Michigan
14-2,5-1Big Ten
Penn State
7-7,1-3Big Ten
Michigan Gets Off to Quick Start, Races Past Penn State
1/13/2022 10:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Michigan raced out to a 10-0 lead and never trailed in the contest, getting its 14th win of the season.
» Naz Hillmon led a quartet of double-figure scorers with 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter when Penn State tried to mount a comeback.
» Leigha Brown (17), Maddie Nolan (15) and Emily Kiser (13 points, 13 rebounds) rounded out Michigan's double-figure scorers.
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Score: #11 Michigan 74, Penn State 57
Records: U-M (14-2, 5-1 B1G), PSU (7-7, 1-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 16 -- at Maryland (College Park, Md.), 5 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team raced out to a 10-0 lead and had a quartet of double-figure scorers, knocking off Penn State 74-57 on Thursday evening (Jan. 13) at the Bryce Jordan Center. Michigan's 14-2 record is tied for its best start through 16 games, matching the start of the 2012-13 season.
Senior Naz Hillmon once again led the way for the Wolverines, turning in 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Hillmon scored 10 of her points in the fourth quarter as she kept Penn State from climbing back into the contest. Junior Maddie Nolan turned in 15 points, hitting three triples while also grabbing six boards. Senior Leigha Brown went for 17 points and five boards, with senior Emily Kiser recording her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 boards.
Michigan opened the game on a 10-0 run, capped by a Kiser finish in transition, forcing a Penn State timeout at the 6:21 mark of the first quarter. Brown and Nolan hit back-to-back triples to start the run, with Brown converting a steal-and-score to account for the first 10 points of the contest.
Michigan pushed its lead to 25-10 on a triple by senior Amy Dilk and Kiser layup en route to a 25-14 lead after the first 10 minutes. U-M was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range in the first quarter.
The teams went back-and-forth in the early minutes of the second quarter before Michigan grabbed a 32-20 advantage on a layup from Hillmon in transition at the 5:56 mark. U-M's lead never shrunk below eight the rest of the quarter.
Michigan hit the halftime break with a 39-27 lead after outscoring the Lady Lions by one, 14-13, in the second quarter. Brown went for 15 first-half points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 from three-point range, with Nolan chipping in eight.
Michigan opened the third quarter on a 9-1 run that featured five points from Hillmon, including a three-point play, to push Michigan's lead to 20, 48-28, in the first few minutes of the third.
Kiser hit a jumper at the top of the key for a 22-point lead, 57-35, with 1:45 to go for Michigan's largest lead of the game to that point. Penn State scored the last three points of the quarter, giving U-M a 57-38 lead after 30 minutes.
Penn State opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run, forcing a Michigan timeout at the 7:17 mark and its lead at 11, 59-48.
Hillmon converted a three-point play off an offensive rebound for Michigan's next points, giving U-M a 62-48 lead at the 6:39 mark. Hillmon embarked on her own run, scoring eight straight points on the strength of three and-one plays, pushing the lead back to 15, 67-52, with 4:53 remaining.
Penn State never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way as Michigan collected the road victory.
Michigan completes a two-game road swing Sunday (Jan. 16), heading to Maryland to face the No. 8-ranked Terrapins at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
