4B — Monday, February 16, 2015
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Michigan squanders late lead

Northwestern goes 

coast to coast in 
final seconds to 
upend Wolverines

By BRAD WHIPPLE

Daily Sports Writer

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team hadn’t scored in 
just under two and a half minutes 
when 
junior 
guard 
Madison 
Ristovski stepped up to the foul 
line with 14 seconds left in the 
game.

With the Wolverines holding 

a 62-61 lead and Northwestern 
clinging to the hope of making 
a comeback in the final minutes, 
both of Ristovski’s shots missed. 
But 
senior 
forward 
Cyesha 

Goree came in and collected the 
rebound, so she stepped up to the 
line with 10 seconds left.

Then she missed both tries and 

the atmosphere in Crisler Center 
changed dramatically.

Wildcat forward Nia Coffey 

— who ended the game with 25 
points — took it to the other end of 
the court and made a layup with 
four seconds left. On the inbound, 
a potential buzzer beater by senior 
guard Shannon Smith fell short of 
the basket, giving Northwestern 
a 63-62 win that will likely prove 
damaging to the Wolverines’ 
NCAA Tournament hopes.

“Normally, we make those free 

throws,” said Michigan coach 
Kim Barnes Arico. “Madison, 
probably in her career, is over an 
80 percent free-throw shooter. 
To miss two is really surprising. 
Then to miss four is really 
surprising.”

Added Smith: “Every little play 

matters. Whether it’s a free throw, 
getting a loose ball, or getting a 
person out on the defensive end. 
Every play matters.”

Michigan (6-8 Big Ten, 14-11 

overall) shot a dismal 27.6 percent 
from the floor in the second half 
compared to 46.7 in the first, and 
missed eight of its last 10 shots. 
Northwestern (9-5, 19-6) hadn’t 
held a lead all afternoon, but the 
final 10 minutes gave the team 
several opportunities to make it 
happen.

The 
circumstances 
were 

perfect for Northwestern to 
take the lead: Michigan was 
in a scoring slump, all of the 
momentum was on the Wildcats’ 
side and, most importantly, Goree 
had to be taken out of the game at 
four fouls and 12 minutes still left 
in the game.

“Cyesha gets in foul trouble 

and it just changes the dynamics 
of our team, really from an 
offensive 
standpoint,” 
Barnes 

Arico said. “Even if she’s not 

scoring, she gives an inside 
presence and that changes what 
teams do against us defensively.”

Despite 
the 
favorable 

circumstances, 
though, 

something always went awry for 
the Wildcats on each of the next 
few possessions, and it looked 
like the Wolverines might have a 
stroke of luck. That thought was 
short-lived.

After the Wildcats went on 

an 11-0 run to tie the game at 
51 with eight minutes left, they 
stole the ball and guard Karly 
Roser took it to the other end a 
wide-open court. With junior 
guard Madison Ristovski just 
crossing midcourt, Roser’s layup 
rolled around the rim for a few 
moments before falling out and 
into the hands of Ristovski.

Roser got called for a reach-in 

foul and slammed her hands hard 

on the floor. It had been just over 
six minutes since the Wolverines 
had scored, but Ristovski made 
her free throws to push Michigan 
past a potential breaking point.

Even after the Roser hiccup, 

the mishaps continued. On the 
next Northwestern possession 
with the game still tied at 51, 
Roser missed her first on a one-
and-one opportunity at the free-
throw line, giving the ball back 
to the Wolverines. Ristovski stole 
the ball the possession afterward 
and freshman forward Jillian 
Dunston made a layup for a four-
point lead.

Once Dunston had done her 

part, Goree, freshman guard 
Katelynn Flaherty and senior 
forward 
Nicole 
Elmblad 
all 

subbed back in to finish out 
the game. Goree grabbed the 
necessary defensive rebounds 

— finishing with 10 total boards 
alongside nine points. But at 2:26, 
her pair two points from the free-
throw line were the final ones for 
Michigan, holding on to a five-
point lead.

The Wildcats capitalized on 

the Wolverines’ inability to score, 
making a 6-0 run in the final two 
minutes.

“When we go through stretches 

where we’re not scoring, I think 
we get a little bit down and it 
takes away from our defensive 
intensity,” Elmblad said. “I think 
that was when they were able to 
get back in the game and make 
their run and close it out.”

“To try and get them back 

mentally before this game was 
incredibly difficult,” Barnes Arico 
said. “My heart goes out to them 
because they’ve been so close, and 
that’s what makes it so difficult.”

RITA MORRIS/Daily

Sophomore guard Siera Thompson scored 15 points, but Michigan gave away a late lead and lost its third straight game Saturday against Northwestern.

N’WESTERN
MICHIGAN 

63
62

3-pointer from freshman guard 
Katelynn Flaherty or maybe 
it was a missed jumper from 
senior forward Nicole Elmblad. 
Without any one of those 
miscues, Michigan wouldn’t 
have faltered once again.

