6A — Thursday, February 15, 2018 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Wolverines in trouble after loss to Minnesota The No. 23 Michigan women’s basketball team is in a world of trouble. After falling to Minnesota (9-4 Big Ten, 20-6 overall) on Wednesday, 93-87, the Wolverines have now lost four of their last five. Against the Golden Gophers, as well as its other defeats during the slide, Michigan had opportunities to come out victorious, but couldn’t finish. In the first period, the Wolverines (9-6, 20-8) shot an efficient 47 percent from the floor. Given Minnesota’s abysmal 27-percent clip from the field, it seemed rather peculiar for the Golden Gophers to be up 21-19 at the end of the frame. The reason for this? Minnesota was able to force Michigan to commit eight fouls, affording the Golden Gophers 12 free throws. The main culprit, junior guard Nicole Munger, racked up three fouls in the first quarter. In the second frame, Michigan fouled only twice, giving up two Minnesota points from the charity stripe. However, the Golden Gophers were able to pick it up from the field, scoring 24 points, to take a 45-40 lead going into the half. The Wolverines’ deficit could largely be attributed to their dreadful defense and the lack of scoring from their big three scorers — senior guard Katelynn Flaherty, junior center Hallie Thome and Munger — combing for seven points; Thome and Munger were both held scoreless. “They went to that box-and- one early where they were face- guarding Kate,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “At halftime, we felt like we were okay, even without her not scoring a lot because she had six assists and she was really moving the ball and finding them for high percentage shots.” Flaherty came to form in the third quarter. The program’s all-time leading scorer tallied 13 points, including nine from behind the arc. Thome added 10 points of her own. This run allowed Michigan to take a 73-69 lead into the final quarter. But then, things fell apart. The Wolverines’ defense continued to be poor, allowing Minnesota to start the quarter on an 11-2 run. Michigan made a slight run of its own after a Flaherty 3-pointer, taking an 83-82 lead, but the Golden Gophers prevailed. “I thought we ran out of gas a little bit,” Barnes Arico said. “We had some critical turnovers late. They made the plays they had to down the stretch and we did not.” There was one bright spot, it was the Wolverines’ bench play, which had to step up, as starting freshman forward Hailey Brown out with a yet-to-be-determined leg injury. Michigan’s bench scored 27, including a career high 19 from sophomore guard Akienreh Johnson. “I thought (Johnson) did a great job of moving without the basketball and was able to get some easy buckets just because of her movement,” Barnes Arico said. With the loss, the Wolverines are now in jeopardy of missing out on the NCAA Tournament, again. This would be the second straight year Michigan’s late- season slide knocked them out of the tournament. “We’ve been trying to stay really positive,” Barnes Arico said. “We talked about our seniors and juniors — Jillian (Dunston), Kate and Hallie — they need to make those plays down the stretch.” The Wolverines now have only one regular season game left — on the road against No. 10 Maryland. In a scenario that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago, their postseason hopes just might depend on that matchup. EVAN AARON/Daily Fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson went 6-for-8 from three Wednesday. HUNTER SHARF Daily Sports Writer Unlike many coaches, John Beilein doesn’t pretend every game is equal. When the No. 22 Michigan men’s basketball team (10-5 Big Ten, 21-7 overall) was lackluster early this season, he posited that January and February were when it really mattered. After last week’s loss to Northwestern, however, the Wolverines looked far from experiencing the February success they had enjoyed in years past. Beilein had a solution: to give his seniors more opportunity to lead. That’s exactly what happened Tuesday, and it worked. Bolstered by 36 combined points from seniors Duncan Robinson and Muhammed-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, the Wolverines routed Iowa (3-12, 12-16), 74-57, at Crisler Center. “It’s their time right now,” Beilein said. “I want them to shoot more, I want them to be more aggressive. It’s their time. “Tonight, they saved the day.” Though Michigan never seemed to lose control of the contest, forward Luka Garza scored Iowa’s first eight points of the second half and closed the team’s 13-point halftime deficit to single digits early in the frame. But in his second-to-last game at Crisler, Robinson came up with a big-time answer. The forward drained a trio of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, extending the Wolverines’ lead to 16 points midway through the second half. From there, Michigan’s defense would ensure the victory, as it has all season. The Wolverines shot a middling 42 percent, but held the Hawkeyes — who lead the conference in per-game scoring — to their third-lowest output of the year. “I was really proud of our defense, although the percentage (against us) isn’t great,” Beilein said. “They had 12 turnovers in the first half that allowed us to (pull) away a little bit.” Early on, however, it was Iowa’s defense that was causing problems. Taking a page from Northwestern’s playbook, the Hawkeyes utilized an extended zone to slow Michigan’s offense, forcing numerous attempts late in the shot clock. “About ten minutes before the game, I saw the starting lineup and knew they were definitely going zone, and it was going to be a huge zone,” Beilein said. “We were ready, but it took us for a shock initially.” After trailing 9-2 early, the Wolverines responded with aggressiveness in transition to tie the contest at 14 just minutes later — capped by a steal and score by Abdur-Rahkman off an Iowa inbounds pass. That trend continued for the entire first half, which was dominated by sloppiness. The Hawkeyes committed 12 turnovers during the first 20 minutes. Michigan had five. Errant passes, shot clock violations and air balls were plentiful for both sides. As sloppy as the half was, though, Abdur-Rahkman provided some beauty on Valentine’s Day. Slicing down the right side, he whipped a