Michigan
13-6, 5-3
Illinois
11-9, 2-6
Balanced Attack Helps U-M Handle Illinois
1/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2015
• Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 70, Illinois 57
Records: U-M (13-6, 5-3 B1G), Illinois (11-9, 2-6 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Jan. 29 -- vs. Maryland (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Goree, Flaherty Provide Inside-Outside Scoring Might
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman Katelynn Flaherty led all scorers with 21 points, and seniors Cyesha Goree and Nicole Elmblad both recorded double digits in rebounds as the University of Michigan women's basketball team improved to 10-1 at home with a 70-57 win over Illinois Monday night (Jan. 26) inside Crisler Center.
Flaherty was 8-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-9 from three-point range for her fifth 20-point contest of the season. Goree stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for her 12th double-double of the season. Elmblad recorded a season high with 12 rebounds and dished out five assists. Senior Shannon Smith and sophomore Siera Thompson, meanwhile, scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, as the Wolverines shot 53.8 percent from the floor and knocked down eight three-pointers.
Michigan jumped out to an 8-0 lead just 2:58 into the contest on six points from Goree down low and a Thompson 18-footer. The Wolverines pushed their lead to 11 points, 17-6, on another Goree layup at the 12:34 mark of the first.
Junior Madison Ristovski and Flaherty hit back-to-back triples to extend Michigan's lead to 13 points, 28-15, with 9:45 on the clock and force the second timeout of the half from the Illini. Flaherty knocked down another triple on Michigan's next possession to push the lead to 14, 31-17, with 9:14 left.
U-M's largest lead of the half came on a stepback jumper at the top of the key from Flaherty with 2:05 left, giving the Wolverines a 39-20 advantage.
Michigan hit the half with a 39-24 lead, paced by 13 from Flaherty, 12 from Goree and nine from Thompson. U-M shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the floor, including a 45.5-percent showing (5-for-11) from downtown. Illinois managed just a 30.3-percent clip (10-for-33) from the floor and 9.1 percent (1-for-11) from three-point range. The Maize and Blue held a 23-14 advantage on the glass, led by eight from Goree and seven from Elmblad.
The Wolverines pushed their lead back to 17 points, 50-33, on a Smith three-point play with 14:21 to go. Illinois scored six straight points to get within 11, 50-39, but Flaherty canned her fourth triple of the game with 11:58 left, nudging Michigan's lead back to 14.
Illinois trimmed the lead to 10 points, 53-43, with 11:15 on the clock, but Michigan scored eight straight points on baskets from Smith, two from Goree and one from Flaherty to push the lead back to 18, 61-43, with 6:59 to go.
The Illini once again cut the lead to 10 points, but Flaherty hit another three-pointer with 3:38 on the clock to increase Michigan's lead back to 13 points, 66-53. Two straight steal-and-scores from Smith upped U-M's lead back to 17, 70-53, with 2:04 to go.
Michigan assisted on 21 of its 28 made field goals. The Maize and Blue also outrebounded Illinois, 41-28, and held the Fighting Illini to 38.5-percent (25-of-65) shooting from the floor.
The Wolverines wrap up a quick two-game homestand this Thursday (Jan. 29) against No. 5 Maryland. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. inside Crisler Center. [ Tickets ]
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