The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 — 11
Michigan escapes pesky
Minnesota, 60-56
JACK GLANVILLE
Daily Sports Editor
Gophers are pesky. Always ruin-
ing the perfectly-kept lawns of
homeowners, messing with under-
ground sprinkling and doing, well,
whatever else it is that gophers do.
And while the Michigan men’s
basketball
team’s
metaphorical
lawn is far from perfect this season,
the Golden Gophers proved true to
their name, serving as a pest to the
Wolverines all Sunday afternoon.
A pest that Michigan (11-8 over-
all, 5-3 Big Ten) barely fended off
as it escaped Minnesota (7-11, 1-7),
60-56, in a dogged contest.
“Sometimes you just have to
win in the mud,” Michigan coach
Juwan Howard said. “That’s one of
those victories where we learned a
lot from competing.”
Michigan’s first test of the night
came early, when the Gophers took
a 10-point lead. As the Wolver-
ines’ starters struggled to get any-
thing going, Michigan responded
by turning to its bench. Redshirt
freshman forward Will Tschetter
and freshman forward Tarris Reed
Jr. brought an energy that stifled
the Minnesota offense, opening
the door for the Wolverines to work
their way back into the game.
And Michigan did just that, but
not by way of offensive firepower.
Instead, the Wolverines held strong
on the defensive end, preventing
the Gophers from scoring a single
point for seven minutes midway
through the first frame. That
defensive stand gave the Michi-
gan offense — which finished the
first half 10-for-30 from the field —
room to struggle without creating a
tough hole to dig out of. With that,
the Wolverines clawed back and
entered halftime deadlocked at 23.
“It really just comes down to not
letting how we’re playing offensive-
ly dictate how we’re going to play
on defense,” Tschetter said. “We
just need to have that mindset that
every time we come down the floor
on defense, we need to be locked in
to what we’re doing.”
Michigan’s trials continued in
the second half — this time without
freshman wing Jett Howard, who
exited the game with a left ankle
injury late in the first half.
Despite that, the Wolverines
rose to the occasion. Led by junior
center
Hunter
Dickinson
and
his game-high 23 points, Michi-
gan’s offense began to show some
signs of improvement. Dickinson
attacked the rim like he was mad
at it, frequently drawing fouls and
converting on all seven of his free
throws in the second half.
But Minnesota just wouldn’t go
away.
Gopher forwards Jamison Battle
and Dawson Garcia — who com-
bined for 27 points — hit timely
shots to keep the Gophers in the
game.
Michigan always answered,
though. Even when the Wolver-
ines weren’t making their shots,
they found ways to win the game.
In the final seven minutes of play,
Michigan made just two field
goals. But they found success by
repeatedly getting to the line,
forcing nine turnovers in the sec-
ond half and holding the Gophers
to zero second-chance points in
the final frame. With their scrap-
py play, the Wolverines endured.
“It was one of those defensive
matchups where you’re com-
peting and you’re fighting, and
clawing and scratching,” Juwan
said. “Sometimes, that’s Big Ten
basketball that people do not like,
but as a competitor we embrace it.
It’s fun.”
Michigan looked to finally
break the back-and-forth by trot-
ting out its thump and bump duo
of Dickinson and Reed with 10
minutes left. Going big worked
once again, helping expand Mich-
igan’s lead to nine at the two min-
ute mark.
But with the odds stacked
against it, Minnesota didn’t dis-
appear. Gopher forward Joshua
Ola-Joseph connected from deep
with 1:49 left, and forward Phar-
rel Payne followed it up by fin-
ishing at the rim. Suddenly, the
Wolverines clung to a four point
lead while Minnesota had a glim-
mer of hope.
Despite that glimmer, Michi-
gan held strong down the stretch.
While not making a field goal in
the final three minutes of play,
the Wolverines once again did
just enough defensively to slow
down the Gophers. And when
Minnesota resorted to the foul
game, Michigan made its free
throws, keeping the game just out
of reach.