Adding the losses up, 

Michigan could be 12-2 in the 
Big Ten and be in position as 
a No. 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA 
Tournament. Even if it had lost 
half of them, it would likely be 
squarely in the tournament.

On the bright side, the 

Wolverines have played almost 
every team in the conference 
competitively, and they have 
four games to go against 
teams below them in the 
conference before the Big Ten 
Tournament.

So they aren’t permanently 

out of the NCAA Tournament 
picture. They just can’t make 
too many more mistakes down 
the stretch.

It’s not over.
But it could be very soon, and 

in another universe, Michigan’s 
season could be far from over.

Minh Doan can be reached 

at minhdoan@umich.edu or 

on Twitter @_minhdoan.

MICHIGAN
From Page 1B

BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan vs. Northwestern

4

Missed free throws for Michigan in the 

last 14 seconds
6:03

Length of the Wolverines’ second-half 

scoring drought
13

Fouls for Cyesha Goree in Michigan’s 

last three games, all losses

1

Lead for Northwestern during the 

game — the 63-62 final score

‘M’ salvages series finale at LBSU

By NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

A rough start gave way to a 

good finish for the Michigan 
men’s baseball team in Long 
Beach, Calif.

The Wolverines (1-2) dropped 

their Friday and Saturday games 
against Long Beach State (2-1), 
3-2 and 7-2 respectively. But they 
bounced back on Sunday to top 
the Dirtbags, 5-3, in 10 innings. 

“I like how the team responded 

on Sunday after getting kicked 
around,” said Michigan coach 
Erik Bakich. “They fought back 
and didn’t waiver.”

The 
Wolverines’ 
offense 

snapped out of its funk in the 
fourth inning on Sunday when 
Patrick hit a single with runners 
on first and second to drive in a 
run. Later in the inning, senior 
shortstop Eric Jacobson came 
through with a two-run single to 
put Michigan up 3-0.

Long Beach State chipped 

away at the lead from there as the 
Dirtbags put up a run in both the 
fifth and sixth innings, prompting 
Bakich to pull starter Ryan Nutof 
after 5.2 innings for Lozer. Lozer 
got out of the inning before being 
replaced by sophomore Jackson 
Lamb.

The Wolverines maintained 

their 3-2 lead into the ninth inning 
when redshirt junior Matt Ogden 
was called upon for the save 
opportunity. But with runners on 
first and second with two outs, he 
surrendered an RBI single to the 
Dirtbags’ Derek Domingues to 
send the game into extra innings.

After failing to score for five 

innings, Michigan broke through 
in the 10th when Patrick drew 
a walk to lead off the inning. 
Sophomore second baseman Jake 
Bivens was hit by a pitch with 
one out to put runners on first 
and second and a groundout by 
Jacobson moved both runners 
ahead by 90 feet.

That 
left 
the 
Wolverines’ 

hopes in the hands of junior first 
baseman 
Jacob 
Cronenworth, 

who delivered with a two-run 
single to left field to give Michigan 
a 5-3 lead that would hold through 
the bottom of the frame.

“You could feel the energy in 

the dugout after Cronenworth’s 
hit,” Bakich said. “But it was a 
team effort. There were a lot of 
good contributions from a lot of 
guys.”

Michigan got off to a promising 

start on Friday night when junior 
right fielder Cody Bruder hit a 
double to left field in the first 
inning. Junior 
shortstop 
Travis Maezes 
brought 
Bruder home 
with an RBI 
double 
on 

the 
next 

at 
bat. 
The 

Wolverines 
doubled their 
lead 
in 
the 

fourth when fifth-year senior 
designated hitter Kendall Patrick 
doubled down the left-field line 
and scored on an RBI single by 
freshman third-baseman Drew 
Lugbauer.

Michigan’s pitching was strong 

through the fourth inning as well. 
Sophomore pitcher Brett Adcock 
surrendered just one hit through 
the first four innings.

“(Adcock) 
gave 
us 
an 

opportunity to win,” Bakich said. 
“He was in a groove there for a 
while.”

But it all unraveled in the 

bottom of the fifth. After the 
Wolverines turned a double play 
for two quick outs, Adcock gave 
up a walk, a single and another 
walk to load the bases. He then 
walked in a run before being 
pulled for Ogden, who missed all 
of 2014 with an injury. 

“I felt (Adcock) sort of hit a 

brick wall in the fifth,” Bakich 
said.

Ogden walked in the tying run, 

but got out of the inning with a 
strikeout before more damage 
could be done. After a scoreless 
top of the sixth for Michigan, 
Ogden came back out to pitch the 
bottom half of the inning. The 
Dirtbags once again scored with 
two outs when Tristan Mercadel 
hit an RBI triple to take the lead. 
Ogden was subsequently replaced 
by sophomore Mac Lozer, who 
nabbed a strikeout to end the 

inning.

