Michigan
4-0,0-0Big Ten
South Dakota
3-2,0-0Summit League
U-M Advances to Battle 4 Atlantis Championship Game With Win Over South Dakota
11/19/2023 5:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Taylor Williams went for 19 points and 18 rebounds as the University of Michigan women's basketball team knocked off South Dakota 70-52 on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 19) in the Imperial Ballroom to advance to the championship game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Williams recorded the first double-double of her Michigan career, going 8-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line along with five steals. She was joined in double figures by Lauren Hansen (13), Laila Phelia (13) and Jordan Hobbs (11). Michigan forced 25 turnovers in the contest, which led to 27 points for the Wolverines. U-M also held a 42-20 advantage on points in the paint and outscored South Dakota 20-5 in second-chance points.
Neither team could get much going over the first 10 minutes as U-M held a 10-9 lead after the first quarter behind buckets from five different players.
Michigan scored the first four points of the second quarter as part of a 9-2 spurt for a 19-11 lead off a pair of free throws from Phelia at the 8:12 mark. U-M kept at least a two-possession lead throughout the rest of the quarter, leading by as many as 11 when Hansen hit a jumper at the top of the key with just 38 seconds remaining before halftime. South Dakota made good on a pair of free throws on its next trip down the floor, sending Michigan to the break with a 33-24 lead.
The teams traded buckets early in the third quarter until a three-point play from Williams staked Michigan a 10-point lead, 38-28, with 7:11 remaining. Michigan's lead hovered around 10 points for the better part of the rest of the quarter and was extended to 13, 49-36, on an Elissa Brett layup to force a Coyote timeout at the 2:56 mark. South Dakota answered with a triple out of the stoppage, but Hobbs made back-to-back buckets from the mid-post to end the period, giving Michigan a 53-39 lead after 30 minutes.
The Coyotes scored the first four points of the fourth to trim Michigan's lead to 53-43, but a lefty layup from Phelia and a pair of free throws from Williams stemmed the tide as Michigan's lead was pushed back to 14 at 57-43. U-M's lead never dipped below 11 the rest of the way as the Wolverines led by as many as 19 over the final 10 minutes.
Michigan will face No. 23-ranked Ole Miss on Monday (Nov. 20) at noon in the championship game. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
