8A — Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
A memorable weekend for the senior guards of Michigan basketball
It was quite the weekend for
Michigan basketball’s seniors.
But if you’re Muhammad-Ali
Abdur-Rahkman, you’re blasé
about it all.
“I wasn’t thinking about
much, just making the free
throws,” the senior guard said
after
notching
his
1,000th
career point — a game-winning
free throw to top Maryland on
Monday. “... Definitely didn’t
think it was gonna happen like
that, but I’m glad it did — we got
the win.”
A minute before with the
Wolverines up 61-59, Abdur-
Rahkman
pump-faked
and
sent two Maryland defenders
flying. One dribble to the left,
a spot-up and a much-needed
3-pointer ignited a frenzy at
Crisler Center.
In Saturday’s 82-72 upset
over then-No. 4 Michigan State,
Abdur-Rahkman contributed 14
points for his first win in East
Lansing, including a tough,
and-one layup that gave the
Wolverines a two-possession
lead
halfway
through
the
second half.
That same day and nearly
700 miles away, the women’s
team was creating magic of its
own from the charity stripe.
Freshman guard Deja Church
hit three free throws to send
the Wolverines into overtime,
where they would eventually
topple Nebraska, 69-64.
A
stressful
situation?
Of
course.
But
it
was
one
they
wouldn’t
have
even
been
in
without shooting
virtuoso
Katelynn
Flaherty. It was
business as usual
for
the
senior
guard — 9-for-
17 from the field
and a game-high
26 points.
Saturday’s
road
contest
was special beyond a thrilling
victory,
though.
With
8:03
remaining
in
the
second
quarter, Flaherty spotted up
from the top of the 3-point line
and scored her 2,443rd career
point. She had surpassed Glen
Rice’s record to become the
stand-alone scoring leader in
Michigan basketball history,
man or woman.
“It’s pretty incredible to
think I could hold the record at
such a prestigious university,”
Flaherty told The Summitt. “... I
think it was all set up perfectly
for me to be successful.”
Added women’s coach Kim
Barnes
Arico:
“Her
story
is
really
special.
Hers is a story
of hard work and
of perseverance
and
of
never
giving up and
overcoming
obstacles.”
Flaherty
is
unequivocally
the best player in
Michigan women’s basketball
history. The same cannot be
said for Abdur-Rahkman on
the men’s side. But the two
East Coast natives have plenty
in common. Most significantly,
perhaps, is that their teams
would not be where they are
now — a 15-4 record for the
women and a 16-4 record for
the men — without them.
Neither
particularly
possesses
stand-out
athleticism, a trait that made
them only a step above being
a fly on the wall coming out of
high school. Flaherty makes
up
for
her
5-foot-7
frame
with a work ethic marveled
by
her
teammates
—
she
takes 1,000 extra shots after
practice. Abdur-Rahkman has
compensated
for his skinny
frame
with
his
trademark
dribble-drive
finesse
at
the
hoop
and
his
general
basketball IQ.
“1,000 points,
too,”
said
junior
forward
Moritz Wagner
about
Abdur-Rahkman’s
accomplishments.
“I’m
very
happy for him about that. He is,
in my opinion, very underrated
in this league. The way he is
playing is awesome.”
From a leadership standpoint,
neither is the most vocal —
that role has been assumed by
more animated players like
Wagner and senior forward
Jillian Dunston. Instead, they
lead through composure, and
let their play do the talking.
Men’s
coach
John
Beilein
has even compared Abdur-
Rahkman’s calm to notable
players in the past like Trey
Burke and Stu Douglass. And
the senior’s stone face during
his fate-clinching free throws
on
Monday
circulated
the
internet
thanks to awe-
struck fans and
followers.
Abdur-
Rahkman
and
Flaherty’s
quieter
style,
in other words,
could
be
described
as
humble. When asked about
their individual performances,
it is inevitable there will be
a mention of their respective
coaches and teammates.
“They have always believed
in me and found me in great
positions,” Flaherty said. “I
don’t know if I could have done
this anywhere else.”