“I appreciate all kinds of wins,
no matter what it looks like,”
Juwan said.
Whatever it looked like — and
it wasn’t pretty — it was still a
win. And to Michigan, a win is all
that matters.
Sports
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan’s defense falters in Bulldog Fest, goes 1-2 on the weekend
TASMIA JAMIL
Daily Sports Writer
After an undefeated start to
its season, the No. 7 Michigan
water polo team entered this
weekend with the chance to
match up against some of the
nation’s toughest competition
in the Bulldog Fest.
But in the end, it didn’t all
go according to plan. The Wol-
verines (5-2 overall) captured
a win over No. 8 Fresno State
(0-4) while struggling defen-
sively in their blowout loss to
No. 6 Hawaii (4-0) and even in
their contentious game against
No. 4 California (3-0).
“It was really small mistakes
that were leading to really big
outcomes,”
Michigan
coach
Cassie Churnside said. “Chang-
ing those small mistakes went a
long way later with California.”
While
the
Wolverines’
offense dominated in its first
game of the weekend against
the Bulldogs, Michigan’s defen-
sive lapses were already evi-
dent. The Wolverines allowed
42 shots — 26 on goal — and
came mere inches from losing
their lead in the game. Senior
goalkeeper Alex Brown came
up big with 17 saves, though,
propelling Michigan to a 13-9
win over Fresno State.
In its second game of the
day, the Wolverines were pitted
against an undefeated Hawaii
— Michigan was not prepared.
The Rainbow Wahine gener-
ated open shots and converted
in transition early in the game,
giving Hawaii a substantial
8-3 lead at the half. While the
Wolverines’ offense remained
stagnant, their defensive woes
continued as they allowed 24
shots on goal. With three of
its players scoring hat tricks,
Hawaii
thrashed
Michigan,
15-6.
“We took a shocking punch
to the face and we faltered,”
Churnside said. “We just dug
ourselves a hole that we strug-
gled to climb out of.”
Following their first loss of
the season, the looming ques-
tion was how the Wolverines
and their new head coach,
Churnside, would respond as
they faced another top-ranked
team Sunday.
Michigan opened the game
with back-to-back goals from
junior center Elise Walker and
junior attacker Kata Utassy,
giving the Wolverines an early
2-1 lead against the Golden
Bears.
However,
California
soon took the lead and never
SAM ADLER/Daily
looked back, leaving Michigan
to trail the rest of the game.
The
Wolverines’
offense
— led by Utassy and junior
attacker Sammie Monroe —
made a late push to cut the
deficit to three points with just
four minutes remaining in the
fourth quarter. That glimmer
of hope, though, was quickly
erased as California scored on
the next possession. Michi-
gan’s struggles to return on
defense effectively disrupted
and neutralized the Wolver-
ines’ momentum, ultimately
leading to a 13-10 loss.
“We had a little rough bump
against Hawaii… and the girls
saw the level they have to rise
to,” Churnside said. “But we
came this morning and gave
Cal a run for their money.”
Even though the takeaways
remain positive for Churnside,
the biggest conclusion from
the weekend is clear: Michigan
needs to establish a defensive
identity if it wants to find suc-
cess against top-ranked teams.
In the Bulldog Fest, the lack
of identity left the Wolverines
to dry.
After struggling on the defensive end, the Wolverines suffered their first two losses of the season in the Bulldog Fest.
‘Next man up’ mentality helps Michigan
scrape by Minnesota with win
ABBIE TELGENHOF
Daily Sports Editor
As freshman wing Jett Howard
lay sprawled on the floor writh-
ing in pain just minutes before the
end of the first half, it was clear he
wouldn’t return to the Michigan
men’s basketball team’s matchup
with Minnesota. Restrained to the
bench with a boot on his ankle, the
scene left Wolverines coach Juwan
Howard with no choice but to
begin the second half with one of
the game’s non-starters.
