Michigan
Toledo
Eight Straight: U-M Dominates Toledo, Extends Streak
12/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TOLEDO, Ohio -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team (No. 14 AP, No. 15 ESPN/USA Today) won its third game in six days and eighth straight by dominating Toledo in a 74-46 win Wednesday (Dec. 12) at Savage Hall. The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead en route to defeating the defending Mid-American Conference champion Rockets, who earlier this season scored a home win over then-No. 5 Duke.
| | Smith |
After struggling out of the gate in its two games in Seattle over the weekend, Michigan (8-1) dominated play for the first five minutes of the first half at Toledo, scoring the first 13 points of the contest. Toledo (3-5) finally got on the board with a pair of free throws at the 15:30 mark as the Rockets found it difficult to figure out the Wolverine zone defense. Four different Wolverine starters scored the first 13 Wolverine points, but it was Smith doing the most damage in the paint.
In addition to forcing Toledo into perimeter shots, Smith and Bies controlled the boards, limiting Toledo to just one shot offensively. Led by Smith's eight points, Michigan pushed its lead to 20-4 with 12:05 left in the first period and prompted Rocket head coach Mark Ehlen to call his second timeout of the half. While the timeout did slow down the Wolverines -- they scored just two points over the next five minutes -- Toledo remained ice cold from the field. Toledo made just one field goal through the first 14 minutes of the contest as Michigan pushed its lead to 24 (28-4) before the Rockets made their second field goal of the half.
That field goal gave Toledo a little life as it proceeded on a 9-0 run to trim the Michigan deficit to 15 (28-13). The run occurred as Michigan coach Sue Guevara went with freshman post players Katrina Mason (Detroit, Mich./Murray-Wright HS) and BreAnne McPhilamy (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern HS) to rest Smith and Bies. Ingram snapped the Toledo run with a triple from the corner and Bies followed with a jumper from the free throw line as Michigan pushed its lead back to 20 (33-13).
However, Toledo would relent the momentum as the Rockets came right back with their second 9-0 run of the half to close the first half down just 11 (33-22). After missing 21 of its first 22 shots, Toledo hit six of its final 12 over the final six minutes of the half to cut into the margin. Although Toledo was able to find its rhythm offensively down the stretch, the Wolverines had a hand in the comeback, committing several unforced turnovers and finishing the half with 10 team turnovers compared to just five assists. Four of those assists came from Ingram, who also led the Wolverines with 10 points at the break.
Another area in which the Wolverines were lacking in the first half was their trips to the free throw line, where Michigan attempted just six first-half charity tosses after averaging over 22 attempts per game coming into the contest. Smith and Bies each totaled eight points in the first stanza while senior Susana Jara (Quito, Ecuado/Tustin, Calif. HS) continued to hawk the ball defensively with three steals.
Toledo scored the first hoop of the second half to cut the lead to single digits (33-24), but the Wolverines responded with a Smith jumper from the free throw line to go on a 10-2 run of their own and regain control of the game with a 43-26 lead. Freshman Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) also scored a couple key hoops in transition during the Michigan run.
Michigan's lead eventually grew back to 20 (50-30), but potential trouble came up for the Wolverines when Bies picked up her fourth foul with 11:57 left in the second half and Michigan's lead at 18 (50-32). The veteran Michigan backcourt, led by Ingram, then took over and sent Michigan on a 16-2 run as Ingram scored four points and assisted on back-to-back hoops by Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) during the Wolverine run that put the game away. Actually, Michigan held Toledo scoreless for just over six minutes as it turned a 54-34 lead (9:10) into a 68-34 edge before Toledo's next hoop with only 3:09 left in the contest.
The big lead allowed Guevara to get quality minutes for Mason and McPhilamy as well as fellow freshman Sierra Hauser-Price (Van Nuys, Calif./Notre Dame Prep HS) over the final three minutes of action. Michigan eventually closed out a 74-46 win, which is its largest margin of the victory of the season, surpassing its 22-point win over Washington State on Dec. 7.
The Wolverines remain on the road for the ninth time in the first 10 games with their next contest on Sunday (Dec. 16, 2 p.m. CST) at 21st-ranked Louisiana State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.
N O T E S
Michigan's current eight-game win streak is the third longest in school history. The Wolverines won nine straight in both the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns.
Michigan played without starting forward Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS), who missed her fourth straight game with a hip infection.
Michigan's 46 points allowed is its lowest total of the season and the fewest points allowed since holding Northwestern to 41 on Jan. 18, 2001, in an 83-41 victory in Evanston, Ill.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the game overall ... "We still have a lot of work to do and we did not do a good job at the free throw line. We did have great balance tonight offensively with out inside game of (Jennifer) Smith and (LeeAnn) Bies taking over in the first half and then when Toledo tried to take that away (Alayne) Ingram and (Susana) Jara played great from the perimeter. Ingram, especially, I thought played an excellent all-around game tonight."
On being on away from Crisler Arena for eight of the first nine games ... "Well, we are 8-1 so it is not too bad being on the road. You can look at being on the road as a negative and focus on that, but I look at it as a positive because I can control when these kids go to bed, what they eat, etc., and I think we have definitely developed a closeness on this team that, at least partially, is because of how much we have been on the road."
Senior Guard Alayne Ingram
On the No. 14 ranking Michigan now carries ... "We know that if we keep taking care of business and playing like we are capable that we can keep climbing in the rankings. As for right now, we have a good inside-outside game going and we are 8-1, so we have been taking care of business and deserve the ranking we have."
Junior Center LeeAnn Bies
On Michigan's variety of weapons ... "We do have a lot of weapons right now and when you add a freshman that can play on the perimeter like (Tabitha) Pool it just gives the other team one more player to worry about. It is a luxury that when somebody is having an off night you know there will be somebody else to step up and fill the void."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