Added
Abdur-Rahkman
about his team’s chemistry:
“We always say that all we
need is what we have in this
room and we don’t listen to the
outside sources and things like
that. I think us being so close
as a group, as a team, helps us
go into tough environments
like Michigan State and other
places on the road.”
Regardless
of
the
help
from their teammates or the
hurdles they have overcome to
be focal points of their team,
their respective impacts are
unquestioned.
Both
players
are
having
their best seasons in terms of
points, rebounds and assists.
The women’s team appears
poised to make its first NCAA
Tournament since 2013. The
men’s team looks like it will
have a much easier path to get
there than last year.
It was a whirlwind three-
day, three-win stretch that
revealed a message: this year is
much different for both teams.
Flaherty and Abdur-Rahkman
make that a good thing.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored his 1,000th point on a game-winning free throw against Maryland.
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Editor
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Senior guard Katelynn Flaherty surpassed Glen Rice as the leading scorer in the history of Michigan basketball.
‘M’ opens new facility
with Wolverine Invite
On
Saturday,
international
collegiate
athletes,
Michigan
alum and Olympians gathered in
Ann Arbor’s new south campus
athletic complex to break in the
new indoor track.
The Wolverines hosted the
Wolverine Invitational, a non-
scoring meet featuring top talent
from across the country. The
meet was a chance for Michigan’s
track and field programs to test
the waters on their pristine new
track. The Wolverines learned
what it’s like to compete on their
new home turf.
Despite being a preseason
event, there were still numerous
highlights. Both the men’s and
women’s teams fared impeccably
well against stiff competition.
For the men’s team, events
such as the 60-meter, 400-meter
and 4 x 400m relay unfolded
favorably as Michigan took the
top spot in all of these events.
The Wolverines also managed
second-place finishes in the
60-meter hurdles, 800-meter,
one mile, weight throw and high
jump.
These
performances
were
driven behind senior Khoury
Crenshaw
in
the
60-meter
with a time of 6.80 seconds and
freshman Jandon Briscoe in the
400-meter with a time of 47.82
seconds.
The women’s team faired
equally
well,
notching
top
finishes in the 400-meter, 4 x 400
relay and high jump. Scoring top
finishes were sophomore Jade
Harrison in the 400-meter with
a time of 55.48 seconds, senior
Claire Kieffer-Wright in the high
jump clearing 1.73 meters and the
Michigan A team in the 4 x 400
relay, clocking a 3:44.91 finish.
Michigan also secured second-
place positions in the 60-meter,
one mile and weight throw.
Some
of
the
Wolverines’
second-place
accolades
also
garnered praise, such as junior
Matt Plowman, who finished
the 800-meter behind two-time
Olympic medalist and Michigan
alum Nick Willis.
“I think I did good for the first
meet,” Harris said. “And I think
the whole team did super well for
the first meet as well. There were
a lot of standouts like Jandon
(Briscoe), he did really well in the
400, and then (junior) Meghan
(Marias) got second place in the
60, then stepped up to be in the
4 x 4.”
What
makes
these
performances
even
more
exemplary
is
that
every
individual’s winning mark will
now serve as the new facility
record. While some records
may be broken in subsequent
meets, others look to last a while.
Unattached triple jumper Donald
Scott
landed
a
noteworthy
17.06-meter jump, a mark that
would have dethroned the old
facility record, and professionals
Nicole Sifuentes and Shannon
Osika ran the fastest mile times
ever recorded in the state of
Michigan at 4:27.69 and 4:28.30,
respectively.
All in all, one of the largest
crowds to ever watch a home
Michigan
track
meet
was
impressed with not only the
quality of the competition, but of
the new facility as well.
“At first it was pretty nerve-
wracking,” Briscoe said. “But
after my first 60, I felt settled
in, and honestly — this is one of
the best tracks I’ve ran on. I’ve
been all over the country running
track, and this is probably the
best track for sprints I’ve ever
had.”
Added
Michigan
women’s
coach James Henry: “You can
never have a second chance to
make a first impression. And
these kids’ first impression, I
thought, was very good. There’s
a reason we put up a world class
facility — because we wanted to
bring in world class athletes, and
we want to get to the point where
these kids can aspire to be such a
person.”
JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer
“It’s pretty
incredible to
think I could
hold the record.”
“I don’t know if I
could have done
this anywhere
else.”
Wolverines exact revenge against Ohio State
It didn’t make any sense — at
least, not at first.
With
under
two
minutes
remaining in the third quarter,
junior
shooting
guard
Nicole
Munger dribbled the ball up
court, running point. Why was she
suddenly playing the new position?
It would soon be clear.
While Munger handled the
ball, the team’s usual point guard
— senior Katelynn Flaherty —
managed to sneak around the
Buckeyes’ defense, and a couple
passes later she drained a 3-pointer
from the left wing. This clever play
created the diversion Flaherty
needed to snag an open look, and
the Wolverines grabbed hold of the
lead, 56-54.
They never let go.
That play was a major tipping
point, as the No. 19 Michigan
women’s basketball team (5-2 Big
Ten, 16-4 conference) upset No. 8
Ohio State (5-1, 16-3) in Columbus
on Tuesday night, 84-75.
The first half was a foul frenzy.
Junior center Hallie Thome —
Michigan’s go-to player in the
post — got two fouls within the
opening quarter. This restrained
the Wolverines’ abilities down
low, and the Buckeyes started to
dominate the paint, led by forward
Stephanie Mavunga.
Thome didn’t let her foul
troubles stop her, though, and she
stepped up big time.
With four fouls in the fourth
quarter, Thome closely guarded
Mavunga in the low post with two
minutes remaining in the game.
With the score at 78-72, a fifth
foul would have been troublesome
for Michigan. But Thome’s smart
positioning helped her draw a
charge while Mavunga attempted
a spin move, further building
momentum for the Wolverines. She
also helped Michigan maintain its
separation in the final period with
some critical baskets, finishing the
night with a team-high 27 points.
But Ohio State found foul
troubles of their own. Its star
guard, Kelsey Mitchell, picked up
two fouls early on. That forced
her to ease up on the defensive
end, and with Mitchell playing
conservatively,
Munger
took
advantage — easily finding the lane
and scoring on Mitchell. Munger
shined for Michigan from the start
and wasn’t far behind Thome with
a career-high 20 points.
“Nicole played with an extreme
amount of confidence,” Michigan
coach Kim Barnes Arico told
WTKA. “She was definitely a
difference maker.”
Though
they
excelled
in
transition, the Wolverines were
initially unable to tame the
Buckeyes’ multi-threat offense —
made up of Mitchell and Mavunga,
who finished with 20 and 21 points,
respectively.
Michigan
trailed,
25-21, at the end of the first stanza.
On the first play of the second
frame the Wolverines turned the
ball over. That became a theme,
and Ohio State scored 25 points off
turnovers by the end of the game.
Five minutes before halftime,
though, Mitchell got called for her
third foul and headed to the bench.
This break helped Michigan stay
in the game, as it started to cut into
the deficit. But Flaherty struggled
to score. She had just three points
at the break, and the Buckeyes led,
41-36.
The Wolverines went to work
in the third quarter, going on a
7-0 run right off the bat. Flaherty
started to look more like herself,
draining a corner 3-pointer to
ignite the run. A couple minutes
later, she tied the game up at 41
with a layup in transition. She
finished the night with 21 points,
and her success in the second half
fueled Michigan.
“We were really scoring the
basketball,” Barnes Arico said.
“I think that just helped our
confidence.”
It was the second contest
between the two teams in a span
of 10 days. The Wolverines lost a
heartbreaking overtime contest in
Ann Arbor and had their revenge
planned for Tuesday. Despite a
tough first half, they succeeded.
“Nine days ago was one of the
toughest times,” Barnes Arico said.
“We really felt like we let the game
slip away, and we really focused on
improving a lot of the mistakes we
had made at that point.”
CEREN B DAG/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team defeated No. 8 Ohio State on Tuesday to avenge its previous, overtime loss to the Buckeyes 10 days ago.
ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer
TRACK AND FIELD