Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, December 13, 2016 — 7

Michigan to face Central Arkansas 

Unfortunately for the Michigan 

men’s basketball team, a reprieve 
from Ann Arbor weather was one 
of few positives 
that came from 
their voyage to 
Los Angeles, as 
the Wolverines 
fell, 
102-84, 

against 
UCLA 

at 
Pauley 

Pavillion 
on 

Saturday.

The 
first 

half 
was 
an 

encouraging 
sign 
for 
the 

Wolverines, 
as 
they 
shot 

65.5 percent from the field and 
buried 12 of their 16 3-pointers 
to keep pace with the Bruins’ 
potent offense despite entering the 
matchup averaging just 70 points 
per game.

Specifically, senior wing Zak 

Irvin returned to form — leading 
Michigan with 18 points on 7-for-
14 shooting after scoring just four 
points against Texas.

But after starting the second 

half with the game tied at 50, 
nearly everything that could have 
gone wrong for the Wolverines 
did. Michigan followed up its 
eye-popping first-half shooting 
performance by going 10-for-29 
from the field, and its defense had 
no answer for a UCLA offense 
spearheaded by freshmen Lonzo 
Ball and TJ Leaf. As sophomore 
forward Moritz Wagner described 
it, “Every time I turned around, 
the ball was in the net.”

“Against the Power Five teams 

that we’ve played — we’ve played 
six of them right now — at the end 
of halves and the end of games …
where we were pretty good end 
of half, end of games in the first 
two, it has not been good,” said 
Michigan coach John Beilein. “…
We’ve been coming out of a media 

timeout sometimes, or you were 
just put in the game, and you’re 
standing there watching.

“We’ve got to do something to 

increase our processing speed. 
With everybody, it’s a little bit 
different, so we’ve got to rep it 
out better, we’ve got to talk about 
it better, we’ve got to coach it 
better and then they’ve got to do 
it better.”

Now, the Wolverines are set to 

kick off a three-game home stand 
Tuesday against Central Arkansas 
(1-8) before they begin conference 
play with a trip to Iowa on Jan. 1.

The matchup against the Bears 

is part of a familiar trend for 
Michigan this year.

After losing to South Carolina 

and Virginia Tech this season, the 
Wolverines had the opportunity 
to prevent two-game skids with 
contests against less prestigious 
opponents in Mount St. Mary’s 
and Kennesaw State, respectively.

Michigan delivered victories 

in both games, and now it has the 
opportunity to notch its eighth 
win against Central Arkansas. 
Realistically, there is no reason 
it shouldn’t.

Though the Bears have an 

experienced backcourt led by 
junior guard Jordan Howard and 
senior guard Derreck Brooks, 
they have registered only one 
win this season — a 81-76 victory 
against Army.

Central 
Arkansas 
opened 

its season with a 32-point 
loss to Wisconsin, in which it 
allowed forward Nigel Hayes 
and guards Bronson Koenig and 
Zak Showalter to combine for 
40 points.

With that in mind, it appears 

the stage is set for the Wolverines’ 
three-headed attack of Irvin, 
Wagner and senior guard Derrick 
Walton Jr. to have a field day. The 
trio is averaging 14, 11.8 and 10.5 
points per game, respectively, and 
its unlikely the Bears will be able 
to limit that production for a full 
40 minutes. 

That’s not to say Central 

Arkansas doesn’t have some 
talent of its own. Howard is 
leading the Bears in scoring 
with 17.2 points per game, while 
Brooks is averaging 15.8 points 
himself and cleaning up the glass 
to the tune of a team-high 6.5 
rebounds per game.

Still, assuming that Walton 

and Irvin can handle Central 
Arkansas’ 
backcourt 
on 
the 

defensive end, the Bears won’t 
have many places to look for 
scoring — Mathieu Kamba, their 
third-highest scorer, is barely 
averaging 11 points per game. 
And given redshirt sophomore DJ 
Wilson’s emergence this season, 
it’s hard to imagine Brooks’ 
rebounding presence will alter the 
dynamic of a should-be blowout.

