A big third quarter from Laila Phelia helped propel the Wolverines to victory.
The No. 6 Michigan women’s basketball team got off to a dominant start in the Big Ten Tournament , leading every minute in a victory over the No. 11 Minnesota Golden Gophers , 76-57.
Before this game started, the Wolverines were ranked 51st in NET. Bracketology-wise, the Wolverines are on the bubble, but appear to be on the right side of it: Charlie Creme with ESPN has them as one of his last four bye teams, while HerHoopStats and Aidan Berg with NBC Sports as them as a 10-seed. Experts seem to believe they’ll make the tournament, and a little Big Ten Tournament run could solidify that.
Entering this game, the Wolverines were four games ahead of the Golden Gophers in the Big Ten regular season standings. Minnesota won its lone regular season matchup, with the Golden Gophers winning in Ann Arbor, 82-66. Michigan needed a win to help secure its seat at the table in March Madness, and won fairly handily.
Here are some takeaways from the win.
Laila Phelia helps ice the game
The Wolverines really put this game away at the start of the third quarter, using a quick seven points from leading scorer Laila Phelia to extend their 13-point lead to 19 (48-29).
Phelia had a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the third quarter alone. Every time the Golden Gophers tried to mount a comeback, Phelia would respond.
Michigan did a great job moving the ball and getting paint touches, and Phelia was the catalyst of that. She’s been a dominant scorer all season, averaging 16 points per game. She has the ability to take over any game like she did in this one, which is incredibly important during the greatest month in college basketball.
A great game from Lauren Hansen
The Wolverines got off to an early advantage, jumping out to a 14-5 lead midway through the first quarter. Senior guard Lauren Hansen came out on fire by making her first three shots, including two three-pointers.
Hansen finished with 14 points, including 10 points in the first half. The Long Island native is Michigan’s second-leading scorer and has now racked up double-digit points in 21 games this season. She’s been a key piece of Michigan’s offense, and she was a big reason why the Wolverines won.
Some key stats to show how Michigan dominated
-The Wolverines knocked down threes at a reliable rate (7-for-18, 39 percent), shooting it from deep much better than the Golden Gophers (4-for-17, 24 percent).
-The Golden Gophers had 16 turnovers, and the Wolverines scored 13 points off those turnovers.
-Michigan dominated when it came to second-chance points (15-2) and points in the paint (36-24).
-The Wolverines moved the ball incredibly well, doubling the Golden Gophers’ assist total (20-10).
Up Next
With the win, the Wolverines are set to face the No. 3 seeded Indiana Hoosiers Friday night. That game will tip-off around 9 p.m. on Big Ten Network, 25 minutes after the previous game in the tournament.