The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SportsMonday January 25, 2016 — 3B WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS ‘M’ earns first Big Ten road triumph By MATTHEW KENNEDY Daily Sports Writer After easily defeating No. 25 Ohio State a week ago, the Michigan women’s gymnastics team repeated its dominating performance Saturday against No. 17 Illinois in Champaign. The third-ranked Wolverines (2-0 Big Ten, 5-0 overall), who fell from their No. 1 national ranking last week, led from the get-go and never relinquished their lead to defeat the Fighting Illini, 196.900-195.150. The victory gave Michigan its first Big Ten road win of the year. Regardless of whatever event was going on, though, one thing was always notable: The team seemed to be having fun. The gymnasts were cheering each other on, smiling and doing the routines with each other. During the floor routine, even the normally stern judges cracked smiles while watching the Michigan gymnasts. “This is a fun team, this is a fun group of girls,” Plocki said. “We focus a lot on, the more fun we’re having, the more successful we’re going to be because having fun means you’re relaxed. And if you’re relaxed, you’re going to go out there and do what you’re capable of doing. Typically, if you’re nervous and stressed out, that’s really not a performance- enhancing kind of thing.” The battle for the all-around title was significantly closer than the meet itself, though with one caveat: It was between two Michigan gymnasts. Freshman Olivia Karas, competing in her home state of Illinois, narrowly edged out junior All-American Nicole Artz, 39.550- 39.425, to take home the all-around crown. Sophomore All-American Brianna Brown finished fifth in the all-around standings with a score of 38.975. Brown, who was Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year last season, had to fill in for senior Briley Casanova, who had a minor injury, on the vault. Artz also had her shin wrapped due to soreness, though Plocki said the wrapping was there to prevent the soreness from turning into an injury. Michigan started off the night extremely strong, with sophomore Nichelle Christopherson and senior Lindsay Williams both sticking their landings on the uneven bars. Artz had great extension throughout her routine to tie for first in the event with a 9.900. The Wolverines continued to set the night’s dominating mood on the vault, where Karas propelled herself to a career- high 9.950. As the Wolverines were competing on the vault, two different Illinois gymnasts fell off the uneven bars, all but spelling doom for the Fighting Illini. Surprisingly, Michigan’s worst event of the night was on the floor, where it is ranked second in the nation. A strong performance on the beam, though, guaranteed the Wolverines a 47th consecutive win against the Illini. With Illinois, the next-highest ranked team in the Big Ten after the Wolverines, out of the way, it appears that Michigan is in the driver’s seat to repeat as Big Ten champions. To Michigan coach Bev Plocki, though, the victory doesn’t change the team’s mindset. “Our goal from the very beginning of the year — and for several years — has been not only to win the Big Ten, but to win a national championship,” Plocki said. “I really like where we are, and we have made improvements in all four events. It’s just a matter of putting that all together and having all of that show up in the same competition. That’s when we feel like we’ll be really hitting our stride.” Michigan wins twice at home tournament Wolverines rout San Francisco, slip past No. 23 Kentucky in ITA Kick-Off By TOR THORNE For the Daily The No. 14 Michigan women’s tennis team clinched its seventh consecutive trip to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships this weekend, as the Wolverines defeated San Francisco and No. 23 Kentucky en route to winning the ITA Kick-Off. In Michigan’s sixth consecutive year hosting the event, home- field advantage at a particularly noisy Varsity Tennis Center helped the Wolverines breeze through San Francisco by a score of 4-0 on Saturday. In prior weeks, Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein pressured the Wolverines to cheer each other on to create a louder, livelier atmosphere. Sunday, key victories by freshman Kate Fahey at No. 3 singles and senior Ronit Yurovsky at No. 1 singles gave Michigan a 4-3 match victory over the Wildcats. In doubles, aggressiveness at the net propelled No. 1 doubles pair freshman Brienne Minor and sophomore Mira Ruder-Hook and No. 2 doubles pair Yurovsky and sophomore Alex Najarian to easy 6-2 victories to earn the doubles point for the Wolverines. In singles, Kentucky grabbed the first two points, taking a 2-1 match lead as Michigan’s No. 4 and No. 5 singles each fell in two sets, 6-1, 6-1, and 6-1, 6-4. The Wolverines tied the score at 2-2 as freshman Brienne Minor won the No. 2 singles match, 6-2, 6-3. The bottom of Michigan’s lineup continued to struggle, as junior Sara Remynse fell in the No. 6 singles match, 