Michigan
3-0,0-0Big Ten
Middle Tennessee
2-2,0-0CUSA
Wolverines Power Past Middle Tennessee in First Round of Battle 4 Atlantis
11/18/2023 8:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team weathered a slow start and used a 15-3 run after Middle Tennessee closed within six points in the final quarter en route to a 63-49 win over the Lady Raiders on Saturday (Nov. 18) in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Ballroom.
Laila Phelia led the Wolverines with 20 points, five boards, two assists and two steals -- scoring 14 of her points on 4-for-4 shooting in the second half. Lauren Hansen turned in 11 points, including a buzzer-beating three to the end the first quarter, to go with a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Chyra Evans went for 10 points off the bench, while Jordan Hobbs had eight points. U-M held MTSU to just 32.7 percent shooting from the floor (18-for-55) and had a 41-32 advantage on the glass.
Middle Tennessee opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run, trimming Michigan's lead to 48-42 and inducing a U-M timeout with 7:44 remaining. Out of the timeout, Hansen hit a triple at the left elbow to stop Middle Tennessee's run and start one for the Wolverines. Phelia made four straight at the line to extend the run and following a MTSU triple, she made good on another pair. A fast break layup from Elissa Brett off a Phelia steal, a layup from Phelia and a one-legged turnaround from Evans with 3:27 left capped a 15-3 run for the Wolverines and put the game out of reach for the Lady Raiders.
Michigan fell behind early, facing an 11-6 deficit after going scoreless for more than two minutes after an MTSU jumper with 4:12 left in the first quarter. Neither team could muster anything over the next several minutes until Michigan uncorked an 8-0 run to end the quarter over the final 47 seconds. Hansen converted a three-point play off a steal and Taylor Williams scored her only bucket of the game to tie the game at 11 at the 32-second mark. MTSU turned the ball over and Hansen converted a triple before time expired to push Michigan on top, 14-11.
The teams went back-and-forth over the opening few minutes of the second quarter before three straight triples from Evans, Phelia and Brett gave Michigan a lead it never relinquished. A Cameron Williams layup from Evans at the 2:55 mark completed a 9-0 run for the Wolverines as U-M eventually took a 30-18 halftime lead.
MTSU scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 30-23 but Phelia found Hobbs for a corner triple with 8:32 on the clock to push Michigan's lead back to 10. U-M outscored the Lady Raiders 18-15 in the third for a 48-33 lead after 30 minutes.
Michigan is back in action Sunday (Nov. 19) against South Dakota at 2:30 p.m.
