6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 7, 2005 WHAT DID YOU SAY? "I like to see the ball in Crystal's hands." -- Iowa coach Lisa Bluder on Iowa junior Crystal Smith THURSDAY'S SCORE PLAYERS OF THE GAME Michigan 42 70 Crystal Smith (Iowa) Smith scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. She also dished out three assists and collected four steals. BreAnne McPhilamy (Michigan) Senior McPhilamy netted 12 points in her final game. She also drew three charges in 29 minutes of play. Iowa THURSDAY'S GAME Michigan 42 Pool meant more that MIN Pool 37 Helvey 34 McPhilamy29 Flippin 32 Cooper 17 Starling 19 Clement 19 Walker 18 TEAM 0 Totals 200: FG FT M-A M-A 4-16 1-2 1-6 0-0 6-7 0-0 2-6 0-0 0-2 0-0 2-5 0-0 0-7 0-0 3-7 2-2 0-0 0-0 18-56 3-4 REB 0-T A 4-114 1-5 2 0-3 0 0-0 3 1-3 .2 0-1 0 0-1 0 3-3 1 2-3 0 11-30 12 F PTS 3 9 0 2 3 12 3 6 00 3 5 3 0 4 8 0 0 1942 FG%: 32.1 FT%: 75.0 3-point FG: 3-23, .130 (Flippin 2-4, Starling 1-4, Clement 0-6, Pool 0-5, Helvey 0-2, Walker 0-2). Blocks: 1(Helvey). Steals: 7 (Helvey 2, Starling 2, Clement, Cooper, Pool). Turn- overs: 21 (Pool 6, Helvey 5, Walker 4, Flippin 2, Starling 2, Clement, Cooper). Technical fouls: None. Iowa 70 NDIANAPOLIS - Tabitha Pool paused to apologize for the eloquence missing in her responses. Her voice quivering, Pool told us she was trying. She didn't need to explain why it was so hard for her to speak. There just weren't words to capture her feelings at that moment. Pool didn't want to believe her Michigan career had ended like that. It wasn't the fairytale finish STEPHANIE WRIGHT the senior co- captain deserved. Wright on Target The Big Ten's fifth-leading scorer in the regular season scored just nine points in the Wolverines' first-round loss. She turned the ball over six times. She missed three times as many shots as she made. No one asked Pool directly if she was disappointed in her less-than-perfect per- formance. But no one needed to ask. It was clear Pool cared more about her team and its loss'than her below-average scoring output. Pool never seemed to embrace the spot- light. After four years in which her role on the team kept growing, she still recoils slightly when talking about herself. Last Thursday, when asked how she was able to contribute without her shots falling, Pool described how she encouraged her team- mates. She could have mentioned her game- high 11 rebounds or her four assists. But Pool is a humble star, and that humility feeds her team-first mentality. I wonder if her indi- vidual struggles even crossed her mind. One reporter seemed to understand her dedication to the team. He asked Pool what she had left with her young teammates, what lessons she had taught them. "That everyone can be a leader, and just to work hard and give it your all every time you step on the floor," Pool answered. More than her skills or her stats, those are the qualities that define Pool as a player. Pool is not a born leader. She's not espe- cially vocal, and she rarely rides her team- mates when they're not executing. But Pool understood that as the Wolverines' go-to player and one of just two seniors on the team, she would be their unquestioned leader. So, as she did in Michigan's first-round loss, Pool led her teammates the only way ipoints she could - by working hard and her all every time she stepped on ti And Pool has always given it he two minutes left in Michigan's 78- loss to the Hawkeyes on Feb. 20 - Iowa on the free-throw line extend lead - Pool pounded her fist agai heart and implored her teammates fighting. The game was as good as but Pool wouldn't accept that the b lost. She showed the same spirit in the ines' loss last Thursday. Pool grabbi her rebounds in the final minute and the game. She cited her positive atti greatest asset to her team that night points or her rebounds. And all seas that's what has made the biggest im There were few games in whichl looked like it wasn't fighting. No m large the lead or how long the losin the Wolverines' effort rarely waver were still snatching rebounds, still the floor, still trying to execute. Th said they had heart. Well, most of t they did. But much of it came in th a 6-foot-1 forward from Ann Arbor The one bright spot in the Wolvi 28-point loss was that they finally " to Wolverines giving it the lesson Pool had tried so