Michigan
10-15, 3-9
Iowa
12-12, 4-7
Michigan Cannot Answer Large Iowa Run in Second Half
2/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team was unable to pick up its second straight Big Ten Conference victory Thursday night (Feb. 8), falling 66-49 to Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Wolverines (10-15, 3-9 Big Ten) trimmed a 13-point first-half deficit to just one early in the second period, but the Hawkeyes (12-12, 4-7 Big Ten) responded with a 17-1 surge to build a substantial lead that they would never relinquish.
Junior Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) posted team-high totals of 10 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench to lead Michigan. Sophomore Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) and freshman Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) chipped in eight points apiece.
Kristi Smith and Stacy Schlapkohl combined to score all but two of Iowas points during a 12-4 Hawkeye run in the first 5:08 of the game. The Wolverines hit two of their first five shots but committed four early turnovers to help Iowa establish its eight-point lead.
Phillips came off the bench and scored a pair of baskets in the post to trim the deficit to 12-8, but the Hawkeyes answered with a 10-1 run to increase their lead to 13 points, 22-9, with 4:52 left in the first half.
A Walker bucket inside broke a 7:50 field goal drought, and Minnfield hit Michigans first triple of the game at 2:59 to cut Iowas lead to 22-14.
Smith countered with a three-pointer of her own to push the Hawkeye lead back into double digits, but the Maize and Blue scored five points in the final 2:05 of the half to head into the locker room trailing 27-19. The U-M defense limited Iowa to just a pair of free throws in the final 2:29 of the period.
Both teams were nearly identical from the field in the first 20 minutes of action, with Iowa shooting 31 percent (9-of-29) compared to Michigans 30.8 percent (8-of-26). Krista Vandeventer scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half to lead the Hawkeyes, who recorded seven of their 27 points from the free throw line (7-of-10).
The Wolverines had a blazing start to the second half, hitting five of their first six shots to draw within one point of the lead, 32-31, at 17:05. Four different U-M players scored during the 10-5 run, which included triples from Minnfield and freshman LeQuisha Whitfield (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS).
Iowa would not give up the lead, however, answering with a 17-1 run to push its advantage to 49-32 with 10:52 to go in the game.
A steal and lay-in by freshman Kalyn McPherson (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) gave Michigan its first field goal in exactly seven minutes, cutting the Hawkeye lead to 49-34. McPherson's hoop was the start of a 7-3 U-M run, which made the score 52-39 in favor of Iowa with 7:52 remaining in the contest.
Michigan was unable to fully dig itself out of the 13-point hole, drawing as close as 10 points (59-49) before time expired.
The Wolverines have a week off before returning to Crisler Arena to host Purdue on Thursday (Feb. 15) at 7:05 p.m. The game will be televised by Comcast Local and can be heard live over the radio on WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
