8 — Friday, February 2, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

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With 0.03 seconds left on 

the clock, the score was tied 
at 72-72 in the annual “Pink 
Game” to honor breast cancer 
survivors.

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team had one last 
chance to take the victory 
against Purdue and expand on 
its six-game winning streak. 
The clock ticked down, as 
the 
Wolverines 
attempted 

an unsuccessful lob play to 
sophomore 
forward 
Kayla 

Robbins. But the referee stood 
with a fist in the air. A foul was 
called at the buzzer.

Crisler 
Center 
held 
its 

breath as the referees huddled 
together on the sideline to 
determine the outcome of the 
game.

The foul stood and Robbins 

walked up to the free-throw 
line. Crisler was silent again. 
The first shot bounced off the 
rim. Robbins had one more 
chance to secure the win.

She dribbled twice, bent her 

knees, and shot.

It didn’t go in. The game was 

going into overtime.

“A game doesn’t end up 

in the last play,” said junior 
forward Hallie Thome. “A lot 
leads to that so to put ourselves 
in that position, we definitely 
messed up.”

It was clear from the start 

this was going to be a tough 
game for the Wolverines when 
senior forward Jillian Dunston 
was thrown to the ground 
battling for the opening tip.

Soon after, junior guard 

Nicole Munger was sent flying 
into the photographers at the 
baseline at the eight minute 
mark.

Purdue opened the game at a 

fast pace and it took Michigan 
some time to adjust. The 
Boilermakers scored early and 

often and at seven minutes, the 
Wolverines called a timeout, as 
Purdue was up, 11-4.

Though the Boilermakers 

controlled the first quarter, 
the second was dominated by 
the Wolverines.

Led by aggressive play from 

Thome, Michigan battled it’s 
way to the lead and forced 
Purdue to call a timeout at 7:17, 
with the score at 31-26.

The 
Wolverines 
kept 

applying 
pressure 
though, 

finishing the first half with a 
42-36 lead.

They did not let up in the 

third quarter either. Freshman 
forward Hailey Brown led 
Michigan in points at the end 
of the quarter with 18 and 
helped Michigan keep its lead, 
66-54.

Though Purdue was down, 

it did not let up the aggression. 
It continued to fight and put on 
pressure until the very end.

And with 16 unanswered 

points in the fourth quarter, 
the 
Boilermakers 
tied 
up 

the game and pushed it into 
overtime.

“They continued to score 

and we weren’t scoring so 
closing the gap was the only 
thing 
that 
was 
happening 

and we couldn’t stop the 
bleeding,” Dunston said, “It’s 
harder to stop the other team’s 
momentum than it is to break a 
scoring drought.”

In overtime, every basket 

that 
Michigan 
scored 
was 

immediately 
answered 
by 

the 
Boilermakers 
resulting 

in a very tight game. Purdue 
eventually pulled ahead and 
the Wolverines were down by 
one with a chance to take the 
win, but fell just short.

Despite the loss, Michigan 

aims to learn from the game 
and prepare for the difficult 
schedule ahead of them.

“Every time you lose, it gives 

you an opportunity to improve 
and an opportunity to look 
at yourself, individually and 
collectively,” said Michigan 
coach Kim Barnes Arico.

Michigan blows lead in overtime loss to Boilermakers

Kim Barnes Arico stared at 

the ground and spoke into it.

“Well, that was a tough one.”
A true statement if there ever 

was one. The No. 13 Michigan 
women’s basketball team (8-3 
Big Ten, 19-5 overall) was up, 
72-56, cruising to victory over 
Purdue (15-8, 6-3), when the 
bottom fell out.

A 16-point lead became 14, 

then 11. Two minutes went by 
without either side scoring, 
and then the lead became eight. 
The tension started to build. 
Junior center Hallie Thome 
and freshman forward Hailey 
Brown — who scored 20 and 18 
points on the night, respectively 
— were both playing with four 
fouls. The Wolverines hadn’t 
scored in three minutes.

“We 
stopped 
being 

aggressive on the offensive 
end,” Barnes Arico said. “And 
we got really tentative.”

