4B — Monday, January 22, 2018
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews was part of a stagnant Michigan offense that scored just 27 points in the first half.

“Tired” Michigan beats Rutgers, 62-47

Michigan shot 43 percent 

from the field, 32 percent from 
three, made just eight free-
throws and still won by 15 
points Sunday afternoon.

In what may kindly be 

deemed a defensive struggle — 
and not so kindly, a downright 
ugly game — the twenty-third 
ranked Wolverines improved 
to 17-5 overall and 6-3 in Big 
Ten play with a 62-47 win over 
Rutgers.

For much of the first half, 

the Michigan offense seemed 
as disjointed as it was against 
Nebraska earlier this week.

Luckily for the Wolverines, 

the Scarlet Knights’ was worse. 
They scored just .68 points 
per possession in the half, 
including zero made 3-pointers 
and eight turnovers.

Rutgers failed to register an 

assist in the first half, and had 
just one the entire game.

“We were trying to take the 

3-point line away,” said junior 
center Moritz Wagner on his 
team’s defensive strategy. “And 
they have the tendency to go 
to one-on-one plays once you 
take the first play away — at 
least that’s how we scouted. 
Our 
guards, 

especially, did a 
good job.”

But 
the 

Scarlet Knights 
came into the 
game with the 
best 
scoring 

defense 
in 

the 
country 

and 
seemed 

intent 
early 

on 
winning 

with that style. 
Michigan missed 10 of its first 
11 shots, falling to an early 8-2 
deficit.

“Well,” Wagner said, “we’re 

kind of used to it now, right?”

Added 
Beilein: 
“There’s 

some things I can’t explain 
coming out. … Whether it’s 

nerves, whatever it is, they’re 
also reading how the team 
is gonna play us. And when 
they’re going through those 
reads I think it’s giving us some 
paralysis. It’s something that 
we’ve gotta keep working on 
and getting better starts.”

Slowly 
but 
surely, 
the 

Wolverines started to crawl 
out of its now-regular first half 
offensive woes.

Led by a surprising boost of 

energy from fifth-year seniors 
Jaaron Simmons and Duncan 
Robinson, 
Michigan 
pieced 

together an 8-0 run in the 
middle of the first half to grab 
a 15-10 lead.

Regardless of the optics, the 

Wolverines took the lead into 
halftime for the first time since 
Jan. 2 against Iowa. Even with 
bumps in execution, they never 
relingquished that lead.

From there, Rutgers simply 

lacked the offensive firepower 
to force a competitive game. 
While Michigan, as has come to 
be the norm, found its footing 
from beyond the arc in the 
second half, the Scarlet Knights 
struggled to find consistency, 
relying heavily on guard Corey 
Sanders to create in isolation.

Robinson made four of his 

seven 3-point attempts in the 

game, matching 
the number of 
threes he’s had 
in his previous 
five 
games 

combined. 
He 

finished 
with 

12 points on the 
day.

Beilein said he 

knew Robinson 
was due for a big 
game, and sent 
him a text before 

the game saying, “Duncan, 
you’re going to be terrific 
today. Just come off shooting.”

Robinson is shooting just 

37 percent from 3-point-range 
this season, five percentage 
points lower than his previous 
career low. The shooting slump, 

combined with his defensive 
struggles guarding out of his 
normal position, forced him to 
the bench in favor of freshman 
forward Isaiah Livers.

Regardless of role, though, 

Sunday could be a step toward 
Robinson regaining his value.

“That’s the dude I know,” 

Wagner 
said. 
“That’s 
my 

roommate. That’s the player 
I’ve played with the last three 
years, so I’m not surprised at 
all. I’m very proud of him the 
way he bounces back.”

Wagner 
and 
sopohmore 

point guard Zavier Simpson 
also finished in double figures. 
The duo combined for an 
effective 
pick-and-roll 
play 

in the second half to help the 
Wolverines pull away. 

Wagner 
finished 
with 
a 

game-high 16 points, including 
12 in the second half, to guide 
an uninspiring game to a 
merciful finish.

“As you can tell in this 

game, we’re tired. We’re beat,” 
Beilein said.” … “I’m just so 
glad we could gut through this 
game, and get refreshed both 
with our legs but also with our 
game.”

Wolverines plagued by first-half woes

It was as joyous as it was 

ironic.

Halfway through the first 

half of Sunday’s game against 
Rutgers, two Michigan greats 
— 
current 
guard 
Katelynn 

Flaherty from the women’s team 
and former forward Glen Rice 
from the men’s — were being 
honored at Crisler Center as the 
leading scorers in Wolverine 
basketball history.

Shortly 
after, 
the 
men’s 

basketball team jogged to the 
tunnel for halftime after scoring 
its third-lowest first half point 
total of the season, a 27-21 lead. 
The fewest and second-fewest 
totals came in the previous two 
games against Nebraska and 
Maryland.

