Rowdy crowd helps thwart Blue comeback

CHAMPAIGN - The scene inside Huff Hall was a familiar one for the Michigan women's basketball team. For the third straight time, the Wolverines played a game in which the home team took a big second half lead only to see the visiting team come back to make the game close. Unlike the last two instances in which the Wolverines held a double-digit lead, this game saw Michigan mount the heroic comeback late in the game. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, their effort fell short, as Illinois held on, 66-63.

Last week against Penn State, Michigan jumped out to a 13-point lead in the second half, only to see the Nittany Lions come back to win in overtime at Crisler Arena. In Friday's showdown with Purdue in Ann Arbor, Michigan held an 18-point advantage in the second half. That lead dwindled to just four late in the second half. The Wolverines eventually won, 67-59.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Ann Lemire drives to the basket in a 67-59 upset of No. 23 Purdue on Friday at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines' couldn't complete a sweep of ranked Big Ten teams, dropping a 66-63 nailbiter in Huff Hall to Illinois yesterday.

"We had a cushion the whole game and as soon as it became closer, I think all of us had flashbacks to Penn State," Michigan captain Molly Murray said. "We got tentative and tense and you could just see on everyone's face, like 'Oh no, here we go again.'"

Sunday, it was Michigan making the comeback in the hostile confines of Huff Hall. After taking a one-point halftime lead, the Wolverines were outscored, 22-8, in the first eight minutes of the game.

"We're down 13 points, 12 minutes to go and we clawed our way back, in front of a very loud and hostile crowd," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "It was a great place to play."

The Wolverines played in front of their largest crowd of the season - 3,861 - though at times, it sounded as if twice that many people were booing unpopular calls by the referees.

Michigan point guard Anne Thorius realized just how much the crowd helped the Fighting Illini.

"There's no doubt that it makes a difference to play in front of a crowd that is so loud and you can't hear what you're saying on the floor," Thorius said. "It's just like a sixth player on the floor so basically, you just have to beat that player, too."

The raucous crowd rose to its feet on every Michigan possession, cheering the Fighting Illini as it tried to hold off a strong Michigan charge at the end of the game.

On several occasions, the fans voiced their displeasure with the referees' calls as Illinois coach Theresa Grentz yelled from the sideline. After the game, however, she chose to keep her feelings to herself.

"I can't say anything about the officiating because I don't feel like getting fined," Grentz said. "I have my own rules about officiating and No. 1 is, I don't like to get on the officials."

Although Guevara also voiced her displeasure with the officials on several occasions, she was generally happy with the game that they called. At halftime, she spoke to the officials at center court as Grentz watched disapprovingly from a few feet away.

"They called the hand checks real early, but I thought they were pretty consistent too," Guevara said. "I went to the refs at halftime and said 'Hey listen, you're calling it tight and you're consistent. Just call it that way the whole game,' and I thought they did."

Regardless of the officiating and the crowd noise, Michigan played well throughout the game, following up a quality win against No. 23 Purdue on Friday.

"I told my team we played two tough teams back-to-back," Guevara said. "We can play with these people and that's what my team needs to look at. We can play with these people."

01-12-98