Michigan takes over in fourth quarter, Hobbs scores new career-high as Wolverines beat Iowa State in Round of 64

The 6-seed Wolverines played winning basketball late in this one, with a pivotal 15-3 run propelling Michigan to a 80-74 victory over 11-seed Iowa State to help U-M advance to the Round of 32:

The Michigan women’s basketball team is moving on to the Round of 32, with the 6-seed Wolverines defeating the 11-seed Iowa State Cyclones , 80-74.

The Cyclones enter this game with a 23-11 record after beating Princeton in the First Four two days ago. Iowa State only has one victory over a ranked team (No. 14 Kansas State on March 2), and the Cyclones have a much worse record in Quad 1 games (1-9) than the Wolverines (5-9).

With the win, Kim Barnes Arico is 7-1 in the Round of 64, proving to be a consistent winner in these early tournament games.

A key second-half run flipped the momentum in favor of the Wolverines, who thrived when attacking the paint and made enough plays in the final two quarters to survive and advance. It certainly helped that one of Michigan’s leaders posted a career-high as well.

First Half

While Michigan didn’t get off to a great shooting start (3-of-13), they still led 10-8 midway through the first quarter, largely thanks to senior Jordan Hobbs — who has started every game for Michigan the past two seasons — scoring a quick six points.

Driving to the basket appeared to be a priority in Michigan’s gameplan, with Hobbs and Mila Holloway finding success around the cup to help lead the Wolverines to a 19-13 at the end of the first quarter.

Michigan’s defense was swarming in that first quarter, forcing Iowa State to turn the ball over seven times.

Iowa State narrowed the lead in the next quarter, turning this into a one-possession game for most of the second frame, largely thanks to a 3+ minute scoring drought by the Wolverines. Cyclone post player Audi Crooks took control over this stretch, dominating in the paint and passing it out to her teammates for open shots.

A 16-3 Iowa State run helped the Cyclones jump out to a six-point late in the first half, with Michigan’s offense struggling to find it’s footing and going through another 3+ minute scoring drought. The Wolverines got outscored, 24-13, in that second quarter to put themselves in a five-point hole.

Second Half

Threes from Greta Kampschroeder and Hobbs helped the Wolverines get the second half started on the right foot, but Iowa State held a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter after making four of it’s first nine shots.

Hobbs continued to carry Michigan’s offense for large portions of this one, posting a career-high 28 points. She tied a Michigan career single-game high in the NCAA Tournament, matching a Leigha Brown point total from a few seasons ago.

Michigan’s talented five-star freshman really struggled to get into a rhythm, with All-Big Ten members Olivia Olson and Syla Swords combining to miss 15 of their first 18 shots. But back-to-back threes from the duo at the end of the third quarter cut the Iowa State lead to just one. A score on a busted out-of-bounds play gave Iowa State a three-point lead through three quarters.

A key and-one by Olivia Olson (16 points) helped tie the game, and buckets from Holloway and Olson gave Michigan a three-point lead, along with all the momentum.

A pivotal 15-3 run turned a 10-point deficit into a five-point lead for the Wolverines.

Michigan held a 3-5 point lead the rest of the way, finally managing to slow down Crooks (28 points). The Wolverines kept making buckets, with Kampschroeder (13 points) and Holloway (12 points) knocking down huge looks in the fourth quarter to help Michigan hold its lead.

A few big shots from Hobbs, including a Dirk Nowitzki-esque mid-range look off one foot, helped Michigan keep it’s lead. Olson knocked down a tough 15-foot dagger to give Michigan a five-point lead with 20 seconds left.

The Wolverines outscored the Cyclones in that final quarter of the game, 27-18. This group certainly showed some real poise in crunch time for a team full of freshmen.

Up Next

Being that this was the first game of the day on the women’s side, we don’t know who Michigan will face in the Round of 32 yet. It will either be 3-seed Notre Dame or 14-seed Stephen F. Austin on Sunday, with the tip-off time and TV Network to be announced.