Weekly Release #4

11/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Upcoming Schedule
Fri., Dec. 1 -- vs. New Hampshire (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 3 -- vs. Western Michigan (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 4 p.m.
Thu., Dec. 7 -- vs. Syracuse (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 10 -- at Marquette (Milwaukee, Wis.), 4 p.m. CST

MICHIGAN (3-2) vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE (2-1)
When	Friday, Dec. 1, 2000 (7 p.m.)
Site	Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Series Record	0-0, First Meeting
Coaches	Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982)   Overall: 77-43 (5th season); at U-M: same New Hampshire -- Sue Johnson (Yale, 1986)   Overall: 46-37 (4th year); at UNH: same
On the Web	New Hampshire -- www.unhwildcats.com

Opening Tip
The University of Michigan women's basketball team, which is 3-2 overall, returns home this Friday (Dec. 1) for a 7 p.m. game against New Hampshire at Crisler Arena. The matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the schools. The Wolverines return to the road two days later as they face Western Michigan on Sunday (Dec. 3) at 4 p.m. in the Women's Basketball Showcase at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Michigan-Western Michigan tilt is the second game of a doubleheader that tips off with a game between Michigan State and Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m.

Scouting the Opponents
New Hampshire: New Hampshire (2-1) is in the America East Conference ... The Wildcats are 2-0 at home and 0-1 on the road this season ... New Hampshire defeated Brown (67-57) and Dartmouth (81-58), while losing to Holy Cross (60-87) ... New Hampshire is shooting .510 (75-147) from the floor and .423 (11-26) from the three-point line ... Junior center Anna Mathias is averaging 20.3 ppg ... New Hampshire on the Internet: www.unhwildcats.com.

Western Michigan: The Broncos (1-1) lost at Detroit (81-85), but won at Wake Forest (79-77) ... The Broncos shot .450 (9-20) from the three-point line in the win over Wake Forest ... Western Michigan also out-rebounded Wake Forest 48-32 in that game ... WMU leads the all-time series with Michigan 14-8, but U-M won the last meeting 73-64 on 3/11/99 in the WNIT first round in Kalamazoo ... Western Michigan on the Internet: www.wmubroncos.com.

New Hampshire Native
The Wolverines sport one native of New Hampshire on their 2000-01 roster. Freshman point guard Michaela Leary (Nashua, N.H./Nashua HS) came to Michigan as the USA Today New Hampshire Player of the Year a year ago. Leary has played in all five games, averaging 7.0 minutes per game. Leary scored a career-best five points, including the first triple of her career, in Michigan's win over Northern Illinois last Saturday (Nov. 25).

Michigan-Western Michigan Series
When Michigan and Western Michigan meet this Sunday (Dec. 3), it will be the 23rd meeting between the in-state schools. Western Michigan holds a 14-8 series advantage, but Michigan has won the last five meetings and seven of the last nine. The Wolverines are 1-0 against the Broncos under current head coach Sue Guevara. Michigan's last 10 meetings vs. Western Michigan:

3/11/99	W, 73-64	A
12/6/89	W, 78-63	A
12/6/88	W, 73-62	H
12/10/87	W, 67-59	A
11/27/85	W, 65-50	H
11/28/84	L, 60-57	A
12/3/83	L, 76-65	H
2/2/82	W, 77-64	A
11/27/81	W, 93-74	N
2/3/81	L, 64-63	H

The Last Time
Michigan and Western Michigan last met in the first round of the 1999 WNIT on March 11, 1999, at University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Wolverines won that meeting behind 23 points and 12 rebounds by former All-Big Ten honoree Stacy Thomas (1996-2000). Michigan scorched the net in the first half, shooting .714 (5-7) from the three-point line and jumping out to a 41-25 halftime advantage. Western Michigan shot just .313 (21-67) from the floor in the game.

Three current Wolverines started in that contest. Point guard Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium) started as a sophomore while current juniors Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) and Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) started as freshmen. Thorius scored just five points but dished out a game-high six assists, while Ingram netted seven points, including one hoop from beyond the arc. Goodlow collected six points and three rebounds in the Michigan win.

Thorius Sets School Record
Anne Thorius collected six assists in the win over Northern Illinois last Saturday (Nov. 25) at the 2000 Asahi Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, to become the new Michigan career assists leader. Thorius broke the old mark of 402, which was set by Lori Gnatkowski from 1980-84. Thorius leads the Wolverines with 21 assists (4.2 apg) this season and now has 410 assists for her career. Thorius has also scored 33 points (6.6 ppg) this season to give her 997 points for her career, which moves her into 15th place on Michigan's career scoring list.

