The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January_6, 2003 - 3B

YESTERDAY'S GAME

Illinois
AMMichigan

Blue reeling after loss STEVE
JACKSON

89
57

By Josn Holman
Daily Sports Writer

I

Gueva-rant
"I'm going to pretend it's October 14
- the day we started - and we're
going to go back to the very basics,"
- Michigan coach Sue Guevara on her
team's worst loss of the season
against Illinois yesterday.
YESTERDAY'S GAME
Illinois (89)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A MA 0-T A F PTS
Yanni 30 9-14 2-4 2-8 6 0 22
Dallas 23 3-7 3-4 2-4 0 5 9
Hagberg 20 1-2 2-2 0-2 0 4 4
Leonard 25 0-0 0-0 1-1 4 2 0
Issenmann 18 4-8 0-0 0-0 1 0 12
Hughes 3 1-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 3
Wright 4 0-2 2-2 0-0 0 0 2
Acuna 15 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0
Guthrie 20 3-12 7-9 2-3 3 2 14
Williams 26 10-14 2-2 1-9 4 1 23
Daugherty 16 0-2 0-0 1-4 0 4 0
Totals 200 31-62 18-23103518 18 89
FG%: .500. FT%: .783. 3-poInt FG: 9-16, .563
(Issenmann 4-8, Yanni 2-3, Hughes 1-1, Williams 1-
1, Guthrie 1-3). Blocks: 3 (Daugherty, Leonard ,
Williams). Steals: 16 (Leonard 5, Guthrie 4, Issen-
mann 2, Acuna, Dallas, Hughes, Williams, Yanni).
Turnovers: 18 (Williams 5, Guthrie 3, Acuna 2, Dal-
las 2, Leonard 2, Daugherty, Hagberg, Issenmann,
Williams, Yanni). Technical Fouls: none
MICHIGAN (57)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
.Gandy 35 3-9 0-0 0-2 1 4 6
Smith 30 4-7 2-4 3-10 0 2 11
Bies 22 3-6 4-6 3-5 2 3 10
Pool 22 5-12 2-3 3-9 1 4 14
Andrews 14 2-3 0-1 0-1 1 0 4
Cortis 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Hauser-Price 17 1-3 0-2 0-0 1 3 2
Carney 13 1-4 0-0 1-1 0 1 2
Reams 19 2-8 1-2 1-2 1 0 5
Goodlow 10 0-1 0-0 2-4 5 1 0
Burlin 14 1-4 0-0 1-1 0 3 3
McPhilamy 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 200 22-57 9-18 14-37 12 21 57
FG%: .386. FT%: .500. 3-point FG: 4-12, .333 (Pool
2-4, Smith 1-1, Burlin 1-2, Andrews 0-1, Carney 0-1,
Gandy 0.1). Blocks: 2 (Gandy, Pool). Steals: 9 (Pool
3, Bies 2, Gandy 2, Andrews, Hauser-Price).
Turnovers: 29 (Pool 8, Andrews 4, Carney 3, Gandy
3, Reams 3, Bies 2, Burlin 2, Hauser-Price 2, Cor-
tis, Smith). Technical fouls: none
Illinois......................46 43 - 89
Michigan............ 21 36 - 57
At: Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor
Attendance: 2,978
WM' STATS

Last season's shadow of failure has
been something the Michigan women's
basketball team has been trying to
escape, but after yesterday's 89-57 loss
to Illinois, it still looms.
The Wolverines have now begun the
conference season 0-2 - following
last Thursday's loss to Minnesota -
after an impressive 9-2 nonconference
schedule that had them ranked sixth in
the nation's RPI ratings.
"I went into the lockerroom and I
said, 'All right, I'm going to say it,"'
Michigan coach Sue Guevara said.
"I'm going to say what you're all
thinking. Here we go again."'
Illinois' athleticism proved to be too
much for the Wolverines. A stingy Illini
defense kept Michigan from entering
the ball into senior LeeAnn Bies and
junior Jennifer Smith. With their bread
and butter taken from them, the Wolver-
ines' corps of young guards couldn't
handle the pressure, and the Illini were
presented with a handful of fast breaks.
"When you can't even get a shot off
and you have a turnover, that's really
frustrating," Bies said. "After a while
we'd get a shot off and miss it, but I
was happy we'd even get a shot off."
A bulk of that pressure came with
10:01 left in the first half, when Illinois
turned a 22-16 lead into a 46-21 lead by
halftime. The run included a 7:44 scor-
ing drought for the Wolverines.
"I was totally in shock and stunned
at how we played the first half," Gue-
vara said. "I was embarrassed. I've
never seen that team play (like that)."
Michigan was never able to cut into
the 25 point lead. The closest Michi-

Cagers poised to extend
their improbable streak

BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
Head coach Sue Guevara (right) and assistant coach Angela Jackson sit stunned
after their team falls to 0-2 in the Big Ten, with yesterday's 89-57 loss to Illinois.

gan came to Illinois in the second half
was 20, after a five-point spurt created
by a Smith field goal and one of soph-
omore Tabitha Pool's two 3-pointers.
As was the running theme of the
game, though, Michigan failed to exe-
cute on any opportunity Illinois gave it.
Freshman Nikki Reams brought the
ball down on a fast break in the ensu-
ing possession, but threw the ball out
of bounds, off sophomore Sierra
Hauser-Price's under the basket leg.
Michigan committed 29 turnovers
on the game, including eight from
Pool, the leading scorer with 14 points.

