Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 — 7A
Wolverines build
lead early in second
half, hold off N.C.
State on the road
By KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. — Duncan
Robinson smirked at his bench.
After the Wolverines trailed,
then led, and then came close
to trailing
once
more,
the
redshirt
sophomore guard sank his fifth
3-pointer with 6:48 left in the
game to give the Michigan men’s
basketball team the cushion it
needed to hang on to its lead and
beat North Carolina State, 66-59.
“We showed great fight down
the stretch,” said senior guard
Caris LeVert. “They made a
run — we knew they would —
their crowd got behind them,
but we still stuck together. We
made some big baskets down the
stretch. Duncan’s 3 and Zak’s 3
were huge for us, we got stops
when we needed and rebounded
well, and that’s what got us over.”
For the first 10 minutes
of
Michigan’s
Big
Ten/ACC
Challenge matchup at N.C. State,
it appeared the Wolverines were
going to fall to the Wolfpack in a
similar fashion to their first two
losses — with poor shooting and a
lack of an impactful big man.
Michigan (5-2) started the
game shooting just 2-for-9 from
the field, but with 10:12 left in
the first half, Robinson ignited
the Wolverines with a 3-pointer
that put them one point short of
the Wolfpack, 11-10. What started
as a game dominated by N.C.
State quickly descended into a
back-and-forth contest, with the
two teams exchanging leads five
times in the next two minutes.
But once Michigan grabbed
control, it never lost its lead.
Freshman
forward
Moritz
Wagner,
who
came
in
for
sophomore
big
man
Ricky
Doyle four minutes after the tip,
awakened the Michigan bench
with a monster one-hand slam
with 8:06 to go. Wagner collected
four fouls over the course of the
game but emerged as a steady
backup with eight points on
4-for-7 shooting.
“I think that’s kind of my
thing, to give the team energy,”
Wagner said. “I think that’s what
people ask me to do, and I really
enjoy that role.”
After
opening
the
game
shooting
2-for-9,
Michigan
made its next seven of eight.
Robinson had a big part of
Michigan’s late control. He hit
two 3-pointers in a row to give
Michigan a comfortable seven-
point lead. The Wolverines
maintained that lead, going into
halftime up 34-26.
After
junior
guard
Derrick
Walton
left
the
game late in the
first frame with
a
slight
sprain
on his left ankle,
sophomore guard
Muhammad-Ali
Abdur-Rahkman
started the second
half and played
the bulk of the
minutes at point
guard.
Senior
guard
Spike
Albrecht,
who has played
only spot minutes
while
rehabbing
his hips, was also
able to make an
appearance.
He
got on the court
with
14:46
left
in the game after
keeping his sweats on during the
first half. Just 19 seconds later,
he fed senior guard Caris LeVert
for an alley-oop dunk that gave
Michigan a 15-point lead.
The
Wolfpack
gradually
whittled the Wolverines’ lead
over the next minutes, led by
forward
Caleb
Martin,
who
scored 10 points on a 12-1 run to
make the score 46-42.
LeVert’s
steady
dominance
made it impossible for the
Wolfpack to come all the way
back, scoring 18 points, dishing
out seven assists and grabbing
nine rebounds. And with help
from Robinson, who ended the
game with 17 points on 6-for-
8
shooting,
the
Wolverines’
confidence was on full display.
“(Robinson’s
shooting)
is
deadly,” LeVert said. “When he
hits a couple in a row, you wanna
look for him every time you can.
… He just knocks them down.
“If we were playing against a
guy like Duncan, we would never
leave him open.”
LeVert, Michigan hold off Wolfpack
Abdur-Rahkman,
Albrecht pick up
slack with Derrick
Walton Jr. injured
By JACOB GASE
Daily Sports Editor
RALEIGH,
N.C.
—
The
Michigan men’s basketball team
was finally starting to roll in its Big
Ten/ACC Challenge showdown
against North Carolina State,
but on the Wolverines’ bench,
Derrick Walton Jr.’s face was
buried in a towel.
