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Sports
Friday, February 6, 2015 — 7
Size mismatch causes
problems for Michigan
By MAX BULTMAN
Daily Sports Editor
A win was already out of reach
with less than three minutes to
play in the Michigan men’s bas-
ketball team’s 72-54 loss to Iowa
on Thursday.
But senior forward Max Bielf-
eldt was still working, putting up
a hand to swat 7-foot-1 Hawkeyes
center Adam Woodbury’s shot a
few feet from the basket.
The problem was, as it had
been all game, that Woodbury
was simply too tall. He regained
possession of the ball and put it in
for an easy layup, stretching the
Iowa lead to 68-47 and reinforc-
ing the message the Hawkeyes
sent the Wolverines all game
long: “You must be this tall to win
this game.”
Behind a rotation that featured
two 6-foot-9 players in forwards
Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff
to go with Woodbury and 6-foot-
10 center Gabriel Olaseni, the
Hawkeyes used their size advan-
tage on both ends to suffocate
Michigan at Crisler Center on
Tuesday.
And for an undersized Wolver-
ine squad whose tallest player is
6-foot-9, Iowa’s size mismatch
created all sorts of frustration.
“With a tall team like that,
it’s tougher to simulate in prac-
tice, and when you go against
it, you can’t quite find the same
things,” Bielfeldt said. “Second-
chance points was one that hurt
us today. They have a lot of guys
going in for those second-chance
rebounds, and we’ve gotta box
out better, get our men out and
gang rebound a little better.”
The Hawkeyes outrebounded
Michigan 33-17, including nine
offensive boards that they turned
into 13 points. But that’s just a
mild representation of Iowa’s
dominance inside.
While the Wolverines have
used tip rebounding to overcome
their lack of size in other games
this season, that wasn’t an option
Thursday. When Bielfeldt or
freshman forward Ricky Doyle
would try to tip a ball out or to
themselves, there was at least
one Hawkeye there, if not two or
three, to quickly snatch back the
possession.
“Tapping it around is tough
when you have three 6-foot-9-
plus guys in there,” Bielfeldt said.
“Odds are, their hands are gonna
be right there too.”
The size mismatch carried
over on both sides of the floor,
as Iowa’s length generated prob-
lems when it went to zone looks.
Early on, junior guard Spike
Albrecht was able to use the
middle of the floor artfully, using
fakes and jukes in the middle of
the Hawkeyes’ defense to create
shot opportunities all over the
court.
But once Iowa went to the
zone, its height clogged the mid-
dle to put a stop to Albrecht’s
creativity and the Wolverines’
offense.
Michigan coach John Beilein
compared the length of the
Hawkeyes’ zone to that of Syra-
cuse, regarded as one of the
toughest zone defenses year
in and year out. With so much
height in the middle and length
to stretch the zone farther, the
Wolverines struggled to get to
the rim.
But while Michigan was able
to use sly passing to work around
the length of the Orange’s zone
en route to a 68-65 win Dec. 2,
the absence of junior guard Caris
LeVert made it harder to counter
against Iowa.
“They played off Spike just
enough, and he’s gotta move in
closer and look like he’s gonna
shoot it.” Beilein said. “I think a
big difference is guys that really
see. Caris LeVert was a guy we
really got in a lot (against) that
Syracuse zone. He’s a good passer
in the zone, or finding people cut-
ting in the zone, and we missed
that today — his vision.”
Iowa scored 42 points in the
paint to the Wolverines’ 16, leav-
ing no doubt as to who owned the
middle of the floor Tuesday.
The Hawkeyes’ emphatic per-
formance inside left Bielfeldt and
the Wolverines visibly discour-
aged after the game. But for an
exceptionally young Michigan
team, the upshot is that Michigan
likely won’t face a rotation as tall
throughout as Iowa’s the rest of
the way.
“We just gotta keep under-
standing that those little defi-
ciencies we show, we have to
understand how to improve with
that and move on,” Bielfeldt said.
Michigan set for outdoor
game vs. Michigan State
By ERIN LENNON
Daily Sports Editor
On January 11, 1922, the
Michigan hockey team defeated
Michigan State — then known
as
Michigan
Agricultural
College — in
the Spartans’
first-ever
intercollegiate
contest.
In
the
more than 90
years
since,
Michigan
and Michigan
State have met
indoors
and
out,
in
East
Lansing, Ann
Arbor and Detroit. They have
created a rivalry on ice as good
as the one on the gridiron, all the
while building two powerhouse
hockey programs.
