Michigan
10-12, 3-8Big T
Wisconsin
14-9, 4-8Big Te
Quick Start Ignites Michigan to Home Win Over Wisconsin
2/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score: Michigan 70, Wisconsin 42
Records: U-M (10-12, 3-8 Big Ten), Wisconsin (14-9, 4-8 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 5 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 7 p.m. CST
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team used a quick start and red-hot shooting to cruise past Wisconsin, 70-42, on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 1) at Crisler Arena. The Maize and Blue ended a six-game losing streak with a season-best 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from the field while holding the Badgers to 28.8 percent (17-of-59).
Sophomore guard Veronica Hicks(Chicago, Ill./Thornwood) led all scorers with 15 points. Senior forward Melinda Queen(Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg), senior forward Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) and senior guard Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) each scored 11, and freshman forward Carmen Reynolds(Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) also reached double figures with 10.
U-M raced out to a 9-0 lead going into the first media timeout. Senior forward Carly Benson(Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) scored the first five points of the contest before Skrba added the next four for the Maize and Blue.
Leading 14-10, the Wolverines went on a 15-0 run, holding Wisconsin scoreless for more than eight minutes. Reynolds sparked the U-M run with six points and Queen added four during the stretch.
The Maize and Blue took a 32-16 lead into the intermission. Benson led a balanced attack with seven points for the Wolverines, who shot 57.9 percent (11-of-19) in the first half. Jamie Russell's four points led the Badgers in the first 20 minutes.
A 14-2 second-half burst gave the Wolverines their largest lead of the game, 60-28. Hicks capped the run with a layup as the Wolverines were never threatened in the second stanza. Michigan's smallest second-half advantage was 16 points.
U-M finished the game shooting 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from three-point range while holding the Badgers to 17.4 percent (4-of-23). Russell and Tara Steinbauer led the way for Wisconsin with seven points apiece.
Michigan returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 5) when it travels to Evanston, Ill., to take on the Northwestern Wildcats at 7 p.m. CST. The game can be seen live with a webcast at BigTenNetwork.com, and fans can catch all the action on WTKA AM 1050 with Matt Park on the call.
Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423
