Michigan
Louisiana Tech
No. 17 Wolverines Drop Opener at No. 6 Louisiana Tech
11/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RUSTON, La. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team dropped its season opener for the first time in three years, falling to sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech 81-66 Friday (Nov. 16) at the Thomas Assembly Center.
The Wolverines (No. 17 AP, No. 20 ESPN/USA Today) led for much of the first half but could not match up with Louisiana Tech's depth in the second half despite a 23-point, seven-rebound effort from junior center LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS). The Wolverines shot .462 (24-52) from the field for the game and held Louisiana Tech to a mark of .449 (35-78), but 25 Wolverine turnovers and a 19-11 Lady Techster edge on the offensive glass were the difference.
Michigan opened up the scoring with a jumper on the baseline from Heather Oesterle (Mason, Mich./Mason HS) and then grabbed an early 7-3 lead after Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) drained a triple from the left wing. The story early in the contest was Michigan's ability to get the ball inside offensively. As a result, the Wolverines went to the free throw line nine times, making seven, in the first 10 minutes of the game before the Lady Techsters made their first trip to the charity stripe. Michigan centers Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) and LeeAnn Bies (Lakeview, Mich./Lakeview HS) were particularly impressive in the paint early, scoring six and five points, respectively, in the first 10 minutes of the game.
After relinquishing its lead (17-16), Michigan turned up its defense, which led to transition hoops from Gandy and Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) as the Wolverines regained the lead and stretched it to as much as five (30-25) with less than four minutes remaining in the half. However, Louisiana Tech, on the strength of offensive rebounding and three-point shooting, closed the half on a 16-5 run to take a 41-35 lead into the break.
The Louisiana Tech run was also aided by Wolverine turnovers, 15 in all in the first half, which helped Louisiana Tech attempt 45 field goals to just 23 for the Wolverines. Michigan shot .522 (12-23) from the field, while the Lady Techsters shot .378 (17-45) in the first frame. Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS), who held the Wolverines together during the Lady Techster run, scored seven first-half points to share the team lead with Bies and Gandy. Louisiana Tech preseason All-America center Ayana Walker led all first-half scorers with 12 points, six coming off offensive rebounds.
Louisiana Tech maintained its momentum early in the second half and stretched its lead to 12 (56-44) following a triple with less than 14 minutes remaining. Another hoop in the paint by Smith did not deter the Louisiana Tech run as its lead grew to 19 (65-46) with just over 10 minutes left in the contest. A conventional three-point play from Bies began a stretch of 11 straight Wolverine points scored by the 6-3 junior and led a Michigan charge that trimmed the Louisiana Tech lead to 12 (75-63) with 3:33 remaining. Ingram and Smith also delivered hoops immediately after Bies' run to help bring the Wolverines back in it.
The Michigan defense created a turnover, but the Wolverines were unable to cut the deficit to 10 in their next possession and Louisiana Tech proceeded to score the next six points to put the game out of reach and go on to an 81-66 victory. In addition to Bies' performance, Ingram played well from the point, scoring 13 points and dishing out three assists.
The Wolverines return to the state of Michigan for a contest at Detroit on Sunday (Nov. 18, 4 p.m.) at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Mich.
N O T E S
Michigan's loss tonight ends its string of consecutive season-opening wins at two and is just the second time Sue Guevara has dropped the season opener as Wolverine head coach. U-M fell to 20th-ranked Vanderbilt in the 1998-99 season opener under Guevara.
Michigan freshmen Tabitha Pool and Katrina Mason (Detroit, Mich./Murray-Wright HS) made their Wolverine debuts in tonight's contest. Pool scored six points, including the first triple of her career, as well grabbing one rebound.
Michigan outscored Louisiana Tech from the free throw line, shooting 16-24 compared to just 6-7 for the hosts.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On the game overall ... "I thought we came out very strong in the first half and did some nice things, but they turned up the defensive pressure in the last four minutes of the first half and we did not have an answer. I felt going into the game we had to limit our turnovers and keep them off the offensive glass and we did not accomplish either one of those things. We definitely had some good individual efforts for stretches throughout the game, but when you are playing a legitimate Top 10 team you have to play well for an entire game."
On the difference in the game ... "I thought their depth was a key factor because they brought some kids in off the bench that really gave us a lot of trouble, particularly in the frontcourt. I think that depth was evident in the second half as we wore down a little bit."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
