Michigan
Northwood (ex)
Benson Rallies Michigan Past Northwood in Exhibition
11/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Score: Michigan 71, Northwood 66
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 15 -- at Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.), 2 p.m.
Boxscore | Postgame Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Led by senior forward Carly Benson's (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau HS) double-double, the University of Michigan women's basketball team used a 45-point second half to defeat Northwood, 71-66, in exhibition action at Crisler Arena tonight (Nov. 8).
Michigan was led by Benson's 15 points and 11 rebounds on 5-of-13 shooting from the field. Senior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) added 14 points, while Veronica Hicks(Chicago, Ill./Thornwood HS) and Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) each had 10 points in the victory.
The Maize and Blue took its first lead of the night, 58-57, on free throws from Minnfield with 4:18 left in the second half and seemed poised to close out the Timberwolves, but a three-pointer from Northwood's Rachel Church tied the game at 60 with under three minutes to play. The Maize and Blue were not to be denied, however, going on an 11-4 run to seal the victory.
Northwood extended its lead to 44-28 in the first three minutes of the second half, but back-to-back baskets by Hicks cut the lead to 44-32 and gave the Wolverines some much needed momentum coming out of the first television time out of the half. An acrobatic bucket in the lane from Minnfield coupled with two quick Northwood fouls put Michigan right back in the game, and an 11-6 run over a two-minute span cut the lead to five points at the 11:58 mark.
Northwood was able to counter and used several quick baskets to pull ahead 54-45 at the midway point of the second half, but U-M used several key buckets from the free-throw line to tie the game at 54-all with just under seven minutes remaining.
Despite a sluggish start to the first half, the Wolverines seemed to gel midway through the half. After allowing Northwood to open an early 18-5 lead, U-M found its offense sparked by freshman Courtney Boylan(Minnetonka, Minn./Chaska HS) off the bench. The 5-8 guard hit a quick three-pointer and then forced a steal to cut the Northwood lead to 18-8 at the 11:36 mark.
Northwood held a 27-17 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half, but several quick defensive stops seemed to shift the momentum. The Wolverines were able to climb out of a little bit of a hole late in the half but could not contain Timberwolves' shooters as Northwood took a 38-36 lead into the break.
Northwood's Rachel Church led all scorers at the break with 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, all her points coming from behind the arc. She ended the night with a game-high 20 points. Sarah Glowacki and Benson led the way with five rebounds apiece through the first stanza.
The Wolverines open the 2008-09 season on Nov. 15 when they head to Lexington, Ky., to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Tip is set for 2 p.m. in UK's Memorial Coliseum.
Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423
