Michigan
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Ohio State
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U-M Starts Fast but Can't Keep Up with No. 16 OSU
2/20/2023 10:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team started fast behind a 10-2 run but No. 16-ranked Ohio State used a late run at the end of the first quarter to take the lead for good in a 74-61 Buckeye win on Monday evening (Feb. 20) at Crisler Center.
Leigha Brown turned in a career-best 36 points on 11-for-21 shooting and just missed a double-double with nine boards. Emily Kiser turned in 11 points and six boards, with Jordan Hobbs rounding out Michigan's double-figure scorers with 10 points. U-M held a 38-27 advantage on the glass but managed just nine points on 12 offensive boards. Ohio State forced 27 U-M turnovers, turning into 17 Buckeye points.
Michigan came out of the gates with a 10-2 run, getting triples from Kiser and Brown, along with layups from Maddie Nolan and Brown to force an Ohio State timeout at the 6:46 mark.
A six-point OSU possession to cut Michigan's lead to 12-11, but Kiser answered with a score down the other way to keep U-M's lead at three, 14-11, with 4:31 left in the first quarter.
Ohio State scored five straight after that Kiser bucket, taking its first lead of the game, 16-14, with 3:48 remaining in the first. OSU led 24-17 after 10 minutes, with the visitors hitting hit 6-of-7 three-pointers in the first 10 minutes for a seven-point lead.
Ohio State continued its hot shooting to start the second quarter, hitting a triple on its first offensive possession for a 10-point lead. Brown immediately countered with a three-point play in transition to pull Michigan back within seven points on the ensuing possession.
Michigan climbed back within three, 30-27, with five more points from Brown with 7:10 left before the half, but OSU scored five straight to regain a 35-27 lead with 5:52 on the clock.
Michigan climbed back within a point, 38-37, on a Hobbs triple from Brown to beat the shot clock with 1:28 left before the half before Michigan fouled a three-point shooter as OSU pushed the lead back to four.
Neither team scored on their final possessions for a 41-37 halftime OSU lead. Brown led the way offensively for the Wolverines, turning in 21 first-half points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Hobbs hit a triple out of the break but Ohio State countered with another triple of its own on the ensuing possession to keep a four-point lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Neither team saw much scoring over the next several minutes, with a Kiser free throw keeping Ohio State's lead at four, 47-43 with 4:55 left in the third. As was the case all evening, Ohio State countered with a spurt of its own for a 53-45 lead with 1:41 left before the fourth quarter. The teams traded scores over the remainder of the third, giving OSU a 55-48 lead after 30 minutes.
Ohio State's lead grew to double digits, 62-50, as the Buckeyes opened the final quarter on a 7-2 run to force a Michigan timeout with 7:07 to go. U-M cut the lead to single digits just one more time, coming on a Brown three-pointer at the 5:12 mark but Michigan got no closer the rest of the way.
U-M is back in action on Thursday (Feb. 23), hosting Rutgers on Senior Night at 7 p.m.
