8A — Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Season-opening snoozer
Michigan beats Norfolk State, 63-44
Norfolk State didn’t score its
first points until seven minutes
and 16 seconds into the game.
By that point, it was far too
late.
Sophomore
guard
Jordan
Poole found Charles Matthews
with a nifty wrap-around pass
in the post, and the redshirt
junior
forward
finished
off
the Michigan men’s basketball
team’s second possession with
its first two points. That was as
close as the Wolverines’ season-
opener would get, as they handily
beat the overmatched Spartans
(0-1), 63-44, on Tuesday night.
The night’s most eventful
moments, in reality, took place
before the game started and
after it ended. Fifteen minutes
before tip-off, the banners for
Michigan’s Big Ten Tournament
Championship and Final Four
appearance last year were raised
to the Crisler Center rafters.
And when the final buzzer
sounded, it officially marked
John
Beilein’s
800th
win
across all levels
of
college
basketball,
and
the Maize Rage
unveiled another
banner — this one
congratulating
the
Wolverines’
coach
on
his
accomplishment.
“It’s
800
wins, it will go
with those other
basketballs that are back there,”
Beilein said. “But it was nice to
have a poster and so many people
congratulate you.”
Added sophomore forward
Isaiah Livers: “He tried to
overlook it and just celebrate our
opening ‘W,’ but we didn’t let
him go for that. He was trying
to talk over us, we were like,
‘Congrats Coach!’ … But you
know how Coach (Beilein) is. He
likes to move forward and just do
everything in a routine.”
Between those two events,
Michigan (1-0) did what it was
expected to do against Norfolk
State, which went just 14-19 last
season.
The
Wolverines
led
11-0
before the Spartans found the
scoreboard, and just in case there
was any momentum to be had
from that, Livers and freshman
forward Ignas Brazdeikis both
canned corner 3-pointers to go
up 15 midway through the half.
The Wolverines took a 27-5
lead after a Matthews steal and
layup, but went cold for the rest
of the first half, as the Spartans
outscored them, 8-5, over the last
six and a half minutes.
But despite the inability to buy
a basket for stretches, Michigan
was never in any danger, as
its
physical
superiority
was
ultimately too much for Norfolk
State to overcome.
Seven minutes into the second
half, the Spartans’ C.J. Kelly
scored to cut their deficit to 18.
The Wolverines
promptly went
on a 15-4 run,
punctuated
by
six points from
Brazdeikis and
a
corner
trey
by
sophomore
guard
Eli
Brooks to cap off
the run and put
the game to bed
with Michigan
leading, 58-29.
Junior
center
Jon
Teske
was Michigan’s top performer,
finishing with 13 points, eight
rebounds — four of them offensive
— and four blocks. The Spartans
don’t have a player within five
inches of the 7-foot-1 Teske, and
this disadvantage manifested
itself down low. Norfolk State
had no success under the basket
with Teske patrolling and didn’t
experience much more away
from it, shooting just 31 percent
from the field.
The
Wolverines,
however,
were barely better, hitting just 22
of their 60 shot attempts, six of
26 3-pointers and a particularly
hideous 13-for-29 figure from the
free-throw line.
“If you look at our numbers in
practice and everything, just not
happening,” Beilein said. “We
got to just continue to work at it,
you can’t dwell on it too much.”
In the end, though, none
of it would matter — at least
on Tuesday night. As soon as
Saturday, when Michigan will
take on Holy Cross, that might
change.
“I’m just proud that we were
able to gut through,” Beilein said.
“It was a bit of a mess at times,
but we just kept gutting through
and gutting through, and our
kids will see on the film how
much better we can be when we
play a little bit more efficiently.”
Jon Teske shows defensive prowess
Early-season non-conference
games are often blowouts, and
often purely due to physical
ability. That came in the form
of Jon Teske for the Michigan
men’s basketball team against
Norfolk State on Tuesday.
All night, the Spartans (0-1)
tried to drive into the paint, and
all night they were met by Teske,
who affected shot after shot as
the Wolverines (1-0) cruised to
a 63-44 win. Teske, whose eight
rebounds, four blocks and steal
buoyed a defensive effort that
saw Norfolk State score all of 13
first-half points, has always been
a defensive force. This looked a
tad different than what we’ve
seen from him in the past.
Teske moved his feet. He
wasn’t just tall — the 7-footer
whose
presence
alone
does
something on defense — but agile,
managing to affect shots, yes, but
also hold his own on switches. He
stayed out of foul trouble, using
verticality in the way Michigan
coach John Beilein has preached.
“He’s not a shot-blocker, but
he’s a big dude to score over,”
Beilein said. “So, if he just goes up
there, man, that used to be a foul
when you jumped up like that.
And now, he’s really starting to
understand the verticality. And I
noticed it a couple years ago when
I was demonstrating something
with him and he was in front of
me and I couldn’t see anybody.
He’s just a big wall for us, and
he’s using that effectively.”
When Teske got on the floor
last year, it was often for shorter
bursts. That was in part because
of Moritz Wagner, part because
of Teske getting into foul trouble
and part because Teske simply
got tired.
