Weekly Release #9
12/31/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, Jan. 2 -- vs. Michigan State (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 6 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 1:30 p.m. CST
Thursday, Jan. 10 -- vs. Ohio State (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 13 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.
| Michigan State (9-2, 0-1) at #18/17 Michigan (10-3, 0-2) | |
| When | Wednesday, Jan. 2 (7 p.m.) |
| Site | Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena/13,751) |
| Television | UMTV (channel 22 on Comcast) |
| Radio / Web | MGoBlue.com will link to MSU's broadcast |
| Series Record | Michigan State leads, 39-13 |
| Last Meeting | Michigan, 58-49 (1/25/01 at East Lansing, Mich.) |
| Coaches | Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982) Overall: 103-56 (6th season); at U-M: same Michigan State -- Joanne McCallie (Northwestern, 1987) Overall: 186-93 (10th season); at MSU: 19-20 (2nd season) |
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| #18/17 Michigan (10-3, 0-2) at #12/13 Wisconsin (11-1, 2-0) | |
| When | Sunday, Jan. 6 (1:30 p.m. CST) |
| Site | Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center/17,142) |
| Television | TBD |
| Radio / Web | None |
| Series Record | Wisconsin leads, 26-14 |
| Last Meeting | Wisconsin, 85-52 (1/4/01 at Ann Arbor, Mich.) |
| Coaches | Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982) Overall: 103-56 (6th season); at U-M: same Wisconsin -- Jane Albright (Appalachian State, 1977) Overall: 334-185 (18th season); at UW: 236-75 (8th season) |
Nationally Ranked Wolverines Look for First Conference Win
The University of Michigan women's basketball team (No. 18 AP, No. 17 USA Today/ESPN) has a big week ahead of it as the Wolverines face a pair of conference foes. Michigan (10-3, 0-2) hosts instate rival Michigan State on Wednesday (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.) at Crisler Arena in the teams' only regular-season meeting of the season. The Wolverines then travel to No. 12/13 Wisconsin (11-1, 2-0) on Sunday (Jan. 6, 1:30 p.m. CST) at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., for the only meeting of the season between those teams.
The Story
The Wolverines opened up Big Ten play on Friday (Dec. 28) with an upset loss at home to Illinois, which snapped the Maize and Blue's school-record 10-game win streak. Michigan then lost at No. 7 Purdue on Sunday (Dec. 30), which leaves the Wolverines looking for their first Big Ten win of the season when Michigan State arrives in Crisler Arena on Wednesday. The Spartans will also be looking for their first conference win after dropping their Big Ten opener by three points (50-47) at home to Indiana (Dec. 30). Following its instate duel, Michigan goes back on the road against No. 12/13 Wisconsin, which is the hottest team in the Big Ten right now. Wisconsin, which opened its conference campaign with a 71-59 win over then-No. 7 Purdue on Friday (Dec. 28) in Madison and a 68-61 win at defending Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa on Sunday (Dec. 30), represents Michigan's fifth game of the season vs. a ranked opponent. Wisconsin shares the Big Ten lead with Indiana heading into this week's action.
Michigan Looks for Fourth Straight Win Over Spartans
Despite trailing its all-time series with Michigan State 39-13, the Wolverines have had the upper hand in recent years. Michigan is riding a three-game series win streak heading into Wednesday's matchup and has won six of the last eight vs. its instate rivals.
Michigan-Michigan State Series (last 10 games)
1/25/01 W, 58-49 A 2/20/00 W, 90-87 (2ot) A 12/30/99 W, 64-61 H 3/14/99 L, 68-69 H 2/14/99 L, 70-56 A 1/20/99 W, 76-75 (ot) H 1/18/98 W, 81-65 H 11/22/97 W, 89-72 A 1/19/97 L, 76-67 A 2/18/96 L, 87-81 H
Guevara vs. Former Employer
Wednesday's matchup vs. Michigan State will be Michigan coach Sue Guevara's 10th vs. the school she worked for from 1987-96. Guevara worked as an assistant coach from 1987-94 and as an associate head coach from 1995-96. Prior to Guevara's arrival as Michigan head coach for the 1996-97 season, Michigan had just seven wins over Michigan State during the first 23 years (1974-96) of the series. However, Guevara has a 6-3 mark over the Spartans in her first five seasons leading the Maize and Blue. Guevara's next win over Michigan State will equal the number of Michigan wins in the all-time series prior to her arrival in Ann Arbor.