But in a young season that 

has been full of highs and 
lows, replicating the offensive 
performance that the Wolverines 
displayed against UCLA would 
certainly be a welcome sign of 
progress.

“We scored 50 points in one 

half, we scored 53 against Texas 
in a game,” said Michigan coach 
John Beilein. “I think what’s really 
key for us going forward is, where 
is our consistency?

“We’d rather have guys go 

2-for-5 every day … than go for 
1-for-6 and then 5-for-6 and then 
1-for-6 and then 4-for-6. We want 
some consistency there, and that’s 
what we’re trying to establish. We 
really haven’t had it, and we need 
that right now.”

KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Editor

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner will look to continue his strong offensive performances against Central Arkansas.

Central 
Arkansas at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
Central 
Arkansas 1-8; 
Michigan 7-3

When: 
Tuesday 9 P.M.

Where: Crisler 
Center

TV: BTN

Lavigne earns praise

For most of this season, the 

Michigan hockey team has used 
a rotation of three goaltenders: 
senior Zach Nagelvoort and 
freshmen Jack LaFontaine and 
Hayden Lavigne. But on Nov. 
11, after Lavigne shut out then-
No. 4 Boston University, 4-0, it 
seemed that he was making a 
case as the frontrunner for more 
playing time.

Unfortunately for Lavigne, his 

rise to the top of the depth chart 
was delayed. After coming down 
with an illness, Lavigne was 
forced to miss four games and 
one exhibition, and during that 
stretch, the Wolverines went 1-3.

Friday, the freshman came 

back to the ice against Wisconsin. 
And while the return of its top 
statistical goalie was a welcome 
sight for Michigan (1-3-0 Big 
Ten, 7-8-1 overall), Lavigne’s 
return was a rocky one.

When all was said and done, 

he lasted just two periods, giving 
up six goals on 27 shots.

“I just definitely started to 

get frustrated in the second 
(period),” 
Lavigne 
said. 

“Obviously we got some bad 
bounces, which didn’t help aid 
that at all. And then with the 
net-front presence that they 
were giving, I just kind of got 
frustrated, and I got in my own 
head a little bit.”

Despite Lavigne’s rough start 

Friday, Michigan coach Red 
Berenson decided to stick with 
the freshman for the team’s 
game against Wisconsin on 
Saturday. The call came as a bit 
of a surprise, given the team’s 
tendency to rotate its goalies this 
season, but it ultimately paid off.

Lavigne faced 35 shots on the 

night, allowing only one goal that 
came off an odd-man rush on a 
power play. And though the strong 
performance was a confidence 

booster in itself, the decision from 
Berenson to give him another shot 
had Lavigne feeling good coming 
into the matchup.

“That meant a lot,” Lavigne 

said. “It really shows that they 
have confidence in us. And 
obviously we’ve been rotating 
throughout the year, and we’ve 
all done pretty well. So it meant a 
lot to get that nod again to get in 
Saturday night. It just shows that 
they have trust in you, and that 
they believe that the team has 
trust in you as well.”

Part of Berenson’s decision 

was to give the freshman ample 
opportunity to prove himself after 
sitting out. But beyond that, he felt 
Lavigne gave the Wolverines the 
best chance to win.

“Let’s face it, on paper, he’s 

got our best record,” Berenson 
said after Saturday’s game. “And 
he needed a chance to play, to 
come back and show what he 
can do. I thought he was a little 
rusty last night. He didn’t play a 
poor game, but his team didn’t 
give him a good game. Tonight, 
the team was better, and Hayden 
was better, too.”

Lavigne’s 
strongest 

performance came during the 
second period of Saturday’s 
game. 
Michigan 
took 
five 

penalties in the period, placing 
extra pressure on the freshman 
to be stout in net. While the 
constant action would make 
it hard for some goaltenders 
to stay calm, Lavigne says 
the constant action helps him 
maintain focus.

