By Sharat Raju
Daily Sports Writer
Watching the Michigan women's basketball team is much like trying to stay warm under a blanket that doesn't cover your feet. It's frustrating.
The Wolverines suffered heart-breaking losses this past weekend, first to Penn State, 82-73, on Friday and then to Purdue, 64-54, yesterday. In each game, the Wolverines came frustratingly close to capturing the victory.
"It's more now just a matter of execution," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "I would love to see the same (Michigan) team that played Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa."
After trailing by as much as nine points in the second half to the Boilermakers (9-3 Big Ten, 13-8 overall), the Wolverines (4-8, 12-9) managed to fight their way back into the game. The Wolverines cut the lead to two points with 6:32 remaining, and momentum seemed to be on their side. One big reason for this turnaround was Michigan's Stacey Thomas.
"The coaches keep telling me to be aggressive," Thomas said. "I try to do the best I can to be a good team player. You've got to go out there and take chances."
The 5-foot-10 freshman guard finished the game with 15 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and most of the steals started fast break opportunities for herself and her teammates.
"I think she's going to be a phenomenal player," Purdue coach Nell Fortner said. "In the second half, she decided that she's going to take the game over, and she almost did."
Thomas' speed and athleticism forced countless turnovers which don't show up in the final box score.
In fact, the entire Michigan defense played well in the second half, holding the Boilermakers to only four field goals and 25-percent shooting.
But in the end, Purdue's Jannon Roland and Stephanie White quelled any potential Michigan rally. Roland finished with 21 points and White poured in a game-high 29. White also helped salt away the Purdue victory by hitting six free throws within the final 50 seconds of play - each in the bonus situation.
"We basically got beat by two players today," Guevara said.
Along with those two players offensively, Purdue's defense stifled Michigan's inside game. The ordinarily dominate post-player Pollyanna Johns was held to only seven points on a mere five shooting opportunities the entire game.
With more than a minute to play, Thomas' turned the ball over off the inbounds pass. The play turned out to be the nail in the coffin for Michigan.
On Friday, the Wolverines experienced a similar misfortune, losing a disappointing game to the Nittany Lions (5-6, 12-9) at University Park.
Penn State's Shauntai Hill scored the first 10 points for the Lions, thrusting her team to a 10-point lead at one point. The Wolverines followed with a run of their own, surging to a four-point lead, 22-21, due in no small part to Michigan's surprising zone defense.
Johns and Thomas carried the burden for the Wolverines. Johns finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Thomas poured in 15 points, grabbed eight boards, and intercepted six passes.
However, the Lions came out in the second half behind Angie Potthoff, who scored all of her 19 points in the second half. The balanced attack employed by the Lions - four of five starters scoring in double figures - was too much for the two-person Michigan approach.
"I thought we were very impatient offensively," Guevara said "We weren't making Penn State play any defense."
This season, expectations may have been somewhat high for perennial cellar-dweller Michigan. After all, before the conference season started, the Wolverines were 8-1 and were putting scares into top-ranked opponents.
"The last thing I want to happen is going back to old mentality of 'OK, here we go, we can't win any games ...' That is what I'm deathly afraid of," Guevara said.
The Wolverines, despite having dropped six of their last seven, are having the best season in recent memory. But as of late, the Wolverines have been losing games in which they have an opportunity to win.
"We had (more than) 3,400 people here," Guevara said. "We have (three home games) left, I just pray to God that those 3,400 people don't give up on us and come back and support us.
"I promise you they'll see a better basketball team."
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Michigan forward Tiffany Willard attempts one of her six shots during Michigan's 64-54 loss at Crisler Arena yesterday.