The Michigan women’s basketball team hadn’t scored in just under two and a half minutes when junior guard Madison Ristovski stepped up to the foul line with 14 seconds left in the game.
With the Wolverines holding a 62-61 lead and Northwestern clinging to the hope of making a comeback in the final minutes, both of Ristovski’s shots missed. But senior forward Cyesha Goree came in and collected the rebound, so she stepped up to the line with 10 seconds left.
Then she missed both tries and the atmosphere in Crisler Center changed dramatically.
Wildcat forward Nia Coffey — who ended the game with 25 points — took it to the other end of the court and made a layup with four seconds left. On the inbound, a potential buzzer beater by senior guard Shannon Smith fell short of the basket, giving Northwestern a 63-62 win that will likely prove damaging to the Wolverines’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
“Normally, we make those free throws,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “Madison, probably in her career, is over an 80 percent free-throw shooter. To miss two is really surprising. Then to miss four is really surprising.”
Added Smith: “Every little play matters. Whether it’s a free throw, getting a loose ball, or getting a person out on the defensive end. Every play matters.”
Michigan (6-8 Big Ten, 14-11 overall) shot a dismal 27.6 percent from the floor in the second half compared to 46.7 in the first, and missed eight of its last 10 shots. Northwestern (9-5, 19-6) hadn’t held a lead all afternoon, but the final 10 minutes gave the team several opportunities to make it happen.
The circumstances were perfect for Northwestern to take the lead: Michigan was in a scoring slump, all of the momentum was on the Wildcats’ side and, most importantly, Goree had to be taken out of the game at four fouls and 12 minutes still left in the game.
“Cyesha gets in foul trouble and it just changes the dynamics of our team, really from an offensive standpoint,” Barnes Arico said. “Even if she’s not scoring, she gives an inside presence and that changes what teams do against us defensively.”
Despite the favorable circumstances, though, something always went awry for the Wildcats on each of the next few possessions, and it looked like the Wolverines might have a stroke of luck. That thought was short-lived.
After the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 51 with eight minutes left, they stole the ball and guard Karly Roser took it to the other end of a wide-open court. With junior guard Madison Ristovski just crossing midcourt, Roser’s layup rolled around the rim for a few moments before falling out and into the hands of Ristovski.
Roser got called for a reach-in foul and slammed her hands hard on the floor. It had been just over six minutes since the Wolverines had scored, but Ristovski made her free throws to push Michigan past a potential breaking point.
Even after the Roser hiccup, the mishaps continued. On the next Northwestern possession with the game still tied at 51, Roser missed her first on a one-and-one opportunity at the free-throw line, giving the ball back to the Wolverines. Ristovski stole the ball the possession afterward and freshman forward Jillian Dunston made a layup for a four-point lead.
Once Dunston had done her part, Goree, freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty and senior forward Nicole Elmblad all subbed back in to finish out the game. Goree grabbed the necessary defensive rebounds — finishing with 10 total boards alongside nine points. But at 2:26, her two points from the free-throw line were the final ones for Michigan, holding on to a five-point lead.
The Wildcats capitalized on the Wolverines’ inability to score, making a 6-0 run in the final two minutes.
“When we go through stretches where we’re not scoring, I think we get a little bit down and it takes away from our defensive intensity,” Elmblad said. “I think that was when they were able to get back in the game and make their run and close it out.”
Michigan kicked off the game with 6-for-6 shooting from the field, jumping ahead to a sizable 10-point lead. The Wolverines didn’t miss a basket until 4:48 into the game, when sophomore guard Siera Thompson got blocked from the 3-point line.
It was very much a back-and-forth game leading up to halftime, with Michigan holding a 39-29 lead at the break. But the Wolverines couldn’t escape the second-half woes that have plagued them in their last three losses, spoiling their Saturday.
“To try and get them back mentally before this game was incredibly difficult,” Barnes Arico said. “I’m upset for them, because they’ve been plugging along, but we’re right there. It’s gonna happen for us, we just gotta continue to get better.
“My heart goes out to them because they’ve been so close, and that’s what makes it so difficult.”