8A — Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Win-coln, Nebraska

LINCOLN — It was decidedly 
different from the Michigan lineup 
that’s showed up most of this 
season, and decidedly different 
from the fast-paced, physical 
style of play that has become a 
trademark of the Wolverines this 
season.
Still, though, it was a win. And 
on Tuesday in Lincoln, when 
Michigan came in looking to 
snap a disheartening four-game 
losing skid and improve a bleak 
conference record, a win was more 
than enough.
The Michigan men’s basketball 
team (11-9 overall, 3-6 Big Ten) 
defeated Nebraska, 79-68, on the 
road on Tuesday night behind 
the leadership of junior guard Eli 
Brooks and an offensive explosion 
from 
freshman 
wing 
Franz 
Wagner.
Notably 
missing 
from 
Michigan’s lineup was senior 
point 
guard 
Zavier 
Simpson, 
who did not travel with the team 
after sustaining a suspension for 
violating a team policy. Junior 
forward Isaiah Livers travelled 
with the team but did not play 
after re-aggravating a lingering 
groin injury in Saturday’s game 
against Illinois. 
After a rocky start to the 
game, the Wolverines seemed 
to settle in. Brooks stepped into 
a commanding role on offense, 
contributing 20 points and nine 
rebounds on the night, while 
playing all but thirty seconds of 
the game.
“It was good to see guys like Eli 
Brooks step into that leadership 
role,” Michigan coach Juwan 
Howard said. “He’s been a leader 
throughout the year, so it wasn’t 
a surprise to me and the coaching 
staff.”
Wagner also helped provide 
some spark on offense, with 
18 points and eight rebounds 
on the night. It was a resilient 
performance from the freshman, 
who missed two free throws late 

Saturday that could’ve changed 
the game’s outcome; Wagner was 
visibly upset in Saturday’s post-
game press conference.
It was an offensive presence 
that 
Michigan 
has 
been 
missing without Livers, and the 
Wolverines’ offense was much 
the better for it. A combination of 
Wagner, Brooks and sophomore 
forward 
Brandon 
Johns, 
Jr. 
helped make up for the points 
lost when Simpson and Livers 
were sidelined; the three of them 
combined for 54 points and 24 
rebounds on the night.
“I just wanted to really focus 
on being active tonight on the 
offensive end,” Johns, Jr. said. 
“The more I move, the more I 
dive, I think it opens up a lot of 
perimeter play. So I think that the 
more I do that, the more I affect 
the game.”
Michigan put the game away for 
good with just under ten minutes 
left in regulation, going up 63-55 
on a three and then a dunk from 
Johns, Jr. From there, the game 
was never in question. Despite a 
valiant effort from Cornhuskers’ 
guards Cam Mack and Haanif 
Cheatham, who combined for 
36 points on the night, Nebraska 
couldn’t seem to keep up.
From there, the game was never 
in question. The Huskers never 
drew back within one possession 
of the Wolverines. It started to 
look more like the game that had 

been predicted between these 
two teams at the beginning of the 
season.
Without two of its best talents, 
Michigan got off to a slow start. 
DeJulius, in the starting lineup as 
a replacement for Simpson, had his 
ankles broken by Mack, who easily 
sank three with DeJulius out of the 
way. Wagner missed the response 
three, and after Cheatham made a 
layup, Michigan went down early, 
5-0.
A layup from Wagner and a 
wide-open three from junior 
guard Eli Brooks tied the game at 
five, but the Wolverines continued 
to struggle to put shots in the 
net, and after allowing another 
layup, they went into the under-
16 timeout trailing, 7-5. Things 
improved after the break, though; 
Michigan went down by four, 9-5 
and then 7-11, but drew within 
a one-point margin on another 
Brooks three-pointer, and took 
their first lead of the game, 12-11, 
on a layup from Wagner just inside 
the 13-minute mark.
“Franz is a high-IQ basketball 
player,” 
Howard 
said. 
“He 
knows that we need his offensive 
leadership. He knows that we need 
his offensive talent. And today, he 
did a really good job of mixing in 
both by attacking the basket and 
making outside shots.”
Ultimately, it was different. And 
it wasn’t always pretty.
But it was enough.

