Michigan
Indiana
Michigan Uses Second-Half Rally to End Big Ten Drought
1/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind a strong second-half performance led by LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS), the University of Michigan women's basketball team (No. 23 USA Today/ESPN) ended their four-game losing-streak with a 68-55 victory over Indiana Sunday (Jan. 20) in front of 3,859 fans at Crisler Arena.
Bies scored 18 of her 19 points in the second half and Alyane Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) game-high 23 points as the Wolverines (12-7) improved to 2-6 in the Big Ten. Indiana (8-10, 2-5 Big Ten) received a team-high 11 points from Heather Cassady, while Erin McGinnis added 10 points and five rebounds.
The key part of the game came with Michigan trailing 36-28 at the 15:44 mark in the second frame after a 6-0 Indiana run to start the period. Ingram drew a foul and connected on both free throws, sparking a 10-2 run over the next 4:08 as the Wolverines tied the game for the first time since the score was 10-10 with 14:31 left in the first half. The tying basket came off an inbounds pass from the baseline, as Ingram found a streaking Bies for an easy layin. Bies then sank two free throws on Michigan's next possession to give the Wolverines their first lead of the game at 40-38 with 9:45 remaining in the game. Michigan then added four more points to take a six-point lead and stayed ahead the rest of the contest.
Turnovers were the story early as the two teams combined for five in the beginning four minutes of the game. Michigan's mishaps allowed the Hoosiers to grab an early 8-5 lead, as the Hoosiers connected on three of their first five shots while adding a pair of free throws by Cassady. Sierra Hauser-Price (Van Nuys, Calif./Notre Dame Prep HS), starting in her second consecutive game, connected on layup to tie the game at 10-10, but the Hoosiers mounted a five-point advantage on McGinnis' five points on consecutive possessions for Indiana.
Cassady gave the Hoosiers their largest lead of the game with 8:05 left in the first half when she connected on another pair of free throws to make it an eight-point game at 22-14. Ingram's runner at 6:48 ended a four-minute scoreless drought for the Maize and Blue and Katrina Mason's (Detroit, Mich./Murray-Wright HS) two free throw on the next possession brought the Wolverines within four at 22-18.
Ingram made it a two-point game at 28-26 with a jumper from the free throw line, then following two free throws by Allison Skapin to put Indiana ahead by four, Ingram hit two from the charity strip to end the first-half scoring with the score 30-28 in favor of the Hoosiers.
Indiana had the first possession to begin the second half and made the most of its opportunity as Jenny DeMuth hit a long triple from the left wing to extend the Hoosiers' lead to five, 33-28. DeMuth added a second triple one minute later, giving the Hoosiers their second eight-point lead of the game, 36-28.
The Wolverines then embarked on a 15-1 run over the next seven minutes as Michigan turned a six-point deficit (38-32) into a 47-39 advantage. In fact, Michigan held Indiana without a field goal for more than nine minutes until Jill Chapman connected on a jumper at the 5:10 mark, cutting the Michigan lead back to single digits, 51-43.
During the run, Michigan found its inside game as it pounded the ball down low to Bies. Ingram also made huge play after huge play during that stretch, including a key triple with the shot clock winding down that capped the 15-1 run and put the Wolverines up eight (47-39).
Michigan also got a big lift off the bench from Heather Oesterle (Mason, Mich./Mason HS), who grabbed five steals, including one theft that started the Wolverines on a fast break with Ingram and Gandy on each wing. Oesterle gave the impression she was passing to Gandy, then found Ingram along the left side. Ingram pulled the lone Hoosier defender her way, and found Gandy streaking toward the bucket. Gandy hit the layup and was fouled in the process. She hit the free throw, putting the Maize and Blue up 13, 56-43, with 4:01 to play.
The two teams traded baskets over the next two minutes, with Bies scoring all five of the Wolverines points to make the score 63-50 in favor of Michigan. McGinnis made it a 10-point game with 1:10 remaining as she converted a three-point play, but U-M broke the Hoosier press on the ensuing inbound as Ingram found Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) open underneath the Michigan basket for an uncontested layin. Bies added a free throw with 11.1 seconds left to seal the scoring and give Michigan a 68-55 victory.
Michigan will next travel to Champaign, Ill., to open the second half of the Big Ten season, as the Wolverines face Illinois Sunday (Jan. 27) at 2 p.m. CST.
N O T E S
Today's victory gives Michigan head coach Sue Guevara her 50th career Big Ten win.
LeeAnn Bies, who went 9-11 from the stripe, became Michigan's career leader in free throws made when she knocked down her first charity toss with 2:26 left in the half. Bies now has 334 career made free throws, which broke the old record of 325 set by Tonya Powell from 1987-90.
LeeAnn Bies' 19-point, 10-rebound effort was her team leading ninth double-double of the season and 20th for her career. Bies is now tied with Indiana's Jill Chapman for the conference lead with nine double-doubles.
Alayne Ingram hit for 20 or more points for the fourth time this season with today's game high of 23 on 8-12 shooting. Ingram also went 2-3 from behind the arc, giving her at least one triple in nine straight games and in 15 of her last 16 contests.
Heather Oesterle set a career high with five steals and matched a career best with 12 rebounds.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the game overall ... "I would love to thank the 3,859 people who were in the stands today, and they stuck with us and really helped us in the second half. I thought Alayne Ingram did a great job running the offense for us and LeeAnn Bies played huge for us in the second half. I am just very happy to get this win and get that monkey off our back."
On the turning point in the game ... "I thought that was when (Indiana's Jenny) DeMuth hit those two triples early in the second half and we decided to fight through it. After Thursday (at Minnesota) we thought it was going to be deja vu all over again, but we just buckled down and came back."
On the play of LeeAnn Bies ... "She got the ball in the low post and was very aggressive, allowing her to get to the basket. I was happy she stayed aggressive even though a lot of those bunnies around the basket were not falling in the first half. I have to give her credit for staying with it and she had a huge second half for us."
On getting to the free throw line 30 times ... "Penetration is hard to defend so we wanted to take the ball to the hole and put pressure on their defense. We know we have the people to hit free throws and it is a matter of us being aggressive and that is what happened today."
On getting back on the winning track ... "I think if we build from today we will be just fine. The second half of the Big Ten season begins next Sunday and if we take today's game and build off it there is nowhere we can go but up. So that is what we need to do, continue to get better."
Senior Guard Alayne Ingram
On hitting big shots with the shot clock winding down ... "I don't look at it as pressure because I want to take the big shot and today I knocked them down. When we are struggling to get a hoop I know I can deliver."
On the crowd ... "The crowd was a huge help and it felt good when we were making that run in the second half to hear them behind us. We know what it is like to go into hostile arenas and that was an advantage for us."
Junior Center LeeAnn Bies
On her play in the second half ... "I just wanted the ball, and you can call it a groove because I was feeling good in the second half. We just stayed with our game plan and we all made big plays down the stretch."
On the victory ... "I thought our defensive intensity in the second half was important and we got the crowd behind us, which brought out our emotion. We could taste it in the second half and we were not going to let it slip away."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
