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Sports
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 — 7A

Fatigue catching up to Michigan

Prior to Sunday, the Michigan 
women’s basketball team had lost 
just two of its six games without 
senior forward Kayla Robbins 
— both to No. 18 Northwestern, 
both by single digits.
Without 
sophomore 
guard 
Danielle Rauch, who suffered 
a hand injury in practice three 
games after Robbins went down, 
the Wolverines had won two of 
three.
But with the absence of 
Robbins and Rauch, almost every 
other player on the roster had to 
play significantly more minutes 
than they had before. While 
many players were able to handle 
playing more for a while, fatigue 
clearly hurt Michigan in a 62-41 
loss to Rutgers on Sunday. 
Junior forward Hailey Brown 
played over 35 minutes in three 
of the first six games without 
Robbins, and only played less in 
the others due to foul trouble. 
Prior to Robbins’ injury, she 
rarely ever played 30 minutes. 
But despite playing more than 
she ever had, Brown was just as 
effective, shooting 37 percent 
from 3-point range over this 
stretch.
Senior 
guard 
Akienreh 
Johnson averaged 33.5 minutes 
over the six games, a six minute 
increase over her per-game 
average with Robbins and Rauch 
healthy. And with her uptick 
in minutes, she was playing her 
best basketball of the season, 
averaging 13.8 points and 8.3 
rebounds per game, all while 
guarding 
opponents’ 
biggest 
perimeter threat.
“My role has stepped up 
where I have to bring more 
energy,”Johnson said after a Jan. 
26 win over Rutgers. “I have to 
bring the steals that (Robbins) 
got, bring the charges that she 
got, defend the best player like 
she did, get offensive rebounds 
like she did.”
But Barnes Arico knew that 
the players wouldn’t always be 
able to handle playing so many 

minutes as well as they had, and 
she would have to figure out how 
to keep them fresh. 
“We tried to utilize some 
timeouts tonight,” Barnes Arico 
said after a Feb. 6 win over 
Purdue. “I think we made them 
stay seated until the end of the 
timeout. Sometimes we run out 
there a little bit quicker. But 
tonight we were saying ‘Nope. 
Stay here until that horn blows 
and rest your legs.’ ”
While Brown and Johnson 
both stepped up over the six-
game stretch and the Wolverines 
were playing as well as they had 
all season, Sunday against the 
Scarlet Knights the injuries and 
fatigue finally caught up with 
them.
Brown scored just four points 
on 1-for-9 shooting — 1-for-
6 from deep — in 31 minutes. 
Johnson 
scored 
just 
three 
points 
on 
1-for-8 
shooting 
in 36 minutes. Behind these 
performances, Michigan played 
its worst game of the season. It 
shot just 30 percent from the 
floor and got out-rebounded by 
Rutgers, issues only magnified 
by a less-than-full-strength Naz 
Hillmon totaling five points and 
four rebounds.
“There’s definitely a fatigue,” 
Barnes 
Arico 
said 
Sunday. 
“When you look at the minutes 
that we’ve accumulated this 
week, and haven’t really had a 
day off, and I just think it was the 
wear of Rutgers too. It’s a credit 
to them, too. We couldn’t get 

anything to get going offensively, 
and then rebounding, they really 
dominated on the glass, which 
last time we beat them on the 
glass.”
The Wolverines could have 
used Robbins’s ability to get 
tough baskets when not much 
else is working for the offense. 
They could have used Rauch’s 
energy to motivate them at a time 
when they didn’t have much. 
For the first time all season, it 
was clear that Michigan missed 
Robbins and Rauch.
Going 
forward, 
while 
Michigan’s schedule gets easier, 
the team doesn’t have much 
time to recover between games. 
With just two days off between 
Sunday’s loss and a Wednesday 
night game against Illinois, the 
Wolverines don’t have much 
time to rest up and get their legs 
back. Hillmon doesn’t have much 
time to get back to 100 percent.
When Robbins and Rauch 
went down, Michigan knew 
fatigue would become an issue. 
For a while, the Wolverines won 
despite it, but Sunday showed 
that they can’t always rely on 
players like Brown and Johnson 
to play nearly 40 minutes of 
high-quality basketball. 
And if Michigan’s season is 
going to end in a tournament bid, 
it is going to come despite a lack 
of depth. Because with Robbins 
and Rauch not coming back, the 
problem is likely not going away 
any time soon.

