The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsWednesday
Wednesday, January 3, 2018 — 3B

Simpson leads ‘M’ past Iowa in crucial road win

IOWA CITY 
— Throughout 

the season, the point guard 
position has been a source 
of limited production for the 
Michigan 
men’s 
basketball 

team.

In 
their 
previous 
game, 

freshman 
Eli 
Brooks 
and 

sophomore 
Zavier 
Simpson 

combined for just two points 
on three shot attempts facing a 
far-inferior Jacksonville team.

But 
on 
Tuesday 
night, 

Simpson played the best game 
of his college career, tallying 
15 points and 7 assists to lead 
the Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 
13-3 overall) to a 75-68 win 
over Iowa (0-3, 9-7) at Carver-
Hawkeye Arena.

“We got after him a little 

bit after (Jacksonville),” said 
Michigan coach John Beilein. 
“He didn’t guard his man, and 
we challenged him to go out 
and play better. He’s that type 
of guy who need to bring it 
every night.

“He works in the gym so 

much to hit those 3s that we 
needed to have.”

Simpson’s productivity was 

joined by that of freshman 
forward 
Isaiah 
Livers 
and 

sophomore center Jon Teske 
— three bench 
players 
that 

were 
key 

Tuesday night. 

Livers scored 

a career-high 13 
points, and filled 
in nicely on the 
defensive 
end 

guarding 
Iowa 

forward 
Tyler 

Cook. 

And 
with 

junior center Moritz Wagner 
still knocking off rust from 
a ankle injury, Teske was 
also effective in limiting the 

Hawkeyes’ frontcourt down the 
stretch.

“Our 
bench 
really 
was 

solid today because Moe and 
Duncan really didn’t have some 

of 
the 
things 

(they 
usually 

have 
today),” 

Beilein 
said. 

“Our bench was 
the 
difference 

today.”

The 
same 

could 
be 
said 

about 
the 

Wolverines’ 
shooting 
performance. 

Michigan shot 49 percent from 
the floor and knocked down 11 
triples — including eight in the 
first half.

“We shot so well tonight,” 

Beilein said. “If we missed some 
of those shots, I might have a 
different story to tell right now. 
But we played extraordinarily 
well as far as shooting the ball.” 

Despite the shooting boost, 

however, Michigan’s victory 
didn’t come easily. 

With just over 10 minutes to 

go, the Hawkeyes went on an 
11-3 run to close its deficit to 
just six. And after leading by as 
many as 18 points, the eeriness 
of Michigan’s collapse at Ohio 
State last month crept in.

“That’s all we talk about 

all season,” Livers said. “That 
we can’t come out here in the 
second half and let them come 
hit us. We’ve got to hit them 
before they hit us. I think that’s 

going to help us going forward 
in the season.”

But, fittingly, it was Simpson 

who 
stopped 
the 
bleeding. 

With a layup that beat the shot 
clock and an assist to senior 
guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman, 
he 
sparked 
the 

Wolverines to a 9-0 stretch that 
put the possibility of another 
Big Ten loss out of question.

With 
an 
augmented 

command of the offense and a 
6-for-9 effort from the field, 
Simpson was instrumental in 
creating the ball movement 
Beilein 
previously 
said 

Michigan lacked with the Ohio 
native on the floor.

“We wanted him to see the 

floor better,” Beilein said, “and 
he did that tonight.”

But like Saturday, it was 

another slow start for the 
Wolverines, 
who 
coughed 

up five turnovers before the 
game’s first media timeout, 
including two traveling calls 
against 
redshirt 
sophomore 

forward Charles Matthews.

But 
with 
the 
Hawkeyes 

struggling 
to 
find 
twine, 

Abdur-Rahkman and Simpson 
each knocked down a pair of 
3s to launch Michigan to a 
15-point 
advantage 
midway 

through the frame.

That would set the tone for 

eight made triples from six 
different Wolverines in the first 
half.

And 
with 
a 
62-percent 

shooting performance on 15 
assists, Michigan would take a 

49-36 lead into the break.

That 
was 
despite 
quiet 

performances 
from 
Wagner 

and fifth-year senior Duncan 
Robinson, who combined for just 
seven points in 29 minutes.

“(Wagner) is just not right,” 

Beilein said. “He was tender on 
the ankle, but now he’s fine. He 
just needs to get his rhythm back. 
... And I’m concerned about him 
because we need Moe Wagner.”

And for a few minutes in the 

first half, the Hawkeyes exploited 
Wagner’s uncharacteristic game. 
With an 11-0 run, Iowa closed its 
deficit to single-digits early into 
the second frame.

