Michigan
18-14
Toledo
19-14
Flaherty, Thompson Send Michigan Past Toledo in WNIT
3/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 23, 2015
• Box Score | Notes | WNIT Bracket
Site: Toledo, Ohio (Savage Arena)
Score: Michigan 74, Toledo 58
Records: U-M (17-14), UT (19-13)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, March 26 -- vs. Missouri - WNIT Third Round (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: A Sweet 16 Night for Wolverines in WNIT Win
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Freshman Katelynn Flaherty scored 25 points, and sophomore Siera Thompson scored 20 as the University of Michigan women's basketball team used a 16-0 run before the half to take control in a 74-58 win at Toledo on Monday night (March 23) at Savage Arena.
Flaherty scored 25 on 11-for-15 shooting, including a 2-for-3 showing from three-point range, while Thompson was 6-for-8 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point land. Senior Cyesha Goree chipped in 13 points, and classmate Nicole Elmblad went for eight points and 14 rebounds in the U-M win. Michigan shot 48.1 percent (26-for-54) for the game and outrebounded the Rockets, 35-31.
Michigan took its first lead of the contest on a Flaherty corner triple in transition with 7:59 left in the first, resulting in a Toledo timeout as U-M grabbed a 19-16 lead. The triple capped an 8-0 run for Michigan over 2:35, including a triple from Thompson and a basket from Goree.
With Goree and senior Shannon Smith each on the bench with two fouls, U-M went on a 16-0 run over the last 5:07 of the first half. A Flaherty three-point play ignited the run, which included nine points from Flaherty, five from Thompson and two from Elmblad.
Flaherty hit a jumper at the top of the key as the halftime buzzer sounded to send the Wolverines to the locker room with a 37-23 lead. Flaherty led the way for Michigan with 14 points, while Goree chipped in 10 points, and Thompson went for eight in the opening 20 minutes. Michigan shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the floor in the first frame and held Toledo without a point for the last 5:07 of the frame.
Michigan opened the second half by scoring seven of the first 12 points, capped by an acrobatic Smith jumper in the lane with 16:04 left. Toledo called timeout after the shot with the Wolverines taking their largest lead of the game to that point, 44-28.
U-M extended its lead to 19 points, 54-35, on a Flaherty triple with 12:08 on the clock.
Toledo used a 9-0 run to close within 10 points, 54-44, with 6:52 remaining, and Michigan was forced to call timeout. Flaherty knocked down an 18-footer on Michigan's next possession to push the lead back to 12, 56-44. She scored again on the next possession as Michigan regained a 14-point lead, 58-44, with 5:52 remaining.
Thompson hit her fourth triple of the evening with 3:24 left, pushing the Maize and Blue's lead to 16, 63-47, and forcing a Toledo timeout.
After Toledo trimmed the lead to 10, 67-57, with 2:15 on the clock, the Wolverines hit five-of-six free throws to push the advantage back to 15 points with 1:50 left. Elmblad completed the scoring with a pair of freebies with 51 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.
Michigan will host Missouri in the third round of the WNIT on Thursday (March 26) at Crisler Center. Tickets will be $7 for adults, with a group rate of $5 (10 or more). The first 300 U-M staff members with their MCard will also receive free admission, as well as all U-M students. Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday morning (March 24) at 8:30 a.m.