The game's final stat sheet displayed
an array of numbers unfamiliar to
Michigan followers. Along with their
turnover problem, the Wolverines man-
aged to shoot just 38.6 percent from
the field and a shocking 50 percent
from the free-throw line.
They also allowed the Illini to shoot
better than 50 percent from behind the
3-point arc.
"We've got to get people to adjust to
us," Illinois Coach Theresa Grentz said.
"You have to make a lot of sacrifices
then, and that was the difference you
saw out there."

The last time any of us sat through
a lecture, the Michigan men's bas-
ketball team was 0-6. Its record
now stands at 7-6. Incredibly, the team
that couldn't handle Central Michigan or
Western Michigan at home has won
more games in the last 26 days then
Duke, Arizona, Alabama or any other
team in The Associated Press'Top 25.
The last time Michigan won seven
games in a row was in 1998, when it still
had athletes on Ed Martin's payroll.
The Wolverines' run has included a
few impressive victories. Michigan
pounded Bowling Green 83-57 to end
its six-game losing skid Dec. 11. After
struggling mightily in the paint earlier
in the season, the Wolverines dominat-
ed the glass, out-rebounding the Fal-
cons 40-21. The Wolverines made good
use of their time on national television
on Dec. 28, jumping on
UCLA early and never The last tir
trailing en route to a won seven
81-76 nonconferencer
road victory - the first row was in
such win for anyone on still had at
the Michigan roster. Martin':
The Wolverines were
left for dead by much of their fan base
after self-imposed probation and a slew
of disappointing losses. But somehow
these players found a way to win games
again, and they should be commended
for that.
With a winning record and victories
over semi-terrible teams like Vanderbilt,
Charleston Southern.and Eastern Michi-
gan, one would expect there to be cele-
brations in Crisler Arena.
But the atmosphere there is anything
but jovial, as Michigan's last two wins
have come despite lifeless performances
against San Francisco and IUPUI.
"I think with the big picture there are
some good things to comment on, but it's
hard to see that big picture right now,"
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said.
The Big Ten season begins Wednes-
day, and Michigan is as unpredictable as
ever. The Wolverines are talented
enough to win more than half their
games, but they are equally capable of
relapsing into another fit of failure.
There was a stretch at the beginning
of this winning streak when the Wolver-
ines were playing as well as anyone ever
hoped they could. They were controlling
the paint, diving on loose balls and exe-.
cuting on both ends of the floor.
But despite the success Michigan has
enjoyed, a myriad of questions still sur-
round the program: How will a team
centered on five freshmen handle the

Mme
S

grind of the Big Ten season? What can
be done to re-energize the team without
the possibility of a postseason berth?
But the biggest question facing
Amaker could be how to deal with his
team's lack of depth. Michigan has
been thin in the post all season, but
after the departures of Dommanic
Ingerson (transferred) and Avery
Queen (dismissed), Amaker's options
on the wing have become limited as
well. Robinson's injured knee, which
he said could keep him out up to two
weeks, and Abram's propensity for
picking up silly fouls are compounding
that problem.
When Robinson was forced to sit out
of the IUPUI game on Saturday, the
Wolverines looked lost, proving how
much damage one key injury can cause
Michigan.
"You can't replace a
e Michigan guy like Bernard," Blan-
games in a chard said. "He does so
998, when it many things well. Just
look at the stat sheets.
Metes on Ed We need him in the
payroll, lineup."
Robinson's unique
skill set may be difficult to duplicate,
but because of Michigan's depleted ros-
ter, the dropoff was especially costly.
Saturday, Amaker started senior
Gavin Groninger and gave additional
minutes to freshman walk-on Sherrod
Harrell to fill in for Robinson.
Groninger can spread the floor and
contribute on offense, but without a con-
fident jumper he becomes a liability.
Harrell, on the other hand, is following
Mike Gotfredson's footsteps as the gritty
defensive walk-on point guard that often
doesn't even look at the basket on the
offensive end.
Against IUPUI, this duo tallied as
many air balls (two) as field goals.
Sadly, the performances of these two
hard-working, likable and one-dimen-
sional players can't be expected to
improve dramatically against tough Big
Ten competition.
But fortunately for Michigan, its con-
ference schedule starts out relatively soft
with games against Wisconsin, Penn
State, Ohio State and Northwestern.
If Robinson returns soon and the
Wolverines' energy level rises again,
then I wouldn't be at all surprised to see
this magical Michigan basketball run
continue.

