Michigan
Michigan State
Wolverines Snap Losing Streak with Overtime Win
1/20/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score:Â Michigan 76, Michigan State 75 (OT)
Records:Â U-M (10-6, 2-4 Big Ten), MSU (9-8, 3-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game:Â Friday, Jan. 22 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 7 p.m. CST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore center Alison Miller's (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) free throw with six seconds left in overtime boosted the University of Michigan women's basketball team to a 76-75 victory over Michigan State Wednesday evening (Jan. 20). The win was Michigan's 10th, pushing the Wolverines to 10-6 overall and 2-4 Big Ten, while MSU dropped to 9-8 and 3-4.
After losing five straight games and going winless in the month of January, the Wolverines ended their five-game losing streak in a contest featuring two teams extremely familiar with one another. After serving on the Spartan staff for 10 years, Michigan coach Sue Guevara claimed her third straight win over her mentor, MSU coach Karen Langeland.
Spartan forward Kristen Rasmussen led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting and added 11 rebounds, two blocks and four steals. U-M freshman guard Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) led the Wolverines with 17 points, adding career highs with five assists and three steals.
The lead changed hands four times in the first half, with seven ties. Michigan jumped out to a 15-6 lead but was held scoreless for more than five minutes while the Spartans hammered away to tie it at 15 and 17 near the 10-minute mark. Michigan State took a five-point lead (27-22) on consecutive three-pointers from Maxann Reese, but the Wolverines rallied to tie it up at 29.
Michigan closed the half down by four, 35-31, after sophomore guard Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark) nailed two free throws with no time on the clock following a Becky Cummings foul at the buzzer.
The second half proved to be even more exciting, with Michigan State controlling the game in the first seven minutes. Michigan regained the lead at 10:49 on a Kenisha Walker (Grand Rapids, Mich./Creston HS) jump shot and held on until the Spartans evened it up at 1:47 with another triple, this time from Rasmussen. Ingram put the lead back in Michigan's hands with two free throws at 1:38, but a Donita Johnson jumper at 1:18 tied the score at 66, where it remained to send the game into overtime.
The overtime period was as close as the first 40 minutes. Michigan threatened first with a free throw, but Reese netted a jumper for a 68-67 Spartan lead. Walker answered with a layup, followed by a Rasmussen layup for MSU. The Spartans took the largest lead of overtime with Rasmussen completing a three-point play and taking a 71-69 lead at 2:42.
After Ingram tied it up at 71, Miller added two free throws to put Michigan up 73-71 with 1:16 on the clock. Ties at 73 and 75 followed before Cummings fouled out with six seconds on the clock, sending Miller to the line. Miller missed the first of the two-shot foul but connected on the second.
Ingram was the spark Michigan needed in overtime. She scored five of Michigan's overtime points, while Miller added three, hitting 3-of-4 from the foul line.
The Wolverines will embark on a two-game road trip, beginning with a 7 p.m. game at Iowa on Friday, Jan. 22.
NOTES
• Michigan is now 1-1 this year in overtime games. On Jan. 5, U-M lost 75-65 at Illinois in one extra period. Michigan is now 8-8 all-time in overtime games.
• Stacey Thomas ranked third nationally in steals entering this week with 3.9 per game. With six steals against Michigan State, she has a season total of 64 for a 4.0 average.
• The two teams' starting point guards earned "Ironwoman" awards as Michigan's Anne Thorius played the entire 45 minutes and Michigan State's Donita Johnson logged 44 minutes of action.
• All five Michigan starters scored in double figures, led by Alayne Ingram with 17. Stacey Thomas added 15, Alison Miller and Anne Thorius chipped in 11 apiece, and freshman forward Ruth Kipping (Quincy, Ill./Quincy HS) had 14 points and nine rebounds, falling one shy of her career best in both categories.
• Sue Guevara, a former assistant at Michigan State, is now 3-1 against the Spartans. In 1997, she lost 76-67. In 1998, she swept the season series, winning 89-72 and 81-65.
• Other members of Michigan's basketball program with Michigan State ties include U-M assistant Eileen Shea, a three-time All-Big Ten selection for the Spartans (1987-91), and Michigan guard Anne Thorius, who grew up playing basketball with MSU forward Pernille Dalgaard in Horsholm, Denmark. Thorius and Dalgaard played basketball with Shea while Shea coached the Danish National Team in 1991-92.
• Michigan and Michigan State have now played in two overtime games. The Wolverines were also victorious in the first OT game, winning 71-65 on Jan. 26, 1990.
QUOTES
Michigan Coach Sue Guevara
"This was a monster win for us. I wish Karen (Langeland) all the best this Friday against the "other" U-M -- Minnesota -- to get her 350th victory."
"We finally found the scoring box. It's been a long time since we had five players in double figures."
On Michigan's defensive game ... "Ruth (Kipping) had a pretty good game, but she got schooled defensively by (Kristen) Rasmussen. Ruth looked at the stats and saw what Kristen had, and she just dropped her head. Well, that's not going to happen next time we see Kristen Rasmussen. Kenisha Walker did a good job defensively, especially in overtime."
On coaching against her former team ... "A couple times, I'd look down there at their bench, and all I could do was smile. You don't see that very much in college athletics, but it's just that coaching staff at Michigan State, I guess. But trust me, I wanted that win very much."
On the difference tonight ... "We saw contributions from other people in scoring. Defense has kept us in there, but we just haven't been scoring. It finally came together for us."
U-M Junior Forward Stacey Thomas
"This was a confidence builder. We needed to win tonight to get back on track. The freshmen are stepping up, I'm proud of them. They're working hard and trying to do a little extra, and it's paying off. In overtime, I told them we need to keep our composure and not let up."
U-M Freshman Forward Ruth Kipping
"Since I've been starting, I've been playing better. My role is changing on the team since we have a couple players out. Before I couldn't find my place. Now I've established my role."
Michigan State Coach Karen Langeland
"This was a tough game to lose. That was pretty good basketball on the court by both teams. Alayne Ingram hit some big buckets down the stretch, and that was the story at the end. I don't think Michigan did anything we weren't expecting. They are a good transition team. They do a good job getting their hands on the ball, especially Stacey (Thomas)."
"You could say Michigan is the last-place team, but I don't think they're a last-place team. There certainly is parity in this conference. This whole thing is up in the air, except maybe for Purdue."
MSU Junior Forward Kristen Rasmussen
"We were excited to come out to play here. It's tough, but we'll get them again. I look forward to that at Breslin.
Becky (Cummings), Erin (Skelly) and I look for the high-low, and they (Michigan) did a good job taking that away from us."