That 
effort 
is 
especially 

pertinent for all the Wolverines 
right now — the team has a two 
week break for the holidays before 
it returns to action at the Great 
Lakes Invitational on Dec. 29. But 
with its best goaltender healthy 
and seemingly confident as ever, 
Michigan is more equipped to 
rebound from the tough stretch it 
suffered without Lavigne.

ICE HOCKEY

MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Writer

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
Marinez, McLean 
try out new events 

One year ago, the Michigan 

women’s 
gymnastics 
team 

hosted 
Eastern 
Michigan 

for an exhibition meet. The 
Wolverines 
dropped 
that 

contest to the Eagles, 194.050-
183.350, thanks in part due to 
gymnasts being absent with 
injuries and illness. 

Sunday, with junior Paige 

Zaziski and sophomore Olivia 
Karas out, Michigan seemed in 
danger of a similar result.

But no such issues plagued 

the Wolverines in this year’s 
event. Led by 
junior 
Lauren 

Marinez 
and 

sophomore 
Emma McLean, 
who each took 
on 
two 
new 

events, 
the 

Wolverines 
edged 
Eastern 

Michigan, 
196.200-
194.750.

“You 
see 

people practice and practice 
and practice, but competition is 
different,” said Michigan coach 
Bev Plocki. “Sometimes they’re 
a little better on competition, 
sometimes 
they’re 
more 

nervous and they make silly 
mistakes. It’s like anything else, 
you want to try and practice 
competing, and I think we’ll be 
a lot better when we come out in 
January against Utah.”

Marinez spent 2015 competing 

mostly on the beam. While she 
found success on the beam, 
scoring better than 9.750 five 
times, she spent fall workouts 
putting herself in position to 
participate in more events. Her 
efforts showed Sunday as she 
entered the bars and vault events 
and posted respective scores of 
9.875 and 9.825.

As 
for 
McLean, 
she 

participated in the floor and 
vault events last season. Like 

Marinez, 
McLean 
produced 

strong performances in her 
events. Her best scores were 
9.875 on the floor against 
Nebraska on Jan. 29 and 9.850 in 
the vault at the NCAA Regional 
on Apr. 2, but she was consistent 
throughout the year.

Against the Eagles, McLean 

became an all-around performer 
for Michigan. She had a solid 
debut on the bars, tallying a 
score of 9.825, and continued her 
vault prowess, as she scored an 
impressive 9.925 in that event.

Still, McLean insists that 

there is more for her to do.

“Personally, I just need to 

work 
on 
my 

confidence and 
compete like I 
train,” McLean 
said. “As a team, 
we need to work 
on 
just 
being 

ourselves.”

While Zaziski 

and Karas were 
only 
held 
out 

against Eastern 
Michigan 
for 

precautionary 

reasons and will return soon, 
the depth that Marinez and 
McLean provide with their 
new events will undoubtedly be 
appreciated by the Wolverines.

But Michigan will have to 

wait a while to put its increased 
depth 
into 
practice. 
The 

Wolverines are not scheduled 
to compete again until Jan. 7 at 
Utah. Plocki insisted, though, 
that the time off will not be a 
bad thing.

“The fall tends to be a long 

semester, a lot of hard work, 
a lot of training.” Plocki said. 
“Their bodies need to recover 
a little bit, so having a week 
break at home I think will help 
physically and mentally. And 
I think when they come back 
they’ll be excited and revved up 
and ready to go. I think coming 
back with a fresh body and a 
good, energized attitude will be 
a good thing.”

“As a team, we 
need to work 
on just being 
ourselves.”

Wolverines return home to play
Ohio after extensive road swing

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team is finally coming 
home.

The Wolverines (8-3) haven’t 

been back to Crisler Center since 
their 66-41 win 
over 
Western 

Michigan 
on 
Nov. 
21, 

spending 
seven 
games 

on 
the 
road 

since 
then. 

