Benson Leads U-M to Victory Over Northwestern

Sunday, February 4

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

Michigan

10-14, 3-8Big T

Northwestern

0-116-18. Big T

Nebraska

Michigan

2/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team earned its second straight Big Ten Conference home victory on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 4), defeating Northwestern by a score of 61-49 in front of 3,065 fans at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (10-4, 3-8 Big Ten) quickly turned a two-point halftime lead into a double-digit cushion thanks to a 17-4 run in the first 6:32 of the second half, and the Maize and Blue never let the lead dip below 11 points the rest of the way en route to its 10th win of the season.

Sophomore Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) was on fire from outside the entire afternoon, canning a career-best four triples on her way to a career-high 22 points. Benson, who shot 9-of-14 from the field, added five rebounds, a block and a steal in 27 minutes. Junior Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) posted nine points and matched a career best with eight rebounds. Freshman LeQuisha Whitfield (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) matched a career high in rebounds as well, finishing with nine to go along with her eight points. Rounding out the top U-M performers was sophomore Stephany Skrba (Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School), who chipped in seven points and nine rebounds in addition to setting a career best with four steals and matching a career high with three blocks.

Benson scored on two straight possessions in the opening minute to help the Wolverines jump out to a quick 4-0 lead. After Northwestern recorded its first hoop of the game at 18:16, Whitfield and Cooper knocked down back-to-back field goals to push the U-M advantage to 8-2 with 17:31 left in the first half.

With Michigan holding a slim 8-6 lead, Cooper and Benson combined to score the team's next eight points. Cooper started things off with a triple at 16:08, and Benson followed with five straight points, including the first of the four triples she hit on the day. The result was a 16-8 Wolverine lead with 11:33 remaining until halftime.

Leading 16-11 at 9:27, the Maize and Blue put together an 8-0 run over a span of 2:14 to push its advantage to 24-11 with 7:13 to go until the break. U-M received instant offense from its bench, with sophomore Ashley Jones (Southfield, Mich./Martin Luther King HS)and freshman Sireece Bass (Detroit, Mich./Pershing HS) contributing baskets during the run.
 
The Wildcats stormed back to within one point of Michigan's lead, 24-23, thanks to a 12-0 run. A long triple from sophomore Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) with 39 seconds left in the first half broke a 6:34 U-M scoreless drought, but Northwestern quickly got the ball up to A.J. Glasauer for a quick two. The Wolverines headed into the locker room holding a 27-25 advantage.

Seven different players scored for Michigan in the first frame, with Benson leading the way with nine. Glasauer recorded 10 points to lead the Wildcats in the first half.

The Wolverines jumped out to a comfortable 15-point lead (44-29) just 6:32 into the second half, due largely in part to the sharp shooting of Benson. She scored 10 points during the 17-4 U-M run, including two more triples. Michigan hit six of its first 11 shots in the period, and four of Minnfield's game-high seven assists came during the surge.

After Northwestern cut the deficit back down to 11 points, Minnfield found Benson for another three-pointer to push the lead back to 14, 47-33, with 9:09 left on the clock. The Maize and Blue extended its lead to as many as 19 points over the next several minutes of action, and the Wolverines were able to sustain a double-digit cushion the rest of the way to secure their third Big Ten win of the season.

Michigan returns to the hardwood on Thursday (Feb. 8) when it plays Iowa. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:06 p.m. CST start at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The game will be televised by Comcast SportsNet Chicago and can be heard live over the radio on WTKA (AM 1050).

Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423