The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 
Sports
 11— Wednesday, January 12, 2022 

Early 3-point shooting crucial in 
dominating win over Rutgers

Driving into the lane, senior 
forward Naz Hillmon kicked 
the ball out to senior guard 
Amy Dilk on the baseline. 
Catching, ready to shoot, Dilk 
fired up a 3-pointer, draining 
her first three since returning 
from a lower leg injury that she 
suffered in the first game of the 
season.
In 
the 
No. 
8 
Michigan 
women’s 
basketball 
team’s 
matchup with Rutgers, sound 
3-point 
shooting 
buried 
the 
Scarlet 
Knights 
early, 
sustaining a lead the Wolverines 
would never relinquish.
The three from Dilk was just 
the beginning of a first half 
attack from behind the arc. In 
the subsequent offensive play, 
senior wing Leigha Brown 
knocked down a three from 
the top of the key. The back-
to-back 
3-pointers 
capped 
off a 12-0 run to end the first 
quarter.
Opening the second quarter, 
the Wolverines stayed hot from 
behind the arc. Junior guard 
Maddie Nolan buried a three 
from the wing to start the 
quarter. Nolan would go on to 
finish the game 4-for-4 from 
three, ending with 14 points.
“I would take Maddie up 
against anyone in the conference 
shooting-wise,” 
Brown 
said. 
“I think she’s one of our best 
shooters.”
Continuing the hot streak, 
senior forward Emily Kiser also 
flashed her extended range with 
a three from the corner. Brown 
knocked down another three late 
into the third quarter. In total, 
four players contributed from 
behind the 3-point line, tying for 

the most in a single game so far 
this season.
Michigan’s 
diverse 
3-point 
attack throws a wrinkle into 
opposing 
teams’ 
defensive 
scheme. Keeping extra defenders 
out of the paint frees up Hillmon 
to work in the post and opens 
driving 
lanes 
for 
Wolverine 
guards. 
“We have a lot of depth in the 
guard position,” Brown said. 
“And a lot of people that do 
different things, whether that’s 
shooters coming off the bench, 
Amy coming out trying to create 
just as good as anyone. Our 
ability and the versatility that we 
have with that position. … I think 
that it’s really important to have 
that. A lot of teams don’t really 
have six or seven guards deep 
that can play so that’s definitely 
huge.”
Coming out of the locker 
room, the relentless barrage 
quieted down in the second half. 
Michigan only had one 3-pointer 
the rest of the game. Yet there 
was no need for more.
As the clock ticked down on 
a game Rutgers had no hope of 
winning, the Wolverines’ second 

quarter storm of raining threes 
had already dashed the Scarlet 
Knights’ hopes. Michigan ended 
the game shooting 60% from 
three — and with a season high 
nine 3-pointers.
“Maddie Nolan is such an 
unbelievable shooter, and she 
made some great shots but 
Leigha Brown really made them 
tonight too,” Michigan coach 
Kim Barnes Arico. “And it was 
great to see Emily Kiser make 
one as well.”
If Michigan can sustain this 
level 
of 
shooting, 
alongside 
Hillmon and Kiser in the post, 
the Wolverines could have a deep 
offensive rotation that keeps 
opposing teams on their toes. 
The combination will be needed 
as Michigan still looks ahead 
to the remainder of a strong 
conference schedule. As the No. 8 
team in the country for the first 
time ever, the Wolverines have a 
new target on their back.
“We’re in a position where 
people are coming for us on any 
given night,” Barnes Arico said. 
“We’re seeing everybody’s best 
shot. So we have to bring our best 
game and we can’t have lapses.”

