Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Uses Strong Second Half to Down Illinois
2/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Five players scored in double digits as the University of Michigan women's basketball team used the second half to dominate the University of Illinois 74-60 Sunday (Feb. 11) in Crisler Arena. Head coach Sue Guevara was able to clear her bench in the showdown between the Big Ten Conference's fifth- and sixth-place teams in front of 2,345 fans.
Michigan (15-9, 8-5 Big Ten) got on the board first, thanks in part to two Illinois turnovers. LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS) got Michigan on the board first with two. Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) and Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) helped Michigan gain an early 10-6 lead. Illinois (12-12, 7-5 Big Ten) hurried back with a 9-2 run, but the Wolverines quickly pulled the lead back to three.
Michigan hit two-three point baskets to tie the score up at 23. Both Heather Oesterle (Mason, Mich./Mason HS) and Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) found the basket from beyond the arc. Ingram hit one more trey to break the tie, giving Michigan a 28-25 lead with just over three minutes left in the first half. Illinois took the lead back once again, but a foul on Gandy with 1.5 seconds left allowed the Wolverines to go into the halftime break with a 32-31 lead.
Illinois turnovers provided a spark for the Wolverines during first half, contributing to 13 points on the board for the Maize and Blue. The first 15 minutes of play accounted for 10 lead changes and six ties. Leading the way for the Wolverines in first-half scoring were Oesterle and Ingram, who both posted eight points.
The Wolverines came out strong on defense in the second half, holding the Illini to two points in the first five minutes. Michigan pulled away from Illinois, drawing the lead out to 20 under a flurry of threes from Oesterle and Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium). Illinois turnovers provided 21 Wolverine points, while the Wolverines hit 84.6 percent of their free throws, finishing 22-26. Michigan dominated the Illini in the waning minutes of the game, allowing Guevara to play her entire lineup.
The Wolverines will close out their home season with a game against the University of Iowa on Thursday (Feb. 15). The senior night celebration, honoring players Thorius and Katie Dykhouse (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian HS), will tip off at 7 p.m.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the game overall ... "I was pleased with the way we responded after the loss to Holy Cross. We're back to games within the Big Ten and we are fighting for our lives. This was a very good all-around performance in the second half. It came together for us today. We were aggressive in the first half, but we weren't as effective as I would have liked them to be. But, in the second half, we pulled it all together ... the aggression and the effectiveness."
Senior Guard Anne Thorius
On the defensive efforts of the team ... "Illinois is a mentally tough team and we knew we would have to give them our best effort today. We lost the Holy Cross game on defense. Today, we focused on that. We have been looking at our defense since that game. We stressed the defense in practice for the past two days. And today things worked. We had some key stops when we needed them."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
