For the fourth game in a row, the Michigan women’s basketball team has faced a zone defense and has found itself struggling to produce offensively, going on to shoot under 50 percent on all occasions.
In the team’s 79-57 loss to Central Michigan last night the Wolverines immediately encountered a 1-2-2 zone and were unable to get off a shot from the floor until sophomore Krista Clement hit her first 3-pointer from the right side of the arc to bring the team back to within two points. Yet even Clement, the team’s go-to shooter, struggled throughout the night, going 2-for-7 from beyond the arc in her team-high 25 minutes on the hardwood.
The few times the Wolverines drove the lane, the ball found itself in the hands of one of the Chippewas, usually leading to an easy Central Michigan lay-in. Michigan players constantly tried to kick the ball out to a guard on the wing or toss it to a post player, but they never seemed to be on the same page. Towards the end of the first half, with the Wolverines up by one, freshman Jessica Minnfield passed the ball from the top of the key to a distracted Kelly Helvey, and the ball went right passed her head into the stands.
After many unsuccessful penetration attempts, the Wolverines turned to their outside shooters, rotating the ball around the perimeter only to shoot just 9 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.
“I think we played kind of timid in the zone,” Starling said. “We passed the ball around the perimeter, and we didn’t penetrate. We just don’t know how to balance the penetration with the shots. And then we aren’t hitting our shots and then the following time we are hesitant to shoot. We just need to balance the two better.”
The Chippewas had Michigan’s number from the opening tip and prepared to play a well-structured zone against the Wolverines after seeing how Michigan fared against its past opponents. The Wolverines have won just one game this year against a team playing a zone defense. After Central Michigan held the Wolverines to just nine assists in the first half while forcing 12 turnovers, the Chippewas knew they were on the right track. They continued their zone defense – switching to a 2-3 setup from time to time – until the final buzzer.
Sophomore Ta’Shia Walker, whom the Wolverines have looked to throughout the season for offensive productivity, struggled against the zone for the first time this season. She didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc – largely due to the Chippewa’s effective zone – and shot just 3-for-10 from inside the paint. Central Michigan’s zone disabled the Wolverines’ offense from all angles, allowing just two players – Walker and Clement – to score in double figures. Freshman Jessica Minefield, who has been rendered powerless against the zone all season, was again completely eliminated from the Wolverines offense. Minnfield failed to score a single point all night while she was also unable to create shots for others, racking up just one assist on the night from a pass to junior Kelly Helvey for a lay-in while turning the ball over three times.
“There’s no question that, statistically, when we’re playing against a zone and we’re turning it over 24 times and we’re really trying to work hard to get the basketball in and once our post players are receiving it they’re not breaking the zone down to get some good outside looks,” coach Cheryl Burnett said. “We’re disappointed and we’re struggling at this point.”