Michigan
22-11
Louisville
30-3
Wolverines Bow Out of NCAA Tourney With Loss to Louisville
3/24/2019 2:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» The Wolverines end the season with a 22-12 record, the third-most wins in school history.
» In her final collegiate game, Hallie Thome passed Diane Dietz for second on the school's career scoring list.
» Akienreh Johnson (12 points) and Kayla Robbins (10 points) came off the bench to lead the team in scoring.
Site: Louisville, Ky. (KFC Yum! Center)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
Score: #5 Louisville 71, Michigan 50
Records: U-M (22-12), UL (31-3)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team saw its 2018-19 season come to a close with a 71-50 loss to top-seeded Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon (March 24) inside the KFC Yum! Center. Juniors Akienreh Johnson (12 points) and Kayla Robbins (10 points) came off the bench to lead the team offensively, while freshman Amy Dilk filled the box score with four points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Cardinals got the first two buckets of the game, but a nice driving layup by Dilk got Michigan on the board. Louisville reeled off six straight points after that to go up 10-2, forcing a quick timeout. After an offensive rebound and putback from Robbins, Louisville went on a 9-0 run and led 19-4 midway through the first quarter. But the Wolverines answered right back with a 7-0 run on two free throws from senior Nicole Munger, a second-chance basket for freshman Naz Hillmon and a shot clock-beating three from Johnson. After a rough start, U-M trailed only by eight heading into the second quarter.
The Wolverines trimmed the lead to 21-15 on a layup from senior Hallie Thome, moving her past Diane Dietz to second on the school's career scoring list. But more unforced errors led to another 9-2 spurt from the Cardinals with a long two from sophomore Hailey Brown breaking up the run. Down 15 with 8:02 left in the half, U-M went on an 8-2 run to get back to within 10, fueled by back-to-back layups from Johnson. Despite committing 17 turnovers in the first half, the Wolverines stayed within striking distance of the Cardinals at halftime, trailing by 12.
Louisville extended its lead in the third quarter, but Michigan continued to hang tough. After six consecutive points from the Cardinals, Dilk found a streaking Robbins in the lane and fed her for a layup, bringing the score to 46-30 with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter. Following that basket, the Wolverines set up their pressure off the inbounds and Church drew an offensive foul leading into the media timeout. The Cardinals, however, clamped down on defense and extended their lead to 55-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Wolverines fought to the finish, switching to a zone defense to try to get more stops on the defensive end. Munger ended the game strong, drilling a three-pointer with 8:03 to go, then providing a fancy assist to Thome in transition for a layup. Those two seniors were subbed off in the final minutes, ending their storied careers with more than 3,000 points between them and as the winningest class in program history.
Michigan finished the season with a 22-12 record, the third-most wins in a season in school history.
