Michigan
20-14
Southern Mississippi
25-11
Balanced Attack Clinches Wolverines a Spot in WNIT Semifinals
3/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 29, 2015
• Box Score | Notes | WNIT Bracket
Site: Hattiesburg, Miss. (Reed Green Coliseum)
Event: WNIT Quarterfinals
Score: Michigan 69, Southern Miss 60
Records: U-M (20-14), USM (25-11)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, April 1 -- vs. UCLA (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Elmblad Joins Goree in Getting Wolverines to WNIT Semis
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team used a 20-2 run in the first half and never let Southern Miss get closer than six points the rest of the way in a 69-60 win on Sunday afternoon (March 29) in an WNIT quarterfinal matchup inside Reed Green Coliseum.
Senior Cyesha Goree recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while classmates Nicole Elmblad and Shannon Smith had 14 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Siera Thompson scored 13 points, and freshman Katelynn Flaherty chipped in 10 points off the bench as Michigan put five players in double-figure points for the second straight game. Michigan shot 53.1 percent (26-for-49) from the floor and outrebounded the Lady Eagles, 33-30.
After a slow start by both sides, Michigan took a 10-5 lead on back-to-back Goree baskets, the second coming at the 15:10 mark.
Southern Miss trimmed the lead to a point with 9:46 to go, but Thompson hit a triple, and Elmblad scored on a slip for a 17-11 lead with 8:02 left. Elmblad and Goree then combined for Michigan's next 10 points, forcing a Southern Miss timeout with 4:52 left as U-M took a 27-13 lead.
Michigan's run culminated with a triple from junior Madison Ristovski and a Flaherty score in transition, capping a 20-2 Michigan surge for a 32-13 lead with 3:42 left before the half.
Southern Miss scored the last nine points of the half, but Michigan held a 32-22 halftime lead. Goree led the way for Michigan, going for 12 points and four rebounds. Elmblad chipped in eight points, while Smith had four points. Michigan shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the floor, compared to 40.9 percent (9-for-22) for the Lady Eagles. Southern Miss held a slight 14-11 edge on the glass.
Thompson hit two three-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half, and Elmblad scored on a putback with 15:40 left to push Michigan's lead back up to 16 after Southern Miss had cut it to six just 1:20 into the frame.
After Southern Miss got back within nine points, 49-40, with 11:27 to go, Flaherty and Ristovski hit back-to-back baseline jumpers for a 53-40 lead with 10:14 to go.
The U-M lead hovered around 10 points for the next several minutes, before USM made good on a three-point play with 2:30 remaining to pull the home team back within five, 59-54.
Smith came through with a jumper in the lane off the glass on U-M's next possession, pushing Michigan's lead back to seven points. The senior also split a pair at the line after a U-M stop for a 62-54 Michigan lead.
U-M hit its free throws down the stretch, as Elmblad, Smith, Thompson and sophomore Danielle Williams combined to go 7-for-8 from the line to preserve the U-M win.
Michigan will be back in action on Wednesday (April 1), facing UCLA at Crisler Center in the WNIT semifinals. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. [ Tickets ]
