Michigan
9-9, 2-5Big Ten
Minnesota
13-5, 5-2Big Te
Michigan Falls Victim to Minnesota's Second-Half Surge
1/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Williams Arena)
Score: Minnesota 52, Michigan 46
Records: Michigan (9-9, 2-5 Big Ten), Minnesota (13-5, 5-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Jan. 22 -- vs. Indiana (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Boxscore | Postgame Notes
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team built a 12-point lead in the first half at Minnesota but could not withstand a strong second half by the Golden Gophers, falling 52-46 Sunday afternoon (Jan. 18) in Williams Arena. Veronica Hicks(Chicago, Ill./Thornwood HS) and Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) led the way for Michigan with 15 and 10 points, respectively, while Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) had a game-high five steals and was the Wolverines' top rebounder with six.
Michigan led by as many as 12 points in the first half before taking a 28-20 advantage into the halftime break. The Wolverines held the lead throughout most of the second half and were up 42-41 with 5:38 to play, but Minnesota outscored Michigan 11-4 in the game's final 5:30 and 32-18 overall during the second period to send Michigan to its third straight loss.
Minnesota started the second half with a three-pointer from Katie Ohm, but the Wolverines were able to match it with a bucket on the inside from senior forward Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg). The Gophers closed to within three points, 32-29, but a trifecta from freshman guard Courtney Boylan(Chaska, Minn./Chaska) helped the Wolverines go into the second media timeout with a 35-31 lead at the 11:47 mark. Boylan, a Minnesota native, came up big off the bench, tallying five points, all in the second half.
Minnesota whittled the lead down to two points by going 4-of- 4 from the foul line, and a bucket from Ashley Ellis-Milan tied the game at 37-37 with just under nine minutes to play.
Hicks was able to silence the raucous crowd of 7,221 with a three-pointer from the right side, but the Gophers took their first lead of the game, 41-40, on a bucket from Jackie Voigt at the 6:48 mark. A Skrba basket gave the Wolverines their final lead, 42-41 with 5:38 to play, but Ellis-Milan scored on the Gophers' next possession to start a 7-0 run that gave Minnesota control.
The basket seemed to have a lid on it in the first two minutes of the game, but a three-point field goal from Benson got things started for the Wolverines. Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) followed with another three-pointer, and the Wolverines took a 6-0 lead into the first media timeout.
Michigan's defense was stingy from the outset, holding the Gophers to 0-of-4 shooting through the first four minutes and forcing them into three early turnovers. Ellis-Milan got Minnesota on the board at the 15:11 mark, but an inside basket from junior center Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate) put the Maize and Blue up 8-2.
With the Wolverines leading 10-2, Minnesota went on a 5-0 run sparked by a basket in the paint from Ellis-Milan, but a three-pointer from Minnfield silenced the Minnesota crowd and extended the Michigan lead to 13-7 at the 11:08 mark.
Both teams made runs down the stretch in the first half. The Wolverines started things with a 10-4 run to jump ahead 23-11, but Emily Fox and Katie Ohm combined for seven points to cut the U-M lead to seven before Michigan closed the half with a short 5-2 burst behind a bucket from Benson and a triple from Hicks to take a 28-20 lead into the break.
Michigan was on fire from the field in the first half. The Wolverines shot a season-best .545 percent (6-of-11) from beyond the arc in the first half and hit 50 percent (11-of-22) from the floor. The U-M defense also produced six steals, which led to 13 points on the other end, in the first stanza.
Michigan returns to the hardwood on Thursday (Jan. 22) when its hosts Indiana. Tipoff between the Wolverines and Hoosiers is set for 7 p.m. in Crisler Arena. Fans can follow the action live with Matt Parks and Nick Brandon on WTKA AM 1050 and with a free webcast at BigTenNetwork.com.
Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423
