The Michigan women’s basketball team has finally proven it has a defense.

After struggling on the defensive end of the court since the beginning of the season, the Wolverines (4-3) shut down a competitive scoring opponent. In a well rounded effort, Michigan beat out Wake Forest 91-58 on Wednesday night at Crisler Arena.

The Demon Deacons (5-1) are known for their offensive prowess, averaging 84 points per game so far this season and tallying more than 100 points in two of their contests.

“(Wake Forest) can get up and down the court and they can do it in transition extremely well,” Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said after the game. “But we got back and closed those lanes down and played pretty good defensively and kept them at bay when we had to.”

Although Michigan’s strategy was to play man-to-man defense for the majority of the game, there was no player who stood out among the rest. Instead, the Wolverines displayed a strong defensive presence as a team, and that proved successful.

The balanced Demon Deacons have four prominent offensive threats who average at least 11 points per game. But the Wolverines kept all but two players from scoring in double digits.

Wake Forest is typically led by 6-foot-3 sophomore center Sandra Garcia, who averages 12.3 points and seven rebounds per game. But Garcia struggled to get into her offensive game as the Wolverines smothered her around the basket, holding her to two points on the night.

Michigan also shut down junior guard Secily Ray. She averages 11 points and seven rebounds per game, but was held to a mere four points on Wednesday.

Although Michigan was outrebounded 23-4 on the offensive glass, its hand-in-your-face defensive mentality made up for the poor differential by minimizing Wake Forest's transition attack. And the sharp-shooting Wolverine offense gave it the time it needed to get back, reset and defend.

“(We hit our shots) and then we got our defense to come back,” Borseth said. “And then all of a sudden you’re playing against a set defense as opposed to playing a defense that’s just maybe three-on-three. And (Wake Forest) is a very good three-on-three.”

By eliminating Wake Forest's typical transition plays and executing shots on the offensive end, the Wolverines sealed the deal. Michigan also forced 19 Demon Deacon turnovers, resulting in 24 points.

In fact, Michigan has shown a unique defensive trend over the past three years, under Borseth's leadership. The Wolverines have a 40-13 overall record when holding their opponent to less than 60 points. Conversely, Michigan is 11-35 when its competition scores more than 60 points.

If the Wolverines continue to play with a solid defensive effort, like that which emerged against Wake Forest, there may be a positive turn for this barely over .500 team.