The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 4, 2002 - 3B
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHAMPIONSHIPS
INDIANAPOLIS
FRIDAY'S GAME
Michigan 67
Purdue 74
THURSDAY'S GAME
Knockout: Purdue drops M' in OT
RAPHAEL
GOODSTEIN
Michigan
Illinois
83
63
THE DOWN-LOW
GUEVA-RANT:
On Purdue's two offensive rebounds
in one possession that resulted in a
,three-point-play to tie the game: "At
that point, when you're still up three
points and the ball hits the floor, you
dive on the floor, you go get the ball.
(Instead), we were just watching."
-KEY STAT:
,,Purdue's 17 second chance points,
14 of which came in the first half.
- TURNING POINT:
Purdue's 11-3 run to tie the game at
61. The run was capped by a three-
point play by Laura Meadows with
two minutes remaining.
YOU KNEW IT WAS OVER WHEN:
Kelly Komara hit an uncontested
jumper with a minute remaining in
overtime to gave Purdue a five-point
lead.
THE DAILY'S MVP:
Jennifer Smith: She scored game-
highs against Illinois and Purdue,
combining for 46 points and 19
"rebounds in the tournament. She
shot 57 percent from the field and
86 percent from the charity stripe.
FRIDAY'S Box SCORE
Despite loss, Blue
finally shows heart
By Bob Hunt
Daily Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Michigan
had finally come alive.
The Wolverines started playing
last weekend like the team that was
picked along with the Boilermakers
by Big Ten coaches to finish at the
top of the standings, instead of the
team that finished with a 6-10 con-
ference record.
Trailing Purdue by 10 points early
in the second half, the Wolverines
didn't let the game get away as they
had in many of their conference
games. Instead, they fought back
with a 34-16 run to take an eight-
point lead with four-and-a-half min-
utes remaining.
The Wolverines played more
aggressively than they had all sea-
son, constantly falling for and get-
ting loose rebounds and making
some key defensive stops.
The unforced errors that plagued
Michigan all season long were gone.
The team turned the ball over just 11
times against Purdue (a season low)
and 13 times against Illinois, well
below its average of 18 per game.
And then things fell apart.
Michigan stopped hustling. The
Wolverines allowed Purdue to get
two offensive rebounds on one pos-
session which led to the Boilermak-
ers tying the score.
The turnovers resurfaced. Alayne
Ingram traveled with 12 seconds
remaining in a tie game and her team
in position to win the game.
The defense broke down. Michi-
gan allowed Purdue to score 13
points in overtime and couldn't make
a stop when it needed one. Down by
three with one minute left in over-
time, Purdue's Kelly Komara was
left wide open for a baseline jumper
that ended Michigan's chances for a
comeback.
Despite the late breakdown, Pur-
due coach Kristy Curry thought that
Michigan's gutsy performance
showed it deserved an NCAA Tour-
nament bid.
"You've got to take a look at
Michigan if you're the NCAA Tour-
nament Committee," Curry said. "I
think they deserve to get in."
Pardon the Interruption
A P iPHO
Michigan forward Jennifer Smith could not lead Michigan to an upset despite 22
points and 10 boards.
If Michigan had played all year until they arrived at Conseco Field-
like it did this past weekend, it would house that they played like there was
be a lock for the NCAA Tourna- no tomorrow.
ment. For this year's underclassmen,
"We played two good back-to- Guevara hopes last weekend will be
back games," Michigan coach Sue a learning experience. They should
Guevara said. "We showed that we realize now that in order to win in
were one of the top 64 teams. the Big Ten and in the postseason,
"But I think it is too late." they need to go all out every time
But because the Wolverines did they step on the floor.
not play with the intensity and confi- "That's what I hope all these
dence during the conference season, underclassmen understand," Guevara
they will probably have to settle for said. "You need this kind of effort
the WNIT. Michigan failed to dis- against the Ohio States, against the
play this do-or-die intensity when it Penn States, against the Purdues. It's
lost to an Ohio State team that only not turn on, turn off."
dressed seven players or when it lost And that hunger can't just start in
by 20 to Penn State on senior day. March.
"I think we would have had a lot "That starts in the very beginning.
better record if we would have That starts in September," Guevara
played this well (throughout)," sen- said. "And that's what was never
ior Heather Oesterle said. understood on the team."
After starting out the season 10-1 But for the seniors - Oesterle,
and playing well this weekend, the Ingram, and Susana Jara - they can
Wolverines can look back and won- only look back wish things took a
der what could have been. It was not different course.
