8 — Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘M’ struggles but wins
Even though the team managed
to pull out a win, the No. 3
Michigan women’s gymnastics
team (2-0 Big Ten, 3-0 overall)
feel some disappointment in their
performance.
The Wolverines took on its first
road meet of the season versus No.
21 Illinois on Saturday. With a final
score of 194.975-194.325, Michigan
won by a narrow margin.
But it wasn’t only the final scores
that were close. The Wolverines
lost vault by 0.15 points, won
bars by 1.475 points, lost beam by
0.1 points and lost floor by 0.575
points.
“It wasn’t what we are capable
of,” said junior Emma McLean.
“We have more control than we
used today.”
Added Michigan coach Bev
Plocki: “We couldn’t find a landing
to save our lives.”
Plocki did, however, praise
the
performances
of
senior
Briana Brown and freshman Syd
Townsend, calling Townsend’s bar
routine “flawless.” Brown received
a 9.825 for her floor routine.
When asked if being away from
home for the first time this season
changed the team’s dynamic,
McLean said she felt that being
on the road did slightly affect the
team.
“(We have to) be able to bring
the same level of energy and
confidence that we have at home
with us on the road,” Plocki said.
Top performers in Saturday’s
meet include senior Paige Zaziksi
with a winning 9.900 on the uneven
bars. McLean also impressed with
a 9.875 floor — which also brought
her a win — and sophomore Polina
Shchennikova with a 9.850 beam
debut.
Shchennikova’s
last-minute
addition to the beam routine as
the anchor was one of the meet’s
most remarkable moments for the
Wolverines.
“(Shchennikova) was ready to
go,” McLean said. “We couldn’t
ask more from her.”
While the outcome of the meet
was favorable for the Wolverines,
many mistakes were made. Still,
as McLean put it, the result will
allow the Wolverines to continue
“building on what we’ve created
so far.”
“Overall I’m still super proud of
every single person on this team,”
McLean said. “We fought like no
other, it wouldn’t have turned
out how it did if we didn’t keep
fighting.”
Michigan’s next meet will
again be on the road as it travels to
Nebraska. By then, the Wolverines
will hope to have found a way to
correct the mistakes they made in
Champaign.
MAYA SALINAS
For The Daily
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Junior Emma McLean thinks Michigan could have done better against Illinois.
No. 2 Michigan defeats
Ohio State on the road
Before Vanessa Krause dove
into the pool at Ohio State’s
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, the
sophomore made sure to take a
sharp look at everything around
her: the locks, the pads, even the
scarlet and gray-clad stands.
It’s important for Krause and
the No. 2 Michigan women’s
swim team to get familiar with
this setting. Its wins over Ohio
State (176-124), Virginia Tech
(224-76) and Rutgers (233-67)
were just one of three potential
meets in the Buckeyes’ home
pool.
Those
other
two
meets?
None other than the Big Ten
Championships and the NCAA
Championships.
“It was pretty
interesting
to
see the pool and
the nice facility
that they have,”
Krause
said.
“Unfortunately,
it was all red
instead
of
maize
and
blue, but it was
a really good
experience with
the team. … It was a good start to
the season, swimming in their
pool, checking out everything.”
That
extra
look
around
seemed to benefit Krause in her
first meet there this season too,
as she came out as one of three
double winners on the team
along with senior Clara Smiddy
and junior Rose Bi. Krause noted
that it was important to change
her energy strategy to win the
100 and 200-yard butterfly.
“They all told me ‘You really
like to back-half your races and
you really like to sit on everyone
until the very end,’ ” Krause said.
“I guess that’s when they say I
like to come back and finish.
“Today, we really tried to
focus on taking it out in the
beginning and not being afraid
of dying down at the end.
That’s
something
that
I’ve
really struggled with, but also
something I’ve really pushed
myself to be better at.”
While the Wolverines were
adjusting to the hostile Ohio
State environment, they also
became
familiar
with
the
prospect of swimming without
the constant presence of star
junior Siobhan Haughey.
Although Haughey returned
to action after missing last
week’s
dual
meet
against
Indiana, she only swam the
200-yard freestyle. Michigan
coach Mike Bottom was pleased
with the team’s performance
in
her
quasi-absence,
but
was noncommittal to stating
that Haughey would be fully
available
for
the
Big
Ten
Championships and the NCAAs.
