4B — December 12, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
Michigan
beat
then-No.
4
Boston University in front of a
raucous crowd. With that win,
the Wolverines appeared to be
on their way to turning a corner
after an uninspiring start.
As Michigan enters a short
break,
it
remains
unknown
whether Saturday’s win will
change the course of the season.
“I think the core of the team
really needs to have a message
that resonates with every player,”
Martin said. “... I think as we
leave, every player needs to search
themselves a little bit and know
their role, what they have to do
for the second half of the season,
coming back and being ready to
play, being a true Michigan hockey
team and being winners.”
HOCKEY
From Page 1B
Martin extends scoring streak to three
Freshman
forward
Jake
Slaker had already tallied an
assist on the first goal of the
game, but he wasn’t done. With
just over seven minutes left in
the first period, Slaker trapped
a pass and left the puck floating
on the ice in front of junior
defenseman
Cutler
Martin.
Martin
quickly
jumped
on
the opportunity, scraping up
the puck and shooting it past
Wisconsin
goaltender
Jack
Berry.
The goal came during the
second game of Michigan’s
weekend split against Wisconsin
and was one of four goals
recorded in the 4-1 win. Martin
also contributed a shorthanded
goal the night before on a
two-on-one
breakaway,
but
Michigan (1-3-0 Big Ten, 7-8-1
overall) was already down by
two goals and unable to come
back from its deficit.
In the Wolverines’ weekend
split,
Martin
has
recently
proved to be instrumental in
the scoring process. So far
this season, he has tallied four
goals, three of which came in
the last three games.
“I’ve been playing forward
since what, the third game of
the season now?” Martin said.
“Never played, or I played two
or three games last year, just
a few shifts here and there. I
think now I’m finally getting
the hang of it, finding the
right spots. I’m playing with
a lot of guys that are really
good, they’re finding me and
getting the puck in the slot,
so they make it pretty easy for
me. But the coaches are in my
ear — ‘Shoot it,
shoot it, shoot
it! Don’t pass
it!’ — so I’m just
trying to shoot
it.”
So far, it looks
like
that
has
been
working.
Two of Martin’s
goals
have
come
during
important times
in games for the Wolverines —
his first goal of the season tied
the game against Michigan
Tech, and his most recent
gave Michigan a two-goal lead
against Wisconsin, a team that
had previously pounded them
one night earlier, 7-4.
After primarily playing as a
defenseman at the beginning
of
the
season,
Martin’s
promotion to left wing on the
second line this past weekend
has recognized that effort.
The series featured physical
performances from both teams,
and the Wolverines racked up
a high number
of
penalties.
Martin’s goal on
Saturday helped
guide the team
to
a
victory
despite
those
penalties.
But Michigan
can’t
rely
on
scoring
to
be
there to pick up
the pieces every
time it tallies penalties, and
Martin acknowledges that.
“We’re obviously trying to
play tough out there,” Martin
said. “Our team this year, we
have to play tough in order to
win. I think that the officiating
is what it is, and we have to
go out there and play as hard
as we can and just try to find
a way not to be in the box. We
kind of knew (Friday) the way
they were calling the game
that we’re going to have to play
clean, so that’s on us to stay out
of the box. We can’t take that
many penalties and continue to
win games. It’s just not going to
work.”
The Wolverines will now
have a break until the Great
Lakes Invitational at the end
of December, which means
they’ll have plenty of time to
patch up inconsistencies with
the penalties. Michigan has
been experimenting with lines
as well, so it’s unclear whether
or not Martin will remain at
his position on the second
line. But with Martin’s recent
production, it will be hard to
downsize his role.
Junior defenseman lights lamp in both games against Wisconsin as Wolverines earn split at home
LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Writer
“I think now
I’m finally
getting the
hang of it.”
Wolverines fall short at UCLA
Five seconds remained in the
first half when UCLA’s Lonzo
Ball dialed one up from a different
planet,
canning
a
3-pointer
from
the
center court logo at Pauley
Pavilion.
The shot from deep tied the
game at 50, the latest ludicrous
shot in a matchup that seemed to
be following a defense-optional
rule.
The scoring didn’t end with
Ball’s long triple, but the trend
quickly started to favor the
Bruins, as the Michigan men’s
basketball team fell victim to
UCLA’s high-scoring offense and
came up short in a barnburner,
102-84.
“They only missed 19 times
and they got nine of those back,
so that hurt, too,” said Michigan
coach John Beilein. “Now, the
ball bounced our way a couple of
times. I thought we got off to a
good start, but I mean, they made
some shots in that game that we
were right in them. …That takes
the wind out of you after a little
bit.”
Michigan
knew
it
would
have its hands full entering the
matchup against the second-
ranked Bruins. UCLA (10-0)
was averaging 97 points per
game — good for second in the
nation — and was coming off a
marquee road win against then-
top-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 3.
In the first half, though,
Michigan (7-3) rode its success
from beyond the arc and looked
poised to go toe to toe with the
Bruins’ juggernaut offense.
The Wolverines opened the
game with a 3-pointer from
senior guard Derrick Walton Jr.,
and they didn’t shy away from the
triple for the rest of the frame,
shooting 75 percent from deep.
UCLA, delivering a dominant
showing in its own right, went
10-for-14 from three and handed
over the reigns to Ball, who
poured in 14 points in the first
half.
Neither team seemed capable
of missing, but Michigan led
for just 5:47 of the first half. It
did so without its third-leading
scorer in sophomore forward
Moritz Wagner, who played just
12 minutes after picking up two
fouls in the first frame.
