Michigan
14-6,5-3Big Ten
Maryland
12-7,4-4Big Ten
Wolverines Rally for Overtime Victory over Maryland
1/24/2024 10:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Down by as many as 16 points in the contest, the University of Michigan women's basketball team (14-6, 5-3 B1G) rallied for a 79-77 overtime win over Maryland on Wednesday evening (Jan. 24) at Crisler Center. U-M led for just 2:22 of the 45-minute contest, eventually winning the game on a pair of free throws from Laila Phelia with less than a second remaining in the extra session.
Michigan scored four of the first five points in the extra session on a pair of buckets from Cameron Williams to take its largest lead of the contest, 71-68, with just under a minute gone in overtime. Maryland responded by scoring seven of the next eight for a 75-72 advantage at the 1:48 mark. Jordan Hobbs answered with a triple with 1:13 remaining to knot the game at 75.
Williams made good on a putback layup with 48 ticks remaining, but Maryland again tied the game just 15 seconds later. Michigan could not score on its ensuing possession, allowing the Terps to advance the ball with just over three seconds left. Maryland threw the ball long off the sideline entry, giving Michigan possession of the ball just before halfcourt and 3.1 seconds remaining. Phelia got a running start and made it all the way to the basket, where she was fouled with less than a second to go. She made both, with Maryland's last-second attempt falling off the rim to seal the game.
U-M had all five starters reach double figures in scoring, led by an all-around game from Chyra Evans -- 17 points, eight boards and five assists in a career-high 41 minutes. Hobbs turned in 15, Phelia had 14 to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career, Williams had 11 and Lauren Hansen chipped in 10. U-M held a 36-29 advantage on the glass and made 10 triples in the contest.
After Maryland held a 46-31 lead at the half, U-M chipped away to start the third. The Wolverines opened with a 13-3 run to close within five points, 49-44, with 3:57 remaining. A Hansen layup, followed by a Williams three-point play ignited the run as Maryland was held to just three free throws over the first six minutes of the quarter. Elissa Brett and Hobbs each made triples during the run, with Brett also making good on a layup to account for the 13 U-M points.
Maryland countered with a triple to regain an eight-point lead, with 3:36 left in the third. The teams went back and forth over the next several minutes, as Brett hit a triple on Michigan's final possession to trim the Maryland lead to eight entering the fourth quarter.
The Wolverines cut the Terp lead to 58-54 with 8:44 to go, but Maryland pushed it back to eight where it hovered for several minutes. With Michigan down by nine with 3:07 to go after a Maryland layup, Evans hit a second-chance triple to ignite a game-saving 9-0 run for Michigan.
Maryland was whistled for an intentional foul on the offensive end, with Phelia making both free throws and Hobbs hitting a sidestep triple for a five-point trip. With Michigan down just one with less than two minutes to go, neither team could score from the floor the rest of the way. Phelia split a pair of free throws with 49 ticks left, tying the game at 67 before it went to overtime.
U-M will hit the road on Saturday (Jan. 27), heading to East Lansing to face Michigan State at noon.
