At some point for Zavier 

Simpson, something clicked.

It could have been before 

the Michigan men’s basketball 
team took on UCLA, when 
Simpson’s 
defense 
against 

Bruins guard Aaron Holiday 
earned 
him 
extra 
minutes. 

He took advantage by adding 
a career-high 15 points in the 
comeback win.

Simpson matched that total 

against Iowa last week, and it 
got him the starting spot that 
he’d lost after a lackluster start 
to the season.

On Tuesday, against No. 5 

Purdue, Simpson dropped 15 
points again in a last-minute, 
one-point loss. And it was the 
manner 
in 
which 
Simpson 

scored those points that was 
most impressive.

With 
5:34 
left 
and 
the 

Wolverines down by three, 
junior forward Moritz Wagner 
corralled an offensive rebound 
off a missed free throw. He 
kicked it out to Simpson, who 
calmly waved Wagner over to 
set a screen. When Wagner did 

set the screen, Simpson dribbled 
to his right, drawing 7-foot-
2 Boilermaker center Isaac 
Haas 
— 
who 

was 
guarding 

Wagner 
— 
to 

pick him up.

A few passes 

later, 
Simpson 

had 
the 
ball 

again with the 
towering 
Haas 

guarding 
him. 

Simpson 
eyed 

him, 
rose 
up 

and 
drilled 
a 

3-pointer.

Tie game.
A little under a minute later, 

with the score still tied, senior 
guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman drove into the lane 
and kicked it out to Simpson, 
who was deep behind the 
3-point line. The sophomore 
calmly rose up again and hit 
another.

They were clutch shots that 

you might expect to come from 
Wagner or redshirt sophomore 
guard Charles Matthews, but 
maybe not Simpson. Yet, with 
the improvements Simpson has 
made in his offensive game, and 

the control he’s beginning to 
take over his position, the shots 
shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“Every 
day 

he’s learning he 
needs to evolve 
as a player, and 
he’s doing that,” 
said 
Michigan 

coach 
John 

Beilein. “I like 
how 
receptive 

he is to it, but 
he’s never gonna 
give 
in. 
He’s 

gonna be more 

hardworking than anyone we 
have. And it paid off a little bit 
tonight.”

At the beginning of the 

season, 
Simpson 
struggled. 

After a game against Southern 
Mississippi where he was held 
scoreless with only one assist 
in 22 minutes, his minutes were 
severely 
chopped. 
Simpson 

started the next game against 
LSU, but he played just 10 
minutes and again had 0 points.

Meanwhile, 
freshman 
Eli 

Brooks began to look more and 
more comfortable. He took 
Simpson’s starting spot just 
five games into the season, and 

it wasn’t until recently that 
Simpson took it back.

But now Simpson’s beginning 

to 
command 

respect. 
His 
3-point 

percentage 
of 43.3 is the 
second-highest 
mark 
for 
the 

Wolverines, and 
his 
5.7 
points 

per 
game 
are 

a 
respectable 

sixth-best 
on 

a 
team 
that 

has plenty of other offensive 
options.

“He’s just learning right 

now how you play at this 

level as far as a big-time high 
school player (who) really had 
success and all those things,” 

Beilein 
said. 

“But 
just 
like 

when 
you 
go 

to 
the 
pros, 

there’s a whole 
other 
level 
of 

understanding 
of the game.”

With all that 

being 
said, 

Simpson 
will 

likely never be a 
go-to 
offensive 

player. But nobody’s asking him 
to be. Michigan just needs some 
sort of offensive threat from its 
point guard position in order to 

have a well-rounded offense.

That could mean hitting 

a 
tough 
layup 
in 
traffic, 

like he did in the first half 
against Purdue. It could mean 
distributing and protecting the 
ball — Simpson’s 2.77 assist-to-
turnover ratio ranks him 39th 
among all NCAA Division 1 
players.

Or, it could mean a clutch 

3-pointer when his team needs 
it most.

Tuesday’s game may not be 

enough to prove that Simpson 
can be that kind of point 
guard all season, but if his 
recent performances are any 
indication, he may be as sure a 
bet as the Wolverines have. 

8 — Thursday, January 11, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

HAILEY’S COMET

It was just another inbounds 

pass after just another shot during 
just another game.

