The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - February 15, 1999 - 5B
* Play of the weekend
Michigan guard Anne Thorius made a jump shot with five
seconds left Friday against Illinois to put the Wolverines up
by one - proving to be the game winner
Illinois
& Michigan 81
K Michigan
56
70
Player of the weekend
Guard Stacey Thomas
Thomas notched her 1,000th point this
weekend and broke her own
single-season steals record, with her
90th, against Illinois.
Michigan State
6plit dims Tourney hopes
By Stephanie Offen
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING - Heading into
last weekend the Michigan women's
basketball team was holding onto the
crucial fifth-place spot in the Big Ten
standings.
The Wolverines' goal was to hang
othat spot for a few more weeks,
ing it would be enough for a bid to
the NCAA Tournament. In order to do
that the team would have to win the rest
of it's games, but one win and one loss
later, Michigan finds itself half a game
out of that coveted fifth place.
This past weekend was composed of
two must-win games. Though they
came away with a close victory against
Illinois on Friday, the Wolverines
*ldn't to hold on for a weekend
sweep.
Yesterday, Michigan traveled to East
Lansing in what would be the deciding
game for fifth place in this week's
standings. The Spartans entered the
game at .500 in the conference and half
a game behind the Wolverines.
That was enough motivation for
Michigan State to complete its week-
end with a sweep, defeating the
Freshman Raina
Goodlow con-
tributed nine
points yesterday
-ainst Michigan
State, but it
wasn't enough.
The Spartans
defeated
Michigan
70-56, spoling
the homecoming
of Goodlow's '
teammate,
Alayne Ingram
LOUIS BROWN/Dail
r e
Proimising
yout fuel
'M' ttack
Wolverines 70-56.
Michigan knew that it needed to be
on its best behavior for the NCAA
selection committee this weekend.
In Friday's victory it was. But yester-
day, it seemed that the Spartans, not the
Wolverines, were the ones wanting to
show off.
"We felt going into this weekend that
we had to win the last three regular sea-
son games," Michigan State coach
Karen Langeland said. "We've won
two of them and we've got one more to
go. But there are five teams that could
finish anywhere from third to eighth so
I don't know what's going to happen."
In order to go to the NCAA
Tournament, the Spartans, along with
the Wolverines, must stay in the upper
echelon of the conference.
After Friday's victory over Illinois,
Michigan coach Sue Guevara said that
the team controlled its own destiny.
"I told the kids that we can enjoy this
until midnight," Guevara said after
Friday night's game. "Then they can go
home and they need to be in their beds
starting to think about Michigan State.
"Michigan State wants our butts big
time ... we're both fighting for that
fifth-place finish, and you never know
what will happen because right now we
are one game out of third."
And by shooting only 35 percent
from the field last night, when the
Spartans were shooting over 50 per-
cent, the Wolverines rattled their des-
tiny by handing themselves the loss
and the sixth place spot in the confer-
ence.
But don't count Michigan out of the
tournament just yet.
"I think you have to finish in the top
half of the Big Ten to get to the NCAA
Tournament," Guevara said. "For this
team to do that we are going to have to
have the same kind of effort" (as we
did against Illinois).
Though that effort was not apparent
in the game against the Spartans, the
Wolverines have two more chances to
show the NCAA selection committee,
that they deserve to be one of the elite
64.
Next weekend Indiana and Iowa will
travel to Crisler Arena to wrap up the
Wolverines' season. And only half a
game out of fifth, Michigan still has a
chance to make its second straight tour-
nament appearance.
Ingrm 's h
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING -Valentine's Day
was bittersweet for Michigan freshman
guard Alayne Ingram. She was playing
in her first game in East Lansing - a
stone's throw away from her hometown
of Lansing.
Ingram's fans were out in force. She
had her own cheering section with fans
holding up "We
Love Ingram"
signs. There was BASKETBALL
even one loyal fan Notebook
with an "Alayne--------------
will you be my valentine?" poster.
But though Ingram's faithful were
supportive, most of the unusually large
Breslin Center crowd was not.
A season-high 3,595 fans filled the
lower tier of the center providing an
extra lift for the Spartans in their final
home victory over the Wolverines, 70-
56.
"It was a great crowd, they were very
vocal;' Michigan State coach Karen
Langeland said. 'There was no doubt
that they helped us. Michigan is a young
NOTABLE QUOTABLES:
"We're in control of our des-
tiny. Not an body else but us,
we control how we perform.
'We're still in the hunt.
We've got two games left,
against Indiana and. Iowa,
the 'I' schools, and I don't
want any black eyes next
Week.
MICHIGAN GUAAD STACEY THOMAS:
"I give my teammates all
the credit in the world. I
wouldn't be able to do what
I've done without them."
