Michigan
5-21 (1-14)
Michigan State
25-3 (14-2)
Wolverines Stifled on Road by Sixth-Ranked Spartans
2/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team dropped a 77-34 decision to the sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday (Feb. 23) at the Breslin Center. The Wolverines could not recover from a 21-0 Spartans run to open the second half and MSU's 31-for-63 (49.2 percent) shooting from the floor.
Freshman forward Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./Sexton HS) led the Wolverines with eight points and senior forward Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) contributed eight boards and seven points. Michigan did not have a player reach double figures in scoring for the first time this season, and its 34 points are a season low. Michigan State out-rebounded Michigan 50-31, and that advantage opened up too many opportunities and open shots for the Spartans.
Michigan's game plan created open shots early in the game as it went stride for stride with the highly ranked Spartans, finding themselves down five, 12-7, at the 13:02 mark of the first half. The Spartans scored the next six points, and the Wolverines could not sustain any long scoring streaks of their own.
Michigan continued to work hard with freshman guards Becky Flippin (Springfield, Mo./Parkview HS) and Krista Clement (St. Ignance, Mich./La Salle HS) swarming the Spartan backcourt, each earning her only steal of the game. However, the Wolverines' 31.0 percent (9-29) shooting from the field was stifled as the Spartans 51.9 percent (14-27) methodically increased the lead.
Michigan cut the lead to 13 with a trifecta from Pool off a stellar pass from Flippin with 1:29 left in the half. Strong interior play by Jessica Starling (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby HS) and BreAnne McPhilamy (Portage, Mich./Northern HS) held the Spartans scoreless in the last two minutes, but Pool could not connect on her either of her two three-point attempts before the end of the half and U-M trailed 34-21 at the break.
Michigan State exploded out of the gates in the second half. The Wolverines moved the ball exceptionally well to earn open shots but simply could not get them to fall. On the other hand, everything went the Spartans' way. Senior center Kelli Roehrig came out of the blocks huge for Michigan State as she scored 10 of the 21 points on Michigan State's run to begin the half and finished with a double-double, compiling 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Michigan missed its first seven shots of the half before sophomore Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) ended the run with a jumper off a pass from Cooper at 13:24 of the second half to put the score at 55-23. McPhilamy did all she could to defend Michigan State's large interior players, but Roehrig continued hit shots from every angle.
Michigan missed all nine three-point attempts in the second half and committed 13 of its 21 turnovers as Michigan State built its lead to 40 points, 66-26, before Michigan could earn its first consecutive points of the game. Helvey continued her terrific vision through the Spartans' aggressive defensive zone by finding the open player with each of her pass attempts. Her consecutive assists on buckets by Walker and McPhilamy sparked four consecutive points for the Wolverines. Michigan continued to trade buckets with the Spartans down the stretch, but Michigan State has an answer for everything the Wolverines could muster up until the final horn.
Michigan returns to the floor for the final time in the regular season Sunday (Feb. 27, 2 p.m.) as the Wolverines travel to Champaign, Ill., to face the University of Illinois.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
