The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
February 2, 2015 — 3B

Second half dooms ‘M’

By JACOB GASE

Daily Sports Writer

All of the Michigan women’s 

basketball 
team’s 
Big 
Ten 

road contests this season have 
followed the same script: a first-
half scoring drought followed by 
a furious second-half comeback. 
In 
four 

tries, 
the 

pattern has 
produced 
only one win for the Wolverines 
— a seven-point victory over 
Northwestern on Jan. 17.

In Sunday’s matchup with 

No. 15 Nebraska, the exact 
opposite 
scenario 
occurred. 

Despite starting the game on a 
20-9 run and never trailing in 
the first half, the Wolverines 
were 
overwhelmed 
by 
the 

Cornhuskers’ offense in the 
second half, dropping the game, 
75-60.

“I don’t really know (what 

happened),” 
said 
Michigan 

coach Kim Barnes Arico. “(The 
Cornhuskers) made shots, they 
got some rebounds. We had a 
tough time scoring down the 
stretch. They just played better 
down the stretch, they found 
the open person.”

The Wolverines (5-5 Big Ten, 

13-8 overall) let their early lead 
slip away with 16:04 remaining 
in the game, when Nebraska 
forward Hallie Sample forced 
a layup past senior forward 
Cyesha 
Goree 
to 
give 
the 

Cornhuskers their first lead of 
the contest, 37-35.

Still, 
Michigan 
seemed 

poised to recover and pull off 
the upset. After both teams 
traded several baskets to tie 
the score at 45, senior guard 
Shannon Smith and sophomore 
guard Siera Thompson buried 
consecutive 3-pointers to give 
the Wolverines a six-point lead 
with 10:13 to play.

But after the ensuing timeout, 

Nebraska took over the game.

The Cornhuskers (7-3, 17-4) 

scored the game’s next 11 
points as part of a 26-5 run that 
dashed Michigan’s hopes. The 
run included three consecutive 
3-pointers from guard Tear’a 
Laudermill to extend the lead 
from seven points to 16.

With 11 offensive rebounds 

and 15 second-
chance points, 
Nebraska 
simply refused 
to 
let 
the 

Wolverines 
put 
them 

away.

“(The 

Cornhuskers) 
got 
a 
lot 

of 
extra 

opportunities 
because 
of 
their 
offensive 

rebounds,” 
Barnes 
Arico 

said. “Sample did a nice job 
on the weak side of offensive 
rebounding for them, and she 
was 7-for-7 from the floor. Our 
game plan was to help off of her, 
and she really made big plays for 
them.”

The Cornhuskers’ dominant 

second half wasted a strong 
effort from a Michigan offense 
that has struggled to get going 
on the road.

Trying to inject some offense 

into her team, Barnes Arico 
inserted junior guard Madison 

Ristovski into 
the 
starting 

lineup in place 
of 
defensive-

minded 
sophomore 
guard Danielle 
Williams. 
Ristovski 
scored 
just 

five points in 
the game, but 
they all came 

in the first seven minutes and 
facilitated the fast start Barnes 
Arico was looking for.

More 
importantly, 

the 
Wolverines 
received 

contributions from two players 
who 
haven’t 
been 
major 

offensive factors lately: Smith 
and 
senior 
forward 
Nicole 

Elmblad.

In 
addition 
to 
her 
tie-

breaking triple, Smith finished 
the game with 22 points (18 
in the second half) despite 
battling foul trouble all day — 
she ultimately fouled out with 
seven seconds to play.

Elmblad, who was averaging 

6.8 points and had reached 
double digits just four times this 
season, finished the game with 
10 points, including three early 
baskets that keyed Michigan’s 
quick start.

But then the offense went 

cold in the second half, allowing 
the Cornhuskers to forge a 
comeback and run away with 
the game.

