Michigan
12-1,3-0Big Ten
Ohio State
9-3,1-2Big Ten
Michigan Rolls Past Ohio State to Cap off 2021
12/31/2021 3:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Michigan reached the 90-point mark for the third time in its last five games, recording the largest margin of victory (19) over Ohio State in program history.
» Naz Hillmon secured her 40th career double-double with 29 points and 15 rebounds, becoming the second Wolverine in school history to reach 40. Emily Kiser also recorded a double-double with 18 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. The duo outrebounded Ohio State on its own, 30-27.
» U-M scored 50 points in the paint and drew 27 fouls on Ohio State.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #9 Michigan 90, #25 Ohio State 71
Records: U-M (12-1, 3-0 B1G), OSU (9-3, 1-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 4 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 8 p.m. CST (TV: Big Ten Network)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team rolled to a 90-71 victory over No. 25 Ohio State, the largest margin of victory for Michigan ever against the Buckeyes, capping off 2021 on Friday (Dec. 31) at Crisler Center.
U-M (12-1, 3-0 Big Ten) scored 90 points or more for the third time in five games and improved to 3-1 against teams in the Associated Press top 25 this season. U-M scored 50 of its 90 points in the paint and had 17 second-chance points behind 14 offensive boards.
Three Wolverines netted 18 points or more against the Buckeyes as senior Naz Hillmon secured her 40th career double-double with 29 points and 15 rebounds, with 15 points and 10 rebounds coming in the first half alone. Senior Emily Kiser had a banner day with a career-high 15 rebounds and added 18 points, one shy of a career best, and Leigha Brown scored 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
Hillmon and Kiser combined for 30 rebounds for the Maize and Blue with 15 each, and Brown added five boards to go along with a team-best seven assists, two blocks and two steals.
The Wolverines opened on an 8-0 run behind four points and three rebounds from Hillmon heading into the first media break with 6:19 left in the opening quarter. Ohio State (9-3, 1-2 Big Ten) came out of the break to score five straight, but a transition bounce pass from Hillmon to Brown put U-M up by six, 11-5, with less than five minutes to play in the first quarter.
U-M maintained a lead through the closing minutes of the first quarter to take a 21-17 advantage after 10 minutes of play, and Maddie Nolan opened the second quarter with a trey to extend the Michigan lead.
Following a small scoring drought, the Wolverines made three straight shots in the paint, forcing Ohio State to call a timeout with U-M leading 30-24 with just under six minutes until halftime. Michigan came out of the break with a 9-0 run, including a second-chance layup from Kiser and a three-pointer from Brown off the cross pass from Hillmon to push the Wolverine lead to 10, 41-31, with 1:44 remaining in the first half of action.
U-M tacked on four more points in the closing minutes to take a 45-31 advantage into the halftime break. Michigan scored 26 points in the paint and had seven second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds.
U-M opened the second half on a quick 9-0 run with five points from Brown to extend the Michigan lead to 54-31. Ohio State looked to make a comeback with a short 8-0 run of their own, but Michigan hit seven of its last eight shots of the third quarter, and the Wolverines took a 67-53 lead into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
A Nolan three-pointer capped off a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter and forced Ohio State to use a timeout to try to slow the Michigan offense with just over seven minutes remaining. Coming out of the timeout, Kiser was the first to find a bucket on a second-chance opportunity and Cameron Williams followed it up with a layup of her own with a little over five minutes to play.
U-M cleared its bench in the remaining minutes en route to the 19-point win.
The Wolverines will be back in action Tuesday (Jan. 4) when they travel to Nebraska for a Big Ten road contest in Lincoln at 8 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network, with "The B1G Story: Naz Hillmon" to air following the game.
