Michigan
18-4, 7-2
Michigan State
14-7, 4-4
Wolverines Smash Spartans, Collect Fifth Consecutive Win
1/23/2018 10:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Michigan fell in a 2-0 hole to start the game before going on a 10-0 run to take control. U-M's lead hit double figures with 5:25 left in the first quarter and never dipped below 10 points the rest of the way.
» Katelynn Flaherty led a trio of Wolverines in double figures with 26 points, six assists and three rebounds. Nicole Munger scored 13 with three rebounds, and Hailey Brown chipped in 10 points.
» The 26-point margin is the largest margin of victory for the Wolverines over the Spartans.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #16 Michigan 74, Michigan State 48
Records: U-M (18-4, 7-2 B1G), MSU (14-7, 4-4 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 28 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 2 p.m. CST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind 26 points from Katelynn Flaherty, the No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team smashed in-state rival Michigan State, 74-48, on Tuesday (Jan. 23) inside Crisler Center. The 26-point margin of victory is the largest in the series for Michigan, which beat the Spartans for the first time since Feb. 5, 2015.
Flaherty also chipped in six assists and three boards in 34 minutes. Junior Nicole Munger went for 13 points with three boards, while freshman Hailey Brown had 10 points and three rebounds. Michigan held a 37-32 advantage on the glass, paced by junior Hallie Thome's 11 rebounds. U-M shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the floor while holding MSU to 31.1 percent (19-for-61) shooting.
Michigan State scored the first points of the game, but it was the only lead the Spartans would have all night, as Michigan went on a quick 10-0 burst fueled by two threes from Flaherty. She pulled up ready to take a third but found a streaking Brown down the lane for an easy layup to force a Michigan State timeout. The Wolverines hit 5-of-6 three-pointers and led 25-11 after the first quarter.
The Spartans hung around in the second quarter after Thome and Brown both made early exits due to foul trouble. After seeing the lead cut to 13, senior Jillian Dunston found Flaherty, who finished through contact for a beautiful backdoor layup and added the free throw with under a minute to go in the half. The Wolverines led 36-22 at the break.
Michigan State made a move in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 10 points on three occasions, but that was as close as it would get. After MSU closed within 10 for the final time, 41-31, with 6:45 left in the frame, Munger hit a right-wing triple to ignite an 18-2 run that blew open the game. Michigan led by 23 points heading into the final quarter.
The Maize and Blue held the Spartans without a point for the first 5:41 of the final quarter and led by as many as 34 points en route to its fifth straight win.
Michigan will be back in action on Sunday (Jan. 28), traveling to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern at 2 p.m. CST.
