By Eric Margolin
On a night meant to commemorate the record breaking 2016-2017 season, the Michigan Women’s basketball team started this year off on the right foot with a 75-61 victory over the George Mason Patriots. The night started with a banner raising ceremony commemorating the team’s WNIT championship last season. As the banner rose to the rafters of the Crisler Center every member of last year’s team was introduced and applauded. Despite the score, the game itself was a hard-fought battle until the end, each team trading blows until the end. However, despite this blow for blow battle, Michigan led the game for 36 minutes, over 90% of the game. Both teams used 2-3 zones, forcing each side to shoot three pointers in bunches. But Michigan’s real advantage came in the rebounding category. The Wolverines out rebounded the Patriots 54-26, due in large part to solid play from Michigan’s frontcourt. Almost half of those rebounds were on the offensive glass (23), resulting in 18 second chance points.
However, this game wasn’t all peaches and cream for the Maize and Blue. The Wolverines allowed 7 of their shots to be blocked and turned the ball over 18 times. At times, the offense looked stagnant, relying on their stars to make plays by themselves. Getting the ball to your star players is important, but in order for those players (and the team as a whole) to be truly great, everyone has to be ready and willing to take control of the game. On the defensive side of the court the Wolverines were good, but not great. They allowed George Mason guard Nicole Cardano-Hillary to score 22 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Coming out of breaks, Michigan often looked sluggish and disorganized. Yet, Michigan overcame all of these struggles and is 1-0 on the season.
MVP
Senior Katelynn Flaherty showed exactly why she was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team dominating in every facet of the game. The starting point guard looked like she couldn’t miss all game, scoring 29 points on 59% shooting. Flaherty’s quickness allowed her to beat defenders to basket, while her sweet stroke from the outside kept them guessing. This scoring prowess was crucial after a sluggish start to the second half. After George Mason pulled within two points Flaherty took control, scoring five points and making three crucial defensive stops to halt the Patriot’s momentum. Flaherty was an offensive superstar, finishing the game with 5 assists and 6 rebounds to go along with her game-leading 29 points.
Monster on the Glass
Preseason All-Big Ten center Hallie Thome was a force to be reckoned with down low. After every miss Thome always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, grabbing what seemed like every missed shot. By the end of the third quarter she had a double-double in points and rebounds, finishing the game with fifteen points and twelve rebounds. While Thome sometimes looked a little lost in Michigan’s 2-3 zone, her violent block with 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter helped jumpstart the Wolverines on an 11-3 run to end the game.
New Faces
Despite returning three starters from last year’s team, Michigan is looking for major contributions from this year’s freshman class. Hailey Brown started at power forward for the Maize and Blue, and finished with ten boards and two blocks. While her shooting percentage (18%) wasn’t great, it’ll improve as she become more accustomed to the college game and coach Kim Barnes Arico’s system. Another helpful freshman contribution came from guard Deja Church, who finished with seven points on 3-6 shooting. She looked very comfortable in the offense, and came up clutch at the end of the first half, making a long two as the shot clock expired and drawing a fantastic charge as time ran out in the first half.
Final Thoughts
Michigan solidly beat George Mason but still has a lot of work to do if they want to make a run in the NCAA tournament. This team has fantastic shooters, solid defenders, and young players who are ready to contribute now. While it’s still early, I look forward to watching this team grow and reach their full potential, hopefully culminating in another banner going up this time next year.
Image Via Michigan Women's Basketball
However, this game wasn’t all peaches and cream for the Maize and Blue. The Wolverines allowed 7 of their shots to be blocked and turned the ball over 18 times. At times, the offense looked stagnant, relying on their stars to make plays by themselves. Getting the ball to your star players is important, but in order for those players (and the team as a whole) to be truly great, everyone has to be ready and willing to take control of the game. On the defensive side of the court the Wolverines were good, but not great. They allowed George Mason guard Nicole Cardano-Hillary to score 22 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Coming out of breaks, Michigan often looked sluggish and disorganized. Yet, Michigan overcame all of these struggles and is 1-0 on the season.
MVP
Senior Katelynn Flaherty showed exactly why she was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team dominating in every facet of the game. The starting point guard looked like she couldn’t miss all game, scoring 29 points on 59% shooting. Flaherty’s quickness allowed her to beat defenders to basket, while her sweet stroke from the outside kept them guessing. This scoring prowess was crucial after a sluggish start to the second half. After George Mason pulled within two points Flaherty took control, scoring five points and making three crucial defensive stops to halt the Patriot’s momentum. Flaherty was an offensive superstar, finishing the game with 5 assists and 6 rebounds to go along with her game-leading 29 points.
Monster on the Glass
Preseason All-Big Ten center Hallie Thome was a force to be reckoned with down low. After every miss Thome always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, grabbing what seemed like every missed shot. By the end of the third quarter she had a double-double in points and rebounds, finishing the game with fifteen points and twelve rebounds. While Thome sometimes looked a little lost in Michigan’s 2-3 zone, her violent block with 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter helped jumpstart the Wolverines on an 11-3 run to end the game.
New Faces
Despite returning three starters from last year’s team, Michigan is looking for major contributions from this year’s freshman class. Hailey Brown started at power forward for the Maize and Blue, and finished with ten boards and two blocks. While her shooting percentage (18%) wasn’t great, it’ll improve as she become more accustomed to the college game and coach Kim Barnes Arico’s system. Another helpful freshman contribution came from guard Deja Church, who finished with seven points on 3-6 shooting. She looked very comfortable in the offense, and came up clutch at the end of the first half, making a long two as the shot clock expired and drawing a fantastic charge as time ran out in the first half.
Final Thoughts
Michigan solidly beat George Mason but still has a lot of work to do if they want to make a run in the NCAA tournament. This team has fantastic shooters, solid defenders, and young players who are ready to contribute now. While it’s still early, I look forward to watching this team grow and reach their full potential, hopefully culminating in another banner going up this time next year.
Image Via Michigan Women's Basketball
George Mason Patriots |
Michigan Wolverines |
|
21-57 |
FG Made-Attempted |
26-65 |
36.8 |
Field Goal% |
40.0 |
9-28 |
3PT Made-Attempted |
5-18 |
32.1 |
Three Point % |
27.8 |
10-15 |
FT Made-Attempted |
18-21 |
66.7 |
Free Throw % |
85.7 |
26 |
Total Rebounds |
54 |
8 |
Offensive Rebounds |
23 |
18 |
Defensive Rebounds |
31 |
17 |
Assists |
13 |
8 |
Steals |
5 |
7 |
Blocks |
3 |
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