Michigan
6-19 (0-13)
Purdue
21-3 (12-1)
Cooper's Career High Not Enough Against Boilermakers
2/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team played 10th-ranked Purdue even for the first 20 minutes but could not stay with the Boilermakers after halftime in a 75-50 loss Thursday evening (Feb. 16) at Mackey Arena.
Playing with a depleted roster, the Wolverines (6-19, 0-13 Big Ten) gave a valiant first-half effort and found themselves tied 27-27 with the heavily favored Boilermakers (21-3, 12-1 Big Ten) at halftime. Purdue, however, came out blazing in the second half and went on a 30-7 run to establish a lead that would prove to be insurmountable for U-M.
Sophomore Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) led Michigan with a career-high 17 points, including a career best 4-of-8 from three-point range. Freshman Stephany Skrba (Richmond Hill, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) turned in another balanced performance with 11 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) played one of her best games yet, matching career highs in both assists (seven) and rebounds (eight) in addition to her six points. Katie Gearlds led a quartet of Purdue double-digit scorers with 19 points.
The aggressive post play of freshman Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) combined with the outside shooting of Cooper allowed Michigan to hold a 9-8 lead six minutes into the game. Benson scored U-M's first points of the contest on a pretty spinning layup and later made a nice feed to Skrba for an easy bucket inside. A Cooper three-pointer from the wing followed by a tough basket in traffic by Benson gave U-M the one-point advantage at 13:59.
The Boilermakers responded with seven unanswered points to regain a 15-9 lead with 11:44 left in the first half. Michigan bounced back with a 6-0 run over the next two minutes of play, which featured a long jumper by Skrba followed by a triple from sophomore Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS), to tie the game at 15-15 at 10:18.
With Purdue holding a slim 19-17 lead, Cooper stepped up and scored four unanswered points, including her second triple of the contest, to give the Wolverines a 22-19 edge with 5:31 left until halftime. Michigan never trailed in the remaining minutes of the half, as Minnfield scored the next three U-M points before Skrba closed out the half with another hoop. Two Gearlds free throws in the final seconds tied the game at 27-27 heading into the locker room.
Cooper led the first-half charge with nine points, while Skrba recorded eight points and five rebounds. Michigan's solid start was due largely to its floor leader, as Minnfield dished out three assists and pulled down five boards in addition to her three points. The Wolverines finished the first 20 minutes shooting 11-of-25 (.440).
The Boilermakers took control of the game thanks to a 30-7 run during the first 9:56 of the second half. Michigan had trouble with its offensive execution, while Purdue hit 13 of its first 19 field goal attempts of the half to jump out to a 57-34 lead with 10:04 to play in the game.
Despite triples from freshman Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS), Benson and Cooper, Purdue was able to extend its lead to as many as 29 points to secure its 14th straight win over Michigan. The Boilermakers shot 55 percent (21-of-38) in the second half.
The Wolverines play their final road game of the regular season on Sunday (Feb. 19) at Iowa. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