Saturday, two of the nation’s
oldest and most storied hockey
programs will meet outdoors at
the oldest NFL stadium in the
country — Soldier Field.
Located in Chicago’s South
Side, just feet from the shores
of Lake Michigan, Soldier Field
celebrated 90 years of operation
last year. Now the home of the
Chicago Bears, the facility is
the third-smallest in the league,
seating 61,500 fans.
The
Wolverines
and
the
Spartans have played in bigger.
In front of an announced
113,411
fans
at
Michigan
Stadium in 2010, the rivals set
a record for hockey attendance.
Michigan won the “Big Chill”
handily, 5-0, thanks to a pair of
goals each from current NHL
players Carl Hagelin and Jon
Merrill.
Thus far this season, the
Wolverines and Spartans have
met twice on neutral ice, with
the season series tied at 1-1 after
Michigan’s 2-1 loss last weekend
at Joe Louis Arena.
“We definitely owe State one
now, so we’re looking forward
to the game this weekend,”
said sophomore forward Max
Shuart. “It’s always cool to play
outdoor games.”
The Hockey City Classic
— which also features Miami
(Ohio)
against
Western
Michigan — comprises several
pre-game events, including a
celebrity hockey game between
NHL and AHL alumni and
open skates to benefit St. Jude’s
Hospital.
Saturday will mark the fourth
time Michigan and Michigan
State have met outdoors, and
each boasts a 1-1-1 record in
three contests prior. The teams’
most recent open-air battle
came last season, when the
Wolverines fell to the Spartans
in the Great Lakes Invitational
consolation game at Comerica
Park in Detroit.
From the players’ perspective,
the excitement of Saturday’s
game has been building since
its
announcement
over
the
summer.
“It’s a change in pace,” said
sophomore
forward
Tyler
Motte. “Guys get excited about
it this time of year, so it brings
a little energy. … Come game
time, it can be hit or miss. If it’s
bad ice conditions, bad weather,
how cold it is — sometimes those
things can come into play.”
The 13th-ranked Wolverines
began
preparing
for
brisk
conditions on Monday — during
the University’s second snow
day in as many years — when
they held practice outdoors at
Buhr Park, the idea being to
simulate the weather conditions
the squad will face in Chicago.
“The ice isn’t always perfect,”
said
Michigan
coach
Red
Berenson. “The wind could be a
factor, who knows. We just have
to be acclimated a little bit so
there’s no surprises.”
In the “Duel at the ‘D’ ” last
Friday, the Spartans were able
to shut down the nation’s No.
1 offense with a system that
forced the Wolverines out of
the middle, where they were
trapped
along
the
boards.
Michigan will look to put more
bodies in front of Michigan State
goaltender Jake Hildebrand,
who was lights-out.
“Part of scoring goals is going
to the net,” Berenson said. “If
you’re not going to the net, if
you’re not really battling to get
there, you’re not going to score
goals on anybody.
“We have a long laundry list
of things we need to do.”
To do that, the coaching
staff
will
change
up
the
forward
lines
once
again,
moving sophomore forward JT
Compher over to the wing for
the first time since October,
pairing him with Motte and
junior forward Andrew Copp
on the first line.
Last year’s points leader,
Compher
—
a
native
of
Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb
of Chicago — has just four goals
and nine assists this season.
“One thing he won’t have
to do is think,” Berenson said.
“Right now he’ll fit in better
with his linemates. JT’s playing
really well in recent games, and
I think he’s going to take that
game to the first line.”
Saturday’s contest will also be
the fourth of a five-week stretch
away from Yost Ice Arena. The
Wolverines have played just
five road games since sweeping
Minnesota at home on Jan. 10.
“Sometimes in the back of
your mind, you kinda wish
you were just back here at Yost
playing a game,” Motte said.
ICE HOCKEY
Michigan vs.
Michigan St.
Matchup:
Michigan 15-8;
MSU 10-11-2
When:
Saturday
8 P.M.
Where:
Soldier Field
TV/Radio:
BTN
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Ricky Doyle was held scoreless Thursday against Iowa’s massive front line.
‘M’ earns first win in East Lansing since 2001
By MINH DOAN
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING — Michigan
women’s basketball coach Kim
Barnes Arico sat down in her seat
on the Wolverine bench with
about
a
minute left
in the game
and looked
out onto the court.
Her team had just held off its
in-state rival, Michigan State,
and won in East Lansing for the
first time since 2001.
