8 — Friday, January 30, 2015 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Tough task ahead for ‘M’ against defending champs By LELAND MITCHINSON For the Daily The No. 16 Michigan wrestling team will have a difficult time Friday night when it hosts No. 5 Penn State at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines are attempting to harness the momentum of back-to- back Big Ten wins against Wisconsin and Indiana, while Penn State looks to bounce back from a tough one-point loss to No. 2 Minnesota Sunday. The Wolverines are looking to come out and match the intensity of the four-time defending national champion Nittany Lions, who want to get back to their winning ways after last week’s loss. “Penn State’s not gonna roll over for anybody.” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “You know they’re gonna be looking to rebound, they’re probably not happy about getting beat in a close one by Minnesota, so they’re gonna come in here and try to take it out on us. And our job is to squish that right away, win some of these early matches, get that momentum on our side and build off that.” McFarland realizes that many of the wrestlers he’s relying on to get that momentum are also some of the younger wrestlers on the team. “If you look at our core, most guys out of our 10 were underclassmen,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of underclassmen and it’s great to see. Those guys are getting great experience and getting out there and laying it on the line.” One of those underclassmen is sophomore Brian Murphy, currently the 13th-ranked wrestler in the nation at the 157- pound weight class. Murphy has strung together some impressive wins in Big Ten dual meets including a win over Ohio State’s Josh Demas, currently ranked ninth in the country. Murphy, however, likes to approach things one match at a time. “You know, I just try to act the same with every match,” he said. “You know (Demas) was a pretty good kid, but I tried to wrestle the same against him as I do against everyone else, and I just try to really focus on what I need to do.” Another young contributor for the Wolverines is freshman Alec Pantaleo, currently the nation’s ninth-ranked wrestler in the 149- pound weight class. Neither he nor Murphy buys into the team’s underdog status against Penn State. Pantaleo knows Penn State has been good in the past, and still is, but he believes Michigan has the talent and work ethic to take the momentum of the two previous Big Ten wins and be successful Friday. No matter what Pantaleo thinks, the match will be tough. Penn State has top wrestlers in the 125, 133, 157, 174, 197 and heavyweight classes, and Michigan can be sure Nittany Lions coach Cael Sanderson will have his team prepared after last week’s close loss. If Pantaleo, Murphy and the rest of the Wolverines take their momentum and swing some of the individual matches, the team can do exactly what the Golden Gophers did last week: beat the reigning champs. WRESTLING Offense faces another test By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Writer Riding a seven-game win streak and scoring more goals per game than any team in the country has since 2004, the No. 13 Michigan hockey team will be the clear favorite in Friday’s matchup against Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. But with rivalry bragging rights and conference positioning on the line, plus potentially more than 20,000 fans watching, the Spartans have one player who may be able to slow the Wolverines’ roll and allow Michigan State to come away with an upset win: Jake Hildebrand. The junior netminder — who’s also the last goalie to hold the Wolverines to less than four goals — has a .924 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average in his career, and currently leads the Big Ten in minutes, saves, save percentage and goals-against average. And if last week was any indication, he’s only now hitting his stride. Hildebrand stopped 55 of 56 shots in a weekend sweep of Ohio State, earning him Big Ten First Star of the Week accolades. If he’s at his best, the Spartans have a fighting chance at slowing an offense that is averaging 4.36 goals per game. “He’s a competitor, that’s what separates him,” said Michigan State coach Tom Anastos. “He goes out and competes consistently, and we’re reliant on him at times because of how consistent he is.” Despite Hildebrand’s hot streak, Michigan (7-1 Big Ten, 15-7 overall) heads into the matchup unfazed. That’s because it has made even the best netminders look foolish in recent weeks. Whether it was eight goals in a game against 2013 New York Islanders draft pick and Penn State starter