Michigan overcomes Simpson suspension to beat Nebraska, 79-68, snapping four-game losing streak

LINCOLN — What do you do 
when your most comfortable 
state is upended? When all sense 
of familiarity is thrown out the 
window?
For many, the answer may be 
to lose all sense of composure. 
Fold under the pressure that is 
the massive concept of perpetual 
and unexpected change and let 
the winds of chance sweep you 
away.
While 
this 
is 
clearly 
a 
melodramatic 
rendering 
of 
the Michigan men’s basketball 
team’s game against Nebraska 
— the Big Ten’s worst team, per 
KenPom — Tuesday’s critical 
road win for the Wolverines was 
their ferocious shout into the 
wind.
For in the end, that’s all 
they could do. Shout or be 
suffocated 
under 
a 
set 
of 
bruising circumstances and an 
even tougher schedule. After all, 
Michigan’s two best players on 
the team — senior guard Zavier 
Simpson and junior forward 
Isaiah Livers — were out due 
to 
suspension 
and 
injury, 
respectively.
When it was all said and done, 
the Wolverines (12-8 overall, 
3-6 Big Ten) overcame a sense 
of overwhelming strangeness, 
showing the depth of their roster, 
to handle the Cornhuskers (7-14, 
2-8), winning 79-68.
In the hard-fought triumph, 
the Wolverines had to tap deep 
into the well of its players and 
talents in order to secure a 
hard-to-come-by road win. In 
doing so, Michigan looked like a 
completely different team than 
it had in months.
“Today, a coach like myself 
had to work a little extra,” 
Michigan coach Juwan Howard 
said. “And I don’t mind that. But 
our guys did an excellent job 
of collectively stepping in as a 
group and filling the void of one 
of our best players (Simpson).”

Junior 
guard 
Eli 
Brooks 
became 
the 
ball-dominant 
leader 
of 
the 
offense, 
distributing the ball and playing 
aggressive with repeated takes 
to the rim.
Sophomore forward Brandon 
Johns Jr. transformed into an 
offensive powerhouse, posting 
up defenders and shooting at a 
remarkably efficient clip.
Freshman 
forward 
Franz 
Wagner 
stopped 
shooting 
3-pointers and began attacking 
the basket — a marked departure 
from his offensive rhythm thus 
far.
Sophomore 
guard 
David 
DeJulius started his first career 
game.
Junior walk-on forward C.J. 
Baird played in a non-blowout 
regular season game.
All telltale signs of player 
development 
and 
rather 
unthinkable play calls for this 
Wolverine team with an entirely 
healthy roster. And for most 
of the game, it all started with 
Brooks and Johns.
With Livers and Simpson 
out of the picture, the floor was 
open for Johns to take charge 
on the offensive end. He would 
end the night with 16 points 
on 5-of-6 shooting and seven 
rebounds. Feeling dissatisfied 
with his level of movement on 
the floor during his previous 
opportunities, 
Johns 
made 
sure his feet were active on the 
hardwood, 
forcing 
defensive 
miscues, especially around the 
rim.
“I think the more I move, 
the more I dive,” Johns said. “I 
think it brings people to me, so 
it opens up perimeter players, so 
I think the more I do that, the 
more effective I can be.”
Added Howard: “He’s been 
huge for us all season. He’s 
been playing with a lot of 
energy, toughness, did a really 
good job on the glass, got some 
opportunities to score inside. 
Kid is just growing. Day by day, 
getting better game by game.”

By 
playing 
through 
this 
wrinkle 
in 
the 
roster, 
the 
Wolverines were able to fully 
display the talents of their 
players. One such byproduct of 
this set of circumstances came 
from the walk-on Baird.
With Wagner in foul trouble 
in the first half, Baird entered 
as his willing back-up, entering 
over 
scholarship 
player, 
freshman guard Cole Bajema. 
Regardless, his teammates were 
happy to see him finally get an 
opportunity.
“It was awesome,” Johns said, 
pausing to draw out the word 
‘awesome.’ “It was great seeing 
him out there. Just knowing 
what he does in practice and 
what he’s capable of doing, it 
was great seeing him out there. 
He should’ve played a little 
more confident, but I was just 
happy to see him out there.”
What’s more is that with 
Simpson off the floor, Wagner 
had the opportunity to expand 
his game beyond his normal 
sub-30 percent 3-point shooting 
mark and attack the basket. The 
freshman ended the night with 
18 points and more confidence in 
his shot selection.
“I thought attacking the rim 
was very important, I tried to 
do that,” Wagner said. “I think 
everybody tried to do that. 
At the start, I think we shot a 
little bit too much instead of 
playing to our advantage down 
low, but I think it was good 
towards the end that we kept 
staying aggressive attacking the 
basket.”
Johns. 
Brooks. 
DeJulius. 
Wagner. Baird. 
The list of players with an 
increased workload on Tuesday 
read like a laundry list, and in 
the end, with their postseason 
hopes on the line staring down a 
Quad 3 loss, they never batted an 
eye. They emotionlessly recited 
the mantra, “Next man up,” 
as drilled into their brains by 
Howard and continued shouting 
into the wind.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore forward Brandon Johns finished with 16 points Tuesday night.

ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Editor

Pitching staff finding right mentality

Mentality.
It’s the word that’s guided 
Michigan 
softball’s 
pitching 
staff through the offseason. But 
for its top two arms, that means 
something different.
For junior left-hander Meghan 
Beaubien, that means not getting 
caught 
up 
in 
other 
people’s 
expectations. 
As a freshman in 2018, Beaubien 
raked in the accolades — everything 
from Big Ten Freshman and 
Pitcher of the Year to being named 
a first team All-American. She 
carried the pitching staff with 217 
innings and an ERA of 1.16. After 
a debut season like that, Beaubien 
felt the pressure to live up to her 
own reputation. 
While she was still a force in the 
circle the following season, she had 
her off days and failed to match the 
eye-catching ERA of her freshman 
year, posting an ERA of 1.87. With 
another season under her belt, 
Beaubien’s learned to take the 
pressure off. This offseason, she 
focused on a different approach. 
“I think a big lesson I can learn 
from last year is to not really think 
about my numbers or not really 
think about any of my previous 
seasons,” Beaubien said. “Even as 
the season goes on, not thinking 

about my previous games because 
I play my best when I’m not 
overthinking things, and I have a 
very active mind. Just focus on the 
game.”
For sophomore right-hander 
Alex Storako, that means finding 
her presence on the mound. 
By all accounts, Storako had 
a successful freshman season, 
racking up 142.1 innings and 
ending with an ERA of 2.02, but her 
biggest struggle was maintaining 
her composure when the pressure 
was on. She wasn’t able to make it 
through seven consecutive innings 
until March — her 10th appearance.
“I think she’s just come back 
more confident,” Beaubien said. “I 
think you can see it in situations 
where maybe her freshman year 
she would waiver a little bit if she 
gave up a couple hits or let a couple 
people on base. She shakes off 
mistakes really well and bounces 
back really well.”
Mental stamina has always 
been Storako’s biggest challenge. 
In several games, she’d start off 
strong, but begin to doubt herself 
after a couple well-placed hits. In 
these instances, Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins would opt to bring 
in Beaubien, the team’s reliable ace. 
But those days may be in the past. 
“I think she understands this 
level better,” Hutchins said. “She 
understands 
the 
expectations 

better. I think she knows better 
what to expect — I mean, that’s just 
something with freshmen. They 
just have to learn it. She’s more 
mature, noticeably. Her mentality 
has to be pitch to pitch. Finding the 
zone and then break it through the 
zone. I think she works hard, and 
keeping her mentality into killer 
instinct. She throws some fantastic 
pitches and great pitchers put them 
together and they slice up hitters.”
Though they have very different 
personalities, the pitchers have 
rubbed off on each other in many 
different ways both on and off the 
field — Beaubien has helped Storako 
work through the transition to 
collegiate ball and gotten her 
hooked on Marvel movies. 
They share the same work ethic 
and have worked together through 
the offseason to get in the right 
frame of mind. They go to bullpen 
practice together, run together 
and do ab workouts together. They 
both consider themselves to be 
competitive, and though they face 
different challenges, each pushes 
the other to work harder. 
It’s a mentality that breeds 
winning, and their competitive 
battles in practice have helped 
them grow into a formidable pair. 
Now, with an extra year under 
their belts, and the duo’s growth 
over the offseason, they look well 
set to dominate on the mound.

