Michigan Women's Basketball Comeback Falls Short in 58-54 loss at Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team cut a 16-point second-half deficit to three points with 14 seconds remaining, but the rally was too late as the Wolverines dropped a 58-54 decision at Wisconsin on Sunday (Jan. 11) in the Kohl Center.   With the Badgers leading by 10 points with under two minutes remaining, a three-pointer from freshman Courtney Boylan (Minnetonka, Minn./Chaska HS) coupled with a free throw from senior Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg) cut the score to 56-50 with 44 seconds remaining. After a missed UW foul shot, senior Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) nailed a pair of free throws to get U-M within four. UW then went 1-for-2 from the line to build the lead back to five before Boylan hit a jumper to pull Michigan to within 57-54. However, Wisconsin hit one of its two subsequent foul shots to put the game away.   Sophomore Veronica Hicks (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood) posted her third consecutive game in double figures with a team-high 12 points, while Queen added 12 and senior guard Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) posted a career-high nine rebounds.   Wisconsin's Alyssa Karel, who was held scoreless in first half, opened the second half with a three-pointer that sparked an 8-0 Wisconsin run, pushing the Badger lead to 16 points -- the largest of the game -- with less than five minutes off the game clock.   A basket from Hicks sparked a 9-2 Michigan run, cutting the deficit to seven points, but the Badgers were able to counter with a 13-4 run to pull out in front, 49-33, at the 6:46 mark of the second stanza. The teams traded buckets until the 4:32 mark when the score read 53-37 in Wisconsin's favor. U-M then put out a strong comeback effort but ran out of time.   Wisconsin opened the game on fire, connecting on its first three tries from the floor to build a 7-0 lead and pushed it to 8-0 with a free throw from Teah Grant. Minnfield got the Wolverines on the board four minutes in with a free throw, but two Badger buckets put UW up 12-1 early.   The Badgers put on a defensive showcase early, limiting the Wolverines to one field goal through the first 10-plus minutes of the half, a 16-foot jumper from junior center Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate) at the 11:52 mark. Out of a media timeout, the Wolverines were able to clamp down on the defensive end but were unable convert on the other end.   Phillips and Skrba jump started the Wolverine offense midway through the half with two quick field goals. Boylan, who had four points off the bench in the first frame, cut the Wisconsin lead to 16-9.   Michigan, which started the game 0-for-9 from the line, got two late trifecta's from Hicks and Phillips to make it 26-18 heading into the break. The Wolverines shot a season-low 24.0 percent from the field in the first stanza and were only 4-of-9 from the charity stripe.