Clay’s six goals lead ‘M’ to 16-8 win

It took nearly the entire first 
quarter, but once Michigan’s 
offense clicked, there was no 
turning back. 
The 
Wolverines 
had 
mustered only two goals for 
a majority of the first quarter 
until they finally erupted for 
four in the final 80 seconds. 
Their hot start propelled them 
to a 16-goal outburst. Led by 
dominant performances from 
the attack line, the Michigan 
men’s lacrosse team (2-1) was 
able to cruise to its second 
victory of the year, throttling 
Canisius (0-3), 16-8.
Junior 
attackman 
Kevin 
Mack — who recorded a first 
quarter hat trick — ended with 
four goals on the day. Freshman 
attackman Josh Zawada has 
continued to excel early on in 
his career as he produced two 
goals and four assists. Zawada 
is now tied for the team lead 
in 
points 
with 
sophomore 
attackman Bryce Clay.
Clay, 
who 
boosted 
his 
season total to 13 points, had 
no problems finding the back 
of the cage either as he netted 
six goals. This performance 
not only set his career high, but 
matched the Michigan record 
for goals in a single game. 
Despite his successes, he has 
his eyes set on bigger things.
“It was pretty cool,” Clay 
said. “But I’m gonna focus on 
the team win.”
That 
focus 
was 
exactly 
what allowed the Wolverines 
to dictate every facet of the 
game. They were set up with a 
barrage of opportunities early 
on, largely due to their ferocity 
in the riding game. The Golden 
Griffins managed to clear only 
two of their six chances and 
were plagued by turnovers. 
“The ride really triggered 
our offense,” Michigan coach 
Kevin Conry said. “We weren’t 
clicking on all cylinders in the 
first quarter, and then a couple 
good rides were able to fuel the 
offense.”
Canisius was able to get on 
the board early in the second 
and cut the lead to 7-2 by a pair 

of goals by Mathi Boissonneault. 
This run was immediately put 
to rest by back-to-back goals 
by Zawada to Clay, giving the 
Wolverines a commanding 9-2 
lead. 
They would 
extend 
the 
lead 
to 
11-3 
and head to the 
locker room in 
a 
comfortable 
position. 
One 
of 
the 
biggest factors 
behind 
their 
overwhelming 
first half was 
senior face-off 
specialist Matt Dellacroce. He 
won a remarkable nine of 10 at 
the center x and scooped up six 
groundballs before the break.
While Dellacroce was happy 
with those accomplishments, 
perhaps the most memorable 
one came in the first quarter 
when he buried his first career 
goal. 
“It’s incredible, it’s a long 
time coming,” Dellacroce said. 
“But, I just have to credit that 
to all the practice we’ve done.”
The face-off group has been 
instrumental in his success this 
season.
“We’re 
all 
super 
close,” 
Dellacroce said. “But when it 
comes down to it in practice, 
we’re probably one of the most 
competitive 
groups 
on 
the 
field.”
Michigan would tack on five 
more goals in the third quarter. 
The Zawada to Clay connection 
remained 
unstoppable 
and 
senior 
midfielder 
Christian 

