KALAMAZOO - The Michigan women's basketball team ran away with a pair of victories and the title at the Western Michigan University Tournament over the weekend.
Literally.
The Wolverines bolted from Kalamazoo late Saturday night to return to Ann Arbor, but their most important runs came during the two victories, a 68-54 win over Kentucky on Friday, and a 75-55 pasting of Northeastern Illinois in the finals.
Against Kentucky, Michigan neutralized the Wildcats' size advantage in the post by running early and often, converting Kentucky turnovers into fast-break points.
Midway through the first half, Michigan went on a 15-0 run, turning an 11-10 deficit into a 14-point lead.
The Wolverines, spurred by two 3-pointers by junior guard Jennifer Kiefer, would never trail again in the contest.
In fact, Michigan's guards accounted for 37 of the Wolverines' 68 total points and contributed to all areas of Michigan's game. Freshman sensation Stacey Thomas led the Wolverines in scoring with 18 points on eight of 12 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Kiefer added 12 points and dished out four assists.
The emergence of the guards was not a surprise to Michigan coach Sue Guevara.
"We knew that (Kentucky) was going to double- or triple-team on Pollyanna Johns inside," Guevara said. "We worked on what we were going to do. We worked on passing the ball out, and then passing to the open post player."
The strategy worked as the Wolverines went into the lockerroom at halftime with a 36-23 lead. Michigan was not content, however, to simply maintain the lead. The Wolverines opened the second half with a 10-2 run, effectively burying the Wildcats.
The victory matched Michigan with a smaller, quicker Northeastern Illinois team that defeated Western Kentucky to reach the finals. On Saturday, the Wolverines failed to use their size advantage, but still took home a 20-point victory and the tournament trophy.
"We're bigger and we didn't take advantage of that," Guevara said. "I think that you have to give Northeastern a lot of credit. They were scrappy and they were very aggressive."
Johns led the offense with 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to help the Wolverines capture their first title of any kind in this decade.
Michigan again used its depth and quickness to wear down the Eagles, taking a 37-27 halftime lead with a balanced attack.
Eight different Wolverines scored for Michigan in the half, and Michigan overcame 15 first-half turnovers.
In the second half, Michigan shot 55.6 percent from the field while holding the Eagles to 33.3 percent shooting.
For the game, Michigan shot an even 50 percent from the field while the Eagles could only manage an anemic 31.3 percent.
"We shot 50 percent from the floor - I'll take that. I'm a happy camper," Guevara said. "But 28 turnovers is unacceptable.
"We'll work on that, believe me."
Michigan won't get much of a chance to savor the tournament title, however, as the Wolverines face Rice tonight at Crisler Arena at 7:30.
The Wolverines will look to improve their record to 3-0 for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily
Catherine DiGiacinto and the Michigan women's basketball team won the Holiday Inn-West Tournament title. DiGiacinto scored seven points in the title game.