Wolverines Place Fifth at Rainbow Wahine Classic
Michigan went 2-1 and placed fifth at the 2000 Asahi Rainbow Wahine Classic Nov. 24-26 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Michigan opened up with a 78-67 loss to Arkansas before earning wins over Northern Illinois (78-57) and Stephen F. Austin (74-49) to garner fifth place. Junior guard Alayne Ingram led Michigan with a team season-best 21 points in the loss to Arkansas. Michigan was outscored 24-3 in three-pointers in the loss. Four Wolverines scored in double figures, led by 15 from Raina Goodlow on 7-7 shooting, in the win over Northern Illinois. Freshman Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) led Michigan with 17 points to go with a career-best eights rebounds in the win over Stephen F. Austin.

Freshmen Called Upon
A pair of Wolverine freshmen were inserted into the starting lineup after the loss to Arkansas. Forward Stephanie Gandy and center Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) both made the first starts of their careers in the win over Northern Illinois. The two freshmen combined for 23 points on 11-16 shooting and 10 rebounds in the Wolverines' 78-57 win. The pair remained in the starting lineup vs. Stephen F. Austin a day later and again sparked the Wolverines. Gandy led Michigan with a career-best 17 points while also posting a career high with eight rebounds as the Wolverine easily handled Stephen F. Austin 74-49.

All-Tournament Recognition
Junior shooting guard Alayne Ingram was the lone Wolverine representative on the 22nd Annual Asahi Rainbow Wahine Classic All-Tournament Team. Ingram led the Wolverines in scoring (14.0 ppg) in the three-game tournament, while also shooting .400 (4-10) from the three-point line. In addition, Ingram was second in assists (3.66 apg) for the tournament.

What a Weekend
Junior forward Raina Goodlow continued to be the hottest shooter in the Big Ten after knocking down 15-19 shots at the Wahine Classic. Goodlow averaged 12.7 ppg on .789 shooting, including a 7-7 performance in the win over Northern Illinois. Goodlow leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage for the season, with a mark of .730 (27-37). Goodlow is Michigan's leading scorer this season, averaging 14.4 ppg.

Block Party
Michigan's 11 blocks recorded in the win over Stephen F. Austin is a season best and is tied for the sixth most ever collected by a Wolverine team in a single game. Sophomore center LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS) led the Wolverines with a team season-best four blocks. Here are Michigan's top six team block performances:

16 vs. New Mexico State	12/3/99
14 vs. Indiana	1/13/79
13 vs. Old Dominion	12/30/92
13 vs. Adrian	12/18/78
12 vs. Wayne State	1/30/82
11 vs. Notre Dame	1/20/79
11 vs. Stephen F. Austin	11/26/00

First-Ever Win Over Top-10 Opponent
Michigan opened its 2000-01 season with its first-ever win over a Top-10 opponent as the Wolverines took down then-No. 8 Louisiana Tech Nov. 17 in front of the home crowd at Crisler Arena. The Michigan win was paced by junior forward Raina Goodlow, who led the Wolverines with 17 points. Michigan' victory was also aided by a double-double in points (14) and rebounds (10) from senior point guard Anne Thorius. The Wolverines out-shot La. Tech 28-14 from the free throw line and held the Lady Techsters to just .385 (25-65) shooting from the field. The highest ranked team Michigan had defeated prior to La. Tech was when it defeated No. 12 and defending national champion Purdue 74-67 at Crisler on Jan. 8, 2000.

Another Ranked Foe Goes Down
In addition to Michigan's win over Louisiana Tech being its first ever over a Top-10 opponent, it also marked the 10th time Michigan has defeated a ranked opponent in its history. Eight of Michigan's 10 wins over ranked teams have come under Guevara and since 1998, her second season at Michigan.

Michigan's All-Time Wins Over Ranked Foes

1/19/86	58-56	vs. Iowa (17)
2/18/90	70-68 (ot)	at Northwestern (15)
1/9/98	67-59	vs. Purdue (23)
2/8/98	62-60	at Purdue (23)
2/28/98	79-70	vs. Wisconsin (24)
1/29/99	85-71	vs. Ohio State (19)
1/8/2000	74-67	vs. Purdue (12)
1/17/2000	86-69	at Illinois (13)
2/3/2000	70-59	vs. Illinois (23)
11/17/2000	69-66	vs. Louisiana Tech (8)

Career Best
Anne Thorius' 10 boards recorded in the win over Louisiana Tech was a career high for the senior point guard. Her previous best was eight, which she recorded in Michigan's 81-74 loss to Stanford in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament. Thorius leads the Wolverines with 5.0 rpg through the first five games this season.

Preseason Recognition
Michigan received votes in both the AP Preseason Top 25 poll as well as in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll. The Wolverines received 35 points in the AP poll, which was the 36th highest total of the teams receiving votes. In the ESPN/USA Today poll, Michigan received 18 points, which was the 41st highest total of teams receiving votes in the coaches poll. "I like the fact that we are gaining some recognition on a national level, but I am more anxious to see where we finish in March," said head coach Sue Guevara.

Big Ten Preseason Stuff
Despite finishing runner-up in the Big Ten, with a school-record 13-3 conference mark in 2000 and returning four players with starting experience, Michigan was left out of the Big Ten preseason poll by both the coaches and the media. Both polls, which include only the top three teams, had Purdue as the preseason Big Ten favorite, followed by Penn State in second and Illinois and Wisconsin tying for third. The Wolverines were not represented on either Big Ten preseason All-Conference team, while Purdue senior Katie Douglas was the pick for preseason Player of the Year by both the media and the coaches.

Guevara Enters Fifth Season
Head coach Sue Guevara enters her fifth season at the helm of the Wolverine program. In her first four years, Guevara compiled a 74-41 overall mark. The 74 wins rank second all-time in school history, while her 64.3 winning percentage ranks first. Guevara opened the 2000-01 campaign needing 20 wins to become the winningest coach in Michigan women's basketball history. Bud VanDeWege (1984-92) won 93 games as U-M coach.

The media honored Guevara as the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1999-2000, after she led the Wolverines to a school record 13 Big Ten victories and a second-place finish in the league, the team's best-ever showing. U-M advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament field for the second time under Guevara.

In the Role
Sue Guevara is joined on the bench by fifth-year assistants Yvette Harris and Eileen Shea, and first-year assistant coach Ron Mott. Yulonda Wimbish-Gay, who previously served as an assistant coach, moves over to the Director of Basketball Operations position.

The Schedule
Michigan faces a challenging and demanding schedule in 2000-01, playing 13 opponents that made postseason appearances in either the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT. Included is NCAA Final Four participant Penn State, WNIT champion Wisconsin and NCAA Elite Eight finisher Louisiana Tech.

Michigan begins Big Ten play on Dec. 28 with a road game at Illinois. The Wolverines will not have to travel far for the 2001 Big Ten Tournament, which will be held March 1-4 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Big Ten Standings (through Nov. 26)

 Big Ten Overall Indiana 0-0 .000 5-0 1.000 Ohio State 0-0 .000 3-0 1.000 Northwestern 0-0 .000 2-0 1.000 Purdue 0-0 .000 5-1 .833 Minnesota 0-0 .000 3-1 .750 Illinois 0-0 .000 2-1 .667 MICHIGAN 0-0 .000 3-2 .600 Penn State 0-0 .000 3-2 .600 Iowa 0-0 .000 3-2 .600 Michigan State 0-0 .000 2-2 .500 Wisconsin 0-0 .000 2-2 .500

WOLVERINE ROSTER (2000-01 Stats)

POSSIBLE STARTERS Yr. Ht. PPG RPG Other F 33 Stephanie Gandy Fr. 5-10 7.8 4.0 .630 FG F 32 Raina Goodlow Jr. 6-2 14.4 4.0 .730 FG C 54 Jennifer Smith Fr. 6-3 5.4 3.8 .524 FG G 24 Anne Thorius Sr. 5-11 6.6 5.0 4.2 apg G 40 Alayne Ingram Jr. 5-7 12.4 3.2 3.4 apg OFF THE BENCH F 10 Christie Schumacher Fr. 5-11 0.6 1.6 4.6 min. F 30 Heather Oesterle Jr. 6-0 7.4 4.0 2.6 apg G 5 Michaela Leary Fr. 5-8 1.8 2.0 7.0 min. G 31 Infini Robinson So. 5-9 3.0 0.6 1.000 FT C 44 LeAnn Bies So. 6-3 10.0 6.8 1.6 bpg ALSO AVAILABLE OFF THE BENCH F 42 Katie Dykhouse Sr. 6-2 0.3 0.0 5.0 min. G 4 Susana Jara Jr. 5-7 0.0 1.0 4.0 min.