The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, October 24, 2019 — 7
Pushing for a breakthrough year
Before
every
season,
two
things are always on the mind of
the Michigan women’s basketball
team: the next steps and the
expectations.
Six years ago, the next step
was simply to get better, to go
further than the third round of
the WNIT. Three years ago, the
Wolverines were given the cold
shoulder by the NCAA selection
committee – and they won the
WNIT instead. The next year,
they made the tournament for the
first time in four years.
Now, for the first time in the
program’s
history,
Michigan
is looking for its third straight
NCAA Tournament bid. For the
first time in the programs history,
the Wolverines are shooting for
the Sweet Sixteen – or higher.
The next steps are steeper than
ever. The expectations are taller
than ever.
“It kind of goes with one
of the reasons why I chose
Michigan,” said junior forward
Hailey Brown. “I chose here
to come to a school that we’re
working
towards
something.
We haven’t won a conference
championship. My group hasn’t
made it to the Sweet Sixteen. So
that’s something we’re trying to
do, each year do better. I think
this year I’m just really excited,
looking forward to accomplishing
these things and really pushing
through the grind with these
girls.
Unlike other sports, though,
it’s not all in Michigan’s hands.
Women’s
college
basketball
is
incredibly
top-heavy,
and
when playing on the opponents’
courts on the first weekend
of the tournament, it’s nearly
impossible to advance. The last
two years, the Wolverines have
been bounced by a two and one
seed, respectively.
“In women’s basketball, so
much is predicated on your seed,”
said Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico. “And getting that seed
where you’re going to play a one
or two in the first round on their
home court is really tough. We’ve
got to get ourselves out of those
positions. … So the goal for this
year’s team is to keep advancing,
keep moving forward.”
In the preseason poll, Michigan
was picked to come in second
in the Big Ten by the media,
behind frontrunners Maryland.
Sophomore forward Naz Hillmon
was one of two players selected
preseason all-Big Ten by both the
media and coaches.
The star sophomore class is
a year older, and Barnes Arico
keeps bringing in top-notched
recruits. The players aren’t as
timid as their coach about this
season.
“We definitely want the Big
Ten championships, we want to
go there,” Brown said. “I think
last year we had a tough one
against Maryland when we lost
in the Big Ten tournament. I
think every year we’re just trying
to build and build, and we’ve done
that. I’m a junior now, my third
year, so we’re trying to make a
run to the Sweet Sixteen this
year. We need to get a Big Ten
Championship, for sure.”
For
the
Wolverines,
improvement has been the sole
focus under Barnes Arico. Every
year, the team’s made a step
forward, but this year, reaching
the next level is harder than ever.
Wolverines learning how to play with a lead
The
adrenaline.
The
desperation. The urgency.
Giving everything you have to
try and score that tying goal.
Playing from behind is a
situation Michigan found itself
in often last season.
When
the
Wolverines
opened regular season play
two weeks ago against then-
No. 11 Clarkson, they found
themselves back in that familiar
spot: hunting to even the score.
In
Friday’s
game,
during
the closing minutes of the first
period, the Golden Knights
struck first — converting on the
power play in its dying seconds.
Michigan mustered a second-
period goal for a 1-1 tie.
Saturday, however, it was
unable to overcome the 2-0 hole
it had fallen into. Its efforts
as the minutes
wound
down
were
valiant,
but not enough.
When the game
ended,
the
Wolverines had
lost, 3-1.
“Obviously,
playing
up
is
what you want to
do,” said junior
forward Michael
Pastujov. “Playing from behind
was what we struggled with a
lot last year. We started a lot of
games down early, so it’s kind of
hard to climb back up.”
Michigan plays 34 games in a
season, so every night — every
opportunity to eke out points to
help its position in the standings
— matters. And through the
course of the weekend series
with Clarkson, they faced the
harsh realities of falling behind
early in a game. It’s challenging
to come back from being down,
as evidenced by the Wolverines’
13-win season last year.
Going into last week against
Lake Superior State, Michigan
knew it needed to strike first.
It couldn’t afford to give up an
early goal against a defensive-
minded team like the Lakers. It
had to come ready to play, and
both nights, it did.
Friday, sophomore forward
Nolan Moyle was the first of four
skaters to rifle the puck into the
back of the net. Just five and a
half minutes into the game, the
Wolverines had the lead. It was
writing a new narrative, and
leaving last season’s in the past.
It wasn’t a team that was going
to play from behind. It was a
team that was ready to take
control.
The
Wolverines
looked
comfortable.
They
showed
glimpses
of
their
potential.
The pressure wasn’t on them
any more — they were the ones
applying it.
“Against
those
teams
(Clarkson and Lake Superior),
the
way
their
style
is,
I
thought it was
important,” said
Michigan coach
Mel
Pearson.
“Because
they’re so strong
defensively
and
that’s their M.O.,
you want to get
them out of their
game. You want
to get them to
play more of an
up and down game.”
In even less time than the
Wolverines grabbed their lead
over the Lakers on Friday,
sophomore
forward
Jimmy
Lambert connected with the
puck and sent a shot whistling
into the netting. Just like that,
the lead was theirs.
