11/15/05- “M” women get a split in Oregon

And so the regular season began for Cheryl Burnett and the Michigan women’s basketball team with a trip to the alma mater of the great author and counterculture hero Ken Kesey. That would be the University of Oregon, where Kesey was a champion wrestler and earned his undergraduate degree. Michigan was there to participate in the Women’s Sports Foundation Challenge Tournament. The other three teams in the tourney included Temple, St. Francis of Pennsylvania, and the host school.

Michigan opened play against the Temple Owls. Unlike the Temple football team which is one of the worst in the Big Time College Ranks, the Temple women’s hoop team is among the best and came in with a number 21 national ranking.

Kelly Helvey scored the first points of the game and Michigan led 2-0. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the first half as far as the Maize and Blue were concerned. Temple quickly shot out to a 14-4 advantage and then made it 20-6 before a three pointer by Jessica Minnfield gave Michigan at least a bit of momentum. It was Temple the rest of the way and at the half the Owls led 31-16. One promising sign was Katie Dierdorf’s first appearance in a game since December 14, 2004. It was then that her rookie season was ended by injuries and she is at last healthy and able to play.

Temple boosted the lead to 20 points with 15 minutes to go in regulation. Michigan refused to give up, as Stephany Skrba led a rally that cut the deficit in half. Dierdorf and Carly Benson also did their part and soon the Wolverines were trailing by only eight. But then the scoring well ran dry and Temple closed out a 65-48 win over Michigan.

Jessica Minnfield scored 15 points to lead the Wolverines and made good on three of five three point shots. Stephany Skrba was next with eight points.

Michigan outrebounded Temple, but had more turnovers and did not shoot the ball well particularly in the first half.

It was a tough way to start the season, but as any player or coach will tell you, you have to just forget about it and get ready for the next game. Which in Michigan’s case would be the very next day, in the consolation game of the Oregon tournament against St. Francis of Pennsylvania.

Michigan struggled to hit their shots in the Temple game, but had little trouble with this task against St. Francis. The team connected on 53 percent of their first half field goals and 20 of 23 first stanza free throws to take a commanding 52-16 advantage to the locker room.

From there, Cheryl’s Crew cruised to an 80-52 victory to even their record at one win and one loss.

Canada’s Finest, Stephany Skrba got the start at center in only her second collegiate game. She had a very impressive game, scoring 19 points, grabbing eight rebounds, while also recording two assists, three steals, and a blocked shot.

Katie Dierdorf continues the Family Tradition of Michigan Athletic Greatness that her dad Dan started as one of Coach Schembechler’s offensive linemen. Katie scored 13 points and blocked a pair of shots while starting at power forward.

Kelly Helvey, Michigan’s most experienced veteran and All Around Super Woman, tallied a dozen points on five of six shooting and added a couple blocked shots of her own.

All of Michigan’s players scored at least some points with the exception of Janelle Cooper, and she contributed five rebounds and two steals. Everyone got at least 13 minutes playing time, so it was a total team effort which is always the best way to go in my opinion.

For a team that won only five games last season, this was an encouraging start. A win over Temple would have been nice, but that is the proverbial spilled milk now and so there is no use crying over it. Especially not with a trip to South Bend on the horizon. Yes, that is where Cheryl’s Crew will find themselves this coming Friday as they take on the perennial national contenders of Notre Dame. This will be a definite challenge for the Wolverines, but I am confident that with enough hard work and some momentum from the St. Francis game that Michigan can and will win this game. Besides, we owe the Irish for beating us in football this year!

After that it is back to Ann Arbor for the home regular season opener against Miami of Ohio. The date is Sunday, November 20. The time is 2 pm. The place is Crisler Arena. You know, that building next door to Michigan Stadium? Be there to support a great coaching staff and a fine group of student athletes who are about to make history.

Vince Prygoski
prygoski@umflint.edu

Vince Prygoski, is the Women's basketball columnist for UMGoBlue.com. He's been a fan of Michigan sports for as long as he can remember.
He has written a book on the history of Michigan women's basketball that will be published soon.

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