Michigan had scoring chances 

late, especially in the top of 
the eighth inning when the 
Wolverines loaded up the bases 
with one out. But a strikeout and 
a groundout closed Michigan’s 
window of opportunity and the 
score remained 3-2. Ogden was 
tagged with the loss.

“I feel some 

of the guys were 
squeezing 
the 

bats a little too 
tightly,” Bakich 
said. 
“We 

need to be in 
those pressure 
situations often 
in 
order 
to 

improve 
as 
a 

team.”

Unlike Friday, the Dirtbags 

wasted no time scoring on 
Saturday as they were up 2-0 
by the end of the first inning 
and extended the lead to 5-0 

by the end of the second. The 
Wolverines’ starter, sophomore 
Keith Lehmann lasted 1.2 innings, 
giving up three runs on three hits.

Freshmen 
relief 
pitchers 

Michael Hendrickson and Bryan 
Pall stopped the bleeding for 
Michigan as they combined for 
5.2 innings, two runs allowed 
and five strikeouts, but the 
Wolverines offense was stifled 
by the Dirtbags’ Tanner Brown. 
Michigan’s two runs came off of 
an RBI single by Bruder in the top 
of the third and a pinch-hit RBI 
double by sophomore outfielder 
Johnny Slater in the seventh.

Michigan’s weekend trip to 

Long Beach was the first of several 
such trips over the next six weeks. 
By the time the Wolverines face 
Bowling Green in their home 
opener on Mar. 24, they will have 
traveled 11,682 miles.

“I don’t think the team is feeling 

jet lag yet,” Bakich said. “But they 
probably will by (Monday).”

“We need to 
be in pressure 
situations like 

that.”

BASEBALL

Michigan secures 
2-0 start to season

Possession edge 
helps Wolverines 

rout Detroit

By BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer

Detroit may not be the 

Michigan men’s lacrosse team’s 
biggest rival, but that didn’t 
stop 
the 
Wolverines 
from 

bringing loads of intensity into 
Saturday’s matchup.

Sophomore 
attacker 
Ian 

King led Michigan in scoring, 
setting a program record with 
six goals in the game. King’s 
efforts, combined with strong 
defense in the second half, were 
enough for the Wolverines to 
earn a 15-6 victory and move 
to 2-0 for the first time in 
program history.

No one was happier to see 

King score than Michigan 
coach John Paul, who gave 
the attacker grief after going 
scoreless against Bellarmine.

“I knew King was going to 

get his goals,” Paul said. “Last 
week was kind of an anomaly. I 
thought he played a smart game 
too and didn’t take any bad 
shots or make any mistakes.”

King’s 
fellow 
starting 

attackers, 
seniors 
David 

McCormack and Will Meter, 
also found the back of the net. 
Sophomore midfielder Mikie 
Schlosser followed a four-goal 
outing 
against 
Bellarmine 

last week with two more as 
Michigan’s offense had no 
trouble figuring out the Titan’s 
defense.

“We just cut out and got 

open,” said redshirt junior 
midfielder 
David 
Joseph. 

“When (Detroit) pressed out, 
we used it to our advantage. 
That opened up our attack for 
easy goals and finishes.”

The Wolverines jumped out 

to an early 5-1 lead thanks to 
junior faceoff man Brad Lott’s 
perfect seven-for-seven first-
quarter performance.

Lott faced two different 

Detroit players, but regardless 
of the challenger, he was able 
to get the job done. Lott’s 
dominance in the faceoff circle 
led to Michigan’s complete 
control 
of 
possession 
and 

allowed its offense to settle in.

“The first period’s big because 

you want to get into a rhythm,” 
Lott said. “As a unit we were 
getting together and figuring 
out everything we needed to do, 
so no matter who we faced, we 
were getting it done.”

While 
the 
Wolverines’ 

attack continued to cruise in 
the second half, Michigan’s 
defense stepped up to shut 
down any hopes of a Titan 
comeback. 
The 
Wolverines 

would continue to maintain 
possession 
throughout 
the 

period.

Redshirt 
sophomore 

goalkeeper 
Gerald 
Logan 

earned six saves en route to 
giving up only one second-half 
goal.

“(Logan) was seeing the ball 

better in the second half,” Paul 
said. “Our offense was getting 
long 
possessions. 
(Detroit) 

really didn’t have the ball that 
much. That’s defense, through 
having a great offense.”

Paul believes the Wolverines’ 

performance against the Titans 
was one of the most balanced 
he has ever seen. Michigan 
outshot Detroit 52-28, and Paul 
credited the margin to playing 
mistake-free lacrosse.

Not 
only 
was 
Michigan 

pleased with the result on the 
field, but also for what the 
victory means off the field 
too. Ever since the Titans took 
Michigan to overtime last year, 
many players have taken the 
in-state matchup personally.

“So much for us right now 

is about confidence,” Paul said. 
“We’re coming out of these first 
two games pretty confident. 
When we have a team that hasn’t 
really 
proven 
anything 
yet, 

confidence is the step you need 
to start actually proving it.”

MEN’S LACROSSE