“We’re kinda used to it now, 

right?” joked junior forward 
Moritz Wagner.

The platitudes and and jests 

don’t do justice to how No. 
23 Michigan has performed 
recently — offense is non-
existent, especially in the first 
half.

After 
upsetting 
No. 
9 

Michigan State on Jan. 13, 
Michigan was averaging 76.7 
points a game. In its following 
three contests, that number 
has dipped to 60.7, largely 
influenced by poor starts.

Sunday, 
of 
course, 

exacerbated this notion. A 1-for-
11 performance to kick off the 
game had coach John Beilein 
burying his face in his palms, 
while assistant coaches Luke 
Yaklich and DeAndre Haynes 
were 
standing 
and 
barking 

orders at their players. An 
eventual 62-47 victory rested 
more in the hands of the Scarlet 
Knights’ ineptitude than the 
Wolverines’ talent.

But, 
like 
Nebraska 
and 

Maryland, 
Rutgers 
was 

capitalizing 
on 
Michigan’s 

predictability.

“Again, 
another 
team 

switched every ball screen — 
most of them — so we’re trying 
to figure it out,” Beilein said. 
“I can’t put my finger on that, 
but hopefully we’ll have better 
starts going forward.”

Added 
fifth-year 
senior 

forward 
Duncan 
Robinson: 

“There’s 
some 
really 
good 

coaches in this league. We gotta 

realize as a team that teams 
aren’t gonna just let us do what 
we wanna do. They’ll take away 
our first, second and sometimes 
our third option. Adjusting 
to that (is needed) and being 
aggressive in different ways 
than our prep.”

The Wolverines have shown 

that they are capable of making 
some of these adjustments in 
the second half. For the past six 
games, Michigan has improved 
upon its first half point totals — 
not necessarily the tallest task 
when field goal percentage has 
hovered in the 30s. Against the 
Scarlet Knights, the Wolverines 
started attacking the hoop with 
higher percentage shots, and 
the results showed — 9-for-14 
from the paint in the final 20 
minutes.

This 
efficiency 
propelled 

Michigan 
over 
Rutgers. 
A 

second-half 
resurrection 
got 

the Wolverines barely over 
the hump versus Maryland. 
But in the 72-52 throttling by 
Nebraska, they couldn’t adapt.

“We just don’t have that sense 

of urgency yet,” said senior 
guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman. “We lost that game 
in Nebraska, and you’d think 
we’d come out with a little more 
energy. We didn’t. We had a 
pretty good lead at halftime, but 
it’s gotta be better. … We can’t 
sit around and wait for things to 
get better in the second half.”

Not all should be forgotten in 

Michigan’s sluggish first half. 
The long-awaited arrivals of 
Jaaron Simmons being a capable 
ball handler, Jon Teske’s mid-
range jumper and shutdown 
defense by Robinson were all 
welcome sights. As for the rest 
of what happened in the half? 
That’s been a sour taste that isn’t 
getting out of the Wolverines’ 
mouths.

“We’re a better scoring team 

than we were today,” Beilein 
said. “But we’ve gotta get 
through and get some fresh 
legs again so we can make some 
shots.”

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Editor

“As you can tell 

in this game, 
we’re tired. 
We’re beat.”

‘M’ snags grad transfer DB

The transfer market has 

already 
been 
kind 
to 
the 

Michigan football team.

In one of the most high-

profile 
singings 
of 
Jim 

Harbaugh’s 
tenure, 
former 

Ole Miss quarterback Shea 
Patterson committed to the 
Wolverines 
last 
December. 

Sunday, Michigan tapped that 
market once again.

Utah 
graduate 
transfer 

cornerback Casey Hughes will 
finish his career in Ann Arbor, 
he announced on Twitter.

“It’s a blessing to say that I’ll 

be finishing my last collegiate 
season at the University of 
Michigan,” 
Hughes 
wrote. 

“I want to thank the entire 
Michigan coaching staff for 
believing in me and giving me 
the opportunity to join their 
program.”

During his first year playing 

a major role, Hughes made 
35 tackles and had one pass 
breakup in 11 starts. Last 
September, 
he 
forced 
two 

fumbles 
in 
a 
win 
against 

Arizona.

A native of Las Vegas, Nev., 

Hughes is a former three-
star recruit, according to 247 
Sports. After redshirting the 
2014 season, Hughes served 
predominately on special teams 
as a sophomore and junior.

Though connected by the 

timing of their commitments, 
Hughes and Patterson have 
highly contrasting outlooks for 
2018.

Though his eligibility is 

still undecided, Patterson is 
expected to battle sophomores 
Brandon 
Peters 
and 
Dylan 

McCaffery for the starting job 
under center next fall. Hughes, 
meanwhile, will likely serve as 
a depth piece in the secondary.

