Michigan
Toledo
Michigan Outlasts Toledo for Third Consecutive Victory
11/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Score: Michigan 44, Toledo 41
Records: U-M (4-1), Toledo (1-3)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 25 -- vs. Duke (Crisler Arena), 7:00 p.m.
Michigan Outlasts Toledo for Third Consecutive Victory
Event Recap| Boxscore| Notes & Quotes
TOLEDO, Ohio -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team pulled out a hard-fought 44-41 victory over Toledo Wednesday night (Nov. 22) at Savage Hall. In a game which saw both teams struggle offensively, it was the Wolverines' (4-1) hustle in the second half that put them in position to win the game. After being out-rebounded 28-19 in the first half, U-M stepped it up and outworked the Rockets (1-3) on the glass by a margin of 28-16 in the final 20 minutes.
It was that hustle, paired with an 11-2 scoring run early in the second half, which allowed Michigan to stay in front. The Wolverines were able to hold on despite a late 14-1 Toledo run and two failed Rocket attempts at a tie in the final eight seconds.
U-M finished the game shooting just 30 percent (17-of-57) from the field, while Toledo shot 25 percent (13-of-53). The Wolverines ended up winning the battle of the boards by a 47-44 margin.
Freshman LeQuisha Whitfield (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) was the lone player to score double figures in the game, finishing with 12 points to go along with a career-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Stephany Skrba (Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) put forth another strong performance, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds. Fellow Canadian Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) chipped in nine points and career-high totals of seven rebounds and three blocks.
Michigan's efforts on the offensive glass propelled the Wolverines to an early 6-0 advantage. Whitfield scored four points on a pair of put-backs, while Phillips collected her own miss and put home two. A Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) three-pointer from the wing put U-M on top 9-0 with 15:20 left in the first half.
Queen's triple would be Michigan's last field goal for 6:27, but the U-M defense held the Rockets to just eight points during the span to allow the Wolverines to sustain a two-point edge at 10-8.
A driving basket from junior Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) followed by another put-back by Whitfield pushed the Michigan lead to 14-8 with 8:29 to go until the break. Back-to-back buckets by Phillips would be the Maize and Blue's only remaining field goals of the first half. Meanwhile, Toledo ended the half with a short 9-4 run to come within one point, 18-17, heading into the locker room.
Michigan found its rhythm early in the second half, increasing its advantage to 29-19 thanks to an 11-2 run in the first 4:18 of action. The surge featured back-to-back hoops by Whitfield and was capped off by a Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) three-pointer from the corner.
The Wolverines continued to crash the boards on offense, resulting in a layup by Skrba and a triple from Cooper. A long jumper from Whitfield following a great block on the other end by Skrba put Michigan ahead 38-22 with 11:52 to play in the game.
A U-M field-goal drought of 5:47 combined with a 14-1 Toledo scoring run put the Wolverine lead at 39-36 with 6:27 left on the clock. Michigan was able to keep a three-point edge over the next five minutes of action, until Diana Reindl's two free throws put the Rockets within just one point at 42-41 with 1:17 to go.
A Michigan turnover with 32 seconds left gave Toledo an opportunity to take its first lead of the game. Kristi Zeller's triple try was off the mark, and Skrba corralled the rebound before being fouled. Skrba coolly stepped up and sank both free throws to put the Wolverines ahead 44-41 with 15 ticks left.
Danielle Bishop's attempt at a tie did not go down, and the ball was rebounded by Minnfield, who was immediately fouled. Minnfield missed out on a chance to ice the game from the line, as she misfired on the front end of a one-and-one. Toledo quickly brought the ball up the floor and Bishop's last-second desperation triple hit off the back iron, giving Michigan its third straight victory.
The Wolverines will return to action this Saturday (Nov. 25) when they host Duke (No. 5 AP, No. 5 ESPN/USA Today) at 7 p.m. The game can be heard live on WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
