After a dominant win over Michigan State, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico was asked to comment on her team’s 9-for-20 performance from three-point range.
Safe to say, she was pleased.
“That’s a pretty good night,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico responded. “I’ll take that any night.”
That good night helped the No. 17 Michigan women’s basketball team deliver a statement win against the Spartans. The Wolverines leaned on 3-pointers in crucial moments to bury its in-state rival in front of a raucous home crowd, finishing the night shooting 45%. Fifth-year senior wing Leigha Brown and senior guard Maddie Nolan both had especially successful outings from long-range, hitting shots to swing momentum in their favor and put the game out of question.
Brown, who has stepped into the point guard role for Michigan this year after playing primarily as a wing in years past, is getting increasingly comfortable shooting 3-pointers. Her two deep first-half threes put Michigan in the driver’s seat heading into halftime, and her subsequent celebrations sent a packed Crisler Center crowd into a frenzy.
“Especially transitioning to the point guard role from the wing, I was struggling and trying to figure out where I can find spots to score,” Brown said.
Clearly, those struggles are becoming a thing of the past. Her first 3-pointer — a dagger from the top of the key to beat the shot-clock buzzer — ended a two-minute scoring drought in the first quarter and gave Michigan a one-point lead. That lead was the Wolverines’ first of the game, and one they never gave back.
Brown’s second made three came a quarter later, with a similar effect. The Michigan lead jumped to nine, and the stands erupted after the make — marking another early momentum swing in favor of the Wolverines.
“Brown was three-of-ten (in Big Ten play),” Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant said. “(She) went two-for-three. So they shot the ball well from the arc.”
The other top contributor from deep was Nolan, who moved to tenth all-time in 3-pointers for Michigan. Nolan has excelled from deep throughout her collegiate career, but struggled at times to start this season. Despite those lows, her confidence hasn’t wavered: Nolan continues to threaten the opposition from three-point territory, and her performance Saturday was key in maintaining the Wolverines’ lead.
“Every time (Nolan) gets it I’m always holding up a three sign or turning around at half court,” Brown said. “I just assume it’s in … Maddie opens up a lot for us.”
Her second make from deep came at an especially important moment.
In a sluggish start to the third quarter, both teams struggled to convert against rejuvenated, hungry defenses. But Nolan’s 3-pointer near the quarter’s midway point turned the tide, spurring a Michigan run to a double-digit lead and crushing the Michigan State comeback effort.
Despite taking just four shots from deep, her effort stood out — drawing the attention of Merchant postgame.
“Nolan might not get a lot of shots,” Merchant said. “But if she gets four, she’s gonna hit three or four. If she gets six, she’s probably going to hit four-for-six.”
She did hit three of her four, keeping the Spartans at bay and thwarting their comeback effort.
Since the preseason, the Wolverines have emphatically claimed the 3-pointer as a piece of their offensive identity. So far this year, that has rung true: when threes are falling, they excel.
And on Saturday, Michigan did just that, and it propelled the Wolverines past their in-state foe.