LUUIS kWN/Daily
Stacey Thomas and the Michigan women's basketball team split their games this
weekend, but still are hoping for a NCAA bid.
ome coming not
team, and it may have been a little intim- rivalry is intens
idating for them. lar season mat
"It really helped to have the fans be as on top. Thoriu
vocal as they were. Today they were off-night, going
helpful." In contrast,
WHEN.IT RAINS, IT POURS: Junior for- Dalgaard score
ward Kenisha Walker has not completed rebounds in 34
a single season of basketball during her But statistic
career. She's not about to break that story. Dalgaar
trend this year, either. ence on the def
Last Sunday against Purdue, Walker Spartans to vic
went down in the first half with a knee Dalgaard "h
injury. This week the Wolverines last home gam
announced that Walker had torn the played well, pl
anterior cruciate ligament in her right plays a support
knee and would be out for the rest of the times Michigar
season. Pernille was on
Walker's presence will be missed by SPECIAL
an already shallow bench. Yesterday in 30
A RIVALRY FOR THE AGES: nation it was "
Sophomore guard Anne Thorius and day. As part o
Michigan State senior co-captain under eight wo
Pernille ,Dalgaard are from the same women's basket
town in Denmark. The two played on the ipating NCAA:
same club team in Horsholm until Michigan G
Dalgaard came to the United States for yesterday's gan
college. daughters to wi
When the two compatriots meet, the victory.
sweet
se. But in their final regu-
chup, Dalgaard came out
s had an uncharacteristic
g 0-for-10 from the field.
in last night's game,
d 10 points and had five
minutes.
es don't tell the entire
d's unquestionable pres-
fensive end propelled the
tory.
ad a great game for her
e," Langeland said. "She
ayed defense well ... She
defense in the zone. The
n scored on us was when
the bench."
GUEST APPEARANCE:
00 universities across the
Take a girl to the game"
f the program, children
ould be admitted free to
tball games at the partic-
schools.
o. John Engler attended
me, bringing his triplet
tness the Michigan State
Ca FEREI'ECE
Standings and Results
Conference Overall
Team W L W L
Purdue 14 0 23 1
Penn State 11 4 19 6
Illinois 9 5 15 9
Ohio State 8 6 15 9
Michigan State 8 7 14 11
Michigan 7 7 159
Wisconsin 7 7 12 12
Iowa 6 8 11 13
Northwestem 4 10 -10 14
Indiana 2 12 13 15
Minnesota 2 12 7 17
Yesterday's games:
Penn State 88, Minnesota 56
Purdue 88, Ohio State 58
Illinois 104, Indiana 69
Iowa 864Northwestem 69
Michigar State 70, Michigan 56
Top 25 weekend results
.TenseebeatNo. 17Auburn71-63.
'2. Purdue beat Ohio State 88-58.
3. LouisIana Tech. beat Arkansas State 79-63.
4. Connecticut kost to No.8 Old Dominion 82-77.
5. Colorado State beat Southern Meth. 69.52.
6. Notre Dame lost to No. 9 Rutgers 77-57
7. Duke lost to No. 19 Clemson 80-75
8. Old Dominion beat No. 4 Connecticut 82-77
9. Rutgers beat No. 6 Notre Dame 77-57.
10. Georgia lost to Vanderbilt 66-s7
11. Virginia Tech beat Rhode island 64-62.
12. UCLA beat California 7661.
13. Texas Tech beat Missouri 74-68.
14. North Carolina beat No. 18 Virginia 82-80 OT
n. Pem State beat Minnesota 88-56.
16. Iowa State beat Colorado 86-70.
1Z Aubum lost to No. 1 Tennessee 71-63.
19.Virginia lost to No. 14 R Caiina 82-80O0T
19. Clemson beat No.7 Duke 80-75.
20. Louisiana State beat South Carorana 80-63.
21. Kansas beat Nebraska 63-58.
22. Santa Barbara breat Padikic76-6
23. Oregon beat Washington 77-67.
24. Florida kiln. beat South Alabama 78-48
25.ANanamdidnotplay
By Geoff Gagnon
Daily Sports Writer
Four minutes and two Stacey Thomas fouls into
Friday night's Big Ten match-up with Illinois,
Michigan coach Sue Guevara began to worry.
With her team stumbling to a first-half deficit,
Thomas, who suffered through the team's last
contest at Purdue managing a mere two points,
quickly joined her coach on the sidelines.
*Stacey came out and picked up her second foul
atid I said, 'Oh Lord, we can't go through this
again, we just can't'," Guevara said.
And they wouldn't, as the Wolverines mounted
a second-half charge to slide past Illinois 81-79.
Thomas' opportunity to join her coach on the
bench came just before the conference standout
had the opportunity to join only 12 other
Wolverines in scoring 1,000 points in her career,
a feat that occurred just moments before breaking
her own season-steal record as she picked up her
90th swipe.
