U-M Denied Spot in Championship Game by Purdue
3/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team was denied an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament championship game by Purdue for the second straight season, falling 74-55 to the No. 8-ranked Boilermakers today (Saturday, March 3) in the semifinals at Van Andel Arena. The Wolverines, 18-11 overall, will now await the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 11, to see if they receive an at-large berth.
Purdue (26-5) scored the first four points of the contest, but after two jumpers from Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) and a triple from Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) the Wolverines entered the first timeout of the game trailing just 8-7 at the 15:38 mark. Another Wolverine trifecta by Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium) followed by a free throw by Thorius gave Michigan its first lead of the game (11-10) at the 12:11 mark.
Purdue answered right back with a 9-2 run to push its lead to six at 19-13 as the Wolverines went scoreless for over three minutes. Michigan cut the gap to five at 21-16 on a layup from Goodlow, but Purdue proceeded to go on a 14-3 run over the next five minutes to take its biggest lead of the half (35-19) with 2:04 remaining in the half. Purdue out-rebounded the Wolverines 23-12 in the first half, including 8-2 on the offensive glass, which helped the Boilermakers take a 35-21 lead into the intermission. Michigan, which shot just .286 (6-21) from the field in the first half, was led by Goodlow with eight points.
The second half began much the way the first ended as Purdue opened the half with a 16-8 run and extended its lead to a game-high 22 at 51-29 with 12 minutes to play. Michigan was not done, however, as back-to-back driving layups by Ingram and Thorius keyed an 11-4 run by Michigan, which cut the lead to 15 (55-40) at the 7:43 mark.
Following a timeout, Michigan sophomore center LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS) scored five straight points as the Wolverines got within 13 (58-45) with less than five minutes remaining in the contest. That was close as the Wolverines would get, however, as Purdue drained its free throws down the stretch and put away a 74-55 victory. The Boilermakers closed the contest with a 44-31 rebounding edge, including 17-6 on the offensive glass.
Goodlow led the Wolverines in scoring for the second straight day, netting 16 against the Boilermakers. Ingram and Thorius also reached double digits, with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
N O T E S
The attendance of 7,781 was a new record for a Big Ten Tournament game.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the game in general ... "I thought we cost ourselves early by not converting some easy puppies inside and by our inability to box out. Purdue converted a lot of offensive rebounds and was able to open up a lead, and with their depth they are a difficult team to come back against."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423