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