Still in the Polls
Despite its two losses to open the Big Ten season, the Wolverines have remained in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls for a school-record eighth straight week. U-M, which was a program-high 12th in both polls on last week (Dec. 24), slipped six spots to 18th in the most recent AP ranking (Dec. 31) and dropped five positions to 17th in the coaches' poll.
On the Air
Michigan's matchup vs. Michigan State will be televised on UMTV (channel 22 on Comcast in Washtenaw County) with Doug Karsch providing the play-by-play.
Michigan-Michigan State, Circa 2001
Because of the Big Ten's scheduling format the Wolverines and Spartans only met on the hardwood one time last season as well. Michigan State was the third victim during a five-game Wolverine win streak that vaulted Michigan back into the NCAA Tournament picture. A poor shooting first half found the Wolverines down 21-15 at the intermission on Jan. 25, 2001, at the Breslin Center, but the Wolverines responded by outscoring the Spartans 43-28 in the second frame to earn a 58-49 win in front of 7,323 fans. The Michigan victory was paced by LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS), who tallied 16 points and 11 boards as well as a pair of blocks.
One to Forget
Possibly Michigan's worst performance of the 2000-01 campaign came on Jan. 4, 2001, at Crisler Arena, where Wisconsin handed Michigan its worst regular-season defeat of the season, 85-52. Wisconsin carried a 48-38 lead into the half and held Michigan to just 14 points in the second half -- Michigan's lowest output for a half of the season -- on its way to the win. Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) came off the bench to lead Michigan with 15 points, while LeeAnn Bies tallied 12.
Wolverines vs. NCAA Competition
Michigan's matchup with Wisconsin on Sunday marks the seventh time this season the Wolverines will face a team that made last season's NCAA Tournament. Michigan is 4-2 vs. that field this season
Michigan vs. 2001 NCAA Tournament Teams (4-2)
Date Opponent Result Nov. 16 at #6 Louisiana Tech L, 66-81 Dec. 2 vs. #23 Notre Dame W, 78-63 Dec. 9 at Washington W, 71-70 Dec. 12 at Toledo W, 74-46 Dec. 16 at #21 Louisiana State W, 86-81 (2ot) Dec. 30 at #7 Purdue L, 47-69
Michigan vs. Ranked Opponents
The Wolverines will be meeting a ranked opponent for the fifth time this season when they face Wisconsin. Michigan is 2-2 vs. that field this season after earning a school-record five wins over ranked opposition a year ago.
U-M vs. Ranked Teams in 2001-02 (2-2)
Date Opponent Result Nov. 16 at #6 Louisiana Tech L, 66-81 Dec. 2 vs. #23 Notre Dame W, 78-63 Dec. 16 at #21 Louisiana State W, 86-81 (2ot) Dec. 30 at #7 Purdue L, 47-69
U-M Has Streak Snapped, Drops First Two in Conference
The Wolverines endured a difficult opening week to the Big Ten season after having their school-record 10-game win streak snapped by Illinois 85-81 on Friday (Dec. 28) at Crisler Arena. Michigan led by as many as nine in the first half (39-30) and shot a school-record .667 (34-51) from the field for the game despite the loss. Alayne Ingram also set a career high with 10 assists.
Michigan then dropped its second straight conference tilt, a 69-47 defeat at No. 7 Purdue on Sunday (Dec. 30). Ingram led the Wolverines with 19 points, but Michigan was unable to overcome 23 turnovers and a shooting percentage of .360 (18-50).