“We got a little bit stagnant 

late,” Barnes Arico said. “I didn’t 
think we moved the ball as well 
as we did at the beginning of the 
game, and we didn’t have the 
open looks.”

The 
loss 
dropped 
the 

Wolverines’ road record to 1-6, 
including an 0-4 mark against 
ranked opponents.

RITA MORRIS/Daily

Senior forward Nicole Elmblad stepped up offensively in Michigan’s upset bid against Nebraska, scoring 10 points.

MICHIGAN
NEBRASKA 

60
75
“We had a 
tough time 

scoring down 
the stretch.”

Slow start dooms 
‘M’ in close match

By KEVIN SANTO

Daily Sports Writer

Six singles matches. Three 

doubles matches. One deciding 
set.

Redshirt 
freshman 
Davis 

Crocker lost his first set, 6-0, and 
he attributed the slow start to 
being caught up in the moment, 
given that 
he 
was 

forced 
to 
watch 

as the Michigan men’s tennis 
team fell behind early against 
Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Though Crocker recovered 

to 
win 
the 

second 
set 

7-6 
against 

Vanderbilt’s 
Suresh 
Eswaran, 
it 

proved not to 
be enough.

While his 

teammates attempted to urge 
Crocker on toward victory, he 
squandered the final, meet-
deciding set, 4-6, resulting in 
a 4-3 loss to Commodores. The 
defeat was the Wolverines’ third 
straight on the road this season.

The 
redshirt 
freshman 

explained 
that 
the 
entire 

match was a battle, and that 
ultimately, if he had played more 
aggressively, it may have yielded 
a different result. Despite the 
loss, Crocker was optimistic 
about Michigan’s fate moving 
forward.

“This one stings a little more 

because we fought so hard,” 
Crocker said. “I definitely think 
we can build on this match. We 
have a really tough schedule, so 
the fact that we were that close 
to beating such a good team on 
the road bodes well for our next 
couple of matches.”

Crocker’s match was one of the 

many comeback circumstances 

that the Wolverines (1-3) found 
themselves in during their 4-3 
loss to Vanderbilt.

Though Michigan started the 

meet with a pair of commanding 
doubles victories, it fell in a hole 
as the Commodores (5-2) won 
three straight singles matches.

Freshmen Alex Knight and 

Runhao Hua found themselves 
down early in their single 
matches against Kris Yee and 
Daniel Valent, and the young 
competitors could not salvage 
victories.

And after a positive start, 

winning his first set 6-4, senior 
Alex Petrone faltered in his final 

two sets, losing 
to Vanderbilt’s 
Gonzales 
Austin.

These three 

results 
left 

Michigan 
down 3-1 with 
three matches 

remaining.

Senior 
Michael 
Zhu 
and 

freshman Carter Lin fought 
valiantly 
and 
proceeded 
to 

establish a 3-3 tie.

This left the meet-deciding 

match to Crocker, and both 
teams swarmed to the final court 
in support of their respective 
athletes.

“Everybody was going nuts on 

both sides,” Crocker said. “The 
yelling was echoing throughout 
the building.”

Though 
the 
freshman 

garnered 
incredible 
support 

from his teammates, he could 
not prevail against Eswaran.

Despite 
the 
heartbreaking 

loss, Michigan coach Adam 
Steinberg focused on the positive 
aspects of the meet.

“I 
thought 
they 
fought 

amazingly well,” he said. “I 
thought we competed great. I 
was really proud of them. We’re 
getting better.”

MEN’S TENNIS

MICHIGAN
VANDERBILT 

3
4

“Everybody was 

going nuts.”

Close not enough 
for ‘M’ in defeat

By CHRIS CROWDER

Daily Sports Writer

Track and field might as well 

be called horseshoes and hand 
grenades due to how often the 
word “almost” could be used. 
Almost counts for something 
with 
horseshoes 
and 
hand 

grenades. In track and field, 
almost means its definition — not 
quite.

