'The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
December 10, 2012 -- 3B
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom December 10, 2012 - 38
MICHIGAN
ATHLETICS
SCOREBOARD
Wolverines sweep tnl-meet
L A S T W E E K
T UESDAY (D EC. 4)
Men's basketball:Michigan73, Western Michi-
gan 41
Woen's basketball Michigan 56, linoi State
45
F R IDAY (D EC. 7)
Volleyball: Michigan 3, Michigan State 0
Men's gymnastics: Maize 330.200, Blue 328.800
noen's gymnastics:Michigan195.375, Michi-
gan State 191.100
SAT U RDAY (D EC, 8)
Men's basketball: Michigan 80, Arkansas 67
Volleyball: Michigan3,Stanford l
WrestngMichigan 30, DukeT14
WrstiE Michigan32, Eastern Michigan 3
T H I S W E E K
TUESDAY (DEC. 11)
Men's basketball: Michigan vs. Binghamton, 7:00
p.m.o
Women's basketball: Michigan at Eastern Michi-
gan, 7:00 p.
THURSDAY (DEC, 13)
Volleyball: Michigan vs Texas at Louisville, Kent.,
7:00 p.m.
FRIDAY (DEC. 14)
Ice Hockey: Michigan vs. Western Michigan, 7:35
SATURDAY (DEC. 8)
Men's Basketball: Michigan vs. West Virginia at
Brooklyn, N.Y.,8:00 p.m
W en' basketball:Michiganvs.WesternMichigan,
2:0 pm. (')
Ice Hockey:Michiganvs. Western Michigan, 7:35
p.m.')
Volleyball:NCAAChampionshipatLouisvlle, Ky.,
7:00 pm.
- (') Allhome events are eligible to earn points for
the Athletic Deportment's H.A.SL program.
BIG TEN
STANDINGS
FOOTBALL
Legends Division Big Ten Overall
Nebraska 7 1 10 3
Michigan 6 2 8 4
Northwestern 5 3 9 3
Michigan State 3 5 6 6
Iowa 2 6 4 8
Minnesota 2 6 6 6
Leaders Division Big Ten Overall
Ohio State 8 0 12 0
Penn State 6 2 8 4
Wisconsin 4 4 8 5
Purdue 3 5 6 6
lndiana 2 6 4 8
linois 0 8 2 10
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Team >i Ten Overall
Illiois 0 0 10 0
Indiana 0 0 9 0
Michigan 0 0 9 0
Minnesota 0 0 10 1
Ohio State 0 0 6 1
Iowa 0 0 8 2
Michigan State 0 0 8 2
Nebraska 0 0 6 2
Northwestern 0 0 7 3
Wisconsin 0 0 6 4
Penn State 0 0 5 4
Purdue 0 0 4 5
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Team Big Ten Overall
Purdue 0 0 9 1
Michigan State 0 0 8 1
Michigan 0 0 7 2
Penn State 0 0 7 2
Ohio State 0 0 6 2
Minnesota 0 0 9 3
Nebraska 0 0 7 3
Iowa 0 0 6 3
Northwestern 0 0 6 3
Wisconsin 0 0 5 3
Indiana 0 0 6 4
Illinois 0 0 5 4
ICE HOCKEY
Teams CCHA Overall
Notre Dame 9 1 0 134 0
Miami 7 32 103 3
Western Michigan 7 2 1 103 1
Ohio State 6 2 2 7 5 4
Ferris State 6 5 1 7 6 3
Alaska 4 7 3 6 8 4
Lake Superior 5 7 0 8100
Michigan 3 6 2 5 8 2
Michigan State 3 8 1 4102
Bowling Green 2 6 3 3 9 4
Northern Michigan 2 7 3 6 8 3
FOLLOW ON TWITTER
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@BLOCKMHOCKEY
By MAX COHEN "It feels great to be back and
Daily Sports Writer wrestling at Cliff Keen again,"
Apland said. "It was alongwait."
For weeks, all he could do was The entire team appeared to
wait. be in a rhythm, as the Wolver-
Forced out of action with a ines jumped out to huge leads in
shoulder injury until last week- . both parts of the doubleheader.
end in Las Vegas, 285-pound Despite sitting some of its nor-
fifth-year senior Ben Apland, mal starters and giving some
the man normally charged with of the backups opportunities
closing the deal on a Wolverines' to earn experience, Michigan
victory, defeated the Blue Devils, 30-14,
could only DUKE 14 in the first half of the double-
trust his MICHIGAN 30 header.
replace- "We've had a lot of guys put-
ments to E. MICHIGAN 3 ting time in and training hard
do his job MICHIGAN 32 and when we have some oppor-
for him. tunities to put some of those
Now that he's back in the line- guys in, we need to get them
up, Apland could do no wrong match experience and we need
in his first action of the season, to get them varsity experi-
pinning both of his opponents in ence," said Michigan coach Sean
a doubleheader and helping the Bormet. "So we had an opportu-
No. 14 Michigan wrestling team nity to do that today and it was
earn tri-meet victories over good."
