Feb. 19, 2006
IOWA CITY, IA – – Iowa snapped a two-game losing skid today with a 67-55 victory over Michigan in front of 5,061 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes didn’t shoot the ball well (38.6%), but did out-rebound the Wolverines by eight (40-32). Hawkeye sophomore Krista VandeVenter controlled a game-high 11 rebounds, marking the fifth time in eight games the forward has grabbed double digit rebounds. Iowa improves to 10-0 when it out-rebounds its opponents this year.
Iowa had four players net double figures, led by freshman Megan Skouby’s 14 points. Eight of Skouby’s 14 points came from the foul line. Freshman Kristi Smith tallied double figures for the fourth time in five games as the point guard scored 11. Seniors Tiffany Reedy and Crystal Smith each contributed 10 points. All of Crystal Smith’s 10 points came in the first period.
Michigan (6-20, 0-14) was led by freshman Jessica Minnfield, who recorded a game-high 20 points. Sophomore Janelle Cooper and freshman Stephanie Skrba each scored 10 points in the losing effort.
Iowa built a 10-point advantage (18-8) in the first 11 minutes and never looked back. The Wolverines closed the deficit to five points (23-18) with 4:40 remaining in the half, but the Hawkeyes closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a commanding 32-20 lead into the break. Iowa led by as many as 20 points in the second half en route to its seventh-straight victory over Michigan.
The Hawkeyes forced 19 turnovers and converted Michigan’s miscues into 14 points.
Iowa (15-10, 8-6) currently sits in sixth place in the Big Ten standings, one game behind Minnesota (17-8, 9-5) and Indiana (15-10, 9-5) for fifth. The Golden Gophers host the Hoosiers Thursday at Williams Arena.
Iowa returns to action Thursday when it travels to Illinois (13-12, 5-9). Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Assembly Hall. Iowa will host Indiana in its regular season finale next Sunday at 12:05 p.m. inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.