Michigan
Illinois
Wolverines Drop Big Ten Conference Opener at Illinois
12/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team opened the Big Ten Conference season with a 67-48 loss to Illinois Thursday night (Dec. 29) at Assembly Hall. The Wolverines (6-7, 0-1 Big Ten) trailed by seven points going into halftime, but U-M shot just 25 percent from the field (7-of-28) in the final 20 minutes. Michigan finished the contest shooting just 17-of-64 (.266).
Sophomore Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) finished with a team-high 11 points, including two triples, and pulled down four rebounds. Sophomore Katie Dierdorf (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) tallied eight points and seven boards, and freshman Ashley Jones (Southfield, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) scored a career-high six points in addition to five rebounds.
The Fighting Illini started the game with the momentum on offense, with Lori Bjork connecting on three of her first four shots, including a pair of triples, to vault Illinois to an 18-7 lead with 12:02 left in the first half. Michigan had a bit of a tougher time finding its shooting touch in the early going, but the U-M bench kept the Wolverines in striking distance. Sophomore Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) entered the game and collected a quick triple, and Dierdorf scored two straight buckets inside. A Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) steal and layup kept Michigan within six points at 18-12 with 10:33 remaining until halftime.
After six unanswered Illinois points, Jones gave the Wolverines a huge lift off the bench by scoring two straight baskets in traffic before forcing an offensive foul on the other end. Michigan clearly out-hustled its opponent on both ends of the floor to close out the first half of play. The U-M defense allowed just one Illini field goal in the final 4:50 of the half.
Meanwhile, freshman Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) converted on a three-point play before feeding Walker for a basket on the next possession. A turnaround jumper by freshman Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) brought Michigan to within seven points, and Walker capped off the first half with a pair of free throws to send the Wolverines to the locker room trailing 33-26.
Seven U-M players got on the scoresheet in the first half, but the Maize and Blue only shot 28 percent (10-of-36). Michigan committed just four turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Illini regained a double-digit lead (41-26) thanks to an 8-0 run during the first two minutes of the second half. Cooper and Dierdorf combined for the next nine Michigan points, but Illinois scored its next six points from the free throw line to maintain a 12-point advantage, 47-35, with 14:55 left in the game.
A transition bucket by Jones three minutes later kept the lead at 12 points, but Erin Wigley converted on back-to-back three-point plays in the post to extend the Illinois advantage to 58-39 with 8:38 left on the clock.
The Illini defense continued to stifle Michigan, allowing just three field goals in final eight minutes of action. A Cooper triple at 2:46 brought the Wolverines within 16 points, but that would be as close U-M would get as Illinois went away with its third straight victory.
Michigan returns to the hardwood on New Year's Day (Sunday, Jan. 1), when the Wolverines travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take on nationally ranked Michigan State (No. 10 AP, No. 12 ESPN/USA Today). Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Breslin Center, and the game will be televised on Comcast Local and Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
