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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