Michigan Women's Basketball Uses Late Burst to Defeat Illinois, 52-44

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena) Score: Michigan 52, Illinois 44 Records: U-M (9-6, 2-2 Big Ten), Illinois (4-11, 0-5 Big Ten) Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 11 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 1:30 p.m. CST ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team upended Illinois, 52-44, Thursday night (Jan. 8) in Crisler Arena. Sophomore guard Veronica Hicks (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood) led the way with 12 points and senior guard Jessica Minnfield (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) added 11 points and a game-high five assists for the Wolverines. Lydia McCully led Illinois with 11 points. Michigan took control early, scoring the first four points of the contest on baskets by senior forward Stephany Skrba (Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) and Hicks. U-M never trailed in the opening 20 minutes. Leading 11-10, U-M finished the half on a 12-4 run to take a 23-14 lead to the break. Senior forward Carly Benson (Carney, Mich./Carney-Nadeau Public School) started the run with a jumper off a feed from Minnfield, and junior center Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate) had four points during the run for the Maize and Blue. Skrba led a balanced attack with six points at the intermission for the Wolverines, who held Illinois to 22 percent shooting (5-of-23) from the floor in the opening stanza. The Illini raced out on a 9-3 run to begin the second half, cutting the Michigan advantage to three, 26-23, and forcing a U-M timeout. Illinois took its first lead of the game, 27-26, with 14:26 remaining on a bucket by Jenna Smith. Trailing 31-30, the Maize and Blue went on a 9-2 burst to seize control of the contest, taking a 39-33 lead. Senior forward Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg) ignited the run with a jumper and later added a pair of free throws to help increase the U-M advantage.Hicks scored seven points and the Maize and Blue made 7-of-8 free throws in the final four minutes to secure the victory. Michigan returns to action in Sunday (Jan. 11) when the Wolverines travel to Madison, Wis., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Game time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST. Fans can catch the action live with a webcast at BigTenNetwork.com and can hear play-by-play on the radio on WTKA AM 1050 with Matt Park and Nick Brandon on the call.