In a stunning turn of events, sophomore guard Deja Church announced via Twitter that she will not be returning to the Michigan women’s basketball team next season.
“Thank you to The University Of Michigan!” Church said in a tweet shared on her official account. “I appreciate all your support and for accepting me with open arms! However I will not be returning to UM next season. Forever will love UM, but I know God has something else special planned for me! Go blue forever”
While Garn himself gave up the goals, the Blue Jays’ frequent extra-man chances made it difficult for his defense to truly provide him with much support. Ultimately, in a game where Michigan struggled to remain at full strength, Garn did as well as could be reasonably expected.
Right now, the wound is likely still fresh.
On Sunday afternoon, the Michigan women’s basketball team saw its season end when it bowed out of the NCAA Tournament following a 70-51 loss to top-seeded Louisville. While it may be hard to see it now, this year’s tournament run may have laid the bricks that will eventually serve as the program’s foundation.
And yet, despite its prep, Michigan was blitzed out of the gate. National Player of the Year candidate Asia Durr scored 12 quick points, and the Wolverines found themselves in a 19-4 hole before the game’s first media timeout. With each basket, the Cardinals’ lead — and cheers — only grew.
On Sunday afternoon, the Michigan women’s basketball team will take the floor as heavy underdogs against the Albany region’s top seed in Louisville, which has the luxury of hosting the game on its home floor.
While many might be quick to count the Wolverines out against one of the nation’s top teams, it’s a role that the team has learned to embrace over the course of the season.
In the Michigan women’s basketball team’s (22-11) 84-54 win over Kansas State, that statement couldn’t have been more true, as it used two lengthy scoring spurts and stingy defense to defeat the Wildcats (21-12) and set up a date with top-seeded Lousiville on Sunday.
Even for a team that had exceeded expectations and broken a four-year drought from the NCAA Tournament, the loss was tough for many of the Wolverines. It was especially frustrating for then-freshman forward Hailey Brown, who at the time was nursing a season-ending ankle injury.
Watching her teammates battle against the Bears from the bench, Brown was forced to watch her team slowly succumb. An important contributor all year, she sat helplessly to the side, knowing she could have potentially made a difference.
The Michigan women’s basketball team (3-6 Big Ten, 21-11 overall) can rest a little easier than normal. After a loss to Michigan State dropped its Big Ten record to 3-6 and 12-9 overall, a tournament berth seemed like a pipe dream.
But following a white-hot February that saw the team go 6-1, the Wolverines are sitting pretty for a likely tournament berth and a resume that includes wins over conference stalwarts Iowa and Indiana and a neutral site victory over Missouri in November. While Michigan fell in heartbreaking fashion to No. 8 Maryland in a 73-72 defeat last Saturday in the program’s first Big Ten semifinal appearance, its current status should be enough to propel it to the Big Dance.
As sophomore forward Hailey Brown found herself cornered on the right baseline, she scanned the floor for options. Wisconsin’s defense had successfully taken away any options around the wings, but it failed to account for Michigan’s most deadly scorer.
“One of Dad’s friends called me after my commitment and basically said, ‘You’re a Spartan!’ ” Robbins recalls. “He assumed because he heard Michigan that I was going to MSU. Until he realized I was playing in the maize and blue, then he finally called my dad and was so confused. But he was happy for me.”
While Kevin’s friend took some time to adjust to Kayla representing the Wolverines on the court, Kevin quickly jumped on the bandwagon.