Guevara preaches fundamentals

By Brian Schick
Daily Sports Writer

Player
Smith
Pool
Gandy
Bies
Reams
Goodlow
Andrews
Hauser-Price
Burlin
McPhilamy
Cortis
Carney

G
8
13
13
13
12
13
13
12
12
7
7
11

Min
23.6
28.5
31.9
25.2
26.8
14.9
21.2
12.1
18.7
3.6
3.3
8.2

A
0.8
2.1
1.8
1.0
2.2
1.1
2.2
0.8
2.3
0.0
0.3
0.9

Reb
6.3
7.4
5.4
5.5
3.2
3.2
2.0
0.8
2.6
0.7
0.4
1.0

Pts.
13.8
13.5
12.5
12.5
8.2
5.4
4.6
4.1
3.0
1.3
0.6
0.5

After yesterday's 89-57 loss to Illinois, Michigan coach
Sue Guevara struggled to find answers to her team's worst
performance of the season. She watched the Illini jump out
to a fast start while her team could barely complete a pass.
For more than seven minutes in the first half, the Wolverines
were held without a field goal. Guevara decided her team
needed to return to fundamentals.
"I am going into practice (today) and I am going to pre-
tend it is October 14, when we started," Guevara said.
"We're going to go back to the very basics: defensive fun-
damentals, passing and catching. We're going right back to
the drawing board."
Guevara has said that scheduling a tough nonconference
schedule would prepare the Wolverines for the conference
season. With a strength of schedule that was ranked as
high as third nationally and a 9-2 record heading into the
Big Ten opener against Minnesota, it appeared that the
scheduling had paid off.
"We were a much better basketball team in. December,"
Guevara said. "I honestly thought our nonconference sched-
ule got us ready for the Big Ten."
Through the two Big Ten games this season, the Wolver-
ines have committed 49 turnovers and have allowed 187

points, two of the highest totals in their respective categories
all season. These two statistics had been sources of pride for
Guevara earlier this season, considering her young lineup.
"All the things that we had been doing well as a team -
defense as a team, shooting free throws better, taking care of
the basketball - it was a snowball effect in the other direc-
tion," Guevara said.
In addition to losing any progress that had been made so
far this season, Guevara is concerned that she may be using
her players too much on certain occasions, resulting in
fatigue. With such a deep bench, Guevara is fortunate that
she has numerous players who are able to step in once
starters become tired.
Although she doesn't want her players to feel that she is
threatening to bench players who aren't performing, she is
going to make a better effort to monitor who is making the
most of her playing time.
"I have a habit of staying with people a little bit too long,"
Guevara said: "I have to go with people that are going to
give the effort and are efficient with their time."
Last year saw a similar transition once the Wolverines
faced Big Ten opponents. After a 10-1 start, Michigan went
6-10 in conference play, eventually losing in the first round
of the NIT. Guevara is confident she has the ability to con-
trol her players as the season wears on.
"I am not going to lose this basketball team," Guevara said.

The.Wolvorinessaw actionover,
break, with a tournament and the
opening of the Big Ten season.
Date Opponent Score
12/14 Seton Hall 59-41
12/21 Colorado State 83-72
12/28 Virginia 64-78
12/29 Massachusetts 64-61
1/2 Minnesota 57-89

Steve Jackson can be reached at
sjjackso@umich.edu.


BOO
REC
SPORTS
INTRAMURALS

The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
Intramural Sports Program
www.recsports.umich.edu
734-763-3562

REC
SPORTS
INTRAMURALS

Entries taken:
Tues, 01/07 ONLY
11:00 AM - 5:30 PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$80.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Wed, 01/08
6:00 PM or 9:00 PM
IM Building
Play begins:
Thurs, 01/09
IM Building
Basketball

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Entries taken:
Tues, 01/07 ONLY
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$415.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Tues, 01/07
6:00 PM
IM Building
Play begins:

Basketball
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Entries taken:
Tues, 01/07 ONLY
11:00 AM - 5:30PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$50.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Wed, 01/08
7:15 PM
IM Building
Play begins:
Thurs, 01/09
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Wed, 01/08
Yost Ice Arena
Ice Hockey
Entries taken:
Tues, 01/07 ONLY
11:00 AM - 5:30 PM
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Entry Fee:
$70.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
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Wed, 01/08
8:00 PM
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*" .." Play begins:
Thurs, 01/09
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Inner Tube Water Polo

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Training clinics
begin on Monday
January 6th, at
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Intramural Sports;
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Please contact
David Siegle at
763-3562 for
further
information.
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