Women's cagers win, 78-66

GRAND RAPIDS - Good teams win ugly games. Not even championship teams play well every night, but it's the mark of a mature team to win even when it's not playing its best.

The Michigan women's basketball team (4-1) pulled out a 78-66 victory over a scrappy Central Michigan team (3-3) in a hard-fought, though not necessarily well played game at Gerald Ford Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids. For the Chippewas, this was their third consecutive loss after beginning the season with three straight wins. Michigan won its second game in a row.

The Wolverines came out flat in the first half, perhaps the result of not arriving in Grand Rapids early enough to warm up properly. After Michigan scored the first two buckets of the game, the Chippewas scored 15 of the next 19 points to take a 15-8 lead just over seven minutes into the game.

FILE PHOTO Michigan's Pollyanna Johns had a stellar performance last night, as the Wolverines beat Central Michigan, 78-66. Johns racked up 22 points and eight rebounds.

The Wolverines fought back and took the lead for good on a lay-up by Akisha Franklin with 5:36 remaining in the first half. Though they struggled for much of the first half, the Wolverines clawed and scratched their way to a 39-31 halftime lead and pulled away in the second half. The lead stayed near 10 for the entire second half, and Michigan held on for the 12-point victory.

Michigan was paced once again by senior captain Pollyanna Johns, who scored 22 points while dominating the paint on the offensive end of the court.

"I knew Central was going to have trouble defending her inside because she's so strong, and she's very mobile," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "She has been our most consistent player. When we needed a rebound, when we needed a basket, there she was."

Another one of the few bright spots for Michigan was the play of guard Ann Lemire. Despite going out for five minutes in the first half with an injury, Lemire scored 15 points, second most for the Wolverines. Lemire made both of Michigan's three point baskets and added four assists.

Despite her own solid performance, Lemire realized that the Wolverines have a lot to do before the Big Ten season begins in three weeks.

"We need to work on rebounding," Lemire said. "We didn't box out a lot."

Although Johns pulled down eight boards, the Wolverines were outplayed under the basket. Despite being out rebounded 41-39, the Chippewas grabbed 18 offensive boards and were able to convert on many of their second chances.

"I was very concerned about that," Guevara said. "We were making contact, but we weren't pushing. We weren't boxing out. Trust me, we will not give up 18 offensive rebounds again."

Neither team took particularly good care of the ball, combining for 35 turnovers. Many of them, however, were a direct result of the stifling defense both teams played. Michigan routinely trapped the Chippewas, leading to several steals on the press.

One part of the Wolverines' problem was the lack of scoring from outside the paint. Usually deadly from three-point range, Michigan's sharpshooters con playing defense without fouling the Michigan players. The Wolverines shot 32 free throws in the game, making 20 of them. The 63 percent mark from the line was a slight improvement. Michigan has struggled from the free throw line this year. Guevara was encouraged by the number of times the Wolverines went to the line.

"Yeah, I want to get to the free throw line," Guevara said. "We may not be the best free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten, but I want to get there. The more we get there, maybe the more we'll put in."

Central Michigan was paced by sophomore center Shelly Woods, who scored 18 points. Ebony Rainge and freshman Joni Daniels each posted 11 points for the Chippewas.

Next up for Michigan is Florida A&M at the Duke Tournament on Saturday. Guevara does not expect Michigan to come out as flat in its next game.

"I told the team, 'hey, we gotta get ready for Florida A&M on Saturday,'" Guevara said. "If we play like that, we're going to get pounded."

12-04-97