(Usually, I'll try to have these after each game, but for those with virtually no coverage, I'll combine them with previous contests. Plus, work gets much busier this time of the year.)
The Coverage:
The Michigan Daily - Michigan wards off Iowa's second-half rally to earn first conference win
The Daily Iowan - Printy's missed free-throw one of many missed opportunities
Des Moines Register - Hawkeyes sustain another tough loss
Quad-City Times - Free throws doom Hawkeyes women
The Gazette - Missed opportunities foil women late
The Michigan Daily - Women's hoops win third straight on road
The Basics:
- Michigan squeaks by Iowa, 54-51, after both teams refuse to sink free throws down the stretch
- Battling back from 8-0, the Wolverines hold off a late Boston College run for third-straight road win, 76-70
The Breakdown:
There are many things young teams have to learn. One of the most important is how to close out games. A few weeks ago against New Mexico, Michigan struggled to close the door en route to its second loss of the season. But in the previous two contests, they prevailed - one was a gift, one was all grit.
In case you need a refresher (or didn't see above), the Wolverines depended on Iowa's youthful miscues from the stripe to take their sixth win of the season. Until those final few minutes, though, the Wolverines did a pretty good job responding to each of the Hawkeyes' jabs. It was certain that Iowa was going to have its hot and cold shooting streaks. But Michigan handled the situation differently each half.
For the first twenty minutes, the defense was flat-out great. The Wolverine switch between zone and man D confused the Hawkeyes, shooting 28% from the field. That number is just staggering given how well this team is as a shooting team.
But the problem throughout this game was taking advantage. With five more forced turnovers for the game, it is inexcusable for the Wolverines to have less points off them than Hawkeyes.
From what I've gathered the past two games, the offense is in a bit of a rut. Aside from the first few minutes of the Iowa game, Michigan has been having plenty of trouble gathering a rhythm. Instead, many of their points are built from the hustle board. Carmen Reynolds displayed that well with three put-back in a short time span (speaking about, do not be surprised if Reynolds comes off the bench soon after Courtney Boylan's 5-for-5 performance against BC). They've also shown flashes of the motion offense working, ending with easy drives.
But all too often, it comes down to transition play. Don't get me wrong - to know that a team can run the court that quickly is great. When the tempo slow down, though, I'm not too confident. There tends to be mind lapses - deviating from what works (see going to KP vs. Iowa), errant shots (see all, particularly Dayeesha Hollins driving in traffic). Of course, most are freshman, so they'll get a free pass from me for a bit.
I won't end this post on a bad note, as the Wolverines made this road trip 4-2 thus far, so let's gush about the defense. Jenny Ryan is a brilliant player on defense. She won't make too many contributions on the offensive end, but any basket is just gravy for her. Whoever she guards, Ryan stifles. End of story. Against Iowa, Ryan made Jaime Printy go 1-for-9 from the field. She has a knack of anticipating the next move and is no surprise that she is one of Coach Borseth's favorites.
Veronica Hicks has some great hands on both sides of the ball. I think there were several times in my Iowa notes that I wrote, "OMG RONI." First was a massive block on Printy to make the Hawkeye hit the deck. And at the end of the game, Hicks juked Kelly Krei into the Iowa bench and dished it to Ryan, who set up Hollins for the game's final basket.
If you've got anything to say, we'd love to hear it! Just leave them below!
One more thing, let's work on those free throws, ladies.
And an unrelated note, in just over an hour, Michigan Volleyball takes on Hawai'i for a spot in the Final Four. Go watch and go blue.
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