The Michigan women’s basketball team’s play can only be described as two-faced.

On one side, the Wolverines' hideous play led to a 17-point halftime deficit against Indiana yesterday. The other side shows the clean and well-executed play with which Michigan finished the game.

After Michigan's six-point loss to Minnesota, Michigan coach Kevin Borseth lamented his team’s inability to get into what he calls the “scoring zone”. He reiterated the feeling during the week at practice.

The Wolverines got into the paint yesterday but didn’t convert their chances in the first half. The Michigan wing players made an effort to look inside to the post player on almost every offensive possession, usually senior forward Stephany Skrba or junior center Krista Phillips.

Borseth screamed “Give her the ball!” from the sidelines several times when Skrba was in the post.

The Wolverines were 7-of-20 in the paint but suffered numerous turnovers in the “scoring zone.” At times, they attempted the extra pass, only to have the defensively sound Hoosiers knock it away.

“I don’t think they really want the shots on the inside,” Indiana coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “I think they really want the ball to go inside to pull back out. … I think that if we are giving up twos, it’s better than giving up threes, so we rolled the dice, and it kind of helped us out.”

The clean side of the coin: Michigan may have struggled in the first half, but Borseth saw his vision come true in the second.

“What we are doing requires our ability to put it on the block and to score it down there,” Borseth said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do here for two years. That’s what we are going to try and do here for as long as I’m here – for the next 20 years.”

Borseth was sure to point out that the Wolverines were spurred by the interior performance of freshman forward Carmen Reynolds, who scored seven points and was 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

The team made shots in the paint and kicked the ball out for open 3-point shots. Michigan’s smooth offense helped the Wolverines outscore the Hoosiers 31-24 in the second half. Michigan made 5-of-8 3-pointers and was 5-of-12 in the paint.

Michigan’s defense was part of the downfall in the loss, too, as it couldn’t keep the dynamic Hoosiers off the offensive boards. Michigan gave up 17 offensive rebounds and had to play defense longer because of the extended possessions.

But Michigan can take one positive from the loss: the second half.

“We have been doing a good job of playing a half of basketball,” Borseth said. “Either the first half or the second half. It’s been our MO. We play one really good half. We dug a hole today and we came back and we battled. … We’re trying to find a way to get over the hump.”

Going in opposite directions: At the beginning of the year, Michigan seemed like the hottest team in the Big Ten. The Wolverines finished their non-conference schedule with a 7-5 record, which included wins over four teams ranked in the top 25. But Michigan’s 2-6 conference record has sunk the team’s high expectations.

Entering Thursday’s matchup against Indiana, which is tied for the Big Ten conference lead, Michigan had lost three straight games by a total of 14 points, before losing by 10 to the Hoosiers.

If Michigan is the model of inconsistency, then Indiana is the blueprint for stability.

The Hoosiers boast five players who average more than 10 points per game and have won four straight games. Michigan has one player averaging double digits.

If Michigan wants to turn its season around and stop its skid, the win will have to come on the road. The Wolverines face Iowa (4-3, Big Ten, 11-7 overall) Monday.