Michigan
7-5
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Dartmouth
2-6
Queen Delivers Majestic Win for Michigan Over Dartmouth
12/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) hit a three-pointer as time expired to propel the University of Michigan women's basketball team to a dramatic 67-65 victory over Dartmouth Saturday night (Dec. 16) at Crisler Arena. The story of the game was the play of the Wolverines' (7-5)bench, as U-M's reserves accounted for all but 19 of the team's total points.
Junior Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) and senior Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) each put in their best performances of the season to anchor the steady play of Michigan's bench. Walker finished the game with a team-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds, while Helvey had a solid all-around performance with 13 points, six boards, four assists, two blocks and one steal.Another prime contributor to the win was junior Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS), who chipped in seven points, four assists, two steals and two rebounds. Sophomore Ashley Jones (Southfield, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) also had a stellar night, tallying five points, two assists and two steals to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
With Dartmouth holding a 65-64 edge with 18 seconds left in the contest, the Maize and Blue brought the ball up the floor and got it into the hands ofits point guard Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS). Minnfield looked to the right wing and found a wide-open Queen, who stepped up and nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wolverines the thrilling victory. It was Queen's only basket of the evening.
After sophomore Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) scored the first points of the game on a baseline jumper at 18:09, the Big Green reeled off 11 unanswered points over a span of 1:54 to jump out to an 11-2 lead. Head coach Cheryl Burnett then looked to her bench for a spark; the Wolverine reserves answered the call by scoring all but two points during a 13-0 run, which allowed U-M to regain a 15-11 advantage with 11:38 left in the first half.
An Ashley Taylor triple at 11:13 broke a 4:29 Dartmouth scoring drought and cut the Michigan lead to one point, but the depth of the Wolverines continued to create problems for the Big Green. U-M put together a 14-4 run, which was punctuated by Helveys first three-pointer of the season, to increase its lead to 29-20 with 3:01 remaining until the break.
The Wolverines were able to sustain a double-digit lead heading into halftime thanks to the continued solid play of Clement and Helvey, who each recorded baskets in the final three minutes of the first frame. The closing minutes also saw junior Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) knock down her first triple of the night and freshman Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS)put home a pair of free throws to send Michigan into the locker room with a 38-26 lead.
Clement, Helvey and Walker combined to score all but 12 of U-Ms 38 points in the first half. Walker finished the first 20 minutes with 10 points, Helvey with nine points and four rebounds, and Clement with seven points and three assists. The trio shot a combined 11-of-14 (.786) in the first frame, while the team shot 15-of-26 (.577).
Koren Schram opened the second half with a triple on Dartmouths first possession, but Cooper answered right back with her second three-pointer to keep the U-M lead at 41-29. Jones would later add a three-point play on a bucket and a foul, and another basket by Helvey put the Wolverines on top 48-36 with 14:13 to go in the game.
With Michigan on the verge of pulling away, Taylor kept the Big Green in contention with her hot shooting. She hit back-to-back triples, including one as she was fouled, to bring Dartmouth back to within just five points at 48-43 with 13:25 left.
Minnfields triple at 9:36 pushed the U-M lead to 53-45, but the Big Green continued to claw their way back. Dartmouth put together a 10-4 run over the next four minutes of action to tie the game at 57-57 with 5:36 on the clock.
The game was still knotted at the 3:56 mark, this time at 59-59. Schrams sixth and final three-pointer gave Dartmouth its first lead since early in the first half, 62-59, with 3:09 to play. A big bucket inside from Walker drew U-M to within one point, but Taylor responded with another triple to put the Big Green on top 65-61 with 2:27 to go.
A tough baseline jumper by Helvey cut the deficit to two points at 1:26, and Carly Benson split a pair from the line to trim the Dartmouth lead to 65-64 with 37 seconds left. Michelle Meyers missed a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left and Jones pulled down the crucial rebound. The stage was then set for Queens last-second heroics.
The Wolverines close out their non-conference schedule on Friday (Dec. 22) when they host St. Bonaventure at Crisler Arena. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start, with radio coverage by WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
