The Wolverines came up just short to No. 5 Xavier in tonight's matchup at Crisler Arena. Inexperience showed down the stretch as fouls and turnovers ultimately doomed Michigan to its first loss of the season.
That being said, there are a lot of positives to be taken away from this. Down 14 with 10:38 to go, the Wolverines battled back with a 15-3 run to come within striking distance. The team put up a staggering 2.2 assist/turnover ratio, which is the highest I've seen in a long while (if ever). From what the box score says, it looks like good disciplined play minus the final minutes.
It was a given that height (Harris & Phillips in particular) was going to be a factor: the Musketeers finished with a +15 rebound margin and more than doubled Michigan on the o-boards. 22 of Xavier's 85 points were on second chances.
Sophomore guard Katie Rutan did her damage to the Wolverines all behind the arc - and all in the first half. Her 22 points were Xavier's response to Michigan's defense down low. Rutan's hot hand may have allowed Harris and Phillips to take advantage in the second half, finishing with 16 and 18 points, respectively.
Like Rutan, junior guard Carmen Reynolds took care of all her scoring from downtown and on the charity strip. In 36 minutes, she finished with 11 and was one of five Wolverines in double-figures. Roni Hicks led Michigan with 22. However, the Wolverines failed to score a FG in the final 2:44 of the ball-game.
It seems that these are going to be the growing pains that Michigan will endure this season. I think it's clear that Kate Thompson will have to shine, whether it's off the bench or not. But I'm more than satisfied with Roni's leadership (though I'm not surprised one bit). Against the 5th-ranked team in the nation, this ain't too devastating.
This 'n that:
- UM now holds a 3-2 all-time series advantage over the Musketeers
- Reported attendance was 1,579 (a bit sad...actually, the more I think about it, I guess it's right)
- Michigan was 60.7% from the field in the first half, and still trailed by three (47-44)
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