Junior forward Jack Becker
followed in Lambert’s footsteps
and tallied two early goals in
the opening period, and before
the first period had ended,
Michigan tripled its advantage.
The next 20 minutes were
much more turbulent. Seemingly
as quick as it had earned a
three-goal lead, Lake Superior
State found its way back in the
game with two goals. But the
Wolverines
clung
to
their
one-goal
advantage with
senior
captain
Will Lockwood
heading
the
charge.
In the locker
room, Lockwood
stressed
the
importance
of
positivity.
Michigan didn’t
have the period it wanted, but
the scoreboard didn’t reflect
it. It didn’t need to panic the
way it had in
the past, when
it was searching
for a last-minute
tying goal. The
Wolverines
just needed to
stick
to
their
game plan and
execute.
They
maintained
the
lead, something
they
weren’t
often capable of
doing last year.
“Positive team talk in the
locker room,” said Lockwood.
“(The
Lakers)
came
out
Saturday
night
and scored two
goals right away
in
the
second.
And they didn’t
take the lead, but
I think that just
goes with team
talk and trying to
keep everyone up
and not have that
big
momentum
switch,
that
momentum
is
huge.”
It’s the exact momentum
the Wolverines
rarely
felt
last season —
the feeling of
playing with the
lead.
“You’ll
have
to look at the
statistics,”
Lockwood said.
“But
I
think
the team that
scores
first
wins most of the
games so to get that (first) one is
important, it’s huge.”
Michigan finishes season strong,
with fourth place weekend finish
After a rocky start to its fall
season, the Michigan men’s golf
team came to a strong finish.
Following
last
week’s
competition at Crooked Stick,
where the team ended 10th out of
14 teams, the Wolverines arrived
at the Royal Oak Intercollegiate
tournament on Monday with a
renewed mindset— one focused
on putting the past behind them.
In the first round of the game,
Michigan had already set itself
apart from the other 11 teams.
After the first 18 holes, junior
Charlie Pilon and senior Brent
Ito claimed first and second
place with 67 and 68 points,
respectively.
Thanks to the help of the rest
of the team, the Wolverines
were able to finish first overall.
This strong start proved to be a
welcome change for Michigan.
“They’re learning, which is
a good thing. They’re learning
from
their
mistakes,”
said
Michigan coach Zach Barlow.
“They’re seeing that they don’t
have to go out there and really
do anything special, they just
have to play good solid golf. It’s
not about individual honors, it’s
all about the team.”
In the following rounds, this
team-centered
mindset
and
confidence in their game helped
the Wolverines continue to fight
towards victory.
Michigan
slipped
down
to fourth place in the second
round, mainly due to several
bogeys from the players. Brent
Ito lost his 2nd place ranking
as a result of bogeys on the 1st,
8th, 12th, and 14th holes, ending
the round even par (142) in 17th
place. Despite this slight drop
overall, Pilon remained steady
throughout the second round,
remaining in first place at
6-under-par.
As the team geared up for
its third and final round at
Royal
Oak’s
Intercollegiate
on Tuesday, Pilon was feeling
the pressure to maintain his
winning streak.
“I definitely had a bit of
nerves,” Pilon said. “It was
probably the different format
for this event— the five of
us grouped together instead
of with other teams— that
helped me calm down a bit and
regroup. Obviously I wanted to
do a good job individually, but I
also wanted to help the team as
much as I could, which helped
me take my mind off of it a little
bit.”
The
third
round
saw
improvement
for
many
of
Michigan’s players. Brent Ito
was able to hit his 5th, 6th and
14th holes under par, leading
him to finish in 13th place
overall. This gave him his third
top-15
individual
finish
of
the season. Additionally, Ben
Dunne improved in the third
round, ending two under par
with 69 points (73-78-69).
Pilon
faced
some
slight
challenges in the third round,
hitting bogeys on the 3rd and
10th hole. Regardless of this,
he was able to come out on top,
keeping his first-place title and
ending the tournament with
205 points (67-69-69).
With
these
scores,
the
Wolverines were able to end
the tournament in fourth place
overall.
While enjoying the feeling of
his second collegiate win and a
career-low of 205 (8 under par),
Pilon was complimentary of his
team’s overall progress.
“We had a bit of a slow start
to the season,” Pilon said, “but
we definitely pulled through
coming out of this week.”
With a win to end to its fall
season,
Michigan
is
ready
to begin preparing for their
upcoming season in the spring.
The
team’s
focus
while
preparing for the next season
will be on their short game.
“Our short games, chipping,
putting,
they
need
to
get
better,” Barlow says, “If we’re
going to be the team we desire
to be, our short game has to get
better.”
KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer
KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico has set her team’s sights higher than merely making the NCAA Tournament
After a 13-win season a year ago, often defined by poor starts, Michigan is focused on scoring first as often as possible
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior forward Will Lockwood knows the virtues of scoring first and playing with a lead, after last year’s team often struggled to do so and struggled as a result
MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer
Obviously
playing up is
what you want
to do.
(The Lakers)
came out
Saturday night
and scored two.
ROSE CRAMTON
For The Daily
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
The Michigan men’s golf team finished fourth at the Royal Oak Intercollegiate.
... the team
that scores first
wins most of
the games...