Women close preseason with victory

By David Horn

Daily Sports Writer

Houston, we may have a problem. Last night at Crisler Arena, the Michigan women's basketball team played its final preseason exhibition against the Houston Jaguars - a team made up of former college players. Michigan was victorious, enjoying the better end of an 86-74 tally, but the game was more competitive than the final score indicates.

Only the impressive play of senior guard Alayne Ingram down the stretch kept the Wolverines out of reach for the Jaguars, and ensured an undefeated preseason as they prepare for their regular season opener, Friday night against No. 9 Louisiana Tech.

"We were up by 12 at one point," Ingram said. "We let them get back, and we let them get easy shots. We didn't do very well with penetration. We knew we had to tighten up on defense, and that's what we tried to do."

After building steadily toward a 44-37 lead at halftime, the Wolverines allowed Houston to creep back to within two points with 7:16 remaining. Following a time-out, Ingram scored a field goal on the Wolverines' second possession. But after a turnover by sophomore LeeAnn Bies, Jaguar sharpshooter Jamika Jones buried a 3-pointer to make the score 73-72. Ingram responded with a trey of her own, putting Michigan back up by four.

"We executed down the stretch in a tight game," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said.

Ingram finished the game with 22 points and three assists in 37 minutes. She was one of five Wolverines with a double-digit point total, but distinguished herself as the go-to player on the offensive end and a leader on both sides of the court.

"Alayne Ingram wants that role," Guevara said. "She and (senior guard) Anna Thorius compliment each other so well. Anna knows that when Alayne is hot, she can penetrate and she knows that Alayne is going to be spotting ready. It's a nice combination of guards to have."

Thorius, despite Guevara's earlier wishes to keep her minutes low, played all but the final minute of the first half. Her 12 points and eight assists kept the Michigan offensive attack balanced throughout the game. Her 39 minutes were a concern for Guevara after the game.

"I don't want to do that, but we needed to win the game today," Guevara said.

The real concerns for Michigan were on defense, though. In particular, the range of Jones was a constant nuisance for a Wolverine team still tooling with their defensive strategy. She ended an extraordinary 7-11 from behind the arc, finishing with a game-high 25 points.

"Our perimeter defense was not as strong as we had hoped," Ingram said. "That's something we need to work on."

Guevara cited the loss of last year's seniors as the immediate cause of the defensive collapse.

"You don't want to just keep outscoring people," Guevara said. "You've got to get a defensive stop."

Jones wasn't the only outside threat for Houston. Guard Isatu Milton was 2-2, and the team shot a remarkable 62.5% from three-point land.

Inside, the Wolverines had the most success when both the 6-3 Bies and 6-3 Jennifer Smith were on the floor. Their inside presence allowed the Michigan guards some freedom marking at the top of the key and around the perimeter. Smith was at times a liability underneath, allowing Houston center Tatum Brown room to maneuver. Brown finished with 10 points.

Michigan plays at 7 p.m. Friday, also at Crisler Arena. Louisiana Tech is one of four currently ranked opponents on the Wolverines' schedule, which also includes No. 4 Purdue, No. 13 Penn State, No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 19 North Carolina State.