To put it succinctly, the Michigan women's basketball team is learning how to win. And the Wolverines are doing it at a pace that has coach Kevin Borseth pleasantly surprised.

Six games into an eight-game road trip, the Wolverines have picked up four crucial wins, including Thursday's 76-70 victory over Boston College.

Michigan looks to continue its impressive road performance tonight at No. 8 Xavier.

Its four road wins already quadruple the team's road victory totals from a year ago.

Keeping pace: Whether it’s an up-tempo brand of playground hoops — as witnessed in the Wolverines’ three 85-plus point efforts this year — or the grind of Big Ten basketball, Michigan has kept pace with its opponents.

“We like to push the ball this year,” freshman guard Jenny Ryan said. “That’s one of our points of emphasis. … We have a lot of speed between (freshman guard Dayeesha Hollins) and (junior guard Veronica Hicks). And then we have the shooters that are capable of putting up the big numbers.”

The team is constructed perfectly to run the floor. Hollins, Hicks and Ryan have proved they can force turnovers on the perimeter that turn into easy baskets. Senior center Krista Phillips and sophomore forward Carmen Reynolds are as comfortable shooting from beyond the arc as they are patrolling the paint.

It wasn't clear if Michigan would be able to compete with physical conference opponents, but in their only chance so far this season, the Wolverines looked impressive.

In their lone opportunity thus far, the Wolverines answered those questions triumphantly.

The 54-51 win over Iowa was Michigan’s lowest scoring affair of the season. Phillips, Hicks, and Reynolds, the three veterans in the starting lineup, all scoring in double digits. The Hawkeyes, with five freshmen of their own and three in the starting lineup, are fairly young themselves, and the game served as a good measuring stick for the Wolverines.

“I think this win was something great for us," Hicks said. "It shows that even if you try to slow us down we can fight that adversity and come out on top. I think that’s something that’s really huge.”

Youth and experience: Even though Michigan relied on its more experienced players against the Hawkeyes, the freshmen showed they could step up when it counted, against Boston College.

“Dayeesha did a great job down the stretch,” Borseth said after Thursday's win over the Eagles. “She had a tip-in, she had a layup, a crunch layup, and then she hit some free throws that were pretty darn critical. She came to life right at the end of that game.”

Both Hollins and Ryan sunk a pair of free throws with under a minute to go in the game.

The Wolverines managed to seal both games in the final minutes, proof that the team is playing more mature than its age.

Michigan has shown it can play any style of basketball it needs in order to secure victories, whether in the comforts of Crisler or in hostile environments.