Weekly Release #6
12/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Opening Tip
The University of Michigan women's basketball looks to get back on track this week with a key three-game homestand. The Wolverines are in the midst of a non-conference stretch in which they play seven games in 19 days and currently in the middle of a four-game stretch over eight days. Michigan dropped the first of those four games on Friday at Charlotte (60-47) and now return home for a tilt against 2004 WNIT finalist UNLV on Monday (Dec. 6, 7 p.m.) at Crisler Arena. That is the first of three straight home games over a six-day period. The next home game is against Washtenaw County-rival Eastern Michigan on Wednesday (Dec. 8, 7 p.m.) before closing out the homestand against IUPUI on Saturday (Dec. 11, 7 p.m.). Michigan's games against UNLV and Eastern Michigan will be broadcast live on Comcast Local.
What: Michigan vs. UNLV (Monday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.)
Where: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena/13,751)
Radio: WTKA AM-1050/MgoBlue.com
Television: Comcast Local/MgoBlue.com
What: Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan (Wednesday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m.)
Where: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena/13,751)
Radio: WTKA AM-1050/MgoBlue.com
Television: Comcast Local/MgoBlue.com
What: Michigan vs. IUPUI (Wednesday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m.)
Where: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena/13,751)
Radio: WLBY AM-1290/MgoBlue.com
Television: none/none
Internet Coverage
Michigan fans can catch every women's basketball game this season over the Internet at MgoBlue.com. Live audio coverage of all road games along with a combination of live audio and video coverage of all home games provide thorough multimedia coverage of Michigan women's basketball.
Over the Air
WTKA's expanded coverage of Michigan women's basketball now includes live coverage of each and every Wolverine contest. WTKA talk-show host and Ann Arbor radio personality Dennis Fithian will provide the play-by-play for Michigan women's basketball throughout the 2004-05 season.
Radio Note
Michigan's contest vs. IUPUI on Saturday will be broadcast live on WTKA's sister station WLBY AM-1290 with a tape delay of the broadcast airing on WTKA following its live coverage of Michigan hockey at Bowling Green. Michigan's first two games this week will air live on WTKA.
On the Tube
Michigan will be making its second and third appearances this season on Comcast Local when it faces UNLV and EMU.
In the Paint
Tabitha Pool remains the Wolverines best overall player and most consistent performer, which is what the coaches expected of the senior captain. Pool posted her third double-double of the season and 18th of her career with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds at Charlotte on Friday. Pool is the only Wolverine to score in double figures in all five games and has done so in seven straight games overall dating back to last season. Pool's 11 points at Charlotte made her just the 18th player in Michigan history to reach 1,000-point plateau for her career.
As was expected before the season, Michigan has relied heavily upon six freshmen in its nine-player rotation. Freshman point guard Becky Flippin is the only Wolverine who has started all five games and is tied for the team lead with 16 assists. Other impact freshmen for Michigan this season has been forward Ta'Shia Walker, who shares the team lead in scoring (15.6) with Pool, and guard Janelle Cooper, who is third on the team in scoring (9.0) and second in rebounding (5.2).
Janelle Cooper has been maybe the most pleasant surprise of the Michigan freshman this season. Just a 5-10 guard, Cooper has done most of her damage on the offensive glass where she is second on the team with 15 offensive rebounds. She has started four games and scored in double figures on three occasions, including a career-high 14 points against Drake.
Michigan has begun to develop a home-court advantage in coach Cheryl Burnett's second season in Ann Arbor. Michigan is 10-6 at Crisler Arena under Burnett, including a 9-5 mark last season. The Wolverines are 6-2 at home against non-conference foes under, Burnett with the only defeats an overtime loss to Alabama last season and a last-second 61-60 loss to Drake last week.
Michigan's schedule, which was ranked as the eighth-toughest in the nation by the WBCA/Summerville Preseason RPI, does not get any easier this week. The Wolverines have already faced four straight opponents that earned 2004 postseason berths and now get ready to face 2004 WNIT finalist UNLV as well as an Eastern Michigan team coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Tabitha Pool has been especially tough at home in her last two seasons. The senior averaged 16.1 points at home last season against just 10.3 in games away from Crisler Arena. A .323 career shooter from behind the arc, Pool has shot .439 from the three-point line in 16 home games the last two seasons.
The Opponents
UNLV (3-3): The Rebels are coming off an 82-49 win over Detroit on Sunday ... UNLV is 0-1 this season against the Big Ten after dropping a 77-69 decision to Minnesota in the season opener ... UNLV did play fourth-ranked North Carolina tough at home, falling 84-76 on Nov. 28 ... the Rebels are led by guard Sheena Moore, who is averaging 20.2 points and shooting .469 from the field ... RanDee Henry averages 14.8 points and 8.7 boards. UNLV on the Internet: www.unlvrebels.com.
