The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Thursday, February 16, 2017 — 5A HEY. YOU'RE DOING GREAT AND WE know you can do it. Don't give up! Classifieds Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com ACROSS 1 Truly wretched 7 E equivalent, on scores 12 Bygone space station 15 Reaction to a comeback 16 Contact 17 Long-necked bird 18 Fitness challenge 20 Metz moniker 21 Colo. setting 22 See-through 23 Even-odds situation 25 Scand. land 27 Not much 29 Nosebag fill 30 Male pal, in slang 32 Cold sore relief product 35 Cellist with multiple Grammys 38 Baseball collectibles 41 Pure 43 Stated as fact 45 Sits in a cell 48 Set up in a glade, say 49 Bike whose company 66- Across ends 26- Down 50 Name on a shuttle, whose company 66- Across ends 24- Down 51 Lamb sandwich 54 Pamplona kudos 56 Outrage 57 Mountain predator 60 Trojan War epic 62 Church based in SLC, Utah 65 Center 66 Market representative? 69 Foofaraw 70 “American Buffalo” playwright 71 Erie Canal city 72 Passel 73 More than amuses 74 Greenery DOWN 1 Splitting target 2 Short cuts 3 Reagan-era slogan 4 Outer: Pref. 5 Run after 6 __ support 7 Liberty 8 Auto with a prancing horse logo, whose company 66- Across ends 18- Across 9 Mike Trout’s team, on scoreboards 10 Check no. 11 “Sons of Anarchy” actor Rossi 12 Brainy bunch 13 Passing remark? 14 Beef cuts 19 Field 24 Alternative energy vehicle 26 Unreserved way to go 28 “Hulk” star Eric 30 Fly-__: air passes 31 Juicer’s juice? 33 Nonsense 34 “__ Holden”: Irving Bacheller novel 36 Cactus League spring training city 37 Neil deGrasse Tyson subj. 39 Blizzard restriction, perhaps 40 Final Four matchup 42 Rural storehouse 44 Plays usually involving the SS 46 “I’m a fan!” 47 Shoelace holders 51 IM option 52 “Seriously?” 53 Apply, as sunscreen 55 Respectful word 56 Pastoral piece 58 Stop-offs before big dates, maybe 59 Muscat money 61 Rush job letters 63 “Knock it off!” 64 Stallone and Stone 67 Nashville awards gp. 68 Mgmt. degree By C.C. Burnikel ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 02/16/17 02/16/17 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: RELEASE DATE– Thursday, February 16, 2017 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis xwordeditor@aol.com WORK ON MACKINAC Island This Summer – Make lifelong friends. The Island House Hotel and Ryba’s Fudge Shops are seeking help in all areas: Front Desk, Bell Staff, Wait Staff, Sales Clerks, Kitchen, Baristas. Dorm Housing, bonus, and discounted meals. (906) 847‑7196. www.theislandhouse.com DOMINICK’S NOW HIRING all posi‑ tions FT/PT. Call 734‑834‑5021. COME JOIN A Focus Group about the Michigan Daily and receive $40 cash for one 75‑minute group discussion. We want representation from all of our readership ‑ current students, faculty and staff, other community members, including current readers who are former students or UM employees. Please contact Lisa Carn at 734‑647‑6582 if you are interested in participation. 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Max Occupancy is 4 ? 2 Parking Spaces Washer/Dryer $2190 + Utilities Cappo Mgmt 734‑996‑1991 1 BEDROOM APTS Near N. Campus Fall 2017‑18 ‑ $900/m + $25/m Utilities Each unit has one parking space. 909 & 915 Wall St. Deinco Properties 734‑996‑1991 FOR RENT HELP WANTED SUMMER EMPLOYMENT ‘M’ set to face Indiana The No. 20 Michigan women’s basketball team needs just two more wins to record its best season in program history, but those hopes will face a stiff challenge in the form of a contest with Indiana at Assembly Hall on Thursday night. The Wolverines (10-2 Big Ten, 21-5 overall) last took on the Hoosiers (7-5, 17-8) on Jan. 10, and managed to come away with a victory — barely. Despite Michigan’s 64-55 lead going into the fourth quarter, Indiana narrowed its deficit to two points in the final minute. But senior guard Siera Thompson iced the game, making four free throws in that final minute to claim the 78-74 win. Four Hoosiers scored in double digits in the previous matchup — guard Tyra Buss and center Jenn Anderson both tallied 21 points. Michigan has the capability to match that output, though, as junior guard Katelynn Flaherty, sophomore center Hallie Thome and freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick have all scored over 20 points in multiple games. The Wolverines’ previous victory may foreshadow success in their upcoming matchup, but Michigan has taken care to not be overconfident. “Indiana is a great team, and it came down to the wire here,” Flaherty said. “Going to their place, it’s going to be much different, and they will have a better game plan to try and stop us.” The Wolverines faced another Big Ten team for the second time last Sunday and learned that initial wins don’t equate to easy rematches. On Jan. 1, Michigan easily defeated Wisconsin, 73-56, but when the two teams played again on Feb. 12, the Wolverines’ lead often remained in single-digit range. “They played a lot of (man-on- man defense),” Flaherty said. “And I think that was a different look for us than last time, when they played a lot of zone.” With more time to refine their game plan, the Badgers provided more of a challenge to Michigan the second time around. Wisconsin held Thome to just 13 points — a steep drop-off from the 37 she scored in the first matchup. Against Indiana, Michigan is eager for the opportunity to correct its mistakes. The Wolverines have been averaging 71.5 percent from the free-throw line this season, but they have struggled in their past three games. Michigan managed to shoot just 54.5 percent against Wisconsin, 46.2 percent against Purdue and 57.7 percent against Iowa from the charity