8 — Tuesday. November 13, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Matthews finding balance in style of play

For much of last season, 
redshirt 
junior 
Charles 
Matthews cast a frustrating 
figure for the Michigan men’s 
basketball team. The forward 
combined elite defense and 
athleticism with an inability to 
score consistently, especially 
outside the paint.
That version of Matthews 
returned just seconds into 
the Wolverines’ game against 
Holy Cross on Saturday night. 
Austin 
Butler 
spotted 
up 
for a seemingly uncontested 
3-pointer on the Crusaders’ 
first 
possession 
before 
Matthews 
appeared 
from 
out of nowhere to deflect his 
attempt out of bounds.
On the other end, it was 
Matthews’ turn to be stymied 
offensively. He attempted two 
of Michigan’s three shots on 
its first possession — both 
from the right wing, both 
uncontested and both rimming 
out.
The rest of the half was an 
unusual mix. He hit two threes 
and a long two but missed six 
field goals — all jump-shots — 
as the Wolverines went into 
halftime with just 18 points on 
five-of-24 shooting.
“We’re gonna have games 
like 
that,” 
Matthews 
said. 
“Especially early in the season, 
we’re still learning how to play 
with one another, we’re still 
learning how to attack certain 
defenses. So you can’t really 
get down about missed shots 
or anything like that. You just 
gotta continue to play.”
Matthews matched his first 
half point total after the break 
to finish with 20 on the day, 
but that was about the only 
similarity between the halves 
for Michigan. It outscored 
Holy 
Cross, 
38-13, 
in 
the 
second and upped its field goal 
percentage to 50 on 13-for-26 
shooting.
For 
Matthews, 
the 

difference was obvious.
For all the attention he 
receives as a player, Matthews 
prefers to avoid it off the 
court. He rarely goes off-script 
in press conferences, often 
stifling his voice to be barely 
audible. Saturday evening was 
much of the same — until a 
reporter asked him to explain 
the first-half struggles.
“We have a lot of athletes on 
this team, we got a lot of people 
that can put the ball on the 
floor,” Matthews said. “Coach 
is doing a great job coaching, 
coming 
up 
with 
offensive 
schemes, but sometimes we 
just gotta go.
“… And sometimes, I feel like 
we can be indecisive looking 
for the right time to score or the 
right shot to take and we miss 
shots cause we’re thinking, ‘Is 
this the time to shoot it?’ When 
we just hoop, we’re a different 

dynamic. We don’t have Moe 
and we don’t have Duncan, and 
those are great players. But we 
have players now that can put 
the ball on the floor and try 
to get to the basket, and I feel 
like we need to play to those 
strengths also.”
Getting downhill to the 
hoop is clearly a winning 
strategy for Matthews. Eight 
of his 10 second-half points 
came inside the paint, as did 
all five of his field goals in the 
opener against Norfolk State.
The 
Wolverines’ 
reliance 
on scoring inside makes them 
different than any team that 
coach John Beilein has ever 
had at Michigan. And much of 
that falls on Matthews.
“I feel like we have a team 
full of hunters, but me and 
Charles talk about it all the 
time, how we both need to be 
aggressive,” 
said 
freshman 

forward Ignas Brazdeikis, who 
finished just behind Matthews 
with 19 points on Saturday. 
“And we can play off of each 
other as well.”
Added 
Beilein: 
“They’re 
hunters and we just gotta 
continue on them being guys 
that shoot straight. I think 
Charles was 3-for-9 at one time 
and he’s gonna be better than 
that.”
But 
there’s 
a 
balance 
to 
playing 
aggressively 
in 
Beilein’s offense.
“Not 
putting 
your 
head 
down and going — that gets 
you subbed out,” Matthews 
said. “But looking to attack and 
staying aggressive.”
For an offense that lacks 
natural 
scorers 
that 
the 
Wolverines 
have 
become 
accustomed 
to, 
the 
entire 
season may rely on Matthews 
finding that balance.

Hailey Brown’s road back

February 
11, 
2018. 
Late 
fourth quarter. Michigan State 
64, Michigan 61.
As Wolverine center Hallie 
Thome draws a charge on a 
Spartan layup attempt, there’s 
a collision under the basket. 
Amidst 
the 
chaos, 
Hailey 
Brown falls to the floor and has 
to be helped off the court.
It 
would 
be 
her 
final 
appearance of the season.
Before 
suffering 
a 
bone 
bruise during that game, Brown 
had started 27 consecutive 
games and blossomed into one 
of the team’s most consistent 
contributors, averaging nine 
points and 5.2 rebounds per 
game. The injury forced Brown 
to 
watch 
the 
2018 
NCAA 
Tournament from the sidelines, 
in which the Wolverines fell to 
Baylor in the Round of 32.
“After I got the results from 
the doctor of the bad knee 
bone bruise, I couldn’t do 
any running or impact stuff,” 
Brown said. “…It was definitely 
tough to watch my teammates 
go out there and like live one of 
the dreams and goals that I’ve 

