Michigan
9-4, 2-1Big Ten
Northwestern
4-11, 0-3Big Te
Michigan Uses Second-Half Run to Knock Off Northwestern
1/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score: Michigan 54, Northwestern 42
Records: U-M (9-4, 2-1 Big Ten), Northwestern (4-11, 0-3 Big Ten)
Next Game: Thursday, Jan. 10 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 7 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team remained perfect at home with a hard-fought 54-42 victory over Northwestern Sunday afternoon (Jan. 6)at Crisler Arena. Despite a slow start on offense, the Wolverines (9-4, 2-1 Big Ten) maintained their intensity and used a 14-2 run early in the second half to build a comfortable lead that they would sustain for the remainder of the contest. U-M is now 6-0 at home for the first time since 2002-03.
Junior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) led Michigan in scoring for the second straight game with 13 points, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. Junior Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) scored 10 of her career-high 12 points during the key second-half run.
The Wolverines had trouble knocking down some solid looks in the early going, as U-M misfired on 12 of its first 13 attempts while Northwestern built an 8-2 lead 5:58 into the game. The Wildcats received most of their early production down low, with Ellen Jaeschke scoring eight of the team's first 14 points in the post.
With Northwestern holding a 14-7 advantage, Michigan finally connected from the perimeter with a triple from Minnfield at 6:23. Minnfield's bucket ignited an 11-2 run that put the Wolverines in the lead for the first time. Minnfield added another three-pointer during the run, and a Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) triple at 2:58 put the Maize and Blue on top 18-16.
Minnfield connected from long range once more before the end of the first half, helping U-M take a slim 21-19 lead into the break.
The Wolverines finished the first half shooting just 27 percent (8-of-30), while Northwestern made good on just 29 percent (9-of-31) of its attempts. Minnfield accounted for 11 of Michigan's 21 points in the first frame.
The Wildcats drained a triple to take a 22-21 lead at 18:10 of the second half, but U-M answered with a 14-2 run over a span of 5:10 to regain a 37-24 advantage. Queen stepped up and scored 10 points during the surge, including six straight. Queen's offensive outburst featured her 11th career triple at 16:28 and a three-point play at 13:51.
Two unanswered baskets by the Wildcats cut the Michigan lead back to single digits (37-28), but senior Ta'Shia Walker(Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) scored four straight points of her own during a 6-0 run that pushed the U-M lead to 43-28 with 7:50 to play in the game.
The Wolverines maintained a sizeable advantage throughout the next three minutes of action, with a Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) three-pointer at 3:31 pushing the lead to a game-high 20 points (50-30).
Michigan brought in its reserves in the final minutes, as junior Ashley Jones(Southfield, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) and senior Katie Dierdorf(St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) capped off the scoring with baskets inside.
The Wolverines return to action Thursday (Jan. 10) when they play Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Mackey Arena and can be heard live on radio station WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