stripe. “We just need to capitalize on all the little things,” said sophomore guard Nicole Munger. “… That’s definitely controllable, and it puts us up 10 more points, and it gives us a little bit more breathing room.” The Wolverines are also putting an emphasis on rebounding after the Hoosiers won the battle on the glass, 35-29, in the previous game. “If you are going to get outrebounded, you can’t get outrebounded and then give away possessions on the offensive end,” Barnes Arico said. “So we really talked about taking care of the basketball.” Despite focusing on its problem areas, Michigan has the weapons to top Indiana on the road, from its high-volume scorers — Thome, Flaherty, and Gondrezick — to its strong defenders — Thompson and junior forward Jillian Dunston. Munger has also made a strong impact off the bench recently with a combination of press defense and late threes. Riding a six-game winning streak and falling to an unranked team only once this season, the Wolverines have the momentum to match their goal of finishing top-three in the Big Ten, and that energy will likely carry them against Indiana. Michigan looks ahead to rematch Two seems to be Michigan’s unlucky number heading into its matchup with Wisconsin. Michigan coach John Beilein has beaten the Badgers just twice in 18 attempts as a head coach, and the Wolverines have yet to put together a winning streak of more than two games so far in Big Ten play this season. Michigan will have a chance to break both trends Thursday when Wisconsin (10-2 Big Ten, 21-4 overall) pays a visit to Crisler Center for the Wolverines’ penultimate home game of the season. Compared to last month’s contest in Madison — a 68-64 Badger victory — Michigan (6-6, 16-9) now has a better feeling heading into the rematch. The Wolverines are coming off their best defensive performance of the conference season, holding Indiana to 63 points and 21 percent shooting from three on its home court. Leading that effort was Michigan’s frontcourt duo, redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson and sophomore forward Moritz Wagner., led that effort. The pair shut down Hoosier center Thomas Bryant and forced Indiana to make plays on the perimeter rather than work the ball inside-out. The Badgers play a similar style of working through forward Ethan Happ, who leads the team in points, rebounds and assists. Though Wilson had success stopping the forward in the first half of the game in Madison, he quickly picked up three fouls shortly after halftime while defending Happ’s frontcourt partner — forward Nigel Hayes — and had to watch from the bench as Happ’s passing skills powered Wisconsin on a decisive 15-0 run. Wilson and Wagner’s foul trouble in that matchup paralyzed the Wolverines down the stretch. The Badgers were in the bonus for a majority of the second half, and Michigan lost its physical edge and height advantage. “Wisconsin’s really good at drawing fouls,” Beilein said. “(We) have to learn to play post defense aggressive. I’m not talking about not fouling; I’m talking about bad fouls. They’ve got to be good fouls in the post because if you’re going to be physical, you’re going to be called for something.” The Wolverines’ defense showed they were capable of holding Happ and Hayes below their respective scoring averages, especially when they focused on creating turnovers or forcing difficult shots. At the Kohl Center, Happ went 5-for-13 from the field and committed three turnovers while Hayes shot 4-for- 11 from the floor and 1-for-4 from behind the arc. “We got to have a lot of ideas in our head, and hopefully we’re good at all of them and not average,” Beilein said on trying to contain Happ and Hayes. “Trying to put it all together, it’s going to be a challenge because they’re a very smart team. We’re not going to surprise them, but hopefully we can create some turnovers or create some tough twos for them to make as well.” Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig, who played a central role in the Badgers’ win in January, has been deemed questionable for Thursday’s game. Koenig has been held out of practice for the past two days, and is listed as day-to-day with a leg injury. The senior was a non-factor for 35 minutes, but single-handedly led Wisconsin in the final five minutes. Senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. took responsibility for Koenig’s run and now revels in the chance to prove his defensive worth over the fellow senior point guard. “If you’re a good player and you make one shot, that’s all the difference,” Walton said. “Kudos for him for not being frustrated for 35 minutes and doing what his team needed him to do and close out the game. I take a personal challenge on playing a full 40 minutes of playing great defense on him.” Michigan will be familiar with the matchups it will face against the Badgers on Thursday. Where the Wolverines fall short, though, is knowing how to handle their recent success. Following previous two-game stretches of victories this season, Michigan has gone on to drop the following game of each string. Now, with wins over Michigan State and at Indiana, Michigan faces the same challenge to bottle its momentum and extend its winning streak. “It’s normal as a human when you have some success, you relish in it and get comfortable,” Walton said. “Only the great individual teams and coaches push you to be better. I think that falls on the players and the leadership.” Added Beilein: “With most people, good is the enemy of great. As soon as you do some things good, you start to slack off a little bit. That’s our job as coaches to make sure they see that.” If