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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | February 16, 2015
SportsMonday

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fter Northwestern took its first lead of the game with 4.3 
seconds remaining, senior guard Shannon Smith raced down 
the court to get close enough for one last 

heave. She stopped five feet behind the 3-point 
line and put up a wild shot.

The ball hit the front of the rim before dropping 

to the floor, game over, 63-62, Northwestern. 
The Wildcats’ first lead of the game was the most 
important one, the last one.

On the sideline, all Michigan women’s 

basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico could do was 
cross her arms and stand there, stunned, just like 
all 2,129 people in attendance at Crisler Center.

Sophomore guard Madison Ristovski and 

senior forward Cyesha Goree each missed a pair of free throws before 
Northwestern forward Nia Coffey took the ball from coast to coast for 

the go-ahead layup.

And that’s all it took. Just a few made free throws, and the game 

could’ve been so much different.

But this wasn’t the first time just a few missed free throws or 

layups made the difference. That’s all it has taken for almost all of 
Michigan’s losses in the conference.

On Jan. 7 at No. 18 Rutgers, after being down by as many as 19 

points, the Wolverines climbed their way back into the game to tie it 
at 51 with 10 minutes left in the game.

But Michigan couldn’t punch through and take the lead. It missed 

a few shots, and Rutgers dominated the rest of the way. Maybe if the 
Wolverines took the lead, they could’ve held on for the win.

On Jan. 22 at No. 14 Iowa, Michigan used a late run to get back to 

within four points of the Hawkeyes after being down for a majority of 
the game. But once again, a missed few shots and turnovers later, and 
the Wolverines walked off the court with a loss.

On Feb. 1 at No. 22 Nebraska, Michigan led by six at halftime before 

shooting 35.6 percent in the second half, as Nebraska went on a 25-6 
run to walk away with the victory.

On Feb. 8 against Rutgers at home, the Wolverines put on another 

late run to draw within two with four minutes remaining in the 
game. But once again, sophomore guard Siera Thompson and junior 
guard Madison Ristovski each missed 3-pointers that would have 
put Michigan ahead, and the Scarlet Knights pulled away to win the 
game, 57-50.

On Feb. 10 at Ohio State, the Wolverines went up by 12 with less 

than 10 minutes left in the game. But as their defensive intensity 
faded due to foul trouble, so did Michigan’s offensive efficiency. The 
Buckeyes used a 10-0 run to get the game within one before taking 
over with two minutes left in the game to pull out the victory.

And Saturday in Ann Arbor, maybe it was the missed free throws 

or maybe it was a missed 

DATE WITH
DISASTER

T

he Michigan hockey team 
has finally fallen back 
down to earth.

Searching for a series split 

Saturday at Minnesota, the 
Wolverines conceded the game’s 
first goal within four minutes 
of the opening whistle. Junior 
goaltender Steve Racine watched 
the puck whiz over his left 
shoulder, prompting him to slam 
his fists on his 
knees.

In a grinding, 

defensive battle, 
it would stand 
as the eventual 
game-winner 
and a moment 
of frustration 
crammed into 
a weekend of 
uncertainty.

The loss was 

Michigan’s third 
in four games, 
all of which 
came after a 
seven-game 
winning streak. 
But after the game, Racine said it isn’t was time to 
go back to the drawing board just yet.

“I don’t think so,” Racine said. “This is probably 

one of the top-three hardest buildings to play in in 
the country. Just to come away with points would 
have been nice, but we know what kind of team 
we have going forward, and I think we just have to 
keep doing what we’re doing.”

Optimism is nice and fluffy and comfortable, 

but this isn’t the time for Michigan to celebrate 
moral victories. This weekend provided a valuable 
opportunity to separate from the rest of the Big 
Ten. Instead, two points now separate four teams.

Junior forward Boo Nieves had different 

sentiments from 
Racine before 
Saturday’s 
game — you 
know, the night 
the Wolverines 
almost beat an 
unranked team 
that entered the 
weekend six 
points behind 
them in the 
conference 
standings.

“One of the 

biggest things 
is to not get 
complacent,” 
Nieves said. 

“We swept this team at our place, and now we’re 
kind of in the same position they were Friday night 
at Yost. So I think we need to regroup and get back 

to basics and do the things that are helping us win.”

Those things that were helping Michigan win 

involved limiting turnovers and driving pucks and 
bodies to the net. At times, the defensive effort was 
enough to get by. But this weekend, all those things 
were moot. Minnesota was the better team, and it 
showed.

More than anything, though, an unsustainable 

offense that scored 52 goals in its first eight 
conference games has been grounded. It’s that 
offense that helped hide a suspect defense and keep 

the Wolverines’ 
inconsistent 
goaltending 
somewhere safe.

It was like 

when Mom asks 
you to clean your 
room and you 
shove everything 
under the bed 
hoping she’ll 
never notice. In 
Michigan’s case, 
Minnesota took 
note and threw 
everything 
into the open 
for the entire 
neighborhood 

to see.

The Wolverines were sloppy in their own 

zone Friday, and the goaltending was poor. The 

defensive concerns they started the season with 
surfaced yet again, prompting an inevitable change.

“The goals went in too easy,” said Michigan 

coach Red Berenson.

Following an embarrassing 6-2 loss on Friday, he 

went back to the drawing board. He had to.

Racine started in net after sophomore Zach 

Nagelvoort’s performance on Friday was well 
below Berenson’s standards. In doing so, Berenson 
restarted the seemingly endless goaltending 
carousel he’s been riding this season.

It almost 

worked. Racine 
made 31 saves 
Saturday, many 
of them as he 
was sprawled 
out, and lying 
on his back, and 
in any position 
but upright. It 
was arguably 
his best 
performance of 
the season, but 
all he received 
in return was a 
2-0 loss and a 
pat on the back.

Moving 

forward, Michigan has to make changes. It’s left 
with no other choice as a result of injuries and 

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES

STEEL BLUE

n Carol Hutchins’ 
program is as 
strong as ever. 
SportsMonday 
Column, Page 2B
ONE FOR THREE

n Michigan prevented a 
series sweep on Sunday. 
Page 4B

MINH
DOAN

JEREMY
SUMMITT

See MICHIGAN, Page 4B

See ROSES, Page 2B

RITA MORRIS/Daily

PAUL SHERMAN/Daily

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

JAMES COLLER/Daily