“I hope so,”
Bottom said. “I
hope so.”
Contrary
to
the
sport
of
swimming
itself, the road
to
success
is
not
always
straightforward.
Injuries
like
Haughey’s
are
almost
inevitable. The team spent three
months
without
swimming
at home. Time will tell what
other twists and turns will be
thrown the Wolverines’ way, but
in the moment, they’re staying
confident.
“It definitely has boosted
my confidence,” Krause said.
“Knowing where I’m going to
swim and knowing what the
pool is like, helps me initialize
and look forward to better
things in the future hopefully.
I’ll know what the pool looks
like, where we are sitting for
Big Tens, how long it’ll take us
to get there from the hotel. It’s
just really good mentally for me
to know those things.”
If they can hold on to the
familiar, as Krause started to
do this weekend, anything is
possible.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
RIAN RATNAVALE
Daily Sports Writer
“It’s just really
good mentally
for me to know
those things.”
Robinson gets his break amidst trying month
January hasn’t been easy for
Duncan Robinson.
Just take last Thursday, when
the fifth-year senior forward
went scoreless against Nebraska
— his first time pointless since his
debut for the Michigan basketball
team.
The
0-for-2
effort
was
representative of a career-worst
season
for
Robinson,
who’s
shooting 37 percent beyond the
arc. At times, a once dependable
outside
stroke
has
looked
anything but.
That has caused a major shift
for Robinson and the Wolverines.
After
a
series
of
breakout
performances, freshman forward
Isaiah Livers took Robinson’s spot
in the starting lineup.
Robinson,
meanwhile,
is
playing fewer minutes than ever
coming off the bench.
“The past 21 days have been
a whirlwind,” Robinson said
Sunday.
It’s the type of month that
could have challenged Robinson’s
relationship with coach John
Beilein.
In 2014, the New Hampshire
native left Williams College after
one year for the chance to play
Division I basketball in Beilein’s
3-point-minded
offense.
The
two clicked and in his first year
of eligibility, Robinson averaged
nearly four 3-pointers and 11
points per game as a reserve.
Last year, Robinson returned
for his first shot at a starting job.
But with size and athletic ability
that Robinson couldn’t match,
D.J. Wilson won the competition
and much more, playing his way
to a first-round selection in the
2017 NBA Draft. Conversely,
Robinson saw his usage drop by
roughly eight minutes per game.
But this season seemingly
provided Robinson with a fresh
slate paired with junior center
Mortiz Wagner in the front court.
Robinson was effective early on,
averaging 13 points in Michigan’s
first seven contests.
Things
began
to
change,
however, in Michigan’s first game
of the calendar year. Livers, the
young reserve in waiting, scored
13 points in 27 minutes in a win
at Iowa. Robinson played just 13
minutes and scored a mere five
points.
That extrapolated over the
next two weeks
— Livers was a
budding
star,
Robinson
was
lackluster
—
giving
Beilein
a
predicament.
It’s not often a
fifth-year senior
is benched for
a player a half-
decade younger.
Still,
Beilein
chose the latter.
“It was a conversation between
coach and I,” Robinson said. “A
lot of it will stay between him and
I, but I kind of looked at is as a
leadership moment to earn some
credibility in that regard.”
Leadership
was
about
all
Robinson was good for in his
immediate return to the bench.
Last week, he made just three
field goals in as many games.
But Sunday was different.
Robinson first awoke to a text
from his coach, reaffirming his
ability with a bit of advice.
“I sent him a quick text today,”
Beilein said. “‘Duncan, you’re
gonna be terrific today. Just come
off shooting.’”
Hours later, Robinson did
just that and more in a win over
Rutgers: 12 points, five assists,
four rebounds and
three steals.
“I just tried to
be
aggressive,”
Robinson
said.
“In that role, I
just try to come
off and provide a
spark. Offensively,
I made some shots
and defensively, I
sat down.”
Added Beilein:
“Duncan Robinson — it was what
we needed today from him. He’s
probably more rested than some
of our guys, and when he made
(his first) three when Isaiah was
in foul trouble, it was a sign to play
him more.”
Robinson took advantage of the
extra opportunity, taking shots
that he passed on in prior games.
Midway through the first half,
even with a defender draped over
him, Robinson pulled the trigger
and sank the Wolverines’ final
go-ahead 3-pointer.
