Michigan
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Western Michigan
Smith's Surge Leads Wolverines Past Western Michigan
11/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team overcame a slow start to upend the Western Michigan Broncos 66-53 on Friday afternoon (Nov. 21) at Crisler Arena. Senior Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) led all scorers with a career-high 32 points to go along with 13 rebounds. The Wolverines also got a strong contribution from junior Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS), who chipped in 18 points and eight rebounds. Kelly Koerber paced the Broncos with 12 points.
| | Smith's 32 points, nearly half U-M's total, eclipsed her previous career high of 29. |
Pool ended the drought with a three-pointer from the top of the key. Shortly after, Smith added a breakaway layup as the momentum began to swing in the Wolverines' direction. After a give-and-go from sophomore Rachael Carney (Flint, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) to senior Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) and the emergence of Smith inside, U-M found itself trailing by three points at the two-minute mark.
Despite the scoring barrage, Western clung to a 27-26 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. Smith led the 21-6 Michigan run with 11 points of her own.
Michigan opened the second half looking re-energized as it quickly took the lead. Smith went to work with three straight baskets to open the scoring, and U-M's rebounders stepped up to limit the second chances that Western was getting in the first half. Pool got into a rhythm with back-to-back buckets for the Wolverines, but it was her work on the offensive glass that seemed to spark her team. The Broncos, down 38-29, called a timeout with 13:46 remaining in the game.
Western refused to lie down as Maria Jilian made a strong drive to the hoop for the basket and the free throw, cutting the lead to six points. The teams traded baskets as the clock ticked down to the 10-minute mark.
As the Broncos bottled up Smith inside, Pool made a step-back three-pointer and driving layup to sustain the Wolverine lead. Western, however, continued to plug away and scrapped to stay in the game. Perhaps the biggest shot in the second half came from Niki Reams (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS), who picked a perfect time for her first basket. The sophomore hit a three-pointer from the wing giving U-M a nine-point lead. Despite a difficult afternoon shooting, Reams battled for 11 rebounds in the game.
Down the stretch, U-M went with its bread and butter, feeding Smith down low. The senior center proved to be too much to handle for the Broncos. The Wolverines were able to tighten their defense and convert free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. As a team, Michigan was 16-of-21 from the charity stripe while Smith missed only once in 10 attempts.
The Wolverines will finish their two-game homestand when they host Alabama Monday (Nov. 24) at Crisler Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Cheryl Burnett
Opening statement ... "This has been what some would call a coach's biggest concern -- playing four game in [seven] days, while going out to Rutgers and getting back at 2 a.m. so we could give the kids a rest and get them to class. Our preparation for today's game was a half an hour from noon to 12:30. We knew we were playing a Western Michigan team that has been very successful. We have played a few games already this season and with this being their first game, we knew they would come in here to really play well. When we were looking at the scoreboard and it said we were down 20-3, our kids could have panicked and folded or they could fight their way back in it and I am proud to say that is what they did. Niki Reams really played so hard and Rachael Carney continued to be that warrior and did those things effortwise that we need her to do."
On having Niki Reams come off the bench ... "We are still working out our chemisty issues, and I have said since day one that our hardest working kids and the best defenders would be our starters. Niki has really played well in the past few games. I have been saying that when other teams are starting to press or pick up their defensive pressure, we need to put the ball in Niki's hands because she makes very good decisions with the basketball."
Senior Center Jennifer Smith
On the halftime changes ... "Coach Burnett said that when I am on the floor we need to look down into the post. In the second half I think we didn't force the ball into the post like we did in the first half, and they just did a great job of getting me the ball inside for easy looks."
Western Michigan Head Coach Ron Stewart
Opening statement ... "We are very appreciative of the opprotunity Coach Burnett gave us to come and play the University of Michigan. It has not always been doable for us, but I feel that we have made great strides in that area. I am very happy we were able to play this game today. Getting to the game, we were up by 17 and then we didn't score for about 20 minutes. Obvisouly, we got off to a good start and played very well defensively, but then I am not sure what happened. We got a few people in foul trouble and stopped making shots. When you combine that with the physical play really affected us at the end of the first half. We did not make plays like we do in practice."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
