Michigan
Northwestern
Strong Second Half Pushes Michigan Past Northwestern
1/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team gave first-year coach Cheryl Burnett her first career Big Ten win this afternoon (Sunday, Jan. 4) with a dominating second-half performance en route to a 62-43 win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Seniors Stephanie Gandy (Detroit, Mich./Northern HS) and Jennifer Smith (Lansing, Mich./DeWitt HS) paced the attack with 22 and 21 points, respectively, as the Wolverines shot .500 (15-30) from the field in the second half and outscored the Wildcats 38-18 in the deciding frame.
| | Helvey recorded four of the Wolverines' season-high 18 steals and added nine points. |
Michigan opened up quickly with an early 9-2 lead thanks to a triple from Gandy, which was sandwiched in between conventional three-point plays from Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) and Smith. Gaining early control of the game, however, was out of Michigan's reach as Northwestern answered with an 11-2 run of its own for a 13-11 lead at the 8:43 mark thanks in large part to six quick Michigan turnovers. Although the Wolverines were struggling offensively, it had more to do with a failure to convert turnovers than a lack of offensive execution.
The lead went back and forth over the next four-plus minutes until Michigan's Helvey drilled the Wolverines' second triple of the game for a 20-18 Michigan advantage. The Maize and Blue gained momentum from the trifecta and appeared to grab some semblance of control with a six-point lead (24-18) with just 2:42 remaining in the second half. Michigan's recent struggles down the stretch of the first half returned, however, and the Wolverines went scoreless over the final 2:42 while Northwestern scored the final seven points of the frame to take a 25-24 lead into the intermission.
Michigan's poor shooting from the field (.286) and 11 turnovers allowed the Wildcats to remain in the game despite the Wolverines' collecting seven steals in the first frame as well as owning a 20-12 rebounding edge, including a 12-3 advantage on the offensive glass. Gandy led Michigan in the first frame with seven points while Tabitha Pool (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) returned to action and grabbed five boards off the bench.
After Northwestern scored the first hoop of the second half to match its biggest lead of the game at three (27-24), Gandy answered with her second triple of the contest and sent Michigan on its best run of the game. Gandy started a 15-1 Michigan run with her triple and then finished with six straight points on a mid-range jumper, a pair of free throws and an impressive driving layup. When the senior was finished Michigan had its first double-digit lead (39-28) with 12:46 remaining.
Northwestern broke the run with a hoop, but that did not slow down Gandy, who scored the Wolverines' next four points for 10 straight Michigan points. With Gandy's perimeter shooting and slashing offensive game setting the tone, Michigan went to its most consistent option this season as Smith scored in the post on consecutive possessions to maintain Michigan's double-digit lead (47-37) at the 6:52 mark.
Whether it was Gandy or Smith setting the pace offensively, one constant throughout the contest was Michigan's defense, which was turned up a notch in the second frame and disrupted Northwestern's offense. Michigan was in the passing lane for much of the final half, led by Niki Reams (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS), Helvey and Gandy. The trio combined for 12 of Michigan's 18 steals.
Smith put the final nail in the coffin with Michigan leading 53-42 and just over three minutes left, as the senior center connected in paint and then knocked down her fifth triple of the season for a 58-42 lead.
The Wolverines look for consecutive Big Ten victories with a home contest against Indiana on Saturday (Jan. 10, 1 p.m.) at Crisler Arena.
N O T E S
Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Gandy have now totaled at least 20 points apiece on three occasions this season, with the Wolverines going 3-0 in those games against Cincinnati, Charlotte and Northwestern.
Niki Reams led the Wolverines with a career-best five steals this afternoon.
Michigan matched its season best with 16 assists against just 15 turnovers, marking the first time this season the Wolverines produced more assists than turnovers. An indicator of just how good Michigan was in the second half is its 12-4 (3.0) assist-turnover ratio in the final frame.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Cheryl Burnett
On the game overall ... "Stephanie Gandy's performance today just gave us so much confidence in the second half. Very rarely does a player lead a team in effort points, as a communicator on the floor and in point production, but that was how good she was today. We kept saying that we are getting good shots, but it's time to finish on the offensive end. I thought we needed to initiate the contact on some of our layup attempts instead of shying away from it."
On one of the keys in the second half ... "We talk a lot about ball reversal and that is something we have needed to do a better job of. In the second half, we passed the ball and moved it from side to side, which makes this a much easier game to play."
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