Ford contributed a career-high 
two goals. 
By the start of the fourth, 
the Wolverines were in cruise 
control. 
Their 
16-5 
lead 
allowed Conry to incorporate 
some of his less 
experienced 
players. 
Canisius 
would 
outscore 
Michigan 3-0 in 
the final period, 
but 
the 
game 
had been long 
decided.
Even 
though 
the 
Wolverines were 
comfortable throughout, there 
is still room for growth.
“I just think playing for 
60 full minutes,” Conry said. 
“Especially a young team, we 
have to keep the same intensity 
and the same tempo throughout 
an entire 60 minutes.”
This will be crucial for the 
Wolverines moving forward 
as the schedule ramps up. 
The 
team 
faces 
national 
powerhouses Yale and Notre 
Dame in the non-conference 
and will have to go through the 
gauntlet that is the Big Ten.
“Not letting up off the gas 
pedal,” Clay said. “Especially 
playing in the Big Ten, it’s 
gonna be a dogfight the entire 
game.”
Until then, Michigan has 
its eyes set on a date with 
Merrimack 
this 
Saturday. 
These early tests will serve as 
building blocks for the team 
and its young core.

Team effort leads Wolverines to win

One step at a time. 
It was a simple approach 
but it was all that sophomore 
Maddie Mariani needed to 
propel herself to a career best 
performance on the beam. She 
earned a 9.900 for her routine, 
but none of it came as a shock to 
her coach. 
“Those routines I see from 
her in the gym every single 
day,” 
Michigan 
coach 
Bev 
Plocki said. “I was just glad that 
she was able to get up there and 
compete.”
And it wasn’t just Mariani. 
All the Wolverines stepped 
up to lead the No. 7 Michigan 
women’s 
gymnastics 
team 
(7-0 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) to a 
196.800-195.975 win over Iowa 
(4-6, 1-4) Friday night. 
“This team has just been 
focused all year,” Plocki said. 
“Overall, I’m happy with our 
performance.”
Michigan led off on the 
uneven bars and got out to an 
early lead, 49.250-48.875. They 
were paced by freshman Sierra 
Brooks, who earned a 9.900 
— her best mark in any of the 
four events. Brooks compiled 
a 39.475 to take the all around 

title, her third of the season. 
The team moved to the 
vault and continued to put 
the pressure on. A trifecta of 
Wolverines earned scores of 
9.875 to share the vault title. 
Among them was sophomore 
Abby Heiskell, who scored a 
career best in her first vault 
routine since the opening meet. 
Michigan remained ahead 
98.525-97.875 
through 
two 
events. 
The 
Wolverines 
headed to the 
floor in what 
turned out to be 
their strongest 
showing of the 
day. Freshman 
Gabby 
Wilson 
danced 
and 
tumbled 
her 
way to a 9.900 
to lead the field. 
Michigan claimed four of the 
top five finishes on floor and 
had an overall score of 49.300.
The 
Wolverines 
extended 
their lead to 147.825-146.800 
as they switched to their final 
event — the beam. 
“Before beam we had a team 
meeting,” Mariani said. “We all 
felt super confident going into 
(it).”

It was there that Mariani 
thrived. She blew past her 
previous career high of 9.875 
and flipped her way to a 9.900. 
Her approach was the same 
as 
always. 
This 
time, 
the 
execution was just better. 
“I 
didn’t 
do 
anything 
differently.” Mariani said. “I 
just felt more confident going 
into it.” 
Her 
performance 
sealed 
the deal for Michigan and the 
Wolverines took 
home the win, 
196.800-195.975. 
They 
remain 
undefeated 
and took down 
another Big Ten 
opponent, 
now 
turning 
their 
attention to the 
Big 
Five 
meet 
next 
weekend, 
where 
they’ll 
look to finish unbeaten in 
conference play for a second 
year in a row. 
“We love our record of 

dominance in the Big Ten,” 
Plocki said. “We want to keep 
that string going.” 
Added Mariani: “I’m feeling 
really great about the team. 
We’re definitely coming for 
that regular season title.”

JOSH TAUBMAN
Daily Sports Writer

SAM BERNARDI
For The Daily

JACK KINGSLEY
Daily Sports Writer

MILES MACKLIN/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team lost to Rutgers, 62-41, on Sunday.

