Michigan
3-1
Detroit
1-3
Michigan Uses Balanced Attack to Blow Out Detroit
11/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Score: Michigan 86, Detroit 35
Records: U-M (3-1), Detroit (1-3)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 22 -- at Toledo (Toledo, Ohio), 7:00 p.m.
Michigan Uses Balanced Attack to Blow Out Detroit
Event Recap| Boxscore| Photos| Notes & Quotes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team posted a dominating 86-35 victory over Detroit Monday night (Nov. 20) at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (3-1) came out on fire from the get-go, building a 27-point halftime lead that would balloon to as many as 51 in the second half. The U-M defense held its own as well, limiting the Titans (1-3) to just 20 percent shooting (11-of-55) from the field while forcing 22 turnovers.
Junior Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) led Michigan in scoring for the third time in four games this season, finishing with a game-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Sophomore Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) contributed nine points and four boards, while classmate Stephany Skrba (Toronto, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) added eight points and nine rebounds. Six other Wolverines recorded at least five points in the game, and all but one of the 14 playerson the roster found the scoring column.
The Wolverine bench outscored the Titan reserves by a 50-17 margin, and U-M's defense held Detroit's top scorer Joyce Massey (19.3 ppg) without a point in the entire contest (0-of-11).
The Wolverines stormed out of the gates to build a commanding 25-5 lead in the first 11:19 of the game. Michigan converted nine of its first 19 attempts from the field, including an impressive 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Cooper scored six of U-M's first 10 points on a pair of triples, while Benson and Minnfield also found the bottom of the net from long distance. Six different Wolverines got into the scoring mix during Michigan's torrid start to the game.
The Titans had a difficult time solving the Maize and Blue defense, finishing the first half shooting just 3-of-27 from the field (.111). Detroit went through field-goal droughts of 3:05, 5:48, 5:50 and 5:17 during the first half, while U-M steadily built its lead. The Titans turned the ball over 11 times in the first 20 minutes, and lost the battle of the boards by a 31-17 margin. Detroit gave up eight offensive rebounds in the first half, which led to eight Michigan points.
The Wolverines went into halftime leading 38-11.
Michigan continued to use a balanced attack on offense after the break, as 10 different Wolverines accounted for U-M's first 26 points of the second half. JuniorKatie Dierdorf( St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) came off the bench and provided some quality minutes, collecting seven points, including 5-of-5 from the free throw line, and pulling down five boards.
The Maize and Blue never allowed its lead to dip below 27 points in the second stanza, thanks to an offense that shot 50 percent (15-of-30) and a defense that held Detroit to just 29 percent shooting (8-of-28). All 14 Wolverines eventually saw time on the floor, as Michigan ran away with its second straight victory.
The Wolverines return to action on Wednesday (Nov. 22), traveling south to take on Toledo. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Savage Hall, with live radio coverage by WLBY (AM 1290).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
