Michigan
5-3
Kentucky
4-5
Michigan Earns Huge Home Win Over Kentucky
12/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score: Michigan 63, Kentucky 59
Records: Michigan (5-3), Kentucky (4-5)
Next Game: Monday, Dec. 10 -- vs. Southern Cal (Crisler Arena), 6:06 p.m., Big Ten Network
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team earned its biggest win of the young season Saturday evening (Dec. 8), defeating Kentucky, 63-59, in front of 2,066 fansat Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (5-3) hung tough in the clutch, erasing a two-point deficit late in the game thanks to an 8-2 run in the final 2:16 of the contest. Senior Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) sealed the outcome with a pair of free throws with four seconds left, capping a stellar 12-point, nine-rebound effort to lead U-M to victory in its first home game in nearly a month.
Clement scored seven of her season-high 12 points in the first half, helping Michigan to a 28-27 lead at the break. Clement's nine boards marked a career high, and she added three assists and one steal in 36 minutes. Junior Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) also played an instrumental role in the win, posting her second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in addition to collecting a team-high three steals in 25 minutes off the bench. Senior Ta'Shia Walker(Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) scored nine of her team-high 13 points in the second half, and senior Janelle Cooper(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) reached double figures for the fourth time this year with 10 points.
In a game that featured 14 ties and 17 lead changes, the Wolverines were able to keep their cool and outlast the Wildcats in the end. After the last of Samantha Mahoney's game-high 20 points fell through the hoop to give Kentucky a 55-53 edge with 4:08 to play, Skrba scored U-M's next six points to give the Wolverines a 59-57 lead at 1:01. Junior Jessica Minnfield's(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) fast-break lay-up off a Wildcat turnover with 27 seconds to go put Michigan on top by four points (61-57), setting the stage for Clement's game-clinching free throws.
Kentucky was able to keep pace with Michigan thanks to the second-half performance of Mahoney, who scored 13 points after the break. The Wildcats, however, never held a lead of more than two points throughout the entire half. U-M was unable to establish a sizeable advantage, holding a lead of no more than four points in the second half.
It was a similar story in the first half, as both teams clamped down on the defensive end while they exchanged punches on offense. Kentucky scored the first five points of the game for its largest lead of the night, while Michigan went ahead by as many as four points (28-24) at 1:27 before taking a one-point lead into the locker room.
The Wolverines return to action Monday night (Dec. 10) when they host Southern Cal at 6:06 p.m.at Crisler Arena. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network and broadcast by radio station WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