Juwan selected graduate guard
Joey Baker to fill the hole Jett’s
absence left. Alongside redshirt
freshman forward Will Tschet-
ter and freshman forward Tarris
Reed Jr., Baker and company took
on substantial minutes. Although
none of them put up particularly
impressive stats, the bench players
did just enough against Minnesota
to grind out a win for the Wolver-
ines.
“I love how our guys respond
as far as next man up mentality,”
Juwan said. “And still not making
excuses for themselves because
they have the right to. But they
still love going out there compet-
ing and are going to lay it all out on
the line.”
But the bench got involved even
before Jett went down. Just six
minutes into the contest, Juwan
subbed Tschetter in for junior
forward Terrance Williams II,
hoping to ignite a spark. Michigan
had quickly dug itself into a hole,
allowing the Golden Gophers an
8-0 start to the game.
Minutes later, Reed joined
Tschetter on the floor after taking
junior center Hunter Dickinson’s
place. While neither had an imme-
diate impact on the stat sheet, their
presence on the floor was enough
to keep them in check and gener-
ate a little offensive momentum
before the under-12 timeout.
“Will came in and brought big
time energy in the first half and
that’s what I expected, because
he’s a competitor,” Juwan said.
“He’s also an all-in kind of guy,
and his teammates cheer for him
and trust him and know what he’s
capable of.”
After the timeout, Baker joined
Tschetter and Reed on the floor,
rounding out a trio that saw plenty
of playing time in Sunday’s game.
As Michigan’s starters continued
to flounder on both ends of the
floor, the bench squad’s minutes
proved crucial in shifting the tide
midway through the first half.
Tschetter added a key bucket
off a spin move in the lane. Baker
nabbed defensive rebounds and
blocked a Minnesota shot in the
paint. But as the half wore on and
Michigan failed to take a lead, the
trio was sent back to the bench in
favor of the starters.
Although they finished the half
on the bench, it was their contribu-
tions that ensured the Wolverines
entered the locker room tied at 23,
after trailing most of the half.
At the start of the second half,
Baker once again took the floor in
Jett’s place. And in a similar fash-
ion to the first, Michigan looked
to the bench trio to halt the quick
lead the Golden Gophers had built.
Baker helped do so by nabbing an
offensive rebound and putting it
back up and in.
But just minutes later, Baker
lunged for a steal but missed the
breakaway layup, and Minne-
sota capitalized with a transition
3-pointer on the opposite end.
With the mistake, he was sent
back to the bench in favor of
Tschetter. That series of plays
was indicative of the bench play-
ers’ ability to provide a spark, but
not completely put the game out
of reach for the Golden Gophers.
As Minnesota continued to
keep the game close down the
stretch, Michigan decided to
turn to its big lineup, with both
Reed and Dickinson working
the paint. Reed continued to find
his footing drawing key fouls
and spreading the floor for the
guards.
Tschetter also faced clutch
shots at the charity stripe with
just 30 seconds left. Despite
attempting
just
nine
three
throws on the season, he made
both, giving the Wolverines a
five-point lead — one they’d nar-
rowly hold onto until the final
buzzer.
“Will’s our spark,” freshman
guard Dug McDaniel said. “He’s
always high energy even though
he’s not doing the right thing, his
energy just picks us up and frus-
trates the other team because
he’s so high motor.”
Baker, Tschetter and Reed
didn’t lead in any statistics. They
didn’t nab the most rebounds
or play the most minutes, but
the intangibles they contrib-
uted were necessary in Sunday’s
must-win game over the Big Ten
bottomfeeding Golden Gophers.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Season records highlight Michigan’s Simmons-Harvey dominance
The Simmons-Harvey Invita-
tional made it apparent that the
Michigan women’s track and field
team could end the season with
multiple Big Ten season records.
In their first scoring meet of the
year, the Wolverines took first
place with 195 points, cruising
to a 79 point win over Ohio State,
Michigan State, and Purdue.
Junior Samantha Tran set the
tone with an early mile victory.
With a late kick, she passed fifth
year Kayla Windemuller on the
last lap and crossed the line to
finish at 4:45. Three of the top
four finishers in the event were
Wolverines — a harbinger of their
continued success.
