The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
November 16, 2015 — 3B
FIELD HOCKEY
‘M’ season ends
in quarterfinals
Wolverines upset
Wake Forest, then
fall to UNC in
NCAA Tournament
By AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
For the No. 1 North Carolina
field hockey team, the situation
felt familiar.
Not
only
was
the
team
playing on its home turf — it was
also with a lineup consisting
of
six
upperclassmen
and
two sophomores with NCAA
Tournament experience. On the
other hand, No. 10 Michigan had
a lineup consisting of just three
players from the Wolverines’
last tournament appearance.
After a 2-1 upset victory over
No. 7 Wake Forest, Michigan
(7-1 Big Ten, 18-5 overall) faced
the experienced Tar Heels on
Sunday, but came up short in a
1-0 loss.
“The fact that we played them
in preseason really helped,” said
freshman forward Emma Way.
“We knew we could’ve beaten
them.”
North Carolina (4-2 ACC,
20-2 overall), took control of the
game from the start. The Tar
Heels outshot the Wolverines,
11-2 in the first half and 4-0 in
the second. North Carolina also
earned four corners compared
to only one for Michigan.
In Saturday’s game, led by
redshirt
sophomore
forward
Carly Bennett, the Wolverines
outshot the Demon Deacons 8-2
in the first half and netted two
goals.
In the second half, Michigan
halted Wake Forest’s 11 shots,
anchored by first-team All-Big
Ten goalie Sam Swenson.
Against
the
Tar
Heels,
Swenson again stepped up to
the challenge, saving six shots,
in the first half, including two
in a row in the 25th and 26th
minutes.
“She’s one of the best goalies
in the nation,” said Michigan
coach Marcia Pankratz. “Our
team
feels
very
confident
playing in front of her. She helps
us become more aggressive in
our tactics.”
Though the Wolverines lost
in the quarterfinals, Pankratz
remained optimistic about the
future of Michigan’s young
team.
“(The tournament) teaches
them
to
have
experience,”
Pankratz said of the Wolverines’
younger players. “The seniors
brought this program back into
elite status in the nation, and the
younger players will gain that
tradition.”
Michigan made its first NCAA
Tournament appearance in three
years, though Pankratz believed
her squad’s No. 9 ranking last
year made it deserving of a spot
in the Sweet 16.
The
Wolverines’
youth
was on display in Sunday’s
game, as Pankratz included
six sophomores in the starting
lineup.
“For a team where 90 percent
of the players have never played
in the tournament yet in their
lives,” Pankratz said, “they
played with poise, confidence
and maturity. I couldn’t be more
proud of them.”
Though this season ended
on a low note, Michigan has
much to look forward to in
coming years. Next season,
Way, Bennett and Swenson will
be juniors and with a taste of
NCAA Tournament experience
behind them, the Wolverines
will be the experienced team.
Wolverines roll in opener
By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Editor
On
Friday
night,
Aubrey
Dawkins put an exclamation
point on 100 years of Michigan
men’s
basketball.
With
seven
minutes left in the first half
against
Northern
Michigan,
the sophomore guard elevated,
stretched out his left hand and
threw down a put-back dunk off
a missed 3-pointer from redshirt
sophomore Duncan Robinson.
It was a highlight in a night
meant to celebrate a century
of Michigan men’s basketball
seasons. But Friday showed that
Team 100 is far from 100 percent
of the way to where it wants to
be, even as it rolled past the
Wildcats, 70-44.
The 25th-ranked Wolverines
(1-0) looked sluggish early in the
first half.
Four turnovers in a span of
just over two minutes kept the
Wildcats in the game deep into
the first frame, and they trailed
by just four points with eight
minutes remaining in the half.
“(It’s) just a little rust — first
game,”
Dawkins
said.
“(We
were) rushing a little bit trying to
make a really good play instead
of making the right play.”
Early in the half, senior guard
Caris LeVert tried to dish to a
teammate at the low post. But a
miscommunication resulted in
no one being on the receiving
end of his pass, and Northern
Michigan took over possession.
Later, after grabbing a defensive
board, Robinson drove to the
rim but couldn’t decide between
whether
to
shoot
or
pass.
Instead, he jumped, hesitated
and a Wildcat player got a hand
on the ball, forcing a jump ball
that stayed with the Wildcats.
Less than two minutes later,
sophomore guard Muhammad-
Ali Abdur-Rahkman tried to
pirouette and pass to an open
D.J. Wilson, but the redshirt
freshman forward wasn’t ready
for it, and the ball went off
Wilson’s hand out of bounds.
But
then,
Dawkins
took
flight, and Michigan took off.
Following his electrifying dunk,
the Wolverines couldn’t miss.
A
minute
after,
LeVert
took
two
dribbles
and
two
strong
strides to take
him from the
perimeter
to
the hoop for a
layup. On the
next possession, junior guard
Derrick Walton Jr. stole the ball
and finished with a strong layup
of his own.
