Weekly Release #5
12/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Dec. 7 -- vs. Washington State (Seattle, Wash.), 6 p.m. PST
Sunday, Dec. 9 -- at Washington (Seattle, Wash.), 3 p.m. PST
Wednesday, Dec. 12 -- at Toledo (Toledo, Ohio), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 16 -- at Louisiana State (Baton Rouge, La.), 2 p.m. CST
| #16 (AP)/#16 (ESPN/USA Today) Michigan vs. Washington State | |
| When | Friday, Dec. 7, 2001 (6 p.m. PST) |
| Site | Seattle, Wash. (Bank of America Arena/10,000) |
| Television | None |
| Radio / Web | MGoBlue.com will link to WSU's broadcast |
| Series Record | First meeting |
| Last Meeting | None |
| Coaches | Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982) Overall: 98-54 (6th season); School: same Washington State -- Jenny Przekwas (Wyoming, 1986) Overall: 148-140 (11th season); School: 15-41 (3rd season) |
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| #16 (AP)/#16 (ESPN/USA Today) Michigan at Washington | |
| When | Sunday, Dec. 9, 2001 (3 p.m. PST) |
| Site | Seattle, Wash. (Bank of America Arena/10,000) |
| Television | TBD |
| Radio / Web | MGoBlue.com will link to UW's broadcast |
| Series Record | Washington leads, 2-0 |
| Last Meeting | Washington, 73-60 (11/19/00 at Ann Arbor, Mich.) |
| Coaches | Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982) Overall: 98-54 (6th season); School: same Washington -- June Daugherty (Ohio State, 1978) Overall: 206-144 (13th season); 85-70 (6th season) |
Wolverines Travel to Seattle to Face Pac-10 Schools
The No. 16 University of Michigan women's basketball team places its five-game win streak on the line with a pair of contests this weekend at Bank of America Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Wolverines (5-1) face Washington State (2-4) on Friday (Dec. 7, 6 p.m. PST) in the first contest of the evening, with Washington facing Indiana in the nightcap. The four teams swap opponents on Sunday (Dec. 9), with Michigan and host Washington (4-3) facing off at 3 p.m. PST. This marks the Wolverines' only matchups vs. Pac-10 schools this season and their first-ever meeting with Washington State. Michigan and Washington meet for the second straight year and the third time overall.
The Story
Michigan and Washington State open up the Challenge with the first-ever meeting between the two schools. In the second set of games over the weekend, Michigan and Washington face each other for just the third time, but for the second straight season. Michigan opened up its 2001-02 season with a 69-66 victory over eighth-ranked Louisiana Tech at Crisler Arena, but that celebration was short-lived as two days later Washington defeated the Wolverines 73-60 on their home floor. The Huskies went on to win the Pac-10 championship and advance to the West Region's Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before being ousted by Southwest Missouri State one game shy of the Final Four.
Washington, which was ranked No. 19/17 in the preseason polls, is the third Wolverine opponent this season to be tabbed among the nation's top 25 in the preseason. The Wolverines are coming off their first win this season over a ranked opponent after handing defending national champion Notre Dame a 78-63 defeat on Sunday (Dec. 2) at the College Women's Basketball Showcase at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. The win over Notre Dame is the Wolverines' fifth straight after dropping their season opener at then-No. 6 Louisiana Tech (Nov. 16).
Climb Continues in One Poll
Michigan's ascension to new heights in the polls continued this week as the Wolverines reached No. 16 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, their highest ever ranking in that list, after defeating Marquette 65-49 on Thursday (Nov. 29) and No. 23 Notre Dame 78-63 on Sunday (Dec. 2). The Wolverines remained at No. 16 in the Associated Press poll, also the highest ranking ever by a Michigan team in that poll.
On the Air
Both Michigan contests this weekend will be broadcast live over the official websites for Washington and Washington State athletics, with a link to each being provided on the Michigan women's basketball front page.
