Michigan
7-2,0-0Big Ten
Toledo
4-2,0-0MAC
Wolverines Drop Road Contest at Toledo
12/6/2023 7:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TOLEDO, Ohio -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team fell victim to several first-half Toledo runs and could not recover, falling 69-46 to the Rockets on Wednesday (Dec. 6) at Savage Arena.
Michigan was led by Laila Phelia, who turned in 16 points. Elissa Brett had seven off the bench, with Cameron Williams going for six points. U-M held a 35-33 advantage on the glass, but Toledo hit nine three-pointers on 42.9 percent shooting and shot 46.2 percent for the game to maintain control throughout.
Michigan struck first with a bucket from Cameron Williams in the opening minute before a 10-0 Toledo run on the strength of back-to-back triples gave the home team a 13-3 lead at the 3:35 mark of the opening quarter. A Taylor Williams lefty layup stemmed the tide for the Maize and Blue, stopping the run at the 3:24 mark.
Michigan used a 7-0 run end to end the first quarter, capping it with a Brett triple at the top of the key to trim Toledo's lead to three, 15-12 after 10 minutes.
Cameron Williams scored down low to bring Michigan within three, 17-14, but Toledo uncorked a 7-0 run that was jumpstarted by a banked three-pointer to force a U-M timeout at the 7:27 mark down 24-14. The Toledo run continued from there, eventually growing to 14-0 for a 31-14 lead with 4:33 on the second-quarter clock.
Michigan scored five straight, getting a straightaway triple from Brett and a baseline jumper from Lauren Hansen to force a Toledo stoppage at the 3:29 mark with its lead down to 12.
Michigan had a chance to continue to cut into the lead on its next possession but turned it over as the Rockets closed the quarter by scoring the final seven points for a 38-19 lead after 20 minutes of action.
Toledo extended its lead to 20 in the early moments of the third before a Phelia three-point play brought the deficit back to the teens. U-M converted a three-point possession and trapped Toledo on the sideline to instigate a Toledo timeout with 1:43 left in the third. UT was in the midst of a scoring drought of more than three minutes, with U-M cutting the lead to 49-33.
The Rockets scored seven straight out of the timeout, with Phelia's layup as time expired gave UT a 56-35 lead after 30 minutes of action.
Chyra Evans converted a three-point play to start the fourth quarter but Michigan could not get anything going as the Toledo lead ballooned to as many as 26 in the final frame.
U-M completes a three-game road swing next time out, heading to Champaign to face Illinois on Sunday (Dec. 10) at 2 p.m. CST.
