The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, April 6, 2018 — 7
Season in Review: The Michigan women’s basketball team
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team started the
season by raising a banner and
ended it by earning a trip to
the NCAA Tournament, where
it fell to Baylor in the second
round. The Wolverines won the
Women’s National Invitational
Tournament
in
2017,
but
disappointment over being left
out of the tournament field
carried over to this season.
From the first day of this
season, Michigan’s goal was to go
dancing for the first time since
2013 — and it did. After tearing
through
the
non-conference
portion of the schedule — just
losing to eventual champion
Notre Dame and a Louisville
team whose season ended in the
Final Four — the Wolverines
seemed to cement a tournament
bid with a road win at then-No. 8
Ohio State on Jan. 16.
But Michigan went on to drop
five of six games over the first
two weeks of February, setting
off alarm bells at Crisler Center.
On Senior Night though, with
the potential of missing the
tournament hanging in the air,
the Wolverines upset then-No. 13
Maryland, finishing the regular
season 22-9 with a 10-6 mark in
the Big Ten, good for sixth place in
the conference. After exiting the
Big Ten Tournament with a loss
to Nebraska in the quarterfinals,
Michigan was selected as a No. 7
seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines beat Northern
Colorado in the first round, but
ended their season quietly with
a 22-point loss at Baylor in the
second.
The Daily looks back on the
season that was.
Best game: Michigan 84,
Ohio State 75
The Wolverines came into
Columbus without a signature
win,
having
dropped
an
overtime heartbreaker to the
Buckeyes nine days earlier in
Ann Arbor. They left with their
first win over Ohio State since
2015, ending a streak that lasted
three years and five days.
After going into the half
down five points, Michigan
battled
back.
Junior
center
Hallie Thome scored 21 of her
27 points and grabbed 10 of her
11 rebounds in the second half.
Senior guard Katelynn Flaherty
put up 18 of her own in the latter
period, including a go-ahead
3-pointer with two minutes to
go in the third quarter. Unlike
the prior contest against Ohio
State,
which
saw
Flaherty
miss a potential game-winner
at the buzzer, the Wolverines
left nothing to chance. They
outscored the Buckeyes by 14 in
the second half, sealing a rivalry
win and a resume booster.
Worst game: Purdue 81,
Michigan 79 (OT)
This was well on its way
to being an easy win. The
Wolverines held a 16-point lead
with just under seven minutes
to go in the game. It would have
been
their
seventh
straight
victory
—
a
domineering
performance over a conference
foe — but Michigan simply
collapsed, going without a point
for the last 6:48 of regulation.
The
Wolverines
coughed
up turnover after turnover.
Flaherty had a chance to stop
the bleeding with a layup once
Michigan’s lead was cut to
two. It was blocked away, then
freshman forward Hailey Brown
turned it over on the ensuing
inbounds pass. Boilermakers’
guard Dominique Oden tied it
at 72, hitting a baseline floater
with just under one second to
go. Sophomore forward Kayla
Robbins managed to get to the
line with a chance to win it,
even after all that, but clanked
both free throws. In overtime,
the Wolverines were down one
with just over a minute to go and
couldn’t find a bucket.
It was as tough a loss as you
could imagine — and it sent
Michigan on a tailspin. It lost
three of its next four — all games
in which the Wolverines were
ranked and their opponents were
not — jeopardizing its chances
at an NCAA Tournament bid.
Best
individual
performance:
Katelynn
Flaherty
against
Northwestern
When Flaherty got it going
this
season,
it
was
truly
mesmerizing to watch. She hit
the 30-point mark three times
— including a 33-point game
against Penn State in which the
senior hit 10 3-pointers — but
even that comes in second.
When the Wildcats visited
Crisler on Feb. 8, Flaherty almost
singlehandedly
demolished
them. She scored 36 on 12-of-
21 shooting, dropping 3-pointer
after 3-pointer, finishing 9-of-
16 from beyond the arc. It was
a shooting performance for
the ages, one of those nights
when
Flaherty
was
simply
unstoppable. The Wolverines
easily pulled away in the game,
winning 84-63, but that almost
became a sideshow in the face of
the sheer absurdity of Flaherty.
To add onto what was already
an incredible game, Flaherty
sustained a foot injury mid-
game. It didn’t slow her down
though, as she scored 16 of
her points in the second half,
playing all 20 minutes of the
latter period.
Flaherty is undoubtedly the
best player in program history.
This will go among her best
games ever in a Michigan
uniform.
Most
important
game:
Michigan 71, Maryland 65
Though coach Kim Barnes
Arico didn’t tell the team in
the lead-up, the Wolverines’
season could have hinged on
this game. They came in having
lost five of the last six, their
chances for a tournament bid
having gone from set-in-stone
to shaky. They needed an upset
over the 13th-ranked Terrapins
to put fears of repeating the
heartbreak of 2017 to rest. And
they got it.
Sophomore forward Akienreh
Johnson, who had averaged
just 2.5 points per game on the
season up to that point, played
the hero. She scored 17 points,
including a dagger 3-pointer
with just under two minutes
left, on 8-of-11 shooting to go
with eight rebounds.
