Michigan
Wisconsin
U-M Outdone By Wisconsin's Hot Three-Point Shooting
1/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team (No. 18 AP, No. 17 USA Today/ESPN) fell 89-74 Sunday (Jan. 6) to the University of Wisconsin (No. 12 AP, No. 13 USA Today/ESPN) in Big Ten Conference action at the Kohl Center.
| | Bies |
But Wisconsin's Tamara Moore was the story of the game as she scored 26 points and added seven assists for the Badgers (13-1, 4-0 Big Ten) while shooting 11 of 15 from the floor, including 4 of 6 from behind the three-point line. The loss dropped the Wolverines' record against nationally ranked opponents this season to 2-3.
Bies scored a layin on the Wolverines' second possession, and a basket by Pool and a three-point play by Bies made it an early 7-0 run with 18:20 remaining. Wisconsin's Moore hit a three-pointer to get UW on the board on its ensuing possession. Moore cut the lead to 7-5 with 17:13 left on a drive into the lane. On a fast break Michigan got the ball back into Pool's hands for 9-5 lead with 16:20 left.
A pair of Leah Hefte three-pointers around two free throws by sophomore Jen Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) erased the Michigan lead, as the teams were even, 11-11. Another three-point basket by the Badgers gave them their first lead at 14-11 with 13:21 remaining in the half. Two more free throws by Pool, however, helped the Maize and Blue keep Wisconsin close. Michigan was able hang close to Wisconsin and finally regained the lead, 17-16, on a jumper by Bies with 9:21 left in the half. Two more baskets by Smith and Bies allowed Michigan to maintain its edge over the Badgers, 21-18, with 7:51 left to play in the half.
U-M senior Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) got hot as she hit two three -point buckets to battle Wisconsin's shooters. Then a scramble for the ball allowed Bies to equal Michigan's largest lead of the game as the Wolverines led 31-24. Unfortunately, from that point Wisconsin would begin to regain control in the game, starting off with its fifth three-pointer. Over the final 3:43 of the first half, Michigan was outscored 13-4. The run was capped off by an out-of-control three-point shot by Kyle Black which banked in as time ran out in the first half to give Wisconsin a 37-35 advantage.
Michigan was led in the first half by Bies, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. Wisconsin was paced by Jessie Stomski's eight points and six rebounds and Tamara Moore's five points and five assists. Although UW shot only 38.9 percent from the field, 10 U-M turnovers and six three-pointers by the Badgers were the difference in the opening half.
The second half continued to be red hot for Wisconsin as the Badgers came out of the locker room on a tear and outscored the Wolverines 17-7 in the first 4:45 of the second half. The Badgers were aided by two three-pointers and one three-point play. U-M's Smith had three points and Pool had four during the run, but Wisconsin continued to lead 52-40.
Two more three-point baskets by Wisconsin sandwiched a Smith layup, forcing Michigan to call a timeout with 13:48 left in the contest as it trailed by 16. Sophomore Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) hit a layup to cut the lead to 14, but a two-minute scoring drought allowed Wisconsin to open up a 20-point lead, 66-46, with 10:21 left in the game. Michigan made an attempt to get back into the game with a 6-1 spurt fueled by four points from Bies, but once again Wisconsin's shooters answered with their own baskets as six more points from Moore gave the Badgers their largest lead of the game, 80-59, with 5:15 left.
Bies would continue work hard and refuse to give up as she scored six more points in the final minutes as the Wolverines tried to claw their way back into the game. All Michigan could do though in the final minutes was chip away at the Wisconsin lead to produce the 89-74 final score.
Michigan will return home Thursday (Jan. 10) to continue its Big Ten season against Ohio State at Crisler Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
N O T E S
Junior LeeAnn Bies tied a career high with 27 points. She hit the same mark earlier this season at Washington (Dec. 9). She also recorded her sixth double-double of the season with her 27 points and 13 rebounds, giving her 17 career double-doubles.
Freshman Tabitha Pool tied a career high with six assists against Wisconsin. She also had six assists vs. Washington State (Dec. 7, 2001).
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the game ... "I thought defensively we were doing a pretty decent job on them, and offensively we were getting what we wanted ... we were trying to get the ball inside. We didn't go in (to halftime) disappointed. It's like that one went in, but we can get it back. You can always get the momentum back. We just could not get a stop. You'd think if you score 74 points, shoot 46 percent, that you might have shot, but I thought that the shot that changed the game was the shot that was just at the end of the half when Kyle Black literally threw up a shot and it went in, and I thought that was a big momentum swing going into the locker room."
On Wisconsin's second-half surge ... "We always talk about the first five minutes of the second half is going to be key as to who's going to take charge and control the tempo, and I thought Wisconsin came out of the gate and started firing on all their pistons. I thought Tamara Moore proved why she's a candidate for first team All-Big Ten, and Jessie Stomski also. I thought those two took it over. We knew it was going to be a game of the big threes, and unfortunately for us, we had a big one. (LeeAnn) Bies had a very good game against them. When you're playing a team like Wisconsin, you need more than one person to show up. So I guess I'm very disappointed in our defensive performance."
Wisconsin Head Coach Jane Albright On the game ... "I think when you're a player and you've played some really good games and it's been easier to score and you get in a tight game, you react in either a kind of a panic way or you stick to your game plan. I really was very proud of the way we didn't really seem to panic, but I think that's the trademark of this team -- just to stick to what our plan is and do it well."
On her team's shooting ... "A couple of areas were exceptional today. One was our taking care of the ball. We tied a season low with 12 turnovers. That was very, very good and it came at a really good time. The other was that we forced 20 turnovers. They're a very good shooting team. When they lost their first game at home, they broke their school record with shooting percentage ... I think 68 percent. So we really felt like we wanted to put a lot of pressure on the ball."
On Michigan ... "Michigan gets to the free throw line better than any team we've played. They really penetrate, and we put them there 25 times in our gym, and they're very good at that."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