had.”
But despite this setback, 
Brown persevered and fought 
her way back over the course of 
the offseason. 
Early on in the recovery 
process, Brown was still able 
to lift weights, and eventually 
transitioned 
to 
using 
an 
underwater 
treadmill 
to 
stay in shape, which helped 
to 
alleviate 
weight 
when 
exercising. Eventually, Brown 
made a full recovery and played 
in the Mount St. Mary’s game 
on Nov. 8 — her first game since 
the injury.
After tip off, Brown picked 
up right where she left off in her 
stellar freshman season. She 
scored six of the Wolverines’ 
first 12 points and showed 
tremendous hustle early with 
two offensive rebounds on the 
game’s first possession. She 
finished with 12 points and 
seven rebounds, a performance 
made even more meaningful 
with her family in attendance.
“It was definitely special,” 
Brown noted.
“She’s worked so hard to 
come back after being injured 
last year, and she’s a really 
special player,” added Michigan 

coach Kim Barnes Arico.
While it was a long road 
back to the court, Brown is 
now focused on this season 
and what the Wolverines can 
achieve. She’s said that one of 
her goals this year is to average 
a double-double, which both 
she and her coaches believe 
is a task that she is more than 
capable 
of 
accomplishing. 
However, Brown’s priorities 
are not solely on her individual 
accolades, but more so on what 
her team can achieve this 
season.
“I want national recognition 
for 
Michigan 
women’s 
basketball this year,” Brown 
said. “I want our team to go far 
and stay up in the rankings.”
And after a season where 
the team reached the NCAA 
Tournament for the first time 
since 2013, Brown feels that her 
team can achieve even greater 
feats this year.
“You always wanna achieve 
more,” she said. “Every time, 
every game, every moment 
you’re on the court, you’re there 
to prove something. Michigan 
women’s basketball, we’re here, 
we’re on a mission to prove that 
we can be champions.”

‘M’ falls to Indiana in Big Ten final

In the 72nd minute of the 
men’s soccer Big Ten Tournament 
Championship match, Indiana’s 
Griffin Dorsey sent a ball for 
service across the box, finding 
the head of the diving Hoosier 
midfielder Jeremiah Gutjahr, who 
converted for the goal. The perfect 
execution put the Hoosiers up 
2-0, a goal Michigan coach Chaka 
Daley said, “took the wind out of 
(the Michigan soccer team’s) sails,” 
as Daley’s team ultimately fell 3-0.
The 
Big 
Ten 
Tournament 
Championship has been unfamiliar 
territory for the Wolverines as 
of late. Michigan entered last 
season’s Big Ten Tournament as 
the highest-seeded team, boasting 
a 6-1-1 conference record, yet fell, 
4-0, in the semifinal to a fourth-
seeded Wisconsin team, who went 
on to win the tournament.
This year’s Michigan team 
avenged its loss to Wisconsin 
in the semifinals Friday, but fell 
victim to top-seeded Indiana in 
the tournament championship on 
Sunday.
Friday 
night 
against 
the 
Badgers, the Wolverines’ offense 
got off to a quick start. Their first 
opportunity came minutes into 
the game. Junior forward Jack 
Hallahan sent a ball in from the 
corner to the head of the 6-foot-
5 sophomore defender Jackson 
Ragen. 
However, 
Wisconsin’s 
goalkeeper Dean Cowdroy was 
there to save the would-be goal.
Michigan’s next corner kick, in 
the 20th minute, was again sent 
by Hallahan. The ball bounced 
once in the box before hitting 
a 
Badgers’ 
defender’s 
hand, 
resulting in a penalty kick for the 
Wolverines. Sophomore midfielder 
Marc Ybarra lined up across from 
the keeper with the opportunity 
to give Michigan the lead in the 
conference tournament semifinals. 
“When you step up to a penalty 
like that, you just keep your 
composure,” Ybarra said, “Take a 
deep breath and try to do what you 
do at practice all the time.”
And Ybarra did just that. He 
converted on the penalty kick, 
putting the Wolverines up 1-0 and 
in the driver’s seat for the rest of 
the game. From there, Michigan’s 

defense held firm. Of the four shots 
taken by the Badgers, none were 
on-goal. This made it an easy, clean 
sheet for sophomore keeper Henry 
Mashburn, as the Wolverines held 
on to win, 1-0.
“In the last game we played them 
… we were a little bit slow, a little bit 
off,” said Daley on Friday, “But this 
game, I think from start to finish 
we were highly competitive and, 
honestly, super motivated with the 
opportunity to compete for a Big 
Ten Championship on Sunday.”
And for the first time since 2012, 
the Wolverines found themselves 
in the Big Ten championship, 
facing off against Indiana, who 
welcomed back one of the nation’s 
top players, freshman midfielder 
Griffin Dorsey, for Sunday’s game. 
Dorsey returned to the team after 
representing the United States’ 
on U-20 CONCACAF national 
team, missing the beginning of the 
tournament.
“We had a good inclination that 
if they could bring back their top 
player, they would,” Daley said, 
“To compete with us and contend 
to win a Big Ten title, we thought 
they would bring back their best 
guy.”
And, as it turned out, Dorsey 
proved to be all the difference. In 
just the sixth minute of the game, 
Dorsey rifled a shot off a rebound, 
initially 
saved 
by 
Mashburn, 
but immediately converted off a 
rebound by Indiana forward Cory 

