Ho hum: Cagers drop another one on the road
Dan Rosen
Daily Sports EditorFebruary 2nd, 2004
CHAMPAIGN — Dion Harris’ first shot sailed past the
basket without so much as grazing the rim. The chants of
“airball” rained down from the Illinois student
section, “The Orange Krush.” And the freshman was
rattled.
“From that point on, I don’t really think that I
ever got into an offensive flow,” said Harris, who missed all
five of his field goal attempts Saturday afternoon.
None of the Wolverines ever seemed to get rolling in their 67-52
loss to the Fighting Illini. The team shot just 35 percent
(18-of-51) from the floor and a dismal 17 percent (3-of-18) from
3-point land. Michigan (3-4 Big Ten, 12-6 overall) had as many
turnovers as made field goals (18).
“You can take that stat right there and probably equate
that to a loss,” coach Tommy Amaker said.
Illinois (4-3, 13-5) was sparked by its lightning-quick guards.
Luther Head, Dee Brown and Deron Williams drained nine 3-pointers
and scored a combined 46 points to torch the Wolverines. When
Michigan did come out to play them beyond the arc, all three used
their speed to penetrate the defense and wreak havoc.
“They’re tough to guard, especially with their
quickness,” sophomore Daniel Horton said.
Luther Head was lethal from outside. He made 5-of-8 shots from
downtown, including one dagger in the final seconds of the first
half to give his team a more comfortable six-point edge heading
into the locker room.
The Wolverines stayed close for much of the game with their
rebounding. They pulled in 15 offensive boards and clobbered the
Fighting Illini 41-24 overall.
Michigan abused an Illinois team that starts three guards and
only one player taller than 6-foot-6. Two of the team’s
biggest players, Nick Smith (7-foot-2) and James Augustine
(6-foot-10), were plagued by foul trouble all afternoon.
But Amaker said that turnovers and poor shooting, especially
from the foul line, offset the edge on the boards. The Wolverines
converted just 3-of-22 at the charity stripe.
“Our defensive pressure was really good tonight,
throughout the whole game,” Illinois’ Williams said.
“We were able to chip away and finally break away at the
end.”
According to Amaker, the real turning point in the game came
midway through the second half when Michigan was making a run. With
Illinois up 10, Bernard Robinson grabbed another of his
team’s offensive rebounds and went straight to the rim.
His scoop shot dropped in and he was hacked on the arm, drawing
a whistle from the ref. When his free throw bounced out, Brent
Petway pulled in yet another offensive board. But Robinson traveled
on the ensuing possession and Williams drew a foul in transition
for Illinois to stop the Wolverines’ run.
“It kind of took the wind out of our sails,” said
Amaker of the sequence.
The Wolverines got back within six points a few minutes later on
a lefty tomahawk dunk by Brent Petway, the team’s high-wire
act. But Illinois pulled away again with another 3-point dagger
from the backcourt, in this case Williams.
Despite the loss, Amaker isn’t ready to give up on his
team’s Big Ten title hopes.
“Certainly, I don’t think too many people are going
to try and predict who’s going to win this league right
now,” said Amaker of the congested conference. “A lot
of things could change, and we’re hoping that we can stay
right in the hunt for it.”
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