And 30 minutes after the
game, Barnes Arico was still
riding the excitement of the
historic win.
“I’m still holding my breath,”
Barnes Arico said.
In early January, Michigan
(6-5 Big Ten, 14-8 overall)
utilized a suffocating full-court
press to force 24 Michigan State
turnovers en route to a 74-65 win
at Crisler Center.
One month and a short trip up
I-96 later, the two teams were at
it again Thursday night in East
Lansing at the Breslin Center.
This time, the script was
a little bit different, but the
result stayed the same as the
Wolverines triumphed, 72-59,
over the Spartans. The win
marked the Wolverines’ first
season sweep of the Spartans
since the 1999-2000 season.
Michigan scrapped the full-
court press just six minutes into
the game, but it didn’t matter, as
Michigan State (3-9, 11-12) shot
just 33.3 percent — 26.1 percent in
the first half — and scored just 21
points, its second-lowest scoring
output in a half this season.
But even with their poor
shooting, the Spartans almost
completed the comeback.
Once
down
22
points,
Michigan State found life with
about 11 minutes remaining.
Behind the improved second-
half shooting of forward Aerial
Powers and guard Tori Jankoska,
the Spartans were able to cut the
deficit to as little as six points. But
that was as close as they got, as
Michigan did just enough at the
end of the game to hold them off.
“We knew it was only a matter
of time before they got good
looks,” Barnes Arico said. “Our
kids did a great job of sticking
together, holding together and
making plays down the stretch
when we needed to.”
The first half, though, was a
completely different story.
An
almost
six-minute
Michigan
State
scoring
drought,
coupled
with
a
Michigan
20-2
scoring
run, gave the
Wolverines all
they needed in
the game.
Early
on,
senior forward
Cyesha Goree
had her hands full inside with
forward
Becca
Mills.
Mills
held Goree to just three points
and three rebounds before two
fouls forced Spartan coach Suzy
Merchant to sub her out. Without
Mills on the floor, Goree thrived
inside, scoring four points and
three rebounds, taking almost
half the time it took her to post
the statistics with Mills in the
game.
“(Mills)
was
being
really
physical and pushing me out a
lot,” Goree said. “I just had to
make sure I was balanced and
drew fouls and drew a little bit
more contact.”
The
first
half
also
saw
Michigan effectively shut down
Powers
and
Jankoska,
the
Spartans’ two leading scorers.
Powers was held to six points,
while
Jankoska
was
held
scoreless entirely.
“We just denied Jankoska and
Powers the ball,” Barnes Arico
said. “We face guarded them the
entire time, and we said we were
going to make the other (players)
have to make shots.”
After combining for 43 points
the last time the two teams met,
the Spartan duo was held to
just 21 points. The poor Spartan
shooting carried into the start
of the second half, as Michigan
State didn’t record a bucket until
15:46 into the period.
The
Wolverine
3-point
shooting was especially potent
in the game, as Michigan shot
50 percent from beyond the
arc. Sophomore guard Siera
Thompson finished the game
4-for-8, while freshman guard
Katelynn Flaherty finished the
game shooting 3-for-4. The duo
finished with 16 and 17 points,
respectively.
Goree
finished
the
game with 17
points and 11
rebounds.
“(Flaherty)’s
just
getting
better
and
better
as
the
season
progresses
at
figuring
out
how
to
get
her shot off and how to read a
defense and get open,” Barnes
Arico said. “Tonight, she shot the
ball exceptionally well, and she
didn’t turn the basketball over,
which was tremendous.”
With the win, the Wolverines
move back over .500 in the Big
Ten.
But
more
importantly,
Michigan gained a win on the
road, where it has won just
twice this season, and pulled
out a historic victory over a team
that has gotten the best of the
Wolverines in recent years.
“When I first got to (Michigan),
Michigan State was always the
team in our state,” Barnes Arico
said. “For our kids to come here
and, for the first time since
2001, sweep them, it’s a great
accomplishment for our seniors
and the players in our program.”
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Cyesha Goree totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds in Michigan’s win.
BY THE NUMBERS
Women’s Basketball
4
Times Michigan has swept Michigan
State in program history
13
Double-doubles for senior forward
Cyesha Goree this season
16
Halftime lead for Michigan on Thursday,
at 37-21
11
Consecutive home wins for MSU in the
series heading into Thursday
“Our kids did
a great job
of sticking
together.”
MICH. ST.
MICHIGAN
59
72