Weekly Release #6
12/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Saturday, Dec. 21 -- vs. Colorado State (Crisler Arena), 11:30 a.m.
Sat-Sun., Dec. 28-29 -- at State Farm Classic (Gainesville, Fla.)
Saturday, Dec. 28 -- vs. Virginia, 5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 29 -- consolation/championship, 5/7:30 p.m.
Complete Release in PDF (25 pages, 126 KB)
| Michigan (7-1) vs. Colorado State (5-2) | |
| When | Saturday, Dec. 21 (11:30 a.m.) |
| Site | Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena/13,751) |
| Television/Internet | none |
| Radio/Internet | none/MGoBlue.com |
| Series Record | Michigan Leads, 1-0 |
| Last Meeting | Michigan, 69-65 (11/19/99 in Ann Arbor, Mich.) |
| Coaches | Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982) Overall: 117-67 (7th season); at U-M: same Colorado State -- Chris Denker (Oregon, 1990) Overall -- 46-20 (third season); School: 5-2 (first season) |
IN THE PAINT
Michigan has opened the season 7-1 for the sixth time in school history and fifth under head coach Sue Guevara. Three of the previous five teams (1996-97, 1998-99 & 2001-02) improved to 8-1 through nine games. Last season's 10-1 start was the deepest into a season any Michigan team has gone before losing its second game.
Michigan's game against Colorado State represents the 100th career game played for senior co-captains LeeAnn Bies and Raina Goodlow.
Junior guard-forward Stephanie Gandy has been Michigan's leading scorer since replacing the injured Jennifer Smith in the starting lineup. Gandy is averaging 17.5 points in those four games and has been Michigan's leading scorer with 20 or more points in three of the four games.
Sophomore forward Tabitha Pool has tallied a team-high three double-doubles this season and owns a team-best seven-game streak of scoring in double digits. Pool is also second on the team in rebounding (7.1).
Michigan has made (138) 28 more free throws than its opponents have attempted (110).
Michigan won its only previous meeting with Colorado State 69-65 to open the 1999-2000 season in Fort Collins, Colo. LeeAnn Bies and Raina Goodlow are the only current Wolverines that played in that game. The win sparked Michigan to a program-best 7-0 start.
Michigan has outrebounded each of its first seven opponents and has an overall rebounding advantage of 41.2-31.6 over its opponents.
Freshman guard Niki Reams is tied with Stephanie Gandy for the team lead with 17 offensive rebounds.
Opening Tip
The University of Michigan women's basketball team (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten) plays just one game this week, but is one of the biggest to date for the Wolverines as 5-2 Colorado State travels to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines on Saturday (Dec. 21, 11:30 a.m.). The Rams began the season in both top-25 polls, but have dropped out after losses at home to USC (59-58, Nov. 17) and at instate rival Colorado (65-51, Dec. 12) its last time out. Colorado State is the fourth team Michigan has played this season that made last season's NCAA Tournament and represents the Wolverines' final non-conference home game. The earlier-than-usual tip (11:30 a.m.) is part of a doubleheader with Michigan's men's basketball team taking on Vanderbilt at 2:30 p.m.
Promotions
Fans who have purchased tickets to the men's game vs. Vanderbilt at 2:30 p.m. are encouraged to arrive early and catch the women's game starting at 11:30 a.m. All they need to do is show their ticket to the men's game and they can watch the women's game for free.
Over the Air
The Michigan-Colorado State contest will not be televised live locally. An audio broadcast of the game, however, will be available live on the official website of Michigan Athletics: MgoBlue.com. Doug Karsch provides the play-by-play.
The Opponents
Colorado State (5-2): The Rams are the defending Mountain West champions and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in the first round to Tulane (73-69). Ashley Augspurger, a 6-1 forward, was a Mountain West second-team selection a year ago and leads the Rams with 14.9 points. Colorado State is 0-1 on the road this season, with the loss coming at Colorado (65-51) in its last game. Colorado State on the Internet: www.csurams.com
Series vs. Michigan: Michigan leads, 1-0
Respect
Michigan continues to wait on inclusion back into the AP or USA Today/ESPN Coaches' top-25 polls for the first time since it was No. 23 in the coaches' poll on Jan. 14, 2002. The Wolverines fall into the others receiving votes category of both polls. Michigan climbed as high as No. 12 in both polls last season before a 1-6 start to the Big Ten season knocked it out. Michigan, however, has steadily risen in the top-50 poll put out weekly by women'scollegehoops.com and currently sits at a season-best No. 20 in that ranking.