Instead of mere stops, Purdue 

started 
forcing 
turnovers. 

Lamina Cooper picked off a 
kickout pass to senior guard 
Katelynn Flaherty made from 
the post and was off to the 
races, cutting the lead to six 
with just over two minutes to 
go. Michigan hadn’t scored in 
four minutes.

“I think we were so timid,” 

Dunston 
said, 
stopping 
to 

search for the right adjective. 
“And 
then 
it 

was 
getting 

like, 
three, 

two, 
one 
on 

the shot clock, 
which 
isn’t, 

like, normal for 
us. We don’t try 
to run the shot 
clock 
down. 

And then, by 
then, we had no, 
like, there was 
no way we could have scored 
with the position we were in. It 
just continued to happen.”

Purdue’s Tamara Farquhar 

converted a driving layup to cut 
the lead to four, and the tension 
ratcheted up a notch. But with 
just over a minute to go and the 
Wolverines still holding a two-
possession lead, the odds were 
still in their favor — at 95.9 
percent, to be exact, according 
to ESPN.com’s win probability 
model. But yet, Michigan hadn’t 
scored in five minutes.

“I think we got comfortable,” 

Thome 
said. 
“And 
so 
we 

thought, with how we were 
playing on offense, ‘I mean, we 
got a big lead and so we didn’t 
need to score.’ So I think we 
were just too comfortable.”

Another possession, another 

turnover. The Boilermakers’ 
Dominique Oden stripped the 
ball from Flaherty, who fouled 
her immediately. Purdue was 
in the bonus, and two free 
throws later, within two points. 
Next time down, Flaherty cut 
backdoor and found a lane. She 

went for the layup and was met 
by the Boilermakers’ Ae’Rianna 
Harris, who spiked the ball out 
of bounds. On the subsequent 
inbounds play, Brown’s entry 
pass to Thome was stolen. 
Michigan hadn’t scored in six 
minutes.

“(Purdue) did a triangle-and-

two for a little bit on (Katelynn) 
and Nicole (Munger), and then 
they switched to a matchup 

zone,” 
Barnes 

Arico said. “And 
we just kinda got 
really stagnant. 
We didn’t really 
move the ball like 
we had been, and 
we got stagnant. 
And I think they 
took 
advantage 

of that.”

After forcing 

the 
turnover, 

Boilermakers’ 
coach 
Sharon 

Versyp 
called 
timeout 

immediately. The ensuing play 
— a 3-point look for Karissa 
McLaughlin 
coming 
off 
a 

screen — didn’t work, as the 
shot missed. Purdue didn’t win 
the ensuing scramble for the 
rebound either, playing it to a 
draw. The possession arrow 
rewarded 
the 
Boilermakers 

with the ball. From there, a 
baseline floater from Oden tied 
the game and sucked whatever 
life still existed out of Crisler 
Center.

Even with 0.7 seconds to 

work with, and even with 
sophomore 
forward 
Kayla 

Robbins at the free throw line, 
a loss felt preordained for the 
Wolverines. Robbins missed 
the free throws, but nobody 
can blame the loss on her doing 
so. When the second drew iron 
and bounced out, the buzzer 
sounded to mark overtime, but 
by then it was too late.

It had been six minutes and 

48 seconds since Michigan last 
scored.

Untimely scoring drought leads to devastating defeat

SARAH HURST
Daily Sports Writer

ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

Michigan women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico categorized Thursday’s loss to Purdue as “a tough one.”

Wolverines set to face eighth-ranked Badgers in home weekend series

As the Michigan hockey team 

skated off the ice in Columbus 
last weekend with their heads 
hung low, the disappointment 
was evident.

After 
a 
strong 
start 
to 

the 
calendar 
year 
for 
the 

Wolverines, a poor showing 
by special teams and generally 
lackluster offense aided then-
No. 6 Ohio State in securing 
a series sweep. However, the 
sulking seems to have been 
short-lived.

“Actually, the mood’s been 

pretty good (in the locker 
room),” said Michigan coach 
Mel Pearson after Tuesday’s 
practice. “Especially this time 
of year because ... you can sort 
of see the end, see the finish 
line. And we like where we’re 

at.”

