In the second round of the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament, Michigan held on to fend off Penn State and his angry bid. As usual, Leigha Brown – returning from a two-game hiatus – led the way for the Wolverines with 12 points and nine assists in the 63-61 win.
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Brown wasn’t the only Wolverine to make a triumphant return. Sophomore guard and second-top scorer Laila Phelia returned to action for the first time since January 29.
The first quarter was not dominated by the Wolverines as many might have expected. The Nittany Lions finished the 18-game Big Ten season with a stunning 4-14 record, but they didn’t look to the past in Thursday afternoon’s game.
A solid all-around performance from Penn State held it tight after a quarter of the game with Michigan.
Also in the second quarter the higher seeded Wolverines couldn’t break away. In fact, Michigan was a second behind just seconds before the game. In the final possession of the first half, Leigha Brown drove onto the lane and delivered a beautiful no-look pass to Elise Stuck, who knocked down a knight to give UM a one-point lead in the second half.
The second half showed Penn State’s toughness as well, as the Nittany Lions showed no signs of fatigue after Wednesday’s win over Minnesota. Though he brought back both Brown and Phelia, Michigan’s offense didn’t click.
Similar to the end of the second quarter, Michigan pulled off another last-second shot at the end of the third quarter to take the lead. Phelia drilled a middle-distance jumper to put the Wolverines 52-50 ahead in the final 10 minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Michigan finally began to pull back. The Wolverines have been the much more consistent team throughout the regular season and it showed in the early stages of the fourth quarter.
However, after Michigan built a nine-point lead, Penn State made a push. The Nittany Lions fought all the way back with just two points behind and 11 seconds left. Luckily for UM, Penn State couldn’t put together a quality finishing possession on offense and the Wolverines narrowly survived.
Phelia scored a team-high 13 points on her return, going 5-11. The sophomore is one of Michigan’s key players and her return will help Michigan tremendously late in the season.
Kim Barnes Arico and the Wolverines advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, where they meet No. 4 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes defeated Michigan in each of the first two matchups of the regular season. Ohio State has a feisty full-court press that UM is struggling with, as evidenced by Thursday afternoon’s win.
The latest installment of the rivalry begins around 3pm on Friday afternoon. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
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