The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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women's basketball Young Wolverines Fight In Early Going A day after its season-opening loss to Bowling Green in the Iona Tournament, the Michigan women's basketball team found itself in a late hole against Arizona. After the Wolverines clawed their way back with less than a half-minute to go in regulation, Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico called a timeout and drew up a play. The first two scoring options were closed off by the Wildcats' defense. "I was hoping the girl guarding me would be playing behind me," junior forward Cyesha Goree said. "She was, and I was able to get the ball, find a shot, and it went in. "First, I looked at the basket, just to make sure it was in. Then I saw my teammates cheering, and I was like, 'Alright, we got some extra time to win this game.'" Goree hit the turnaround jumper as time expired to send the game into overtime, where the Wolverines closed out a 73-71 win. The shot was the perfect encapsulation of the team this year, which is replacing its top five scorers from last year's NCAA Tournament squad. In her first two years in Ann Arbor, Goree had sustained an ACL injury and played just 24 total minutes. But she kept fighting — and hit her firstever buzzer-beating shot. "As a coach, you look in their eyes, and you can really see who wants the ball," Barnes Arico said. "Coming out of that situation, Cyesha was calling for the ball. She had her hands Junior forward Cyesha Goree helped U-M defeat Arizona 73-71 Nov. 9, knocking down a buzzer-beating shot that sent the game into overtime. photo courtesy michigan athletic media relations