It was the sort of play that
might earn others a trip to the
bench.
But Robinson has been through
thick and thin with Beilein over
the past four years. Now, despite
some hesitation, Robinson can
take more chances.
“What we see (from Robinson)
in practice in his drills is
phenomenal,” Beilein said. “But
when we go into practice sessions,
he’s asking for permission. He
doesn’t need permission, I trust
him.”
No matter the minutes or
starting designation, Michigan
needs Robinson to leverage that
trust. When on, his shooting
stroke can be dangerous. Rutgers
coach
Steve
Pikiell
credited
Robinson’s triples as a momentum
killer Sunday.
But their significance is far
greater. Finally, in the midst of a
testing month, Robinson got his
break.
“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.”
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson had a good game on Sunday in the midst of a tough month of January.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
“He doesn’t
need
permission, I
trust him.”
Sixteenth-ranked Wolverines look to stay hot
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team has been hot
recently.
After upsetting then-No. 8 Ohio
State in Columbus last week, the
Wolverines returned home and
pounded Illinois, 86-42, Saturday
night.
Against
the
Fighting
Illini, Michigan was firing on
all cylinders. The offense was
energized, led by senior guard
Katelynn Flaherty who tallied
27 points and averages 23.1 per
contest. Freshman forward Hailey
Brown also shined, finishing with
17 points and 14 rebounds for her
third career double-double.
On Tuesday, Michigan State
(4-3 Big Ten, 14-6 overall) looks
to dethrone the sixteenth-ranked
Wolverines (6-2, 17-4) at Crisler
Center.
The
Spartans
return
four
starters
from
a
2017
squad
that qualified for the NCAA
Tournament and finished 21-12.
This season, though, they have
not had the same success, in part
because
last
season’s
leading
scorer, Tori Jankoska, graduated.
Jankoska
scored
28
and
14
points in her two matchups with
Michigan last season, respectively.
Due to injuries, Michigan State
has had eight different starting
lineups already. The Spartans
currently stand at eighth in the
Big Ten, and are coming off a
69-65 loss against a below-average
Indiana team.
Regardless of Michigan State’s
record, the matchup is a rivalry
game, and the Wolverines are well
aware that anything can happen.
“They’re
always
tough,”
Flaherty
said
after
defeating
Illinois. “No matter if they’re
the best in the league, last in the
league they always come out,
they’re ready, they scout us. They
have a great game plan against us
every single year.”
The Spartans’ offense has had
some
signature
performances
this year. The team has reached
triple digits twice this season and
averages 71.1 points per game.
Guards Shay Colley and Branndais
Agee, as well as center Jenna
Allen lead the pack, averaging
11.5, 10.9 and 10.1 points per game,
respectively.
But Michigan State’s offense
will be tested Tuesday. Michigan
coach Kim Barnes Arico’s team
has
found
defensive
success
throughout the season, and held
the Fighting Illini to just four
points in the third quarter of the
last contest.
Due
to
some
offensive
struggles, Michigan has had to
rely on its defense in the past.
The Wolverines average 16.5
turnovers per game and often
have trouble settling in. Although
the offense has been improving, it
will need to value each possession
against the Spartans. Brown has
been making strides — shooting
at least 50 percent from the field
in her last six games — so her
contributions will be essential to
the team.
Though
Michigan
appears
to have the upper hand, history
indicates
otherwise.
The
Wolverines
have
only
won
three of the 14 meetings against
Michigan State and lost both
matchups last season. The first
of those losses was their sole
home loss of the season, while the
second eliminated them from the
Big Ten tournament during the
first round. Those two defeats
were part of a bad final stretch
that left Michigan out of the
NCAA Tournament.
“It’s been tough the past couple
years for us,” Flaherty said.
The
Wolverines
look
to
continue
building
momentum,
but it wouldn’t be a surprise if
the Spartans cause troubles once
again. The stakes will be high,
that’s for sure.
“They come in every single
year
ready
to
go,”
Flaherty
said. “It seems like a national
championship every single time
we play them, just cause you really
wanna win that game.”
AARON BAKER/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team is currently on a hot streak as it heads into a matchup with rival Michigan State at Crisler Center on Tuesday.
Michigan State enters Tuesday’s rivalry game as the eighth-ranked Big Ten team
ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer