Kornacki: Ristovski Powers, Motivates Wolverines to WNIT Win
3/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 29, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Madison Ristovski played like she didn't want the season or her playing career to end. And that was exactly what she told Michigan teammate Katelynn Flaherty during a timeout in the final seconds of Monday night's (March 28) wild comeback win over Temple in a WNIT quarterfinal game at Crisler Center.
"Katelynn, this can't be the last one!" said Ristovski. "This CANNOT be the last one!"
Flaherty replied, "I know, I've got you."
After the game, Ristovski said, "I think that motivated Katelynn and I think that strengthened everybody else because on that last offensive possession we had (four) offensive rebounds. It was crazy, but it showed the tenacity and how we didn't want this to be the last game."
The play that Wolverine coach Kim Barnes Arico said she drew up in that huddle was an isolation play for Ristovski, and the coach was a bit amazed that she went that route. After all, Flaherty had just scored 18 of her team-high 23 points in the second half and brought a 22.4 scoring average into the contest.
But that's how well Ristovski is playing.
However, Barnes Arico was even more surprised by what ensued during that final possession.
Ristovski got covered tightly near the free throw line and passed to freshman center Hallie Thome, who missed the shot. However, Ristovski rebounded, and grabbed a second rebound on the possession after the next missed shot. Thome got the third and fourth rebounds on the possession before scoring the winning basket with a short shot with 7.8 seconds left. Temple ended up having two possessions in the time remaining, but couldn't score on either.
-- Kim Barnes Arico on Madison Ristovski
Barnes Arico smiled when recalling what Ristovski told her in the postgame locker room: "Coach, you always challenge us and say, 'What if we had to get two stops at the end of the game? We'd never be successful.' "
Having done just that, Ristovski told Barnes Arico: "So, there!"
The Wolverines had trailed, 17-2, after four minutes and were down by 10 points at half time. But they didn't panic and kept chipping away, eventually taking their first lead, 62-60, on a pair of free throws by Ristovski with 8:26 remaining to play.
What did Ristovski see in the eyes of the Owls at that point?
"I see fear," she said. "I see that exasperated look like, 'I cannot believe that we just gave that 15-point lead up.' When that happens, we have them on the ropes, and the fans get involved and everyone's standing up. Everyone's on them, and I feel they felt suffocated inside Crisler because we were all on top of them. That's what gave us the edge to win that game."
While running off the court, Ristovski turned to look at the fans and raised both her arms to acknowledge them.
"We couldn't have won without them," said Ristovski. "They were so loud! I was saying, 'Thank you for doing your job to help us win tonight.' "
Barnes Arico said she had a "pretty good idea" that this would be the final home game during the WNIT and said that factored into Ristovski's mindset.
"She knew this was going to be the last time that she was playing at home," said Barnes Arico. "Madison had such an incredible year and is probably one of the most decorated players in wins (83) and number of games played (136) and in terms of being a Michigan kid, she wanted to make sure that in one last game before her friends and family, she left everything out there.
"And she carried the team. She's carried the team in the WNIT, the whole run, and I'm so proud of her to be able to go out the way she is. She's incredible and got everybody to go along with her. It's a great story."
The 77-76 victory advances the Wolverines (21-13) to a semifinal game Thursday night (March 31) in Fort Myers, Florida. They will play Florida Gulf Coast University at Alico Arena at 8 p.m..
Michigan and Ristovski are moving on, just as she insisted in that huddle.
Ristovski scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Now, 5-10 guards are not supposed to grab more rebounds than several of her much taller teammates, but there was no stopping the senior from Grosse Pointe (Michigan) University Liggett School.
She credited assistant coach Megan Duffy for her improvement on the boards.
"She's helped me with boxing out and just having a nose for the ball when it's coming off the rim," said Ristovski. "We even watch film together to see where I was lacking on rebounding, and it gave me the confidence I could do it. It's just paying off now.
Ristovski had averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds before the WNIT. However, she's averaging 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in four tournament wins, while shooting a sizzling .632 from the field and a sharp .556 on three-pointers.
"She's playing at an incredibly high level," said Barnes Arico. "She's just stepped up to the challenge, and it's incredible to see."
Ristovski drove to the basket with the ball much more than she had during the season, and said she's doing that because teams are anticipating her shooting from the outside more. Ristovski also noted that the potent Flaherty demands tight coverage outside and opens driving lanes for her.
Ristovski scored one bucket by freezing her opponent with a brief hesitation before going right around her to score.
"I'm at the point now where I have to be aggressive and drive to score to help my teammates," Ristovski said. "Any night, any one of us can go off and be the dominant scorer. And it also helps my teammates get better shots if I go to the basket more."
Ristovski excelled in every facet of the game.
"She played great," said Flaherty, "and she's been playing great these last couple of games. Obviously, without her, we wouldn't be in this position. She's a great leader, and she's really showing how she can score and pass and rebound."
Junior guard Danielle Williams smiled and shook her head when Ristovski approached her during the postgame interviews.
Williams said, "Madison Ristovski, what can I say? She's a scorer and so multi-dimensional in her game, and so aggressive that she just gave us that spark we really needed. We wouldn't have won the game without her. She also was defending and getting rebounds and making cuts. Her (basketball) IQ is just unreal, and she had an extraordinary game.
"I know she didn't want it to be her last game, and so she did whatever she could. What can I say? She's great."
Ristovski was "great" right down the game's last play.
Barnes Arico said Ristovski denied Temple's first option, Feyonda Fitzgerald, from getting the ball. So, the last shot went to Alliya Butts, who missed.
"I went for the rebound but the girl jumped on my back," said Ristovski. "I heard the buzzer and I knew it was over. So, I just kind of fell down. All that adrenaline was pumping through me and I laid there for a second and let it all soak in. We'd won and were moving on."
After the two teams shook hands, Ristovski and Barnes Arico hugged each other for a few seconds.
"I was just so proud of her," said Barnes Arico. "She's just fighting and doesn't want to take off that Michigan uniform. She bleeds blue and wants to keep wearing that uniform for as long as possible. There's a sense of urgency there, and I think her teammates feel that sense of urgency."
The coach patted her on the back as they broke their embrace.
"We've been together since day one," said Ristovski, "and I've learned so much from her in my four years. It's just been such a ride. Me being in her first class here, I feel like we started this together, and I really want to finish it together."
There isn't a women's basketball team banner hanging from the rafters at Crisler. They are two wins away from putting the first one up there, and would love doing it together.
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