Michigan
6-17,0-11BigTen
Minnesota
17-4, 9-1BigTen
Michigan Upended on Road by 16th-Ranked Minnesota
2/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team was unable to pull off an upset of No. 16 Minnesota Sunday afternoon (Feb. 5), falling by a score of 83-48 in front of a Big Ten Conference season-high crowd of 12,049 at Williams Arena. The Wolverines (6-17, 0-11 Big Ten) were unable to battle back from a 14-point halftime deficit, as the Golden Gophers (17-4, 9-1 Big Ten) shot 52 percent (17-of-33) in the second half en route to their seventh straight victory.
Sophomore Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) led Michigan in scoring for the third straight game with 13 points, including 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Freshman Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) turned in a solid performance, matching a career high with seven points and pulling down a career-best six rebounds.
The Gophers immediately worked the ball down low to Jamie Broback in the early minutes, as she accounted for all of Minnesota's points during a 9-0 run in the first 3:09 of the game. Cooper came out of U-M's first timeout and gave the Wolverines their first points with a triple at 16:22, and freshman Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) canned a three-pointer of her own on the next possession to trim the Gopher lead to 9-6 with 15:38 left in the first half.
Shannon Schonrock responded to Michigan's sharp shooting from the perimeter by drilling Minnesota's first triple to push the lead back up to six points, but freshman Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) answered with a long jumper to cut the deficit to 12-8 with 15:01 to play until the break.
The Gophers went on a 10-2 run, which included a pair of triples from Kelly Roysland, over the next four minutes of action to extend their lead to 22-10 at 11:44 of the first half. A runner off the glass by sophomore Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) and a three-pointer from the wing by sophomore Krista Clement (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) brought the Wolverines within seven points, but Minnesota answered with an 11-4 run to increase its lead to 33-19 with 2:52 to go until halftime.
Cooper's second triple at 2:30 would be Michigan's final field goal of the first half, as the Gophers closed out the period with a 6-1 run to take a 39-25 advantage into the locker room.
Queen opened the second half with a put-back, and Cooper later followed with her third triple of the game to keep the Wolverines within 11 points, 41-30. Minnesota reeled off nine unanswered points to push its lead to 50-30 with 16:11 left in the game. Two uncontested baskets from inside by Queen gave U-M a boost, but the Gophers never let up. Minnesota outscored Michigan 33-18 in the remaining minutes, extending its lead to as many as 37 points.
The Wolverines will return home to Crisler Arena to host No. 7 Ohio State on Friday (Feb. 10). The game is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be televised by Comcast Local and SportsNet Chicago.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