The Scouting Report
Washington State -- The Cougars (2-4) opened the season with three losses before winning two of their last three with wins over Portland State and Gonzaga ... Washington State went 11-17 last season, including 6-12 in the Pac-10 for a ninth-place finish ... Washington State did upset two ranked teams a year ago -- No. 18 Oregon (67-64) and No. 22 Arizona (93-86) ... freshman guard Francine McCurtain leads Washington State in scoring (11.5 points) ... The Cougars are averaging 59.8 points and are shooting .465 (33-71) from behind the three-point line ... WSU on the Internet: wsucougars.com.
Washington -- The Huskies (4-3) lost their last time out to San Francisco, 72-68 ... Washington is 0-1 this season vs. the Big Ten after suffering an 87-67 loss to the Badgers at Madison, Wis., on Nov. 18 ... junior guard Loree Payne leads Washington in scoring (14.2) ... Washington lost its top player from a year when Megan Franza graduated. Franza was Washington's only Pac-10 all-conference first-team selection last season ... sophomore guard Giuliana Mendiola was a Pac-10 all-freshman team selection last season ... Washington on the Internet: www.gohuskies.com.
Michigan-Washington Last Season
Following a season-opening win over eighth-ranked Louisiana Tech last season, Michigan dropped its next two games against Washington at Crisler Arena and vs. Arkansas at a tournament in Hawaii. Washington drilled four triples in the first half and shot .500 from the field en route to a 39-35 lead at the break. Michigan never regained the lead in the second half as Washington earned a 73-60 victory. Emily Autrey dropped in 15 points for the Huskies, while Giuliana Mendola came off the bench to score 10 points and grab eight rebounds. Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) led the Wolverines with 17 points, while LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS) chipped in 16 points and seven boards for the Maize and Blue.
Michigan-Washington Series
Although Michigan and Washington are meeting for the second straight season, it is just the third time overall the two programs have met. Prior to last season Michigan and Washington had met just one time, a 67-62 Husky win in the Wolverines' only trip to Seattle.
Michigan All-Time Results vs. Washington (0-2)
Date W/L Score Site 12/27/91 L 62-67 A 11/19/00 L 60-73 H
Michigan Ties on Washington Bench
Current Washington assistant coach Shimmy Gray, who hails from Flint, Mich., played forward for the Wolverines from 1992-94. Gray is 15th on the Wolverines' career rebounding list with 452 and is 32nd in career points with 570. In fact, Gray's 452 career boards are four ahead of current Wolverine junior LeeAnn Bies. Gray is in her second season on the Washington bench.
Wolverines Looking for First Win Over Pac-10 Team
The Michigan women's basketball team heads into this weekend's Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge without a single victory over a Pac-10 team in the program's history. Michigan is 0-6 all-time and 0-4 under current head coach Sue Guevara, who took over the Wolverine program to begin the 1996-97 season.
Michigan's Game-by-Game breakdown vs. the Pac-10
11/29/80 vs. California L, 80-82 12/27/91 at Washington L, 62-67 12/1/96 vs. #11 Stanford L, 74-77 3/13/98 vs. UCLA* L, 58-65 3/18/00 vs. Stanford* L, 74-81 (OT) 11/19/00 vs. Washington L, 60-73 * NCAA Tournament first round
Wolverines Return to Seattle
Michigan's last trip to Seattle, Wash., was for the 1991 Seattle Times/Washington Husky Classic. The Wolverines dropped their opening round tilt to host Washington 67-62, before bouncing back the following day for a 77-73 win over Western Kentucky, an eventual Final Four participant, to earn a third-place finish. The 1991-92 season was the final campaign for former Wolverine coach Bud VanDeWege (1984-92), who is the only Michigan coach to lead the Maize and Blue to the NCAA Tournament other than current boss Sue Guevara. VanDeWege was recently passed by Guevara as the program's all-time winningest coach when she earned her 94th career win in a 67-52 win at Detroit on Nov. 18.
Guevara Nears 100 Career Wins in Just Six Seasons
Michigan sixth-year head coach Sue Guevara, who recently became the Wolverines' all-time winningest coach with the 67-52 win at Detroit on Nov. 18, is just two wins shy of reaching 100 at Michigan and overall as a college head coach. Guevara would become the 11th coach in Big Ten women's basketball history to reach 100 wins during her tenure at a conference school since the Big Ten began including women's sports in 1981-82.
