U-M Women's Basketball Falls to Ohio State in Big Ten Opener

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team opened Big Ten Conference play with a 70-50 loss to Ohio State (No. 18 AP, No. 17 ESPN/USA Today) on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 21) at Value City Arena. The Wolverines were 6-of-19 from the three-point line for 31.6 percent but could not stop Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, who posted a game-high 28 points, including nine during a 22-0 Buckeyes run that gave OSU control early in the contest. After posting only two points in the first half, sophomore Veronica Hicks (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood) made some offensive noise for the Wolverines in the second half, tallying 11 points in the second stanza to finish with a team-high 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Hicks and freshman Courtney Boylan (Minnetonka, Minn./Chaska) each made two three-pointers, while junior Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate) pulled down seven rebounds to lead U-M. Just over a minute into the game the Wolverines found themselves with an early 4-0 lead behind a bucket down low from senior Stephany Skrba (Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) and two free throws by Hicks. However, Michigan went scoreless over the next eight-plus minutes, going 0-for-7 from the field and committing nine turnovers during the stretch, and the Buckeyes surged to a 22-4 lead with 10:55 left in the half. Wolverine freshman and Ohio native Carmen Reynolds (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) ended U-M's scoring drought with a three-pointer at the 10:30 mark, and two three-pointers from Boylan and a basket underneath from Reynolds cut the lead to 33-20 with just over three minutes remaining in the half. However, an 11-2 Ohio State run to close the period sent the Buckeyes into the break with a 44-22 lead. Michigan got no closer than 18 in the second half, though the Wolverines did outscore the Buckeyes by a 28-26 margin after intermission. Senior Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg) tallied all eight of her points on perfect shooting in the second half, making 2-of-2 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line. Michigan will take several days off for the holidays before returning to Big Ten action against Northwestern at Crisler Arena on Sunday, Dec. 28. Fans can catch the action live with a video stream at BigTenNetwork.com and on WTKA AM 1050 with Matt Park on the call.