University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Michigan
Banham Notches Career-Highs in Close Loss at Michigan
1/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2012
Freshman Rachel Banham notched career-highs with 28 points and six three-pointers, but it was not enough as the University of Minnesota (10-9, 2-3 Big Ten) women's basketball team fell to Michigan (14-4, 3-2 Big Ten), 61-57, in a tight matchup Sunday afternoon at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The rookie finished the contest with a career-best nine field goals, which included a 6-for-10 performance from three-point range, while adding four free throws, five rebounds and an assist. Banham opened the game by going 6-for-6 from beyond the arch, and matched her career-high with 26 points just six minutes into the second half, before going on to set a new career high with a jumper with six second to play.
Banham's basket in the closing seconds of the game pulled the Gophers to within four points of the Wolverines, but Minnesota was not able to get any closer before time ran out.
The Gophers led by four points twice in the opening minutes of the game, last at the 14:26 mark, getting eight points from Banham and two more from Brianna Mastey. But, the Wolverines used a 19-4 run to take an 11-point lead, 25-14, with 7:10 remaining.
Mastey finished the contest with seven points and matched her career-high with a team-best seven rebounds in 29 minutes off of the bench. The senior paced the Gopher bench to 15 points, which included four points from both Micaëlla Riché and Kionna Kellogg.
Minnesota continued to claw its way back into the game, with Banham's fourth three-point basket of the half capping off a 14-4 run and which allowed the Gophers to pull within three points of the Wolverines, 29-26, with 3:37 to play. A put back by Riché cut Michigan's lead to only one, but the Wolverines answered with a basket of their own to once again make it a three-point contest. With 24 seconds remaining, Kiara Buford scored her first two points of the game to make the score 31-30 at the half.
Banham scored 18 points of her 28 points in the first half, while the Maroon and Gold bench combined for 10. Riche and Kellogg each had four points and B. Mastey added a pair.
It was all Minnesota to open the second half, with the Gophers using a 12-2 run to take a 42-33 lead with 15:00 to play. But, Michigan answered with a 15-3 run to take the lead for the first time in the second half, 48-45, at the 10 minute mark.
A three-pointer by B. Mastey pulled Minnesota to within three points, 57-54 with 2:04 on the clock, and a free throw by Buford made it a two-point game with 1:16 to play.
The Gophers had a few chances to even the contest with less than a minute on the clock, but were not able to convert and ran out of time before being able to complete the comeback.
Minnesota returns home to Williams Arena Thursday to host reigning Big Ten Champion Michigan State at 7:00 p.m.
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