ABBIE TELGENHOF
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan defeats Georgia in highest scoring season opener 
in program history

With the first routine of 
the season, sophomore Reyna 
Guggino raced down the vault 
runway and soared into her 
Yurchenko one and a half. She 
landed on the ground as the 
crowd, including a full student 
section, roared, her feet staying 
still to complete a stuck vault. 
Guggino’s 
vault 
scored 
a 
9.900 and set the tone for the 
rest of the gymnastics meet on 
Thursday as No. 1 Michigan 
(1-0) defeated No. 15 Georgia 
(0-1) in its first meet of the 2022 
season 
197.750-194.500. 
The 
Wolverines ultimately won the 
meet by over 3 points and earned 
the highest score in program 
history for a season opener. 
The meet also marked the 
first time fans were allowed to 
watch in person in the Crisler 
Center since COVID-19 shut 
down the 2020 season. 
“It 
was 
amazing 
to 
have 
everyone in here,” senior Natalie 
Wojcik 
said. 
“Everyone 
was 
super 
involved, 
cheering 
the 

whole time and participating in 
all our little traditions that we 
have throughout. And the student 
section was completely filled, so it 
was really cool to see their support 
and just to be here back with our 
families and all of our friends.”
Following 
Guggino’s 
first 
vault, the rest of the vault 
rotation also delivered high-
scoring routines, highlighted 
by 9.900s from senior Abby 
Heiskell 
and 
junior 
Sierra 
Brooks. Every gymnast in the 
rotation completed a Yurchenko 
one and a half, which gave them 
an extra boost in their scoring, 
since the vault allows for a start 
value of 10.0.
“In 
order 
for 
(the 
more 
difficult vault) to be a benefit, not 
only do you have to do them, you 
have to do them well,” Michigan 
coach Bev Plocki said. “Because 
if you do it and you don’t do them 
well, it will probably be a bigger 
deduction. But if you do them 
well… in theory it gives you a 
tenth, tenth and a half edge over 
someone else.”
As the Wolverines completed 
their 
vault 
rotation, 
the 
Bulldogs struggled on bars, 

giving Michigan a full point lead 
moving into the second rotation. 
The 
Wolverines 
continued 
their strong performance onto 
the bars, led by a 9.950 from 
Wojcik and a 9.925 from Brooks. 
Meanwhile, Georgia suffered 
another rough rotation on the 
vault with a fall. Michigan 
gained a 98.900-97.525 lead 
halfway through the meet. 
The Wolverines continued to 
increase their lead with a set 
of solid routines on the beam. 
Wojcik and Heiskell both stuck 
their dismounts, earning a 9.950 
and a 9.925. When Heiskell 
finished her routine, she ran 
directly 
to 
assistant 
coach 
Maile’ana Kanewa-Hermelyn — 
who leads the coaching efforts 
for beam — to embrace her. The 
event has been a steady force for 
the team and was instrumental 
in its national championship 
title last season.
“Maile has been amazing,” 
Plocki said. “Our staff is amazing, 
we complement each other so 
well. Scott and I both have more 
experience, which comes with 
age, but she’s been such a great 
infusion of young energy and some 

new ideas. And she choreographed 
all of our floor routines, which I 
think are spectacular.”
Michigan’s 
floor 
routines 
did not disappoint in the final 
rotation, 
where 
the 
team 
clinched the win. Junior Gabby 
Wilson closed out the meet with 
the highest scoring routine, 
earning a 9.950. Sophomore 
Naomi Morrison also assisted 
on the floor and throughout the 
rest of the competition, as she 
competed in her first all-around 
effort for the Wolverines. 
“(Competing 
in 
the 
all-
around) gives me a confidence 
boost,” Morrison said. “I just 
want to be a steady force for this 
team, and I really want to put 
up scores for them and help our 
team succeed, and hopefully win 
a national championship again.”
Michigan’s 
performance 
secured 
the 
win 
against 
Georgia, but also proved why 
it is the top ranked team going 
into the season. Its score of 
197.750 was the highest for 
any team in the NCAA this 
weekend, as well as the highest-
scoring season opener for the 
Wolverines in program history.

