The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam Friday, November 21, 2014 - 7A The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, November 21, 2014 - 7A Wolverines survive Detroit By MAX BULTMAN Daily Sports Writer Bogged down by a ,sloppy start, the Michigan men's basketball team found itself tied with Detroit, 52-52, with just five minutes to play. The Titans had just chipped away a nine-point Wolverine lead on the back of guard Juwan Howard Jr.-sonof DETROIT 62 Michigan MICHIGAN 71 great and Fab Five member Juwan Howard - and were in position to make a late push for an upset. But the Wolverines simply wouldn'tlet ithappen. Michigan's "big three" - junior guard Caris LeVert, sophomore forward Zak Irvin and sophomore guard Derrick Walton Jr. - put up 16 of Michigan's final 19 points down the stretch to put away Detroit, 71-62. LeVert led Michigan (3-0) with 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Howard led all scorers with 24 points. Coming off a sluggish start in the first half, LeVert and company made their presence felt after the break behind 17 second-half points from the junior captain, who scored 10 straight to give Michigan a 43-34 lead and allthe momentum. "I got an easy layup in transition, and I felt my rhythm coming back a little bit," LeVert said. "I took it upon myself to be a little more aggressive. The coaches put the ball in my hands and had a great deal of confidence in me. I just wanted to come through for the team." The Wolverine run started when Irvin and redshirt freshman forward Mark Donnal forced a turnover on a trap behind the arc, and while Irvin missed the transition 3-pointer, TERESA MATHEW/ Junior guard Caris LeVertescored a team-high 21 points as the Wolverines pulled away late to beat Detroit, 71-62. the increased energy on defense made a noticeable difference. Donnal added a block on the next Detroit possession, and LeVert took a steal coast-tp-coast for a lay-in two minutes later to give the Wolverines a 35-34 lead that they would relinquish only momentarily on Howard's and-1 layup to tie the game. Over the course of LeVert's takeover, the Michigan defense held Detroit without a point for six minutes. "That was something definitely, at halftime, that was an adjustment we wanted to make," Irvin said. "Just heat 'em up a little bit. When our defense turns into our offense, we're pretty good." In the first half, though, Michigan showed no reason to believe anoffensive outburst was coming. The Wolverines started slowly and didn't break out of it until the half's final minutes, ultimately shooting just 10-for- 29 from the floor and 3-for-12 on 3-pointers in the first half Still, midway through the frame, they found themselves up by a bucket despite their sloppy play. Even Irvin, usually a sure- handed shooter, wasn't able to get going initially, starting 1-for- 8 from the field. "Wereallyjustweren'tmaking shots," Irvin said. "We got sped up a little bit with the way they were playing defensively. "We figured we were going to see that - pressuring the ball a lot, (trying to) take away our offense. We've just to stay poised and stay in the flow of our game and not get sped up." Irvin sank two triples to give the Wolverines a lead late in the first, buta put-back jumper atithe buzzer by Detroit guard Anton Wilson sent the Titans into the breakup a point, 28-27. Riding some carry-over momentum, the Titans came out firing the second frame, putting up six points in the first minute- and-a-half But once Michigan turned up its defensive intensity and LeVert got going, the Titans had to rely on Howard to keep them in it. And for a while, he did, but the - Wolverines quieted the Detroit comeback with a decisive 11-point run on the shoulders of their big three. LeVert, Irvin and Walton combined for 45 of the team's 71 total points. After his slow start, Irvin finished with 18 points on 4-for- 10 shooting from three, while Walton posted six boards to accompany his 16 points. But ultimately, it was LeVert's takeover that swung the game for Michigan. "He's one of those guys that's multi-dimensional," said Michigan coach John Beilein. "He's so quickand he can get into the paint.... That was big for us." The Michigan women's basketball team was blown out in its first road game. Red-hot Pittsburgh offn se owns 'M By JACOB GASE opening run left the Wolverines Daily Sports Writer battling a double-digit deficit for the majority of the game. In its first two games, the Even Michigan's second-half Michigan women's basketball surge was snuffed out when the team has struggled to rebound Panthers responded with a 15-4 the ball but stretch. has escaped MICHIGAN 64 On the other side of the with two PITTSBURGH 85 court, Pittsburgh did most of victories by its damage from beyond the arc. outshooting its opponents. Point guard Brianna Kiesel led In the Wolverines' first road the team with 27 points and six game of the season against 3-pointers, while guard Fred Pittsburgh,the scriptcompletely Potvin came off the bench to flipped, deliver five Led by 3-point senior forward daggers of Cyesha Goree's "It was like they her own, 16 boards, burying the Michigan hit a dagger three, Wolverines dominated in the second the glass, then easily followed half. outrebounding ,,'The the Panthers, up with another. Wolverines' 45-29. shooters But the went offensive battle Michigan opens BIG play vs. Penn St. First meeting since Nittany Lions ended Wolverines' season in 2013-14 By JEREMY SUMMIT Daily Sports Editor This weekend is personal for the Michigan hockey team. The Wolverines (4-5) will open Big Ten play with a bitter taste in their mouths when they host Penn State (6-2-2) for a weekend series. While Michigan hasn't had the start it would've liked to begin the 2014-15 campaign, the ending of last season was far more tormenting. The simple utterance of 'Penn State' might still haunt some Wolverine fans after the Nittany Lions, who won, 2-1, in a double-overtime loss against Penn State in the inaugural Big Ten Tournament. The loss left