The junior guard had just
helped the Wolverines break
an early tie with a 10-0 scoring
run, but after Wolfpack forward
Maverick Rowan ended the
drought
with
a
3-pointer,
Walton came up grabbing his
left ankle in pain.
Walton
—
who
missed
Michigan’s final 12 games last
season with a toe injury in the
same foot — hid his face during
a brief examination on the bench
before slowly limping to the
locker room moments later. He
was officially diagnosed with a
slightly sprained ankle and did
not return for the second half,
leaving the Wolverines without
their floor general.
Fortunately for Michigan, the
rest of its offense came ready to
play to the tune of a 66-59 victory,
even without Walton’s direction.
Just 11 days after his 29 points
weren’t enough to down Xavier
at Crisler Center, junior guard
Caris LeVert proved the offense’s
success could stem from his own
performance. LeVert essentially
ran the point for most of the second
half, and his 18 points, seven
assists and nine rebounds were all
team highs. More importantly, his
poise and persistence — perhaps
best exemplified by his buzzer-
beating jumper to end the first
half — kept the Wolverines from
taking their feet off the gas.
“Coach came to
me and told me I
was gonna be the
lead guard in the
second half,” LeVert
said. “Derrick’s our
brother out there,
so we wanted to get
the win for him. He
played so well in the
first half offensively
and defensively, we
knew (the rest of us)
had to play well in
that game.”
Redshirt
sophomore
guard
Duncan
Robinson
showed
he
also
possesses the same
3-point
shooting
prowess as Stauskas
and can take over a
close game with his
shooting.
Robinson knocked
down five of his seven 3-point
attempts on his way to 17 points,
including a huge triple with just
under seven minutes remaining
to extend a narrow four-point
lead to seven.
“When (N.C. State) pushed
hard, we needed somebody to
step up,” said Michigan coach
John Beilein. “(That last 3)
was probably the only bad shot
Duncan took, but it was one of
those, ‘No, no, no ... that’s my guy
(after he made it).’ “
LeVert may have been the
de facto point guard for the
Wolverines in the second half, but
both sophomore Muhammad-
Ali Abdur-Rahkman and senior
Spike Albrecht were needed for
meaningful minutes.
Abdur-Rahkman
is
no
stranger to being unexpectedly
thrust into action thanks to
last year’s injury problems, and
though he didn’t light up the box
score, his experience showed in
his defensive matchup with N.C.
State leading scorer Anthony
“Cat” Barber.
Albrecht,
meanwhile,
was
dressed in sweatpants for the
first half in keeping with Beilein’s
stated plan to focus on rehabbing
from his offseason hip surgeries.
But after Walton went down,
Albrecht came out in uniform for
the second half. The ailing senior
played just five minutes, but he
punctuated his brief time on the
floor by lobbing a perfect alley-
oop to LeVert.
At
least
for
tonight,
the
Wolverines proved they could
survive a tough road matchup
without a true point guard
thanks to stellar play from LeVert
and Robinson. But with Walton’s
health now up in the air — he will
be reevaluated before Michigan’s
game Saturday against Houston
Baptist — and Albrecht’s road to
recovery still dragging on, only
time will tell if that offensive
productivity is sustainable.
A look at Michigan’s competition
By JUSTIN MEYER
Daily Sports Writer
With three days until the puck
drops on the Big Ten hockey sea-
son, the conference is a mess. All
six teams have laid more than
their fair share of goose eggs. In
fact, just two teams enter confer-
ence play with a winning record.
In 16 games against the
National Collegiate Hockey Con-
ference, considered the country’s
strongest this year, the Big Ten
has lumbered to a 1-14-1 record.
No. 12 Michigan and Penn State
have managed to separate from
the pack just by playing respect-
ably.
It’s too early to be certain, but
more than one Big Ten team mak-
ing the NCAA Tournament looks
hopeless.
