The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND: FEB. 15‑MARCH 11 Overall Season Record: 16-14 Big Ten Record: 8-10 Best Win — 81‑50 over Purdue Feb. 24: The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, leading by as much as 32 points in a 31-point win over Purdue on Senior Night. Fittingly, senior forward Nicole Elmblad tied a career high with 19 points while adding five boards, four assists, two blocks and two steals in her farewell at Crisler Center. Fellow senior forward Cyesha Goree recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman sharpshooter Katelynn Flaherty was a perfect 5 of 5 from three-point land en route to 19 points, while junior guard Madison Ristovski added a season-high 15 points off the bench. The Wolverines shot 53.1 percent from the floor as a team in the blowout win. Worst Loss — 69‑49 versus Michigan State March 5: The Wolverines were unable to defeat the Spartans for the third time in one season in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, falling by 20 points to their rivals from East Lansing. Flaherty led Michigan with 14 points, but shot just 36 percent from the floor. Goree was kept in check, totaling just five points and seven rebounds, well shy of her double-double season average. U-M trailed by 24 points at halftime and never really scared Michigan State into thinking the lead would fade, shooting just 27.1 percent from the field for the game. MVP — Senior Forward Cyesha Goree: Despite a somewhat disappointing season for the Wolverines, Goree finished her career at Michigan with an indi- vidual bang. Even though she was the focal point of every team's scouting re- port, she managed to average a double-double for the entire season, with 13.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. She also led the Wolverines in minutes per game (32.9), field goal percentage (.525), blocks (22) and double-doubles (15). Notable Stat: Michigan had four players with a double-digit scoring average at the end of the season in Flaherty (14.4 points per game), senior guard Shan- non Smith (14.0), Goree (13.8) and sophomore guard Siera Thompson (11.0). Upcoming Games To Watch — Michigan picked up the Big Ten's automatic bid to the Women's NIT, opening play by hosting Cleveland State March 18 at Crisler Center. It marks the sixth straight season that U-M has reached post- season play, which is a school record that tops the previous run of five straight from 1998-2002. — Brandon Brown