But just as he did later in the 

half, it was Simpson who ended 
the run, wiggling his way into 
the paint for an easy score.

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson turned in an impressive performance against the Hawkeyes, tallying 15 points and seven assists in Tuesday’s win and helping run the offense smoothly.

MARK CALCAGNO

Daily Sports Editor

Michigan finishes third at GLI 

DETROIT, Mich. — For a 

second straight contest, Michigan 
got off to a dismal start.

And in the second period 

for the second night in a row, 
a convenient bounce led to a 
freshman’s first college goal to 
bring the Wolverines within one.

This time, though, Michigan 

(8-8-2 overall, 3-5-2 Big Ten) 
sealed the deal, coming all the 
way back and then some.

Slightly under five minutes 

into the second period, senior 
defenseman Sam Piazza’s shot 
from the point slammed off the 
back wall to freshman forward 
Michael Pastujov, who slipped the 
puck into the bottom-right corner 
of the net.

One 
minute 
later, 
junior 

forward 
Cooper 
Marody 

redirected a cross-ice pass from 
senior forward Dexter Dancs 
behind Michigan State goaltender 
John Lethemon to tie the score at 
three.

To lead off the final stanza, 

senior 
defenseman 
Cutler 

Martin’s 
shot 
ricocheted 
off 

the back of Spartan defender 
Zach Osburn and past a helpless 
Lethemon, giving the Wolverines 
their first lead of the Great Lakes 
Invitational — one they would not 
relinquish.

Michigan claimed third place 

in the GLI for the second straight 
year with a 6-4 victory over the 
same opponent — Michigan State 
(8-11-1, 2-7-1) — as in 2017.

As 
usual, 
the 
Wolverines’ 

high-powered first line set the 
pace, especially Marody — who 
recorded his second career hat-
trick with his equalizer and then 
two third-period goals. Senior 
forward Tony Calderone assisted 
on all three of them, while Dancs 
registered one assist of his own.

It’s unlikely anyone would have 

seen this coming a couple hours 
before. Just 26 seconds after the 
intial puck drop, Spartan forward 
Taro Hirose scooted through 
Michigan’s defense and found 
the net to open the scoring. Four 
minutes later, forward Logan 
Lambdin 
tipped 
defenseman 

Carson Gatt’s shot into a wide-open 

net created when a Michigan State 
player collided with sophomore 
goaltender Hayden Lavigne — 
a goal which was reviewed for 
interference, but ultimately stood.

“Obviously it’s not the start we 

wanted,” said Michigan coach Mel 
Pearson. “Twenty seconds into the 
game we get one behind and we 
get 2-0. … I thought we got a break 
after the first period just to regroup 
a little bit and just to have a chat.”

The first half-hour, while still 

ugly for the Wolverines, wasn’t 
quite the same nightmare it had 
been against Bowling Green the 
previous night, which had a 4-0 
lead 24 minutes into the bout. 
Michigan showed more life on 
offense, moved the puck and 
created decent chances.

Not surprisingly, that all led 

to better results Tuesday. Three 
minutes into the second period, 
sophomore 
forward 
James 

Sanchez halved the deficit with a 
flick from the left wing that caught 
the right side of the net. But two 
minutes after that, Sanchez was 
penalized for tripping, leading 
to a power-play goal by Patrick 
Khodorenko 
to 
restore 
the 

Spartans’ original lead.

Last night, Pearson bemoaned 

the fact his team couldn’t do much 
after bringing the game within one 
goal. Again, Tuesday was different. 
After Martin’s goal, Khodorenko 
was hit with a crucial major 
penalty for cross-checking.

With 
the 
man 
advantage, 

Michigan could do whatever it 
wanted for the next five minutes. 
Shots flew in from everywhere, but 
it was one in particular — a high 
wrister by Marody for his second 
goal — that carried the most 
influence.

Michigan State capitalized on a 

power-play of its own with a five-
on-three advantage to stay in the 
game. But Marody’s third salvo 
sealed the deal with four minutes 
remaining.

“I think that we just had more 

will tonight,” Martin said. “Our 
team, we’re not as skilled maybe 
as we were my freshman and 
sophomore year. This year we 
sometimes have to play a little 
grindier game. And just making 
sure we do that, holding each other 
accountable.”

Livers displays improved outside shooting at Iowa

Isaiah Livers caught the ball 

in rhythm as he has all season. 
He squared to the hoop and 
lifted with the same form he has 
all season. 

