Michigan
2-4
Central Michigan
4-0
Wolverines Succumb to Chippewas' Second-Half Surge
11/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team suffered its second straight loss, dropping a 79-57 decision to Central Michigan Wednesday night (Nov. 30) at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (2-4) led for much of the first half before shooting 27 percent from the field in the second frame, leading to a series of Chippewa fast-break buckets.
Sophomore Ta'Shia Walker's (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) 10 points and eight rebounds led the Wolverines' efforts, while sophomore Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) chipped in with 10 points. Sophomore Jessica Starling (Tallahassee, Fla./Amos P. Godby HS) paced the Maize and Blue with nine boards to go along with six points.
Central Michigan's Casey Manning got the Chippewas out to an early 7-2 advantage by connecting on two mid-range jump shots in the beginning moments of the first half. Clement responded by netting a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Wolverines their first field goal of the game, cutting the CMU lead to 7-5 with 16:52 left in the first half.
The Chippewas expanded their early lead on a rainbow floater by Angel Chan, giving CMU its largest lead of the first half, 15-9, nearing the 12-minute mark. The lead did not hold for long, as the Wolverines went on a 7-0 run, ignited by the play of Kelly Helvey (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS). Two nifty passes by the junior guard set up scoring opportunities down low for sophomores Katie Dierdorf (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) and Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS), before a driving layup by Helvey gave Michigan its first lead of the ballgame, 16-15, with 11:10 left in the first half.
Two buckets by freshman Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) pushed the U-M lead to 20-17 before a spurt by the Chippewas knotted the game at 24. CMU regained the lead on four straight points by Chan, giving Central Michigan a 28-24 advantage with 5:40 remaining in the first period.
The Wolverines continued to fight midway through the first period by countering with a 6-0 run, which featured Starling's first points of the ballgame on a soft jumper. A Clement bucket capped off the run with Michigan gaining a 30-28 lead with 4:23 left before half.
U-M only scored two more field goals in the remainder of the first half and entered the locker room down 36-34. Walker led the way for the Wolverines in the first half with six points and five rebounds, while Benson shot a perfect three-for-three from the field on her way to six points.
The Wolverines could not get a grip on the Chippewas in the second half, as Central Michigan stormed out to a 47-36 lead just five minutes into the second period. The CMU advantage continued to balloon despite the efforts of Clement, who connected on two buckets, as the Chippewas' lead increased to 60-47 at 8:56 in the second half.
For the majority of the time remaining Central Michigan increased its lead on the foul line, connecting on 14-of-20 in total to seal the 22-point victory.
Michigan will look to get back on track this Saturday (Dec. 3) against Maine. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Crisler Arena, and the game will be televised by Comcast Local.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