Eamon McAdam, 13 goals in a weekend sweep of Wisconsin’s former NCAA top-10 goaltender Joel Rumpel, 18 goals in two games against a pair of veteran Ohio State goaltenders or even 11 goals in two games over reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Adam Wilcox of Minnesota, the Wolverines know that, if given the chance, they’ll find the points. “It’s pretty hard to prepare for a goalie,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “If we knew his weaknesses, he wouldn’t be so good and we’d have no problem. We prepare for their style of play, or some of their tendencies or their strengths or weaknesses. “I think our team knows that if push comes to shove, if we can get a couple scoring chances, we’ll find a way to score.” Though Hildebrand will prove to be Michigan’s toughest challenge since its 2-5 start to the season, the Spartans (3-3-2, 9-11-2) have had fits of inconsistency on both sides of the puck. Anastos knows that for his team to walk away with a win, he’s going to need a strong performance by his entire team, and maybe a little rivalry magic in the neutral-site game. “They’re a different team than they were the last time we played them,” Anastos said. “They’re doing some incredible things, especially on the offensive side of the puck. They’re not just a one or two-line team that has holes or breaks, they can roll out any line and be a threat.” The two teams have a rivalry dating back over 90 years, and they know that an added level of intensity is in the air when they face each other that can provide an x-factor in a tight game. “It’s bigger than any of us,” Berenson said of the rivalry. “It was here before I came here as a player, and I didn’t fully understand it at first. I had no idea coming in, then I realized, ‘Holy Jesus, this is a war when we played those guys.’ “It’s a rivalry that has endured, and we know there’s a lot of people watching this game, so we need to make sure we’re ready.” LUNNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily Andrew Copp and his offense will try to beat MSU goaltender Jake Hildebrand. Penn State at Michigan Matchup: Penn State 8-2; Michi- gan 5-3 When: Fri- day 8 P.M. Where: Cliff Keen Arena Michigan State vs. Michigan Matchup: Michigan State 9-11-2; Michigan 15-7 When: Friday 7:35 P.M. Where: Joe Louis Arena TV/Radio: FS Detroit Terps too much for ‘M’ By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Writer After allowing No. 5 Maryland to jump out to an 11-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game, the Michigan women’s basketball team needed major heroics to overcome the deficit if it had any chance of coming out victorious over the only undefeated team left in the Big Ten. Seeing that her team needed help, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico let Katelynn Flaherty check into the game a few minutes earlier than usual. Though the freshman guard didn’t make the immediate impact Barnes Arico was looking for, Michigan was still able to play catch-up. Back-to-back 3-pointers from the hands of sophomore guard Siera Thompson and junior guard Madison Ristovski cut the Maryland lead to 17-16. Michigan had early hope, but ultimately was too overwhelmed by the Terrapins’ offense and was unable to fight back against a team shooting over 50 percent. Five Wolverines committed at least three fouls in the 91-65 Michigan loss. “I think they were just a lot more physical than us,” said senior forward Nicole Elmblad. “They were more willing to go in and mix it up and grab those rebounds and those loose balls. They were definitely a big team, they’ve got a couple of really big posts down there, and so they just did a really good job of going for the rebounds, and especially on the defensive end, they did a really good job of boxing Cyesha (Goree) and myself out.” Goree played an important early role as well, scoring 10 points in the first half to cut the lead, and unsurprisingly, scoring the first points of the game for the Wolverines (5-4 Big Ten, 13-7 overall). But Maryland’s struggles were just a hiccup — Michigan continually made elementary mistakes and the Terrapins were able to capitalize on the Wolverines’ errors. Three Wolverine traveling calls in the first half helped Maryland reemerge again. Coupled with 12 points scored off Michigan turnovers in the first frame, the Terrapins (9-0, 18-2) entered halftime leading the Wolverines, 48-36. “They did a really good job of driving to the basket and drawing fouls on us, which kind of took us out of our game,” Elmblad said. “We were worried about drawing fouls, so they were able to get some easy ones down low.” Though the Wolverines trailed the