Northwestern (8-16, 2-11 B1G) saw its loss streak extend to 6 as it fell 80-58 to No. 7 Michigan (21-4, 12-2 B1G) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday. Despite being up by 6 at halftime, Northwestern was outscored
49-21 in the second half by the Wolverines.
Though the Wildcats started hot, shooting 83% from three in the first half, that clip sank to 43% at the final buzzer. Michigan (51%) outperformed Northwestern (41%) in shooting percentage despite only going 2-for-12 from beyond the arc, and outrebounded the home team 40-26. The ‘Cats also committed 20 turnovers to the Wolverines’ 12.
Michigan’s Olivia Olson led all scorers with 21 points, alongside eight rebounds and seven assists. Joining her in double digits was her teammate Syla Swords, who had 16 points of her own. For the Wildcats, both Caroline Lau and Grace Sullivan put up 16 points, while Lau also tallied six assists. Tayla Thomas contributed 13 of her own, but only three in the second half.
Tayla Thomas opened the scoring for Northwestern 30 seconds into the game off a missed Michigan shot, but Syla Swords quickly retaliated with a triple of her own. Thomas continued to show her rebound prowess as she tipped in a layup, but her efforts were diminished by a series of baskets from Michigan’s Ashley Sofilkanich and Olivia Olson, who pushed the score up to 10-4 with 7:48 to go in the quarter.
Michigan’s chemistry in the paint throughout the opening minutes of the first quarter cost it a few possessions off turnovers and missed shots, allowing Casey Harter and Grace Sullivan to capitalize with layups.
Northwestern’s defensive effort continued to produce opportunities on the transition, like when Caroline Lau threw a long ball to Sullivan to tie the game up at 10. Olson picked the baton back up for the Wolverines on the following play, allowing Michigan to recover its lead heading into the first timeout.
In the first play after the break, the ‘Cats kept up their strong press, but Michigan’s Brooke Daniels managed to slip in a jumper just before the shot clock ran out. Though Sullivan converted for Northwestern, two scores from Ally Vantimmeren pushed Michigan’s lead to 18-12.
Tate Lash boosted momentum for Northwestern with a triple, but got quickly met with a two-point response from Te’yala Delfosse. Transition play was a critical component in Northwestern’s performance toward the end of the first quarter, with both teams coughing up the ball in their offensive end. Still, with the help of two free throws from DaiJa Turner, Northwestern finished the quarter down 20-17.
A three-second violation by the Wolverines early in the second quarter allowed the Wildcats to benefit from a Lau triple. Lau then quickly racked up another three points from a made free throw and layup, as Northwestern took the lead for the first time at 23-20. Two Syla Swords makes helped Michigan retake the lead 24-23 with 6:49 to go in the half, but with 9 turnovers, the Wolverines remained unconvincing in the paint.
Following the media timeout, Michigan’s sloppiness extended to its defense, as Tate Lash profited off a turnover with a layup. Northwestern then made some turnover mistakes of its own, allowing Kendall Dudley and Daniels to combine for 4 points. Thomas continued her strong game in the paint for the ‘Cats and pushed the game back to near-equilibrium at 28-27 with 5:27 left in the quarter.
The rims seemed to be Michigan’s number one enemy as a nearly two-minute-long scoring drought overtook Welsh-Ryan Arena. A free throw from Thomas leveled the game at 28, but Holloway made a three-point impact for Michigan on the line and in the paint. Thomas’s impact in the second quarter cannot be understated. Her defensive effort, as well as triples from her and Lau, allowed Northwestern to head to the locker room up 37-31.
Michigan’s first-half woes were evident in their 38% field goal percentage, compared to Northwestern’s 61%. For the ‘Cats, Lau and Thomas led in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Olson and Swords topped Michigan’s scoring leaderboard at 7 apiece.
Despite her zero-point second quarter, Olson opened Michigan’s second-half scoring with a deuce. The Wolverines adopted an aggressive press, but they couldn’t stop Sullivan from adding two points to Northwestern’s tally. Olson responded with a turnaround jumper. Yet, she was no match for Thomas, who buried a triple the next play. Swords and Sofilkanich combined for eight, and Michigan once again retook the lead at 43-42 with 5:42 to go in the half.
Michigan’s run extended to 10-0 thanks to Daniels. During the media timeout, fans in the visiting section stood and applauded the Wolverines for their enthusiastic response to the ‘Cats. This push of support built on Michigan’s momentum, and Sofilkanich and Dudley increased the Wolverines’ lead to seven.
Two points on the line from Sullivan ended Northwestern’s nearly five-minute-long scoring drought, but Dudley neutralized her work on the next play with a layup. Though Turner tried to answer on the line, a three-point play by Olson and a deuce by Dudley put Michigan up 56-45 at the end of the third.
Swords, Dudley and Daniels extended Michigan’s lead to 17 to begin the fourth quarter. Though Lau and Sullivan combined for 4 points in response, Olson upped her tally on the night to 16 with a made basket and free throw to push Michigan up 65-49.
Off a missed three-point attempt from Lau, Holloway converted a fastbreak layup that continued Michigan’s second-half rout. Sullivan added four points for the ‘Cats on the line and Lau contributed with a layup of her own, but it was no match for Swords and Olson, who combined for 5 to maintain a Michigan lead.
A breakout star of the fourth quarter was Holloway, who, with her dribbling abilities, sent Xamiya Walton flying with 4:23 to go and converted a stepback jumper. Michigan went on another 6-0 run, increasing its advantage to 23 points. Three made free throws from Walton and Lash did little to reverse Michigan’s damage, and NU finished the game with no made baskets in open play in the final five minutes. The ‘Cats fell to the Wolverines 80-58.
Northwestern will next travel to State College this coming weekend, where it will face Penn State on Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. CST.
