The University of Detroit was not supposed to be a challenging opponent for the Michigan women’s basketball team.
But Saturday night’s 67-48 upset over the Wolverines proved different.
The Titans (5-5) claimed Crisler Arena as their own, handing Michigan (6-5) its worst defeat of the season and its second loss at home. For Detroit, the game marked the end of a seven-game road swing and its first victory against the Wolverines in 16 years.
“Detroit really wanted to win this game,” senior guard Veronica Hicks said. “They came out, played hard and aggressive. Defensively they made us defer, showing our weak spots on offense. So you’ve got to give them credit on the defensive end, and then they were hitting shots.
“They got to the free throw line and were hitting those too. In the end, they were hitting shots while we weren’t.”
Shooting was clearly a deciding factor in the contest. After hitting the first basket of the game, the Titans held the lead for all 40 minutes. The Wolverines were held to just 30 percent from the field, including only 25 percent in the first half. They converted just six of 30 attempts from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard Jenny Ryan and sophomore forward Nya Jordan were the only two Wolverines to score in double-figures. The other eight Michigan players combined for only 22 points.
“It was one of those games where we had to be perfect offensively,” Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said in an interview after the game. “Defensively, we didn’t provide a lot of resistance in my opinion, and they got a lot of offensive rebounds in the first half. We had to be perfect, absolutely perfect on the offensive end of the court and we weren’t.”
Just like in Monday’s game against New Mexico State, the Wolverines simply looked lethargic.
Specifically on defense, Michigan was not able to stop sophomore guard Dominique Dixon — a player who averages only 25 percent shooting.
In Saturday’s matchup, Dixon tallied a career-high 20 points and went 4-for-6 from behind the 3-point line. Prior to her performance against the Wolverines, Dixon had made only three shots from beyond the arc all season.
“We didn’t get up and guard them like we should have,” Hicks said. “We wanted to really get in their faces from the start and kind of diminish their confidence and build ours. But we didn’t come out as aggressive as we needed to on either side (of the court).”
With only one game standing between the Wolverines and their first Big Ten contest — against none other than No. 10 Ohio State — Michigan needs to find a conducive game plan.
This season has exposed a variety of faults on the offensive end of the court. But Saturday’s loss and Monday’s weak win over the Aggies have brought something else to the plate: sluggish performance on the court and a dwindling defensive presence.
“This was probably one of our worst losses this year, so it is hard to swallow,” Hicks said. “But you have to go through the trenches before you can get to the top. It was a good thing we saw that tonight. It shows that if you let your guard down and you’re lazy, a team is going to get you.”