The difference? This time it 

went in. 

In a place Michigan hasn’t 

won in seven seasons, in an 
arena enlivened by Iowa’s quick 
6-0 spurt, Livers motioned to 
the now-silenced crowd and 
lifted his fingers to his lips. 

Shhhh.
The three-point stroke looked 

the same. The confidence from 
the freshman was brand new.

“From here on, it just makes 

me play with a chip on my 
shoulder,” Livers said. “I know 
what I can do. I know what 
I’m capable of. At first, I was 
second-thinking 
everything. 

There was always a second 
thought that I had, and I think 
that was holding me back early 
in the season. I think now I have 
a lot more confidence than I 
had.”

On 
the 
next 
possession, 

Livers caught a swing pass in 
the corner and faced the rim 
again. This time, with the calm 
of a skilled veteran, Livers 
offered a slight pump fake. His 
defender bought it, offering him 
a clear lane to an easy layup.

A disgruntled (to put it 

mildly) Fran McCaffery called 
timeout, but Michigan never 
slowed down on its way to a 
75-68 win at Iowa.

Coming into the game, Livers 

was shooting just 28 percent 
from 
beyond 
the 
arc 
and 

averaging just three points in 
his 12.1 minutes per game. 

Michigan coach John Beilein 

has long suggested Livers would 
eventually develop a long-range 
jumper; most Beilein-coached 
players do. For Livers, that 
shot is the key to unlocking 
the treasure trove of skills he 
possesses — offensively and 
defensively.

“Coach 
(Beilein) 
works 

with me after practices, every 
practice we work on my jump 

shot,” Livers said. “So I think 
(the key is) just having a positive 
mindset, and seeing the ball go 
through the basket.”

Throughout the season, much 

of Livers’ value has remained 
intangible — or at least less 
visible. 
Paired 

next to Wagner, 
Livers 
has 

often 
provided 

a 
necessary 

defensive 
upgrade at the 
other frontcourt 
position, 
and 

averages 
3.6 

offensive 
rebounds per 36 
minutes on the 
other end. Until Tuesday, his 
role had been clear and rigid.

But if his shot begins to 

drop — and he made each of his 
three attempts Tuesday — his 
potential now and in the future 
seems far greater.

“I think that I could be more 

of a Duncan Robinson,” Livers 
offered for how his role might 
change with a developed stroke. 

“I could shot fake, get the 
defender in the air, and I could 
go right past him and get to the 
bucket or make open passes for 
my teammates.”

But, of course, it was the stark 

difference between the skillsets 

of 
Livers 
and 

Robinson 
that 

told the tale of 
Tuesday’s win. 

Michigan was 

23 points better 
with Livers on 
the court than 
without. It was 
18 points worse 
with 
Duncan 

Robinson 
on 
the 
floor 

than 
without 
him. 
There’s 

correlation and causation; that 
is unmistakeably the latter.

Much of that can be attributed 

to the matchup problem with 
Robinson 
— 
a 
defensively-

challenged wing — guarding 
Iowa’s Tyler Cook.

Cook was a physical presence 

who gave Robinson and junior 
center Moritz Wagner problems 

all evening. With Robinson 
unable 
to 
handle 
Cook’s 

aggression, Beilein turned to 
Livers.

“Duncan 
Robinson 
is 
a 

mismatch ‘4’ that we don’t have 
another answer right now. DJ 
Wilson was the answer this 
year and he isn’t here this year,” 
Beilein said. “That’s hard for 
Duncan to guard some of these 
guys, so Duncan has been 
filling in and Isaiah should be 
playing more in the future. He 
has been working on that jump 
shot and his numbers are good 
in practice. He hasn’t done it 
in games, but maybe this is a 
breakthrough.”

Tuesday night was a glimpse 

into 
an 
ever-growing 
light 

at the end of Livers’ lengthy 
developmental 
tunnel. 
It’s 

unreasonable to expect Livers 
to fill the shoes of DJ Wilson 
right away, but the long-term 
comparison is not far-fetched.

With a newfound shot and 

growing confidence, there are 
sure to be more crowd-silencers 
down the road.

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Freshman forward Isaiah Livers had a plus-minus of 23 points, and his outside shooting helped Michigan beat Iowa.

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

The freshman forward has worked on his shot recently, and it seems to have paid off

“I think that I 
could be more 
of a Duncan 
Robinson.”

The Wolverines were led by their sophomore backup point guard 

“We played 

extraordinarily 

well as far as 
shooting ...”

ICE HOCKEY

JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer

