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SportsMonday
Monday, January 8, 2018 — 3B
Barnes Arico breaks all-time win record
When the seconds ticked
off and the game ended last
Thursday for the 190th time in
Kim Barnes Arico’s time as head
coach of the Michigan women’s
basketball team, the first face
she saw was a familiar one:
Danielle Williams.
Williams has been under
Barnes Arico’s tutelage since
the 2013-14 season, as both
a player and — starting this
season — a graduate assistant.
Instead of saying a familiar
axiom or giving a high-five after
the team’s 80-57 dismantling
of Wisconsin, Williams offered
up a hug. Barnes Arico had won
her 124th game, making her the
program’s all-time winningest
coach. Congratulations were in
order.
The team gifted Barnes Arico
a jersey, numbered ‘124,’ with
her name on the back of it — an
idea birthed by Mulligan and
Sarah VanMetre, the team’s
communications director. Prior
to Michigan’s game against
Ohio State on Saturday, the
jersey was presented to her at
midcourt.
From
there,
the
congratulatory
messages
poured in. Nearly 18 hours after
the game ended, she had yet to
sift through her text messages
because there were too many.
When Barnes Arico took
over at Michigan in 2012, the
Wolverines
were
a
veteran
program,
led
by
then-
seniors Jenny Ryan and Kate
Thompson.
After
they
left,
however, it was Barnes Arico’s
job
to
facilitate
a
rebuild
while keeping Michigan in the
postseason — something that
hadn’t been done successfully in
the program’s recent history.
She did it. For four straight
seasons, she kept the Wolverines
above .500 and got to the
Women’s National Invitational
Tournament, winning it in 2017
and raising the team’s first ever
banner.
“I was fortunate to inherit
a group of seniors that was
experienced
and
was
a
tremendous
group,”
Barnes
Arico said. “But after that, and
they graduated, we had a lot of
young, inexperienced kids. So
we figured, we were gonna work
harder than everybody else. And
we might not have the talent of
other teams, but we were gonna
be the hardest workers and that
would prove to be successful.”
That ultimately became her
theme, taken into every practice
and every game. At the end of
the intro video the team plays at
the start of every contest, senior
guard Katelynn Flaherty stares
into the camera and says, “We
are the hardest working team in
America.”
“I
just
think
sometimes,
especially when you’re starting
as an underdog and maybe
your tradition has not been
established already, to control
the things that you can control,
and one is your work ethic,”
Barnes Arico said. “And the
intensity and passion that you
bring to your profession every
day, whether that’s a player
on the court or a coach on our
staff.”
Now — in Barnes Arico’s
fifth year in Ann Arbor — she’s
no longer coaching a band of
underdogs.
The
Wolverines
have been nationally ranked
since the season began and
look poised to make a return to
the NCAA Tournament for the
first time since Barnes Arico’s
inaugural season.
When asked if she thinks
this is the best team she’s had at
Michigan, Barnes Arico replied:
“I guess the rest of the world
does.”
As for herself, well, she didn’t
give a concrete answer. Better
to keep working than start
wondering.
Wolverines fall short to Ohio State in overtime
With her team in the lead just six
minutes into the game, Ohio State
guard Kelsey Mitchell dribbled the
ball calmly at the top of the key.
Junior guard Nicole Munger
and junior center Hallie Thome
closed in on her, catching her by
surprise and forcing a loose ball. As
the ball bounced past the half-court
line, the three players chased it.
Mitchell was the frontrunner of the
pack, and it seemed as if she would
regain possession.
But then, out of nowhere,
Munger and Thome dove across the
floor just as Mitchell reached down
towards the ball. Thome grabbed
the ball, and Munger instantly
called a timeout — winning
possession back for her team.
Some
may
have
wondered
why two starters would sacrifice
themselves so early on.
But
in
Sunday
afternoon’s
overtime thriller, every possession
mattered. The No. 22 Michigan
women’s basketball team (2-2 Big
Ten, 13-4 overall) fell to the tenth-
ranked Buckeyes (4-0, 15-2), 78-71,
at Crisler Center.
The game started out intense,
with both teams showing off their
energy and physicality. Munger
drained a corner 3, getting the
Wolverines on the scoreboard
early on. But Mitchell responded
immediately for the Buckeyes,
sinking a 3-pointer of her own.
The rest of the quarter — and
game for that matter — would
follow this back-and-forth trend.
Both
teams
created
a
considerable amount of scoring
chances. Ohio State played very
tight defense overall, especially on
Katelynn Flaherty, but the senior
guard still managed to find the rim
from the get-go.
