The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports 
Thursday, January 26, 2017 — 7

One hundred: ‘M’ downs Wildcats for Barnes Arico’s milestone

When 
Kim 
Barnes 
Arico 

walked into the locker room 
after an 80-54 beatdown over 
Northwestern, 
her 
players 

greeted 
her 
stone-faced. 

Seconds later, water was flying 
in the 
air 
from 
all 
directions and Barnes Arico was 
doused head to toe, everyone in 
the room celebrating her 100th 
win as the Michigan women’s 
basketball coach.

The festivities didn’t stop 

there. 
The 
players 
brought 

out a cake and showed her a 
video montage with messages 
and pictures from current and 
former staffers and players.

“They got me a little bit 

wet,” Barnes Arico joked. “It 
was awesome. I was wondering 
what was going on, and then all 
of a sudden all the water went 
off and a beautiful cake and a 
beautiful video to follow.

“I’ve been really fortunate. 

My first year here I took over 
a team that had a great season 
the year before, really didn’t 
want to lose their coach and 
had five seniors returning. You 
really never know how they’ll 
welcome you at that point. 
They embraced me with open 
arms. … They taught me what 
it was to be at Michigan. We 
really connected from day one. 
It’s been great every year since 
then.”

Barnes 
Arico’s 
feat 
is 

especially 
impressive 

considering she is just over 
halfway finished with her fifth 
season with the Wolverines, 
and already just 23 wins shy 
of becoming the all-time wins 
leader in program history — 
trailing only Sue Guevara, who 
coached the team from 1996 to 
2003.

“I was concerned … any coach 

that tells you they’re not, it’s a 
bunch of bologna,” Barnes Arico 
said. “But the players weren’t. 
(We) played a great team like 
Northwestern that had a week 
off to prepare for us. … As much 
as we scored the basketball, I 
think we really locked in on the 
defensive end and followed the 
game plan.”

Added junior forward Jillian 

Dunston: 
“We 
didn’t 
want 

to jinx it. We were hesitant 
to celebrate. We were telling 
ourselves we had to win tonight. 
Any game in the Big Ten is a big 
game, so we knew we needed 
this win regardless of the 100th 
win or not, and it was awesome 
to get that win.”

While 
the 
team 
will 

surely bask in Barnes Arico’s 
accomplishment — its next game 

isn’t for another week — there 
were plenty of other things to 
celebrate in Michigan’s win.

The Wolverines (6-2 Big Ten, 

17-5 overall) returned to the 
hardwood of Crisler Center for 
the first time since Jan. 15, and 
what was primed to be a close 
contest with NCAA Tournament 
implications turned ugly early.

The Wildcats (4-3, 15-5) made 

the first shot of the game with 
an early layup, but a 3-pointer 
from freshman guard Kysre 
Gondrezick at the 8:56 mark of 
the first quarter gave Michigan 
a lead it wouldn’t relinquish for 
the rest of the game.

Northwestern’s 
offensive 

troubles began from the get-go, 
as it scored just nine points in 
the first frame. The Wildcats’ 
star forward Nia Coffey was 

hawked 
by 
junior 
forward 

Jillian Dunston, shooting just 
1-for-7 in the first quarter and 
6-for-20 for the game.

“(Our defense) is one of the 

reasons 
we’re 
pushing 
this 

year,” Dunston said. “Screening, 
rebounding, 
giving 
my 

teammates more opportunities. 
… It’s a big role but it’s not 
overwhelming.”

Alternatively, the Wolverines 

shot 8-for-14 — including eight 
points 
from 
Gondrezick 
— 

to end the quarter up, 19-9. 
Gondrezick went on to lead 
the team in scoring, notching 
career-highs of 22 points and 
six 3-pointers to go along with 
seven boards and six assists. 
Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
was productive in her own right, 
scoring 20 points and eclipsing 

the 1,700 career point milestone. 
 

“To be able to shoot the ball 

that well gives me a lot more 
confidence moving forward,” 
Gondrezick said. “Being able 
to impact the game whether it 
be scoring, or rebounding or 
passing. ... Being able to come 
out and get that sizeable lead 
was huge for us and gives us a 
lot of momentum.

Things didn’t get any better 

for 
Northwestern 
in 
the 

following period, as it scored 
just 10 points and turned the 
ball over seven times en route 
to a 41-19 deficit at halftime. 
The Wildcats’ 19 points was a 
testament to the defense that 
Barnes Arico praised earlier in 
the week — it was the lowest 
halftime point total for a team 
that averages 73.7 points per 

game.

The 
low 
point 
total 

is 
especially 
impressive 

considering sophomore center 
Hallie Thome sat much of the 
half after picking up a foul 
28 seconds into the game. On 
the other side of the ball for 
Michigan, the team shot a 
gaudy 7-for-13 from beyond the 
arc. Senior point guard Siera 
Thompson also etched her name 
in the records alongside her 
coach, moving to second place 
among Michigan’s career assists 
leaders, with her 489th dime 
coming off a pass to Gondrezick 
for a right-wing 3-pointer.

