Late Run by Ohio State Spoils Michigan Women's Basketball Upset Bid, Wolverines Fall To Buckeyes, 52-44

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team battled Ohio State (No. 15 AP, No. 14 ESPN/USA Today) down to the wire but came up short, falling to the Buckeyes, 52-44, on Thursday night (Jan. 29) at Crisler Arena. Ohio State outscored the Wolverines 18-7 down the stretch in the second half. U-M was led by 10 points from both senior forward Melinda Queen (Oak Forest, Ill./Carl Sandburg) and freshman guard Courtney Boylan (Chaska, Minn./Chaska). Trailing by five points early, the Wolverines went on a 10-2 run to take a three-point lead, 18-15, with 9:23 to play in the first half. Sophomore guard Veronica Hicks (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood) ignited the burst for the Maize and Blue with an offensive rebound and put back, while senior forward Stephany Skrba (Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) added four points during the stretch with a basket and a pair of free throws, and Michigan took a 23-22 lead into the intermission. The Wolverines were 8-of-11 from the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes and held Ohio State to just a single free throw. U-M was paced by Queen with six points at the break; Jantel Lavender led all scorers with nine points for the Buckeyes. U-M and OSU traded baskets to open the second stanza in a half in which the first five minutes featured three ties and six lead changes. Neither team held a lead larger than three in the first 12 minutes. Trailing by three, 37-34, Ohio State went on a 12-2 run to take a 46-39 lead with 6:47 to play. Five straight points by Boylan cut the Buckeye lead to just a pair, 46-44, with 3:25 remaining, but Ohio State scored the final six points of the contest to earn the victory. Lavender led Ohio State with 17 points as the Buckeyes earned 20 trips to the free-throw line in the second stanza, converting on 16, compared to the Wolverines, who did not shoot a second-half free throw. The Maize and Blue returns to the hardwood on Sunday (Feb. 1) when it hosts Wisconsin at 2 p.m. at Crisler Arena. 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 and Nick Brandon on the call.