,,nd as Guevara's team rallied to perhaps one of
the most fulfilling wins of the Big Ten season, a
delighted Guevara said Thomas should be
applauded for her ability to bounce back on what
would prove to be a milestone evening.
"When Stacey went back in there she relaxed
and played much smarter defense," Guevara said.
"And when the girl plays relaxed, she can flat out
score."
Already one of the most celebrated players to
dm the maize and blue, Thomas' accomplish-
ts this season have been nothing short of
impressive as the Flint native has lead the
Wolverines in scoring and steals all season.
But what should excite Guevara and fans alike
is that the former Big Ten freshman of the year
has the chance to do it all again next season.
Marshaling a contingency of younger players,
SPLIT
Continued from Page .B1
end. With 5:30 left in the second half
Ann Lemire hit a three-pointer to cut the,
Michigan State lead to three.
"Everyone gives Kristen, Max and
Pernille a lot of respect on the floor,"
Michigan State coach Karen Langeland
said. "And Becky took advantage of this
tonight, and got open to hit a lot of big
shots."
Actually, Cummings has taken advan-
tage of the double-teaming of her team-
mates quite often. In the last four games
Cummings has averaged 21.5 points,
11.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
With four minutes left, the
Wolverines folded. Michigan lost their
concentration, and their timing was off.
They committed three turnovers in a
short span of time, and the lead sudden-
ly ballooned for the Spartans.
"You know who made those
turnovers?" Guevara said. "Freshmen. I
am playing with baby post players.
That's what happens in big games when
inexperience comes into play.
Michigan came out fired-up Friday
night, and completed a miraculous
comeback against Illinois. Throughout
the game, Michigan had trailed.
They were down by 12 points several
times. With six seconds left Anne
Thorius hit the winning shot, to give
Michigan a much-needed victory.
Will
Moiing 'up
Friday
vs. Iowa
Criser Arena, 7:30 p R'.
Sunday
vs. Indiana
Criser Arena, 2:GO p.m.
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Stacey Thomas, who has led a talented crew of young Wolverines, became the 12th player in school history to
reach the 1,000 point mark. She'll add to that as she returns in a year for her senior season.
ILLWNOIS (79)F
MIN M-A UWA 0-T A F PTS
Catchings 36 6-13 4-5 2-11 2 2 16
Blauser 32 6.16 5-5 2-6 4 4 17
Sheeler 36 10-11 2-4 3-7 1 4 22
Guarneri 19 0-2 0-0 0-0 4 1 0
Parker 36 6-13 0-0 1-3 2 2 16
Martin 10 0-1 4-4 1-1 0 0 4
Curtin 19 1-3 00 1-1 2 3 2
Wilson 6 0-0 010-1010
Vana 6 0-1 2-2 0-2 1 1 2
Totals 200 2960 17-21 14-3618618 79
FG%: 483. FT%: .810. 3-point FG-9 444 (Parker
4-6, Curtin 0-1, Guenari 0-2). Blocks: 2 (Blausef,
Wilson). Steals: 5 (Parker 2, Blauser, Guarneri,
Wilson). Turnovers: 15 ( Catchings 5, Blauser 3,
Guarneri 2, Curtin 2, Sheeler, Paker, Martin).
Technical Fouls: None.
MICHIGAN (5I
Ff REB
MIN UA A - T A IF PTS
Thomas 31 6.16 1-1 1-3 1 4 13
Kipping 25 3-5 0-0 3.9 0 3 6
Miller 21 3-5 0-0 4-5 1 2 6
Thorius 34 0-10 00 1-3 7 1 0
Ingram 24 3-9 0-0 0-1 1 0 7
Oesterle 7 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 2
Goodlow 27 3.5 3.4 5-7 0 2 9
Lemire 31 5-15 0-0 1-2 5 2 13
Totals 200 24467 4-5 15301715 56
FG%: .358. Fr%: .800.3-ont FG: 4-19,_211
Lemire Ingram 1-4,Thorius 0-6, Goodlow 0.1).
Blocks: 1(Goodlow). Steals: 9 (Thomas 3, Thorius
2, Lemire 2, Kipping, Ingram). Turnovers: 17
(Thorius 4, Goodlow 4, Miller 3, Kipping 2. Lemire
2, Thomas, Oesterle). Technical Fouls: Done.
MICHIGAN STATE (70)
starting to see what's at the end of the tunnel."
At times, though, that maturation process has
looked bumpy.
Fimhlinp thmr, oh amran i ina fivea..ime
slowly.
With Kipping and Goodlow, who tallied a 11
points Friday, showing signs of their emergence
as potenint ot threats for the Wolverine
I MIOUlgiAM J1*41
I