Feb. 3, 2000

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Anne Thorius saved her best for last Thursday night.

The guard scored all of her 23 points in the second half, leading Michigan to a 70-59 win over No. 23 Illinois.

Stacey Thomas added 20 points as the Wolverines (15-6 overall, 7-3 Big Ten) handed the struggling Illini their fourth loss in five games.

Thorius made all seven of her free throw attempts and was seven-of-11 from the field as Michigan overcame a sluggish start.

"I felt like everything was falling in the second half," Thorius said. "I was very excited."

Illinois (16-8, 6-4) was led by Susan Blauser's 16 points.

But the Illini were without Blauser for much of the second half. She picked up her fourth foul with 12:52 remaining.

The steady Thomas anchored Michigan's struggling offense in the first half.

She consistently knifed through the Illini defense for easy lay-ups while Thorius and the rest of her teammates were struggling to find their shots.

Illinois led 33-29 at the half.

Thomas' three-pointer from the right side gave Michigan its first lead of the game, 41-39, with 14:53 remaining. The basket ignited a 14-5 run that was capped by a Thomas steal and breakaway lay-up to make the score 52-44 with just over 12 minutes left.

The Illini were never able to get closer than six, as Thorius scored Michigan's final nine points.

"I couldn't be any prouder of our team than I am today," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "They responded to the challenge in the second half."

Michigan beat Illinois in Champaign earlier in the season, marking the first time since the 1989-90 season that it recorded a sweep over the Illini.

"We ran into a dry spell in the second half and just couldn't get our offense going," Illinois coach Theresa Grentz said. "It just didn't happen."

Michigan also improved to 8-1 at home with the win.