Strong Second Half Pushes Michigan Past Miami (Ohio)

Sunday, November 20

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

Michigan

2-2

Miami (Ohio)

0-1

Miami (Ohio)

Michigan

11/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team won its home opener for the 10th consecutive season, defeating Miami (Ohio) 75-58 Sunday afternoon (Nov. 20) at Crisler Arena. Employing a tenacious style of defense, the Wolverines battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit, holding the RedHawks to only 13 second-half points on 5-of-38 shooting.

Helvey's first double-double consisted of 10 points and 10 rebounds, helping Michigan to a 53-39 edge on the glass.

Three Wolverines scored in double digits, led by sophomore Ta'Shia Walker's (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) game-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Junior Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 boards to go along with four blocks, three assists and two steals, while sophomore Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) chipped in with 12 points.

The RedHawks jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before a 9-0 Wolverine run gave U-M an 11-8 advantage with 13:54 left in the first half. Sophomore Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) jump-started the Maize and Blue rally by drilling a three-point bomb from the left wing. A Helvey bucket, paired with two Clement free throws, gave Michigan its first lead of the ballgame, a 9-8 advantage with 14:19 remaining. Cooper capped off the spurt with a bucket, increasing the U-M advantage to 11-8 at 13:54.

After trading baskets, the Wolverines tied their biggest lead of the first half, leading 17-13, on a mid-range bucket by freshman Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS). Miami battled back to take an 18-17 lead after scoring five unanswered points.

Following the Miami run, Michigan turned up the defensive intensity and only allowed two Miami baskets from the field in a four-minute span. The Wolverines capitalized on their strong play on the defensive end of the court by pushing the ball to Walker, who connected on two short buckets en route to a 25-23 U-M lead with just 6:40 left before half.

The back-and-forth battle continued all the way until halftime, as Miami connected on four three-point shots to take a 45-38 heading into the locker room. Going into the break, Michigan was plagued by 19 first-half turnovers. While the Wolverines shot 62 percent from the field, the RedHawks were able to put up 16 more shots than the Maize and Blue.

Michigan came out in the second half led by the play of Walker, whose seven early second-half points helped the Wolverines pull within one point, 53-52, before a two-point basket by freshman Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) gave U-M its first lead since the first half. A quick RedHawk bucket followed, and Miami regained the lead at 55-54 with 13:30 left in the second half.

The Miami lead was short-lived, as Michigan exploded on an 11-1 run to capture a commanding 65-56 advantage with 5:39 left in the game. Freshman Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) got things rolling with a jumper at 9:05, before subsequent baskets by Walker and Cooper extended the U-M lead.

A jumper by Miami's Jenna Schone brought the score to 65-58, ending a nine-minute RedHawk field-goal drought with 4:26 left in the contest. The basket would be Miami's last, as Michigan ended the game on a 10-0 run, which featured two baskets by Helvey.

The Wolverines continue their five-game homestand Saturday (Nov. 26) against Toledo. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Crisler Arena.

Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423