With the Wolverines (7-2-2)
hosting Wisconsin on Friday at
Yost Ice Arena for the start of a
weekend series, the Daily breaks
down the competition across the
conference.
Penn State (8-2-3)
There are no two ways about it
— the Nittany Lions are a strong
team.
The young hockey program
has grown at an incredible pace
over the last four years, and this
season is no exception. Goalten-
der Eamon McAdam holds the
best goals-against average and
save percentage in the confer-
ence.
Penn State also ranks first in
goals per game (4.15) and goals
allowed per game (2.38). Yes, the
team’s strength of schedule is
undeniably weak — ranked 46th
out of 60 teams. The Nittany
Lions didn’t help themselves with
a loss to unranked Notre Dame
and a tie with a Niagara team that
Michigan handled easily.
But the numbers don’t lie, and
Penn State can suffer significant
drops in productivity without
another team in the conference,
aside from of Michigan, sniffing
its statistical leads.
Wisconsin (3-5-4)
The Badgers opened the 2015
season with six winless games.
The competition was stiff at
times, including visits to No. 10
Boston University and No. 1 Bos-
ton College, but the 0-3-3 start
likely dashed any chance for an
at-large bid for the postseason.
Wisconsin followed the slow
start with several good perfor-
mances against top teams like
No. 4 North Dakota and No. 9
Denver. This weekend’s trip to
Michigan finally gives the Bad-
gers the chance to right the ship
once and for all.
The most severe correction
needs to take place in the offen-
sive zone. Wisconsin is averaging
a dismal 2.33 goals per game, last
in the Big Ten, and has scored
just three even-strength goals all
season.
Freshman goaltender Matt
Jurusik has been a nice addi-
tion since he took over the start-
ing role. Jurusik has posted a
respectable 2.89 goals-against
average and save percentage of
.906. Those numbers are par-
ticularly
impressive
because
they come against the high-pro-
duction offenses that Wisconsin
faced in non-conference play.
Michigan State (4-7-2)
The 2015 season has not been
kind to the Spartans. After fin-
ishing second in the Big Ten last
season, Michigan State is heading
into conference play with seven
losses.
Four of those defeats came in
definitive sweeps at the hands of
North Dakota and Denver. The
Spartans were outscored 14-4 in
those contests. In games against
the top 20 this season, the team
is 0-6-1.
Besides the strong strength of
schedule, ranked No. 22, there
aren’t a lot of positives thus far for
Michigan State. Defensively, the
Spartans rank near the bottom
of the Big Ten. Their goals-per-
game average of 3.00 is good for
19th in the nation, but it is hardly
enough to make up for the lapses
on the other end.
Even worse, Michigan State
doesn’t look likely to improve
in the short term. The Spartans
have another tough test this
weekend when they travel to
Penn State.
Minnesota (4-7-0)
One of the conference’s big-
gest disappointments remains
an enigma. The Golden Gophers
have talent in bunches, but lack
even one signature win after
playing several strong teams.
The Minnesota are the only
Big Ten team to make the NCAA
Tournament in each of the three
years since the conference’s
founding. But a shaky non-con-
ference performance did the
team no favors toward retaining
that distinction.
The Golden Gophers looked to
be turning it around after a slug-
gish start to the season before
being swept by No. 7 St. Cloud
State last weekend. Now, ques-
tions surfaced about how good
they really are.
Several
notable
departures
this spring make it likely that
Minnesota will rebound to bet-
ter form as the season continues,
none more significant than goal-
tender Adam Wilcox. Wilcox left
early to sign with Tampa Bay and
currently plays in the AHL, but
Eric Schierhorn has performed
well in his absence. The fresh-
man posted a .916 save percent-
age through 11 games.
On a positive note, the future
does look bright for the Golden
Gophers — if only because Ohio
State is on the horizon.
Ohio State (3-9-0)
The Buckeyes are awful.