Eastern Michigan (6-0): The Eagles have won six straight, including a 60-59 win at Missouri in their last time out on Saturday (Dec. 4) ... EMU is led by Ryan Coleman, who is averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds ... the Eagles are holding their opponents to just .321 shooting and 48.0 points, outscoring them by more than 20 points (68.3-48.0) ... EMU has attempted 26 more triples than its opponents in the first six games (99-73) ... Eastern Michigan on the Internet: www.emich.edu/goeagles.
IUPUI (0-6): The Mid-Continent member Jaguars are 0-6, including an 82-49 loss at Wisconsin in its season opener ... IUPUI is under the direction of first-year coach Shann Hart ... IUPUI hosts Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday before traveling to Ann Arbor ... Karima Davies is the only Jaguar averaging in double figures at 13.7 points along with 8.2 rebounds ... IUPUI has been outrebounded this season by an average margin of 42.3-34.7 ... IUPUI on the Internet: www.iupui.edu/`jagsport.
Exclusive Club
Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) recently joined a very exclusive club in women's basketball history at Michigan after recording 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks at Charlotte. For her career, Pool has collected 1,005 points, 604 rebounds and 51 blocks to become just the fifth player in school history with at least 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 50 blocks. Other members include Trish Andrew (1990-93), Stacey Thomas (1997-2000), Pollyanna Johns (1995-98) and LeeAnn Bies (2000-03).
Youth Movement
While Tabitha Pool is clearly the Wolverine leader and appears ready to have her best season as a Wolverine averaging nearly a double-double in points (15.6) and rebounds (9.6), Michigan is still relying heavily on several freshmen and remains the youngest team in the Big Ten. Led by Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./Sexton HS) at 15.6 points, Michigan's six freshmen that have played are accounting for an average of 39.4 points or 62-percent of the team's scoring. A guard-heavy freshman group is accounting for 67-percent of the team's assists, with Becky Flippin (Springfield, Mo./Parkview HS) and Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) sharing the team lead at 15 apiece.
Michigan Connection
UNLV will sport a couple connections to the state of Michigan when they arrive at Crisler Arena Monday night. The Rebels' two leading scorers hail from the state of Michigan. Guard Sheena Moore starred at Lansing Everett High School where she helped her team to a pair of Class A state championships while RanDee Henry was an All-Horizon League first-team performer at Detroit-Mercy as a sophomore during the 2001-02 season before transferring to UNLV. Another UNLV name from last season's WNIT Finalist team was Infini Robinson, who transferred to UNLV following her sophomore season with the Maize and Blue in 2000-01.
Getting Defensive
Despite its current two-game losing streak, the Wolverines have played solid defense for the majority of this young season. Michigan held Charlotte to over 24 points below their season average in the 60-47 loss on Friday and limited the 49ers to .339 shooting from the field. Only one team has shot better than .400 from the field against the Wolverines this season and that was Drake (.480) last Tuesday (Nov. 30). Since giving up 81 points in the season-opening overtime loss to Alabama, Michigan is allowing just 57.8 points in the four games since. Teams are shooting just .247 (21-85) from behind the arc against the Wolverines, which is the third-best three-point field-goal percentage defense in the Big Ten.
First Time
Michigan's matchups this week against UNLV and IUPUI are its first-ever against those schools. The only other opponent on the schedule this season that Michigan will be meeting for the first time is Maine. Michigan has already faced Alabama, Charlotte, Drake and UC Santa Barbara this season in what were only the second meetings in those series.
Rivarly Renewed
Michigan and Eastern Michigan reside just a few miles down the road from one another, but the Wolverines and Eagles have not faced each other since Dec. 11, 1996, when Michigan earned a 100-75 win in Ypsilanti in Sue Guevara's first season on the Michigan bench. The last time Michigan played EMU at Crisler Arena was an 82-47 Wolverine win on Dec. 6, 1995. Overall, Michigan owns a 14-6 edge in the all-time series and has won 10 straight dating back to an 80-76 win on Jan. 26, 1982. EMU's last win in the series was a 56-49 decision on Dec. 18, 1979, on the Eagles home court. Michigan is 8-0 all-time vs. EMU at Crisler Arena.
Michigan vs. the MAC
Michigan's meeting with Eastern Michigan is its first of two this season against in-state Mid-American Conference foes. The other is next week (Dec. 14) when the Wolverines play at Western Michigan. Michigan was 2-0 a year ago vs. the MAC with wins over Miami (Ohio) (79-68) and WMU (66-53) at Crisler Arena.
