Blue has no leaders to follow in 33-point loss

By David Roth

Daily Sports Writer

After being held scoreless for five-and-a-half minutes late in the second half, the Michigan women's basketball team needed a defibrillator to shock them out of the team's most embarrassing slump of the season.

But with University ambulances nowhere in sight, the Wolverines had to settle for an 85-52 whooping by Wisconsin.

"Right now we're on respirator," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "We have to find our heart."

Michigan's heart was usurped by the Badgers' 71 percent field-goal shooting in the first half, and a defense that let up just 14 second-half points to the Wolverines.

"We had no energy in the second half," Guevara said. "We got a good old butt-kicking."

During Wisconsin's 12-0 run, the Wolverines' already-sizable deficit increased from 19 to 31.

"We were stuck on 50 (points) for what seemed like two hours," Guevara said. "It can be discouraging when balls are going off people's hands, when we're getting open looks and were not able to knock them down."

The problem was that leadership, and any sense of emotion for Michigan, was void on the court and on bench.

Co-captain Anne Thorius, frustrated with 20-percent shooting on the night, kept mum, and Stephanie Gandy, usually an animated on-court player, sat slothfully and silently beside her teammates.

Guevara said she tried to encourage her players, but nothing worked.

"Who in the hell wants to win this game?" Guevara said she asked her players. "Who's going to lead? Who's going to take over?"

But nobody on the Wolverines had an answer for Wisconsin and guard Kyle Black, who tormented Michigan by hitting all four of her 3-point shots.

While all five Wisconsin starters scored in double digits, four of Michigan's starters made just a single field goal.

The Badgers' starters outscored Michigan 69-25.

"It has probably been four years since we have been embarrassed like we were tonight," Guevara said.

"Quite frankly I need some people to step up and get it done. I just felt we were very passive. You didn't see a lot of enthusiasm."

Off the bench, Alayne Ingram caught fire in the first half, scoring 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, with three of her buckets registering from behind the arc.

But Michigan's lackluster play was contagious, and Ingram must have caught a dose of it as she netted just a single bucket in the second half.

JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily

Raina Goodlow's grimace as she drives to the basket was about as emotional as the Wolverines got in their 85-52 loss to Wisconsin.