From the Field
Despite falling to Illinois (Dec. 28), the Wolverines managed to shoot a school-record .667 (34-51) from the field, including .773 (17-22) in the first half.
Top U-M Single-Game Field Goal Percentages
.667 vs. Illinois, 12/28/01 .648 vs. Minnesota, 2/21/97 .645 vs. Wisconsin, 2/88 .625 vs. Indiana, 1/16/98 .622 vs. Minnesota, 1/5/90
Goodlow Out
Senior forward and tri-captain Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) is out for the season due to effects from an infection that began earlier in the season. Goodlow will use her redshirt option for this season and return next year as a fifth-year senior.
Bies Watch
LeeAnn Bies, who leads the Wolverines in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (8.5), added 21 points to her career-best 15 rebounds in Michigan's win at LSU (Dec. 16) to run her team-best season mark to five double-doubles and career total to 16.
Bies' Double-Doubles This Season
Date Opponent Pts-Rebs 11/18 at Detroit 24-11 11/29 vs. Marquette 11-12 12/2 vs. #23 Notre Dame 18-12 12/9 at Washington 27-11 12/16 at #21 Louisiana State 21-15
Chairman of the Boards
Junior center LeeAnn Bies grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss at Purdue, which was her team-best seventh game of the season with at least 10 rebounds. It marked the first time this year the Wolverines lost when Bies, who leads Michigan in rebounding (8.6), tallied double digits in rebounds.
Dishing 'em Out
Senior combo guard Alayne Ingram handed out a career-best 10 assists in Michigan's win over Illinois, and at week's end the Michigan career leader in three-point field goals had moved up to fourth place on the all-time list for assists (315). Ingram, who is chasing Carol Szczechowski's (1988-91) third-place mark of 385, leads the Wolverines with 56 assists (4.3 apg) and is on her way to breaking her single-season best for assists of 125, which was set last season.
Double-Digit Scoring String Ended
Sophomore center/forward Jennifer Smith's (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) string of five consecutive games scoring in double figures was snapped with her nine-point performance at Purdue on Sunday. Prior to that game, Smith had scored 14 or more points in five straight games and in double figures in nine of her previous 10. Smith is tied for the team lead of 10 games in double figures with LeeAnn Bies and Alayne Ingram. Smith leads the Wolverines and the Big Ten in free throw percentage with a mark of .909 (39-43).
Gandy Back in the Starting Lineup
Sophomore forward Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) scored in double figures in three straight games, culminating with a 17-point performance vs. Illinois (Dec. 28) that matched her career high. As a result the sophomore forward was returned to the starting lineup vs. Purdue (Dec. 30) for the first time since the second game of the season at Detroit (Nov. 18). Over the last four games Gandy is shooting .731 (23-36) from the field and .818 (9-11) from the free throw line and is averaging 13.8 points.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Wolverines Post School-Record Win Streak
Michigan's 10-game win streak from Nov. 18-Dec. 21 earlier this season is the longest such streak in school history. Following a season-opening loss to then-No. 6 Louisiana Tech (Nov. 16), Michigan began the streak with a 67-52 win at Detroit (Nov. 18) and carried right through to a 71-42 win over Oakland (Dec. 21) before it was snapped by an 85-81 loss to Illinois (Dec. 28). The previous Michigan-best win streak was nine games, which was set by the 1998-99 Wolverines as well as the 1999-2000 squad that finished with a school-record 22 wins.
Michigan's Start Best Ever
The Wolverines posted the best record in school history through 11 games earlier this season. Michigan's 10-1 mark bested the 9-2 starts by the 1996-97 and 1998-99 Wolverine teams.
Highest Ranking
The Wolverines, who were preseason Top-25 selections by both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls, reached a program-best ranking of 12th following their win over Oakland on Dec. 21. Michigan's only other stay in the national polls in the history of the program came for two weeks late in the 1999-2000 season. The Wolverines debuted in the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 22 on Feb. 28, 2000, and remained at No. 25 heading into the NCAA Tournament that season before falling to Stanford in the first round.