More About the Slate
As mentioned before, Michigan will face its fifth and sixth consecutive opponents coming off 2004 postseason berths when the Wolverines host UNLV and EMU this week. Of Michigan's 11 non-conference games, the Wolverines face eight teams that made postseason berths a year ago, including three that tripped to the NCAA Tournament in UC Santa Barbara, EMU and Maine. Only Alabama, IUPUI and Oakland did not make a postseason tournament in 2004. Michigan then moves onto the Big Ten campaign where it will face six teams coming off NCAA Tournament berths a total of 11 times.
Week in Review
Michigan entered last week's action coming off a huge road win at UC Santa Barbara, but could not sustain that momentum, losing a heartbreaker 61-60 to Drake on Tuesday (Nov. 30) at Crisler Arena and then falling at Charlotte (60-47) on Friday (Dec. 3). The loss to Drake was especially crushing when you consider the Wolverines grabbed the lead midway through the first half and held the lead until the final 10 seconds of the game when the Bulldogs connecting a turnaround jumper for the 61-60 lead. Tabitha Pool missed a potential game winner at the buzzer, but still totaled a game-high 21 points in the loss. Pool then collected her third double-double of the season and the 18th of her career, but Michigan could not overcome 27 turnovers in a 60-47 loss at Charlotte. Michigan cut the deficit to five (50-45) late, but that was as close as they would get before the 49ers iced it at the free throw line. The Wolverines held Charlotte more than 24 points under its season scoring average, but could not stop the 49ers from moving to 6-0 on the season.
Burnett to Speak
Cheryl Burnett will be the featured December speaker at the Coach's Corner Program on Dec. 9 from noon-1 p.m. in the 3rd floor Henderson Room at the Michigan League. The format for Coaches Corner is a brown bag lunch series and light refreshments will be served. This program is jointly sponsored by the Michigan League and the University of Michigan Athletic Department. The event is open to all University faculty, staff and students, in addition to the general public. Admission is free.
PLAYER NOTES
Tabitha Pool is averaging a career-high 36.2 minutes of action this season. She has averaged 39.0 minutes in her last two games. After fouling out in the season opener in Alabama, Pool just nine total fouls in the last four games, committing no more than three in any one game.
Pool has netted at least one triple in all five games this season and is shooting a team-best .417 (10-24) from behind the arc. She entered this season with a career three-point shooting mark of .314.
Pool is the only Wolverine to grab 10 or more rebounds in a game this season, turning the trick three times.
Jessica Starling (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby HS) totaled 12 points in her career debut vs. Alabama in 21 minutes of action. She played just 18 total minutes in the three successive games before getting 11 minutes of action at Charlotte.
Becky Flippin is averaging 30.0 minutes of action as the starting point guard and is tied for the team lead in assists (15).
Flippin has tripled in all but one game this season and connected on a career-best two against Charlotte while scoring a career-best eight points.
Krista Clement is one of the most versatile guards on the roster, playing significant minutes at both the point and off guard positions. Clement is tied for the team lead in assists.
Clement is the only Wolverine with at least two assists in all five games. She has turned the ball over just six times in the last four games combined after committing five turnovers in her career debut at Alabama.
Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) is one of just two Wolverines to register at least one assist in every games.
Helvey did not record a steal for the first time this season against Charlotte, but remains the team leader with eight.
Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) is second on the team in offensive rebounding (15) from her guard position and leads the team in trips to the line (26).
Cooper has scored in double figures in three of five games, including two consecutive heading into the game vs. UNLV.
Hampered by an injured thumb, Katie Dierdorf (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) has played in all five games.
Ta'Shia Walker scored in double figures in her first four games in a Michigan uniform before being held to eight points against Charlotte. Her 22-point efforts against Washington and UC Santa Barbara remain season highs by a Wolverine.
Walker is tied for second on the team in steals with seven.
BreAnne McPhilamy (Portage, Mich./Northern HS) hauled in a career-high seven rebounds in 12 minutes of action at Charlotte. It was most extensive floor time since starting and logging 22 minutes in the season opener at Alabama. It was her only start of the season.
RECORD/MILESTONE WATCH
Tabitha Pool now has 604 career rebounds, which leaves her seven shy of surpassing Lorea Feldman (1984-87) and moving into ninth place on the all-time list.
Pool has 109 career steals and is just two shy of moving into the top 20 on the all-time list.
Pool's on triple at Charlotte gave her 86 for her career and moved her into sole possession of sixth-place on the all-time list.
Kelly Helvey is three steals shy of 50 for her young career.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Big Ten Honors
Tabitha Pool was honored with her third career Big Ten Player of the Week award on Monday (Nov. 29) after averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 11.0 rebounds while leading the Wolverines to wins over NCAA Tournament hopefuls Washington and UC Santa Barbara. Pool shot .600 (12-20) from the field and .417 (5-12) from behind the arc. She posted 19 points and 10 boards in the win over UCSB four days after posting 12 points and 12 boards against Washington. Those were her 16th and 17th career double-doubles.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