Terrapins by around 15 points for most of the second frame, Michigan still had life — most notably when Flaherty made a jumper, stole the ball and then hit a follow-up trey to cut the lead to 57-48. Elmblad grabbed nine rebounds to combat Maryland’s prowess on the glass, but it wasn’t enough to challenge a team coming off of a Final Four appearance in 2014. “I thought (Elmblad) played tough,” Barnes Arico said. “She had a tough matchup. She had a 6-foot-3 kid to defend the whole time, and she’s coming off a game where she had 12 rebounds. … Her experience showed.” Goree grabbed just four boards — a season low. The Wolverines were outrebounded, 49-25. On top of outrebounding Michigan, the Terrapins showed why they are fourth-ranked team in the country in field- goal percentage. Guards Laurin Mincy and Shatori Walker- Kimbrough dropped 24 and 20 points, respectively. “They were really physical,” Goree said. “Even though they had great rebounders, we had to find a way.” After a quiet first half, Flaherty and senior guard Shannon Smith came back stronger in the second half, scoring nine and seven, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to make any real dent into the deficit. Inability to find rhythm on offense dooms Wolverines By MINH DOAN Daily Sports Writer As the Michigan Pep Band counted down the seconds on the shot clock, Maryland center Malina Howard received the ball at the right elbow. As the band counted down to one, Howard put up the shot. In reality, the shot clock wasn’t winding down, there were still 13 seconds left, but it didn’t matter. Whether Howard fell for the band’s trick or not, she sank the mid-range jumper giving the Terrapins a 16-point lead with 11:15 left in the second half. That was the key Thursday night at Crisler Center in Michigan women’s basketball team’s 91-65 loss to Maryland. The Terrapins were able to make critical shots, while the Wolverines (5-4 Big Ten, 13-7 overall) were unable to find any rhythm on the offensive front. Maryland’s shooting prowess was on display in the first half when there were spurts — it seemed like the Terrapins (9-0, 18-2) couldn’t miss a shot, no matter the type of defense Michigan played. There was a point in the first half when Maryland was shooting almost 70 percent from the field. “We tried man, we tried zone, we played a number of different things,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “But when you play a top-five team in the country, they have kids who can make shots.” Added senior forward Cyesha Goree: “We looked to press them, because no one really presses them. When we tried to press them full court, once they beat it, they were able to get layups which is a reason why their percentage was so high.” And when Maryland wasn’t making shots, it was winning the battle on the offensive glass, where it grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to Michigan’s nine, in addition to scoring 19 second- chance points. The Terrapins’ point total of 91 was their fourth- highest scoring output of the season. Maryland’s tenacity also got Michigan into foul trouble, as Elmblad, Goree and freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty all finished with four fouls, while sophomore guard Siera Thompson and senior guard Shannon Smith finished with three each. “They were on the attack mode, really trying to be super aggressive, really trying to attack us and draw fouls,” Goree said. “They did a really good job of that.” On the other side of the court, the Wolverines were unable to find any sort of rhythm. That was especially the case for Flaherty, who scored just seven points, well below her average of 14.9 points. “I think the biggest challenge for her is getting adjusted to the length of some of the more athletic teams,” Barnes Arico said. “Their guards tonight were (5-foot-9, 5-foot-11 and 6 feet), and when she has had to play against really long guards, it has been a challenge for her.” Goree, who has averaged 20.5 points in her last five games, also did not have her best game, putting up just 14 points. “They started crowding the paint more, at times I felt like I was one-on-one as I was doing my move, but then I got doubled,” Goree said. “By then, it was too late to kick it out.” In just three days, Michigan will travel to Lincoln to take on No. 15 Nebraska — another team with an efficient shooter in guard Rachel Theriot — for its third game in seven days. And for the Wolverines, they’re just going to have make some shots. MARYLAND MICHIGAN 91 65 RITA MORRIS/Daily Kim Barnes Arico’s team had its share of struggles in a blowout loss to Maryland. The Wolverines were outrebounded, 49-25, in the defeat.