11
The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 23, 1998 - 7B
Key players return, propel Michigan to victory over Buffs
'K-
By Stephanie Offen
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's basketball team can
no longer blame inexperience for their mis-
takes. Saturday in a 84-78 win over Colorado,
this team seemed to know exactly what they
re doing.
Prior to tipoff, the 1990 and 1998 NCAA
tournament teams were honored in a banner
raising ceremony.
Former players came back to receive this
recognition and were greeted by fans at
Crisler Arena.
And on Saturday, the 98-99 Wolverines
showed that they wanted the ceremony next
year to be in their honor.
"The freshmen were sitting on the bench
when the '90 and '98 teams were out there,
# I said, 'Hey, look, you guys are sitting
here right now - it's your team in 99."'
Michigan coach Sue Guevara said.
'Up until Saturday it had been their team. In
the games against Vanderbilt and Detroit
Mercy, Michigan started three freshmen. But
last night, the Wolverines only started two
freshmen, and played an experienced lineup
when the game got close.
With senior Ann Lemire and junior Kenisha
k Iker back in the lineup, Michigan had the
erience that they had missed in the earlier
games.
"i've been playing in practice and preparing
myself for each position," Lemire said. "I was
really anxious to get in there - I was ready."
Both players were needed towards the end
of the game when the lead kept switching
sides.
Colorado was leading at the half, 38-35,
despite great penetration and ball handling by
the Wolverines.
But Michigan came out with a new intensi-
ty in the second half.
There was an impressive defensive pres-
ence on the boards that allowed Michigan to
quickly take the lead.
The half started off with Michigan's Alison
Miller making two free throws, starting a run
to put the Wolverines ahead.
Stacey Thomas continued the run for the
Wolverines with a basket off a steal from
Colorado's Nikki Weddle. Then Raina
Goodlow put the team ahead 41-40, a half a
minute later.
This was the beginning of what would be
eight lead changes in the second half.
It wasn't until Guevara put in the experi-
enced line-up that the Wolverines were able to
take charge.
With five minutes left, Thomas, Lemire,
Walker, sophomore Anne Thorius and lone
freshman Raina Goodlow were put in. It was
the play of Thomas and Lemire, two experi-
enced guards, who were able to convert in the
paint and take the lead and hold it for remain-
der of the game.
"There is no substitution for experience,"
Guevara said. "We were able to have Kenisha
and Ann in there who have both been in some
very tough games, the only rookie we had in
there was Raina Goodlow and I think she is
just getting better and better. We did a really
good job with composing ourselves down the
stretch."
It was that composure and the return of two
experienced players that were the key points
for Michigan in their victory over the
Buffaloes, who were also are plagued with
inexperience this year.
Colorado, who also has a large group of
freshman, has been a power in the Big 12 and
the NCAA tournament the past few years,
making the NCAA tournament six out of the
last seven years, but the experience that the
Wolverines regained was just to much for the
Buffaloes.
This win puts the Wolverines over .500 and
gets them ready to head to Cancun for
Thanksgiving, where they will participate in
the Torneo de Cancun Basquetbol.
Now that Michigan boasts a winning
record, with two impressive victories, fan sup-
port should follow shortly.
"This was a big win for us", Guevara said.
"We had 841 people here and I hope all 841
enjoyed the game and each person will hope-
fully bring another person back with them."
WARREN ZINN/DA
Experience was the key down the stretch for Michigan as the Wolverines defeated Colorado at Crisler
Arena Saturday, 84-78.
Banner ceremony celebrates past seasons
But Wolverines looking to future, especially El Torneo Cancun de Basquetbol
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Writer
Saturday was a homecoming of
sorts for the Michigan women's bas-
ketball team. As the NCAA tourna-
ment banner from 1990 and 1998 was
unfurled from the rafters, former
Wolverines from the two golden sea-
sons of women's basketball witnessed
this year's team narrowly pull out a
victory over
Colorado.
The bright Basketball
yellow banner Notebook
hanging over
section 31 in -----------------
Crisler Arena serves as a reminder of
last year's team which went 19-10
overall and finished third in the Big
Ten.
