The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/299859
OLYMPIC SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HAS STRONG SHOWING IN WNIT The Michigan women's basketball season ended almost exactly as it began. The Wolverines kicked off the 2013-14 season with a disappointing 63-52 loss to Bowling Green in the first round of the Iona Tournament in New Rochelle, N.Y. Four months later, the Falcons clipped Michigan by a nearly identical score, 63-53, to end the Wolverines' run in the WNIT in the third round. Bowling Green, which hosted Michigan for the third-round game, went on to lose in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Rutgers. "We were right there," junior guard Nicole Elmblad said. "But we had too many defensive lapses and gave them too many open looks. We had some good looks offensively, but they were giving us a little more pressure than we were giving them." The Wolverines started fast, but surrendered a 9-1 run at the end of the first half, and they could never quite close the gap. "We came out and played really well," Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "We responded well, especially with the environment here. They had great fan atmosphere. "The first thing I said when I went in to the locker room was, 'I know everyone is disappointed the season came to an end, but I really want you to know how proud I am of what you accomplished this season.'" A year after setting the program record for wins in a season, making the NCAA Tournament and graduating five key players, Michigan was predicted to tumble down to the bottom of the Big Ten this year. Instead, Michigan went 20-14 overall and 8-8 in conference play, and won two games in the WNIT. The Wolverines beat Stony Brook 86-48 and Duquesne 68-52, before falling to the Falcons. Junior forward Cyesha Goree grabbed eight rebounds in the loss to Bowling Green, which put her at 317 on the season (9.3 per game) and set a single-season program record. "A lot of people didn't think we would achieve the things we did," Goree said. "A lot of people thought we were going to be the worst team in the conference, and the way we came out and improved and got 20 wins, it is really something we pride ourselves on. It gives us a lot of confidence, going into next year." WOMEN'S LACROSSE FINDS ITS FOOTING Starting a varsity program from scratch is certainly not an easy task. When the Michigan women's lacrosse team kicked off its inaugural season, it looked like they Wolverines would need time to catch up. Michigan's first-ever game at the Division I level was a 20-7 loss at Villanova Feb. 22, and the team proceeded to lose the first eight games of its first season. The Wolverines have progressed nicely since the slow start to the