Michigan
had
found
its
rhythm. Better late than never.
On the Wolverines’ next trip
down the court, Wilson backed
down his defender and hit a
six-foot
turnaround
jumper.
Sophomore forward Kameron
Chatman got in on the action
next with a layup, and Dawkins
— who started the streak —
ended
it
with
a
3-pointer,
before Michigan missed its next
attempt. Six straight buckets
swung the pendulum in the
Wolverines’ direction to give
them a 10-point lead going into
half.
In the second half, Michigan
wasted
little
time
getting
back
into
its
groove.
Dawkins
dunked again
and hit a three
in the opening
three minutes
as
Michigan
coasted.
Both Michigan coach John
Beilein
and
LeVert
called
Dawkins’ performance efficient.
The sophomore took just
seven shots — only missing a
single 3-point attempt — to tally
15 points total. He also grabbed
six boards.
“That’s what we expect from
Aubrey every night,” LeVert
said. “He was on the offensive
glass, played great defense and
knocked down a couple shots.”
Dawkins was only bested
by LeVert, who shot 7-for-12
from the field and knocked
down two 3’s for a game-high
18 points. It was LeVert’s first
regular-season game since Jan.
17 when he got injured against
Northwestern.
Down low, junior forward
Mark Donnal started at the ‘5,’
but played just 10 minutes in
total. Beilein rotated sophomore
forward Ricky Doyle and Wilson
into that role, and 6-foot-10
freshman Moritz Wagner even
entered to play the ‘5’ late in
the second half, burning his
redshirt.
Donnal
started
in
the
exhibition, too, but that likely
won’t be the case all season.
“He knows just enough of
what we’re doing and is just solid
enough right now,” Beilein said.
“I would expect that would be a
competitive spot all year long.”
Michigan’s start was slow,
but when the rust came off and
the wheels started turning, the
Wolverines rolled into another
century of Michigan basketball.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Caris LeVert led Michigan with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting in the Wolverines’ season opener.
N. MICH.
MICHIGAN
44
70
“(It’s) just a
little rust —
first game.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Thome scores 21
to lead Michigan
By TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT
—
Opponents
haven’t found an answer yet for
the Michigan women’s basketball
team’s
newest
center, and
6-foot-5
freshman Hallie Thome hopes to
keep it that way.
Thome and Michigan (2-0)
fought for their 88-61 win at
Detroit on Sunday, but it came
far tougher than first game of
the weekend. Sophomore guard
Katelynn Flaherty shouldered
a four-foul burden most of the
second half, but Michigan spread
the wealth, turning to Thome
down in the paint.
Because Thome towered above
her shorter opponents — she was
listed as at least five inches taller
than every Titan — it was easy for
the Wolverine guards to feed her
over the top, where she swiveled
and finished for six points by the
end of the opening quarter, and
10 by halftime.
“Different
than
yesterday,
right?” Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico said. “Our guards
dominated yesterday (against
Binghamton). It was nice to see
our bigs get some touches and
establish an inside presence
early. It was nice to see (Thome)
have a great game.”
Added senior guard Madison
Ristovski: “(Thome) is making
a positive impact already to the
defense. She’s got great hands,
and she can finish really well
around the rim. She’s someone I
can throw the ball to and know
will catch and finish.”
Detroit battled to hold the
Wolverines’ lead to just three
through the first quarter, but
Michigan came out of the huddle
in the same full-court press that
shut down Binghamton the day
before. The Wolverines swung an
eight-point run in the first three
minutes to build an 11-point lead,
and they never looked back.
In that span, four turnovers
from
Detroit
(0-2)
doomed
the Titans, who went on to
give up 30 to Michigan in the
second quarter. But despite the
gritty, physical play from guard
Rosanna Reynolds (19 points, 4
rebounds, 3 assists) Detroit never
looked capable of settling in.
Reynolds carried her side, but
she faced foul trouble as well
after she accidentally whacked
Michigan
freshman
guard
Nicole Munger across the mouth
in the second quarter, giving the
Wolverines a free basket from
the line after the dead-ball foul.
The
freshmen,
Thome
included, continued to shine
as they had in the prior game.
Late in the first half, guard
Boogie Brozoski notched two of
her six assists after the Titans
continued to turn the ball over
against the press.
Brozoski and Thome linked
up much like they did in the
preseason exhibition when the
point guard tossed a lob halfway
down the court out of every
Titan’s reach to Thome, who laid
in the basket. Sunday, Thome
went 9-for-11 shooting with
21 points, adding three blocks
and six rebounds to lead the
Wolverines.
The matchup was also a family
affair, as Ristovski dueled it
out against her younger sisters,
Detroit’s
Haleigh
and
Lola
Ristovski. Lola, the youngest of
them all, finished the game with
nine points, and Haleigh had five
compared to Madison’s seven.