Thomas, giving Dorsey his first 
assist of the game.
Michigan tried to answer back 
quickly, but freshman forward 
Umar Farouk Osman’s shot just a 
minute later sailed over the goal 
and out of play. From there, it was a 
defensive battle, as Indiana ended 
the half clinging to the 1-0 lead.
In the second half, the Hoosiers’ 
offensive aggressiveness became 
too much for the Wolverines, as 
Gutjahr converted his header to 
double to lead.
Exactly two minutes later, 
Indiana 
iced 
the 
game 
and 
ended 
the 
Wolverines’ 
hope 
for a comeback when Hoosier 
midfielder Spencer Glass snuck 
the ball between the goalie and the 
post, putting Indiana up 3-0.
Although it wasn’t the ideal 
ending for Michigan’s tournament 
run, there’s still plenty of soccer to 
be played, as the selection for the 
NCAA tournament awaits later 
this week.
“I think we learned from 
Indiana and their approach,” 
Daley said, “The mentality today, 
I thought was really good… just 
staying on top of the game, being 
sharp early in the game… we [have 
to] treat it like a do-or-die situation, 
but we’ve been doing that for a 
month, so certainly it would be 
no different if we were afforded 
the opportunity to participate in 
the NCAA Tournament moving 
forward.”

Blankenburg uses forward 
experience for first goal

Less than five minutes into the 
third period on Saturday, Nick 
Blankenburg received the puck 
near the blue line.
The 
freshman 
defenseman 
skated forward, looking for his 
shot at the point. Instead, he 
noticed that the lane straight 
to the net was open — traffic 
had cleared from the prior puck 
movement.
So he took his chance and 
skated straight to the crease. Left. 
Right. Left. Right. He weaved the 
puck back and forth before finding 
the opening he was looking for — 
a hole in between the Notre Dame 
goaltender’s legs. 
Goal, Michigan.
Generally, 
when 
a 
player 
scores his first 
collegiate 
goal, 
the 
player 
remembers it. It’s 
a milestone, after 
all.
But 
Blankenburg, 
ironically, 
remembered everything but.
“I 
was 
just 
planning 
on 
shooting it,” Blankenburg said. 
“But then I saw a lane open, and I 
kinda just blacked out right when 
it happened.”
It was a stylish goal, to say the 
least. And the inspiration comes 
from Blankenburg’s time as a 
forward, a position he had played 
his entire life before his time with 
the Okotoks Oilers, his team prior 
to Michigan.
“You can tell he’s got some 
patience and some poise,” said 
Michigan coach Mel Pearson, 
“and some quickness, can skate, 
he’s a converted forward, so he 
goes in and makes it look easy.”
On his first goal, Blankenburg 
not only made it easy, but 
showcased the versatility that he 
adds to the offensive zone.

“Hopefully that gives even 
more confidence,” Pearson said. 
“He’s been playing extremely well 
for us, and he’s got some offensive 
capabilities, and that gives us 
another option on the blue line 
that can create some offense from 
the backend.”
Blankenburg 
doesn’t 
have 
much experience as a defenseman 
under his belt. Seventy games 
at the blue line is nothing in 
comparison with many of the 
players he’s competing against. 
And he’s quick to admit that he 
doesn’t fully know all the in and 
outs of the position yet.
But the reason he’s able to hold 
his own is his confidence as a 
skater.
“I 
just 
feel 
like the biggest 
thing is skating-
wise, 
being 
a 
defenseman,” 
Blankenburg 
said. “It helps 
out so much, if I 
make a mistake, 
I can kinda back 
that 
up 
with 
my skating, just 
throughout this 
year.
“I mean, everyone can skate, 
especially at this level, so I just 
kinda play smart and use my speed 
to my advantage against the other 
guys, so that was nice to have that 
as a forward, and being able to 
transition that as a defenseman is 
nice.”
His speed was certainly put 
to use for his first goal. Once he 
reached the lane, no player was 
fast enough to clog it with traffic 
or put a man in his path to prevent 
the shot.
“And I feel like it’s really 
important being up at the blue 
line, and using my speed to be 
open and to get shots through 
from the point to be able to beat 
guys and get through to those 
shooting 
lanes,” 
Blankenburg 
said.

TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer

TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer

MIKE ZLONKEVICZ/Daily
Sophomore forward Hailey Brown played against Mt. St. Mary’s on Friday, her first game since being injured last season.

DREW BARLAGE
For the Daily

PRASHANTH PANICKER/Daily
Sophomore midfielder Marc Ybarra scored Friday’s game-winning goal.

THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Writer

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Redshirt junior forward Charles Matthews scored 20 points in Michigan’s 56-37 win over Holy Cross on Saturday.

“He’s been 
playing 
extremely well 
for us...”

ICE HOCKEY