Following consecutive double-digit losses, the Michigan women’s basketball team has just two games and nine days separating it from the start of Big Ten play.
But if the Wolverines (6-3) fail to fix the holes in their erratic offense while learning to focus more on defense, the bounce back coach Kim Barnes Arico has mentioned this season following every loss may not come soon enough.
Friday, Michigan will have the opportunity to begin upward progress when it hosts Canisius. It’s the first time the teams have met since Dec. 21 1995, when the Wolverines’ victory scored 100 points — one of nine instances the program has reached triple digits.
“They’re a tough team, (and) they’re a scrappy team,” Barnes Arico said Tuesday on WTKA. “They’ve had some really good wins, and I think anytime somebody comes to play at Michigan, they’re going to bring their best game. Right now, it’s all about us.”
The Golden Griffins (4-5) are also looking to overcome a two-game losing streak, with the most recent loss coming at the hands of No. 19 Syracuse on Tuesday. Canisius — averaging 62.9 points per game — is No.18 in the nation in 3-point shooting, 10 spots behind the Wolverines. Guard Emily Weber has made 53.6 percent of her shots from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty has lost her touch for Michigan. Flaherty made only one shot and no 3-pointers — normally her strength — against Notre Dame and is no longer the team’s leading scorer.
Senior forward Nicole Elmblad also struggled to make her shots fall against the Fighting Irish, but played hard-pressing defense to hold one of the country’s top-scoring guards to just 14 points after a 41-point game.
Though the Wolverines are giving up 65 points per game, Elmblad’s leadership on the defensive end could be enough to limit the Golden Griffins well below that, and pave the way for Michigan’s first win in over two weeks.
“Defense is what wins you big games,” Elmblad said Wednesday on MGoBlue TV. “It’s fun playing offense and sometimes it’s not as fun playing defense, but we really just need to commit to that and play on both ends of the floor the whole game.”
When the Wolverines struggle, senior forward Cyesha Goree is frequently able to pick up the slack. Goree is coming off of her fastest and toughest game against Notre Dame, when she led the scoring effort with 17 points and made her presence felt on the offensive glass, despite being double-teamed.
Goree will be vital in keeping the game close with the Golden Griffins, especially if her teammates struggle to make an impact from the start.
“We’re starting to balance it out and starting to get used to each other on what shots we’re gonna take, when they’re gonna take it and who’s gonna take the shots,” Goree said, “which is causing a lot more movement and knowledge of our offense.”
After Friday’s game, the Wolverines will conclude their non-conference schedule Monday against Eastern Michigan (6-3). Then it’s time for Michigan to prove itself within its conference.
These next two games give the Wolverines the chance to find within themselves the team that showed no signs of stopping at the beginning of the season, before a blowout loss to Princeton.
“We have to get back to doing things the Michigan way,” Barnes Arico said.