Strong RPI
Michigan's solid early season slate is paying off in the WBCA/Summerville RPI, which currently ranks the Wolverines No. 5 out of 324 Division I teams in the nation. Michigan's 7-1 mark along with its strength of schedule ranking (No. 56) are the primary reasons for the Wolverines' lofty ranking. Richie Summerville, who is a producer for ESPN Radio in Virginia Beach, Va., puts the RPI together and is endorsed by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). It is not the RPI used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee but is a strong enough barometer for the WBCA to use it during the season. Michigan is 3-0 vs. teams in the RPI top 25, with Massachusetts (No. 3, 8-1), UC Santa Barbara (No. 9, 3-1) and Creighton (No. 17, 4-2) owning a combined 15-4 mark on the season.
Tourney Teams
Colorado State represents the fourth team Michigan has played this season that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago and the Maize and Blue is 3-0 so far against 2002 NCAA teams. Michigan will face a fifth NCAA Tournament foe when it takes on Virginia in the State Farm Classic on Dec. 28 (5 p.m.) in Gainesville, Fla. A possible matchup with Florida in either the consolation or championship game of the State Farm Classic on Dec. 29 could give the Wolverines a sixth NCAA Tournament opponent in their 11-game non-conference slate.
| Date | Opponent | Outcome | Score |
| 11/22 | Creighton | W | 75-66 |
| 11/25 | UC Santa Barbara | W | 70-64 |
| 12/10 | at Oakland | W | 96-65 |
Michigan-Colorado State Last Time
Michigan opened the most successful season in school history (1999-2000) with a 69-65 victory over Colorado State on Nov. 19, 1999, at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo., in what was the only meeting between these schools. On their way to a school-record 22 wins, the Wolverines used a balanced attack with four players in double figures, including former All-Big Ten guard Stacey Thomas, to get the win. Making her collegiate debut that evening was LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS), who responded with a game-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points. Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) also came off the bench for the Wolverines, contributing three points in 10 minutes of action.
Common Opponent
Michigan and Colorado State have played one common opponent this season. After dropping a 68-64 decision at Colorado State on Nov. 30, Xavier returned home to defeat the Wolverines 75-64 on Dec. 8. The key differences to their performances vs. Xavier was Colorado State's perimeter shooting, including .545 (6-11) from behind the arc and .480 (24-50) for the game. The Wolverines, on the other hand, connected on just 2-11 (.182) from three-point land and .385 (25-65) in one of their worst shooting performances of the season. Stephanie Gandy was held to four points on 2-9 shooting.
Help on the Glass
Michigan's inside threats of LeeAnn Bies and Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) helped dominate the boards in the Michigan's 4-0 start before Smith went down with an injury. Michigan has continued its rebounding dominance even in Smith's absence primarily because of the work done by Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) and Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS). The pair has been Michigan's leading rebounders in the four games without Smith, averaging 7.3 boards apiece. Gandy has been especially active on the offensive glass, grabbing a team-high 14 offensive boards during that stretch.
Defense the Key
Michigan gave one its best defensive efforts of the season in the 59-41 win over Seton Hall on Saturday (Dec. 14) as the Wolverines allowed an opponent season-low 41 points. The Wolverines have held every opponent except one under 70 points this season and are 7-0 when doing so. The lone exception was the 75-64 loss at Xavier on Dec. 10. The most points Michigan has allowed other than the Xavier loss was the 66 it surrendered in a season-opening win over Creighton (Nov. 22).
Michigan Rebounds with Pair of Victories
The Wolverines bounced back from their first loss of the season (75-64 at Xavier on Dec. 8) to post a pair of wins this past week. The victories were polar opposites, with the Wolverines beating Oakland 96-65 (Dec. 10) in their best offensive performance of the season. Stephanie Gandy and Niki Reams scored 21 and 19 points, respectively, as the Wolverines enjoyed their highest single-game scoring output since beating Central Michigan 103-40 on Dec. 4, 1998.
Michigan then capped off its 2-0 week with a 59-41 win over Seton Hall, which saw Michigan hold the Pirates to a season-low shooting percentage of .239 (16-67). Stephanie Gandy matched the second-best field-goal shooting performance in Michigan history with a mark of .909 (10-11) on her way to a game-best 23 points. Bies added 14 points as the Wolverines overcame a season-worst 26 turnovers.