To put it simply, it’s quite
possible Michigan wouldn’t have
made the tournament without
winning that game, without that
out-of-nowhere
performance
from Johnson. It needed to pull
an upset win out of the sky to do
it, and when the chance came,
the Wolverines took it.
Most
improved
player:
Hailey Brown
The freshman started her
career quietly, hitting double-
digit scoring just six times in
the season’s first 17 games. She
did so as many times in her
next eight games, breaking out
with a 23-point, eight-rebound
performance on Jan. 10 against
Indiana and sprinting through
the rest of her season.
Brown was well on her way
to establishing herself as a go-to
scorer for the Wolverines at
that point, but her season ended
early. She suffered a leg injury at
Michigan State just over a month
after that breakout performance
and never came back.
Despite a disappointing end to
her season, Brown established
herself as a potential star for
the
Wolverines
come
next
year. Assuming a full recovery,
her production will likely go
up in the wake of Flaherty’s
departure.
Most
valuable
player:
Katelynn Flaherty
This one didn’t take much
thinking. Flaherty came into the
season with a chance to cement
herself as an all-time great. She
did that, and more, breezing past
Diane Dietz for the program’s
all-time scoring record early in
the year before smashing Glen
Rice’s men’s scoring record in
January, becoming Michigan’s
all-time leading scorer in either
category.
Flaherty, to no one’s surprise,
led the Wolverines in scoring
with 22.9 points per game,
shooting 44.3 percent from
outside.
Even
when
teams
continually face-guarded her
through Big Ten play, even when
she suffered injuries to her back
and foot, Flaherty continued to
score at an absurd clip. More
than that, she averaged 36.8
minutes per game, never sitting
out a game, and played 40 or
more minutes nine times.
Flaherty
exits
Michigan
as the program’s best player
ever, bar none. Unless there’s
some sort of baffling oversight,
she will become the first ever
women’s basketball player to see
her number retired — and with
good reason.
Up next:
The Wolverines will have to
deal with the losses of Flaherty
and
senior
forward
Jillian
Dunston,
whose
rebounding
and
defense
helped
anchor
them throughout the year. In all
likelihood, junior guard Nicole
Munger will see an uptick
in shot attempts as a result.
Thome,
Michigan’s
second-
leading scorer this season, will
become even more important to
the Wolverines’ success as well.
Freshman
guard
Deja
Church will be expected to take
over point-guard duties from
Flaherty after a strong defensive
campaign. Her offensive output
— just seven points per game on
43.9 percent shooting from the
field — will have to get better,
though. Brown and Johnson
— both of whom have been
hampered by injury in the past
— will be expected to put it all
together.
Barnes
Arico’s
recruiting
class — which ranks 12th in the
country, per HoopGurlz — will
be key in bringing Michigan
back to the NCAA Tournament.
Five-star point guard Amy Dilk
could challenge Church for the
starting job. Naz Hillmon and
Emily
Kiser,
both
four-star
forwards, could see playing
time along with fellow four-star
guard Ariel Young.
Even with the Wolverines
losing the program’s best ever
player in Flaherty, they should be
fairly optimistic about making it
back to the tournament in 2019.
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team started its season raising a WNIT banner and ended it in the NCAA Tournament.
ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
Ruiz set to become ‘quarterback of the O-Line’
After an 8-5 season, fingers
get pointed every which way.
And in the case of Michigan
in 2017, many of those fingers
aimed squarely at the offensive
line.
“I think they took a lot of
blame for a lot of things on
the outside. A lot of fingers
pointed at that direction, but
not always are the fingers
accurate,” said new offensive
line coach Ed Warriner, a
beneficiary of some of that
finger pointing. Warriner was
hired as an offensive coach in
January and later assigned to
the offensive line to replace
the departed Tim Drevno.
“There’s a lot of pieces in all
things,” Warriner told media
on Thursday afternoon. “Short
yardage, there’s tight ends and
fullbacks. Protections, there’s
tight ends, fullbacks running
backs
and
quarterbacks
involved in that. My perception
is, the group was a solid group
when I got it.”
That
much-maligned
group returns three starters
from a season ago, juniors
Ben Bredeson and Michael
Onwenu,
and
sophomore
center Cesar Ruiz. With those
three penciled in along the
interior of the line, the tackle
spots remain up for grabs —
likely
between
sophomores
Chuck
Filiaga
and
James
Hudson,
junior
Stephen
Spinellis
and
seniors Juwann
Bushell-Beatty
and Jon Runyan
Jr.
As
of
now,
your
guess
is as good as
Warriner’s as to
who emerges for
those spots.
“Eventually
(we’ll)
sort
through the five best and get
them where they need to go.”
But one thing’s for certain:
Cesar Ruiz is one of those best
five. Based off early praise, he
might be the best one.
“He understands football
very well,” Warriner said.
“But he is very powerful,
plays with a good base, loves
football, quick feet for a
center, too. He kinda has the
whole package.”
And Warriner knows what
that package looks like. He
coached for three years at Ohio
State, following two years at
Notre Dame — both places he
eagerly
anticipates
visiting
this
year
on
the
opposite
sideline.
