Feb. 24, 2008

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Trailing by three in the final seconds, Illinois got the shot it wanted, but Lori Bjork's three rattled in and out at the buzzer and Michigan escaped Assembly Hall with a 55-52 victory Sunday evening. It was another heartbreaking defeat for the Illini, who are now 0-6 in Big Ten games decided by three points or less. It was Michigan's first win over the Illini in eight tries.

Illinois (15-12, 7-9) appeared to take control of the game early in the second half, holding the Wolverines scoreless for nearly eight minutes while going on a 13-0 run to turn a 31-26 deficit at the 16:35 mark into a 39-31 lead with less than nine minutes left. Senior guard Rebecca Harris scored seven points in the run and capped it with a three-pointer.

Michigan (16-10, 9-7) would respond with a 14-4 run of their own a few minutes later to retake the lead 48-45 with 2:40 to play, thanks to a barrage of three's by guard Jessica Minnfield, who scored 18 of her game-high 25 points in the second half. A jumper by Harris for Illinois cut the UM lead to 48-47 with 1:02 left, but Minnfield supplied the dagger with a three-pointer to put the Wolverines up four, 51-47, with 34 seconds left.

Minnfield then hit two free throws after a driving lay-up by Harris had cut the lead to two. Bjork followed with a three to bring the Illini back within one at 53-52 with nine seconds left. Minnfield calmly sank two free throws to put Michigan back up three, setting up Bjork's final attempt. Harris dribbled up the right side of the court and Bjork came open at the top of the key. She took one dribble and got a great look, but the shot when halfway down and then back out as time expired.

In the first half Illinois started out sluggish, falling behind 9-3 in the opening minutes, but roared back with an 8-0 run in less than a minute to take an 11-9 lead at the 12:32 mark. The run consisted of a pair of Bjork threes with a Jenna Smith bucket sandwiched in the middle. The Illini, however, didn't maintain that momentum, going into the locker room down four, 28-24. Illinois shot just 33 percent in the first half to Michigan's 50 percent.

For the game, Illinois shot 40 percent overall and 38 percent from three-point territory, but managed just four free throw attempts. Michigan shot 48 percent from the field and hit 8-of-14 from downtown (57 percent). Illinois took care of the ball for the second straight game, turning it over just seven times to Michigan's 15, but the Wolverines held a 31-24 advantage on the glass to help offset the turnover difference.

Harris paced the Illini with 21 points, 13 in the second half, on 8-of-13 shooting and added a game-high five assists. Bjork hit 3-of-8 from downtown to finish with 13 points and now has made over 200 career three-pointers. Lacey Simpson also had her usual all-around numbers with game-highs in rebounds (10) and steals (5).

Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Jenna Smith struggled to her lowest scoring output of the season. The sophomore missed several easy buckets early and never recovered, finishing with six points on 3-of-12 shooting and snapping her conference-leading streak of 28 straight games in double figures. She found other ways to contribute, however, with nine rebounds and a career-high four steals.

Illinois next heads to Michigan State on Thursday, Feb. 28, for a 7 p.m. ET tip before returning home on March 2 to close out the regular season by hosting Purdue on Senior Day. That game will begin at 3 p.m. and will be televised by the Big Ten Network.