Michigan
11-5, 4-2
Wisconsin
8-8, 1-5
Phillips' Heroics Lead U-M to Overtime Win at Wisconsin
1/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Score: Michigan 79, Wisconsin 73 (OT)
Records: U-M (11-5, 4-2 Big Ten), Wisconsin (8-8, 1-5 Big Ten)
Next Game: Sunday, Jan. 20 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team came out on top in a thriller Thursday evening (Jan. 17), claiming a 79-73 overtime victory over Wisconsin in front of 5,849 fansat the Kohl Center. Sophomore Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) hit a 40-foot triple with four seconds left in regulation to send the game to the extra session, and the Wolverines (11-5, 4-2 Big Ten) opened the overtime period with a 7-0 run en route to their first Big Ten Conference road victory since a 63-60 win over the Badgers on Jan. 22, 2004.
Senior Janelle Cooper (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) scored 13 of her season-high 19 points after halftime and added four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 42 minutes. Phillips recorded all but three of her 15 points in the second half and posted seven rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. Senior Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) pumped in 12 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals in 40 minutes. Junior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) tallied 12 points, including four in overtime, in addition to five assists, two rebounds and one steal.
With U-M trailing 6-5 4:23 into the game, Clement nailed a triple to ignite a 7-1 run that gave Michigan a 12-7 lead. The run also featured a transition lay-up by junior Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) off a pretty feed in traffic from Minnfield, and junior Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS) capped off the surge with a mid-range jumper that gave the Wolverines the five-point lead at 12:41.
Jolene Anderson's triple at 12:18, her first basket of the game, cut the U-M lead to two points, but Queen knocked down another jumper from the wing to put Michigan up 14-10. Junior Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) added four straight points of her own to keep the Wolverine lead at 18-15 with 5:52 remaining in the first half.
Anderson scored six points during a 9-0 Wisconsin run that gave the Badgers a 24-18 advantage at 3:37. Queen stepped up once again, scoring four straight points before assisting on a Cooper basket to cut the deficit to just 25-24 with 1:53 to go until the break. Cooper added another hoop before the horn, but Anderson drained two more triples and Janese Banks scored on a lay-in at the buzzer to send Wisconsin to the locker room with a 32-26 lead.
Queen scored all eight of her points in the first half to lead Michigan, while Anderson scored 14 of her game-high 30 points to pace the Badgers.
The two teams exchanged punches from the perimeter in the early minutes of the second frame. Minnfield and Clement canned back-to-back three-pointers, but Wisconsin scored its next six points from beyond the arc to keep a 40-34 edge. Cooper added a triple of her own to trim the Wisconsin lead to three points with 15:41 left in regulation.
The Badgers responded with a 12-4 run to take their biggest lead of the game, 52-41, at 10:04. The Wolverines answered right back with a 10-2 run to cut deficit to 54-51 with 6:07 to go. Phillips was the main catalyst during the run, collecting a pair of hoops down low.
After Danielle Ward converted a three-point play to put Wisconsin ahead 57-51, Michigan bounced back with nine unanswered points to reclaim a 60-57 advantage with 3:24 to play. Minnfield got into the scoring mix and put home a triple and a pair of free throws during the outburst.
With U-M leading 64-61 with 2:22 remaining, the Badgers scored four straight points to go up 65-64 with 50 seconds left. Phillips had an opportunity to put the Wolverines ahead with two free throws, but she split the pair to tie the game at 65-65 with 33 seconds to go.
Rae Lin D'Alie's triple with 10 seconds left gave Wisconsin the lead. Following a U-M timeout, Minnfield inbounded the ball to Phillips, who launched a deep triple from in between the three-point line and halfcourt to send the game to overtime.
Michigan rode the momentum from Phillips big shot into the extra period, opening with a 7-0 run in the first 2:14. Benson began overtime with a clutch three-pointer, and Minnfield followed with a soft jumper in the lane. Cooper's driving lay-up at 2:46 put the Wolverines on top 75-68. Wisconsin cut the deficit to 75-73 with 1:27 left and had a chance to tie, but Phillips stole an Anderson pass with 18 seconds left. Minnfield and Clement then iced the game with four points from the free throw line.
Michigan will remain on the road to face Penn State on Sunday (Jan. 20) in State College, Pa. The game is set for a 2 p.m. start at the Bryce Jordan Center and can be heard live on radio station WTKA (AM 1050).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
