Michigan
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Iowa
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Wolverines Drop High-Scoring Affair Against No 16 Iowa
1/7/2023 8:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team got within five points in the final moments but could not get closer as the No. 16-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes grabbed a 94-85 win on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7) at Crisler Center. The crowd of 10,731 was the fourth-largest in program history.
Michigan had a quartet of double-figure scorers, led by Leigha Brown's 20 points, six assists and three boards. Emily Kiser went for 19 points, seven assists and six boards, with Laila Phelia scoring 16 and Jordan Hobbs turning in a career-best 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench. U-M shot 50.7 percent (36-for-71) from the field and forced 17 Hawkeye turnovers, but Iowa cashed in on 18 second-chance points on just seven boards to create separation.
Michigan jumped out to an early lead and controlled the majority of the first half before Iowa switched to a zone defense. Phelia scored Michigan's first eight points of the game as it led by as many as six points in the opening frame and grabbed a 20-18 lead after 10 minutes of action.
U-M opened the second quarter with a 6-0 spurt, getting buckets from Hobbs, Chyra Evans and Kiser to force an Iowa timeout with 8:10 to go as Michigan's lead grew to 26-18.
Greta Kampschroeder nailed a triple with 6:09 remaining in the quarter for a 31-21 lead before Iowa scored 10 straight to tie the contest at 31 with 3:18 left before the half. Maddie Nolan hit a triple on Michigan's next offensive possession, but the lead was short-lived as Iowa countered on the other end.
Iowa hit the half with a 41-39 lead after Caitlin Clark hit a 30-foot three-pointer on the Hawkeyes' final possession.
The teams went back-and-forth in the third quarter, with Hobbs getting an up-and-under layup go with at the 4:16 mark to pull Michigan back within a point, 52-51. Iowa ripped off 10 straight points after the basket for a 62-51 lead, forcing Michigan to call timeout with 2:25 left in the third.
Brown hit a buzzer-beater to end the third, bringing Michigan within nine, 66-57, after 30 minutes of action.
Michigan did not go quietly in the fourth quarter despite Iowa's lead hitting 12 at 84-72 with 2:23 to go. U-M ripped off five straight behind a pair of Phelia free throws and a Brown three-point play, closing within seven, 84-77, with 1:33 left. Iowa hit a dagger three-pointer the next time down the floor, but Hobbs again had an answer with a right-corner triple of her own to keep the margin at seven with 1:04 to go.
Brown banked in three-pointer with 32.1 left to pull Michigan within five, 90-85, with 32.1 left on the game clock as Iowa called its final timeout. U-M did not get any closer the rest of the way and Iowa scored the final four points to provide the final nine-point margin.
U-M hits the road for a Tuesday (Jan. 10) contest at Purdue, with tip set for 6:30 p.m. The game can be seen live on Big Ten Network.
