Michigan Drops Big Ten Home Opener to Illinois

Thursday, January 4

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

7-9, 0-3Big Ten

Illinois

12-3, 2-1Big Te

Illinois

Michigan

1/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team suffered its fourth straight loss, a 70-51 setback to Illinois on Thursday night (Jan. 4) at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (7-9, 0-3 Big Ten) had a difficult time breaking down the Fighting Illini (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) defense throughout a majority of the contest, finishing the game shooting 35 percent (21-of-60). The Illini, on the other hand, ran a steady offense that finished the game shooting 53 percent (26-of-49).

Freshman Sireece Bass (Detroit, Mich./Pershing HS) led the team in scoring for the first time in her career, as she finished with a career-best 10 points to go along with a team-high three assists and a pair of steals. Fellow Detroit native Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) contributed seven points, while freshman Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) chipped in six points.

The Illini came out firing on all cylinders as they hit five of their first six shots en route to building an 11-2 lead 3:17 into the contest. Illinois continued its offensive execution during the next five minutes of play, extending the lead to 11 points at 19-8 with 10:41 left in the first half.

Junior Ta'Shia Walker (Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) re-entered the game and scored on a driving basket, and sophomore Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) came off the bench to knock down U-M's only triple of the first half to cut the deficit to six points. Kelly Helvey's (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) coast to coast layup off her own steal made the score 19-15 in favor of the Illini at 8:20. Bass kept Michigan in contention by the scoring the team's next four points, and Illinois held on to a 25-19 advantage with 5:33 to go until the break.

The Illini closed out the half with a 10-2 run to take a 35-21 cushion into the locker room. The Wolverines were held to just a single bucket, a hoop inside by Walker, in the final 5:33 of the first half.

Illinois shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the first frame and won the rebounding battle 20-9. Michigan went just 36 percent from the field (10-of-28) and was unable to earn a single trip to the foul line in the first 20 minutes.

The Illini's lead ballooned to 38-21 early in the second half before Cooper nailed a long two and a triple to bring U-M within 12 points at 38-26 with 17:12 left in the contest. Illinois, however, continued to knock down its shots from the perimeter and extended its lead to 48-31 with 12:34 to go.

Despite the efforts of Phillips, who scored six straight points over a span of three minutes, the hot shooting of the Illini pushed the lead to 53-37 with 9:19 on the clock. The lead proved to be insurmountable, as Michigan converted 4-of-17 attempts from the field in the remaining minutes.

The Wolverines return to Crisler Arena on Sunday (Jan. 7) to host Penn State. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start with radio coverage by WTKA (AM 1050).

Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423