Michigan
11-6 (4-3)
Penn State
13-6 (4-3)
Michigan Drops Road Contest at Penn State
1/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Score: Penn State 68, Michigan 57
Records: U-M (11-6, 4-3 Big Ten), Penn State (13-6, 4-3 Big Ten)
Next Game: Thursday, Jan. 24 -- vs. Indiana (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Boxscore | Postgame Notes
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team fell short of claiming its second straight Big Ten Conference road victory Sunday afternoon (Jan. 20), as the Wolverines dropped a 68-57 decision to Penn State in front of 5,958 fansat the Bryce Jordan Center. U-M (11-6, 4-3 Big Ten) finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field (23-of-48), but turnovers and missed opportunities on offense combined with a 10-2 Lady Lion run in the late stages of the second half proved to be the difference in the outcome.
Sophomore Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) led the Wolverines with her second career double-double, finishing with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. Junior Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) chipped in 13 points and six boards in 30 minutes. Senior Janelle Cooper(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) contributed 10 points, three assists and a team-high two steals in 38 minutes.
The Lady Lions opened the game with four unanswered points before senior Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) found Phillips for a wide-open lay-up in transition for Michigan's first basket of the day at 17:10. With Penn State holding a 6-2 lead, the Wolverines put together a 9-2 run over the next 3:11 of play to claim an 11-10 advantage. Phillips scored four more points during the run, while a Benson triple at 15:40 gave U-M its first lead of the contest (9-8).
PSU responded with four straight points to reclaim a 12-11 edge, but senior Ta'Shia Walker(Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) entered the game and scored four straight of her own inside to give Michigan a 15-14 lead with 11:23 left in the first half. Junior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) then stepped up and scored on a pretty rainbow in the lane before knocking down her first three-pointer to extend the U-M lead to 20-16 at 10:09.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the remaining minutes of the half, with Phillips pouring in seven of Michigan's final 13 points. Cooper contributed a pair of baskets, and Benson dropped in a one-handed jumper from the free throw line with nine seconds left to send the Wolverines into the break tied with the Lady Lions at 33-33.
Michigan finished the first half shooting 58 percent (14-of-24) from the field. Phillips scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action.
Benson drilled two triples in the first 4:36 of the second half, and a driving hoop in transition from Cooper gave the Wolverines a 43-41 edge with 14:16 left in the game. Penn State answered right back with an 8-0 run to regain a 49-43 advantage at 12:56.
A floater by Benson broke a 3:59 field goal drought and brought U-M to within three points, 49-46, with 10:17 to go. A lay-up by Clement and a pair of free throws from junior Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) kept the PSU lead at 53-50 at 7:08.
The Lady Lions pushed their lead to 63-52 thanks to a 10-2 run over a span of 2:24. A triple from Phillips cut the deficit to eight points with 3:21 left on the clock. Cooper's driving lay-up at 2:02 trimmed the PSU lead to 64-57, but the Wolverines were held without another point for the remainder of the contest.
Michigan returns home to host Indiana on Thursday (Jan. 24) at 7 p.m.at Crisler Arena. The game can be heard live on radio station WLBY (AM 1290).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
