Michigan
5-14, 1-7
Iowa
15-4, 4-4
Second-Half Comeback Falls Short Against Hawkeyes
1/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Another late-game comeback by the University of Michigan women's basketball team fell short at Iowa on Thursday (Jan. 27) as the Wolverines dropped a 71-63 decision at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Michigan (5-14, 1-7 Big Ten), which fell behind 12-2 to start the game and trailed by as many as 20 points, used an 11-0 run to cut Iowa's lead to five, 68-63, with 47 seconds left but did not score again.
Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) registered game highs of 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wolverines, while Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Iowa grabbed control of this game from the outset, scoring the first eight points before a runner in the lane from Helvey put Michigan on the board at the 17:30 mark. Iowa was able to pound the ball down low early and eventually extended its lead to 11 (17-6) before the Wolverines enjoyed their best spurt of the first half.
Michigan cut the deficit to six (19-13) after a 7-0 run that was highlighted by a triple from Becky Flippin (Springfield, Mo./Parkview HS) on a nice dish from Helvey, who continued her solid play on both ends of the floor with six points and three assists in the first half. The teams traded hoops over the next few minutes as Pool put together her best stretch of the half, connecting on a runner in the lane and finding Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) for a triple.
Iowa led 26-18 following the Clement triple but then answered with a 10-0 run that was ignited by two three-pointers from Crystal Smith. Iowa outscored Michigan 20-6 in the paint in the first half, which opened up things from the perimeter. Michigan's deficit ballooned to 18 (36-18) after the Hawkeye run.
Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./Sexton HS) returned to the contest late in the first half despite being saddled with two fouls to score four of the Wolverines' last five points as Michigan headed into the break down 16 (39-23). In addition to points in the paint, Iowa's 16-point lead was a result of a 26-16 edge on the glass.
Iowa opened up the lead to 20 points out of the gate in the second half, but the Wolverines would not go away. Fueled by great effort on the defensive end from Helvey and a hot shooting hand from Pool the Wolverines cut the deficit to 10 (56-46) after a three-pointer from Pool in the corner at the 9:04 mark.
Each Wolverine run or threat to pull within single digits was met with a Hawkeye answer on the other end, particularly in the paint where Iowa took advantage of a significant height advantage. The Wolverines were not deterred, however, as the Wolverines threw some half-court traps at Iowa and, led by the pressure from Helvey and Flippin, forced Iowa into some late turnovers, which Michigan converted into hoops on the other end. Helvey got her hand on a pass late and it was picked up by Flippin, who connected on a pull-up triple to get within single digits (68-60) for the first time in the second half.
The late run continued when Pool hit a tough triple on the next trip and the lead was trimmed to five (68-63) with less than a minute remaining. Michigan nearly finished off what would have been a monumental comeback when Iowa's Smith missed the front end of a one-on-one, but Flippin's next triple attempt, which would have cut the lead to two (68-66) with 0:27 left, went all the way down and back out. From that point, Iowa knocked down its free throws to hang on for the 71-63 win.
Michigan outscored Iowa 40-32 while playing one of their best second halves of the season. The Wolverines shot .517 (15-29) from the field in the second half, but the 16-point deficit proved too much to overcome.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
