Michigan women’s basketball earns 20th victory of the season

Michigan women’s basketball (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-11, 6-8 Big Ten) this Sunday in Ann Arbor. Despite a few lead changes through the third quarter, the Wolverines pulled away with the lead late in the game, beating the Cornhuskers 80-75. Michigan basketball has now won four straight and is 20-5 on the season.

First Half

Michigan women’s basketball started the game hot, taking a 15-5 lead over the Cornhuskers with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Wolverines dominated on defense and gave fans the impression that a blowout was coming.

After converting on an impressive 50 percent of field goals, the Wolverines ended the quarter leading 19-11. Michigan entered the game ranked second in Big Ten scoring defense but was missing sophomore guard Laila Phelia due to an injury. Despite Michigan missing an integral part of their defense, the Wolverines looked comfortable throughout the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, the defense started to show some cracks. Nebraska began taking and making three-pointers to chip away at the deficit slowly. While the Cornhuskers only made 27 percent of their field goals in the first quarter, they quickly recovered and made 47 percent of their field goals through the second quarter.

Heading into the half, Michigan led only by five, 36-31.

Mid-Game Struggles

Nebraska continued to fight back despite its early struggles. In the third quarter, Nebraska made two-thirds of their field goals and drained three 3-point attempts. The Cornhuskers continued to find ways to break Michigan’s defense.

With Phelia out due to injury, Michigan’s typical man-to-man defense was not as strong as usual. Because of this, Michigan’s defense switched between man and zone throughout the game. The Cornhuskers found ways to break this zone defense in the third and take their first lead since the first quarter.

Through the third quarter, the lead changed six times. With 5:16 left in the quarter, Nebraska finished a 7-0 run giving them a six-point lead, their biggest of the game. The Wolverines would head into the fourth quarter leading 57-53.

Late Game Recovery

While the defense looked bumpy at times, Michigan finished strong and never lost its lead in the fourth. The Wolverines made 50 percent of their field goals in the quarter and shot 9-14 from the free-throw line.

With just a few minutes left, Michigan pulled away with a double-digit lead. While Nebraska remained competitive until the end, their comeback efforts weren’t enough. Michigan won the game 80-75.

Roster Depth

Michigan’s women’s basketball roster has incredible depth. In their victory, Michigan had four players off the bench play more than 10 minutes. Two of these players, Alyssa Crockett and Chyra Evans, were freshmen.

Crockett and Evans scored a combined 13 points in their time on the court and talked about what it was like seeing more action than usual after the game. Crockett stated that there’s a “next man up mindset,” adding, “We need to find a way to help the team win in some aspect or another, and I think today Chyra [Evans] and I really had the confidence in ourselves from our teammates and our coaching staff…”

Crockett made all four field goals on the night, including a big-time three-pointer in the third period. Both Crockett and Evans finished the night with three rebounds. With Phelia’s injury timeline still unknown, these two freshmen will likely continue to see meaningful minutes in the last few conference games.

Michigan’s next game will be against the 2nd-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, IN. Tip-off is this Thursday, 2/16, at 8:30 PM EST.

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