The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsWednesday
January 7, 2015 — 3C

Sharp shooting powers 
Wolverines over PSU

By MAX BULTMAN

Daily Sports Editor

STATE COLLEGE — From the 

moment Zak Irvin’s midrange 
jumper on the game’s first 
possession went through the net, 
the Michigan men’s basketball 
team finally shot the ball the way 
it’s supposed to.

Coming 

off a game 
against 
Purdue in 
which they shot 18.2 percent in 
the second half, the Wolverines 
rode a much-improved shooting 
effort to dispatch the Nittany 
Lions, 73-64.

Junior guard Caris LeVert 

finished with 18 points and 
Irvin added 17, both bouncing 
back from an ugly game against 
the Boilermakers that saw the 
pair shoot a combined 4-for-
20 from the floor. Tuesday, the 
two combined to shoot over 70 
percent.

“I think we slowed the game 

down,” LeVert said. “We took 
(much) easier 3s, and when the 
shot clock came (down) I think 
we got good shots.”

Despite Michigan shooting 

53.3 percent from the floor, the 
Nittany Lions hung around the 
whole way. Even when freshman 
forward Aubrey Dawkins used 
back-to-back 
3-pointers 
to 

stretch the Wolverines’ lead to 
double digits with 11:40 to play, 
the Nittany Lions had an answer.

D.J. Newbill, the Big Ten’s 

leading scorer, and John Johnson 
kept Penn State alive until the 
game’s final minute, making 12 
of the Nittany Lions’ 22 field 
goals and finishing with 20 and 
16 points, respectively. After 
Dawkins appeared to create some 
separation in the game, Newbill 
led a 12-2 run that knotted the 
game at 53 with 7:40 remaining.

But down the stretch, LeVert 

looked 
cool 
and 
composed, 

creating space for himself on one 
jumper in the lane and beating 
the shot clock on another from 
the wing to keep Michigan 
steady.

“They went to that matchup, 

that little 2-3 zone, and we kind 
of were stagnant a little bit,” 
LeVert said. “I just tried to take 
it upon myself to get some easy 
baskets.”

Finally, Irvin got loose on a 

fast break and threw down an 
easy dunk to put the Wolverines 
up by eight with under a minute 
to play. And while Johnson 
knocked down a corner 3 to 
keep it close, Penn State couldn’t 
make another rally.

Michigan (2-1 Big Ten, 9-6 

overall) might have been able to 
run away with the game in the 
first half had it not committed 
nine turnovers. The Wolverines 
shot 12-for-23 from the floor 
and 85.7 percent from beyond 
the arc in the first frame, a huge 
turnaround from their abysmal 
performance against Purdue. 
Irvin and LeVert combined for 19 
of Michigan’s 36 first-half points 
and went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.

Normally, that kind of showing 

would have given the Wolverines 
a large lead against a poor-
shooting Nittany Lions squad.

But Penn State (0-3, 12-4) 

wouldn’t go away, thanks in 
part to several sloppy first-half 
mistakes by Michigan. Junior 
guard Spike Albrecht — who 
started 
alongside 
sophomore 

guard Derrick Walton Jr. in the 
backcourt — even took points 
off the board when he made a 
3-pointer but had it washed out 
due to an up-and-down call. 
Albrecht 
was 
also 
whistled 

for an early out-of-bounds call 
along 
the 
baseline, 
looking 

uncharacteristically unaware of 
his position on the court.

“We would drive into that 

jungle (down low), and they 
weren’t giving a lot of help,” said 

Michigan coach John Beilein. 
“You get in there and there’s all 
these tall trees, and all of the 
sudden we were just throwing 
the ball all over the place.”

While Albrecht didn’t score 

a point, he recovered from his 
early turnovers to record six 
assists and served to take the 
pressure off Walton, who has 
been battling a toe injury since 
the Progressive Legends Classic 
in November.

Michigan desperately needed 

a win in Happy Valley to avoid 
getting left behind in Big Ten 
play before taking on the elite 
teams in the conference. And if 
the Wolverines can build off their 
improved 
showing 
Tuesday, 

which saw their freshmen rack 
up 24 points, they may be able to 
generate some momentum.

