EAST LANSING - So close. So very close.
The Michigan women's basketball team now owns a 3-4 record in the Big Ten. The Wolverines could just as easily be 4-3.
After dropping a heart-breaker Friday at home to Indiana and having a potentially epic rally from 20 points behind fall short at Michigan State on Sunday, the Wolverines dropped both games this weekend, 72-59 and 76-67, respectively.
On Sunday, 7,519 green- and white-clad fans packed into the Breslin Center to watch their first-place Spartans (6-1 Big Ten, 14-3 overall) beat up Michigan (3-4, 11-5), the traditional doormat of the Big Ten. For about 35 minutes, they got to see just that - a Michigan State pummeling of its in-state rival.
"There's a reason why (Michigan State) is leading the Big Ten," Guevara said. "We just lost to a pretty good basketball team."
Most of the game was controlled by the Spartans, as they put on a defensive clinic, forcing 23 turnovers on 12 team steals in the game, enabling them to burst out to a 22-point lead.
With about five minutes remaining in the game, the Wolverines snapped out of their drought, and began to play closer to their normal level.
"We dug ourselves a hole and couldn't get out of it," Guevara said. "But we out-played them in the second half."
Tiffany Willard's 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:37 left in the game sparked a 15-4 Michigan run. Ann Lemire's defense (four steals) and clutch shooting also helped the Wolverines climb back into the game.
"I feel that penetrating is one of my strong points," Lemire said.
Lemire has been a pleasant surprise for the Wolverines. Ever since the sophomore guard has been in the starting rotation, she has been averaging 10.1 points per game.
The Wolverines cut the lead to six, but a costly Michigan turnover with just under a minute left in the game turned out to be the straw that would break the proverbial camel's back.
In the end, the crowd - the largest ever to see a women's basketball game at Michigan State - and missed free throw opportunities proved to be too much for Michigan.
"We missed 10 free throws and lost the game by 10," Guevara said. "Of those 10 free throws, I believe three or four of them were on the front end of a one-and-one."
Not only did Michigan shoot a paltry 12 of 22 from the line, the Spartans hit four of six critical throws with less than a minute to play.
Although Michigan's center Pollyanna Johns managed to hold Michigan State's leading scorer Nicole Cushing-Adkins to eight points, other Spartans stepped up in her stead. Guard Tamika Matlock recorded a career-high 17 points.
"Matlock had a great game," Langeland said. "Michigan did a good job of defending Cushing-Adkins inside, and Tamika took the open shot that she had and made them, all of them."
The trip was Guevara's first to East Lansing as Michigan's coach, after spending the last nine seasons as a Michigan State assistant.
For the Wolverines, the biggest difference between the Michigan State game and Friday's against the Hoosiers was that leading rebounder and feared inside post-player Johns was unavailable due to the flu. The 6-foot-3 center had 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Spartans.
Her presence inside was sorely missed on Friday because Indiana's Quacy Barnes, the 6-5 center and leading shot-blocker in the Big Ten, scored a game-high 18 points.
The Wolverines came out flat to start the game, falling behind 10-0 early. A 17-6 run brought them back into what turned out to be a sedate game.
The turning point of the close contest came with the score 46-51. Indiana's Dani Thrush hit a lay-up and was fouled by Willard. Thrush hit the floor, earning a delayed intentional foul call.
After the resulting two free throws and subsequent Indiana possession, the Wolverines found themselves trailing by 10 points and without momentum.
"I think (the intentional foul) hurt us because we were playing real well with a chance to come back," Lemire said. "It kind of slowed us down and gave them a big advantage because they got the ball out of bounds, too."
Lemire led Michigan in scoring with 18 points.
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Despite leading the Wolverines in scoring over the weekend, Ann Lemire's efforts were not enough. Michigan was roughed up by both Indiana and Michigan State.