Sophomore Savannah Suther-
land followed up Michigan’s
dominance in the mile by set-
ting a Big Ten season record in
the 400 meter at 53.01. Her time
clocked in at almost a second and
a half faster than the Purdue run-
ner in second place. Sutherland
improved on her previous per-
sonal best by two seconds and set
the meet record by over a second.
“That was a really great opener
and I’m really excited to see how
it goes throughout the season,”
Sutherland said.
This wasn’t the only confer-
ence season record the Wol-
verines broke, though. Record
setting was a pattern in the 2023
Simmons-Harvey
Invitational,
and fifth year Aurora Rynda’s
600 meter run was arguably the
most dominant, clocking a time of
1:28.57 — more than four seconds
ahead of senior Amber Gall.
“It’s definitely exciting to see
those (records) so early,” Michi-
gan assistant coach Charnay
Ryland said.
With one lap left in the 800 run,
Ohio State runner Aniya Mosley
appeared to have the win locked
up. Sophomore Samantha Hastie
bounded past Mosley around the
outside of the final turn and held
her off for the final 60 meters to
lock in the win.
“It definitely felt good to come
back against (Mosley) at the end,”
Hastie said. “I … came off the curb
with some acceleration and that
definitely helped me get by her.”
The meet’s point leader, junior
Ziyah Holman, was dominant,
bouncing back after a last place
finish in the 60 hurdles to come
in first in the 200 dash. It was a
new PR for Holman for the event,
and she did so in a competitive
eight-runner field. Michigan’s
three runners placed in the top
five, ostensibly solidifying its win
before the distance runners had
even seen the blocks.
While the Wolverines had all
but assured the win, they didn’t
let up. Fifth year Samantha
Saenz recorded the fourth fast-
est 3000 meter time in the Big
Ten this year and added another
win for Michigan. After sitting
in the middle of the pack for the
majority of the race, she took the
lead with two laps to go, fight-
ing through Ohio State competi-
tors and around backmarkers to
break her previous record by over
10 seconds. Saenz has started
her 2023 campaign with back to
back PRs in the mile and the 3000
meter race, respectively, and will
look to maintain her success as
the season continues to unfold.
The 4400 meter relay A team
rebounded after a second lap spill
from Sophie Isom, winning the
race by more than eight seconds.
Savannah Sutherland dominated
the second leg of the relay, run-
ning the fastest 400 meter split of
the event at a blistering 51.4.
Rynda proceeded to hawk
Michigan’s B team and Ohio State
before handing the baton to the
anchor Holman. With the crowd
at her back, Holman ran five sec-
onds faster than second place
Ohio State’s anchor, capping off a
remarkable comeback and show-
casing the resilience and raw tal-
ent of the team.
“It felt crazy,” Sutherland said.
“The 44 team is chasing to go to
Nationals. … That’s the hope for
the rest of the season.”
In the field, junior Mia Man-
son recorded the third-best Big
ten pole vault mark this season
at 4.16 meters. Her mark was a
personal PR, and she came close
to clearing 4.31 meters on her
last attempt. If Manson can find
even more height going forward,
Michigan could have an impor-
tant, consistent field scorer. Else-
where, senior Ameia Wilson and
sophomore Riley Ammenhauser
set personal bests in the long
jump and triple jump, respective-
ly. Ammenhauser’s 12.81 meter
jump set a Big Ten season record
— one of many for the Wolverines
this past Saturday.
It felt like every event saw a
Michigan runner set a personal
record or land somewhere in the
top five of the Big Ten, a positive
sign as the Wolverines head to
road meets until the Silverston
Invitational Feb 17.
“When we move into other
people’s turf, I think we have
that mindset of being dominant,”
Ryland said. “We take a lot of
pride in competing at home and
defending our turf.”
Consider the turf defended.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
LUCAS SZENTGYORGYI
For The Daily
GABBY CERITANO/Daily
GABBY CERITANO/Daily
WATER POLO