Michigan
1-0
Akron
0-1
Michigan Opens Borseth Era with Win Over Akron
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score: Michigan 67, Akron 55
Records: U-M (1-0), Akron (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Nov. 13 -- at Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio), 7 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team opened its 2007-08 season with a 67-55 victory over Akron Saturday evening (Nov. 10) atCrisler Arena. The inside presence of senior Ta'Shia Walker(Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) and junior Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) played a key factor in the outcome, with the duo combining for 26 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks.
Walker poured in a team-high 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and pulled down nine boards, while Skrba totaled nine points, 10 rebounds and a career-best four blocks. Sophomore Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) and junior Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) provided a spark for the Wolverines in the second half, scoring nine and seven points, respectively.
Michigan used some sharp shooting to establish an early lead, as senior Janelle Cooper(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) drained back-to-back triples from the left corner before Phillips came off the bench and knocked down a three-pointer of her own from the top to give the Wolverines an 11-6 advantage with 14:35 left in the first half.
The Zips were able to tie the game at 13-13 thanks to the strong play of Sarah Tokodi, who scored 11 points in the first 7:24 of action. Akron took its first lead of the game, 17-15, at 11:02 and went ahead by as many five points (25-20) over the next 3:36 of play.
The Maize and Blue closed the first half with a 12-2 run to take a 32-27 lead into the locker room. Senior Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) got the run started with her first triple of the season, while U-M's reserves scored the team's final seven points of the period.
The Wolverines carried the momentum over into the second half, as Walker scored eight of Michigan's first nine points to help push the lead to 39-29 with 15:36 left in the game. U-M continued to go inside to Walker, who poured in six more points to help the Maize and Blue keep a 46-35 advantage at 9:16.
Kara Murphy's third straight hoop cut Akron's deficit back down to single digits (46-37), but Phillips stepped in and responded with six straight points of her own to help the Wolverines sustain a 54-43 edge with 5:21 remaining on the clock.
Keyla Snowden kept the Zips in contention, scoring 12 straight points off four long triples to cut the Michigan lead to 59-49 at 3:22. Akron scored four more unanswered points to trim the deficit to six (59-53) with 2:09 to go, but back-to-back baskets from Walker and Skrba put the game out of reach and allowed U-M to seal the game from the free throw line.
The Wolverines open a six-game road stretch on Tuesday (Nov. 13) against Cincinnati. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, and can be heard live on radio station WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
