Michigan
19-12,9-9Big Ten
Minnesota
16-15,5-13Big Ten
Wolverines Lead Wire-to-Wire in B1G Tourney Win
3/8/2024 12:14:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a 76-57 win over Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night (March 7) at the Target Center. With the win, Michigan advances to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament for the second consecutive season.
Laila Phelia led a trio of double-figure U-M scorers, going for 23 points and three rebounds in 35 minutes. Lauren Hansen turned in 14 points and six assists, with Cameron Williams going for 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench. Michigan had 20 assists to just seven turnovers, led by Jordan Hobbs handing out seven dimes in addition to her seven points and four boards. U-M shot 43.8 percent from the floor, while holding Minnesota to 38.9 percent shooting with 16 turnovers.
Michigan (19-12) raced out to a 7-2 lead before Minnesota banked in a corner triple with just under six minutes remaining in the second quarter. U-M countered with an 8-0 run that featured five points from Hansen and a three-point play from Phelia with 4:11 on the first quarter clock for a 15-5 Wolverine lead.
Michigan was up 23-9 after a Williams layup, but Minnesota hit a 35-foot triple to end the first quarter, a 23-12 lead after 10 minutes.
Minnesota scored seven straight points, spanning the quarters as Michigan called timeout with 7:15 on the second-quarter clock holding a 23-16 lead. Hobbs hit a triple from Hansen to stop the Minnesota run and push U-M's lead back to double digits, 26-16, with just under seven minutes to go.
Elissa Brett made good on a triple at the top of the key for a 29-16 U-M lead, forcing a Minnesota timeout with 5:33 left before the half. Minnesota answered with a pair of free throws on its next possession, but Michigan countered with four straight points on buckets from Chyra Evans and Phelia for a 33-18 Michigan lead.
U-M led by as many as 15 in the opening half, taking a 37-24 lead into the locker room after Elise Stuck made a short jumper in the lane on Michigan's final possession of the second quarter.
Michigan opened the third quarter on an 11-5 run, capped by a Hansen 17-foot jumper to give Michigan a 48-29 lead with 6:56 left in the period as Minnesota called timeout.
The Gophers trimmed Michigan's lead to 14 on a triple with 2:26 to go in the third before Phelia hit a corner triple just under a minute later to regain a 56-39 lead.
A three-point play from Williams gave Michigan its largest lead of the game at 63-43 at the 7:38 mark of the fourth quarter. The Gophers scored eight of the next 10 points, but Hansen made a pair at the line with 4:31 to go, pushing U-M's advantage to 68-51 en route to the 19-point win.
Michigan advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight season and will face No. 12 Indiana on Friday (March 8) at approximately 8 p.m. CST.