And for the Wolverines, this 

shift in mindset is a necessity. 
Eight games lie between No. 20 
Michigan 
and 

the first round 
of the Big Ten 
Tournament. 
Just six of those 
are 
Big 
Ten 

matchups, 
and 

just half of them 
are on home ice.

Two 
of 
the 

remaining 
matchups 
will 

take place this 
weekend at Yost Ice Arena, 
as Michigan (7-9-2-1 Big Ten, 
12-12-2 overall) hosts No. 18 
Wisconsin 
(7-8-2-1, 
13-12-3) 

in their second meeting of the 
season.

During their first encounter 

in Madison, the Wolverines 
had to settle for a loss and 
a 
tie. 
In 
the 
first 
game, 

Michigan allowed seven goals 

— the most it has 
surrendered 
in 

any outing this 
season — which 
was 
largely 

representative 
of its unresolved 
defensive 
troubles at the 
time.

But a lot has 

changed 
since 

November. 
For 

that reason, Pearson expects 
this series to play out a lot 
differently than it did in the 
fall, particularly when it comes 
to team defense.

“Tighter 
defensively,” 

Pearson said. “I don’t think 

you’ll see seven goals put up 
by either team on either night. 
I think you’ll see lower scoring 
games; I really believe that. 
I 
think 
you’ll 

see tight, hard-
fought 
games. 

I 
think 
the 

intensity is going 
to be good, it 
could get a little 
chippy.”

Though 

Michigan 
showed 
signs 

of 
reverting 

back to its poor 
defensive practices in the Ohio 
State series, over the past month 
things have generally been 
looking up for the Wolverines’ 
blueline. Michigan currently 
averages 14.58 blocked shots 
per game — good for seventh 
in the nation — a stat that was 
largely on display in its recent 
series with No. 12 Minnesota 
and No. 17 Penn State.

On the other side of the ice, 

though, the Wolverines and 
Badgers are top conference 
performers. Wisconsin comes 

in at second in the Big Ten, 
averaging 3.24 goals per game, 
while 
Michigan 
trails, 
just 

behind at third, averaging 3.19.

Pearson 

aptly described 
the 
Badgers’ 

attack unit as 
“balanced,” 
as 

nine 
players 

have tallied at 
least 16 points 
on the season. 
Wisconsin 
has 

shown 
that 
it 

not only has a 
powerhouse 

offense but also has one of 
depth.

“They like to play a puck-

possession 
skilled 
game,” 

Pearson said. “The forwards 
are as good as anybody in the 
league. I think one through 12 
they might have the deepest 
group, the best group, as far as 
guys who can put the puck in 
the net.”

Another 
factor 
that 

differentiates the Wolverines’ 
series with the Badgers this 
time around will be the weight 

it holds. Claiming the series this 
far along in the season could be 
decisive for either team.

“There’s a lot at stake,” 

Pearson said. “This is as big a 
series as they’ve had this year, 
and it’s as big a series as we’ve 
had.”

Added senior forward Tony 

Calderone: “I think they are 
a very similar team to us. It’s 
going to come down to who 
wants it more and who plays 
harder.”

And with few home games 

left, Michigan’s upperclassmen 
have 
been 
considering 
the 

legacy they want to leave in 
their final games at Yost.

“Yeah, it definitely hits home 

now,” Calderone said. As we get 
closer (to the end of the season), 
it’s kind of crazy how fast time 
goes. And Coach reminds us 
that we only have so much time 
left, so we have to make the best 
of it.”

With the home advantage, 

league standings on the line and 
a sense of urgency, Michigan 
looks eager to make these last 
games count. 

ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior forward Tony Calderone and the Michigan hockey team is realizing that their opportunities are running out.

After a series in Columbus that put Mel Pearson’s team on the ropes, they return to Yost looking for redemption

“I don’t think 
you’ll see seven 
goals put up by 
either team.”

“They like to 
play a puck-
possessioned, 
skilled game.”

“We stopped 

being aggressive 

on the offensive 

end.”