Winningest Coaches at Big Ten School (since 1981-82)
| Rank, Coach | Wins | |
| 1. | Rene Portland, Penn State (22nd season) | 489 |
| 2. | Karan Langeland, Michigan State (24 seasons) | 376 |
| 3. | Vivian Strigner, Iowa (12 seasons) | 269 |
| 4. | Don Perrelli, Northwestern (15 seasons) | 251 |
| 5. | Nancy Darsch, Ohio State (12 seasons) | 234 |
| 6. | Lin Dunn, Purdue (nine seasons) | 206 |
| 7. | Jim Izard, Indiana (12 seasons) | 188 |
| 8. | Jane Albright, Wisconsin (eighth season) | 140 |
| 9. | Theresa Grentz, Illinois (seventh season) | 119 |
| 10. | Tara Van Derveer, Ohio State (four seasons) | 110 |
| 11. | Sue Guevara, Michigan (sixth season) | 98 |
Wolverines Streaking
Michigan has bounced back from its season-opening loss at Louisiana Tech to win five straight and match its longest win streak of a year ago when the Wolverines won five consecutive contests on a pair of occasions. Michigan is four wins shy of matching the school record for consecutive wins of nine, which was set by the 1999-2000 Wolverine team that finished with a school-record 22 wins and placed a program-best second in the Big Ten regular season. That team dropped an 85-71 decision at seventh-ranked and eventual Big Ten champion Penn State before ripping off nine straight wins to close the regular season and open the Big Ten Tournament. Eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue snapped Michigan's streak, 74-59 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Out of the Gate Quickly
The cagers' 5-1 start to open the season is tied for the third-best record by a Wolverine team six games into the regular season. Only the 1999-2000 Wolverine squad that opened up 7-0 and the 1989-90 team that started its NCAA Tournament season 6-0 opened their seasons with better records than the current Wolverines. The following is a list of the best starts in Michigan history through six games and that team's record was before its second loss.
Best Starts in Program History
Year After six games Before second loss 1999-00 6-0 7-1 1989-90 6-0 7-1 1996-97 5-1 8-1 1997-98 5-1 6-1 1998-99 5-1 9-1 2001-02 5-1
Michigan Wins Home Opener, Dumps Defending National Champs
Following four road games to open its season, Michigan finally played in front of the home crowd last Thursday (Nov. 29) and did not disappoint with a 65-49 win over Marquette at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines struggled to a 25-24 halftime lead despite shooting just .393 from the field. The Wolverine defense, however, held Marquette to a mark of .300 (18-60) for the game as Raina Goodlow led the way with 15 points. LeeAnn Bies also contributed a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Three days later Michigan was able to get back at No. 23 Notre Dame for bouncing the Wolverines from last season's NCAA Tournament with a 78-63 win at the College Women's Basketball Showcase, held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. Paced by red-hot shooting -- .680 (17-25) in the first frame -- Michigan jumped out to a comfortable 45-27 at the break and never looked back. The Fighting Irish never came closer than 12 points in the second half as Alayne Ingram dropped in 22 points, while LeeAnn Bies collected her second straight double-double with 18 points and 12 boards.
Defending Champs Go Down Again
For the second time in three years Michigan has defeated the defending national champion. In addition to Sunday's (Dec. 2) win over Notre Dame, the Wolverines defeated defending champion Purdue 74-67 on Jan. 8, 2000, before the home crowd and a national television audience on CBS. Current Wolverine Raina Goodlow added 10 points in the win over Purdue.
Ingram Breaks Three-Point Mark
Senior guard Alayne Ingram, who is playing both guard positions this season, became the Wolverines' all-time leader in three-point field goals with her first of three triples in the win over Notre Dame. Ingram, who now has 137 career trifectas, passed the mark of 134 that was set by Michigan's current director of basketball operations Molly Murray, who played for the Wolverines from 1995-98. Ingram is also eighth on the career list with 277 assists and 13th with 1,104 career points.
