Michigan
4-10, 0-3BigTen
Northwestern
4-12, 1-2BigTen
Michigan Drops Sixth Straight, Falls on Road to Wildcats
1/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team dropped a 66-59 decision to Northwestern on Thursday (Jan. 7) at Welsh-Ryan Arena despite a career-best 17 points from freshman Becky Flippin (Springfield, Mo./Parkview HS), who connected on five three-point field goals.
After Northwestern (3-12, 1-2 Big Ten) scored the game's first hoop, Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) drilled a deep jumper and a triple to start a 7-0 Michigan run and give the Wolverines a lead they would not relinquish in the first frame. Michigan used solid defense and good ball movement on the offensive end to the early lead, with Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./Sexton HS) and Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) providing some offensive punch.
The Wolverines (4-10, 0-3 Big Ten) hit a lull offensively following a Jessica Starling (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby HS) triple at the 14:08 mark that gave Michigan a 14-9 lead. The Wolverines started turning the basketball too frequently as Northwestern made a run to tie the game at 14. Michigan finished the first frame with 14 turnovers, which helped keep the Wildcats in game despite the Wolverines shooting .522 (12-23) from the field.
Just as Northwestern tried to regain the lead, the Michigan bench made its presence known with a triple from Flippin. It was the first of three long balls from Flippin in the first half as the freshman provided a huge lift off the bench. Fellow freshman Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) followed with another triple as Michigan gained its largest lead of the half at six (20-14) at the 11:55 mark. The Wolverines, who set a school record with 11 triples on Sunday vs. Michigan State, stayed hot from behind the arc and finished the first half 6-for-11 from that range.
Northwestern did not go away, however, and rode a 12-point first-half effort from Sara Stutz to stay right in the game. In fact, Stutz closed out the frame with a triple to make sure Michigan took just a two-point lead (31-29) into the locker room.
The second half was a see-saw effort that saw Michigan take a 44-39 lead after another triple from Flippin preceded the freshman finding Walker for a baseline jumper midway through the second half. The Wildcats, however, answered with six straight points to take their first lead of the game (45-44) since they led 2-0 in the game's first seconds.
The lead changed hands seven times in the second half, with Michigan regaining the advantage and pulling out to four-point leads on two more occasions, the last of which was a 53-49 lead with 4:26 left. Michigan's outside shooting, which gave the Wolverines their first-half edge went cold down the stretch as good looks from the perimeter either bounced off the rim or rolled in and out.
The Wolverines last led 56-55 after two Starling free throws before Northwestern scored five straight points, including a triple from 6-4 Sara Kwasinski with the shot clock winding down for a 60-56 lead with under a minute left.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
