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8A - Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
'M' blows 15-point lead in shocking loss to PSU
By COLLEEN THOMAS
Daily Sports Editor
After No. 1 Indiana was upset
by Minnesota on Tuesday night,
the Michigan men's basketball
team was back in control of its
own destiny to win a Big Ten
Championship. Penn State, win-
less in the Big Ten, was the first
opponent
the fourth- MICHIGAN 78
ranked PENN STATE 84
Wolverines
had to face on the way to a poten-
tial title.
But a 20-8 run by the Nittany
Lions in the second half erased
No. 4 Michigan's 15-point lead,
and Penn State took control of the
last four minutes of the game to
seal the 84-78 shocker.
"I think what you saw
(Wednesday) was why we all love
college basketball," said Michi-
gan coach John Beilein. "I've
been seeing this coming from
(Penn State coach) Pat Cham-
bers' team. They're really getting
used to playing well together,
they make every extra pass, took
four or five charges on us today.
"They're playing great team
basketball, and they beat us fair
and square. And in the last ten
minutes, (they) really outplayed
us."
Though
the game was
close at half -.
Michigan (10-#
5, 23-5) took
a 39-36 lead
into the locker
room - an'
early second-
half push had
the Wolverines
in control of
the game. Four ".
consecutive
layups extend-
ed Michigan'sa
lead to11 points
early in the
second half
and forced the
Nittany Lions
(1-14 Big Ten,
9-18 overall) SARAH FINN
to take a time- Sophomore guard Trey Burke turned the ball over a season-high six times as Penn State earned its first E
out to halt the
momentum. conference games by less than 10 minute game, it was a four-min-
And it worked. Penn State points. ute war (at the end of the game).
went on a run of its own to bring Led by Jermaine Marshall's It was 0-0 in the last four min-
the game within reach, buta 17-6 game-high 25 points, Penn State utes.
run gave the Wolverines a 66-51 chipped away at the lead, tying "It was defense and turnovers
lead with just over 10 minutes to the game at 74 with 4:23 left. Two that took us out of the game."
play. But instead of closing the ensuing free throws gave the Nit- Though junior guard Tim
game with ease, just as Michigan tany Lions the permanent lead. Hardaway Jr. and sophomore
did against Illinois on Sunday, "I just think we failed to guard Trey Burke had good
the Nittany Lions didn't give up execute down the stretch," said offensive games, combining for
on their senior night. Penn State redshirt junior forward Jordan 37 points on 13-of-26 shooting,
had lost eight of its previous 14 Morgan. "We said it was a four- the duo committed eight of the
Wolverines' 15
turnovers. Burke
alone had six
giveaways, his
season-high,
and Penn State
turned Michi-
gan's turnovers
into 20 points.
The Nittany
Lions also took
advantage of a
slow Wolverine
defense, shooting
47 percent from
the field and 50
percent from
3-point range.
Marshall led
Penn State with
a 60-percent clip
from beyond the
GAN/Daily Collegian arc.
g Ten win. "I think we
were scoring a
lot with our transition offense -
that was huge - but you can't run
transition offense if you can't get
a stop," Beilein said. "Whether
they hit the three or drove it right
to the basket, they were getting
easy shots."
Freshman guard Nik Stauskas
added 11 points and a career-high
eight rebounds, and Morgan tal-
lied 11 points - his first game
in double figures since Jan. 3
against Northwestern. Though
he's been playing infrequently
after returning from his injury,
Morgan's presence Wednesday
night boosted the Wolverines'
offense.
The Michigan forwards com-
bined for a total of 44 points in
the paint and pulled down 37
rebounds, including 14 on the
offensive end. Though the Wol-
verines were able to get the ball
down low, they weren't able to
convert offensive rebounds into
baskets, scoring just 18 second-
chance points.
With the loss, Michigan has
now lost its last four games on the
road, and all season. The Wolver-
ines have had a tough slate away
from home with losses to the
Big Ten's best teams, but Beilein
was disappointed the Wolverines
couldn't perform as well against
bottom-tier conference oppo-
nents.
"If you're goingto be a champi-
on in this league, you really have
to be able to. complete games,
have to beat teams on the road,
especially if they're in the lower
end of the (conference)," Beilein
said. "This is one of those games
we had to have, and we didn't get
it. It will be deflating, yeah ... but
we have other games to get ready
for."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Five seniors cap off
home careers Thurs.
By DANIEL FELDMAN points, including seven 3-point-
Daily Sports Writer ers - a program record.
A key element in that game
All season long, whenever was Arnold, who scored eight
Michigan coach Kim Barnes points off the bench to make up
Arico has been asked to describe for Sheffer's light night of pro-
her squad, she's always pointed duction.
to the same thing: the seniors. On the other side of things,
For the Michigan women's Northwestern is coming off of
basketball team, a team coming a 54-52 victory over Wisconsin,
off of its first NCAA Tourna- which saw the Wildcats come
ment appearance in more than back from a 10-point deficit in
10 years, a team that has suffered the second half.
six ACL injuries over the past Northwestern is led by three-
calendar year, it's relied all year time reigning Big Ten Fresh-
on five players for the bulk of its man of the Week winner Maggie
scoring - its seniors. Lyon,.who led the Wildcats with
For one last home game, the 13 points in her last game.