“As the years have gone by … 

my role has changed,” Thompson 
said. “As a point guard, you have 
to sacrifice some of your game. 
I’m not putting scoring to the 
side, but there’s a lot of stuff I 
had to think about.”

With a lopsided lead heading 

into the third quarter, the 
Wolverines 
were 
more 
lax 

on both sides of the ball but 
did just enough to remain 
comfortable heading into the 
final period with a 21-point lead. 
Despite Northwestern’s height 
advantage, 
Michigan 
limited 

its 
scoring 
opportunities, 

outrebounding 
the 
Wildcats 

in the quarter, 12-6, while also 
forcing seven turnovers.

The 
Wolverines 
showed 

no mercy in the final period, 
beginning the quarter on an 
11-0 run. But even in the final 
minutes of the game, with four 
reserves in the lineup, Michigan 
could still not be stopped, as a 
corner three by senior guard 
Danielle Williams was the final 
nail of many in Northwestern’s 
coffin.

With 
Flaherty 
surpassing 

1,700 points in her career, 
Thompson moving into second 
in program history in career 
assists, Barnes Arico’s 100th 
win and a win over the then-
fourth place team in the Big Ten, 
Michigan can rest easy for now.

Wolverines support Bell Let’s Talk

The phrase is simple — just 

three words.

It’s nearly seven years old 

now, but the importance of Bell 
Let’s Talk hasn’t dwindled since 
it was created by a Canadian 
organization 
dedicated 
to 

erasing the stigma surrounding 
mental illness. The organization 
(which shares the same name 
as the phrase) also seeks to help 
Canadians with mental illnesses 
receive better care and access, 
encourages change by adopting a 
standard for mental health in the 
workplace and raises money for 
research.

Each year on Jan. 25, Bell 

Let’s Talk promises to donate 
five cents for every tweet — in 
addition to other forms of social 
media or communication — that 
includes the phrase in a hashtag.

The 
campaign 
has 
been 

unofficially 
adopted 
by 
the 

hockey community, and that 
has held true for the Michigan 
hockey team.

In past years, most of the 

Wolverines’ 
participation 
lay 

in individual tweets with the 

hashtag from both current and 
former players. This year, though, 
a few Canadian members of the 
team made a collective effort to 
help raise awareness.

In a picture that the team’s 

official account tweeted, senior 
defenseman Nolan De Jong, 
junior forward Dexter Dancs 
and freshman goaltender Jack 
LaFontaine held cards with 
messages 
written 
on 
them 

such as “You are not alone”, 
“A conversation could change 
a life”, and “It’s okay to ask for 
help”.

“The hockey community is 

such a tight-knit group that if 
somebody’s suffering from that 
or takes their life — god forbid 
they do that — it affects a lot of 
people,” De Jong said. “So I think 
there’s always guys that want to 
step up and make a difference 
because there are so many 
people suffering in silence that 
are maybe scared to come out 
and talk about it or are trying to 
battle through it because of the 
stigma that surrounds mental 
health right now. I think it’s 
something that’s getting better, 
but there’s still a long way to go 
with it.”

Some 
Michigan 
players, 

like 
senior 
goaltender 
Zach 

Nagelvoort, 
discovered 

the 
initiative 
through 
the 

organization’s 
social 
media 

campaign. De Jong, on the other 
hand, learned about it while 
following the NHL.

He had grown up familiar 

with the career of Rick Rypien, 
a forward for the Vancouver 
Canucks 
who 
earned 
a 

reputation as a hard-working 
player and enforcer. Rypien 
suffered 
from 
depression 

for most of his career before 
committing suicide in 2011. His 
death shook the hockey world 
and spurred further involvement 
in mental health causes — 
such as Bell Let’s Talk — from 
both players and teams. In the 
aftermath of Rypien’s death, 
two of his former teammates, 
Kevin Bieksa and Alex Burrows, 
worked 
to 
promote 
mental 

health awareness — efforts that 
De Jong became aware of.

“... That’s something that I 

saw a lot of it and something that 
I think touched a lot of people 
in British Columbia especially, 
because Rick Rypien was such a 
well-liked, heart-and-soul team 

guy,” De Jong said. “... (Rypien’s 
suicide) didn’t hurt just the team 
and the hockey community, but 
everybody in British Columbia, 
and that left a lasting effect for 
me, especially.”

Added Nagelvoort: “We see 

these people as immortal. We 
see them as like, ‘Oh, tough 
guy who plays in the NHL, 
there’s no way anything else 
could be going on.’ I think that 
really humanizes it — to see 
someone like that, who plays 
at the highest level that there 
is in our sport, that we all 
idolize, to see that that person 
was affected by a mental health 
issue. … If it happens to one of 
those guys that we hold so high, 
then it probably is happening 
to someone who you’ve played 
with or play with right now.”

The 
drive 
to 
increase 

awareness 
of 
mental 
health 

issues is something both De 
Jong and Nagelvoort are familiar 
with, and it doesn’t just stop with 
Bell Let’s Talk. Both players are 
cognizant of the strides that 
Michigan has taken to expand its 
resources, such as its Counseling 
and 
Psychological 
Services 

program. 