hard to teach he floor. them. Early in the second half, Pool was on r all. With the bench, getting the only three minutes of 59 home rest she would receive. In most games this - and season, Michigan collapsed without Pool ling its on the floor. Last Thursday, the Wolverines nst her chipped away at Iowa's lead and truly didn't to keep give up. over, Watching her teammates play with that attle was kind of effort must have lessened the pain of another lopsided loss. But knowing that she Wolver- would never again fight for the Wolverines ed two of must have broken her heart. J a half of I'm sure Pool would have loved to score tude as the 40 points and grab 20 rebounds in her final - not her game. But those numbers wouldn't have mat- on long, tered to her unless Michigan had won. It's pact. the ultimate cliche, but, for Pool, it's also the Michigan absolute truth. All of her effort and emotion natter how were spent so that Pool could lead her team ig streak, to what would have been a real fairytale end- ed. They ing - a win. diving on Pool didn't have her best game on Thurs- iey always day night. And she couldn't will her team to he time victory. But, as Pool said, she was trying. e form of For that, she has no reason to apologize. MIN Solverson 16 VandeVenter29 Cavey 26 Smith 34 Armstrong 18 Emmert 15 Pope 1 Graham 17 Schlapkohl 9 Reedy 19 Kasperek 16 TEAM FG M-A 2-7 2-5 7-12 9-15 2-4 1-3 0-0 0-1 0-1 1-1 1-1 FT M-A 0-1 1-2 1-3 1-1 0-0 6-6 1-2 2-2 2-2 0-0 0-0 REB 0-T 0-7 3-6 3-5 1-3 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0-0 0-6 0-0 2-4 AI 2i 1 2 3t 1 3 0 1 2 0 F PTS 0 4 2 5 4 15 0 23 2 5 0 8 0 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 2 5 70 r. erines' learned Stephanie Wright can be reached at smwr@umich.edu. Totals 200 25-5014-19 10-3711 1 FG%: 50.0 FT%: 73.7 3-point FG: 6-17, .353 (Smith 4-8, Reedy 1-1, Armstrong 1-3, Solverson 0-3, Emmert 0-2). Blocks: 0 Steals: 8 (Smith 4, Armstrong, Schlapkohl, Solverson, VandeVenter). Turnovers: 19 (Cavey 3, Emmert 3, Smith 3, Solverson 3, Reedy 2, VandeVenter 2, Armstrong, Kasperek, TEAM). Technical fouls: None. Michigan.................... 20 22 - 42 Iowa........................... 31 39 - 70 At: Conseco Fieldhouse Attendance: 4,966 FINAL 'M' STATS M' zoned out by Hawkeyes' D Player Pool Walker Helvey Starling Flippin Clement Dierdorf Cooper McPhilamy Moore G 27 27 27 27 27 27 9 27 27 3 Min 36.4 26.0 29.0 18.4 24.3 24.6 11.1 24.1 14.3 1.0 A 2.2 0.3 2.6 1.0 2.1 3.1 0.2 0.8 0.1 0.0 Reb 8.9 3.7 4.0 2.6 1.6 2.1 2.1 2.9 2.2 0.0 Pts 16.6 12.3 6.2 5.4 5.3 4.6 4.3 3.4 2.3 0.0 By Matt Singer Daily Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS - After the Michigan women's basket- ball team opened the season with a 79-point performance on the road against Alabama, it appeared that scoring would not be a major issue. But as the season progressed, the Wolver- ines' inability to produce offensively proved to be the team's Achilles heel, culminating in a season-ending stretch of dis- mal offensive performances. The Wolverines scored 43 points or less in four of their last six games, including Thursday's 70-42 Big Ten Tournament loss to Iowa. "Probably the thing that has been most difficult is not being able to gain that offensive confidence," Michigan coach Cher- yl Burnett said. "There are many reasons for that. I guess if we figured out the reasons it wouldn't have happened. (We haven't been) able to gain confidence during a game to know that we'll be able to score that basket and build the young players' confidence along with that." In Thursday's matchup, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder employed a 2-3 zone to stifle Michigan's offensive rhythm. With athletic guard Crystal Smith hounding the Wolverines on the perim- eter, and a litany of large Hawkeyes patrolling the paint, the strategy proved to be extraordinarily effective. "I just felt like we did very well defensively," Bluder said. "We wanted to make them prove it from outside. We respect (Michigan senior co-captain) Tabitha Pool, as far as her pen- etration, very much. And we don't match up with her very well. So we felt like zone was the best way to go." Despite Pool's outstanding athletic ability, she was unable to find open looks against the intense interior pressure of Iowa's zone. She finished with just nine points