Michigan
(1-2)
Notre Dame
(1-0)
Michigan Drops Road Decision to No. 15 Fighting Irish
11/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team dropped a tough 55-45 decision to No. 15 Notre Dame Friday night (Nov. 18) at the Joyce Center. Both teams struggled from the field, with the Wolverines (1-2) going 18-of-56 (.321) and the Fighting Irish (1-0) hitting 18-of-59 (.305). Notre Dame, however, won the battle on the boards, 54-33, which led to 16 more points from the free throw line.
| | Walker came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points. |
Neither team was able to build a significant lead during the first 10 minutes of action. Walker scored Michigan's first five points of the game off a turnaround jumper and a triple, while freshman Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) knocked down a bucket from the wing to bring the Wolverines within one point, 8-7, with 12:08 left in the first half.
With the Fighting Irish holding a 10-7 advantage, Michigan reeled off seven straight points to claim a 14-10 lead at 8:43. Freshman Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) started things with a pretty running jumper in the lane, and sophomore Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) punctuated the surge with a deep three-pointer at 8:43.
Clement's triple would be Michigan's last points for more than six minutes, while the Irish capitalized on a number of second-chance opportunities to score 12 unanswered points and regain a 22-14 lead with 2:25 remaining until halftime.
A layup inside by Walker broke the U-M scoring drought, and she followed with two more buckets in the closing minutes of the half to send the Wolverines to the locker room trailing 26-20.
Walker finished the first half with nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Despite shooting just 10-of-33 from the field, Notre Dame was able to keep the lead thanks to a 27-11 edge on the rebounding chart, including a 15-1 advantage on the offensive glass.
The Wolverines out-hustled Notre Dame on both ends of the floor in the early stages of the second half, going on a 13-2 run while holding the Irish to just two free throws in the first seven minutes. Walker and Minnfield drilled triples during the run, and freshman Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) converted on a three-point play down low to give Michigan a 33-28 lead with 15:47 to play.
The Irish scored their first field goal of second half at 13:30 to trim the U-M lead to three points, but Queen answered right back with a short jumper in the lane. After a Clement triple gave the Wolverines a 38-32 lead, Notre Dame responded with a 10-0 run to take a 42-38 lead with less than eight minutes left.
A putback basket by Walker gave Michigan the momentum, and Benson later nailed a huge triple from the top as the shot clock expired to bring the Wolverines within one point, 44-43, with just over six minutes remaining. However, Michigan connected on just one field goal the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Irish scored a pair of big buckets and continued to convert on their free throw opportunities to seal the 10-point victory.
The Wolverines will head home to Ann Arbor for their home opener against Miami (Ohio) this Sunday (Nov. 20). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Crisler Arena.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
