Michigan
7-0,0-0Big Ten
Baylor
5-2,0-0Big 12
Wolverines End Game on 20-5 Run, Win Gulf Coast Showcase
11/27/2022 10:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ESTERO, Fla. -- Down six with 4:39 remaining to No. 21-ranked Baylor, the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team ended the game on a 20-5 run en route to an 84-75 win over the Bears to win the Gulf Coast Showcase championship Sunday evening (Nov. 27) at Hertz Arena.
The Bears grabbed a 70-64 lead off a transition layup with 4:39 to go, forcing a Michigan timeout. Out of the timeout, Cameron Williams was fouled and hit two free throws to start the run. Maddie Nolan, similar to the win the previous day over South Florida, hit her first triple in the fourth quarter with 3:49 to go, bringing Michigan within one.
Nolan followed that up with a jumper in the lane, pushing Michigan back in front at the 3:08 mark. Baylor countered with a triple for a two-point lead, with Kiser making good on a pair to knot the contest at 73 with just 2:37 remaining.
The teams traded second-chance buckets, Michigan's coming courtesy of Leigha Brown, to keep the game level at 75. After Michigan got a stop on defense, Brown grabbed her own miss and found Laila Phelia in the corner for a triple with 47.7 seconds remaining, giving Michigan a 78-75 lead.
U-M strung together consecutive defensive stops, including one where Brown blocked a shot and then forced a traveling violation. After a Michigan turnover, Phelia stole the Baylor inbounds pass and Brown followed her miss to put the game out of reach.
Emily Kiser turned in a career-best 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting to go with 13 boards for her second double-double of the season. Phelia went for 20 points, with Brown (11 points, eight rebounds), Nolan (12) and Williams (10) each reaching double figures in the game. U-M had just 13 turnovers while forcing 22 Baylor miscues, scoring 23 points off them.
Kiser was named the MVP of the Gulf Coast Showcase and Phelia was selected to the all-tourney team.
Baylor shot 10-for-13 from the floor in the first quarter, taking a 24-16 lead after 10 minutes
Michigan climbed back in the game by outscoring the Bears by 10 in the second quarter, 21-11. Kiser hit a three to start the period en route to scoring 13 in the second period to outscore Baylor herself.
A Kiser layup with 5:47 left in the second quarter pulled Michigan within two, as a Greta Kampschroeder bucket off a Baylor turnover with 4:18 to go in the half tied for the first time since the opening tip. Williams scored on the ensuing Michigan possession to give U-M its first lead of the contest, 31-29, at the 3:05 mark.
U-M scored four of the final five points of the half, getting a jumper from Kiser and a layup from Williams with 39 ticks left to take a 37-35 lead into the half.
The third quarter was a 22-22 tie, giving Michigan a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Michigan led by as many as six in the period, but Baylor never let the Wolverines pull away.
Michigan completes a five-game road swing next time out, heading to Miami for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday (Dec. 1) for a 9 p.m. game. The contest can be seen live on the ACC Network.