on 4-for-16 shooting. With Pool struggling, the Wolverines were forced to look elsewhere for offensive production. Senior BreAnne McPhila- my picked up some of the slack, searching out the soft spots in the zone to score a career-high 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting. But beyond McPhilamy's jumpshots from the elbow, Michigan simply could not find open shots. The Wolverines were forced to hoist up contested long-range attempts, and they went just 3- for-23 from downtown. And with Iowa making clutch baskets on the other end, Michigan never strung together more than five consecutive points. "There's no question, that offensively, we have certain peo- ple that can do certain things well," Burnett said. "And we have limitations. Once people take away what our strengths are, we absolutely have some difficult times scoring." The Iowa game was the culmination of a trend haunting the Wolverines throughout the latter part of the season. They shot a combined 32 percent in their final seven games, all of which were against opponents they had played earlier in the season. "There's nothing really that's changed or that we've gotten worse at," Burnett said. "It's just that the scouting reports get better." Iowa proved to be the perfect example of the Michigan's dwindling offensive production against teams they previously played. In the Wolverines' first contest against the Hawkeyes on Jan. 27, they scored 61 points on 39 percent shooting. In their second matchup on Feb. 19, Michigan scored 59 points on 37 percent shooting. And finally, on Thursday, the Wolverines ended their season with just 42 points, making only 32 percent of their field goal attempts. BIG TEN STANDINGS Team Ohio State Michigan State Penn State Minnesota Purdue Iowa Illinois Wisconsin Indiana Northwestern Michigan Big Ten Overall 14 14 13 12 9 8 7 5 3 2 1 2 2 3 4 7 9 11 13 14 15 28 26 19 23 16 20 17 12 10 5 5 3 3 9 6 12 9 12 16 18 25 23 TONY DING/Daily Michigan senior Tabitha Pool guards Iowa's Johanna Solverson in the Wolverines' 7042 loss. Pool shot just 4-for-16 from the field. 9. MePhilamy stars in career finale BIG TEN TOURNAMENT RESULTS THURSDAY Iowa 70, Michigan 42 Wisconsin 75, Indiana 74 Illinois 66, Northwestern 43 FRIDAY Ohio State 70, Wisconsin 46 Minnesota 71, Purdue 68 Michigan State 61, Illinois 50 Penn State 68, Iowa 66 YESTERDAY Minnesota 66, Ohio State 63 Michigan State 83, Penn State 76 KEY STAT 9 The number of consecutive points Iowa junior Crystal Smith scored to increase the Hawkeyes' lead from11 to 18. BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FINALS: MICHIGAN STATE Vs. MINNESOTA TONIGHT, 7 P.M. COME TO 420 By Jack Herman Daily Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS - Most people say that you should make the most of a first impression. But Michigan senior BreAnne McPhilamy wants the last time people see her play to be what they remember. Last time the Wolverines squared off against Iowa, McPhilamy scored a then career-high 11 points in her final home game. During Michigan's 70-42 loss to the Hawkeyes in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, McPhilamy went out with a bang, eclipsing that total with a 12-point performance in her last game as a Wolverine. "Obviously, it's nice to go out on a career-high, but we didn't get the win, so it's kind of still frustrating," McPhilamy said. Her first points came off an up-and-under through the lane, but, after that, McPhilamy looked to the shooting touch that led to her previous career-high. She shot 6-for-7 from the field and scored her final 10 points by draining jumpers at the elbows. She also contributed in ways that don't show up in the box score. Midway through the second half, Iowa junior Morgan Kasperek drove to the lane only to find McPhilamy there waiting to draw the charge. Less than a minute later, McPhilamy drew another charge when Hawkeye freshman Krista VandeVenter came down the court. Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett even interjected during McPhilamy's post- game interview to say that her three drawn charges was an "incredible statistic." BIG TEN Continued from page 1B Early on, it looked as if Iowa was going to be in for a hard-fought game. Michigan looked like it would INDIA ride the shoulders of seniors McPhilamy and Tabitha was haun Pool, who accounted for 13 of Michigan's first 15 with Jess points. Pool tried to drive to the basket early on, but Yeste: Iowa plugged up the lane for much of the game. With She s the lanes clogged, McPhilamy took what she could, then tean nailing jumpers from the elbows for most of the game first eigh in netting a career-high 12 points. ranked G "My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball, Ohio Sta and I was just able to hit the shots," McPhilamy said. "I thi "Again, it's nice I guess, but it's not the way we wanted any posi it to end." game, Ii Pool had success early in the game, making her first two swarmir jumpers, but the Hawkeyes keyed on her for the rest of the In the Burnett said that the defensive effort that McPhilamy put out was something the Wolverines have relied on all season, even though she is undersized as a Big Ten post player. "We have had her guarding the big bigs all year, and she's a little big, not a big big," Burnett said. McPhilamy's play may have been lifted by the fact that it was her team's last game, but, in her heart, she hasn't really adjusted to what life will be like without basketball. "I don't think it's fully settled in yet," McPhilamy said. "I mean, we're definitely sad to be leaving right now, but we're just kind of leaving it up to the players that we've led all season." HANGIN' WITH Ms. COOPER: In her previous game against Michigan, Iowa junior Johanna Solverson netted. 18 points and dished out 10 assists. But this time, Michigan freshman Janelle Cooper did not let her repeat that performance. Solverson played just 16 minutes, but, in that time, Cooper prevented her from getting into a groove. Cooper held Sol- verson to just four points and two assists, both well below her season averages. Solverson shot just 2-for-7 on the night. Only one of those buckets came off a drive against Cooper. The other one came with Cooper on the bench. At the outset of the game, it looked as though the matchup could be exploited by the Hawkeyes, since Cooper is four inches shorter than Solverson. But Cooper proved determined not to let her height be an issue. "I didn't think her size mattered today," Cooper said. "I'm supposed to go out there and play defense on anybody. It doesn't matter how tall they are, how short they are - it's what I'm supposed to do." NOTES: Michigan lost its first opening round Big Ten Tour- nament game since 1997 ... Pool's final start was the 100th of her career ... Michigan's longest run was just five points. 0 Michigan senior BreAnne McPhilamy drives to the basket to score two of her career-high 12 points in Michigan's first-round loss. i1nnesota pulls upset i*n semifinals ANAPOLIS (AP) - Janel McCarville nted by the memories of her first matchup sica Davenport. rday, McCarville did something about it. cored the final four points in regulation, med with Jamie Broback for Minnesota's ;ht points in overtime, leading the 15th- Golden Gophers to a 66-63 upset of No. 3 ate in the Big Ten tournament semifinals. ink the last game, I let her have the ball in tion she wanted," McCarville said. "This tried to push her out. My teammates were ng around her." eir first game this year, Davenport shred- Allen, but without Davenport's interior scoring, it wasn't nearly enough for the tournament's top seed. Ohio State lost for just the second time in 19 games. "I drew a bigger crowd," Davenport said. "I got pushed out of my spot a little bit, I didn't get low enough and I think that was the difference from the first game." Broback led the Gophers, the fourth seed, with 24 points despite early foul trouble, while McCa- rville delivered her usual dominant performance. She finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. "They just beat us off the dribble going right," Ohio State coach Jim Foster said of Broback and McCarville. "That's all they did. Broback just used the same move over and over again." Their presence changed everything. Minnesota controlled the inside and never allowed Ohio State to pull away. The Buckeyes had a chance to take control early when Broback drew her second foul less than seven minutes into the game. Three minutes later, McCarville hurt her right ankle when she landed on the foot of Ohio State's Stephanie Blanton. During the next three minutes, the Buckeyes built a 24-15 lead.