Michigan
Nebraska
Michigan Grinds Out Victory Over Visiting Nebraska
2/7/2019 10:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Down one point entering the fourth quarter, U-M rattled off 10 unanswered points over 5:53 to grind out a 67-61 win over Nebraska.
» The bench was key, as Naz Hillmon (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Akienreh Johnson (14 points, six steals) led the way.
» Despite going 2-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter, U-M went 15-of-21 from the free-throw line.
» The Wolverines held Nebraska scoreless for a six-and-a-half minute stretch in the fourth quarter.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 67, Nebraska 61
Records: U-M (15-9, 6-6 B1G), Nebraska (10-13, 5-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 10 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.
• Kornacki:Â Is Johnson the X-Factor for U-M Down the Stretch?
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Performances off the bench from freshman Naz Hillmon (18 points, 11 rebounds) and junior Akienreh Johnson (14 points, six steals) lifted the University of Michigan women's basketball team to a 67-61 win over Nebraska – U-M's third consecutive win -- on Thursday (Feb. 7) at Crisler Center.
The Wolverines trailed by one point going into the fourth quarter, but found a way to grind it out despite going only 2-for-11 from the field in the final period. They turned it around largely thanks to foul shooting, going 15-of-21 from the line in the fourth quarter. On the flip side, Michigan turned up the heat defensively on the Cornhuskers, holding the visitors scoreless for six and a half minutes. Nebraska went 5-for-17 from the field in the fourth quarter, only scoring 12 points -- while committing the same number of fouls.
Michigan was strong in the paint once again, holding a 36-26 scoring advantage in the paint and a 41-29 edge on the glass.
The top plays from @umichwbball's 67-61 victory over Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/f4ZLLVxnvB
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) February 8, 2019
The Wolverines went inside early and often, netting 20 of their 35 first-half points in the paint. It was also a fast start to the game, highlighted by a beautiful up-and-under move from freshman Amy Dilk to put U-M up 8-5. Dilk followed that up with another tough layup through contact, but left the game with 3:40 left in the quarter and did not return after taking a nasty fall.
Hillmon came off the bench to provide back-to-back buckets, lifting U-M to a 17-13 lead after the opening period.
Nebraska came out in the second quarter and immediately began playing zone defense, but Johnson made them pay, draining a corner three-pointer on the first possession. On the other end, Johnson got a hand in the passing lane for a steal and layup in transition, putting U-M up, 22-13. After senior Nicole Munger and Nebraska's Hannah Whitish exchanged three-pointers, the Cornhuskers went on an 8-0 run to trim Michigan's lead to one, 31-30, with 1:15 left in the half. Johnson gave U-M a 35-32 lead at halftime following an off-balance shot along the baseline at the buzzer.
Sophomore Deja Church began the second half with a steal and transition layup, followed by back-to-back buckets from Hillmon to put U-M up, 41-36. The Wolverines then went cold for a brief period, going more than four minutes without a field goal until Johnson broke it with a layup. The Cornhuskers took their first lead with 2:48 to play in the quarter and led by one, 49-48, after junior Kayla Robbins beat the buzzer with a fast-break layup.
The fourth quarter was a slog for both teams, as they shot a combined 1-for-14 from the field at the first media timeout. Hillmon tied the game at 51 with 3:36 left, while Thome returned Michigan to the lead, 53-51, with 2:30 left. Then Johnson got another steal -- her sixth and most important of the night -- that led to two points in transition to put U-M up four, 55-51.
Hillmon generated the largest roar of the night from the Crisler Center crowd with an and-one off a steal, capping 10-0 run and giving Michigan a 58-51 lead with 1:57 remaining. The Cornhuskers got to within four points on two occasions in the final 25 seconds, but two more free throws from Hillmon extended the lead back to six points with only 1.8 seconds left, sealing the game.
U-M will be back on the road for its third straight pink game, when they travel to Penn State on Sunday (Feb. 10) at 2 p.m.
