Season Review: 2015-16 Michigan Women's Basketball
5/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
May 16, 2016
• Team Captains: Siera Thompson, Danielle Williams
• Record: 21-14 overall, 9-9 Big Ten Conference (tie-7th place)
• Big Ten Tournament: Second Round
• WNIT: Semifinals
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico, the University of Michigan women's basketball team won 21 games and reached the semifinals of the WNIT for the second straight season. After starting 0-2 in the Big Ten, Michigan regrouped to finish with a 9-9 conference record, marking only the eighth time U-M has won at least nine Big Ten games. Michigan featured a potent offense this season, topping 80 points 18 times and scoring at least 90 points in 10 games. U-M took advantage of a great home atmosphere in 2015-16, going 16-5 at Crisler Center. Michigan is 51-22 at home during the KBA era as Michigan has won at least 13 home games in three of her four seasons.
Team Highlights
• Michigan recorded its fifth consecutive 20-win season, a new program record. U-M finished with 21 wins, its second-highest season total ever, and won nine Big Ten games for just the eighth time.
• The 2015-16 Wolverines will go down as one of the most prolific offensive teams in school history. U-M set new program records in points (2,751), points per game (78.6), field goals made (1,058), field goal percentage (.478), three-point field goal percentage (.398) and assists (606). The Maize and Blue finished the season ranked fifth nationally in three-point field goal percentage, sixth in field goal percentage and 11th in points per game.
• The Wolverines made a run to the semifinals of the WNIT for the second consecutive season before falling at Florida Gulf Coast. Michigan has made the postseason in each of the last seven seasons, winning at least one game in each of Kim Barnes Arico's four seasons.
• Michigan twice rallied for wins after facing deficits of at least 15 points. U-M was down by 17 points to Iowa (Jan. 7) in the third quarter before coming back for an 82-75 win. In Michigan's WNIT win over Temple, the Wolverines came back from a 17-2 deficit to win by a point, 77-76, to advance to the semifinals.
• The Wolverines won 16 games at Crisler Center, the most ever by a Wolverine team. Michigan went 4-0 during the WNIT at home, propelling the Maize and Blue to the semifinals.
Individual Highlights
• Sophomore Katelynn Flaherty scored 774 points to shatter Michigan's single-season scoring record. She averaged 22.1 points per game, tops in school history and 10th nationally. She had seven games with at least 30 points and 22 20-point games en route to becoming just the second sophomore at Michigan to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
• Junior Siera Thompson set a new school record for assists in a season, dishing out 178 for a 5.1 per game average. She scored her 1,000th point this past season and is on pace to graduate as Michigan's career leader in minutes played and assists.
• Freshman Hallie Thome finished second nationally in field goal percentage (.631) to set a new school record. Thome became the second freshman in school history to score 500 points in a season, finishing with 505 points (14.4 ppg).
• In her last run as a Wolverine, senior Madison Ristovski saved her best basketball for last, averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game in Michigan's WNIT games. Ristovski scored a season-high 19 points in each of Michigan's last two games and was named to the WNIT all-tournament team.
Honors and Awards
Katelynn
Flaherty
Hallie
Thome
Madison
Ristovski
Big Ten Conference
All-Big Ten First Team: Katelynn Flaherty (consensus)
All-Big Ten Honorable Mention: Hallie Thome
All-Freshman Team: Hallie Thome
Sportsmanship Award: Madison Ristovski
Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
All-Region 4: Katelynn Flaherty
All-America Honorable Mention: Katelynn Flaherty
Big Ten Player of the Week
Player of the Week: Katelynn Flaherty (Jan. 11)
Freshman of the Week: Hallie Thome (Nov. 30)
WNIT All-Tournament Team
Madison Ristovski
Academic All-Big Ten
Maria Backman, So., undeclared
Jillian Dunston, So., undeclared
Katelynn Flaherty, So., undeclared
Madison Ristovski, Sr., English
Halle Wangler, Sr., general studies
Danielle Williams, Jr., psychology
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
