Weekly Release #3
11/22/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., Nov. 24-26 -- at Asahi Rainbow Classic (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Nov. 24 -- vs. Arkansas, 11:10 a.m. HST
Nov. 25 -- vs. N.C. State or Northern Illinois, 9 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. HST
Nov. 26 -- Championship Round, TBA
Fri., Dec. 1 -- vs. New Hampshire (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 3 -- vs. Western Michigan (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 4 p.m.
| MICHIGAN (1-1) vs. ARKANSAS (0-2) | |
| When | Friday, Nov. 24, 2000 (11:10 a.m. HST) |
| Site | Honolulu, Hawaii (Stan Sheriff Center) |
| Series Record | 0-0, First Meeting |
| Coaches | Michigan -- Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley, 1982) Overall: 75-42 (5th season); at U-M: same Arkansas -- Gary Blair (Texas Tech, 1972) Overall: 346-119 (16th season); at UA: 136-76 (8th season) |
| On the Web | Arkansas -- www.ladybacks.com |
Opening Tip
The University of Michigan women's basketball team takes its first road trip of the 2000-01 season, playing at the Asahi Rainbow Wahine Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, from Nov. 24-26. The Wolverines (1-1) face Arkansas (0-1) in the opening round on Friday, Nov. 24 (11:10 a.m. HST). It will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Asahi Rainbow Wahine Classic Schedule
Times are Hawaii Standard Time (add five hours for EST)
First Round -- Friday, Nov. 24
Game 1 -- North Carolina State vs. Northern Illinois -- 9 a.m.
Game 2 -- Michigan vs. Arkansas -- 11:10 a.m.
Game 3 -- Arizona State vs. Stephen F. Austin -- 1:20 p.m.
Game 4 -- Hawaii vs. Cal-Irvine -- 3:30 p.m.
Second Round -- Saturday, Nov. 25
Game 5 -- Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser -- 9 a.m.
Game 6 -- TBD -- 11:10 a.m.
Game 7 -- Hawaii vs. TBD -- 1:20 p.m.
Game 8 -- Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner -- 3:30 p.m.
Championship Round -- Sunday, Nov. 26
7th-Place Game -- 9 a.m.
5th-Place Game -- 11:10 a.m.
3rd-Place Game -- 1:20 p.m.
Championship Game -- 3:30 p.m.
Scouting Arkansas
Michigan and Arkansas face off in the opening round of the tournament in a first-ever meeting between the schools ... Arkansas enters the matchup with Michigan 0-2 after a 66-58 loss to Memphis and a 79-67 loss to Missouri ... Arkansas was 17-15 (4-10 SEC East) in 1999-2000 and advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT ... senior guard Wendy Willits is Arkansas' leading returning scorer from a year ago (14.1 ppg).
The Rest of the Field
Arizona State -- is 2-0 after wins at home over Texas-San Antonio (57-40) and South Florida (74-39).
Hawaii -- is 3-0 to open the season after winning the Hawaiian Regent Classic with wins over Northern Arizona (67-53), Pepperdine (68-46) and Western Kentucky (73-70) ... Hawaii is in the others receiving votes category in the coaches' poll.
North Carolina State -- opened the season ranked 22nd in the AP poll and 23rd in the coaches' poll and remained there after the first week of action ... The Wolfpack is 1-1 after a win over Elon (84-40) and a loss to Oregon (50-47).
Northern Illinois -- is 1-1 after 83-60 win over Illinois State in the opener and a 77-63 loss to Northwestern.
Stephen F. Austin -- is 2-0 and receiving votes in both polls after wins over Alcorn State (88-46) and SMU (69-62) to open the season.
Cal-Irvine -- is 1-0 after beating Cal State-Northridge 71-48 to open the season.
Movin' Up
Propelled by its upset win over then-No. 8 Louisiana Tech last Friday (Nov. 17), Michigan has moved up to the No. 2 team in others receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll. Michigan has 67 points in the lastest poll, which is second behind Old Dominion (75) among teams not in the Top 25.
Livin' at the Line
Michigan has dominated at the charity stripe in each of its first two contests this season, making more free throws (46) than its opponents have attempted (40). In the win over Louisiana Tech, the Wolverines drained 28-35 free throws, including 26-32 (.813) in the second half alone. Michigan's 28 free throws made in the win over No. 8 La. Tech is tied for the fourth highest total in school history. Michigan also knocked down 18-25 free tosses in its loss to Washington (Nov. 19). The Wolverines are shooting .767 (46-60) from the line after two games this season.
