The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
women's basketball 25 points under its season scoring average, and guard Courtney Moses, who ranked eighth in the Big Ten in scoring (15.7 points per game), finished with just eight points against the Wolverines. Sophomore guard Madison Ristovski led they way with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a 3-of-5 effort from three-point range. Although Purdue has dominated the all-time series 49-17, the Wolverines have won the last two games at Mackey Arena (67-56 last year) for their first-ever winning streak at Purdue. Worst Loss — 79-72 versus Michigan State Jan. 12: This game is the "worst loss" by default, because the Wolverines lost only once in the last month. The Spartans quickly jumped out to a 26-17 lead, but Michigan clawed back through the first half and freshman point guard Siera Thompson slashed inside for a layup to tie the game at 28 heading into halftime. After a back-and-forth second half, Michigan knotted the score at 65 with less than five minutes to play, but the Spartans pulled away and closed out the win. Thompson finished with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting. MVP — Junior forward Cyesha Goree: After playing just 26 total minutes as a sophomore in head coach Kim Barnes Arico's first season, Goree has transformed herself into one of the most reliable post presences in the Big Ten. Through 18 games, Goree was averaging nearly a double-double, scoring 11.6 points and grabbing 9.7 rebounds per game. She has been particularly effective in Big Ten play, with two double-doubles and an average Goree of 8.2 points and 13.2 rebounds through five games. Notable Stat: The Wolverines have been very good on the perimeter, both offensively and defensively. Just two players on the roster hit three-pointers last season: junior guard Nicole Elmblad and Ristovski, and they shot a combined 8 of 59 from downtown (13.6 percent). But Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage (40.3 percent), and four players have hit at least 18 of them. Defensively, Michigan also ranks second in the Big Ten in opponent three-point shooting (29.4 percent). Upcoming Game To Watch — at Nebraska Jan. 29: After a strong start to the conference slate, the Wolverines are legitimately thinking about a Big Ten championship. But they have to go through Nebraska, which was picked by the coaches and media as the preseason favorite to win the conference crown. The Cornhuskers rank fourth in the conference in scoring offense (75.9 points per game) and second in scoring defense (61.8 points allowed per game), but they have already dropped two league games (70-57 at Michigan State and 77-75 versus Purdue). The Wolverines could make serious noise in the Big Ten standings with a win. — Andy Reid