Senior forward Jillian Dunston 

to senior guard Katelynn Flaherty, 
like always, towards the end of the 
third quarter as Michigan held 
onto a one-point lead.

Except for one twist: on this 

inbounds 
pass, 
Flaherty 
was 

knocked down by the player 
defending her, falling to the ground 
as Dunston tossed the easiest pass 
in basketball out of bounds. It 
was a crescendo of frustration in 
a game that seemingly featured 
nothing but.

Still, the No. 23 Michigan 

women’s basketball team (3-2 Big 
Ten, 14-4 overall) escaped Crisler 
Center with an 84-79 win over 
Indiana (1-4, 8-10) on Wednesday 
night — a victory the Wolverines 
didn’t especially deserve and 
shouldn’t be especially happy 
about.

Michigan came into the fourth 

quarter down by one and came all 
too close to finishing behind an 
inferior Hoosier squad.

The two teams went back and 

forth to start the final quarter, 
trading baskets until the 7:07 
mark. That was when — after 
grabbing 
her 
own 
offensive 

rebound — junior forward Nicole 
Munger drew a foul on a putback 
attempt, the fifth on Indiana’s 
Amanda Cahill. Cahill hadn’t just 
been providing an offensive spark 
— 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting 
— she was also one of the few 
Hoosiers able to compete with the 
Wolverines on the glass. Without 
her, a major advantage turned 
into a area of utter dominance 
for Michigan, which finished the 
contest with a 38-18 rebounding 
advantage, including six in a row 
to end it.

Munger hit both free throws 

to tie the game at 61 and, without 
Cahill, the game’s complexion 
changed. Though Indiana took 

the lead its next time down, the 
Wolverines grabbed it right back 
off a Munger 3-pointer that fell 
through the basket after two 
offensive 
rebounds 
extended 

the possession. Next time down, 
junior center Hallie Thome found 
Dunston out of a double-team in 
the post, who promptly swung 
it to freshman forward Hailey 
Brown in the corner for another 
triple.

Michigan wasn’t out of the 

mud, yet though. The Hoosiers led 
the Wolverines with as few as four 
minutes to go in the game after a 
Buss layup gave Indiana a 71-69 
lead.

With Indiana face-guarding 

Flaherty 
— 
a 
now-common 

deterrent to the program’s all-
time leading scorer — and double-
teaming Thome in the post, the 
Wolverines turned to Brown.

She delivered, nailing an elbow 

jumper off the catch to tie it at 71 
for her 22nd and 23rd points of the 
night, a career-high.

At that point, it was Flaherty’s 

turn to get in on the action, 
drawing a foul in transition and 
hitting both free throws. The 
Hoosiers didn’t hold another lead 
the rest of the way.

Make no mistake, however, 

Michigan got away with one. The 
Wolverines turned the ball over 
22 times, their highest mark since 
November, while coughing up 
over 75 points for the third time in 
four games. 

“I just think we weren’t locked 

in and focused,” Munger said. “...
Ohio State, we came out extremely 
locked in and extremely focused, 
and I think we just need to do a 
better job of taking that next step 
and being mature — like a mature 
team — and taking every scout 
and knowing every scout like 
completely.”

Barnes Arico touched on the 

seeming lack of preparedness 
as well, attributing it to a tightly 
packed schedule.

“We played (last) Thursday — so 

we traveled Thursday — we played 

Sunday, we played Wednesday, we 
play Saturday, we play Tuesday,” 
she said. “Count those days and 
count how many games and travel 
— three of those on the road — that 
(isn’t) that much time.

“Not a lot of time to practice, not 

a ton of time to prepare. Trying to 
figure out the fine line between 
rest and preparation. And using 
our experience to make sure we’re 
prepared and following the scout 
instead of reps. And tonight, I 
didn’t think we did a great job of 
that and I even called our older 
kids out on that. ‘Hey, we gave you 
a day to rest your legs, but then 
you gotta follow the scout. Or else 
we’re gonna practice.’ ”

One thing is clear: Michigan 

can’t deliver a similar performance 
again and expect to get away with 
it consistently. The Wolverines are 
about to embark on a two-game 
road trip, facing a solid Nebraska 
team and Ohio State, a top-10 
program that beat Michigan in 
Ann Arbor on Sunday.