First-Ever Win Over Top 10 Opponent
Michigan opened its 2000-01 season with its first-ever win over a Top 10 opponent as the Wolverines took down then-No. 8 Louisiana Tech last Friday (Nov. 17) in front of the home crowd at Crisler Arena. The Michigan win was paced by junior forward Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS), who led the Wolverines with 17 points. Michigan's victory was also aided by a double-double in points (14) and rebounds (10) from senior point guard Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium). The Wolverines outscored La. Tech 28-14 from the free throw line and held the Lady Techsters to just .385 (25-65) shooting from the field. The highest-ranked team Michigan had defeated prior to La. Tech was when it downed No. 12 and defending national champion Purdue 74-67 at Crisler on Jan. 8, 2000.
Another Ranked Foe Goes Down
In addition to Michigan's win over Louisiana Tech being its first ever over a Top-10 opponent, it also marked the 10th time Michigan has defeated a ranked opponent in its history. eight of Michigan's 10 wins over ranked teams have come under Guevara and since 1998, her second season at Michigan.
Michigan's All-Time Wins Over Ranked Foes
| 1/19/86 | 58-56 | vs. Iowa (17) |
| 2/18/90 | 70-68 (ot) | at Northwestern (15) |
| 1/9/98 | 67-59 | vs. Purdue (23) |
| 2/8/98 | 62-60 | at Purdue (23) |
| 2/28/98 | 79-70 | vs. Wisconsin (24) |
| 1/29/99 | 85-71 | vs. Ohio State (19) |
| 1/8/2000 | 74-67 | vs. Purdue (12) |
| 1/17/2000 | 86-69 | at Illinois (13) |
| 2/3/2000 | 70-59 | vs. Illinois (23) |
| 11/17/2000 | 69-66 | vs. Louisiana Tech (8) |
Michigan Drops First Contest
Two days after upsetting Louisiana Tech, the Wolverines lost their first game of the season, 73-60 to Washington last Sunday (Nov. 19) at Crisler Arena. Michigan shot just .385 (20-52) from the field and .154 (2-13) from beyond the arc. Washington connected on seven treys and shot .333 from three-point range.
Career Best for Thorius
Anne Thorius' 10 boards in the win over Louisiana Tech was a career high for the senior point guard. Her previous best was eight, which she recorded in Michigan's 81-74 loss to Stanford in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament. Thorius leads the Wolverines with 8.5 rpg through the first two games this season.
The Last Time
Michigan's last trip to the Rainbow Wahine Classic was in head coach Sue Guevara's first season, in 1996-97. The Wolverines were coming off a 7-20 campaign a year earlier but entered the tournament with a 3-0 record. Michigan defeated Virginia Tech 79-63 in the opening round and then defeated host Hawaii 75-63 to earn a berth in the tournament's championship round. In the title game, Michigan pushed No. 11 Stanford to the limit before falling 77-74.
Goodlow Starts Strong
In addition to leading the Wolverines with 17 points in their season-opening win over Louisiana Tech, Raina Goodlow also notched a game-best 17 points in the Wolverines' 73-60 loss to Washington on Sunday (Nov. 19). Goodlow connected on 7-9 shots in the Washington game and is shooting .667 (12-18) from the floor in Michigan's first two games this season. Goodlow has also knocked down 10-14 from the free throw line for a mark of .714.
Perfect from the Stripe
Junior forward/guard Heather Oesterle (Mason, Mich./Mason HS) is a perfect 8-8 from the stripe after two games this season. Oesterle is tied for the team lead in assists with junior guard Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) at 3.0 apg.
Michigan and Big Ten Milestone Looming
Anne Thorius now needs 10 assists to become the Wolverines' all-time assist leader. Lori Gnatkowski (1980-84) holds the record with 402. Thorius became the first U-M player to post 100 or more assists in three consecutive seasons in 1999-2000. As a freshman, the Horsholm, Denmark, native totaled 130 assists and followed that up with a 145-assist season as a sophomore. Last year, Thorius recorded 114 assists. Thorius needs 111 assists in her senior campaign to become the 12th player in Big Ten history to reach 500 for her career.
Quotes from Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the win over Louisiana Tech ... "The key to our win tonight was composure. We never stopped believing we could win this game. Another key was that we came out in the second half and made a concerted effort to attack the basket and that showed with our 32 trips to the foul line in the second half."