Thome
was
also
a
major
contributor for Michigan. The
Wolverines consistently fed her
the ball down low, letting her spin
around defenders to find the basket
with ease. Michigan figured out
how to capitalize on her height
advantage from the beginning, and
she put it in effect at the end of the
first quarter.
Following a missed 3-pointer
from Munger, a Buckeye defender
waited under the rim for the
rebound. But Thome suddenly
reached
over
the
opponent,
grabbed the ball and scored.
Despite their offensive success,
the Wolverines couldn’t limit Ohio
State’s offense. They also had
numerous traveling violations, and
due to these mistakes Michigan
trailed, 24-18, at the end of the
opening stanza.
The second quarter was a
defensive battle in which the
Wolverines came out on top,
limiting the Buckeyes to just six
points. Senior forward Jillian
Dunston set the tone for Michigan
in this period, offering leadership
through her confident style of play.
The Wolverines followed suit and
began cutting into Ohio State’s
lead.
Having just hit a free throw to
get her team within one, freshman
guard Deja Church received the
ball once more, following a missed
jumper by Mitchell. Church’s
floater — the last shot of the half —
spun out of the hoop, though, and
Michigan trailed, 30-29.
Flaherty made a jumper at the
start of the second half, giving
the Wolverines their first lead in a
while. This lead flipped between
the two sides seven more times
in what was an even-sided third
quarter.
With 19 seconds remaining
in the quarter, Flaherty came up
clutch for Michigan. She showed off
her ball-handling skills, dribbling
through the defense to convert a
layup and tie the game at 47 at the
end of the third frame.
Neither team pulled away in
the fourth quarter. Thome found
success in the low post, leading
the Wolverines’ offense with a
quarter-high nine points, while
Mitchell continued to lead the
Buckeyes.
With a little over a minute in
regulation remaining, Michigan —
trailing 62-61 — called a timeout. It
proved helpful. Flaherty drained a
3-pointer shortly after to give the
Wolverines a two-point lead.
After a missed jumper by
Ohio State, Michigan regained
possession and had a chance to
make it a two-possession game. But
Flaherty missed a 3-pointer and
Mitchell capitalized, going coast-
to-coast to tie the game at 64.
The Wolverines called a timeout
with twelve seconds left, and
had one final chance to put the
game away. But Flaherty couldn’t
convert, missing another 3-pointer,
sending the game to overtime.
With
Thome
and
Flaherty
well-guarded, Michigan’s offense
struggled in overtime. Deadlier,
however,
was
its
defense’s
continued inability to stop Mitchell,
who scored nine of her game-high
37 points in the extra period.
Though the Wolverines had
strong individual efforts — which
included 27 and 22 points from
Thome and Flaherty, respectively
— they were not enough for a
victory.
Michigan put together four
strong quarters, but the end result
left the fans feeling bitter once
again. The Wolverines have yet to
close out a game against a high-
caliber team.
“In general, we just need to
realize we are right there,” Thome
said. “We all need to go back, watch
the game, figure out what we need
to improve upon and then we play
them next week, so we are in a good
condition right now. We just need
to keep improving and take it day
by day. It’s a loss, but a loss is time
for learning.”
In season-opening win,
‘M’ passes difficult test
For the No. 7 Michigan
women’s
gymnastics
team,
facing the best competition has
become the norm. The prestige
of the program has invited in
competition from top talent
across the nation.
This
season
alone,
the
Wolverines will face three of
the top five teams ranked in the
NACGC/W Preseason Coaches
Poll. Friday, Michigan began
its difficult schedule against
fourth-ranked Alabama at the
Crisler Center.
In a meet filled with a bevy of
highs and lows, the Wolverines
escaped with a narrow win,
topping
the
Crimson
Tide,
196.200 to 195.675. Highlighting
Michigan’s
victory
were
individual performances from
junior Olivia Karas on her floor
routine and senior Briana Brown
on the uneven bars, scoring 9.925
and 9.900, respectively.
“We knew it was a really tough
team,” Brown said. “But we’ve
been working really hard and
we’ve beaten Alabama before so
we knew if we just trusted our
training, if we just came out here
and did what we knew how to do,
it was gonna be just fine, and we
had a lot of fun.”
The importance of competing
against top-ranked opponents
early and often is not lost on
Michigan coach Bev Plocki, who
places a special emphasis on
scheduling the best of the best.
“I have always been of the
belief that you are only as good as
the teams you compete against,”
Plocki said. “And the last couple
years — this is not out of the
norm for us. I really feel like you
have to put yourself up against
the best as a measuring stick.”