1-6, 5-7, to relinquish the team’s lead to the Wildcats. With the Wolverines down, 2-3, in the meet, Fahey displayed mastery in painting the line, taking victories in several long vollies and finishing off her opponent in the No. 3 singles match, 6-3, 6-4. “It was definitely more pressure than I’ve ever felt,” Fahey said. “But I was thinking, ‘It’s either you or her, and it’s either Michigan or Kentucky going to indoors,’ so I had to step up and take it.” After winning the first set, 6-0, Yurovsky found herself locked in a 6-6 tiebreaker in the second. With all eyes on her, Yurovsky outlasted Kentucky’s Aldila Sutjiadi to take the set and the match for Michigan. Despite the pressure at the end, Yurovsky emphasized the importance of finding success in those types of situations going forward. “I was shaking on the court,” Yurovsky said with a laugh. “But I think what got me through this match was how I fought and stayed in it and competed for every point.” Despite not getting wins from every player, the weekend’s tournament was crucial for developing a sense of community among the Wolverines. For Bernstein, finding accountability in a multitude of places as they did Sunday will be key for Michigan’s success going forward. “For Brienne (Minor) and Kate (Fahey) to come through as freshmen in that situation, and Ronit (Yurovsky) clinching it when she knew it was on the line, that’s what we need to do,” Bernstein said. WOMEN’S TENNIS “It was definitely more pressure than I’ve ever felt.” MEN’S BASKETBALL Walton earns double-double in win By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Editor With 2:49 left in the Michigan men’s basketball team’s game against Nebraska on Saturday, junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. stepped up to the free-throw line. Michigan fans wouldn’t have wanted the ball in anyone else’s hands. After trailing the Cornhuskers (4-4 Big Ten, 12-9 overall) for less than a minute the entire game, Michigan (5-2, 15-5) was given a run for its money in the final minutes. So, when Walton was fouled late in the game, fans gave a sigh of relief. He sank both free throws, giving the Wolverines a more comfortable four-point cushion. Michigan hung on and then some, hitting its final 10 free throws in Lincoln to beat the Cornhuskers, 81-68. “When (Walton) had the key turnover and all of a sudden it’s a two-point game and they fouled him and now he goes to the line. … I mean those babies hit nothing but the bottom of the net,” Michigan coach John Beilein told reporters. “That shows another step in him in just being another leader of this team and a guy he can look to.” Walton scored 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting, grabbed 12 boards and had six assists — three of them coming in the first four minutes — to get Michigan running right out of the gate. He first found freshman forward Moritz Wagner, who was the first big man off the bench following junior forward Mark Donnal’s early foul. He was there again 26 seconds later, feeding it to redshirt sophomore guard Duncan Robinson for Robinson’s second 3-pointer of the night. Another 26 seconds later, Walton was at it again, giving it to sophomore forward Aubrey Dawkins from beyond the arc. All of a sudden, Michigan was out to a 12-4 lead. The Wolverines made six of their first eight shots. “We got off to a really good start, and I think that helped us a great deal,” Beilein said. “A couple of our away games we lost, we got off to a very bad start. It just wears on you, fighting back. I think we had early confidence.” Though the Wolverines’ defense seemed impenetrable in the first five minutes, the Cornhuskers quickly figured out how to fight back. They hacked away at Michigan’s lead all the way up until halftime, when they headed into the locker room trailing by just three, and again in the middle of the second half, bringing the game within two points in the final two minutes. “We withstood a charge at the end of the first half, a charge during the second half — a couple charges during the second half,” Beilein said. “I’m really proud of the way these kids responded to a great college atmosphere in Nebraska.” Walton scored 13 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer in the game’s final seconds. Walton claims he didn’t shoot the ball to be disrespectful, even though the Nebraska crowd booed it, but his teammates and coaches told him to shoot it to avoid the shot clock violation. Walton tends to listen to his coaches and teammates, and Saturday, he wanted to give most of the credit to them. “Our coaches did a really good job of preparing us,” Walton said. “The things that were happening out there were things we really emulated in practice the last couple days. The way we prepared really helped me see the floor a little easier today and think my plays through a little better than I usually do.” Though Walton earned a double-double and started his team’s rally in the final minutes, he seems to be happiest about the Wolverines’ ability to play without senior