Sunday, Michigan finally found a problem that culture can’t fix. Make no mistake, its ability to respond to adversity this season has been nothing short of tremendous. Very few teams start the season with just 11 players on the roster. Even fewer would be able to compete after losing two key players to injury. None would be able to win after losing a Naz Hillmon.
Down by eight with under 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, senior guard Akienreh Johnson drove down the right side of the key, looking to cut into Rutgers’ lead. After an abysmal first offensive half, a bucket would send the Wolverines to the locker room at the Rutgers Athletic Center down by just six, with an opportunity to regroup and come out more motivated in the third quarter. But in came Mael Gilles.
Pulliam scored a season-high 32 points, 22 of which came in the second half. She almost singlehandedly delivered the Wolverines an eight-point loss. Over the two weeks since that loss, Michigan’s biggest challenge in preparing for the rematch was how to contain her. Without Pulliam’s dominance, the Wolverines felt that they could pull off their biggest win of the season.
The win slipped away, and despite the fight, Northwestern (21-3 overall, 11-2 Big Ten) beat Michigan (16-8, 7-6), 66-60.
After three straight wins, including what could end up as a season-altering win over No. 18 Iowa, the form of the Michigan women’s basketball team couldn’t be better.
When sophomore guard Danielle Rauch suffered a hand injury in practice last week, the Michigan women’s basketball team had a crucial role to fill.
Two weeks ago, against then-No. 23 Northwestern, Michigan learned a hard lesson: In the Big Ten, if you don’t start well, you don’t win.
Late in the third quarter of Thursday’s game against Purdue, the Michigan women’s basketball team saw the game slipping away. Thanks to a poor shooting quarter, its once-15-point lead had dwindled down to just six.
Thursday night, freshman Maddie Nolan started her first game for the Wolverines against Purdue. Locking down the defensive end, Nolan refused to let the Boilermakers get hot, even as they targeted her. She ended the game with two points, six rebounds and four blocks. She wasn’t flashy and didn’t make much of an offensive impact. But she found ways to contribute when a team suffering from injuries needed her.
Thursday night, freshman Maddie Nolan started her first game for the Wolverines against Purdue. Locking down the defensive end, Nolan refused to let the Boilermakers get hot, even as they targeted her. She ended the game with two points, six rebounds and four blocks. She wasn’t flashy and didn’t make much of an offensive impact. But she found ways to contribute when a team suffering from injuries needed her.