ESPN here
With Major Leaguers report-
ing to spring training,
Arkansas firing Nolan
Richardson, and the Big Ten Tour-
nament mercifully ending another
pathetic season of Michigan basket-
ball - all happening in a small
amount of time'- I found myself
with too many topics to write about
for just one column this week. Thus,
in ESPN's Pardon the Interruption
form, I'll cover all
of them. There was a
First topic: spring training
There was a time rebirth and hop
when spring train- another chance
ing was a time of York Yankees to
rebirth and hope. they're the best
Now it's just if you've got so
another chance for about it, don't -
the New York Yan- and sign anothe
kees to prove that
they're the best team in sports. If
you've got something to say about
it, don't - or they'll go and sign
another All Star. Losing the World
Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks
caused a few people to make com-
ments like, "It's the end of the
dynasty."
Owner George Steinbrenner
responded to these claims the way
he usually does - getting out his
checkbook and offering more
money than anyone else can.
The Yankees improved their
offense this offseason by signing
Jason Giambi - maybe the best hit-
ter in baseball - outfielder Rondell
White - who, when healthy can
play at an All Star level - and trad-
ing for Robin Ventura while third-
base prospect Drew Henson learns
how to hit a curveball at Triple-A
Columbus.
I spent the better part of an after-
noon in Mexico trying to figure out
a problem with this team. Could it
be the pitching?
Nope. Roger Clemens, Mike
Mussina and Mariano Rivera are as
good as anyone.
Could it be the hitting? Well, it
was last year. But this year's team
has Giambi, which means that
Bernie Williams and Derek Jete
will be better.
We all know it won't be the man-
aging, as Joe Torre is one of the all-
time greats.
Finally, after computing statistics,
searching almanacs, and interview-
ing some of the best baseball minds
of our time, I found a weakness -
www.yankees.com.
That's right Yankees fans, your
website is a tad too busy. Oh, and
finding the team roster is tougher
than it should be.
Bing!
While searching for a weakness
with the Yankees, a couple of
friends started forecasting the
Detroit Tigers season.
One asked me if I thought there
was any chance that this team fin-
time when
was a time of
e. Now It's Just
for the New
prove that
team in sports.
mething to say
- or they'llgo
r All Star.
Even if all of this
happened, the Tigers
would still need
some of their play-
ers, who all seem to
be first basemen/des-
ignated hitters, to
become legitimate
Major League pitch-
ers.
In other words,
MICHIGAN (67)
M'N FG
MIN M-AI
Gandy 45 4-13
Smith 45 9-17
Bies 30 4-14
Jara 19 0-3
Ingram 41 414
Pool 27 - 2-3
,Oesterle 18 2-5
'Totals 225 25-69
smy take
ishes above .500.
I'm still left wondering what pre-
scription drug he was on when he
asked me.
Under his scenario, outfielder
Bobby Higginson would hit 40
home runs in the spacious Comerica
Park; Jeff Weaver would win 20
games (which would require 20
shutouts) and first baseman Dmitri
Young would become an All Star.
FT'
M-A
4-4
4-4
2-2
0-0
3.3
2-2
0.0
REB
0-T
4-6
5-10
3-7
1-1
1-3
1-4
0-1
A
3
0
3
1
4
3
2
F1
4
4
4
1
4
0
3
PTS
12
22
11
0
11
6
5
fans won't have too much to get
excited for about until draft time.
But hey, Cecil Fielder's kid, Prince,
apparently, is quite the power hitter.
Bing!
The University of Arkansas
bought out the remainder of basket-
ball coach Nolan Richardson con-
tract after he publicly commented
that he's treated differently from
white coaches in the SEC because
he's black.
Arkansas proved Richardson right
by essentially firing him.
A southern state treating a black
employee differently than it would
have treated a white employee?
Shocking.
The reality, sadly enough, is that
this is an old story. A black man
gets a job in the South, and, despite
his success, his crotchety white boss
finds a reason to fire him.
All this shows is that the "New
South" is still the South.
Bing!
Next topic, Michigan basketball.
Why is it that every team at this
University - except the field
hockey team - is worse today than
it was when I received my accept-
ance letter here nearly four years
ago?
In case you didn't already know
- and chances are you didn't
because you don't care - the bas-
ketball team finished in 10th place
again this year. The most exciting
thing Michigan basketball fans
have to look forward to is Daniel
Horton playing in the McDonald's
All America game - the first
Wolverine to be selected to play in
it since LaVell Blanchard three
years ago.