captain and guard Caris LeVert, who is still recovering from a lower-leg injury. Walton isn’t a captain, but with both LeVert and co-captain Spike Albrecht cheering from the sidelines, he’s shouldering most of the responsibility. On the road against Nebraska, he looked like one. “My freshman year at home, we had a really good stretch against Nebraska, we shot the ball really well,” Walton said. “Tonight, it was a little different. It was a little more special because we were down without one of our brothers; our leader, Caris, and guys were just making some plays that he wouldn’t normally make. “Looking over and seeing him happy for the guys who were getting the opportunity with him being out, I think it made it a lot more special.” Wolverines top Nebraska Even without LeVert, Michigan holds on for fifth Big Ten victory By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer It took a shout of desperation from Derrick Walton Jr. for Aubrey Dawkins to realize his predicament. Dribbling in the wrong direction, seemingly unaware that just three seconds remained on the shot clock, Dawkins was forced to rise, simultaneously fade away and perform a 180-degree twist, for an impossible shot. It was the culmination of yet another defensive triumph for Nebraska, which refused to the bow in the face of Michigan’s 16-3 second-half run. The Cornhuskers put the Wolverines on lockdown, chipping away at a lead that had reached 18 points minutes earlier. Dawkins’ shot, however, found bottom, and the packed house at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln fell silent. The backbreaking jumper put a damper on Nebraska’s run, which eventually wasn’t enough to change the outcome in Michigan’s 81-68 win Saturday. The win, which the Wolverines opened on an 18-6 run, was the opposite of Michigan’s last road trip, an 82-71 loss at Iowa last Saturday. That game saw the Wolverines immediately fall victim to a 9-0 burst from the Hawkeyes, but this time, the Wolverines came prepared. “We just have the mindset that when we got off the bus, we’re down (by) 10,” junior forward Zak Irvin told reporters after the game. “Against Iowa, we had a sluggish start, and that hurt us as the game went on. So going into today’s game, we just wanted to stay together. We had a great start to both halves.” The first-half start was keyed by Michigan’s specialty: 3-point shooting. The Wolverines stayed true to their reputation of a team that lives and dies from beyond the arc, shooting 52 percent from long distance. Nebraska, on the other hand, found no such success from the perimeter, especially in the face of the 2-3 zone defense Michigan coach John Beilein employed in the first half. The Cornhuskers shot just 6-for-22 from 3-point range for the game, including a 2-for-8 outing from Andrew White III. Instead, the bulk of Nebraska’s scoring came in the paint, much of it in transition. The Wolverines’ 12 turnovers prevented them from putting the nail in the coffin until the final minutes. “We mishandled the ball, (sophomore forward Kameron Chatman) had one go through his hands — you’re gonna have stuff,” Beilein said. “But you’ve got to be under 10 (turnovers). I really think you’ve got to be under 10, or shoot the way (we) did tonight.” As well as it shot, though, Michigan changed tacks in the second half to take advantage of the room it had created in the interior, as redshirt sophomore guard Duncan Robinson found himself on the receiving end of multiple backdoor passes. Robinson, leading the nation in 3-point shooting percentage, finished consistently at the rim, and finished with more points scored inside the arc than outside for the first time as a Wolverine. “What he’s realizing now is that people are going to play him a certain way, and his movement without the ball is going to be really important,” Beilein said. “He’s learning — all the video, all the synergy — that people are going to sit on him different ways, and he’s got to do more than stand and wait for people to get him open.” Robinson’s 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting led the Wolverines, and Walton added 19 points of his own while cementing his status as the team’s leading rebounder, pulling down 12 boards on the afternoon. As they did in Wednesday’s 74-69 win over Minnesota, the Wolverines found success from the free-throw line down the stretch. Michigan shot 20-for-23 as a team, including an impressive 6-for-8 performance from junior forward Mark Donnal. Beilein said in his postgame press conference that the Wolverines have been practicing their free-throw shooting “religiously,” in end-of- practice drills wherein players have to contend with loud, piped-in music to simulate an intimidating road environment. Redshirt freshman guard D.J. Wilson did not appear in the game, as Beilein opted to use only Donnal, freshman Moritz Wagner and sophomore Ricky Doyle at the ‘5’ spot. JAMES COLLER/Daily Derrick Walton Jr., pictured here on Wednesday, had a double-double Saturday. “When we got off the bus, we’re down (by) 10.”