Michigan
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Hands Michigan Its First Loss of the Season
12/7/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Michigan jumped out to an early 9-1 lead, thanks to six quick points from senior Stacey Thomas (Flint, Mich./Southwestern Academy) and a basket and free throw by sophomore Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS). Vanderbilt did not pick up its first basket until the 14:59 mark of the first half.
The game seesawed back and fourth as the teams exchanged several baskets. Vanderbilt finally took control of the first half at the 5:31 mark, off a Michigan turnover that converted to a quick breakaway bucket by Chavonne Hammond.
The Commodores continued to add to their lead, using their height advantage on the inside to take a 34-31 into the locker room at halftime. Vanderbilt's post players contributed 26 of their 31 first-half points, including 10 by 6-foot-2 forward Zuzana Klimesova. Six-foot-6 center Chantelle Anderson contributed nine points, while Hammond, a 6-foot forward, recorded seven.
Vanderbilt continued to add to its lead in the second half, outscoring Michigan by a 41-29 margin. Michigan attempted to mount a comeback but the effort was a little too late. The Wolverines pulled to 69-60 with 1:53 to play on an Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) three-pointer, but could not overcome the hole they dug for themselves.
Michigan was led by sophomore guard Ingram with 21 points. Thomas added 15 points, five steals and two blocks. The Wolverines shot just 38.9 percent (21-of-54) for the game and 20.0 percent (3-of-15) from the three-point arc.
Four players scored in double figures for Vanderbilt, led by Anderson with 20. Klimesova added 16 points and 10 boards, while Hammond had 12 points and Ashley McElhiney 11. With the win, Vanderbilt improves to 5-2 overall.
Michigan (7-1) heads out on the road to Louisiana State this Saturday (Dec. 11) to face the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La. The game will be shown live on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. EST. The Wolverines will finish the Louisiana road trip facing No. 3 Louisiana Tech on Monday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. CST.
N O T E S
Michigan's loss to Vanderbilt was the team's first loss this season, snapping the Wolverines' school-record 7-0 start.
For just the third time this season, a team held the edge in rebounding over Michigan. Vanderbilt outrebounded the Wolverines by a 37-30 margin.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Sue Guevara
On tonight's game ... "First, my hat goes off to Vanderbilt. I think we looked tired out there. We had a lot of short shots. We had trouble rebounding the basketball and grabbing the ball. We weren't getting up off our feet. We didn't have an answer for their inside game. It was a tough loss, but I think this game will help prepare us for the Big Ten season."
On the size difference ... "They had four or five inches on us. We couldn't get our players inside, and if we did, we couldn't capitalize. That was mainly due to Vanderbilt's size. They are a big, strong team."
On what the team has to improve on ... "We have to do a better job of scoring in the zone. We had a lot of unforced turnovers. We are trying to do things quickly. We have to slow down. We'll keep working on it."
Sophomore Guard Alayne Ingram
On the start of the second half ... "We were only down by four coming back from halftime, but we didn't come out and take the game. The first five minutes of the second half is the most important. We didn't come out and play aggressively and strong. We had a stable defense, but we just hurt ourselves offensively."
Senior Forward Stacey Thomas
On tonight's game ... "We had a lot of unforced turnovers and we just can't have that. They were pretty tough. It was a very physical game. When it came to rebounds, one hand wasn't enough. We had to dive to the floor, three or four people, and whoever was tougher was going to get it. Vanderbilt is a very good team. We had the unforced turnovers, but they also caused a lot, too."
Vanderbilt Head Coach Jim Foster
On this year's Vanderbilt team ... "We are a very unselfish team. We are a young team in a lot of respects. We had a freshman point guard and center come in and play the way that those two did, on the road, I think that's good. Our sophomores came in and did a really good job for us. The glue that holds this team together is our senior, Chavonne Hammond. We have young talent and a senior with a good head."
Contact: Becky Olsen (734) 763-4423