But hey, at least the Big Ten Tour-
nament will give Michigan one last
chance at beating Big Ten power
Northwestern.
915-1515-3616 20 67
FG%: .362 FM% 1.000 3-point FG: 2-13,_154 (Bies
1-2, Oesterle 1-3, Gandy 0-2. Ingram 0-6). Blocks: 3
(Smith, Bies, Pool) Steals: 5 (Oesterle 2, Gandy,
Smith, Ingram). Tumovers: 11 (Smith 2, Bies 2,
Ingram 2, Oesterel 2, Jara, Pool). Technical Fouls:
none.
Purdue (74)
Meadows
Wright
.Noon
Komara
Valek
Hicks
Jones
Heikes
Totals
MIN
38
43
29
45
41
9
6
14
225
FG
M-A
5-12
5-10
7-13
4-15
46
0-0
0-1
1-4
FT REB
M-A 0-T
1-2 3-6
10-12 3-12'
1-2 1-5
4-6 2-9
0-0 3-3
0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0
0-0 2-5
A
1
3
0
3
6
0
2
0
F PTS
4 13
2 20
5 15
1 14
3 10
0 0
0 0
0 2
15 74
Con-psycho Fieldhouse
Indianapolis has gone crazy for Big - Gym class: They studied the way athletes train, diet and sleep. They also
Ten Basketball. The city has studied the psychological side of sport.
renamed streets for the conference
schools, placed Big Ten banners - Math class: They calculated their team's scoring average, win-loss percent-
throughout the city and assigned age and assist-to-turnover ratio from looking at the box scores.
2,400 middle schoolers to different
teams to follow throughout the sea- - Music class: Schools that followed Michigan (Crispus Attucks and St.
son. Here is what the students did: Andrew) taught their students "Hail to the Victors."
26-6116-221443 15
FG%: .426 FT%: .727 3-point FG: 6-17, .353 (Valek
2-3, Meadows 2-5, Komara 2-8, Jones 0-1). Blocks:
6 (Wright 4. Meadows, Noon). Steals: 6 (Meadows
2, Valek 2, Hicks, Heikes) . Tumovers: 15 (Mead-
ows 3, wright 3, Noon 3, Valed 2, Komara, Hicks).
Technical fouls: none.
Michigan.............24 37 6 67
Purdue.................32 29 13 74 (OT)
At: consecc Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Attendance: 6,324
THURSDAY'S BOx SCORE
Michigan (83)
MINN
Gandy 39
Smith 33E
Bies 20 E
Jara 22 C
Ingram 39
Pool 20 4
Hauser-Price 1C
Oesterle 22
Mason 3 9
McPhillamy 1 C
Totals 200
FG
M-A
2-8
8-13
5-7
0-0
6-16
4-9
0-1
2-6
1-1
0-0
FT
M-A
2-3
8-10
4-5
0-1
3-3
2-2
0-0
3-4
2-5
0.0
REB
0-T
0-4
3-9
1-7
2-4
0-3
1-5
0-0
1-3
1-2
~0
A
5
0
2
4
3
1
0
6
0
0
Ff
2
4
4
1
3
4
0
1
1
0
PTS
6
24
14
0
17
10
0
8
4
0
BOILERS
Continued from Page 1B
First, Kelly Komara got her own rebound off a missed
3-point attempt. She missed again but the ball wound up
in the hands of Laura Meadows, who converted with a
three-point play at the two-minute mark to tie the score.
Guevara could not believe her players were unable to
come up with a rebound.
"At that point, when you're still up three points and
the ball hits the floor, you dive on the floor, you go get
the ball," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "(Instead),
we were just watching."
Neither team scored again in regulation.
After a Purdue miss, Michigan regained possession
with 40 seconds remaining. Guevara later blamed her-
self for not calling a timeout to get everyone on the
same page.
"I should kick myself in the head because I do not
believe in calling a timeout to let the other team set up,"
Guevara said.
Guevara called a play from the bench: "Two High."
It's the play that Michigan usually runs when the shot
clock gets down to 10 seconds. It's a play designed to
get the ball to center LeeAnn Bies.
With 10 seconds left on the clock, point guard Alayne
Ingram had the ball, and it never left her hands. Ingram
tried get off a shot against Komara - the Big Ten
Defensive Player of the Year - but traveled.
"I had just called the play and it did not get executed.
And that is the bottom line, it did not get executed,"
Guevara said. I
Purdue's Meadows also had a chance to win the game
in regulation, but missed as time expired, sending the
game into overtime.
