U-M Tourney Hopes End with Quarterfinal Loss to Illinois

Saturday, February 27

Indianapolis, Ind.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Illinois

U-M Tourney Hopes End with Quarterfinal Loss to Illinois

2/27/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Barbara Cossman

Site: Indianapolis, Ind. (RCA Dome)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Quarterfinals)
Score: Illinois 86, Michigan 73
Records: U-M (17-11), Illinois (17-10)
Next U-M Game: Postseason TBD

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team's chances at receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament came to a screeching halt Saturday evening (Feb. 27) in the RCA Dome. The Wolverines fell 86-73 to No. 3 seed Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan dropped to 17-11 on the year, while the Illini raised their record to 17-10 and advanced to the semifinals to face Penn State on Sunday (Feb. 28).

Both teams got on the board immediately, with Michigan's Ruth Kipping (Quincy, Ill./Quincy HS) netting a bucket 10 seconds into the contest. The Wolverines went up 6-4, but Illinois got its game in motion, taking over offensively and defensively for the majority of the remaining time. A 3:39 Michigan scoring drought did not help, but Kipping's putback underneath brought U-M within one, 9-8. Senior Ann Lemire (Fairgrove, Mich./Frankenmuth HS) kept Michigan in the game, scoring seven of the team's nine points midway through.

Free throw shooting by the Illini kept Michigan at arm's length, with Illinois eventually going 10-for-10 from the line by half's end compared to Michigan's 2-for-3 shooting. The Wolverines' tenacity down the stretch, however, pulled them within striking distance.

Lemire brought the deficit down to single digits, 39-30, following up on a triple from freshman Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS). Stacey Thomas' (Flint, Mich./Southwestern Academy) basket took it down to seven, 39-32. Thomas then proceeded at the other end of the court to block an Illini shot out-of-bounds. Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) converted a three-point play with 24 seconds left in the half to bring Michigan within two, 41-39, but then was called for a foul on Illinois' Allison Curtain, who converted a three-point play of her own to close the half at 44-39.

Michigan narrowed the margin to four points on a triple from Ingram one minute into the second half. However, a 7-2 Illinois run quelled that comeback, as Illinois went up 53-44. The Wolverines brought it back down to five, 58-53, on a Thomas layup, but then managed only two points in just over four minutes. Illinois took advantage of that, going up 70-55 at 7:52.

Just when it appeared to be over, Lemire went on a shooting streak, accounting for 11 straight Michigan points, including three three-pointers. With U-M down by only seven points, 73-66, thanks to Lemire, sophomore Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark) followed the senior guard's lead, netting consecutive field goals to bring Michigan within six, 76-70. Once again, Illinois' free throw shooting saved the game, going 8-for-9 in three minutes time. Susan Blauser recorded the game's final point, hitting the front end of a two-shot foul for a final 86-73 score.

Lemire finished the game with a season-high 22 points, with Ingram (17) and Thomas (10) also reaching double digits. For the game, Illinois shot 57.4 percent to Michigan's 43.1. Illinois was just 2-for-8 from long range, while Michigan hit on nine of 27 attempts. The Illini were 22-for-29 at the free throw line, compared to Michigan's mere 2-of-5.

Though the Wolverines shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, Ingram and Lemire were certainly the devastating duo from long range. Lemire went 4-for-9 and Ingram 5-for-12. For the tournament, the pair combined for 12 three-pointers, with five from Lemire and seven from Ingram.

NOTES

• Anne Thorius' 11 assists tied a career high and matched the Big Ten Tournament record. Penn State's Tina Nicholson recorded 11 in 1995, while Northwestern's Amber DeWall did so in 1996. Thorius dished out 11 as a freshman against Bowling Green (11/21/97).

• Michigan's nine three-pointers was a season high and tied for the fourth-most in Michigan's single-game record book. Three previous U-M teams recorded 10 in one game.

QUOTES

Michigan Coach Sue Guevara
"I thought our kids battled back. I thought coming in we needed to play smart defense in the post and we had two freshman post players foul out. We had a couple of runs, but we just couldn't get over the hump. I have to give our team credit for coming back every time. We just didn't have an answer. We didn't have an answer for (Alicia) Sheeler or (Susan) Blauser. We got beat by a better team, but we'll be back and we'll be smarter and more physical."

On playing with such a young team ... "If you equate inexperience with not playing smart, then that's us. That's what frustrates me the most. This is a tournament and, hopefully, we've learned from it. The tape doesn't lie. We have to look at and fix what was wrong."

On Michigan's NCAA Tournament chances ... "Our chances have dwindled down. We have to keep our fingers crossed that the NIT will give us a good, hard look."