Michigan
Iowa
Iowa Runs Send Wolverines to Fourth Consecutive Loss
2/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team dropped its fourth straight Big Ten Conference game Thursday night (Feb. 6), falling to Iowa 65-57 at Crisler Arena. The Hawkeyes used a 15-0 second-half scoring run to build a 49-29 lead that proved to be insurmountable for the Wolverines (11-9, 2-7 Big Ten). Sophomore Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) and freshman Niki Reams (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) were an integral part of a late surge for Michigan, as the two combined for 20 points to help Michigan crawl within seven points of the lead.
| | Pool led all scorers with 19 points and had seven boards. |
Michigan controlled the opening tip, but it was the Hawkeyes who struck first with a basket inside for an early 2-0 lead. Bies put U-M on the board with a bucket down low. After another hoop from Iowa, Bies scored while she was fouled and converted the free throw to give the Wolverines the 5-4 edge with just over 16 minutes to play in the half. That play sparked a 10-5 Michigan run, featuring six consecutive points from Bies and four from Pool, increasing U-M's lead to 15-7 with over 11 minutes remaining until the break.
Senior Raina Goodlow (Detroit, Mich./Dominican HS) kept things going for Michigan, scoring inside after a nice pass from Pool to give U-M a 17-9 advantage. After a defensive stop by the Wolverines, Pool pushed the lead to a game-high nine points with her third bucket of the half. Pool's basket would be Michigan's last for over six minutes, as Iowa used a 13-0 scoring run to take a 23-19 lead with five minutes remaining until halftime.
Pool broke the Michigan scoring drought, scoring four straight points, but the Hawkeyes answered with baskets on their next three possessions as they maintained a four-point advantage. Junior Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) and freshman Reams rounded out the first-half scoring, netting two apiece to send U-M into the locker room trailing 34-27.
Bies and Pool led Michigan at the break with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Smith pulled down all eight of her rebounds for the game in the first half. April Calhoun led Iowa with 11 first-half points, while Lillis poured in 10.
Smith scored in the paint to open the scoring in the second half and trim Iowa's lead to 34-29. The Hawkeyes then reeled of 15 unanswered points to take a 49-29 lead with under 14 minutes remaining in the contest. The Wolverines put together a 15-2 run of their own to climb back within seven points, 51-44, with over nine minutes to play. That would be as close as U-M would get, as Iowa converted on its scoring opportunities and the Wolverines were forced to foul as the clock melted away.
Michigan will be on the road at Northwestern on Sunday (Feb. 9) for a 2 p.m. CST contest at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Sue Guevara
On Iowa keeping its lead despite a Michigan run ... "We went on a run and they did a little bit of an adjustment. After that 11-0 run we had a couple of missed shots and a couple of turnovers, and that kind of hurt our momentum a little bit."
On going away from the inside game ... "We got into foul trouble and that got us out of the post game. The high-low move was working and we were able to establish the inside game, which we wanted to do, but when we got into foul trouble we had to make substitutions and went on a little bit of a drought."
On problems against a zone defense ... "We talked about being able to finish the possession and having the discipline at the end to allow that shot clock to wind down and still finish it. There are times when we get a good shot, but we don't have the focus and allow the other team to get the rebound and have the ball back again. We have to focus of finishing every possession."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