SAMI RUUD
Daily Sports Writer

TESS CROWLEY/Daily 

The defending National Champions, Michigan, had a strong start to the 

2022 season.

JEREMY WEINE/Daily 

Michigan’s victory over Rutgers was propelled by its success from 
beyond the arc

While 
much 
of 
No. 
6 
Michigan’s core was away at the 
World Junior Championships, 
sophomore forward Brendan 
Brisson stayed with the team. At 
twenty years old, he was too old 
to make the cut. 
But after scoring two goals 
against No. 10 Massachusetts on 
Saturday night, he showed his 
continued influence on how the 
Wolverines perform as a whole. 
In Sunday’s final game to 
complete a sweep over the 
Minutemen, 
Brisson 
was 
electric 
from 
the 
get-go. 
Whether it was sticking up 
for 
sophomore 
goaltender 
Erik Portillo, rushing back on 
defense or firing shots on net, 

his presence was immense. 
Brisson’s 
forecheck 
and 
backtrack aided his line in 
dominating the Massachusetts 
defense.
“A lot of our chances in the line 
came off turnovers,” sophomore 
forward 
Matty 
Beniers 
said. 
“Forecheck and getting pucks 
back 
is 
huge 
for 
our 
line. 
We’re great with the puck, but 
sometimes it’s harder for skilled 
guys to get the puck back. We did 
that great this weekend.”
In the final minute of the 
first period, Brisson picked up 
a loose puck deflected off the 
Minutemen’s 
goaltender 
and 
buried it for the opening goal. 
This wasn’t the only time his 
name would be blasted over the 
arena speakers; Brisson’s work 
continued after the break, sliding 
the puck to a wide open Beniers 

and giving Michigan a 2-0 lead. 
“He’s a sniper and one of the 
bigger goal scorers I’ve been 
around for 40 years of college 
hockey,” Michigan coach Mel 
Pearson said. “Anywhere near 
him he’s got an idea how to finish. 
The puck follows him. The puck 
comes to him.”
Brisson’s defensive work also 
strengthened the Wolverines as 
a whole and gave them the edge. 
During a Michigan powerplay, a 
Massachusetts skater drove up the 
right wing; Brisson blocked his shot 
and didn’t let him get near Portillo. 
The Wolverines regained possession 
and took advantage of their extra 
man by tiring out the opposition and 
bombarding them with shots.
Brisson was still hungry in 
the third, earning four shots. 
In the final moments when the 
Minutemen 
had 
scavenged 
a 

goal, Michigan continued to find 
Brisson to design plays. He now 
leads the team with 14 goals, three 
behind Western Michigan forward 
Ethen Frank, the nation’s leader.
His influence was seen in all 
aspects of Sunday’s matchup. 
When a scuffle starts on the ice, 
Brisson is likely to be in the thick 
of it. By the end of the second 
period, he had spent 4 minutes in 
the penalty box. Brisson’s ability 
to get in the opponent’s head 
and win the psychological game 
is an underappreciated skill — 
which he displayed on numerous 
occasions on the night. 
“He’s starting to play with more 
pace,” Pearson said. “I didn’t like 
his penalties tonight. He’s got to 
play with a little more emotional 
control. And that’s good because 
he’s getting his hands dirty. It’s 
just not the goal now.”

Brisson’s days in a Michigan 
uniform will likely come to an 
end when the season concludes, 
but it’s clear his respect and skill 
within the group will have a 
lasting effect. Opposing teams 

tend to have a tough day on the 
ice when Brisson is present — and 
they can expect it to continue 
when they play the Wolverines.
At least until the end of the 
season. 