Wagner is gone, off to the
NBA. Teske, if Tuesday is any
indication, is making big steps
in terms of verticality. And
when asked, Beilein was quick
to note that he no longer gets
tired, instead being able to
play through media timeouts.
This bodes well for a Michigan
defense that ranked third in
KenPom’s
adjusted
efficiency
last year.
“We like his feet,” Beilein said.
“He’s very unique for a 7-(foot)-
1 guy who has a size-13 shoe. He
really can move his feet, so we’re
not hesitant about switching a
ball-screen late.”
The junior center is soft-
spoken and quick to credit
teammates,
the
way
you’re
supposed to do. When asked
about his assertiveness, Teske
said that yes, he feels better in
that area than last year, then
added, “Austin (Davis) did that
as well.”
But having a 7-foot-1 center
patrolling the paint has its perks,
especially one whose defensive
prowess
goes
beyond
being
7-foot-1.
“Ah man, it’s gonna change up
their gameplan,” Isaiah Livers
said. “They’re not gonna go after
a 7-footer that can move his feet
and doesn’t foul. You wouldn’t be
a smart coach to go at Jon Teske,
I would say.”
Indeed, the Spartans kept
going at Teske, and it kept going
badly. He didn’t try too hard to
affect shots, instead walling up
and reaping the rewards.
The Wolverines saw on film
that the Spartans would attack
the paint, but it quickly became
clear that battle was futile.
“We don’t have a 7-footer,
so he (was) a big challenge for
us,” Norfolk State coach Robert
Johnson said. “So you know, we
won’t see that much size like that
down the road especially, even
on non-conference opponents,
there’s not a lot of (7-foot-1) guys
right around that we’re gonna
play, so it’s okay for that. It was
good to see so hopefully things
like that, when we play shorter
guys we’ll be able to finish.”
On Tuesday, Norfolk State got
no such reprieve.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach John Beilein earned his 800th career win in his team’s season-opening domination over Norfolk State.
ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
“I’m just proud
that we were
able to gut
through.”
‘M’ exact revenge for
first loss to Wisconsin
It felt like one of the key
moments of the season.
Just over a week after the No.
14 Michigan volleyball team
dropped a five-set heartbreaker at
home to Wisconsin — beginning a
three-match losing streak — the
Wolverines came through with
their biggest win of the season.
Sunday, Michigan avenged its loss
to the No. 5 Badgers in Madison,
defeating them 25-19, 20-25,
25-22, 25-22.
The Wolverines (19-6 overall,
8-6 Big Ten) were led once again
by the duo of senior outside
hitter Carly Skjodt and freshman
outside hitter Paige Jones. Skojdt
had 23 kills on 56 swings resulting
in 25.5 scoring points, and Jones
tallied 10 kills on 46 swings for
10.5 scoring points.
Sophomore
middle
blocker
Dana Rettke paced Wisconsin (16-
6, 9-5) with 17 kills on 35 swings
for 22.5 scoring points. Redshirt
junior outside hitter Madison
Duello added 16 kills on 38 swings
for 19 scoring points.
Michigan got off to a slow
start, dropping a first set that
felt much worse than the score
of 25-19 indicated. After back-to-
back disappointing performances
versus No. 3 Minnesota and at
Indiana, this match seemed all set
to compound on the Wolverines’
recent woes.
But Michigan won the second
set, making the third feel crucial.
In a precarious spot down 18-22,
the
Wolverines
once
again
mounted a startling comeback
against the Badgers, ripping off
seven straight points to take the
set and momentum, 25-22.
“(Assistant Coach Leisa Rosen)
made the adjustment, and we
subbed in (sophomore libero
Jaqueline)
DiSanto
to
serve,
which we hadn’t done all match,”
said Michigan coach Mark Rosen.
“Next thing you know we had a
five-point run (out of her). Jaq did
a great job of putting aggressive
serves on them, and our defense
did a great job of stepping up and
closing that one out.”
In contrast to their fourth-
set comeback to force a decider
last week in Ann Arbor, the
Wolverines made sure this one
match wouldn’t slip away.
The fourth set was competitive
throughout, with neither side
leading by more than one point
for most of the set after the
Wolverines came back from a
13-9 deficit to tie the score at
13. Eventually, Michigan pulled
ahead to finally finish Wisconsin
off, 25-22.
Redshirt junior middle blocker
Cori Crocker made her long-
awaited
return
from
injury,
providing a spark with four kills
on seven swings for five scoring
points. She also aided the defense
with two blocks and two block
assists — the second-most on the
day for the Wolverines in both
categories.
“We actually used her in the
opposite position today, because
we still didn’t feel that she was
ready to move 100 percent and
cover the range that she’d have
to as a middle.” Rosen said. “I
think with Cori coming back, the
biggest thing is that it gives us
some options, to really make some
adjustments
(with
blocking).
Allowing her to impact the other
team with her blocking presence
is huge.
“Hopefully within the next
week, we’ll have her all back to
100 percent.”