“I’m very happy Lola played
well, but I also hit a 3 in her
face, so I’ll remind her of that
when she tells me she had
more points than me,” Madison
Ristovski said.
Carrying at least a 20-point
lead most of the second half,
Michigan
walked
out
of
Calihan Hall with its second
consecutive
win,
but
more
importantly, it obtained even
more evidence that Thome can
be as good as advertised.
DETROIT
MICHIGAN
61
88
Niagara falls to Wolverines
Fast start paces
Michigan; road
trip to Boston
University up next
By MINH DOAN
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan hockey team’s
previous outing was a rough one,
a 4-0 loss to Robert Morris at
Yost Ice Arena on Oct. 31.
Two
weeks
passed
before
the
12th-ranked Wolverines (5-1-1)
finally got the chance to hit the
ice again to face Niagara.
Motivated to push past its
first loss of the season, Michigan
walked away from Yost Ice
Arena with an emphatic 7-3
victory over the Purple Eagles
(0-1-1 Atlantic Hockey League,
0-5-2 overall).
“It was good to get back into
a game,” said Michigan coach
Red Berenson. “You try to create
a game condition and a game
intensity in practice. Some days
we’re good, and some days we’re
not so good. But I thought we
executed a lot better tonight.
“You’d like to be able to get
back out there the next week.
We practiced all week like we
weren’t playing, and we had to
ramp it up again this week.”
Within 10 seconds of the
opening faceoff, junior forward
JT Compher found himself on a
breakaway after a nifty faceoff
play. But Niagara goaltender
Joe O’Brien was up to the task,
getting a blocker on Compher’s
shot and denying Michigan the
chance to grab the early lead.
“There’s
more
and
more
faceoff plays in hockey now,”
Berenson said. “Whether it’s the
center ice faceoff or an offensive
zone faceoff, we’re just trying to
make things happen.”
Niagara
wasn’t
so
lucky
seven
minutes
later
when
freshman forward Kyle Connor
found himself wide open just
outside the right faceoff circle.
Connor collected the feed from
sophomore
defenseman
Sam
Piazza and fired the puck home,
past O’Brien’s glove to give
Michigan the 1-0 lead.
From there, the Wolverines
took it to O’Brien, scoring twice
in one minute. Senior forward
Justin Selman redirected a shot,
and Connor notched his second
of the game. Connor’s second
goal was the
last
straw,
and
O’Brien
was pulled as
Michigan went
into the first
intermission
up 3-0.
Even
with
a new Niagara
goaltender
in net for the second period,
Michigan didn’t let up.
With just 1:45 gone in the
second stanza, Michigan’s third
line got on the board when
freshman
forward
Cooper
Marody put the Wolverines up
by four by redirecting a shot to
beat new goaltender Guillaume
Therien.
“One of our strengths is that
we have four lines that can all
score,” Marody said.
It didn’t get much better
for Therien in the second as
Michigan peppered the Niagara
netminder with shots, breaking
through again on the power
play
when
junior
forward
Tyler Motte tipped a shot from
Compher for his fifth goal of the
season.
Niagara got on the board with
1:49 left in the second period
with a goal by Tanner Lomsnes,
but by then, it was a moot point.
In the third period, Michigan
got
goals
from
sophomore
forward Tony Calderone and
sophomore
defense,
while
Niagara
defenseman
Niko
Kovachis and forward Stanislav
Dzakhov tallied for the Purple
Eagles.
“We’re fortunate to be able to
recruit players like Werenski,
Connor, (senior forward Boo
Nieves) and Compher,” Berenson
said. “These guys are all top
recruits, and they can score. I
know we can be top offensively.
We just have to play them with
the right people and in the right
role.”
In the Michigan net, senior
goaltender Steve Racine earned
the start and excelled, stopping
21 shots and flashing the leather
multiple
times
throughout
the game before giving way to
freshman Chad Catt with 9:52
left
in
the
game.
“I
thought
(Racine)
played
well,”
Werenski said.
“He made big
saves for us.
It’s also good
to
start
3-0
there in the
first period to give him some
confidence.”
With a trip to No. 11 Boston
University looming in a week,
it would’ve been easy for the
Wolverines to look past their
game against a winless Niagara
team.
But
instead,
Michigan
buckled down and will head
to Boston off arguably its best
game of the season thus far.
“It’s a one-game weekend,
there’s nothing to save it for,”
Berenson said. “We know we
have a tough opponent next
week, and we have to get our
game up to another level. I
thought we took a step towards
that tonight.”
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Kyle Connor’s goal jumpstarted the Michigan offense against Niagara.
NIAGARA
MICHIGAN
3
7
For more game coverage
Check the hockey page on
MichiganDaily.com
“It was good to
get back into a
game.”