On the loss to Washington ... "Today we experienced a total breakdown defensively as an entire team. Everything we did well in our win on Friday -- getting loose balls, making big defensive stops, knocking down free throws -- we did not do today."
Preseason Recognition
Michigan received votes in both the AP Preseason Top 25 poll as well as in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll. The Wolverines received 35 points in the AP poll, which was the 36th highest total of the teams receiving votes. In the ESPN/USA Today poll, Michigan received 18 points, which was the 41st highest total of teams receiving votes in the coaches poll. "I like the fact that we are gaining some recognition on a national level, but I am more anxious to see where we finish in March," said head coach Sue Guevara.
Big Ten Preseason Stuff
Despite finishing runner-up in the Big Ten, with a school record 13-3 conference mark in 2000 and returning four players with starting experience, Michigan was left out of the Big Ten preseason poll by both the coaches and the media. Both polls, which include only the top three teams, had Purdue as the preseason Big Ten favorite, followed by Penn State in second and Illinois and Wisconsin tying for third. The Wolverines were not represented on either Big Ten preseason All-Conference team, while Purdue senior Katie Douglas was the pick for preseason Player of the Year by both the media and the coaches.
Guevara Enters Fifth Season
Head coach Sue Guevara enters her fifth season at the helm of the Wolverine program. In her first four years, Guevara compiled a 74-41 overall mark. The 74 wins rank second all-time in school history, while her 64.3 winning percentage ranks first. Guevara opens the 2000-01 campaign needing 20 wins to become the winningest coach in Michigan women's basketball history. Bud VanDeWege (1984-92) won 93 games as U-M coach.
The media honored Guevara as the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1999-2000, after she led the Wolverines to a school record 13 Big Ten victories and a second-place finish in the league, the team's best-ever showing. U-M advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament field for the second time under Guevara.
In the Role
Head coach Sue Guevara is joined on the bench by fifth-year assistants Yvette Harris and Eileen Shea, and first-year assistant coach Ron Mott. Yulonda Wimbish-Gay, who previously served as an assistant coach, moves over to the Director of Basketball Operations position.
The Schedule
Michigan faces a challenging and demanding schedule in 2000-01, playing 13 opponents that made postseason appearances in either the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT in 2000. Included is NCAA Women's Final Four participant Penn State, WNIT champion Wisconsin and NCAA Elite Eight finisher Louisiana Tech. Michigan begins Big Ten play on Dec. 28 with a road game at Illinois. The Wolverines will not have to travel far for the 2001 Big Ten Tournament, which will be held March 1-4 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Big Ten Standings (through Nov. 20)
Big Ten Overall Indiana 0-0 .000 2-0 1.000 Minnesota 0-0 .000 2-0 1.000 Illinois 0-0 .000 1-0 1.000 Northwestern 0-0 .000 1-0 1.000 Ohio State 0-0 .000 1-0 1.000 Purdue 0-0 .000 3-1 .750 Penn State 0-0 .000 2-1 .667 MICHIGAN 0-0 .000 1-1 .500 Iowa 0-0 .000 1-1 .500 Michigan State 0-0 .000 1-1 .500 Wisconsin 0-0 .000 1-1 .500
WOLVERINE ROSTER (2000-01 Stats)
POSSIBLE STARTERS Yr. Ht. PPG RPG Other F 30 Heather Oesterle Jr. 6-0 8.0 4.5 3.0 apg F 32 Raina Goodlow Jr. 6-2 17.0 4.0 .667 FG C 44 LeAnn Bies So. 6-3 13.0 7.0 .526 FG G 24 Anne Thorius Sr. 5-11 11.0 8.5 2.0 apg G 40 Alayne Ingram Jr. 5-7 10.0 1.5 3.0 apg OFF THE BENCH F 10 Christie Schumacher Fr. 5-11 0.0 1.5 4.0 min F 33 Stephanie Gandy Fr. 5-10 0.0 2.0 4.0 min C 54 Jennifer Smith Fr. 6-3 3.0 1.5 .667 FT G 5 Michaela Leary Fr. 5-8 0.0 0.5 4.0 min G 31 Infini Robinson So. 5-9 2.5 0.5 13.0 min ALSO AVAILABLE OFF THE BENCH F 42 Katie Dykhouse Sr. 6-2 --- --- --- G 4 Susana Jara Jr. 5-7 --- --- ---
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