JENNA HICKEY/Daily 

Brisson powers Michigan in sweep of Massachusetts

NICK MOEN
Daily Sports Writer

Brisson guides Michigan to weekend sweep over Massachusetts

Less than eight 
hours 
before 
tip-off, 
it 
was 
announced 
that 
the 
Michigan 
men’s 
basketball 
team 
would 
not play No. 10 
Michigan 
State 
on Saturday due 
to 
COVID-19 
concerns 
within 
the 
Wolverines’ 
program. 
After 
being 
tested 
on 
Friday, the team fell below 
the Big Ten minimum of seven 
available scholarship players.
Unsurprisingly, 24 hours 
later, 
it 
was 
revealed 
that 
Michigan 
wouldn’t 
meet 
the 
threshold 
on 
Tuesday and would also 
forgo its matchup against 
No. 3 Purdue. With each 
unscheduled day off the 
court, 
Michigan 
coach 
Juwan Howard is losing 
his most fleeting resource: 
time. 
After four unranked non-
conference 
losses, 
Howard 
has repeatedly stated that his 
players have what it takes to 
turn it around — even when 
the number of those players 
available 
to 
compete 
has 
begun to dwindle.
“It’s so easy to try and point 
out like, ‘What’s missing?’ ” 
Howard said after Tuesday’s 
loss to unranked Rutgers. “ 
‘No leadership, no shooting, 
no defense.’ I have so much 
positive — I see so many great 
things.”
Now, the potential Howard 
sees will have to wait until 

at least Jan. 14, when 
the 
Wolverines 
are 
scheduled to play Illinois 
in Champaign. 
But 
Howard 
is 
familiar with COVID-
related 
challenges. 
Last season, COVID-
19 was always a factor, 
whether it was looming 
as a constant threat or a 
present danger. 
Most notably, Howard 
and his team weathered a two-
week athletic pause extending 
from the end of January to the 
middle of February last year. 
As 
COVID-19 
transitioned 
from a novelty to a constant 
reality, there came to be an 
expectation of what a team 
would look like after a COVID-
19 pause: off on its shooting, 
sloppy in its defense, generally 
sluggish from being locked out 
of the gym in the middle of the 
season. 
So, naturally, there were 
concerns that the pause would 
hamper a season that was off 
to a stellar start.
“Well, there were some 
turnovers 
being 
made,” 
Howard 
told 
reporters 
after the first practice post-
COVID-19 pause last season. 
“Some 
excessive 
fouling. 
Some wobbly legs. All that is 
expected when you haven’t 
been able to work out, play 
basketball, been sitting in your 
apartments, studying, having 
Zoom calls with professors 
and tutors, haven’t been able 
to get in the gym. When you 
have a layoff like that, you’re 
gonna have some rust. Gonna 
be winded.” 

But the Wolverines didn’t 
lose an ounce of momentum. 
Michigan shook off the rust 
with 
a 
road 
win 
against 
Wisconsin, a performance that 
snowballed into a five-game 
win streak. In just his second 
season in Ann Arbor, Howard 
proved himself not just as a 
coach that could shape talent 
but one that could withstand 
adversity. 
Of course, there are very 
few resemblances between 
this season and last. Last 
season, the Wolverines went 
into the COVID-19 pause 
with a 13-1 record and a No. 
4 ranking. After the first 
half of this season, Michigan 
is solidly unranked with a 
firmly mediocre record of 
7-6. 

Potentially 
more 

importantly, 
last 
year’s 
pause 
was 
athletic-
department-wide, a result 
of COVID-19 outbreaks in 
other programs. While this 
year’s break will likely be 
shorter, there’s a difference 
between getting players back 
in shape after they’ve been 
sitting in their apartments 
versus bringing players back 
after 
potentially 
having 
COVID-19.
And, there’s a difference 
between facing a pause while 
trying to keep a team at the top 
of its game and trying to revive 
a team that’s limping through 
conference play. 
The question of how big 
that 
difference 
is 
— 
and 
whether Howard has what it 
takes to overcome it — will 
have to wait. 

LANE

KIZZIAH

Sports Wednesday: 
Canceled games put one more hole 
in the sinking ship

