'M' women cagers hope to weather Storm in opener

The wait is over.

The Michigan women's basketball team finally gets to play in a game that counts.

After a month of practice and one exhibition game, the Wolverines will play in the MSU-Felpausch tournament tonight and tomorrow at Michigan State's Breslin Center. The Wolverines open their season tonight at 6 against St. John's. Fresno State will play the host Spartans at 8 p.m. Tomorrow, the winners and losers will pair off.

"We want to improve with every game we play," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "I'd like to see us cut down on turnovers and improve our free-throw percentage."

FILE PHOTO Forward Tiffany Willard and the rest of the Michigan women's basketball team will be looking to start off its season on the right foot with a win tonight against St. Johns.

Turnovers and free-throws were somewhat of a problem in the exhibition against Sporitelna Bratislava, a Slovakian team, but the Wolverines still dominated the game.

"We'd like to take care of the kinks that we have - take care of us first - and then worry about St. John's," Guevara said.

Michigan will see some familiar faces on the Red Storm sideline. St. John's starting backcourt of senior Latricia Gunnells and junior Ebony Dickinson both are Michigan natives, and both played at Lansing Community College.

"Ebony Dickinson is a good player," Guevara said. "She's got a quick shot and can penetrate to the basket."

The Red Storm are coming off a lackluster year, winning only three of its 18 Big East games and finishing sixth in the conference.

But Dickinson, who is playing in her first year with the Red Storm, adds a solid court presence and a constant threat from anywhere on the floor. Dickinson is part of a new-look St. John's team - only two starters return from last year's squad.

The Wolverines have a bit of a new look themselves. Freshman Anne Thorius will run the offense for the Wolverines, starting in her first official collegiate game. Thorius' solid passing and court vision should help Michigan get the ball into the low post where Pollyanna Johns could have a field day against a weaker St. John's squad.

"I think we may have a stronger inside game," Guevara said. "They're big, but I don't think they're strong. Pollyanna is much stronger."

The Red Storm are a perimeter-oriented team, which means Thorius, Stacey Thomas and Ann Lemire will have to step it up defensively and protect the outside. Johns is a presence in the paint on defense as well, so the Red Storm will not likely venture inside too often.

Expect to see Michigan use the press to solidify its defense - a weakness last season. Against Sporitelna, the Wolverines used a full-court press to force turnovers and spur a 10-0 run late in the first half.

But Guevara thinks St. John's is a very athletic team, and that worries her. The Red Storm run the floor early and often in an attempt to tire its their opponents. With only 10 players dressing for tonight's game, conditioning may be a problem.

"They're a very athletic team," Guevara said. "They're going to get up and down, they're going to play the passing lanes, and they're going to try to press us."

The Red Storm does have one distinct advantage - they already have one official game under their belts. They survived a scare from Manhattan College, winning 56-53.

The Wolverines are not looking to tomorrow, where they will likely face Michigan State if they beat the Red Storm, but are focusing on just the St. John's game.

"Michigan State has to play Fresno State," Guevara said. "Hopefully we can beat St. John's, and we'll just be ready for whoever they want to throw at us next."

11-21-97