ability to spread the
ball. Last year, Burke took it upon
himself to be a scorer, even when
the reads weren't there - he'd
force a shot or turn the ball over
while trying to make a play. This
year, things are completely differ-
ent.
In the first halves against Kan-
sas State and North Carolina State,
Burke was silent. The sophomore
point guard found himself a new
role in looking for the open shoot-
er - namely Hardaway and fresh-
man guard Nik Stauskas, who
have been the bulk of the Wol-
verines' offense lately. Burke is
averaging almost eight assists per
game, doubling his average from
last season.
On Tuesday against the Wolf-
pack, Burke tied his career-high
in assists with nine in the first half
alone. Though he went on to have
18 points, his 11 assists - a career-
high and good for his first career
double-double - were the high-
light of his game.
"This year I know we have more
weapons and guys who can score
and that kind of opens me up,"
Burke said. "It's a matter of mak-
ing the read the defense gives to
us. What was there was getting
deep into the paint and kicking it
out to Nik and Tim early,"
Beilein said Burke continues
to work on his ball control and
limiting turnovers in practice by
making the right adjustments
after a performance with which
he's unsatisfied. Burke said that
he also spends time working with
assistant coach LaVall Jordan on
making good reads and keeping
poised and patient while running
the offense.
But how different is Burke's
play compared to last year's?
Would last season's team be able
to win without the scoring contri-
bution from Burke, as this year's
squad has done?
"That would've been difficult,"
Beilein said. "But that nine assists
though, he was finding the open
men. ... He wants to win, and
whether he has to score points -
because they were locking up the
rails on Nik and Tim (on Tuesday)
- he just goes to work. He's got
that ability that only the best point
guards have to jump it in from 15
to 20 feet."
Janecyk deserves a chance in net
he Michigan hockeyteamc in
has luxury between the Berenson needs to have the
pipes. S abilityto ride the hot hand and
I'll give you a second to wipe rreward whomever performs best
the coffee off your keyboard in practice.
before I explain how one of the But this isn't a two-pony race
Wolverines' most glaring weak- anymore. It can't be when nei-
nesses could easily be a strength. theris getting the job done. And
It's no Berenson is coming around to
secret thatathat.
neither of the ."I told the goalies, 'I'm not
two freshmen - ruling anyone out,"' Berenson
goaltenders, said. "There's no question....
Jared Rut- - (Blackburn) and I will have a
ledge and talk.(Blackburn) and the goal-
Steve Racine, 'ies will have atalk, and we'll see
has done TTwhere we are thisweekend. But I
much good MATT ywouldn't rule anyone out."
since they SLOVIN As a coach, it's tough to break
arrived in PAULHEROMAN/Oaly the confidence of two freshmen,
Ann Arbor. Junior goalie Adam Janecyk has yet to see game action this season. one of who came to Ann Arbor
Rutledge, the presumed start- age and a .899 save percentage. There probably isn't going to with the starting job promised
er entering the season, allowed Middle-of-the-pack numbers, be a single answer in net this sea- to him. But if thrown into the
seven goals against Michigan but at least he has that experi- son, nor should there be. Michi- rotation, Janecyk might be able
State in East Lansing on Nov. 10 ence under his belt and has gan coach Red Berenson has to produce where the other two
and hasn't seen the ice since. spent more time working with four goaltenders on the roster for have failed.
Racine started the year 3-0 but goaltending coach Josh Black- the first time in years, counting
his lone win since came against burn. So isn't it fathomable that injured redshirt sophomore Luke - Slovin can be reached
Bowling Green, and he was most- the lone Grand Rapids native on Dwyer, who has never seen game at mjslovin@umich.edu.
ly untested in that game. Most the Michigan roster is the very
recently, against No.13 Cornell person who could carry the team
at Madison Square Garden, there, where the NCAA Tourna-
Racine quite pathetically filled ment West Regional will be held 2012/13 Orren C. Mohler Prize Lecture
the crease typically occupied by in March?
New York Rangers' All-Star net- Blackburn said Racine plays Friday, November 30, 2012 * 7:00pm
minder Henrik Lundqvist, allow- a "dirtier" style in net than
ing five goals in the loss. Rutledge, which explains those
Racine is ranked last in the heart-attack moments for Michi- F e'a
CCHA in save percentage. If Rut- gan fans when he just does barely
ledge had played enough minutes make it back to the crease in time
to qualify, that dubious honor and those times when he, well,
would be his. doesn't.
So how can Michigan, which It's not easy to play goalten- Ae Black H oles
went from having a goaltender der for Michigan as a freshman.
who could steal games in Shawn Blackburn knows that from his Andrew Fabian
Hunwick to having two who playing days.
are constantly at risk of blowing "I can tell you from being Ilstitulte of Astronomy, Cambridge
them, possibly take comfort in there, it's a lot of pressure when fellow of the Royal Society
any of its goalies? you come here as a freshman,"
Easy. Because it has three of said Blackburn, who certainly
them. didn't show it in the 1998-99
Michigan fans know junior season when he recorded a How a central black hole can
Adam Janecyk only as the former 2.28 goals-against average and central
backup to Shawn Hunwick, the a 25-10-6-3 record. "All three control agalaxy.
brick wall that played goalie for of our guys can play. I see it in
the Wolverines last year. them, I know that they can play."
He appeared in five games last So give the third one, the non-
season, including the boxing- freshman, a chance.Cn
match-turned-hockey-game in "Before Hunwick, if you 1210 Chemistry Bldg., 930 N. Univ. Ave.
Marquette when Hunwick got would've asked me I'd say, 'You
ejected and a mid-season contest know, maybe we'll get (Janecyk) Sponsored by the Department of Astronomy
against Lake Superior State when in if we can,"' Blackburn said. http://goo.gl/Wd5D5 1734) 764-3440
he made his first-career start. He "But bottom line, Janecyk can
posted a 3.17 goals-against aver- play."
aly, t A
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