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