Now
that
Plocki
has
successfully lined up a laundry
list of difficult opponents, the
team’s preparation and energy
must rise to that same elite level.
For these gymnasts, they will
take that energy wherever they
can get it, whether it comes from
the crowd or their teammates.
“I feed off energy,” Karas said,
“I always tell my teammates,
‘you’ve gotta be loud for me!’
But I love energy, I love the
excitement of the crowd, I love
looking at, like making eye
contact with people in the crowd
and getting excited, it gets me
excited, and — I thought the
crowd brought so much energy
that just helped us in the end
there.”
That was evident Friday.
Karas’ floor routine — complete
with a double Arabian — was met
with a thunderous cheer from
a 3,000-strong Crisler crowd.
From her first pass, Karas drew
a standing ovation from the
rambunxious crowd and rode
the high energy to an event-best
score of 9.925.
While the camaraderie was
a high point in Michigan’s
performance, some aspects still
need improvement as Brown
mentioned the team’s landings
and ability to compete what
they’ve
practiced
could
get
better.
Plocki will be the first one to
say there is no magic fix to help
a gymnast stick a perfect landing
every time. But even against No.
4 Alabama, Michigan displayed a
patience and poise that carried it
to victory.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff to
work on here with people,”
Plocki said. “But I’m really proud
of the fact that, when things
were not going our way, and you
know, we were under so much
pressure, we could have easily
caved — but sometimes you just
have to keep fighting and believe
that it’s worth the continued
fight and you can come out with
the win.”
Thome flourishes in Michigan loss
With 4:45 remaining in the
first quarter, Ohio State had
possession of the ball near
half court. As the Buckeyes
passed back and forth, they
lost control of the ball and it
rolled over to the other side of
the court. Several players broke
into an all-out
sprint
in
an
attempt to gain
possession, but
it was junior
center
Hallie
Thome
who
slid
her
six-
foot-five body
across
the
floor to secure
the ball.
The
crowd
of 8,313 erupted.
Though Ohio State would
ultimately prevail in overtime,
Thome proved to be a key player
for
the
Michigan
women’s
basketball team in Sunday’s
game, totaling a team-high 27
points.
“I think we need to realize
that we’re right there,” said
Thome. “Now we need to keep
improving and take it day by
day ... it’s a loss but a loss is time
for learning.”
Despite
Buckeye
ball
pressure that forced Thome and
the Wolverines into numerous
traveling
violations,
Thome
used footwork to create clean
shots around the hoop.
“She’s
got
outstanding
footwork, she’s a really skilled
post,” said Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico. “I think that they
were
bumping
her a little bit and
they were calling
a ton of travels
against us, really
more in the first
half than we had
all
year
long.
And I think part
of that was their
physicality
and
we had to adjust
to that.
“I thought we settled down
as a team and did a better job in
the second half of not traveling
with the basketball. And she
specifically really settled down
and just used her quickness and
her footwork to be aggressive.”
Senior point guard Katelyn
Flaherty had several assists
to Thome during the game,
making them a notable and
highly-guarded duo.
“It’s better when she’s on my
side because they can’t help
down so it’s easier to get into
the post,” Thome said. “They
kind of have to pick and choose,
do they want a three or do they
want a two? So being able to
play with a player like this,
who everyone in the country
respects, is definitely so nice.”
Ohio
State’s
one-on-one
defense provided Thome an
advantage not afforded by some
other teams, who tend to focus
more attention on Thome.
“She’s coming off of a real
good game and we talked about
trying to establish her early and
get her the ball early and we
were able to do that,” Barnes
Arico said. “I think one of her
advantages was that they left in
her in a one-on-one and a lot of
times teams try to double her.”
But Thome was good for
more than just scoring, proving
herself as a defensive standout
Sunday. Early in the second
quarter,
Thome
blocked
a
shot that put the fans on their
feet. And in a matchup with
Stephanie Mavunga, one of
the Buckeyes’ best players, she
stood her ground.
“She really attacked her,”
Barnes
Arico
said.
“She
definitely
won
the
battle
tonight.”
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Junior center Hallie Thome was the bright spot for Michigan, scoring 27 points in the Wolverines’ loss to Ohio State.
ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
SARAH HURST
Daily Sports Writer
“I think we
need to realize
that we’re right
there.”
Junior center tallies 27 points against rival Ohio State
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico broke the all-time wins record on Thursday by beating Wisconsin.
Read the full story online at
MichiganDaily.com
ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team came close to beating Ohio State, but ultimately fell short in overtime.
Read the full story online at
MichiganDaily.com