Michigan State University
Michigan
Spartans Topple Wolverines, 67-33
1/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan 18, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State wanted to hold Michigan to 38 points, and did so with five points to spare, in a 67-33 Sunday mismatch that was the biggest blowout in the series in 30 years.
The No. 25 Spartans (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) didn't allow a basket for the first 13:25 of the second half. By that time, they had scored 23 points on the Wolverines and stretched a 17-point halftime lead to 37.
"Any time a team has 20 points against us at halftime, coach says, 'Let's hold them to 40.' And we say, 'No ... 38,' " Michigan State guard Lindsay Bowen said. "But our defense was really tough today. We were extra-focused with the intrastate rivarly."
Michigan had just four baskets in the second half and shot 13.8 percent from the field as the Spartans built a 40-point lead with impressive depth and balance.
"It didn't seem like the great rivalry it could've been," first-year Wolverines coach Cheryl Burnett said. "Michigan State is such an excellent passing team, it doesn't have a lot of weaknesses. And they did a great job of taking away our strengths."
Michigan center Jennifer Smith was held to six shots from the field and seven points -- 15.1 below her average -- by the Spartans' matchup zone. But the Spartans' occasional full-court pressure also caused problems for the Wolverines.
"We set the tone from the first possession," Michigan State center Kelli Roehrig said. "We doubled (Smith) and tied her up. If it hadn't been a travel, it would've been a jump ball. And once you start playing defense that way, it gets easier and easier as the game goes on."
Liz Shimek had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, who shot 65 percent in a 37-20 first half. Bowen also had 14 points. Rene Haynes added 11 off the bench while Roehrig had 10 points. And Julie Pagel provided an emotional lift with eight rebounds and extra effort, including a high-impact collision with the scorer's table.
"Our work ethic was really exceptional, and the fans could feel it," Michigan State Coach Joanne P. McCallie said of a season-high crowd of 7,923. "That intensity trickles down. And we always try to play for the moment."
McCallie was happiest that her team committed just 12 turnovers. But she could have been equally thrilled by a 45-33 rebounding edge or Michigan's 22.2 percent accuracy from the field.
It was the lowest scoring output for a Michigan State opponent since a 66-33 win over Calvin on Feb. 20, 1979, and the most lopsided score in the series since a 38-point win by the Spartans on Jan. 24, 1974, just the third of the teams' 55 meetings.
"I don't know if I'm a very good coach, but I'm trying to be realistic and keep my players' hearts in it," Burnett said of Michigan's struggles. "I don't know ... it was a very difficult game to watch if you were a Michigan fan."
