'M' nipped by Illini after upending Purdue

CHAMPAIGN - It's unfortunate for the Michigan women's' basketball team that moral victories don't show up in the standings.

The Wolverines endured a harsh crowd and battled back from a 13-point deficit before falling, 66-63, to No. 11 Illinois yesterday at Huff Hall.

Poor free-throw shooting by Illinois in the final minute left Michigan a chance to send the game into overtime, but Anne Thorius' running 3-pointer glanced off the rim as time expired.

"I thought we had them right where we wanted them," Guevara said of the game's final minute. "But we had a few miscues down the stretch."

With 52 seconds remaining in the game, Illinois forward Ashley Berggren made one of two free throws to give the Illini a 64-63 lead.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Ann Lemire drives to the hoop on Friday against Purdue during the Wolverines' upset victory. Michigan lost to Illinois yesterday in Champaign.

In their ensuing possession, Michigan (3-3 Big Ten, 11-5 overall) tried to get the ball to center Pollyanna Johns, who found herself double-covered. As the shot clock wound down, Michigan guard Ann Lemire missed a pull-up jumper, and the Wolverines were forced to foul.

"We were trying to get the ball into Johns, because (Illinois center) Alicia Sheeler had four fouls on her," Guevara said. "Lemire got a good shot off, it just didn't go in."

Michigan fouled Illinois guard Melissa Parker, who missed both free throws, but the referee ruled that Johns had deflected the rebound out of bounds. Illinois' inbounds pass was then tipped to Sheeler under the basket for a layup, giving the Illini a three-point lead.

From the outset, the game was a battle in the paint, with Illinois' powerful frontline, averaging 6-foot-3, against Michigan's quicker, smaller post players.

This matchup appeared to work in Michigan's favor in the first half. Michigan outrebounded the Illini, 25-13, in the first half, and entered the locker room with a 33-32 lead after a pair of Anne Thorius free throws with just more than a second remaining. Thorius, who was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line in the first half, also dished out five assists before the break.

Illinois (6-0, 12-4) came out strong in the second half, going on a 24-10 run, and enjoyed its biggest advantage of the game, 56-43, with 10:40 to play.

But, the Wolverines fought back, repeatedly entering the ball to Johns, who was able to maneuver around Illinois' slower post players for a series of athletic layups. Johns finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

After Lemire hit two free throws with 3:03 remaining in the game, the two teams were deadlocked at 59.

Michigan shot an impressive 91 percent from the free-throw line in the contest, going 10-for-10 in the second half.

The Wolverines' defense contained Berggren, last year's Big Ten Player of the Year, holding her to nine points, just half of her season average. It was the first time all season Berggren had been held to single-digit scoring.

Unfortunately for Michigan, the Illini post players picked up the scoring slack, accounting for 44 of the Illini's 66 points. Center Alicia Sheeler led the way with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Illinois' penetration paved the way for easy entry into the post.

"Johns, first of all, is a pretty good defender; she moves really well," Guevara said. "We were always going to try to have somebody in the passing lane, and then somebody that was going to be in between the person with the ball and the basket, to defend penetration."

On Friday, the Wolverines used their switching defense, coupled with a balanced scoring attack, to defeat No. 23 Purdue, 67-59. Molly Murray hit three of five shots from 3-point range on her way to scoring 16 points, and the Wolverines harassed the Boilermakers (2-2, 9-5) into 36 percent shooting from the floor.

After holding Purdue to just 20 points in the first half and enjoying a 53-36 lead with 5:22 to play, the Boilermakers fought back to close the deficit to just four points, 57-53, with 1:50 left to play.

Michigan's inability to finish off Purdue evoked memories of last week's overtime loss to Penn State, which saw the Wolverines blow a 13-point lead in the second half.

"Down the stretch, you could see the fear come back for about two or three minutes," Guevara said. "But we made some changes in personnel and hit some big free throws down the stretch, and I'm very happy for this team."

The victory over Purdue had been a long time coming. The Boilermakers had defeated the Wolverines 21 straight times, with Michigan's last victory in West Lafayette in 1986.

Johns added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Anne Thorius pulls up for a jumper behind a Molly Murray screen against Purdue.

01-12-98