Michigan
4-1
Belmont
2-5
Minnfield Stars as Michigan Thumps Belmont
11/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Nashville, Tenn. (Memorial Gymnasium)
Score: Michigan 80, Belmont 43
Records: U-M (4-1), Belmont (2-5)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Nov. 29 -- at Texas A&M (College Station, Texas) 7 p.m. CST
Boxscore | Postgame Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team improved to 4-1 for the 2007-08 season thanks to a resounding 80-43 victory over Belmont Sunday afternoon (Nov. 25) in the consolation game of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournamentat Memorial Gymnasium. The Wolverines were in command from the outset, using 19 unanswered points in the first half to build a comfortable lead they would never surrender.
Junior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) was the engine for the U-M offense, finishing with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Minnfield matched a career high with four triples made against the Bruins. Junior Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) played a key role early on, scoring all 11 of her points in the first half. Junior Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) posted season bests of 11 points and eight rebounds. The U-M trio combined to score 30 points in a strong first half that put the game out of reach for Belmont.
Michigan got off to a sluggish start but was able to establish an early six-point lead due to the shooting woes of the Bruins. Belmont connected on just one of its first 15 attempts and committed six early turnovers. U-M worked around some early foul trouble to receive its first six baskets from five different players.
With the Maize and Blue holding a 13-7 advantage midway through the first half, the Wolverines exploded for a 19-0 run during the next 4:42 of action to extend their lead to 25 points, 32-7, with 4:32 to go until the break. Michigan controlled the pace for the remainder of the half and took a 38-14 lead into the locker room.
Unlike Friday's game against Iowa State, U-M finished the first half of play with a balanced scoring attack. Skrba and Minnfield recorded 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Benson chipped in nine to go along with six rebounds. Michigan shot 48 percent (14-of-29) from the field in the first 20 minutes compared to Belmont's 17 percent (5-of-29).
The Wolverines sustained their intensity in the second half while holding a sizeable lead. Senior Janelle Cooper(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) scored all seven of her points early in the half to help U-M maintain a lead that ballooned to as many as 39 points. A number of Michigan reserves also played strongly in the latter stages of the contest, with sophomores Kalyn McPherson(Traverse City, Mich/West HS) and LeQuisha Whitfield(Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) combining for 11 points, and senior Katie Dierdorf(St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) scoring a pair of buckets in her season debut.
The Wolverines continue their six-game road swing Thursday (Nov. 29) at Texas A&M. The game against the Aggies is set for a 7 p.m. CST start at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, and can be heard live on radio station WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