Saturday, the No. 15 Michigan 

women’s track and field team lost 
its first dual meet of the season 
to No. 23 Michigan State, 81-80, 
a meet decided by one place. An 
almost-win.

“There were a lot of things 

where we lost by one place, and 
I’m not sure how we’re going to 
talk about that,” said Michigan 
coach James Henry. “There were 
some close ones that we won and 
some close ones that we lost.”

The 
meet 
took 
place 
in 

Allendale, Michigan at Grand 
Valley State University, providing 
a neutral site for a new Michigan 
and Michigan State track and 
field tradition — a dual meet 
between 
two 
historically 

successful in-state rivals. The 
crowd was divided 50/50 with 
both Michigan and Michigan 
State fans providing support, 
but neither created a home-field 
advantage. The tradition started 
in 2013 (Michigan won, 89-73), 
and regularly brings intense 
competition 
and 
excitement 

despite 
being 
toward 
the 

beginning of the season.

“There’s more emotions in 

this 
competition 
than 
there 

is when we’re at a conference 
championship meet,” Henry said. 
“One-on-one is going straight 
up against your rivals, so that’s 
always fun.”

Fifteen 
Wolverines 
set 

personal bests in the meet, 
including freshman high jumper 
Claire Kieffer-Wright (first place 
with a height of 1.73 meters) 
and junior Danielle Pfeifer, who 
finished first in the 600-meter 
race with a time of 1:30.66.

Michigan won six races and 

earned 25 top-three finishes 
on the day. Junior Cindy Ofili 
won three titles — the 60-meter 
dash, 60-meter hurdles and 200-
meter race. Henry was pleased 
with the whole team, but didn’t 
want to leave anyone out when 
he was thinking of specific 
accomplishments.

“If you bring up two or three 

names, you miss two or three. It 
was a good team effort,” Henry 
said. “We tried to compete as a 
team and win as a team.”

Henry also said that the 

team is coming together even 
more, as now, every athlete’s 
performance counts because 
meets are scored for the rest 
of the season. Despite the 
loss, Henry believes that the 
experience was beneficial for 
the Wolverines. An almost-win 
comes with its share of lessons.

“We have compared ourselves 

with two things: with what 
Michigan State is like and we 
compared 
ourselves 
against 

ourselves so we can improve,” 
Henry said.

With 
collegiate 
personal 

bests being achieved early in the 
season, Michigan looks well on its 
way to continued and consistent 
improvement. Even with a loss 
to a lower-ranked opponent, the 
Wolverines have both veterans 
and freshmen racing well, leaving 
no reason to worry.

Henry wasn’t disappointed, 

but rather has confidence that his 
team will succeed. He believes 
that his team has the capability to 
win races with slim margins for 
error as the season goes on.

“We just have to be mentally 

tough, that’s what it comes 
down to,” Henry said. “We have 
to win the close ones. There 
were a number of close ones by 
hundredths and thousandths of 
a second.”

Almost counts for something 

instantly 
in 
horseshoes 
and 

hand grenades. In track and 
field, almost might take a while 
to count for something. But it 
immediately brings motivation 
for the next race.

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
‘M’ wins top-10 showdown

Wolverines knock 
off No. 7 Nebraska 

at Crisler

By CINDY YU

Daily Sports Writer

A matchup against the top-

ranked vault squad in the nation 
was enough motivation for the 
Michigan women’s gymnastics 
team to prove it can compete 
with the best.

In a showdown between the 

top two teams in the Big Ten, 
the fourth-ranked Wolverines 
(3-0 Big Ten, 5-0 overall) 
recorded a season-best total of 
197.300 to beat No. 7 Nebraska’s 
195.875 points at Crisler Center 
on Saturday.

For the fourth consecutive 

week, sophomore Nicole Artz, 
senior Sachi Sugiyama and 
freshman Brianna Brown filled 
the top three spots in the all-
around standings. Artz led the 
team with a career-high 39.600, 
while Sugiyama and Brown 
improved 
their 
career-best 

totals with scores of 39.500 and 
39.450, respectively.

