Michigan
6-3
Southern California
4-4
Michigan Uses Hot Shooting to Dismantle Southern Cal
12/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score: Michigan 82, Southern Cal 61
Records: Michigan (6-3), Southern Cal (4-4)
Next Game: Friday, Dec. 21 -- vs. Ohio (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team won its third straight home game Monday night (Dec. 10), posting a commanding 82-61 victory over Southern Californiaat Crisler Arena. The Wolverines, who are off to their best start in six years at 6-3, stormed out of the gates and used stellar shooting to establish a comfortable lead they would maintain for the entire game. U-M finished the night shooting 51 percent (28-of-55) from the field and 52 percent (13-of-25) from three-point range. Michigan has shot at least 50 percent in its last two outings.
The Wolverines had four double-digit scorers for the second time in three days. Junior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) led U-M with game highs of 16 points and four steals. Sophomore Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatoon/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added five rebounds and three assists. Senior Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) reached double figures for the second straight game with 14 points, including 4-of-7 from long range. Junior Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) scored nine of her 13 points from beyond the arc.
Michigan shot the lights out in the early going, hitting three triples during an 11-0 run to start the game. The Women of Troy finally got on the scoreboard at 15:47, only to be answered by a 5-0 U-M run that put the Wolverines on top 16-2 with 13:51 to play in the first half. Four different Michigan players connected from beyond the arc during the team's torrid start.
Southern Cal regrouped and put together an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 16-10 at 12:31, but the Wolverines continued to drain their long-range opportunities. A 13-3 U-M run featured Clement's second triple and sophomore Sireece Bass' (Detroit, Mich./Pershing HS) first points of the season from downtown which helped Michigan maintain a 16-point lead, 29-13, with 7:07 to go until the break. Bass later added an acrobatic left-handed lay-up in traffic that energized the home crowd.
The remaining minutes of the first half saw Minnfield and Clement combine for three more triples, as the Wolverines took a commanding 48-28 advantage into halftime.
U-M shot a blistering 59 percent (17-of-29) from the field in the first half, including 71 percent from three-point range (10-of-14). Minnfield scored 15 points, including a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Clement scored all nine of her points in the half from long range. The Women of Troy were limited to just 36 percent shooting (11-of-31).
Michigan worked the ball inside to Phillips in the opening minutes of the second half. She scored six of the teams first eight points to help push the lead to 56-32 at 16:58. Benson nailed a pair of triples in a span of four minutes, extending the cushion to 28 points with 9:49 to play.
The Wolverines pushed the lead to as many as 30 points in the remaining minutes of the game. U-Ms reserves saw time on the court in the late stages of the game, with sophomore LeQuisha Whitfield(Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) scoring in the lane as she was fouled, and senior Katie Dierdorf(St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) grabbing a strong board and putting home Michigans final points of the contest.
The Wolverines return to action Friday, Dec. 21, when they host Ohio at 7 p.m.at Crisler Arena. The game will be broadcast by radio station WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
