Michigan
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Harvard
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Third-Quarter Surge Sends U-M Past Harvard
12/2/2023 4:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team outscored Harvard 22-7 in the third quarter after trailing by as many as nine in the first quarter en route to an 80-66 win over he Crimson on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 2) at Lavietes Pavilion.
As has been the case this year, balanced scoring was the name of the game for Michigan as three players scored in double figures and 10 Wolverines found the scoring column. Lauren Hansen paced the offensive attack, going for 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. Laila Phelia turned in 15 points on the strength of going 9-for-11 at the line, with Taylor Williams going a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor off the bench for 10 points. U-M shot 49 percent (25-for-51) from the floor and hit 26 free throws at an 89.7 percent clip to reach the 80-point mark for the fifth time this season.
Michigan weathered a slow start, falling behind 7-0 in the early going with four turnovers. Phelia put U-M on the board with a pair of free throws with 7:04 remaining in the first for a 7-2 Michigan deficit.
U-M slowly chipped away at the lead, pulling within three, 13-10, on a bucket from Williams with 2:29 on the first quarter clock. A Hansen right-wing triple pulled Michigan even at 15 with just over a minute remaining. Harvard scored five of the final six points of the frame, including a three-pointer on the final possession for a 20-16 lead after 10 minutes.
Spanning the quarters, Harvard scored 11 of 14 points after Michigan pulled even at 15 for a 26-18 lead in the early stages of the second. Much like the first quarter, U-M slowly chipped away with buckets from Elise Stuck and Jordan Hobbs pulling Michigan within four, 28-24, with 4:32 left before the half.
Hansen beat the shot clock with a triple and Hobbs made good on a pair of free throws at the 2:31 mark to again pull the Wolverines level. The teams went back-and-forth over the remaining time as Harvard hit the half with a 37-35 lead.
Greta Kampschroeder hit back-to-back triples to open the third quarter, the first one giving Michigan its first lead of the day and the second staking Michigan a lead did not relinquish the rest of the way.
With the Crimson within a point with just over seven minutes remaining in the third, U-M embarked on a 14-0 run over nearly the rest of the quarter that featured four points each from Phelia, Williams and Hansen, with Hobbs accounting for the other two. Harvard stopped the run by scoring right before the third-quarter buzzer. but not before Michigan outscored Harvard 22-7 in the period for a 57-44 lead.
Elissa Brett converted a three-point play for a 60-46 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the contest, stopping a scoreless streak for the Wolverines to start the quarter. After both teams came up empty on multiple possessions, U-M called timeout with that same 60-46 lead with 6:52 to go.
U-M led by as many as 22 in the final period before Harvard employed a full-court press in the waning minutes to trim the final score to 80-66.
Michigan continues a three-game road swing next time out, heading to Toledo to face the Rockets on Wednesday (Dec. 6) at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