Junior goalie Matt Tomkins
ranks last in the Big Ten in save
percentage, goals-against aver-
age and winning percentage. It’s
certainly not fair to heap all of
the blame on the netminder, but a
3.20 goals-against average makes
it nearly impossible to win games.
Ohio State travels to Min-
nesota this weekend, looking to
improve an 0-6-0 record on the
road. While a loss isn’t definite,
one thing is: It’s going to be a long
season in Columbus.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Red Berenson’s team remains near the top of a weak Big Ten this season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Thome, Dunston
fill gaps on glass
By TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
After Cyesha Goree graduated,
the Michigan women’s basketball
team lost a center who averaged
more
than
10
rebounds
a
game.
Heading into the 2015 season,
the Wolverines were in need of a
replacement.
Enter
Hallie
Thome.
The
freshman center and former Ohio
Ms. Basketball is supposed to get
rebounds. After all, she is 6-foot-5.
“It’s nice to have that post
presence inside,” said Michigan
coach Kim Barnes Arico on
Tuesday to WTKA. “And I know
we worried about it this year,
losing (Goree).”
Expectations haven’t entirely
been met, though. Thome has
pulled down 28 rebounds through
six games for the Wolverines.
Averaging 4.7 boards per game
isn’t exactly what one would
expect from someone of Thome’s
size. She isn’t playing poorly by
any means — hitting a remarkable
76.6 percent of her shots — but
her lack of aggressiveness on the
glass seems to negate her height
advantage.
The
Wolverines
focus
on
rebounding every day in practice,
and assistant coach Melanie
Moore works with Thome one on
one, challenging her to grab more
boards. When the whole team
gets together for the rebounding
drills, it tends to get pretty
intense.
Barnes Arico will typically
put five of the team’s practice
managers around the arc, and
the Wolverines all line up on
the free throw line. When the
coach shoots the ball up toward
the backboard, the players turn
around, find a manager to block
and grab the rebound.
If a player fails to block out one
of the practice managers, she is
taken off the court.
Drills like these are what
Thome needs in order to become
more aggressive. She has great
hands and finishes around the
rim better than anyone Michigan
has faced so far, but she still
hasn’t filled the rebounding void.
Making up the lost ground
is sophomore forward Jillian
Dunston. A new addition to the
starting five, Dunston leads the
team with 49 rebounds — twice
as many as Thome. Dunston and
Thome are essentially opposites.
What the 5-foot-11 Dunston lacks
in height, she makes up for with
her tough, gritty attitude in the
paint.
Sunday,
the
Wolverines
outrebounded
Oral
Roberts,
37-33, and Dunston led the way
with nine. Michigan was actually
trailing the Golden Eagles in
rebounds at the end of the first
half, but it came back to dominate
the boards after the break.
STAYING
UNBEATEN:
Michigan is 6-0 for the first time
since the 2011-2012 season. Not a
single opponent has lost by less
than 15 points, and it’s largely due
to the Wolverines’ deep roster.
“I don’t know as a coach how
many times in my career I’ve had
(this much depth) before,” Barnes
Arico said. “Usually you have a
couple players that can score, but
not eight or nine. We have eight
or nine that can be our leading
scorer on any given night, or at
least make a big basket.”
Michigan is deepest at the
guard position, led by junior
Siera Thompson and sophomore
Katelynn Flaherty. There are
about
six
guards
that
play
double-digit minutes every game,
but it’s not because Barnes Arico
is playing a four-guard lineup.
Barnes Arico has tended to
keep two forwards in most of the
time, rotating Thome, Dunston
and senior Kelsey Mitchell.
It’s a good problem to have, but
no matter the depth, Michigan’s
undefeated streak is going to
be put to the test this week
with games against Pittsburgh
and Princeton, both of which
defeated the Wolverines last year.
NOTEBOOK
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Caris LeVert led the way with 18 points, seven assists and nine rebounds as the Wolverines picked up a big road win.
MICHIGAN
N.C. STATE
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