Simply, if the Wolverines play 

like they did Wednesday, they’ll 
return home under .500 in Big Ten 
play.

AARON BAKER/Daily

Freshman forward Hailey Brown scored a career-high 23 points, as Michigan barely defeated Indiana on Wednesday.

Zavier Simpson bringing steadiness to Michigan’s point guard position

Wolverines eke out tight, 84-79 win over Hoosiers
Freshman Hailey Brown gets career-high 23 points

Following 
an 
exhilarating 

overtime loss to then-No.10 
Ohio State, the No. 23 Michigan 
women’s basketball team looked 
to clinch a routine win against 
Indiana Wednesday night.

But there was nothing routine 

about it.

With under four minutes 

remaining in a tied game, senior 
guard Katelynn Flaherty passed 
the ball to freshman forward 
Hailey Brown, who nailed an 
elbow jumper to give her team 
the lead.

The Wolverines went on to 

win, 84-79, at Crisler Center, 
but it didn’t come the way they 
expected. The team’s stars — 
Flaherty and junior center Hallie 
Thome — were closely guarded 
from the start and struggled 
to score early on. Meanwhile, 
Michigan’s 
defense 
couldn’t 

seem to limit the Hoosiers, 
causing a close game.

But two of the Wolverines’ 

three freshmen — Brown and 
guard Deja Church — stepped up, 

leading the team to victory on a 
night that reeked of upset.

Brown started hot, accounting 

for eight of Michigan’s first 10 
points. She went on to finish with 
a career-high 23 points, while 
grabbing eight rebounds. It was 
a special night for the Canada-
native.

“It felt good,” Brown said. “It 

was different cause a lot of people 
were asking if I was in my zone, 
but every shot just felt good. I 
guess once you start hitting them 
you become more confident.”

Added Michigan coach Kim 

Barnes Arico: “I thought Hailey 
was terrific. … It’s incredible 
when you have different people 
step up.”

Church’s contributions were 

also impressive. Though she 
finished with just nine points, a 
few of her baskets helped prevent 
the Wolverines from falling 
behind early.

The 
contributions 
from 

these two freshmen couldn’t 
have come at a better time, as 
Michigan looked out of sync 
from the beginning of a contest it 
couldn’t afford to lose.

But 
Brown’s 
stellar 

performance 
along 
with 

Church’s 
contributions 
gave 

Michigan the spark it needed, 
creating breathing room for 
others in the process.

The 
duo’s 
success 
shows 

how much they have grown 
throughout the season. Though 
Church is a reserve, she has 
already established herself as the 
first player to come off the bench 
and receives significant playing 
time. Whenever the Wolverines 
find themselves in a slump, they 
look to her to energize the team 
with her quick, confident style of 
play.

“Deja Church is key for us,” 

Barnes Arico said. “She runs our 
team. She is a good defender, 
she’s the fastest kid we have on 
our team, so she provides a lot 
of things for us and tonight we 
saw her again getting better 
and better. I think as the season 
progresses, she’s gonna be a 
kid that just improves the more 
experience she gets and the more 
the basketball is in her hand. But 
she’s a sponge — she’s willing to 
learn and she really contributed 
great minutes to us tonight.”

Brown, on the other hand, has 

started every game this season, 
and her improvements have been 
crucial to her team’s success. 
In her first game for Michigan 
— against George Mason back 
in early November — she went 
2-for-11 from the field to finish 
with just four points. But she 
improved week by week, and 
Wednesday she thrived, going 
10-for-12. Her confident shooting 
made the difference.

“(Brown) missed like two 

shots all night,” said junior guard 
Nicole Munger. “You can’t guard 
that. You can’t guard that at all.”

Though the Wolverines faced 

problems against Indiana, the 
quality play from the freshmen 
saved them from a potentially 
devastating defeat, while also 
providing a promising glimpse 
into the future.

EVAN AARON/Daily

Sophomore guard Zavier Simpson has brought stability to the point guard position with his play in recent games.

MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer

With 15 points in two of his last three games, Simpson seems to have added reliable offense to his stellar defense

“Every day he’s 

learning he 

needs to evolve 

as a player.”

“There’s a whole 

other level of 

understanding of 

the game.”

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