It also tells the story of the 1990
team, which had the most prolific sea-
son in school history, played during
the glory days of Crisler Arena. The
men's basketball team had just won
the NCAA championship the previous
season.
Then it was the women's turn to
make a statement. That team - led by
junior Carol Szczechowski and senior
Tanya Powell - finished with a 20-10
record and tied for fourth in the con-
ference. As a result, Michigan
received its first-ever NCAA tourna-
ment bid.
The greatest season in Michigan
women's basketball history ended
with a second-round loss to North
Carolina. Although several years have
passed, Saturday's ceremony served
both as a reminder of that winning
season as well as an inspiration for
future teams.
"It's just a great honor to have a
banner up there and be represented up
there with other elite past players,"
said Michigan guard Stacey Thomas
who scored a team high 17 points in
last year's tournament game. "It's just
a motivator to know that they did it,
and we can come out and do the same
thing. It's a great honor."
FULL STRENGTH: The Wolverines
and the Buffaloes are a lot alike. Both
mascots are animals that once roamed
freely throughout North America. But
more importantly, both women's bas-
ketball teams are young and looking to
return to the NCAA tournament.
Since they are so similar, Saturday's
game was a battle that featured 14 lead
changes.
But down the stretch, the differ-
ence was experience. During the last
ten minutes of the half, the Wolverines
were guided by their veterans.
Thomas and sophomore Anne Thorius
were familiar images on the floor, but
it was lone senior Ann Lemire and
junior Kenisha Walker who helped
Michigan finish the job.
For the first time all season, the
team was playing at full-strength.
Walker returned from a severe ankle
sprain, and Lemire was back from a
three-game suspension. The two com-
bined for 22 points.
SURF'S UP: While the Michigan
men's basketball team and football
team head to Hawai'i, the women's
basketball team is taking a trip of its
own. The Wolverines are heading to
sunny Cancun for the Torneo Cancun
de Basquetbol.
However if in Cancun they're look-
ing for a diversion from basketball
they could call Colorado freshman
guard Mandy Nightingale.'
Nightingale is the top-ranked
female trick water skier in the world in
her age group. She was the 1997
world champion.
But there probably won't be much
time for that.
PERFECTION: Freshman Alayne
Ingram has been perfect from the line
this season going 9-for-9 from the
charity stripe. In Saturday's 84-76
victory over the Buffaloes, Michigan
shot 91% from the free throw line.
"This is the first time since I've
been here that we've shot 91% from
the free throw line," Guevara said.
"That's major for us. It's a really good
goal for us to attain, we only had thir-
teen turnovers - a season low for us
... We get (a couple of days) off before
we head to sunny Mexico."
WARREN ZINN/Daily
"'Michigan will travel to Cancun, Mexico over Thanksgiving break for the Toreno
Cancun de Basquetbol.
Women's swimming
.wamps Penn State
Tigers kick off Maui
Classic for Michigan
By Justin Betrock
For the Daily
The Michigan women's swim-
ming and diving team could not have
asked for a better meet before the
Thanksgiving break.
In their meet at Penn State, the
Wolverines captured 12 out of 16
events to win, 164-136. Michigan
ed its season record to 3-1 in the
Ten, 4-2 overall.
Six different Michigan swimmers
swam to top honors this past Friday
with standout performances by All-
Americans sophomore Jennifer
Crisman and junior Shannon
Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, also a member of
the Canadian Olympic team, contin-
ued her strong season with two indi-
ual victories in the 100-yard
eastsroke and the 200 individual
medley.
"Personally I did well, and the
team pulled out a close meet,"
Shakespeare said.
Shannon has the option to leave
the Wolverines and rejoin the
Olympic team after her junior year.
"I have not made up my mind yet,
but I do want to be a member of the
2000 team," Shakespeare said of the
voming Olympic campaign.
Jennifer Crisman, a five-time Big
Ten champion as a freshman, was the
key swimmer for the Wolverines.
By taking first place in the 50
freestyle, 100 backstroke, and 100
butterfly she led the team in individ-
ual victories.