20-Plus in Ingram's Range
Alayne Ingram's 22-point effort vs. Notre Dame was her second 20-plus scoring performance this season, which is tied for the team lead with LeeAnn Bies. Dating back to her 27-point performance in the Wolverines' NCAA Tournament first-round win over Virginia last March, Ingram has scored 20 or more points in three of her last seven games. Ingram is shooting .450 (9-20) from three-point range in the early going this season after shooting just .313 (47-150) last season, and she also leads the team in assists per game (3.6).
Bies Dominates
For the first time this season, junior LeeAnn Bies put together back-to-back double-doubles in points and rebounds with her performances vs. Marquette and Notre Dame. Bies's 11-point, 12-rebound performance vs. Marquette was followed up with a dominating 18-point, 12-rebound display vs. the defending national champions despite early foul trouble. Picking up her second foul midway through the first half, Bies played just 11 minutes in the opening frame and 22 for the game. Included in Bies' 18 points vs. Notre Dame was a 10-11 afternoon at the free throw line. Bies now has a team-best three double-doubles this season and 14 for her career.
Bies Provides Consistency
Because a back injury forced Raina Goodlow to miss the Notre Dame contest, LeeAnn Bies is now the only Wolverine to start every game this season. Dating back to the 2000-01 regular-season finale vs. Penn State (Feb. 25, 2001), Bies has started a team-high 11 straight games.
Mason Fills In
Freshman center Katrina Mason (Detroit, Mich./Murray-Wright HS) received significant playing time off the bench in Michigan's win over Notre Dame. Due to the injury to Raina Goodlow, center Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) stepped into Goodlow's starting spot, which left her minutes off the bench for Mason to fill. Mason filled those minutes admirably with career highs in points (six), rebounds (three) and minutes played (16).
Smith Doubles Up
Taking advantage of a starting opportunity vs. Notre Dame, Jennifer Smith came through with 12 points -- 10 in the second half -- and six boards for the Wolverines. Smith has now scored in double figures in five of Michigan's six games this season, which is tied with LeeAnn Bies for the team lead.
Perfect from the Line
Sophomore center Jennifer Smith, who ranked fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.814, 70-86) last season, has started the season perfect from the line (13-13) through the first six games.
Sharing the Ball
Sophomore forward Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS), who had just 38 assists all of last season, is tied for the team lead in total assists with 18 through six games. Gandy set season bests with four assists and nine rebounds in the win over Notre Dame.
Protecting the Ball
Senior and former walk-on Susana Jara (Quito, Ecuador/Tustin HS, Calif.) continues to be one of the surprises of this Wolverine team. Jara, who had just eight career assists in her first three seasons, has handed out 17 assists and turned the ball over only six times. Jara has also started the last four Michigan contests after starting just one game in her career prior to this season.
Schedule, Part 1
The Wolverines will be road warriors in 2001-02 with nine of their first 10 games on the road and just 10 total home tilts among their 27-game regular-season schedule.
Schedule, Part 2
Michigan, which set a school record last season with five victories over ranked opponents, will face eight 2001 NCAA Tournament teams a total of 11 times in regular-season schedule, including contests against the defending NCAA champion (Notre Dame) and national runner-up (Purdue). Michigan beat Notre Dame 78-63 on Dec. 2 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., and will face the Boilermakers twice (Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. CST, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m.). Michigan also faces Elite Eight teams Louisiana Tech and Washington on the road.
WOLVERINE PROBABLES (Stats from 2001-02)
Pos No Player Yr. Ht. PPG RPG F 1 Tabitha Pool Fr. 6-1 11.3 4.0 F 32 Raina Goodlow Sr. 6-2 8.8 5.6 C 44 LeeAnn Bies Jr. 6-3 16.2 8.3 G 40 Alayne Ingram Sr. 5-7 15.4 3.6* G 4 Susana Jara Sr. 5-7 2.5 2.8* * assists per game
2001-02 Top 25 Polls (12/3/01)
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Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
