The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 — 7
W
ith less than two
minutes left in
the game, fresh-
man forward
Naz Hillmon
notched a
crucial layup
to give the
Michigan
women’s bas-
ketball team
hope.
The
bucket cut
the Wolver-
ines’ deficit
against No. 23 Michigan State
to just four points. That defi-
cit had reached as high as 15
in the third quarter, and thus
Michigan’s comeback seemed
destined for
completion.
The Wolver-
ines, though,
couldn’t fin-
ish the job and
missed out on
what would
have been a
huge win — for
a variety of rea-
sons.
For starters,
it was a rivalry game — and
that rivalry has been lopsided.
Entering Sunday’s contest, the
Spartans led the all-time battle
68-19 and were 9-4 since Mich-
igan hired coach Kim Barnes
Arico. Thus, winning the close
game would have given the
Wolverines some much-needed
momentum for the rivalry.
Instead, Barnes Arico and
Michigan have now lost five of
the last six meetings.
Additionally, Big Ten play
has troubled the Wolverines so
far, so a win on Sunday would
have been helpful. But now,
Michigan stands 10th in the
conference with a 3-6 record
and is no longer undefeated at
home. The team has yet to pick
up a conference victory on the
road and has now lost four out
of its last five games.
Midway through the open-
ing quarter, senior guard
Nicole Munger collided with
defenders while driving
hard to the basket. She went
down immediately, had to be
helped off the court and never
returned.
“I mean, right when it hap-
pened we knew it was gonna be
something that would take her
out of the game completely,”
said sophomore forward Hai-
ley Brown. “Munger is a very
tough player, so when she goes
down she’s not gonna come
back in the game. But, when we
were huddling we were saying,
you know, ‘We gotta bounce
back from this, like regroup
and do this for Munger.’ She’s
one of our hustlers.”
Munger’s
departure shook
the Wolver-
ines, as they
soon gave up a
13-2 run. They
did regroup
and fight back
with sparks of
promising play,
but ultimately
missed out on
what would
have been a momentous victory
and a huge statement on behalf
of their fallen teammate.
A win would have been huge
for Brown, too. In the last
rivalry meeting, in East Lan-
sing, she experienced a season-
ending lower left leg injury and
her team lost the game.
This time around, she got
off to a hot start by grabbing
multiple rebounds and sink-
ing shots early on. She looked
set to make an extra impact to
compensate for what happened
last season. But with the loss,
she too missed out.
“It’s a rivalry game and we
had them at home, so it’s a lit-
tle bit different, but of course
I was fired up to play,” Brown
said. “I feel like I missed out
a little bit last
season with
that. But it was
a great atmo-
sphere to play,
it’s just we fell
short on the out-
come.”
When asked
about positive
takeaways,
Brown was for-
ward-looking.
“We play them again,”
Brown said. “So, I mean, that’s
the only positive we have.
We’ll go back and regroup as
a team, get some couple wins
on our belt and then we’ll play
them again on their home
court.”
Prior to the game, ESPN’s
Charlie Creme projected
Michigan as a bubble team for
the NCAA Tournament. A win
against a ranked Michigan
State team would have sharp-
ened the Wolverines’ resume
— giving them a quality victory
in a season that’s more than
halfway through.
Now, Michigan’s tourna-
ment hopes have suffered yet
another deafening blow. Now,
the Wolverines must think
about adjust-
ing if Munger’s
injury is seri-
ous.
And now,
they’ll think
about what
could have been
if they’d won
this game.
Kumar can
be reached
at kumarrp@umich.edu.
This one could have been huge
ROHAN
KUMAR
Michigan starts year
by beating Minnesota
Cameron Bock took a deep
breath as he dangled from the
parallel bars.
The sophomore rolled his
feet forward and remained
calm as he swung his body
above
the
wooden
beams.
His teammates on the No. 3
Michigan men’s gymnastics
team
went
wild
as
he
dismounted, flipping through
the air with his legs held at a
seamless 90-degree angle in
front of his body. The board
flashed 14.700, earning Bock
the
second-highest
parallel
bar score in the country this
season.
Bock’s performance aided
the Wolverines Saturday in
their 413.150-408.300 defeat of
powerhouse No. 7 Minnesota.
When asked if the unfamiliar
matchup — Michigan’s first
competition
against
the
Golden
Gophers in 12
years — added
any
stress,
Michigan coach
Kurt
Golder
said
that
he
thought
it
was
more
so
an
exciting
experience for
the athletes.
“None of the guys have
ever been there,” Golder said.
“They are used to Ohio State
and Illinois. I think it was
something they were looking
forward to.”
The Wolverines’ triumph
landed them the title of being
the
second
highest-scoring
team in the Big Ten.
Michigan
was
especially
forceful on the vault in the final
rotation of the afternoon, with
sophomore Emyre Cole rating
14.850 alongside sophomore
Anthony McCallum’s 14.750.
“It was great sticking my
floor dismount,” Cole said.
“I didn’t have a lot of events
today, so I could really focus
on the three (events), which
helped my mental state.”
Cole shined all afternoon,
scoring 13.250 on the pommel
horse and 14.300 on the floor.
After gliding into a mid-air
body rotation, his body went to
the floor. Cole’s handstand fell
forward as he rolled upwards
to finish the floor routine with
an elegant flip. He left the mat
and was greeted by excited
teammates
that
cheered
throughout his routine.