the Wolverines want to reach their goals and land comfortably in the NCAA Tournament field, they can’t let an opportunity like Thursday night pass them by. In Madison, Michigan proved it has the matchups and the talent to beat the Badgers. Now, the Wolverines have to show they have developed the mental edge to get over the hump and beat the streaks that will continue to haunt them if they don’t. Notebook: LaFontaine in, Kile out A bang-bang play knocked goaltender Jack LaFontaine out of the Michigan hockey team’s game against Michigan State this past Saturday. During a Michigan State attack, sophomore defenseman Nicholas Boka was pushed into the crease and fell on the freshman, who appeared to suffer a leg injury that left him in considerable pain. LaFontaine attempted to play on it, but it wasn’t long before Michigan coach Red Berenson decided to pull him for senior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort. LaFontaine described the sequence of events as “frustrating.” He had worked hard in practice all week to earn the starting spot in Saturday’s game against Michigan State, marking just his second start since Dec. 2, and had been playing well before the injury, stopping 18 of 19 shots in the contest. Despite the shortened appearance, LaFontaine has maintained his position in the current goalie competition between him, Nagelvoort and freshman Hayden Lavigne (who has received the most starts). The injury didn’t last beyond the weekend, allowing him to practice all this week, and according to Berenson, LaFontaine is “back in the picture” as the team continues his search for a starting goaltender. “We liked (LaFontaine’s) progress in practice and his work ethic,” Berenson said. “It’s getting to the point where you’d like to see one goalie take it and run with it, and we haven’t had one goalie that really has stood out. “They’ve all had their moments. … There’s no blueprint that you can just go by and say, ‘This is the plan,’ and expect everything to work perfectly. It hasn’t. But all three are working hard, they all want to play, and they’re all getting chances to play. But whoever takes it and runs with it will be that guy, if anyone does. Otherwise we’re going to be a team with goalie by committee.” Added LaFontaine: “It’s definitely a great opportunity for me individually. As a team, I have the ability to kinda get us out of this hole. I think as a three-man rotation, we do a really good job of staying in games and making big saves. … We’re just working hard and doing what we’ve done since the beginning of the season.” Warren, Dancs switching lines In Michigan’s last four games, sophomore forward Brendan Warren has played on the same line as freshmen forwards Jake Slaker and Will Lockwood. But that will change against Wisconsin this weekend. “We gotta get more guys going, and I think Brendan can add more to our team than he has, and I think Dexter Dancs can add more to our team than he has,” Berenson said. Dancs has shifted to the Slaker- Lockwood line, where he’ll play with the team’s two leading scorers. Meanwhile, Warren has moved to the fourth line, alongside junior forward Cutler Martin and freshman forward Nick Pastujov. He will be playing right wing in place of freshman Steven Merl, who isn’t traveling with the team. “Brendan Warren is doing a good job on the penalty kill, and I want to see him kick in offensively when he can,” Berenson said. “Our fourth line has been outscored way too often this year, including against Wisconsin. So hopefully it’ll be stronger this weekend than it has been.” Warren doesn’t think there will be too much of an adjustment from switching lines — he skated with Martin and Pastujov earlier this year. “Going with Slaker and Lockwood is a little more skill game, and it’s fast — really fast — so it was (about) keeping up with them,” Warren said. “I think with Cutler and Nick, it’ll be more chip and chase, and we’ll bang bodies a little more. “(I) just gotta get on defense fast. That’s my role, I get on ‘D’ fast and hit them, try to get the puck back and get it to Cutler or shoot it or something like that.” Kile still out While Michigan is switching up its lines in an attempt to spark the offensive production of Dancs and Warren, the Wolverines will still be without one of their key playmakers in senior forward Alex Kile. Kile has now missed the past four games, and will not be traveling this weekend either. Kile has just 10 points on the season with six goals and four assists, but he has still had a significant impact — especially for a team that has struggled to score. “Alex is not only a captain, but he’s our leading scorer coming into the season, and he should be one of our leading scorers,” Berenson said. “So we’re losing an offensive fireplug with Alex Kile and one of our leaders.” Michigan will need others, like Warren or Dancs, to step up this weekend, and Berenson has been impressed by the efforts of a pair of seniors in Kile’s absence. “I think a lot of other guys have tried to pick up the slack,” Berenson said. “I think the other seniors, (Max) Shuart and Evan Allen, are playing their best hockey now, so good for them. But Alex Kile was on their line when he got hurt. So we’ll see when he comes back where he fits in, and hopefully he’ll give us a jumpstart.” MAGGIE KOLCON Daily Sports Writer WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily Freshman goaltender Jack LaFontaine is back in consideration as the starter. ORION SANG Daily Sports Editor EMMA RICHTER/Daily Redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson will be key on defense Thursday night. BRANDON CARNEY Daily Sports Writer