‘M’ top line leading way offensively

Throughout the first half of 
the season, Michigan’s line chart 
lacked one thing — stability.
For the first few weeks, coach 
Mel Pearson tried out some 
different 
combinations 
and 
witnessed varying degrees of 
success. He had senior forwards 
Will Lockwood and Nick Pastujov 
playing 
with 
freshman 
Eric 
Ciccolini in the first game of the 
season against Clarkson. The next 
night, Ciccolini was swapped 
out for redshirt sophomore Luke 
Morgan.
The revolving door at wing 
continued the next weekend when 
Morgan was replaced by senior 
forward Jake Slaker. This new 
line worked well together, having 
already played a stretch of games 
together the season before. But 
midway through their third game 
as a line, Slaker got injured. So 
again, Pearson had to shake up his 
lines.
That was the story for the first 
half of the Wolverines’ season. 
A line would play well together 
and seem to be building a bit of 
offensive chemistry, but then an 
injury would occur somewhere in 
the lineup and everything had to be 
reshuffled. 
When Lockwood got injured 
Nov. 8 against Minnesota, the 
two members of his line were 
separated. When freshman Johnny 
Beecher 
suffered 
a 
shoulder 
injury that limited his ability to 
take faceoffs, the winger on his 
line — sophomore forward Jimmy 
Lambert — stepped into the role 
of center. Then when Beecher 
returned, Lambert remained a 
center but was moved to a different 
line. Pearson just couldn’t find a 
stable lineup.
Each time a player had to miss 
games because of injury, budding 
chemistry was cut short.
“That’s what you’re looking for, 
some sort of chemistry on a line,” 
Pearson said. “We’ve had Johnny 
and Will at times together trying to 
find something, but because of all 
the injuries we had in the fall there 
… we had to juggle lines for a lot of 
different reasons. We couldn’t just 
have our full lineup.” 
Now with a fully healthy 

lineup and plenty of options, 
Pearson’s lines have yielded results 
throughout the second half of the 
season. Michigan has scored 16 
goals in its last four games, nearly 
doubling its goals per game average 
from the first 20 games.
That means in just four games, 
Michigan’s offense has produced 
over a third of the goals it scored in 
the first half. And while the scoring 
was shared between a number of 
players, one line in particular made 
significant offensive contributions.
It was a line of Lockwood, 
Beecher and freshman forward 
Nick Granowicz that combined 
for five of those goals. The line 
born out of necessity. Within the 
opening minutes of the first game 
against Notre Dame, Pearson knew 
he needed to mix a few things up to 
create the matchups he wanted. 
He 
was 
inspired 
by 
the 
chemistry 
between 
Lockwood 
and Beecher that had been evident 
in practice. They like playing 
together. They’ve got size, smarts, 
defensive awareness, speed. They 
just needed a little bit of grit, and 
that’s exactly what Granowicz 
brought.
With all these factors in mind, 
Pearson sent Granowicz, Beecher 
and Lockwood over the boards 
together midway through the 
first period of Friday night’s game 
against the Fighting Irish.
Beecher’s line generated plenty 
of offense and early in the third 
period, they found the back of the 
net. It wasn’t a typical goal, as the 
puck went in off Granowicz’s head 
as a result of crashing toward the 
goaltender.
“… We were on the road those 
four games,” Pearson said. “So 

whoever we put on the ice we felt 
comfortable first and foremost 
defensively. Then hopefully they 
can do something offensively. 
Because you don’t get last change. 
You don’t want to get a bad 
mismatch in those games because 
every game can come down to that 
one goal where it’s so close.”
While the line didn’t appear 
on 
the 
score 
sheet 
in 
the 
following game, it created many 
opportunities. It also made strong 
defensive plays.
Pearson was impressed. His 
team’s offense finally seemed to be 
catching fire. So the next weekend 
against then-No. 6 Penn State, he 
wasn’t taking any chances with 
adjusting lines.
That 
series, 
Granowicz, 
Lockwood and Beecher combined 
for four goals. The first night, 
Beecher scored two goals in the 
6-0 victory. Lockwood had three 
primary assists on the weekend. 
Most notably, though, Granowicz 
scored two important goals to 
boost his team to the extra point in 
double over time. 
“I think that’s kind of what 
our line needed,” Lockwood said. 
“(Granowicz has) been the key to 
our line. Beecher and I do a lot of 
the outside work, and he gets to 
those gritty areas. He’s been the 
guy that’s completed our line.” 
With 11 of 12 points in their 
last four games, Beecher’s line is 
emerging as an offensive power 
that came at a pivotal point in the 
season. Now, only Big Ten games 
remain on Michigan’s schedule. 
If it wants to extend the season 
beyond the first weekend of March, 
the goal scoring, led by this line, has 
to continue.

KELSEY PEASE/Daily
Senior forward Will Lockwood is part of a surging top line for Michigan.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore right-hander Alex Storako pitched to a 2.02 ERA in 2019 but hopes to be more confident this season.

MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer

LANE KIZZIAH
Daily Sports Writer