Michigan
8-5, 1-1Big Ten
Northwestern
4-9, 0-2Big Ten
Queen's Career Effort Sends Michigan Past Northwestern
12/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Score: Michigan 66, Northwestern 54
Records: Michigan (8-5, 1-1 Big Ten), Northwestern (4-9, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 4 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team shot a season-high 57.1 percent in the second half and used a 15-4 run early in the second frame to fuel a 66-54 win over Northwestern on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 28) in Crisler Arena.
Senior forward Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg) and senior guard Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) led the way for the Wolverines. Queen set a new career high with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including going 3-of-6 from long range. Minnfield, who had 17 points on the afternoon including 12 in the second half, was in double figures for the eighth time this season.
Queen got things going for the Wolverines out of the break and, with a three-pointer to open the half, fueled a 15-4 run that opened up a 36-28 lead for Michigan at the 15:25 mark, its largest lead of the game. Queen, who tallied two crucial three-pointers and several defensive stops during U-M's run, ended with four rebounds and was also 5-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Michigan's defense was stifling in the second half, forcing Northwestern into 10 turnovers leading to 18 Michigan points on the other end. Minnfield pushed the U-M lead to 43-30 with five consecutive points midway through the half, and the Wolverines never looked back. Northwestern used three consecutive buckets to cut the lead to 51-40 at the 5:41 mark of the second half but never got any closer than 10 points the rest of the way as Michigan picked up its first Big Ten victory of the season.
Both teams were playing their first games following a short holiday break and came out firing, but it was Northwestern with the hot hand early. The Wildcats shot 46.2 percent in the first half and went 30 percent from long range. The Wolverines rolled to an early 8-4 lead behind three-point baskets from Minnfield and senior forward Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School).
Three-point shooting was crucial for the Wolverines in the early going as U-M shot 40.0 percent from behind the arc through the first seven minutes of action. Northwestern was able to use a quick 6-2 run sparked by baskets down low from Amy and Ellen Jaeschke to tie the game at 10-10. The Wildcats took a 12-10 lead after the first media timeout of the game with two free throws from Amy Jaeschke, sparking a 5-0 Northwestern run, pushing the Wildcat lead to 17-10.
Free throws from freshman guard/forward Carmen Reynolds(Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) ended a scoreless drought of over eight minutes for the Wolverines and opened up a 7-0 run that tied the game at 17-17 with just under five minutes left in the half.
Northwestern's Brittany Orban ended the deadlock with a three-pointer from the right side, while teammate Meshia Reed extended the NU lead to 22-17. With the Wildcats holding a 24-21 lead late in the half, Queen stole the ball and, after a timeout, used a putback to send Michigan into the break trailing 24-23.
Free throws were key for both teams in the first half as the two squads combined to go 10-of-10 from the charity stripe. Michigan was 6-of-6 with sophomore guard Veronica Hicks(Chicago, Ill/Thornwood), junior center Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and Reynolds each going 2-of-2 in the first half. Northwestern shot 40.9 percent in the half to Michigan's 29.2 percent and took a lead into the break for the 10th time this season.
The Wolverines continue Big Ten action on Sunday, Jan. 4, when they travel to State College, Pa., to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. Fans can follow the action with a live video steam at BigTenNetwork.com and can catch the action on WTKA AM 1050 with Matt Park on the call.
Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423