“It feels like the team is your
anchor in that moment,” Cole
said. “Them being that anchor
is really amazing because you
just want to run back there and
get all that validation.”
Despite ripping his grip
before his routine on the
still rings, sophomore Matt
Whitaker
defied
gravity
with an in-air
middle
split
that progressed
into a balanced
handstand. He
dismounted
with a flip and a
perfect landing.
“I had to go
behind the last
guy and redo
my set because of the grip
problem,” Whittaker said. “To
handle the adversity and come
out strong was great.”
This is the first year where
performance in dual meets
determines who competes in
the championship. The meet
against Minnesota was one
with enormous implications,
as the Wolverines opened up
with a big win.
“The next meet should be
easy compared to this,” Golder
said. “Because it is at home
against Ohio State.”
LILY ALEXANDER
For the Daily
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico’s team squandered a key opportunity to bolster its resume against Michigan State.
We play them
again. That’s the
only positive we
have.
When (Munger)
goes down, she’s
not gonna come
back.
It feels like the
team is your
anchor in that
moment.
Freshmen provide glimpse of future
When Andrew Fenty and
Patrick Maloney inked their
letters of intent to play tennis
for
Michigan
coach
Adam
Steinberg, the two freshmen
had all the boxes checked. That
is, except for one.
Fenty — who enters the season
as the No. 4 youth player in the
nation — has put his skills to the
test both at home and abroad,
competing in the U.S. Open,
Roland Garros, Wimbledon and
Australian Open junior draws
last year. Maloney, meanwhile,
took home last year’s New
York State singles title, earning
All-American honors in the
process. With a combined 19-5
record against other five-star
recruits in the 2018 cycle, the
duo
headlines
the
NCAA’s
fifth-ranked class. At an initial
glance, it’s tough to find a flaw
in the talented tandem’s paths
to Ann Arbor.
The missing element? Team-
style tennis.
“It’s no longer
about
me,
it’s
about the team,”
Fenty
said.
“I
have to push the
guy next to me.
And that’s what
(Maloney and I)
do — that’s why
we’re
different
than
other
(freshmen).”
After a long fall of individual
competition, the 24th-ranked
Wolverines entered the team
season with their sights sets
on Saturday’s ITA Kick-Off.
Thanks to last year’s Sweet
Sixteen
run
—
Michigan’s
first since 2008 — the team
earned the right to host the
tournament for the first time
in program history, drawing
national attention to Fenty and
Maloney’s home debut.
The two new kids on the
block didn’t disappoint.
Fenty and Maloney showed
flashes of maturity beyond their
years Saturday, adding to their
cumulative 4-1 record in the
process. Given the program’s
heavy
emphasis
on
energy
and
leadership,
Fenty
and
Maloney’s dominant team start
is more than just impressive —
it’s a sign that they can become
program cornerstones.
After falling short in a pair of
doubles tiebreakers against No.
22 Alabama last weekend, Fenty
and Maloney spearheaded the
team’s significant improvement
in its 4-1 win over North
Carolina
State.
Fenty
and
sophomore
Mattias Siimar
cruised
to
a
6-1
victory,
while Maloney
and
senior
Myles
Schalet
captured a 6-2
win to grab the
morning’s first
point
at
the
Varsity Tennis
Center,
where
the Wolverines boast a 37-3
record since 2016.
Fenty and Maloney’s singles
prowess, coupled with their
willingness to adapt, have made
it easy for Steinberg to welcome
them into the doubles fold
immediately.
On the singles court, the
tandem’s debut nearly ignited
a
comeback
in
Tuscaloosa
when Fenty shocked Patrick
Kaukovalta — the country’s
No. 41 player — 5-7, 6-4, 6-4,
while Maloney held on against
Alexey Nesterov for a gripping
7-6, 6-4 win. Despite building
upon those performances by
securing their respective first
sets
against
the
Wolfpack
on Saturday, neither of their
would-be
singles
victories
counted once Michigan earned
the clinching point.
With two strong outings
now in the books, Steinberg is
starting to see the resemblance
between his newcomers and
last year’s graduating class.
“(Fenty and Maloney) are
unbelievable,” Steinberg said.
“They’ve become a lot more
aggressive at this level. They’re
such great competitors and
they’re loving every minute of
it. Besides being good players,
they’re experienced and they
know pressure. The two of them
have been a spark for our team
for sure. It’s always tough when
you lose four seniors and bring
in new guys hoping they’ll fit in
well, but they’re doing great.”
From
the
rookies’
perspective, they’re not here to
devote their freshmen seasons
to learning the ropes — rather,
they’ve put in the work to help
propel this year’s group to its
full potential.
“We have to grow up fast,”
Fenty said. “I don’t think of
myself as ‘the freshman’ on
the team, I think of myself as
a leader, and I know (Maloney)
does too. We try to push the
guys and do our job.”
If
Fenty
and
Maloney
continue to do their jobs at
this level, last year’s Sweet
Sixteen appearance won’t be a
fluke. And, after watching his
youngsters prosper in their first
two team matches, it’s safe to
say Steinberg can check off that
final box.
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
MIKE ZLONKEVICZ/Daily
Freshman Andrew Fenty helped spearhead improvement for Michigan doubles.
(Andrew
Fenty and Pat
Maloney) are
unbelievable.