Hughes joins a strong and 

deep position group that figures 
to return five corners, including 
incumbent starters Lavert Hill 
and David Long. Three-star 
recruits Gemon Green and 
Sammy Faustin have already 
signed into the Wolverines’ 
class of 2021, while Rochester 
Hills 
native 
Vincent 
Gray 

also announced his Michigan 
intentions Sunday.

Michigan is also pursuing 

offensive 
tackle 
Calvin 

Anderson — a Rice graduate 
transfer also receiving interest 
from Auburn, Texas, TCU, 
Oklahoma 
and 
Pittsburgh. 

With the loss of four-year 
starter Mason Cole, Anderson 
figures to be the biggest target 
on the Wolverines’ remaining 
radar. 
Harbaugh, 
offensive 

coordinator Tim Drevno and 
assistant Sherrone Moore met 
with Anderson last Monday in 
Houston.

But only time will tell if 

Anderson follows Patterson and 
Hughes’ footsteps to Michigan. 

FOOTBALL

MARK CALCAGNO

Daily Sports Editor

EVAN AARON/Daily

Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown has a new player to work with.

Wolverines bounce back with statement win

From the opening minute, the 

No. 8 Michigan wrestling team 
looked untouchable.

Bouncing back in dramatic 

fashion from a demoralizing 
loss against No. 1 Penn State, 
the Wolverines (3-1 Big Ten, 6-2 
overall) 
trounced 
Wisconsin 

(1-2, 4-2) for an inspiring 29-10 
win.

To 
begin 
the 
meet 
and 

ultimately spell doom for the 
23rd-ranked 
Badgers, 
fifth-

year senior Adam Coon took on 
Wisconsin’s Ben Stone, a match 
that didn’t make it out of the 
first period. Coon muscled his 
way to a first-period fall a mere 
40 seconds into the contest. Cliff 
Keen Arena erupted into a chorus 
of approval as the Wolverines 
began their statement campaign.

“It’s always good to start 

things off like that,” said fifth-
year senior Domenic Abounader. 
“It gets the team going, it gets 
the momentum going and some 
confidence going for our team.”

Michigan 
used 
this 

momentum to its advantage as 
the Wolverines found success 
in the first five matches of the 
night. After these victories, 
including two falls, Michigan 
looked unbeatable.

However, the Badgers did 

have some fight in them as they 
managed to escape with two 
upsets, taking down redshirt 
junior Alec Pantaleo and fifth-
year senior Kevin Beazley. The 
two ranked wrestlers fell to their 
unranked counterparts, 3-0 and 
3-2, respectively.

After losing a close contest 

against 
the 
Nittany 
Lions, 

Michigan needed a big win to 
reaffirm its status as a collegiate 
powerhouse and instill much-
needed confidence.

That is exactly what it got 

as the Wolverines came away 
from the contest winning seven 
out of ten weight classes. This 
confidence was perhaps most 
apparent 
in 
redshirt 
junior 

Malik Amine.

Last week, Amine let his 

emotions get the best of him as he 

was called for three unnecessary 
roughness penalties, essentially 
delivering the match to his 
opponent.

This week was a different 

story. Amine ended the match 
early, pinning Cole Martin in 
the first period. Triumphantly 
emerging form his pin, Amine 
also 
demonstrated 
how 
his 

emotional wrestling style could 
be a positive, strutting across the 
mat and hyping up the crowd.

“After Penn State, I had to 

go back to the drawing board,” 
Amine said. “It’s better to 
wrestle 
emotionally 
for 
me 

then to come out flat. If I go out 
there flat, I lose or I barely win. 
Controlled emotion is probably 
the best for me.”

Going forward, it will take 

consistent control and aggression 
from all the Wolverines to push 
them over the top.

In the two upsets of the meet, 

a glaring lack of aggression 
seemed to be at the root of 
the losses. In his loss, Beazley 
began the first period sluggishly, 
struggling to gain momentum. It 

wasn’t until the third period that 
he showed signs of life before 
ultimately running out of time.

“I think Kevin needs to 

wrestle the first period like 
he did that third period,” said 
Michigan coach Joe McFarland. 
“He wrestles like that — he 
probably wins the match. He’s 
really gotta start stringing moves 
together. It’s a mindset, we talk a 
lot about being aggressive, high 
pace and he finally got that going 
in the third period.”

Growing pains aside, this 

match 
was 
everything 
the 

Wolverines needed it to be. 
Complete with two falls and 
two major decisions, Michigan 
secured the energy needed to 
compete in the Big 10 moving 
forward.

“We didn’t really get a chance 

to 
dominate 
against 
Penn 

State,” Coon said. “So when we 
had the opportunity here in 
those matches where we could 
dominate, we definitely came 
out and put the hurt on them. 
We need to get a couple matches 
where we dominate.”

CAT MYKOLAJTCHUK/Daily

Fifth-year senior Kevin Beazley and the eighth-ranked Michigan wrestling team bounced back in a 29-10 win over Wisconsin.

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer

