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