He
has
produced
enough
NFL
talent
to
know
how
that
appears
in
a
college
sophomore.
Ruiz has it.
“I
have
two
starting
centers
in
the
National
Football League, both started
as rookies,” Warriner said,
referring
to
Minnesota
Vikings center Pat Elflein
and Green Bay Packers center
Corey Linsley. “He has that
kind of ability some day to get
to that point. Not yet, I mean
he’s just a young kid. But if
he keeps going, I know what
they look like. … He can be the
quarterback of the O-Line.”
Added Runyan Jr.: “He’s one
of the most athletic centers
I’ve ever seen. He’s big, strong,
powerful. I’m looking forward
to what he can do, even though
he’s only a sophomore, so
that’s really really exciting to
see his development.”
For Warriner, though, being
an effective center extends far
beyond the physical toolset.
The
“quarterback
of
the
O-Line” means what it sounds
like — being a vocal leader and
decision-maker.
That’s something that Ruiz
has taken hold of with his
command.
Ruiz
was
recruited
to
Michigan as a center but
played in 10 games last year as
a guard. He became the starter
midway through the season,
as a stopgap at guard. This
season, he’ll head back to his
natural position.
“Your center makes a lot
of calls in there that set your
protections, and if he sets
them wrong then you’ve got
problems,” Warriner said. “If
he sets them right, then you
can account for everybody.
He’s been very good at that
this spring. Very good.”
Warriner will say he thinks
this group could develop into
a “very solid Big Ten offensive
line.”
There’s
no
guaranteeing
any offensive line renaissance.
Words are just words, coated
in a uniquely positive light in
spring practice, when nothing
is open to public criticism and
there’s no opponent just yet.
But
Ruiz
emerging
into
the full potential his 4-star
recruit status indicated would
be a step. Every offensive
line needs an anchor. Ruiz
appears headed firmly in that
direction.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore center Cesar Ruiz looks poised to take over as “the quarterback of the O-Line,” according to Ed Warriner.
“He
understands
football very
well.”
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor
‘M’ concedes 14 goals,
loses to Fighting Irish
Michigan freshman attacker
Caitlin Muir wrapped around
the back of the net, deftly
throwing a pass to sophomore
attacker
Lilly
Grass,
who
put the ball in the net with
ease. Soon after, sophomore
midfielder
Chandler
Kirby
earned a free position shot,
which she converted by calmly
slotting the ball into the right
side of the goal.
In an instant, Notre Dame
(2-4 ACC, 7-6 overall) saw its
lead cut down to just three.
And for a second, the Michigan
women’s lacrosse team (1-2 Big
Ten, 5-8 Overall) looked like it
had some momentum.
But seconds later, it was
gone.
Irish
sophomore
attacker
Jessi
Masinko
drove
from
behind the net and deftly
placed the ball in the bottom
right corner of the goal. Thirty
seconds
later,
midfielder
Maddie Howe sprinted straight
down the field and scored
once more for Notre Dame.
Following another goal, the
Irish took a commanding 11-5
lead into halftime. They would
never relinquish that lead,
winning the match, 14-8.
Notre Dame’s offense was
extremely effective in the first
half, notching 11 goals and
controlling possession.
“Of
all
our
games
this
season, they probably move
the ball around the quickest,”
said Michigan coach Hannah
Nielsen. “They change the plan
of attack really quickly, and
every one of their seven players
was an offensive threat.”
After
halftime,
the
Wolverines appeared to settle
in and play more comfortably at
the game’s up-tempo pace.
“From top to bottom, in
every aspect of it, it was just
a
really
fast-paced
game,”
Nielsen said. “Notre Dame is an
extremely athletic team; they
were riding us hard, clearing
the ball very fast, and they were
really pushing the tempo. Once
we settled in and realized it
was just like any other game or
any other practice, we started
playing better.”
It was readily apparent that
Michigan
started
executing
better in the second half.
Its offense was much more
efficient, converting three of
its seven shots. The goals came
from junior attacker Adriana
Pendino,
fifth-year
senior
attacker Bianca Brueckner and
Chandler Kirby.
The
Wolverine
defense
showed
improvement
as
well; it took the Irish nearly
18 minutes to score their
first goal of the second half.
Notre
Dame’s
failure
to
convert scoring opportunities
occurred
in
large
part
because of stellar goalkeeping
by
junior
goalkeeper
Alli
Kothari. At halftime, Kothari
replaced
struggling
junior
goalkeeper Mira Shane, who
was coming off a career-high
14-save performance against
Maryland.
“Unfortunately, Mira saw
some really up-close shots
in the first half and wasn’t
getting her stick on them,”
Nielsen said. “She had a tough
day in the first half and we
just needed to make a change.
Fortunately for us, Alli came in
and played great.”
Although Michigan’s second
half
improvements
allowed
it to keep up with the pace of
the Irish — with a second-half
score of 3-3 — the adjustments
came too late.
“Unfortunately for us, it took
a while for us to get used to that
speed,” Nielsen said.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
DYLAN CHUNG
Daily Sports Writer