Michigan
Indiana
Michigan Opens Big Ten Season with Win at Indiana
12/28/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site:Â Bloomington, Ind. (Assembly Hall)
Score:Â Michigan 72, Indiana 58
Records:Â U-M (9-1, 1-0 Big Ten), Indiana (11-4, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game:Â Sunday, Jan. 3 -- vs. Michigan State (Crisler Arena), 2 p.m.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Junior forward Kenisha Walker (Grand Rapids, Mich./Creston School) recorded her first career double-double with career highs in points (27) and rebounds (11) as the University of Michigan women's basketball team defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 72-58 in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams. The Wolverines (9-1, 1-0) stretched their school-record winning streak to nine games and won their conference opener for the first time since 1989-90.
Trailing 26-25 at the half, the Wolverines opened the second half on a 5-0 run to take the lead. After Indiana (11-4, 0-1) tied the game at 32, Michigan went on a five-minute, 16-0 run to grab control of the game, rolling up a 48-32 advantage with 12:38 to play. U-M led by as many as 22 points (60-38 with 6:57 remaining) and IU never got closer than 11 the rest of the way.
The Wolverines fell behind early in the game as Indiana opened with a 10-2 spurt, but Michigan chipped its way back into the game. Michigan took its only lead of the first half, 25-24, on an Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium) layup with 1:45 left in the period before Indiana regained a 26-25 lead at the half. Thorius ended the game with six points and contributed seven assists.
Walker came up big in the decisive second half, scoring 19 of her 27 points and grabbing seven of her 11 rebounds. For the game she made 12-of-17 (.706) from the field.
Stacey Thomas (Flint, Mich./Southwestern Academy) had another solid performance for Michigan with 13 points -- nine in the second half -- and seven rebounds. Thomas also contributed seven steals, pushing her career total to 201.
Michigan will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 3, when the Wolverines host Michigan State in their Big Ten home opener. Game time is 2 p.m. at Crisler Arena.
NOTES
• Only a junior, Stacey Thomas is only the fourth player in the program's history to reach 200 career steals. Her seven steals against Indiana were one shy of her career high, set last year against Northwestern (1/2/98).
• After missing the previous four games due to a dislocated patella, freshman center Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) returned to action in the Indiana game and contributed five points and two rebounds in 14 minutes of action. Goodlow started at center in Michigan's first five contests of 1998-99.
• Michigan has defeated Indiana the last two times the teams have met in Assembly Hall. Last year, the Wolverines scored a 78-73 victory to snap a seven-game series losing streak.