multiple Wolverines with tears in their eyes. "That was a tough loss for our team," said junior forward Andrew Copp. "If we win that game, we're in the (NCAA) A fresh season doesn't tournament. There's some help erase the melancholic shoulda, coulda, woulda in our memories, though. And now, minds leaving that rink.... A lot these two teams are poised to of guys in that room remember meet while trendingin opposing that feeling." directions. It would have been All signs point toward a hard to predict the Nittany hostile meeting between these Lions would be atop the Big two conference foes, especially Ten Standings while Michigan after the Nittany Lions, in their lingers near the bottom as it first-ever season as a Division-I stands now. hockey program, were This weekend will determine surprisingly whether the ones that Penn State's owned the "W e know a lot success is Wolverines. legitimate Penn State more about them and whether had just four Michigan's conference now that we did funk is a wins all year, thing of the but three of a year ago." past. those came The against Wolverines Michigan. are coming "That doesn't go forgotten," off a weekend sweep of lowly Berenson said. "They were a American International in hard team to play against. They which defensive concerns probably had their best games continued to run prevalent. against us, and we're a team The Yellow Jackets scored five that has to bounce back. We total goals over the weekend know alot more about themnow despite averaging just 2.30 per than we did a year ago. We're a game all season. Michigan's different team, and we've got to blue line corps is far from elite, be a better team than we were and that's a cause for concern last year." when it will face off against the Nittany Lions. "We saw some breakdowns last weekend where we weren't as detail-oriented as we need to be," Berenson said. "Maybe because we had the lead, but regardless we've got to play better defensively. We can't be giving up three goals a game and expect to win." Penn State ranks among the nation's best in goals scored with a hefty average of 3.80 per game. It boasts the nation's leading scorer in forward Taylor Holstrom, too, who has 16 points thus far with three goals and 13 assists. But if Michigan's blue liners aren't able to stymie the Nittany Lions' potent attack, there might be one man who can. Sophomore goaltender Zach Nagelvoort picked up his first two wins of the season in net last weekend, and with that came some much-needed confidence. Most importantly, he has a respectable track record against Penn State. In the same heartbreaking loss to the Nittany Lions last year, Nagelvoort set a school record for saves in a single game. The Holland native stopped 63 of 65 shots in a remarkable outing when the defense in front of him couldn't do much to keep opposing shot attempts off target. "(The game) was disappointing," Nagelvoort said. "There were a lot of guys that played really well in that game. ... No one was giving anything up easy, so it was good but at the end of the day they came out on top, and I don't think our guys are going to forget that. "I think that's going to be something that will be fueling us for not just this game, but every time we play them this year." But this Penn State squad isn't the same one that broke the Michigan players' hearts last season. They're much improved, which will mean an even larger uphill battle for each Wolverine that wants to fulfill the sweet feeling of revenge. was a different story. Despite having four players in double figures for the third- straight game, the Wolverines (2-1) shot just 38 percent from the field. Pittsburgh (2-1), on the other hand, knocked down over half of its shots - including 13, of 26 3-pointers - en route to an, 85-64 victory. "(The Panthers) definitely shot the ball really well," said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. "Every time we did make arun, itwasliketheyhitadagger three, and then easily followed it up with another three." Though they won the war in the paint, frequent turnovers prevented the Wolverines from getting momentum, save for a 9-0 burst to start the second half. Freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty had six turnovers despite her 13 points, and Goree had five before she turned up her game in the second half. Overall, the Panthers picked up 31 points off of turnovers. "If we took care of the ball a little more, coming in and winning the rebounding battle, it would've been a different ballgame," Goree said. "(Progress) comes from taking care of the ball, making smart decisions, being disciplined." Pittsburgh's offense came out strong from the get-go, and Michigan simply couldn't match its energy level. A quick 17-7 uncharacteristically cold, which prevented them from getting back into the game. Sophomore guard Siera Thompson went 0-for-6 from the floor, snapping her record streak of 36 straight games with a 3-pointer to start her career. Flaherty threw upt 17 snots, but only yfive fund the net. Senior guard Shannon Smith scored a team-high 17 points, and junior Madison Ristovski added 11 off the bench, but neither could energize an offense that came out flat from the start. "I hope that's something our younger kids will really see," Barnes Arico said. "You can't go on the road (and win easily), especially when a team is coming off a loss and not shooting the ball very well and playing at home. (The Panthers) had their crowd, they had their energy and they really came out of the gates. They had a lot of confidence." As the Wolverines head back home to face Western Michigan on Sunday, Barnes Arico said they will look to increase their effort and intensity to avoid a repeat performance. "It's a wake-up call, not only for the freshman but for us seniors as well," Goree said. "We've got to put everything together or it's going to be a long ride." JAMESCOLLER/Daily Zach Nagelvoort made 63 saves against the Nittany Lions in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, but the Wolverines lost, 2-1.