The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
T he Michigan women's basketball team dropped a 63-62 heartbreaker on Valentine's Day to Northwestern in Ann Arbor. Michigan led for the entire game until Northwestern's Nia Coffey went c o a s t - t o - c o a s t to put in the go- ahead layup with just 4.4 seconds remaining. Senior guard Shannon S m i t h h a d a contested look at a game winner, but it fell short, giving the Wildcats the win. The Wolverines were 14-11 overall and 6-8 in the Big Ten with only four r e g u l a r - s e a s o n games remaining, so winning out w a s a l m o s t a must if Michigan hoped to make it into the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Kim Barnes Arico emphasized the final stretch and spoke about how important it is to believe. "We've got to keep fighting," Barnes Arico said. "That's what we've preached all year long. It's been a tough stretch, and my heart goes out to them because they've been so close. But it's going to happen." The tough stretch that Barnes Arico mentioned was ongoing, with Michigan having lost five of its last six games. Some were heartbreaking setbacks like the one-point Valentine's Day defeat to Northwestern, and others were not competitive like the 26-point loss at the hands of No. 5 Maryland on the floor of the Crisler Center. Yet with mostly negative results in recent w e e k s , B a r n e s Arico remained positive and tried to deliver that message to her team. "Our kids have b e e n f i g h t i n g really hard, and we had a really tough stretch," Barnes Arico said of the last six games. "To try to get them back before the Northwestern game was incredibly difficult, but they're plugging along, and it's going to happen for us. We've just got to continue to get better." If Michigan could go 3-1, it would have an opportunity to get to .500 in the Big Ten at 9-9, and could surpass that mark by winning out. The tough stretch to end the season included road contests at Minnesota and at Illinois, meaning Michigan must hold serve WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Wolverines Hoping For NCAA Berth Head coach Kim Barnes Arico's team likely needs to win its final four games to make a case for an NCAA Tournament bid. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS