The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Thursday, March 15, 2017 — 7 BY THE NUMBERS Senior guard Katelynn Flaherty 23.2 Average points per game 129 Total assists this season 2.7 Average rebounds per game 36.8 Average minutes played per game A dream come true for Flaherty and Dunston D espite never having played in the NCAA Tournament, senior forward Jillian Dunston is confident in the Michigan women’s basketball team’s chances in March Madness. She said as much this past Wednesday, with a declaration: “We’re not afraid of any team.” And why would they be? Under Dunston’s leadership, the Wolverines have amassed a 22-9 overall record, including marquee wins over Marquette, Nebraska, Ohio State and Maryland — all of which are also slated to compete in the Big Dance. She’s coming off a strong regular season, where she was one of the top rebounders in the Big Ten with an average of 9.1 per game. She serves as a much-needed supplement to her fellow classmate — guard Katelynn Flaherty — who is one of the best scorers in the country. But while her buoyancy could be warranted, it could also simply be ignorance. Michigan is surely a very good basketball team. But how they compare to the nation’s elite is still to be determined. They do hold wins over ranked conference foes in then- No. 8 Buckeyes and then-No. 13 Terrapins. However, the Wolverines were routed in their two games against ranked non- conference opponents — then- No. 5 Louisville and then-No. 3 Notre Dame. Though those games were early in the season, they weren’t even close, as Michigan was outscored by a combined 45 points. And, as impressive as its Big Ten wins were, conference games always possess an element of unpredictability that should be accounted for. If the Wolverines do get past 10th-seeded Northern Colorado on Friday, they have a lofty task ahead of them in Baylor. The Lady Bears (31-1) are a two seed as the No. 2 team in the country. They possess the second-best offense in the nation, scoring 86.6 points per game. For comparison, Michigan ranks 35th and averages 75.5. Let’s face it, the Wolverines’ chances are far from ideal. But they have come a long way. They are the first Michigan team to make the tournament since 2013. They have also secured wins over rivals Ohio State and Michigan State. And the seniors — Dunston and Flaherty — have come the furthest in their four years in Ann Arbor. The tournament is a chance for them to show off just how good they really are. “For them to be on the national scene, they’ve established themselves as two of the best players in the country,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “For the rest of the world to have an opportunity to see Katelynn Flaherty I think is really important. She’s been really special for us and it’s going to great for her to be playing in front of national television.” The senior duo has certainly left its mark. Including postseason play, the two have amassed 91 wins at Michigan. And while it’s the lesser of the two tournaments, the pair helped the Wolverines raise their first-ever banner in Crisler Center with a 2017 WNIT Championship. Now, they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. “(The Tournament) was our main goal,” Dunston said. “And now that we’ve gotten there, we don’t want to just show up. We just want to continue to take care of business.” On an individual level, Flaherty will leave Michigan the program’s all-time leading scorer in her four years as a starter. As for Dunston, she has been the outspoken leader for the Wolverines for the past two seasons. She also has the third- most rebounds and 11th-most steals in Michigan history. And most of all, the two have now accomplished a lifelong ambition. “We’ve worked so hard to get to this point,” Flaherty said. “I know it’s been both of our dreams since we were young girls to go to college and play in the NCAA Tournament. So to finally make it here our last year is really exciting.” Sharf can be reached at hsharf@umich.edu. BY THE NUMBERS Senior forward Jillian Dunston 3.3 Average points per game 111 Total assists this season 9.1 Average rebounds per game 32.3 Average minutes played per game ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily Seniors Katelynn Flaherty and Jillian Dunston will finally have their shot at the NCAA Tournament after missing out in their previous three years in Ann Arbor. HUNTER SHARF To finally make it here our last year is really exciting Defense derails Wolverines in 8-3 loss to Lawrence Tech With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Ako Thomas saw a hard hit grounder squirt off his glove as two runners crossed the plate. Lawrence Tech’s Joseph Russo had smashed a ball at the junior shortstop, who attempted to field it on a hop. The play extended the Blue Devils’ lead to 7-3 before another single completed the six- run inning, and gave Lawrence Tech an 8-3 advantage that it held over the final two frames. The play not only put the Michigan baseball team in a hole from which it was unable to recover, but served as a microcosm of the Wolverines’ disastrous start to the season. After establishing themselves as one of the Big Ten’s premier defensive units a season ago, they have committed 27 errors in just 15 games. “It’s just another game where we played very sloppy on defense and gave the opposition a huge inning,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “The four errors stand out, but it’s just the execution of playing defense and taking care of the baseball.” While the errors have been a huge blemish on Michigan’s 4-11 start, they have been far from the only problem. Their three-run output Wednesday afternoon marked the third consecutive game in which the Wolverines have scored four runs or fewer. “The defensive side of things … is causing the hitters to get behind a hole,” Bakich said, “and then they start pressing. They’re not stringing quality at-bats together because they’re looking at climbing out of a deficit.” The correlation between defensive struggles and offensive stagnation cannot be ignored. Michigan jumped out to an early lead courtesy of a RBI groundout and single from redshirt junior Miles Lewis and freshman outfielder Jesse Franklin, respectively. Minutes after Franklin’s single put the Wolverines’ in control, though, the lead crumbled in an all-too-familiar turn of events. Freshman shortstop Jack