"Jennifer is really talented and a
really important swimmer for our
am," Shakespeare said of her team-
te.
Shakespeare and Crisman teamed
up with twQ other Michigan swim-
mers, Lindsay Carlberg and Jennie
Eberwein, to win the 200 medley
relay.
"Jennifer is able to swim individ-
uals and relays and that was key at
this meet, Shakespeare said.
Other first place finishes by
Michigan in individual events were
by sophomore Missy Sugar in the
200 freestyle, Carlberg in the 200
backstroke, senior Jennie Eberwein
in the 100 freestyle and senior Cathy
O'Neill in the 200 breaststroke.
In order to defeat Penn State, it
was important for the Wolverines to
swim well from the top to the bottom
of their roster.
Michigan had fewer swimmers
than normal at the meet, so each had
to swim more events.
After graduating a class of 10
seniors last May and losing two more
key swimmers to injury this season,
the team is thin in depth but not in
heart.
"We're taking it step by step until
the Big Ten championships,"
Shakespeare said. "And we're hoping
to have them back by the champi-
onships."
The diving team didn't finish
first in either the one-meter or three-
meter events, but it had a solid show-
ing nonetheless.
Michigan placed second through
fourth in both events to overwhelm
Penn State in the diving portion of
the competition.
Senior Jill Unikel, junior Hanna
Shin and sophomore Amanda Crews
all had strong showings for
Michigan.
After the long weekend,
Michigan has its final meet of the
fall semester at the Notre Dame
Invitational Dec. 3-5.
With other top teams competing
in the event it will test Michigan's
strength.
Monday the team will be return-
ing to regular training for the upcom-
ing meet.
"I'm positive with the way the
team is training and I am looking
forward to Notre Dame,"
Shakespeare said.
By Josh Kleinbaum
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan men's basketball
team just might get leied this week.
But the Wolverines (1-2 overall),
playing a three-day stint in the island
state at the Maui Classic, have more
things on their minds than flowered
necklaces. Like Tigers.
Michigan faces No. 24 Clemson
(3-0) in the first round of the tourna-
ment today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
time.
Oh, my.
The Tigers present Michigan's
biggest challenge thus far. But,
despite his team's youth and
Clemson's national ranking,
Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe does-
n't see his team as the underdog.
"Clemson will want to beat us
when we get out to Maui," Ellerbe
said. "They're going to get up for us,
and we've got to be ready to handle
the call."
But will Michigan be ready? In the
Wolverines first two games this sea-
son, they were anything but ready.
The frontcourt played sheepishly, the
backcourt took too many shots and
Michigan lost.
But this past Thursday, the other
Michigan team showed up - the
balanced team that can get points
from all five positions - all five
starters scored in double digits.
The team that beat a talented,
underrated Detroit Mercy squad, 62-
55.
If Michigan showed anything,
though, it's that it needs production
from its inside game if its going to
be successful.
Which means Josh Asselin,
Brandon Smith and Peter Vignier
have to step up.
Clemson, on the other hand, has
cruised through its early non-confer
ence schedule.
The Tigers rely heavily on guard
Terrell McIntyre, who becanin
Clemson's all-time career leader in
3-pointers made last Thursday when
he hit five long-range shots in the
Tigers' 82-56 victory over Western
Carolina. Mcintyere scored 25 points
in the game.
"McIntyre is as good a guard as
you'll find," Ellerbe said.
The Tigers add an inside presence
with Todd Wideman and Harold
Jamison, who stand 6-foot-10 and 64
8, respectively.
Part of Michigan's success in the
paint against Detroit was thanks to a
significant size advantage, some-
thing that the Wolverines won't enjoy
today.
But Ellerbe isn't worrying too
much about that. In fact, he said his
team wasn't even going to think
about Clemson until the Wolverines
arrived in Maui.
Instead, they worried about them
selves in practice, and making them
selves a better team.
DAVID ROCHKIND/aily
Leon Jones and the Michigan men's basketball team will face Clemson in the first
round of Hawai'I's Maul Classic.
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