Michigan's Tabitha Pool scored the first bucket of the
extra session, but the Wolverines did not score for the
next three-and-a-half minutes as Purdue scored. seven
unanswered points. Michigan missed all four of its 3-
point attempts to close out the game.
Guevara was not pleased with the way her team
played in the last eight minutes, in which Michigan's
post players had just two points and the team had just
six.
"(The players) wanted to get it done individually
instead of going to what got us there, which is getting
the ball inside," Guevara said.
The Boilermakers knew they could come back to beat
Michigan as they did in Ann Arbor just two weeks ago.
"I never saw in those kids' eyes in the second half and
overtime that we were going to lose," Purdue coach
Kristy Curry said. "I know that .it could have been a
reality, but they just really believed in each other. There
was never any doubt."
Wright, who scored 40 points against Michigan the
last time out, led the Boilermakers with 20 points. Four
other Purdue players scored in double figures.
Michigan's Jennifer Smith had a game-high 22 points
on 9-of-17 shooting to go along with a team-high 10
rebounds. As a team, the Wolverines weren't as effi-
cient, shooting just 36 percent from the field.
Michigan trailed the entire first half but closed the
gap to one with three minutes remaining in the half. But
Purdue responded with a 9-2 run to take its largest lead
of the game (10) heading into the break.
Michigan battled back to tie the score at 60 points
apiece at the 14-minute mark, stretched the lead to eight
points and did not trail again until overtime.
Raphael Goodstein can be reached at
raphaelg@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily Display Team
babb, pT fit
O
28-6124-3014.412120 83
FG%: .459 FT%: .800 3-point FG: .300 (Ingram 2-6,
Oesterle 1-4). Blocks: 2 (Jara, Pool) Steals: 13
(Oesterle 3, Gandy 2, Sith 2, Bies 2, Ingram 2, Jara,
Pool). Tumovers: 13 (Jara 3, Gandy 2, Ingram 2,
Pool 2, Oesterle 2, Smith, Bies). Technical Fouls:
none.
ILLINOIS (63)
Vana
Dallas
Marcauskaite
Hunter
Williams
Guthrie
Issenmann
Yanni
Hagberg
Totals
MIN
34
22
26
30
37
22
15
11
3
200
FG
M-A
1-8
2-8
6-14
2-7
3-11
2-5
2-4
0-2
0-0
FT
M-A
8-8
2-4
7-7
2-4
0-0
5-6
0-0
0-0
0-0
REB
0-T
1-7
4-11
1-4
1-2
4-6
3-3
0-1
0-1
0-1
A
4
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
F1
2
5
5
3
3
3
1
1
1
PTS
10
6
19
7
6
9
6
0
0
63
Corner of 1st and Huron St.
Downtown AA (734) 623-7400
www.damatos.com
Big Ten Tournament
Here are the results from this sea-
son's Big Ten Tournament.
18-59 24-2919-4410 24
FG%: .305 FT%: .828 3-point FG: 3-11, .273 (Issen-
mann 2-4, Hunter 1-3, Marcauskaite 0-1, Williams
0-3). Blocks: 4 (Vana, Marcauskaite, Hunter,
Williams). Steals: 6 (Hunter 2, Dallas, Mar-
causkaite, Williams, Yanni) . Turnovers: 19
9 (Williams 4, Dallas 3, Marcauskaite 3, Vana 2,
Hunter 2, Issenmann 2, Hagberg 2, Guthrie). Techni-
cal fouls: none.
Michigan ...........39 44 83
Indiana ....................28 35 63
At: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
First Round (Thurs.):
No. 9 Michigan
No. 8 Illiinois
No. 7 Ohio State
No. 10 Michigan State
No. 6 Wisconsin
No. 11 Northwestern
Second Round (Fri.):
No. 5 Indiana
No. 4 Iowa
84
63
89
82
60
58
78
76
74
67
HEY MICHIGAN
WOLVERINES, MAKE
YOUR CLIMB TO THE
TOP A WHOLE LOT
SHORTER. START YOUR
CAREER OFF ATA
HIGHER LEVEL.
( i ,- -A t\Al r 1'-n crk n I ra'o aU f ris nt tmaker of Ouicken and
'M' STATS
Through Mar. 2
Player G
Bies 29
Inrarm 28
Min
31.5
38.1
A
2.0
4.1
Reb
8.2
3.0
Pts
16.0
15.4
No. 1 Purdue
No. 9 Michigan
Aln 7 Donn Q+n+o 7n