RECORD WATCH
Assault on the Record Books
LeeAnn Bies will continue a climb to the top or near the top of the Michigan record books in several categories throughout her senior season. The 6-3 center, who was an All-Big Ten second-team selection by both the media and the coaches last season, is eighth on the Michigan career points scored list with 1,254 and is 393 points from tying Trish Andrew (1,647, 1989-93) for second on the list. The Michigan career leader for points scored is Diane Dietz (2,066, 1978-82). Already the Michigan career leader in free throws made (423), Bies stands sixth on the career list for rebounding with 695 career caroms and is 156 behind Stacey Thomas (851, 1996-2000) for second on that list. Andrew also holds that career mark with 928. Already second on the blocks list, Bies (119) is 248 behind Andrew's school record of 367. Bies also entered the career steals list at Michigan late last season and stands No. 17 on that list with 116 career thefts.
1,000-Point Chase
While LeeAnn Bies became the 15th Michigan player to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career last season, Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) needs just 118 more points to become the 16th player to join that club. Goodlow averaged 264 points a season in her first three full seasons in the Maize and Blue.
Milestones Approaching
LeeAnn Bies is five rebounds shy of reaching 700 for her career
Stephanie Gandy's next start will be the 40th of her career
Raina Goodlow needs 18 points to reach 900 for her career
Stephanie Gandy recently entered Michigan's top-30 career scoring leaders with 646 points. She is 12 points behind Jen Nuanes (1990-93) for No. 29 on the list.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Bies Shines in Loss
Michigan's lone loss this season came despite one of the best individual performances of the season by a Wolverine in the 75-64 loss at Xavier (Dec. 10). LeeAnn Bies connected for a Michigan season-best 31 points on 12-16 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 20th career double-double. Bies' 31 points is the second-best single-game total of her career behind a 36-point effort at Illinois on Jan. 27, 2002.
Another Ranked Foe Goes Down
The Wolverines' win over No. 24 UCSB on Nov. 25 was their 17th all-time against a ranked opponent and 15th since Sue Guevara took over the reigns at Michigan for the 1996-97 season. Guevara led the Wolverines to a school-record five wins over ranked teams during Michigan's 2000-01 season and its run to the NCAA Tournament. The following are Guevara's wins over ranked teams:
Date Ranked Opponent Score 1/9/98 No. 23 Purdue 67-59 2/8/98 No. 23 Purdue 62-60 2/28/98 No. 24 Wisconsin 79-70 1/29/99 No. 19 Ohio State 85-71 OT 1/8/00 No. 12 Purdue 74-67 1/17/00 No. 12 Illinois 86-69 2/3/00 No. 23 Illinois 70-59 11/17/00 No. 8 Louisiana Tech 69-66 1/11/01 No. 13 Penn State 71-62 2/15/01 No. 25 Iowa 80-78 2/25/01 No. 19 Penn State 75-74 3/2/01 No. 19 Penn State 66-60 12/2/01 No. 23 Notre Dame 78-63 12/16/01 No. 21 LSU 86-81 2OT 11/25/02 No. 24 UC Santa Barbara 70-64
Tough Non-Conference Slate
Wins over 2002 NCAA Tournament teams Creighton, UC Santa Barbara and Oakland provided an important start to a Michigan non-conference slate which has the potential for six games against 2002 NCAA Tournament teams -- Creighton, UC Santa Barbara, Colorado State, Florida, Oakland and Virginia. Michigan and Florida have a potential matchup in the championship game of the State Farm Classic on Dec. 29 in Gainesville, Fla.
Big Ten Slate
Instate rival Michigan State is back on the slate twice a year for the Wolverines after two straight seasons in which the schools faced each other just once. Also back on Michigan's schedule twice this season are Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, while the Wolverines face Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State and Purdue just once. Illinois and Iowa come to Crisler Arena while Michigan travels to Purdue and Ohio State for its only meetings of the season against those schools.
Wolverine Probable Starters
Pos. No. Player Yr. Ht. PPG RPG F 1 Tabitha Pool So. 6-1 12.3 7.1 F 33 Stephanie Gandy Jr. 5-11 13.3 5.6 C 44 LeeAnn Bies Sr. 6-3 13.4 6.4 G 42 Mie Burlin Fr. 5-11 3.9 3.0* G 24 Niki Reams Fr. 6-0 7.3 2.9* * assists per game
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
