6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday -February 8, 1999
Wolverines can
compete with best
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE - In women's
college basketball there are two flights of
teams - the elite and everyone else. The
elite? Perennial national champion
Tennessee, along with Texas, Virginia and
other talented teams from the deep south
that have topped the polls since the incep-
tion of women's athletics in the NCAA.
But in recent years, new leaders have
emerged at the forefront of the game.
Enter Purdue. TheI
Big Ten, 21-1 over-
all) are ranked sec-
ond with their only
loss decided by one
point at Stanford
Nov. 22.
Throughout the
Boilermakers (12-0
BASKETBALL
Commentary
Big Ten season,
DANA INNANE/Daily
Even though Michigan was outrebounded by the Bollermakers, the Wolverines
stayed in the game until the final minutes.
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Purdue has been comfortably perched
atop the conference, towering over its
opponents with an average margin of
victory of 21.7 points.
Competing against a team like the
Boilermakers is tough for any team to do.
It takes an inspired, flawless all-around
effort that even No. 1 Tennessee and No.
4 Louisiana Tech couldn't put together.
Yesterday, the Wolverines (6-6, 14-8)
weren't able to put a check in the win
box, but they proved that they can com-
pete with the elite.
Skepticism arose when the
Wolverines were dismantled by the Lady
Techsters, 84-66, in early January. In that
game, Michigan coach Sue Guevara said
that at that time her team was not "ready
to play with the big girls"
But after last night's inspirational 74-
66 effort, the Wolverines may finally be
ready. Several factors contribute to the
marked difference.
Perhaps some of the improvement
from the Louisiana Tech game can be
attributed to the opponent.
"It was a very different game,"
Michigan guard Anne Thorius said of
last night's game. "We match up better
against Purdue. They have very smart
players; Louisiana Tech had very quick
players."
But perhaps it was more than that. It
could be that the Wolverines have nearly
completed a very intense, up-and-down
Big Ten season.
The experience they have gained from
those 12 games invariably makes them a
more competitive team - especially
since freshmen are role players.
"We kept our composure pretty well,
and we have learned how to handle pres-
sure on the basketball better" since the
loss to Louisiana Tech, senior guard Ann
Lemire said. "We've also learned how to
handle transition defense."
Against Louisiana Tech, Michigan
committed 26turnovers. In sharp contrast
last night, the Wolverines gave the ball
away just five times in the second half.
Michigan's style is also noticeably dif-
ferent from a month ago. Back then,
when captain Stacey Thomas struggled,
the team struggled.
But last night, that wasn't true.
Thomas had an uncharacteristic night
going 0-for-3 from the floor and scoring
just two points in the contest. Plagued by
foul trouble right from the get-go, she
played just 22 minutes.
With Thomas nearly ineffective, the
Wolverines could have rolled over and
given the Boilermakers the game.
Instead, they fought it out.
Thorius and Lemire picked up the
scoring slack and together contributed
42 of the team's 66 points.
Though the pair dictated the offensive
game, they got a lot of help on the defen-
sive end from Alison Miller and several
freshmen. Miller pounded her way in the
paint, yanking down seven boards.
The Wolverines gave an impressive
performance. Down by 10 early in the
second half, they came back to take a
one-point lead with 10:54 remaining in
the game. The game seesawed until there
were only two minutes left when the
Boilermakers began pulling away.
Although several years from now just
the final score will be remembered, this
was a game for the ages.
AP PHOTO
The Michigan women's basketball team turned In one of its better performances of
the season, especially from the 3-point line.
M comes up six poit
short of mtajor upset
BOI LERS
Continued from Page 1B
alive - Michigan trailed the rest of
the half.
The Wolverines came as close as
four in the closing minutes, but the
Michigan run would only spark the
Boilermakers, who finished the first
half with a run, putting them up, 36-
27.
Thomas was nonexistent in the
half. She recorded three early fouls
and found herself on the bench for
the majority of the twenty minutes.
She finished the half with zero
points.
"Whenever Stacey doesn't have a
good day it puts pressure on the rest
of us," Thorius said.
The Wolverines finished the game
shooting a hair less than 50 percent
from the field, while Purdue fin-
ished at 40 percent.
"I gave my kids a lot of credit,"
Guevara said. "They're the No. 2
team in the country and we did a
great job against them."
The impressive field goal shoot-
ing was held over from Michigan's
victory over Minnesota last Friday.
Michigan shot better than 50 per-
cent against the Golden Gophers in
the 88-65 win.
Thomas was a factor in that game,
leading the team with 17 points and
eight rebounds. Thorius, Alison
HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR SPRING BREAK? |
Miller, Alayne Ingram and Lemire
also shot in double figures for the
Wolverines.
The victory came after a shocking
upset earlier in the season when--
Golden Gopher defeated the
Wolverines 54-47 at Crisler Arena.
PURDUE (70)
FG FT RER
MIN MA M-A 0-T A F' PTS
White 32 6-15 5-6 1-2 3 2,17
Duhart 35 2-5 0-1 814 1 3 4
Cooper 18 3-4 0-0 1-2 0 2 -.6
Figgs 34 4-16 6-8 2-3 2 3
Douglas 36 5-11 &6 4-10 3 1 W
Komara 27 2-5 1-2 0-1 3 1 F-
Young 6 1-2 0.0 -0-0 0 1 3
Curless 12 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 02
Totals 200 24-61 18-2322-40 1213 70
FG%:.393. Ft:.783. 3-point FG: 4-19. .211
(Figgs 2-8, Komara 1-3, Young 1-1, White 0-4,
Douglas 0-3). Blocks: 2 (Cooper 2). Steals: 11
(Ouhart 3, Douglas 3, Komara 2, White. Figgs,
Cooper). Turnovers: 14 (White 4, Duhart 4,
Douglas 3, Figgs 2, Komara). Technical Fouls:
none.
MICHIGAN (64)
FO FT REB
MINs A MWA 0T A F PTS
Thomas 22 0-3 2-2 1-2 0 4. 2
Kipping 18 3-5 1-1 2-3 1 4
Miller 28 2-2 0-0 0-7 1 5 W
Thorius 40 6-10 7-9 02 4 3 22
Ingram 27 2-6 0-0 0-2 1 4 6
Walker 3 01 0-0 1-1 0 0 0
Goodlow 28 1-4 1-2 0-3 1 2 3
Lemire 34 7-13 4-4 2-4 4 1 20
Totals 200 21-44 12-16 7-26 12 23 64
FG%: .477. FF%:.833. 3-point FG: 7-12, 583
(Thorius 3-4, Ingram 2-4, Lemire 2-4). Blocks: 3
(Goodlow, Lemire Kipping). Steals: 5 (Thomas 2,
Goodlow 2, Walker). Turnovers: 19 (Ingram 6,
Miller 5, Lemire 2, Thorius 2, Kipping 2, Thomas
1). Technical Fouls: none.
Purdue ....................36. 34 -70
Michigan .................27 37 -64
At: Mackey Arena
Attendance: 12,932
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