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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