Duke and Eastern Michigan on Sean Boyle, a 125-pound
Saturday. redshirt junior, started things
off strong for the Wolverines,
earning a technical fall to give'
Michigan five points. A pin by
165-pound Michigan freshman
Taylor Massa gave the Wolver-
ines a 24-3 lead, effectively put-
ting the scoring out of reach, and
Apland's pin in under three min-
utes put an exclamation point on
the victory. '
"When we're winning big
when it comes into my match, it
takes a lot of pressure off of me,"
Apland said.
"I can go out there and have
fun like I try to do and I'm going
to try to do for all of the dual
meets this year."
Michigan continued after a
15-minute intermission as it hit
the mat against the Eagles. After
a technical fall by 149-pound
redshirt junior Eric Grajales, the
Wolverines took a commanding
14-0 lead. Many new and differ-
ent faces scored for Michigan,
with redshirt sophomore Chris
Heald winning his first match
at the collegiate level, a 9-5 deci-
sion in the 184-pound weight
class. Eastern Michigan put up
a fight in individual matches,
but 'the Wolverines were too
much for the Eagles to handle as
Apland's second pin of the day in
just 53 seconds capped off a 32-3
victory for Michigan.
Although the final scores
showed that the Wolverines won
with ease, the coaching staff
wanted the wrestlers to focus as
if the dual meets were tight.
"Whether we've got abig lead
in the dual or whether it's a tight
dual, we need to be focusing on
the same things from match to
match," Bormet said.
Whether Michigan has a big
lead, a small lead or no lead atall.
in the dual meets of the future, it
knows it will have Apland avail-
able in the 285-pound position,
ready to close the door on more
Wolverine victories.
MORGAN-
From Page 1B
his way. When he's got that, we're
a much better team."
The Wolverines didn't plan to
look inside for offensive produc-
tion but the frontcourt provided
more than half of Michigan's
offense. The Wolverines tallied
42 points in the paint even though
Morgan took just nine shots and
McGary six. Many of Michigan's
points came from put-backs.
Not typically a rebounding
team, the Wolverines pulled down
a season-high 18 offensive boards
and scored 15 second-chance
points. Morgan had six of the 18
offensive rebounds and was often
found in position under the basket
for an easy lay-in.
"With the ball screen offenses
that everybody employs there's
pressure on the rim a lot of dif-
ferent ways and there's rebound-
ing angles," Beilein said. "You're
going to have some muckers that
are going to go get the loose ones.
Mitch and Jon and Jordan make
a huge difference in that. It's rare
for one of our teams to do that....
You need guys to get in there and
attack the rim and get offensive
rebounds."
The most important part of the
forwards' game, though, was lim-
iting the Razorbacks' extra pos-
sessions. Beilein said Michigan's
defensive rebounding slowed
down Arkansas' transition, saying
the energy Morgan and McGary
brought to Saturday's game was
integral in slowing down the
Razorbacks' fast-paced game plan.
Michigan hasn't had a signifi-
cant post presence in past years
and that was a hole that needed
filling if Beilein wanted to have a
complete team this season.
With the addition of a taller
McGary to complement a strong
Morgan, the Michigan coach is
happy with how the frontcourt is
developing.
"Most of the big guys we've
found there's a steady progress
until they really get it and then
they'll make a bigger jump,"
Beilein said. "You've seen it with
Jon, you've seen it with Jordan,
and (now Mitch is) just making
steady progress."
MICHIGAN
From Page 1B
sas outside an arm's reach, but
Mike Anderson's team swung
back. A fast start to the second
half shrunk a 10-point halftime
deficit to one by midway through
the frame.
"What I really like, is that we
did respond during that time,"
Beilein said. "And we didn't
respond with some pretty play.
We got gutty, garbage buckets
that made the difference and
then hit a big three."
The game mirrored last year's
contest in Fayetteville when it
was the Razorbacks to jump out
to a fast start. Michigan chipped
into the lead throughout the
second half before falling short
at the end, 66-64.
But whereas the Wolverines
kept it close until the final pos-
session last year, they shut down
the Razorbacks' comeback
emphatically on Saturday.
FINAL FOUR
From Page 1B
only unseeded team remaining
in the Elite Eight, the Wolverines
were never expected to mount a
comeback, but they did.
Both teams came out aggres-
sive in the set, but it was the
Cardinal's blocking that caught
Michigan off-guard. Sophomore
setter Lexi Dannemiller followed
her game plan, isolating Erwin
and junior outside hitter Molly
Toon. But the pair continually
found themselves stuffed at the
net on several swings. When they
did manage to hit it around the
wall, there was a Stanford defen-
sive specialist waiting to pass.
The Wolverines, benefitting
from a strong freshman squad,
met an equally impressive fresh-
man group from Stanford. With
the score tied at eight, a balanced
Cardinal front led by freshman
middle blocker Inky Ajanaku
went on a 6-0 run to grab a com-
fortable lead and eventually close
out the set.
The Wolverines refused to
stop challenging Stanford's
blocking scheme in the second
set and raced out to a 16-10 lead,
capped by a kill from right-side
hitter Claire McElheny. Four-
teen of the Wolverines' first 16
points came on kills.
Despite the Cardinal's two
errors in the set, Michigan con-
tinued to score, winding up for
kill after kill. The Wolverines
coasted through the remainder
of the second set, even as Stan-
ford fought them off.
"We're a very balanced team
and that's something we pride
ourselves on," Cross said. "It was
really about attacking the quick
tempo and then spreading out
and giving our outsides an open
space to hit."
Cross finished second on
the team with 15 kills after her
strong effort the previous night.
Toon followed with 12 kills and
McElheny with 1L
Following back-and-forth play
from both teams in the third set,
Michigan opened up a lead on a
6-1 run. Stanford took a timeout
but it was ineffective at slowing
down a team that had no trouble
responding to a powerful Car-
dinal. defense. The Wolverines
cruised through the remain-
"I think that's a sign of a good
team," said sophomore point
guard Trey Burke. "It got down
to aone-possessiongame,butwe
never broke, we never cracked
and we stayed together."
With just under four minutes
left, Burke was fouled while
shooting a 3-pointer as the shot
clock expired. He made two of
the free throws to give Michi-
gan a comfortable 68-59 edge.
From there, it was easy. The
Wolverines continued to stifle
the Razorbacks (4-4) on defense
and flourished in transition late
in the game, turning that one-
point lead into a 17-point advan-
tage. Burke made a difficult,
falling-down bank shot in the
final minute and followed that
with a ferocious fastbreak, two-
handed dunk - one in which he
was assessed a technical foul for
hanging on the rim.
."I haven't seen that in a long
time," Beilein said about the
call.
Redshirt junior forward Jor-
der of the set, riding a wave of
momentum into the final.
With a two-set lead to boot,
Michigan looked like the team
that had been in this situation
before, the team that knew how
to close out big games in the
fourth set. Trailing 10-9, the
Wolverines put together a 5-0
run, leaving Stanford looking
drained and sullen.
Leading 15-13, Michigan
needed one final run to crush
anythought of a comeback in the
fourth set. The Wolverines did
so with a 4-0 run, which ulti-
mately allowed them to cruise to
a match point, which Erwin fin-
ished off with an emphatic kill.
The Wolverines, the team that
wasn't predicted to be celebrat-
ing, celebrated. They smiled as
they had all season, as even the
coaches knew they had accom-
plished somethingspecial.
Freshman libero Tiffany
Morales, playing in front of
friends and family in her home
state, bailed out Michigan when
it needed her most. The Redondo
Beach, Calif. native tallied 22
digs on a night where she was all
over the court.
Erwin, too, found herself
doing more than hitting, contrib-
uting 16 digs of her own.
"Tiffany's progression has
been great," Rosen said. "I
thought last night she did an out-
standing job of just positioning
herself and making great defen-
sive plays, and she definitely car-
ried that through tonight. She's
been a huge defensive force for
us."
It's likely Michigan, a team
without a real star, will once
again be underdogs when it trav-
els to Louisville to face the Long-
horns.
But that underdog mindset
- doesn't exist anymore.
"It doesn't matter because
we're such a great team," Erwin
said. "We don't need our names
out there because no matter what
teams throw at us, 14 people are
coming at them."
They've done it to No. 9 Louis-
ville and No. 2 Stanford, so why
not again?
"We might not be the biggest
names or the highest profile, but
I think this a team that is playing
as well as anybody in the country
right now," Rosen said. "And I'm
excited aboutthat."
dan Morgan was the Wolver-
ines' rock early. With no one on
Arkansas to match his physical-
ity, he scored six of Michigan's
first nine points, drew a charge
and was a menace on the offen-
sive, glass all game.
He finished with 12 points
and 10 rebounds - six of them
offensive - to rack up his sec-
ond double-double in a week.
With the help of the rest of
the frontcourt, the Wolverines
outrebounded the Razorbacks
42-26. Eighteen of those came
on the offensive glass.
"They were so good in transi-
tion, we wanted to limit them,"
Morgan said. "By getting offen-
sive rebounds, they weren't get-
ting defensive rebounds to get
out and run."
Morgan was a big part of
the Wolverines' stout interior
defense that kept Arkansas from
evening up the game in the sec-
ond half. Redshirt sophomore
Jon Horford was also instru-
mental in shutting down the
Arkansas frontcourt, racking up
three blocks.
BJ Young and Marshawn
Powell accounted for all of the
Arkansas scoring early. It wasn't
until six minutes remained in
the first half that a third Razor-
back scored, when walk-on
Kikko Haydar took command
of Arkansas's offense. His 9
points - he had scored six com-
bined this season until Saturday
- kept the Razorbacks within
shouting distance to finish the
half.
"We didn't know who he is,"
Beilein said about the 5-foot-
10 junior. "I thought he walked
in off the street. What a great
story."
Beilein was happy about his
100th win, and he hopes that the
worst has passed with his time
at Michigan. With a team like
he has this year, those wins may
come faster.
"I certainly hope the next 100
at Michigan are easier than the
first 100," Beilein said.