Defending Champs Go Down Again
For the second time in three years Michigan has defeated the defending national champion. In addition to this season's win over Notre Dame (78-63) on Dec. 2, the Wolverines defeated then-defending national champion Purdue 74-67 on Jan. 8, 2000, before the home crowd at Crisler Arena and a national television audience on CBS. Current Wolverine Raina Goodlow added 10 points in the win over Purdue.
Ingram Breaks 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 (Dec. 12). Ingram, who now has 152 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 fourth on the career list with 315 assists and eighth with 1,194 career points.
Guevara's 100th Win Puts Her in Elite Company
Michigan sixth-year head coach Sue Guevara, who became the Wolverines' all-time winningest coach earlier this season with a 67-52 win over Detroit on Nov. 18, reached 100 career wins at Michigan and overall as a college head coach with a win at Washington on Dec. 9. Guevara became the 14th 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. Guevara's current career mark is 103-56.
Winningest Coaches at Big Ten School (since 1981-82, through 12/9/01)
| Rank, Coach | Wins | |
| 1. | Rene Portland, Penn State (22nd season) | 491 |
| 2. | Karen 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. | Ellen Mosher-Hanson, Minnesota (10 seasons) | 172 |
| 9. | Debbie Wilson, Ohio State (8 seasons) | 157 |
| 10. | Jane Albright, Wisconsin (eighth season) | 142 |
| 11. | Edwina Qualls, Wisconsin (10 seasons) | 131 |
| 12. | Theresa Grentz, Illinois (seventh season) | 121 |
| 13. | Tara Van Derveer, Ohio State (four seasons) | 110 |
| 14. | Sue Guevara, Michigan (sixth season) | 100 |
Triple Double
For the first time this season Michigan had three players earn double-doubles in points and rebounds in the win at LSU on Dec. 16. LeeAnn Bies' 21 points and 15 boards, Jennifer Smith's 19 points and 10 boards along with Stephanie Gandy's 15 points and 12 boards gave Michigan its own version of the triple-double.
Big Ten Honor
Dominant is the best way to describe the recent play of junior center LeeAnn Bies, who earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her performances against Washington State and Washington (Dec. 3-9). The preseason All-Big Ten selection averaged 22.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, which included torching Washington for a career-best 27 points in the win over the Huskies.
On the Glass
Next to free throw shooting, much of Michigan's early success can be attributed to its work in the rebounding department. Michigan has outrebounded its opponents in 10 of 13 games this season and in six straight before being outrebounded by Illinois (Dec. 28). Included in that run was a 62-rebound effort in the win over Washington State on Dec. 7. Michigan's 62 rebounds in that game are the third highest single-game total in school history.
Top U-M Team Single-Game Rebounding Totals
68 vs. Eastern Michigan, 11/30/93 65 vs. Slippery Rock, 11/29/86 62 vs. WASHINGTON STATE, 12/7/01 61 vs. Indianapolis, 11/28/87 61 vs. Wisconsin, 2/14/92
Schedule, Part 1
The Wolverines have been 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 its 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., but lost at Purdue 69-47 (Dec. 30). Michigan faces the Boilermakers one more time (Feb. 17 at 5 p.m.), at Crisler Arena. Michigan has also faced two other 2001 Elite Eight teams this season, winning at Washington 71-70 (Dec. 9) and losing at then-No. 6 Louisiana Tech 81-66 in its season opener (Nov. 16).
WOLVERINE PROBABLES (Stats through 12/30/01)
Pos No Player Yr. Ht. PPG RPG F 33 Stephanie Gandy So. 5-10 10.1 5.0 F 54 Jennifer Smith So. 6-3 12.8 7.2 C 44 LeeAnn Bies Jr. 6-3 16.2 8.6 G 40 Alayne Ingram Sr. 5-7 13.9 4.3* G 1 Tabitha Poole Fr. 6-1 9.2 4.6 * assists per game
2001-02 Top 25 Polls (12/31/01)
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Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
