Michigan
14-8,5-5Big Ten
Illinois
10-10,4-6Big Ten
Wolverines Fall to Illini at Home
1/31/2024 9:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team (14-8, 5-5 B1G) closed within one point in the early stages of the third quarter but could not get any closer in a 77-64 loss to Illinois on Wednesday evening (Jan. 31) at Crisler Center.
Michigan had four players score in double figures, with Lauren Hansen and Laila Phelia each turning in 17 points. Cameron Williams had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor with six rebounds, while Chyra Evans had 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Illinois shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) from the floor compared to 41.5 percent (22-for-53) for Michigan. The Illini held a 33-23 advantage on the glass, cashing in on 14 second-chance points.
U-M scored first on a free throw from Hansen on its opening possession, but Illinois made its first seven shots from the floor to gain early control of the contest. The Illini led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, 18-10, before Michigan slowly chipped away. A three-pointer from Hansen at the 1:10 mark of the first quarter drew Michigan within two points, 22-20. After Illinois scored, Williams converted a layup before the buzzer to put Michigan back within two, 24-22, after 10 minutes.
Neither team could find its footing in the early going of the second stanza but Illinois settled and scored five straight, forcing a Michigan timeout with 8:04 left in the quarter as the Illini lead grew to 29-22. Elissa Brett made a triple out of the stoppage to stop the run. The Illini lead hovered around six points of the majority of the quarter, eventually ballooning to nine points with 2:25 left. Six straight points from Michigan -- buckets from Hansen, Phelia and Evans -- pulled Michigan within three with 37 ticks left before the half. Illinois made a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left for a 42-37 halftime lead.
U-M scored the first four points of the third quarter on a Phelia layup and free throws from Hobbs less than a minute in, pulling the Wolverines within a point at 42-41. Illinois answered with four straight to erase the Michigan spurt before Evans converted on a layup from Hobbs for a 46-43 Illini lead with just over eight minutes remaining.
Michigan did not get closer the rest of the quarter, as the Wolverines scored just six points the rest of the way, giving Illinois a 63-49 lead after three quarters.
Much like the second quarter, neither team could get much going in the early going of the fourth quarter. Illinois scored the first two buckets -- the second with just under seven minutes remaining -- for its largest lead of the night at 67-49.
The Wolverines countered with four straight points, getting buckets from Hansen and Phelia, to force an Illini timeout at the 6:02 mark as the Illinois lead stood at 14, 67-53.
Michigan tried to mount the comeback but Illinois scored three times at the end of the shot clock, keeping its lead in double digits the rest of the way in the 77-64 Illini win.
U-M will next hit the road for State College, taking on Penn State on Saturday (Feb. 3) at 6 p.m. The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.
