The Wolverine

December 2011

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Courtney Boylan Stepping Up, But Offense Needs More Outlets BY ANDY REID whom the ball was going to: Veronica Hicks. Hicks averaged 11.2 points per L game in 2010-11, and replacing her production, especially as the go-to player when the shot clock is winding down, was a major area of concern for Michigan this year. Senior point guard Courtney Boylan has more than filled that role, leading the Wolverines with a scoring aver- age of 15.3 points per game through Nov. 30, up from her 6.8 points per contest last year. "I think I've become more comfort- able in that position," Boylan said. "In high school, I did that a lot, but I didn't necessarily do it in my first few years here, but we need someone at the end of the shot clock, and I've kind of fallen into that position. I like it, and I try to thrive in that position." Boylan has shot 48.9 percent (44 of 90) from the field this season, a re- markable increase from 2010-11, when she shot 38.9 percent. Michigan head coach Kevin Borseth isn't surprised to see her lead the way. "She matured last year," Borseth said. "She did a lot for us last year that people aren't really talking about. Ev- eryone was focused on Ronnie Hicks, where Courtney had her hand on the ball last year at shot clock time and making good decisions, too. She's kind of doing the same thing she did last year, except now the focus is on her. "Ronnie Hicks took some of that pressure off her. But she prepares her- self well, she's a hard-working, strong kid. The things she does don't surprise me because she works so hard at it." Her more aggressive strategy has netted her more opportunities, too. Boylan shot 59 free throws all last sea- son, and she's taken more than half that total (33) in just eight games, mak- ing 27 for an 81.8-percent success rate. Boylan's late-in-the-shot-clock he- Boylan has increased her scoring average from 6.8 points per game last year to 15.3 through eight contests this season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN roics have been essential to the Wol- verines' 7-1 start to the year, because the rest of the team has struggled offensively. Minus Boylan's offensive output, the rest of the team is shooting just 39.1 percent from the field (141 of 361). Boylan has scored 122 of Michigan's 512 points (23.8 percent). "That can't be what we expect for the rest of the year, but that can't be what we expect all year," Borseth said. "You can't put all your eggs in one basket. We're trying to do other things to score when it gets to that point." Boylan says she's seen the rest of the offense pick it up recently. After scor- ing in the 50s in three straight wins, Michigan scored 69 and 71 points in wins over Washington State and Mar- quette in the Paradise Jam Tourna- ment Nov. 24-26. One player who has stepped up is defensive-minded forward Jenny Ryan. "Jenny has done a lot more than she has in the past because now she shoots," Borseth said. "She looks to ast season when the Wolverines needed a bucket, everyone knew shoot. She spaces the floor better. She's a lot more intelligent offensively, creat- ing shots and when she shoots them, she makes them. "She's getting comfortable. She's getting used to a different M.O. There are players around her with abilities to do things, and she's learning how to space." Ryan is averaging 6.0 points per game. "Obviously in the beginning, I didn't take that many shots," Ryan said. "But I'm just taking what the de- fense gives me. A lot of times, I'm the one left open, because on the scouting report, I'm not our prime scorer." POST PLAYERS CLEANING UP THE BOARDS On most nights, the Wolverines are giving up a fairly severe size differen- tial in the post. Junior starting center Rachel Sheffer is just 6-1, and junior Sam Arnold, who comes in off the bench, is 6-4. At first glance, the duo's rebound- ing numbers don't look astounding. Sheffer is averaging 3.8 rebounds a BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2011-12 WOMEN'S Date Opponent Nov. 11 at Florida Nov. 14 Florida Atlantic Nov. 17 Utah Nov. 20 at Seton Hall Result/Time W, 69-66 W, 73-51 W, 55-50 W, 51-47 Nov. 24 vs. Prairie View A&M* W, 59-53 Nov. 25 vs. Washington State* W, 69-39 Nov. 26 vs. Marquette* Nov. 30 at Maryland^ Dec. 4 Iowa State# Dec. 8 at Detroit Dec. 11 at Eastern Michigan Dec. 17 Indiana State Dec. 22 Illinois State Dec. 30 at Illinois Jan. 2 at Michigan State Jan. 7 Ohio State Jan. 12 at Penn State Jan. 15 Minnesota Jan. 19 at Northwestern Jan. 22 Indiana Jan. 26 Penn State Jan. 30 at Wisconsin Feb. 2 Northwestern Feb. 5 Michigan State Feb. 9 at Nebraska Feb. 16 Iowa Feb. 19 at Indiana Feb. 23 Purdue Feb. 26 at Iowa Mar. 1-4 Big Ten Tournament$ W, 71-51 L, 74-65 2 p.m. 5 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 8 p.m. TBA 5 p.m. 6 p.m. Noon 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 8:05 p.m. 8 p.m. Noon TBA TBA TBA * Paradise Jam at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; ^ Big Ten/ACC Challenge; # Big Ten/Big 12 Chal- lenge; $ at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 83

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