Hutchins hoping for improvement

Michigan is perfect — in 
record, at least.
The Wolverines are 9-0, 
ranked No. 8 in the country and 
have outscored their opponents 
by a total of 25 runs. Three 
of the nine wins have come 
against ranked opponents. At 
first glance, the numbers are 
impressive; signs of a team 
playing elite softball, even 
against high tier opponents. 
But it’s not good enough.
Not 
for 
coach 
Carol 
Hutchins.
The team needs to improve. 
And it has plenty to improve 
upon, according to its coach.
“I didn’t think we were 
very sharp,” Hutchins said. 
“We missed at least four or 
five opportunities that were 
all but routine pop flys. And 
bunts. We made a couple errors 
there.”
The 
miscues 
were 
mainly attributed to lack of 
communication and lack of 
experience. Michigan has a 
new catcher, a new second 
baseman, a new first baseman 
and a new third baseman. On 
top of that, juniors Lou Allan 
and Taylor Bump are splitting 
time at first and third base. 
The only returning starting 
infielder is junior shortstop 
Natalia Rodriguez.
The 
remedy 
to 
the 
inexperience: live situations.
Hutchins noted that live 
drills have been an integral 
part of practice this week to 
address the errors in the field. 
They forced the players into 
communicating and making 
plays together, gearing them 
up for the upcoming weekend. 
While fighting through the 
growing pains, the infield has 
looked to Rodriguez, its pillar 
of consistency.
“I’m going to have a lot of 
voice in the infield,” Rodriguez 
said. “Taking charge on plays 
and stuff like that. Some of 
my teammates say I’m like a 

common presence, so I try to 
maintain that on the field.”
As a member of Hutchins’s 
designated leadership team, 
this is expected of Rodriguez. 
Notching nine putouts and 11 
assists in Michigan’s first nine 
games with a 1.000 fielding 
percentage, she leads through 
her play as well 
as 
her 
voice. 
Knowing 
this, 
Rodriguez 
takes it upon 
herself to help 
her teammates 
improve.
“I 
look 
to 
push 
my 
teammates,” 
Rodriguez said. 
“It’s good for a 
competitive drive. I want the 
people next to me to excel in 
their game.”
While 
Rodriguez 
helped 
to answer the team’s fielding 
problems, Hutchins was also 
working on the other side of 
the ball.
“I think offensively we keep 
trying to get better,” Hutchins 
said. “I don’t think we’re 
hitting as well as we need to 
hit. We let a lot of pitches get 
away from us.”
The struggle has led to run 
droughts and close games for 
Michigan. Four of its nine 

wins were only by one run. 
One of those was a 1-0 win 
against Fresno State in the 
ninth inning, a game that could 
easily have been lost without 
dominant performances from 
junior 
left-hander 
Meghan 
Beaubien 
and 
sophomore 
right-hander Alex Storako. 
Hutchins 
believes 
the 
Wolverines 
need to improve 
every 
pitch. 
She’s 
preached 
her 
one 
pitch 
mentality to her 
team the entire 
season. 
She’s 
materialized 
the mentality in 
practice, having 
the batters take single pitch at 
bats. A ball or a hit? You win. 
Anything else? You’re out.
The Wolverines are staring 
down the pipe at matchups 
against five top 25 teams in the 
next two weeks, including the 
No.1 and No. 2 teams — UCLA 
and Washington, respectively. 
As Hutchins sees it, Michigan 
will have to be better.
The path to this improvement 
is known throughout the team.
“You’ll hear Hutch say it over 
and over again,” Bump said. 
“One pitch softball, one pitch 
softball, one pitch softball.”

NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer

ASHA LEWIS/Daily
Sophomore Maddie Mariani earned a career-best 9.900 on the beam Friday night, helping Michigan defeat Iowa.

We’re definitely 
coming for that 
regular season 
title.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Attackman Bryce Clay tied a Michigan record with six goals in Tuesday’s win.

A couple good 
rides were 
able to fuel the 
offense.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior shortstop Natalia Rodriguez is Michigan’s only returning infield starter.

You hear Hutch 
say it over and 
over again. One 
pitch softball.

