Michigan
11-5,2-2Big Ten
Minnesota
12-3,2-2Big Ten
Wolverines Falter Late Against Minnesota
1/9/2024 10:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team led by one point entering the fourth quarter but Minnesota scored 29 points in the final 10 minutes -- including hitting 6-of-6 shots from three-point range -- resulting an 82-66 U-M loss to the Golden Gophers on Tuesday evening (Jan. 9) at Crisler Center.
Michigan had four players score in double figures, led by Laila Phelia and Lauren Hansen each with 16. Elissa Brett went for 14 points and Jordan Hobbs chipped in 11 points. Michigan shot 41.1 percent from the floor (23-for-56) from the floor in the contest but was outrebounded by Minnesota (34-30), who also hit 15 three-pointers at a 53.6 percent clip.
U-M entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead but Minnesota scored 29 points in the final frame, hitting 9-of-14 shots over the last 10 minutes to erase Michigan's lead. Michigan battled back from a six-point halftime deficit in the third quarter, outscoring the Gophers, 19-12. A pair of Phelia free throws with just under a minute remaining gave Michigan its first lead since the second quarter, as the Wolverines got a pair of stops on Minnesota's final possessions for the 54-53 lead.
In the deciding fourth quarter, Minnesota hit back-to-back triples to start the stanza to take the lead for good. Michigan cut the lead to one point, 59-58, on a layup from Hobbs before Minnesota ripped off an 11-0 run that U-M could not recover from.
Though the Golden Gophers jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, the Wolverines clawed right back in it with a 9-3 scoring streak of their own deep in the first quarter, reducing the deficit to just three points heading into the second period of action. Brett led the scoring for the Maize and Blue in the first 10 minutes, sinking both of her three-point attempts for six points in the quarter.
In a back-and-forth start to the second quarter that saw seven lead changes through seven minutes of play, Hansen and Hobbs contributed five points each to put Michigan up 31-29 with 2:43 remaining. Minnesota answered with a 10-0 run, eventually taking a 41-35 lead into the halftime break.
Michigan scored five straight points out of the locker room, getting within one at 41-40 less than a minute in on a Hansen three-point shot. The Gophers had an answer of their own to keep the lead hovering around two possessions for the majority of the third. A Brett three-point play, followed by four Phelia free throws capped a 7-0 run for the Wolverines for the one-point lead after 30.
The Wolverines will concluded a two-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 13), hosting Wisconsin at 2 p.m. It is Dollar Day, with tickets costing just $1 in advance of the game.