Still,
despite
Wagner’s
absence, Michigan led by seven
with 1:22 left. Much like their
games against Texas and Virginia
Tech, though, the Wolverines
allowed UCLA to go on a 9-2 run
— capped off by Ball’s long three
— to close the half.
By the time the first buzzer
sounded, it seemed the stars
might have been aligning for
Michigan to pull off an upset.
But in the second half, trying
to beat the Bruins at their own
game caught up to Michigan.
As
quickly
as
the
shots
from beyond the arc gave the
Wolverines life, they took away
any hope of surviving against
the Bruins. Michigan shot just
2-for-10 from deep in the second
half and posted a field-goal
percentage of 34.5. If the first half
was perfect, then the second was
just the perfect storm.
UCLA claimed an eight-point
lead after posting an 8-2 run over
the first three minutes, as the
Wolverines opened the second
half 1-for-6 from the floor, and
never
trailed
from there.
Though
the
Wolverines kept
the margin at 10
points or fewer
for
roughly
15
minutes,
eventually,
the
second-ranked
offense
in
the
country
turned
a shootout into
an offensive clinic. The Bruins
missed just seven shots in the
second half, and with 4:31 left,
Bryce Alford and TJ Leaf put
daggers into Michigan’s hopes
for an upset.
Behind
Leaf’s
dunk
and
Alford’s
free
throws
and
3-pointer, UCLA
scored
seven
unanswered
points to claim
a 16-point lead.
The Wolverines
had no answer
from there, as
they never cut
the deficit below
14.
While
the
Bruins’
offense
only got hotter,
Michigan’s was put on ice.
“(UCLA’s) really good at what
they do,” Beilein said. “They
spread you out. They’ve got
shooters everywhere. We tried
to take away the three ball and
give them the tough two, and
we didn’t do either one very
well. When they would see the
matchup they liked, they would
just take us. And so if you’re
giving a lot of help, they’re a
really good passing team. This is
a rare team right now that shoots
the ball at that level and can
really pass the ball.”
For 20 minutes, there was the
hope that the Wolverines would
be taking off from a California
runway with a marquee win of its
own under its belt. But by the end
of the second 20, they could only
leave with the thought of what
could have been.
‘M’ splits weekend trip
After beating San Diego State,
92-57, on Friday, the Michigan
women’s basketball team had its
second opportunity to defeat a
top-10 team this season. Instead,
the margin this time was wider,
as the Wolverines fell 84-64 to
No. 9 UCLA on Sunday.
It was never a close game. The
Bruins went on a 14-0 run before
Michigan
managed
a
single
point, and they refused to give up
that lead.
Michigan’s
leading
scorer,
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty,
had a hard time getting through
the Bruins’ tough defense in the
first three periods. Flaherty had
just five points going into the
second half, despite averaging
20.1 per game this season. But
UCLA guard Jordin Canada was
difficult competition.
“(Canada)
is
really
an
exceptional
player,”
said
Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico. “All around player, great
passer,
great
scorer,
great
defender. I remember watching
her in high school on film one
night … and my husband looked
up and goes, ‘Man that girl can
play quarterback for my football
team, the way she runs her
team and the way she can throw
those passes.’ And not much has
changed since her high school
days. She’s really a special player.”
Despite
her
competition,
Flaherty exploded in the fourth
quarter, scoring nine points
on 3-for-4 shooting. Flaherty’s
nine points in the frame tied
senior guard Siera Thompson’s
record of 215 career 3-pointers.
It was not enough to make up the
deficit, though.
In addition to Flaherty’s 14
points, three other Wolverines
tallied double digits. Freshman
guard Kysre Gondrezick scored
18, sophomore forward Hallie
Thome added another 15 and
junior guard Jillian Dunston
scored 10.
Gondrezick
was
the
only
double-digit scorer who is not
a starter for Michigan. As a
freshman, she has made quite an
impact off the bench, capitalizing
on opportunities when Flaherty
is getting targeted on defense as
she was Sunday night.
“(Gondrezick
is)
just
the
presence that we need alongside
of Katelynn and Siera,” Barnes
Arico said. “Hopefully people
start keying on her. And then
we talk about it all the time,
the other team’s best defender
is
guarding
Katelynn,
their
second best defender is guarding
(Thompson),
their
third-best
defender is guarding our next
guard and that gives a great
matchup for a kid like Kysre. And
she really took advantage of it
tonight.”
Despite some bright spots, the
Wolverines struggled. The lack
of scoring early on meant that
Michigan could never set up its
defense fully. The Wolverines
also ran into trouble when Thome
had three fouls in the first half,
which presented an obstacle that
was too big to overcome.
Even though Michigan was
unable to topple the Bruins,
the
trip
to
California
had
some redeeming factors. The
San Diego State game was the
antithesis of the UCLA game.
The Wolverines never once fell
behind, ending the game with
several impressive statistics.
Thompson had her first double-
double of the season, scoring 11
points and notching 11 assists.
She broke her previous career
record of eight assists. Gondrezick
proved to be consistent with 18
points, and Flaherty had 21 points
in just 26 minutes of playing time.
Though the game against
the Aztecs ended in victory
for the Wolverines, Michigan
will be leaving California with
a sour taste in its mouth. The
Wolverines learned that they
can’t rely solely on offense, and
even with high scoring, they can
still be defeated. Defense has to
be a priority, or teams like UCLA
will exploit it every time.
KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Editor
EVAN AARON/Daily
John Beilein’s team entered halftime tied, but lost on the road to No. 2 UCLA.
MICHIGAN
UCLA
84
102
“They only
missed 19 times,
and they got nine
of those back.”
MAGGIE KOLCON
Daily Sports Writer
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Junior defenseman Cutler Martin has become a scoring threat in the past couple of weeks for the Wolverines.