“The basket is getting a little 

bigger right now for some of our 
guys,” Beilein said. “It’s not going 
in the way it will, hopefully, in 
the future, but it seems they’re 
a little bit smoother in their 
stroke. They’re just feeling a 
little bit better.”

Irvin, LeVert lead resurgence

Shooters break out 

of slumps to key 
offense in win

By JACOB GASE 

Daily Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE — For a few 

minutes just three days ago, the 
Michigan men’s basketball team 
looked like it may never score 
again.

A dismal showing against 

Purdue last Saturday was the 
low point for an up-and-down 
Wolverine offense, which has 
been prone to tremendous cold 
stretches.

Deepening the severity of 

the team’s recent struggles, 
junior guard Caris LeVert and 
sophomore forward Zak Irvin 
— Michigan’s two main options 
for carrying the offensive load 
— had both struggled with 
bouts of inconsistency since 
the Wolverines’ victory over 
Syracuse on Dec. 3.

But in Tuesday’s game against 

Penn State, Michigan’s shooters 
— who shot 53.3 percent from 
the floor, including 9-for-15 on 
3-pointers — orchestrated a far 

more efficient offensive attack. 
Rather than forcing their shots, 
the Wolverines instead focused 
on picking their spots to create 
better scoring opportunities.

“(If you average) eight shots 

a game, maybe if you shot six a 
game, you still might make three 
out of six and you won’t give up 
two possessions,” said Michigan 
coach John Beilein. “We all were 
a lot more selective today.”

The resurgent offense — led by 

LeVert and Irvin, who finished 
the game with 18 and 17 points, 
respectively — was the deciding 
factor 
in 
Michigan’s 
73-64 

victory over the Nittany Lions.

In the first half, Irvin looked 

like a different player than the 
one who went 2-for-12 from the 
floor in West Lafayette. After 
exhibiting poor shot selection 
and execution against Purdue — 
including several missed layups 
— Irvin was back on his game 
early against Penn State. He 
drilled a long, contested jumper 
for the first points of the game 
and also knocked down his first 
two 3-point attempts.

More 
importantly, 
Irvin 

exhibited both patience and 
confidence with the ball in his 
hands. Instead of taking shots 

early in the shot clock and 
looking unsure of himself — as 
he did for long stretches against 
the Boilermakers — he seemed 
content to pass the ball around 
and wait for a better chance.

“I just let the game come to 

me,” Irvin said. “You don’t want 
to force anything. (I tried) to 
just take open, good shots that I 
can make. I think that was a big 
reason why we won today.”

Added Beilein: “(Irvin) has 

the ability to get (his) own shot, 
but that doesn’t mean it’s a 
good shot all the time. Just (by) 
waiting, getting a little bit more 
space, a little bit more rhythm, 
your shooting percentage will 
go up.”

And even when Irvin missed a 

shot, he refused to give up on the 
play. After clanking a wide-open 
triple off the left side of the rim 
midway through the second half, 
he hustled to the glass to grab his 
own rebound. Seconds later, he 
kicked the ball out to freshman 
guard Aubrey Dawkins for an 
easy corner 3.

In 
a 
game 
where 
the 

Wolverines 
committed 
15 

turnovers 
and 
allowed 
36 

combined points from guard 
D.J. Newbill and backup John 
Johnson, 
it 
was 
Michigan’s 

shooting that averted a second-
half collapse. But with 7:40 
remaining, Penn State used a 
12-2 run to tie the game at 53.

Then it was LeVert’s turn to 

pull his weight.

Despite 
receiving 
heavy 

attention 
from 
the 
Nittany 

Lions’ defenders, LeVert had no 
trouble finding scoring chances 
in key situations. In two separate 
instances when Michigan was 
clinging to a one-possession 
lead, LeVert nailed both a step-
back jumper and a difficult 
banked shot off the glass. Having 
no trouble finding shots, LeVert 
stifled Penn State’s comeback 
attempt.

