Michigan
18-5, 7-2B1G
Illinois
8-15, 3-7B1G
Third Quarter Propels Michigan Past Illinois
2/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2017
» U-M took a 12-point lead on a Katelynn Flaherty triple with 6:55 remaining, and the lead never dropped below 10 the rest of the way.
» Flaherty scored 27 points to lead four players in double figures; Kysre Gondrezick turned in 19, Hallie Thome had 16, and Jillian Dunston had a career-high 15 points.
» Flaherty is now second all-time at Michigan with 1,740 points.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (State Farm Center)
Score: Michigan 86, Illinois 70
Records: U-M (18-5, 7-2 B1G), ILL (8-15, 3-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 5 -- vs. Iowa (Crisler Center), 2 p.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team used a 26-point third quarter to erase a three-point halftime deficit en route to an 86-70 win over Illinois on Wednesday (Feb. 1) inside the State Farm Center.
Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty led four players in double figures with 27 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Freshman Kysre Gondrezick went for 19 points, five rebounds and six assists, with sophomore Hallie Thome chipping in 16 points and five boards. Junior Jillian Dunston set new career highs in points (15) and assists (4) while grabbing seven boards. Senior Siera Thompson only scored three points but had 10 rebounds, six assists and a steal in 38 minutes.
Flaherty hit a pair of triples, sandwiched around a pair of Thome free throws, to open the third quarter to give Michigan a 45-52 lead just 1:16 into the period. U-M continued to push the tempo over the next few minutes, taking advantage of a couple of Illinois turnovers, capped by a Dunston steal-and-score for a 49-42 lead with 7:43 to go.
Michigan continued its scoring throughout the period, capped by a Gondreizck corner triple following an offensive board by sophomore Nicole Munger to force an Illinois timeout with 1:48 remaining in the quarter and U-M ahead, 63-49.
U-M was 8-for-14 from the floor in the fourth quarter, with a Flaherty triple at the 6:33 mark putting the Wolverines up by 12, 71-59. Michigan's lead never dipped below double figures the rest of the way en route to the 16-point win.
The Maize and Blue led by as many as 11 in the opening half, but Illinois took a 40-37 halftime lead following a triple to beat the horn. It was a tale of two quarters in the first half, with U-M holding a 25-17 advantage in the first, before Illinois outscored U-M, 23-12, in the second.
The Wolverines are back in home action on Sunday (Feb. 5), hosting Iowa at 2 p.m. as part of Alumni Weekend. [ Tickets ]
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