As 
improved 
landings 

continued 
to 
escalate 
the 

Wolverines’ 
vault 
scores, 

Sugiyama and Artz delivered 
two of the best vaults of their 
careers.

Sugiyama tied her career-

best 9.950 to win the event. 
After 
nearly 
sticking 
her 

Yurchenko 1.5 landing, the 
audience repeatedly chanted 
“10,” to signify their approval of 
the routine.

“We’ve been really focusing 

on sticks, especially this week, 
because Nebraska (2-1 Big Ten, 
5-1 overall) is known for their 
really good vaults,” Sugiyama 
said. “I had no doubt in my mind 
going down (the runway) that it 
was going to be a good vault.

“I think that it was just having 

that mindset that really helped 
out, and obviously it paid off.”

Artz scored a career-high 

9.900 on vault, good enough to 
tie for second with Nebraska 
senior Jessie DeZiel.

“It literally took my breath 

away,” Artz said. “I told Dave, 
‘Dave, I don’t think I can finish 
the meet.’ I was just so excited, 
because I worked really hard on 
that event.”

Following the first rotation, 

Michigan led Nebraska, 49.300-
48.900.

On the uneven bars, Brown 

and Artz took first and second 
place with season-best scores 
of 9.900 and 9.875, respectively. 
Senior Brooke Parker made her 
first appearance in competition 
on the bars, scoring 9.800 in an 
exhibition routine.

At 
the 
halfway 
point, 

the 
Wolverines 
led 
the 

Cornhuskers, 
98.500-98.225. 

As usual, Nebraska showcased 
an impressive vault rotation, 
scoring 49.325 in the event 
and sticking five of six vault 
landings.

Ranked second in the nation 

on balance beam, Michigan 
recorded a season-best 49.275 
in the event. Junior Briley 
Casanova scored her season-

best 9.875 in the leadoff position 
with a routine highlighted by a 
back handspring to layout step-
out and straddle jump to back 
salto stuck cold. Sophomore 
Talia Chiarelli tied Casanova 
for first with her confident 
routine performed in sync with 
Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.”

In a three-way tie for third 

with Artz and Nebraska junior 
Hollie Blanske, Sugiyama tied 
her career-best 9.850.

“I just got to really learn 

to calm myself down before 
beam,” Sugiyama said. “I’m 
really enjoying being back in the 
all-around.”

In her second exhibition 

of the night, Parker scored a 
career-best 9.750 on beam, 
unofficially 
competing 
in 

the all-around and totaling a 
respectable 39.225.

“Brooke has been such a 

worker bee in the gym and 
we’ve been working a great 
deal on her confidence,” said 
Michigan coach Bev Plocki. 
“She’s a very talented athlete, 

but we need her to transfer what 
I see in the gym to what we see 
in competition … We need her to 
be ready, because she provides 
us with a depth that’s at a very 
high level, and that’s what we 
need right now.”

On 
floor 
exercise, 
the 

Wolverines maintained their 
momentum, topping the season 
average of Alabama, the best 
team in the nation, 49.525-
49.367. The five counted scores 
toward the team total placed in 
the top five on the event, with 
each scoring a season best. 
Junior Lindsay Williams led 
off with a 9.850 performance 
followed by Brown, Parker and 
Sugiyama scoring 9.900, 9.875 
and 9.925, respectively.

In the second round of “10” 

chants, Artz actually received 
a 
10.000 
from 
one 
judge. 

Averaged with her other floor 
score, she totaled 9.975 on the 
event.

“To see a 10 flash (on 

the 
scoreboard) 
is 
just 

overwhelming,” Artz said.

LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily

Sophomore Nicole Artz scored a career-high 9.900 on the vault in Michigan’s win over Nebraska.