Ultimately, the Wolverines’ 

shot selection proved to be the 
difference in an otherwise ugly 
victory.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Sophomore forward Zak Irvin scored 17 points and added nine rebounds in Michigan’s 73-64 win in Happy Valley.

Michigan holds off late push

Wolverines race out 
of gates, withstand 

late run

By KELLY HALL 

Daily Sports Writer

With 3:52 left in the game, 

Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico called a timeout.

After 

jumping 
out of the 
locker 
room, the Michigan women’s 
basketball team had started 
off the second half with eight 
unanswered points in the first 
two minutes, leading to the 
Wolverines’ biggest lead of 
Sunday afternoon, 49-31.

But No. 24 Michigan State 

was able to steadily hack away 
at the difference, cutting the 
lead to just seven points. Barnes 
Arico needed to steady her team.

Her 
methods 
worked. 

Michigan was able to hold off 
the Spartans in a 74-65 victory.

“I 
think 
we 
started 
to 

struggle and started to lose 
our confidence a little bit — 
especially our young kids,” 
Barnes Arico said. “We called 
a couple timeouts, just saying 
‘Keep trying to stay aggressive, 
keep trying to get to the free 
throw line.’ … It was great for 
us to have to be in that situation 
and pull one out.”

No one expected Michigan 

State to start off the Big Ten 
season 0-3. Nor was it expected 
that 
the 
Wolverines 
would 

shock 
the 
Spartans, 
who 

previously led the series by 
63-16 and had won nine of the 
past 10 meetings.

Because 
Michigan 
State 

(0-3 Big Ten, 8-6 overall) was 
without two 6-foot-7 forwards 
with injuries, the Spartans had 
a tough time guarding senior 
forward Cyesha Goree.

Goree shot 4-for-6 in the 

first half and scored 14 points 
overall. Michigan State charged 
Becca Mills with the task of 
defending Goree by herself, a 
role that is usually covered by at 
least two players.

Though the Spartans were 

limited, Michigan State leaned 
on forward Aerial Powers. The 
redshirt sophomore recorded 
her 11th double-double of the 
season and scored 26 points 
against 
Michigan.

Sophomore 

guard 
Siera 

Thompson 
set the tone 
early 
when 

she 
scored 

the 
first 

points of the 
game in the 
form of a long 
3-pointer. 
Freshman 
guard 
Katelynn 

Flaherty would follow suit, 
shooting 4-for-4 from beyond 
the arc for 12 first-half points.

Flaherty later came off the 

bench again, replacing junior 
guard 
Madison 
Ristovski 

five minutes into the game. 
Flaherty’s presence helped lead 
a 20-5 run midway through the 
first stanza.

With five minutes to go until 

halftime, the sizable Spartan 
road crowd was given hope 

when guard Lexi Gussert flung 
up a trey from the corner to 
lessen the gap to nine points. 
The 
Wolverines 
(2-1, 
10-4) 

headed to the locker room with 
a 10-point lead.

Michigan 

State couldn’t 
catch a break, 
failing 
to 

score in the 
first 
four 

minutes of the 
second 
half. 

The struggles 
continued as 
the Spartans 
were limited 
to five points 

in the first 10 minutes of the half.

But then the momentum 

shifted. Michigan State went 
on an 11-0 run and guard Tori 
Jankoska hit a long 3-pointer 
to lessen the Michigan’s lead 
to eight points. Crisler Center 
erupted into chants of “Go 
Green, Go White.”

The Wolverines and Spartans 

went on to match each other 
shot for shot, but nerves started 
to wreak havoc on Flaherty. In 
an uncharacteristic showing, 

Flaherty missed two wide-open 
threes and turned the ball over 
to Michigan State to give the 
Spartans their best chance at 
overcoming the deficit.

But 
she 
regained 
her 

confidence and shot a perfect 
3-pointer, followed by two made 
free throws and a step-back 
jumper.

“My team really helps me, 

even when I’m missing my 
shots,” Flaherty said. “They just 
tell me to stay confident, same 
with my coaches. I went on a 
streak when I couldn’t really hit 
anything and they both told me 
‘Keep shooting, keep shooting,’ 
so I kept doing that and when 
things fell, I think that really 
pulled us away.”