pass behind his back into the corner that shifted the Iowa defense to create an open triple for junior center Moritz Wagner, who would finish with 14 points. “(Abdur-Rahkman) is really careful with what he does and is not afraid to make the extra pass,” Beilein said. “I think we’re going to really miss him in the future. … He’s as complete of a player than as you’d ever think he’d become.” It was just one example of the impressive vision Abdur- Rahkman flashed all night, as he finished with seven assists and no turnovers to go along with his 18 points. And in a game dominated by Michigan’s seniors, it’s fitting that three of those assists were to Robinson. With just over seven minutes to go in the first half, Abdur-Rahkman drove baseline to find a wide-open Robinson, who drained his first of six 3-pointers on the night. “(As seniors) we don’t want to leave any stones unturned,” Robinson said. “We want to compete and play hard and make winning plays. I thought (Abdur- Rahkman) played great tonight and found me in a lot of good situations.” After a 16-point effort against Wisconsin, Robinson would finish with 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting Wednesday — a sign he’s starting to solve his offensive woes at the right time. And as demonstrated by the win, Michigan might be too. That’s pivotal as the Wolverines prepare for a challenging stretch to close the regular season that includes Sunday’s showdown with No. 8 Ohio State. Robinson and Abdur-Rahkman realize they have some power in the way their team ends the year. And in accordance to Beilein’s solution, Michigan’s seniors showed exactly that on Wednesday. I-O-W-A You remember Duncan Robinson, right? The lanky marksman who set the world ablaze from beyond the arc when he transferred from Division III’s Williams College. The guy who captivated the fanbase and agitated opposing coaches. The fifth-year senior captain primed for the season of his life. Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rakhman sure does. “I was here when he was shooting like 70 percent as a sophomore,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “I’m glad he’s getting back to his old self and playing with the same confidence he had before.” Robinson followed an offensive outburst on Sunday against Wisconsin — 16 points on 4-of-8 from 3-point range — with another electric shooting display Wednesday, helping lift Michigan past Iowa, 74-59. These performances were nothing that Robinson and coach John Beilein didn’t see everyday in practice. But for the Wolverines’ opponents, this was a warning shot: Duncan Robinson is back, and subsequently, Michigan’s offense is on the ascent. After draining three of his five 3-point attempts in the first half Wednesday, Robinson came back out in the second half on the prowl. With Michigan maintaining a steady lead, he put the game on ice, stamping the stretch of the game with 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions. With the Wolverines holding a 49-40 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game, Robinson spotted up comfortably behind the Hawkeyes’ packed-in zone. Receiving the ball on the wing, he used the space to elevate and drain a 3-pointer. Then, with the flimsy zone offering ample space, Robinson knocked down another on the next possession from the same spot on the floor. By the time the third left his hand, the whole building knew it was in. Iowa promptly called timeout, but it was too late. Robinson — mobbed at midcourt by his teammates — had put Michigan up 58-42, and the game to bed. “Again, I watch everyday in practice,” Beilein said. “It’s the rep shooting drills where you have a minute to make so many threes. … He just goes ‘Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.’ Some of our guys will have a good day and a bad day. He never misses the mark.” Added Robinson: “When you make one or two, you kinda, at least in my head, have the green light for the next one even if it may be questionable. That’s just kind of how basketball is. Coach B instills a lot of confidence in me and so do my teammates. … He was actually on me after the game to shoot more.” After Wednesday’s game, Robinson raised his 3-point shooting percentage to 38.6, inching closer and closer to his elite career norms. His re-emergence offers a potent shooting threat on a team that has consistently struggled to maintain offensive consistency. And yet, the secondary and tertiary benefits of having a dead-eye shooter might be equally important. The possession after Robinson’s long-distance bonanza, junior center Moritz Wagner grabbed an offensive board as Robinson sprinted to the near wing for a potential open three. As the Iowa defender frantically attacked Robinson to close out, Wagner instead fired the pass to Abdur-Rahkman at the top of the key. Using the space afforded to him by Robinson’s 3-point threat, Abdur-Rahkman breezed down the lane for an easy lay-in. The Duncan Robinson Effect is back, and not a moment too soon. “We have a couple shooters on our team,” Abdur-Rahkman said. “But no one like Duncan, one of the best in the country. When he’s hot like that, it adds a different dynamic and a different look for teams to try to guard, and helps open up a lot of things for other people.” Robinson has sporadically shown signs of breaking out of his prolonged slumber. Against Rutgers he hit four 3-pointers to spread the lead in that ugly defensive battle. Against Detroit Mercy and Alabama A&M, he combined for eight threes, though the competition level still left more to be desired. But coupling his outing Sunday against Wisconsin with his performance Wednesday, this stretch could very well be a breakthrough at the biggest time of the year. “(It’s) not really (hard to stay aggressive), especially when you’re a senior looking at your last games,” Robinson said. “I kinda look at it like it’s now or never. You see the time ticking out on your career, you’ve got to have a heightened sense of urgency about wanting to leave a mark.” Seniors help Michigan dominate Iowa in 74-57 victory Resurgent Robinson leads Wolverines over Hawkeyes MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily Michigan women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico and her team are in trouble after losing to Minnesota on Wednesday, their fourth loss in five games.