Michigan
10-4, 2-1
Michigan State
8-6, 0-3
Maize & Blue Knocks Off No. 24 Michigan State
1/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2015
• Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 74, #24 Michigan State 65
Records: U-M (10-4, 2-1 B1G), MSU (8-6, 0-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Jan. 7 -- at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team led by as many as 20 points and, when the lead was cut to seven late in the second half, made big shots in the final minutes for a 74-65 win over No. 24 Michigan State Sunday afternoon (Jan. 4) in front of 4,520 fans inside Crisler Center.
The Maize and Blue had four players score in double figures, led by freshman Katelynn Flaherty's 21 points. The Point Pleasant, N.J., native was 5-of-9 from three-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Siera Thompson made three triples, part of her 17 points for the day. Senior Cyesha Goree had 14 points and nine rebounds to go along with three steals, and classmate Shannon Smith had 11 points and dished out a game-high seven assists. Senior Nicole Elmblad recorded seven rebounds and five steals as Michigan forced 24 turnovers on the day and recorded 15 team steals.
The teams went back and forth in the early going until a Flaherty triple gave Michigan a 10-6 lead with 14:39 remaining in the half. The Spartans closed to two points, 13-11, with 12:39 left in the half, but Michigan then held the visitors without a point over the next 4:19 to take a 25-11 lead on a 12-0 run. Flaherty keyed the run, hitting two triples, with Thompson scoring four and Goree two during the spurt.
Michigan hit the break with a 10-point lead, 41-31, after Michigan State scored on its final possession. Flaherty led the way for Michigan with 12 points on four three-pointers. Thompson chipped in 11, while Goree went for eight points and six rebounds during the first 20 minutes. Michigan forced the Spartans into 13 turnovers, resulting in 18 U-M points. The Wolverines shot 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from the floor in the opening stanza, compared to 48.0 percent (12-for-25) for MSU.
Michigan scored the first eight points out of the break for a 49-31 lead on a free throw from sophomore Danielle Williams, a layup from Smith, a triple from Thompson and a Goree layup to force an MSU timeout at the 17:58 mark. Goree hit a pair of free throws for a 51-31 Michigan lead with 16:28 left in the contest.
MSU climbed back in the game with an 11-0 run to cut Michigan's lead to single digits (55-47) on a triple, but Smith answered on Michigan's next trip down the floor with a floater in the lane with 7:38 left. Flaherty followed with a pair of free throws with 7:17 left to push Michigan's lead back to 12, 59-47.
The Spartans closed the gap to seven points, 63-56, with 4:01 remaining. Smith hit a jumper to push the lead back nine with 3:30 left. Michigan State answered with a layup on the next possession before Flaherty's fifth triple of the contest pushed U-M's lead to 68-58. Flaherty scored seven points in a 2:25 span giving Michigan a 72-60 lead with 46 seconds remaining as the Wolverines earned the nine-point win and improved its mark at Crisler Center to 8-1 on the season.
The Maize and Blue shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the floor and 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from beyond the three-point arc. The Wolverines also made 16 of their 21 free throws. U-M had a 15-6 assist advantage and scored 25 points off Spartan turnovers.
Michigan returns to action on Wednesday (Jan. 7), traveling to Piscataway, N.J., to take on Rutgers. Tip is slated for 7 p.m.
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