The team will 
face off against 
Ohio (7-0) on 
Tuesday in the 
first of a four-
game 
home 

stretch.

Michigan 

racked up 95.8 points per game 
on 53.8 percent shooting in its 
first four games of the season at 
home. The Wolverines broke the 
century mark in three of them.

“I haven’t really had to talk 

about our scoring much this 
year, when you have three games 
over 100 points,” said Michigan 
coach Kim Barnes Arico after 
Michigan’s third straight 100-
point game on Nov. 18 against 
Howard. “So I think my emphasis 
is on us becoming a better 
defensive team.”

And since then, Michigan has 

definitely risen to the occasion. 
Notably, the Wolverine’s defense 
at home is nothing to scoff at — the 
team has held opponents to 44.8 
points per game on 29.8 percent 
shooting. That effort is led by 
the charge of junior guard Jillian 
Dunston, who has racked up 51 
rebounds in total, and sophomore 
center Hallie Thome, who has 41.

Michigan is coming off a loss 

to No. 10 UCLA, 84-64, after 
dominating San Diego State, 
92-57. As a highlight, senior 
guard Siera Thompson jostled 
her way to her first career double-
double in the Wolverines contest 
with the Aztecs. It was the first 
time since Feb. 14, 2015, that a 

Michigan player has done so.

“I think this was great for us 

to come out here and experience 
a top-level team,” Barnes Arico 
said. “I think we had to learn to 
battle through adversity. I think 
we had to learn to be on the 
road for an extended period of 
time. We talked about it a little 
bit in the huddle, things haven’t 
gone our way. But we got a long 
season ahead of us. And we gotta 
regroup, and we gotta continue to 
battle and continue to fight.”

The fighting might not only 

extend to opposing teams, but to 
family members as well.

This will be the second straight 

game where a Wolverine will face 
her twin. At UCLA, senior guard 
Danielle Williams faced her 
sister, Dominique. Tomorrow, 
Thome will do the same against 
her sister, Hannah.

Though it might be easy to 

pit the fraternal twins together, 
Thome, a starter, might see more 
playing time than Hannah, who 
has just played in two games this 
season for the Bobcats for a total 
of seven minutes.

In 
addition 
to 
Dunston, 

Thome 
and 
Thompson, 

freshman 
guard 
Kysre 

Gondrezick will be a player to 
watch against Ohio. In the past 
11 games, Gondrezick has scored 
in double digits and currently 
leads the team in free-throw 
attempts with 36, is second in 
scoring with an average of 13.1 
points per game and trails only 
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
in 3-pointers made with 25. 

“She really gets to the basket,” 

Barnes Arico said. “She gives us 
a different dimension from that 
guard spot, and getting to the 
free throw line 10 times tonight is 
incredible. That’s something that 

we’re definitely going to need 
going forward.”

Michigan 
will 
need 

Gondrezick’s power to end the 
Bobcats’ undefeated season. Ohio 
is averaging 70.4 points per game 
with two athletes, guard Quiera 
Lampkins and forward Jasmine 
Weatherspoon, 
leading 
the 

charge by averaging 19.3 and 10.7, 
respectively.

An Ohio win would boost the 

Bobcats to just their second win 
against the Wolverines in six 
meetings throughout program 
history, and their fourth against 
the current Big Ten.

The 
last 
time 
Michigan 

and Ohio met, the Wolverines 
escaped with a 69-64 win on Dec. 
21, 2007.

This time, Michigan will be 

happy to be back home and eager 
to defend its undefeated record 
on the floor of Crisler Center.

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Senior guard Siera Thompson and Michigan play Tuesday against Ohio for a chance to rebound from Sunday’s loss.

SYLVANNA GROSS

Daily Sports Writer

Ohio at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
Ohio 7-0; 
Michigan 8-3

When: Tuesday 
6:30 P.M.

Where: Crisler 
Center

TV/Radio: 
BTN Plus

NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