While he hopes his teammates 

would be comfortable talking to 
him about any issues weighing 
on them, Nagelvoort anticipates 
that his teammates would use 
those resources if necessary.

He said himself that the 

stigma 
surrounding 
mental 

illness too often results in silence 
about the issue. 

“I can’t speak for everyone 

else but I grew up in the ‘Put your 
head down, just work harder, if 
you put more hours in on the ice, 
you’ll get through your problems’ 
(mentality),” Nagelvoort said. 
“There’s a lot of people who go 
through life and that’s not the 
only answer.”

Added 
De 
Jong: 
“... 
It’s 

definitely a positive to see 
so many student-athletes or 
professional athletes taking a 
stand and showing that, you 
know, we may have to put on this 
face and go out there, but there’s 
other things in our lives that 
affect us rather than just making 
sure I perform on the ice.”

Dunston shines on D

Junior forward Jillian Dunston 

hasn’t had an easy job the past 
couple games. The Michigan 
women’s basketball team has 
assigned her the task of shutting 
down the opposing team’s best 
player each night. On Wednesday 
night, Dunston proved her worth, 
once again, as a defensive stopper 
during the Wolverines’ 80-54 win 
over Northwestern. 

“My body hurts from guarding 

all these All-Americans,” Dunston 
said with a laugh.

Dunston has marked up against 

two of the best players in the Big 
Ten over Michigan’s past two 
contests: first against Nebraska’s 
sophomore 
forward 
Jessica 

Shepard, and then Northwestern’s 
senior forward Nia Coffey.

By all accounts, Michigan’s 

matchup against the Wildcats was 
supposed to be a close game. The 
Wolverines are third in the Big Ten 
standings, while Northwestern 
was sitting only one spot behind 
them, tied for fourth.

Yet, as the score indicates, 

Michigan pulled away early, with 
a 12-3 lead in the first five minutes 
and never let the Wildcats catch 
up. And according to Michigan 
coach Kim Barnes Arico, it was 
because of Dunston’s effort.

“I just think we locked in on the 

defensive end,” Barnes Arico said. 
“They’re led by an All-American 
candidate in Nia Coffey, and 
Jillian Dunston… had her 1-for-10 
at the half. Just really incredible.”

Coffey averaged 19.6 points 

coming into the faceoff against 
the Wolverines. But with Dunston 
shadowing 
her, 
she 
finished 

with an inefficient 16 points, 
shooting just 6-for-20 on field 
goal attempts. Dunston’s previous 
experience guarding Shephard 
contributed to her success against 
Coffey.

“Prior, we played Nebraska,” 

Dunston said. “And it was a 
similar game plan, where their 
power forwards are their most 
powerful players, and I knew I 
had to match up with them. But 
my teammates helped me a lot. 
Like a lot, a lot.”

Not only did Dunston stick to 

her mark like glue, but she was 
all over the paint too, grabbing 
14 rebounds — just one shy of 
her career high. Rebounds have 
been a huge focal point for the 
Wolverines this season. Dunston 
has taken that mentality to heart 
and encourages her teammates to 
do the same.

“When it comes to rebounding, 

Jillian’s on me all the time,” 
said 
freshman 
guard 
Kysre 

Gondrezick, 
who 
had 
seven 

rebounds of her own against the 
Wildcats.

Added Barnes Arico: “She has 

really become one of the best 
defenders in our conference with 
what she’s been able to do. She’s 
one of the best rebounders on our 
team. … She’s our emotional leader 
for sure.”

While she seems to have 

defense down pat, there were 
a few times that Dunston was 
afforded opportunities to take 
more offensive control against 
Northwestern. 
Wide-open 

behind the 3-point line more than 
once, she passed the ball off to a 
teammate instead of taking a clear 
shot.

Dunston, while consistent 

on defense, scored just four 
points.

“Sometimes I pass too much 

or I’m too passive,” Dunston said. 
“I need to be a threat in order to 
create for my teammates. It’s 
kind of a paradox, of creating, not 
creating too much, creating for 
yourself, but not being selfish.”

Even though there is room 

for 
improvement 
offensively, 

Dunston’s 
defensive 
game 

is 
arguably 
responsible 
for 

Michigan’s two latest wins. For 
now, she plays the exact role that 
the Wolverines need her to, and 
has worked hard to improve on it.

“She has had a lot of tough 

assignments,” said senior guard 
Siera Thompson. “Especially the 
last few games. But she has taken 
the challenge and she’s been in 
the film room studying the other 
players’ moves. We’re so proud of 
her, because a couple years ago we 
didn’t know if she would be able to 
take on that challenge and we’ve 
seen the growth in her.”

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

Senior defenseman Nolan De Jong and his teammates have helped raise awareness for mental health issues. 

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico notched her 100th victory Wednesday night and is just 23 wins shy of becoming the program leader for all-time wins.

Wolverines dominate Northwestern, 80-54, at Crisler Center to give Kim Barnes Arico her 100th win with the program

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer

NORTHWESTERN
MICHIGAN 

54
80

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MAGGIE KOLCON

Daily Sports Writer