Blomgren short-hopped a throw that skipped past Franklin, allowing Lawrence Tech’s first run to score and igniting Michigan’s collapse. “It was the little things again,” Bakich said, “and it’s the little things that have plagued us all year and that is something that we are absolutely laser-focused on and that we are going to work to correct.” Two innings later, the Wolverines’ defensive woes compounded, as the Blue Devils plated four unearned runs in their six-run seventh. The first run of the inning scored on a double into the corner after sophomore right fielder Christian Bullock missed the cut-off man, allowing Tyler Cleasby to score from first. Three pitches later, with a man on third and the infield in, a hard-hit grounder found junior second baseman Blake Nelson. Even a high throw from Nelson easily beat Cleasby to the plate before redshirt freshman catcher Marcus Chavez mishandled the throw, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Five batters and a pitching change later, Thomas’ error pushed the Michigan deficit to four. “We’re letting one negative play turn into three negative plays,” Bakich said. “If something bad happens, we just got to be able to shut it down and get back to the positive side of things.” In a familiar refrain, one bright spot for the Wolverines came from its starting pitching. Junior southpaw William Tribucher went five innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits while striking out four Lawrence Tech hitters. It was the fifth game in seven in which Michigan’s starter gave up three runs or less — a stretch over which the Wolverines have gone 2-5. “It was encouraging,” Bakich said. “(Tribucher) threw strikes, he was aggressive in the strike zone, he was very consistent and executed his pitches well. … In those five innings, he looked pretty good. He looked like the Will Tribucher that we know he is.” Ultimately, though, the starting pitchers’ performances need to carry over the rest of the team. “We’re just gonna stick with it,” Bakich said. “We’re gonna continue to believe that we’ve got good players and a good team and we’re just gonna keep a relentless focus and attack on the little things and make sure that if we take care of those, then the big things like the outcome of the game will take care of itself.” Michigan crushed by yet another mid-game surge With the seventh inning looming, the Michigan baseball team was sitting pretty. Junior left-hander William Tribucher had just tossed five inspiring innings against Lawrence Tech, relenting only one unearned run and propelling the Wolverines (4-11) to a 3-1 lead. Michigan was hitting in stride against the Blue Devils (17-9) and ended the fifth with an RBI single from sophomore catcher Harrison Salter. The sixth inning followed, and went off with only a minor hitch. Junior reliever Troy Miller had entered the game and immediately gave up a home run. Michael Rinke demolished the ball, sending it past the left field fence on the opposite side of the park. Miller quickly found redemption by striking out his next two opponents. The Wolverines closed out the inning without securing a run. Then came disaster. Miller quickly struck out the first batter, then gave up two runs with seemingly as much haste. Miller had racked up two earned runs and didn’t show any signs of slowing down when Michigan coach Erik Bakich made a desperate pitching change. Senior right-hander Jayce Vancena entered the game and allowed four additional runs before stopping the bleeding with a much- needed strikeout. When the dust settled, the Wolverines had given up six runs off three hits and committed three defensive errors. All in one inning. “Sloppy,” Bakich said. “It was the little things again, and it’s the little things that have plagued us all year and that is something that we are absolutely laser-focused on and that we are going to work to correct.” For this Michigan team, it’s a broken record. The Wolverines consistently put themselves in a great position to contend for each game through four or five innings, then sluggish bats and sloppy defense seal their fate. Michigan has lived by this routine in many of its previous contests, dropping games to Lipscomb, Stanford and San Diego State in similar fashion. In a textbook example of this pattern, the Wolverines had held the Aztecs scoreless through four innings when they faced them on Feb. 26. San Diego State subsequently exploded onto the scoreboard with a four-run fifth inning, giving it a 4-1 lead. From there, Michigan didn’t have enough firepower to claw itself out of the deficit, ultimately losing, 4-3. It’s troubling for any team to have destructive habits, especially this early in the season. However, the one silver lining in this disappointing start is that the team now knows what to fix — and has time to fix it. “We’re not taking care of the baseball and we’re letting one negative play turn into three negative plays,” Bakich said. “If something bad happens, we just gotta be able to shut it down and get back to the positive side of things. What you’re seeing right now is a team whose confidence is shook.” In addition to regaining confidence, leadership and high-quality play are also needed to aid this battered squad. When one player does well, it seems to carry over to the rest of the team. Behind Tribucher’s bright performance also lied a solid defensive outing that, at the end of it, pushed the Wolverines into the lead. Things took a turn for the worse once the pitching and defense became sloppy. “Right now, the defensive side of things is causing the pitching to be out there a long time,” Bakich said. “It’s causing the hitters to get behind a hole and then they start pressing. They’re not stringing quality at-bats together because they’re looking at climbing out of a deficit. “It’s just all connected, so we just gotta get rid of this feeling and get back to what we know how to do, which is work extremely hard and trust that our training is going to take care of the outcome on the field.” KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily Junior left-hander William Tribucher provided the lone bright spot Wednesday. THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Writer JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer “We’re letting one negative play turn into three negative plays” “If something bad happens, we gotta be able to shut it down”