Added 
Barnes 
Arico: 

“(Flaherty) 
made 
some 
big 

buckets for us down the stretch 
and she made some key free 
throws for us down the stretch. 
Anytime a freshman is in that 
kind of pressure situation is 
really impressive, and I think 
she handled it extremely well.”

Her late poise might have 

saved Michigan from Michigan 
State.

Focus keys victory 
over Michigan State 

By JACOB GASE 

Daily Sports Writer

In three of the Michigan 

women’s basketball team’s four 
losses this season, one of the 
main problems plaguing the 
team was a lack of focus on 
both ends of the court. Confu-
sion on defense, an ineffective 
transition game and inconsis-
tent late-game shooting were 
the Wolverines’ undoing in one-
sided losses against Pittsburgh, 
Princeton, and Wisconsin.

Facing a crucial rivalry game 

against No. 24 Michigan State 
on Sunday at Crisler Center, 
Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico knew her team simply 
had no room for those kinds of 
errors.

The Wolverines clearly knew 

it, too.

From the opening tip, Michi-

gan’s defense brought the inten-
sity Barnes Arico has been 
looking for all season, grabbing 
15 steals and forcing 24 Spar-
tan turnovers. In a memorable 
stretch to start the game, the 
Wolverines forced 11 turnovers 
before their offense gave away 
the ball even once.

“We really came out and 

surprised them right away,” 
Barnes Arico said. “We were 
super aggressive and were on 
the attack. Our kids were really 
focused, playing hard, diving on 
the floor, doing what we had to 
do to be successful.”

Just as important to the vic-

tory was the consistent ability of 
Michigan’s offense to capitalize 
on the defensive plays. Instead 
of throwing errant passes or 
taking quick, ill-advised shots 
in transition, the Wolverines 
made sure the Spartans paid for 
their mistakes.

In a dominant first half, 

Michigan parlayed Michigan 
State’s errors into a 20-5 scor-
ing run, including 12 straight 
points.

Freshman guard Katelynn 

Flaherty, who has occasionally 
struggled with her shot against 

stingy defenses, buried her first 
four 3-point attempts against 
the Spartans.

All in all, the Wolverines 

scored 27 points off of turn-
overs, most of which came in 
the first half.

“Our best offense was off of 

our defensive pressure,” Barnes 
Arico said. “When we had to set 
up in half-court in the second 
half, we kind of got a little stag-
nant and weren’t as aggressive 
attacking.”

The importance of focus 

for the Wolverines became 
even clearer when they almost 
allowed their lead to slip away 
late in the second half. Despite 
holding Michigan State to two 
separate five-minute scoring 
droughts in the second frame, 
Michigan’s 
defense 
let 
up 

temporarily with 10 minutes 
remaining, allowing an 11-0 
run.

The offense fell a bit out of 

sync in the later stages as well, 
finishing the game with 14 turn-
overs after playing a relatively 
clean first half.

“We had a couple lapses,” 

Barnes 
Arico 
said. 
“When 

you’re playing an opponent 
that’s beaten you 23 out of the 
last 25 times, you can’t take a 
possession off. You can’t relax.”

But in the end, the Wolver-

ines regained their focus to 
pull away with a 74-65 win. By 
getting back to knocking down 
shots and executing the intan-
gibles — which Barnes Arico 
always stresses — Michigan 
was able to pick up its second 
straight victory over a defend-
ing Big Ten co-champion.

“We really talked about stay-

ing focused, playing hard, doing 
the intangible things, and I 
thought we did (today),” Barnes 
Arico said. “We forced turn-
overs, we got a 10-second vio-
lation, we got a 30-second shot 
clock violation, we were diving 
on the floor, we were taking 
charges … we played incredibly 
well and made (the win) happen 
for us.”

RITA MORRIS/Daily

Kim Barnes Arico’s team held on after a strong start against No. 24 Michigan State for a rare upset of the Spartans.

“It was great for 
us to have to be in 
that situation and 

pull one out.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MICHIGAN
PENN STATE 

73
64

MICH. STATE
MICHIGAN 

65
74