Wolverines (8-6 Big Ten, 19-8 Lyon is Northwestern's sec-
overall) will rely on the group ond-leading scorer with 12.7
again. Playing in front of the points a game, trailing only
Crisler Crowd for its final time, senior forward Kendall Hackney,
the quintet of forwards, Rachel who averages 14.1 points.
Sheffer, Kate Thompson, Nya To complete the Wildcats'
f Jordan and Sam Arnold and double-digit scorers is senior
guard Jenny Ryan will try to end forward Dannielle Diamant,
their four-year run in Ann Arbor who leads the team in rebound-
in style against Northwestern ing with 7.7 per game to go along
(5-9, 13-14). with 12.1 points per game.
Michigan enters the game While a pregame ceremony
coming off of back to back loss- will commemorate the seniors'
es to then-No. 24 Nebraska and work and accolades associated
then-No. 7 Penn State that were with the program, the Wolver-
caused by three different scor- ines' mindset entering the game
ing droughts of seven-plus min- remains the same as it has all
utes. The most notable one was a season long.
21-0 run by the Cornhuskers that "We're going to treat this next
opened up their lead to 17 in the game as any other game, come
second half of last Thursday's out as hard as we can and play
F loss. as hard as we can," Thompson
"I just think (Penn State and said. "It's important not to put
Nebraska) sets the bar (in the Big too much emphasis or overthink
{ Ten) and hopefully our kids see things. We just have to come out
that if you want to be atthe top of and get the win."game as any
our conference, this is where we other game, come out as hard
have to be," Barnes Arico said. as we can and play as hard as
"And to play those two teams we can," Thompson said. "It's
back-to-back, I think going into important not to put too much
the tail end of our season and the emphasis or overthink things.
tournament, it really shows our We just have to come out and get
kids that where we are and (that) the win."
we're not that far away.
"But being close and winning
those games is two different
things." LL
For the Wolverines to bounce
back from these losses, they'll
have to once again rely on their
seniors, who have accounted for
84 percent of their scoring, tal-
lying 1,392 of Michigan's 1,661
points. Start-up Works
Leading the way for the Wol-
verines is Thompson who aver-
ages 15.4 points per game and is Thursday, February 28,
coming off of a career-high 25
points against Penn State. The R0210 Ross School of B
only other Wolverine to score in
double digits against the Lady
Lions was Jordan who contribut- Free! All students a
ed 14 points and 10 rebounds for
her eighth-career double-double
and sixth of the season.
In the teams' last game in
January, the pattern was the
same, as Jordan and Thompson,
provided the bulk of the Wolver-
ines' offense, combining for 35 of
the team's 67 points. Thompson
carried the burden, scoring 23
Hutchins team becoming more cohesive
ByERIN LENNON first no-hitter.
Daily Sports Writer "I actually really didn't know
I had (a no-hitter) until after the
From a busy Tampa, Fla., air- game," Driesenga said. "We're
port on Sunday afternoon, just a all about the win. Whether we
few hours after the No. 14 Michi- get that or not, everybody has to
gan softball team finished a five- do their part. I guess that was my
game tournament, senior second part (Saturday), that's how I con-
baseman Ashley Lane picked up tributed to the win."
the phone. In moments of congratula-
Lane was asked how hitting tions when individual credit is
her 31st-career home run - good due, the Michigan (10-3) softball
for sixth place on Michigan's all- players and coaches alike utter
time home run list - felt. Con- a similar response: individual
fused, she asked if the question contribution - a home run or a
could be repeated. strikeout - is for the team.
"I actually didn't know that I When asked about sophomore
did that," Lae sai to the Dai pitcher Haley Wagner's potential
"That's pre yco " as a Player of the Year preseass
The home run was one of candidate, Michigan coach Carol
Lane's five hits in the Wolver- Hutchins opened. her response
ines' 10-inning victory over Illi- with: "Yeah, I hate that stuff."
nois State on Friday. Lane's eight Hutchins' message is one she
hits last weekend raised her has made clear to her players,
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freshmen and captains alike.
"We are a team and we've
been very goal-oriented when TERRA MOLENGRAFF/aily
If my hitting it comes to team success," said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins wants individual accolades to take a backeat.
senior outfielder co-captain ines' season is freshman short- program built on succ . Michi-
ped the team Jaclyn Crummey. "We know stop Sierra Romero. Earlier this gan softball has w rf15 Big Ten
, o that team success is much more month, Romero was awarded Big championships i the past 20
1, that's good important than individual suc- Ten Freshman of the Week for years, and a national champion-
cess." her then-.346 batting average ship - the first for a school east of
augh for me.? Added Hutchins: "Our expec- and team-leading 9 RBI. Romero the Mississippi River - in 2005.
tation is that (the freshmen) are is the first Michigan freshman to And while several Wolverines
here to contribute. Although receive the award since Dries- have gone on to achieve suc-
Michigan softball may be new to enga last March. But Hutchins cess outside of the University,
i batting average to .361 - them, the game of softball's not and the team won't celebrate for Hutchins' expectation of contri-
th-highest average on the new. The game hasn't changed, long. bution from 'Team 35' remains
so we brought them here to "We already know that Sierra unchanged.
when asked about her help us win and that's what our Romero is capable of helping use "I want their mentality to be:
day in the batter's box on expectation is." win," Hutchins said. "That's her I'mhere to play, I'm here to com-
lay, Lane turned her atten- Among several Wolverines job." pete, and I'm here to help Michi-