Michigan looks to continue on
the winning track with six more
regular season matches before the
start of the NCAA Tournament.
“I think when you’re struggling
a little bit, you haven’t had the
wins, it’s definitely frustrating,”
Rosen said. “It was a really much-
needed win today, and with sports
and athletics, the mood (around
the team) is constantly changing.
“I’m proud of this team for
fighting really hard when things
weren’t going great, and still
finding a way to fight through that
and keep their wits in a match like
this.”
VOLLEYBALL
JAKE KARALEXIS
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan beats PSU in Big Ten Tournament
The Michigan men’s soccer
team (11-4-2 overall, 4-2-2 Big
Ten) secured a signature 3-1
win over Penn State (6-9-2,
3-3-2) Sunday afternoon in the
quarterfinals of the Big Ten
Tournament. The Wolverines
dealt with several injuries to
key players, including senior
center back Daniel Mukuna,
senior midfielder Ivo Cerda
and
sophomore
forward
Mohammed
Zakyi.
Zakyi
played through a
hamstring injury
while the other
two didn’t dress.
Early
on,
Michigan
controlled
the
game, forcing all
11 Nittany Lions
players to defend behind the ball
in their own half. Sophomore
forward Umar Farouk Osman
missed one shot and had another
go wide before breaking through
in the 29th minute. A long
throw-in from the far sideline
by senior defender Marcello
Borges dropped to Osman, who
buried the half-volley into the
upper right corner.
It was a deserved goal up to
that point for the Wolverines,
who
had
a
multitude
of
opportunities. Michigan looked
poised to break the game open
with a second goal, but junior
forward Jack Hallahan’s close-
range shot in the 30th minute
was blocked, followed by Borges
missing a shot wide in the 38th
minute.
Penn State capitalized on the
Wolverines’ poor finishing with
a goal that was against the run of
play just two minutes before the
half. Defender Ryan Gallagher
headed the ball into the left side
of the goal off a corner kick by
midfielder
Callum
Pritchatt.
The corner kick went over the
attempted punch of sophomore
goalkeeper Henry Mashburn,
leaving a wide open net for the
Nittany Lions to tie up the game.
“Physically, they’re strong,
they’re
fit.
Two,
they’re
organized, very well coached,”
said Michigan coach Chaka
Daley. “And three, they’re super
dangerous in every dead ball
situation. As a result of that it
makes it a difficult game.”
It was a frustrating end to the
half for Michigan, who outshot
Penn State seven to four before
the break.
“Yeah, I mean, I think we told
the guys we missed some passes
we
could
have
connected,”
Daley said.“We
missed chances
we should have
taken
—
you
know
what
I
mean — a couple
half-chances
we could have
worked
the
keeper a little
bit more.
“And
we
mismanaged
the game. With three minutes to
go in the half, the ball is down
there, we just gotta clear our
lines a little bit and not overplay
or have us be too overconfident
in those situations. You try to
play out or rally and shield it in
the corner, and unfortunately it
didn’t go our way, and they took
full advantage.”
The
second
half
was
strikingly more physical. Both
teams had a player who had
to leave the game due to blood
being drawn. The physicality
came to a head with a yellow
card issued to the Nittany Lions’
Pritchatt for a blatant foul in the
50th minute.
The Wolverines took back
control of the match, earning
three corner kicks, one of which
was converted by Osman for his
second of the game. The corner
was taken by Hallahan and
flicked by senior
midfielder Robbie
Mertz to Osman,
who left no doubt
by firing another
half-volley
into
the
upper
left
corner.
“We gotta take
our
chances.
That’s
what
(Daley)
told
us
because we got a
lot of chances in the first half,”
Osman said. “We just couldn’t
execute, so we needed to focus
and we did that.”
The first three goals of the
game all came off dead-ball
situations.
“I mean, if you look at the
statistics of soccer just in
general most goals happen in
the first ten minutes or last ten
of halves typically, and a large
percentage of them come off of
set pieces or dead ball situations.
So the statistics are proven,”
Daley said. “We focus on them
before every game. We discuss
them before every game before
and at half. And so we’re hyper-
focused I guess when it comes to
those situations and fortunately
today they went in our favor.”
Michigan
continued
its
command of the game, ending
with a 12-4 advantage in shots.
However,
the
game was far
from
over
until Hallahan
settled
the
contest with a
goal in the 81st
minute. Junior
forward Lucas
Rosendall
passed the ball
inside the box
to
Hallahan,
who drove the ball into the
lower left corner. The goal
gave the Wolverines a lead they
wouldn’t relinquish.
“It was a very huge win
for us, because we didn’t beat
them earlier (this season),” said
Osman. “And before the game,
our coaches told us this might be
our last game, so we made sure
it wasn’t.”
PRASHANTH PANICKER/Daily
The Michigan soccer team avenged its loss to Penn State earlier in the year to move to the Big Ten semifinals.
AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI
For the Daily
“Physically,
they’re strong,
they’re fit ... very
well coached.”
“This might be
our last game, so
we made sure it
wasn’t.”