Kornacki: Wolverines Have Feel-Good Springboard Game to Big Ten Play

By Steve Kornacki

• Michigan Caps Non-Conference Play with Decisive Win Over Delaware State
• Watch: Highlights vs. Delaware State

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It was a joyous afternoon for the University of Michigan women's basketball team.

The Wolverines beat Delaware State, 105-36, with five players scoring in double-figures, led by 22 from point guard Katelynn Flaherty and power forward Jillian Dunston pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds on her 22nd birthday.

The pep band played "Happy Birthday" as she met courtside with her family, and then ran off the court waving to the band and those in attendance at Crisler Center.

The team celebrated a win and a birthday before taking four days off for Christmas, having gone 11-2 in non-conference play, and losing only to No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Louisville en route to earning a No. 23 ranking in the Associated Press poll.

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico has stressed sharing the ball more and cutting down on turnovers, and Thursday afternoon's (Dec. 21) win was a good step in that direction.

The Wolverines came into the game with more turnovers (192) than assists (165), and that generally is not a recipe for success. But they had a season-high 27 assists versus 13 turnovers against Delaware State. The Hornets had only seven healthy players and only one previous victory, and tougher tests are coming. But Barnes Arico was encouraged by the vision and attitude her players displayed.

"Tonight, it was just a lot of (good) vision. And tonight, this wasn't as competitive of a team as it usually is, and a lot of passes were open," Flaherty said. "But we were just more comfortable in passing the ball, and I think that will correlate in the bigger games."

Flaherty had seven assists, one away from her previous best, and only one turnover for the third consecutive game.

"It's definitely been a transition," said Flaherty, Michigan's career scoring leader with 2,304 points. "Working on it in practice each day really helps and watching film, knowing the offensive sets and working on the transition in practice helps. But just having experience in games helps a lot. I've played 13 games at point guard now, and it's working (out) better."

Her coach really likes what she's seeing.

"Katelynn has just been phenomenal," said Barnes Arico. "If at this time last year, someone would've told me she'd be running the point, I would've been nervous. And I'm not nervous. She handles pressure, is able to get to the rim, and make extra passes. She used to just be a scorer, and now scores in multiple ways.

"Her ability to make our team better, and she does the best job of finding (center) Hallie Thome on our team. She's really stepped into her role and handled that really well."

The Wolverines rank second among Big Ten teams in scoring defense (56.1 points) and field goal percentage (.485). They are third in field goal percentage defense (.345) and rebound margin (plus-9.8). But they are only 10th in assists (14.8) and ninth in assist-to-turnover (15.8) margin.

What do Barnes Arico and her players see as the areas requiring the most attention heading into next Thursday's (Dec. 28) Big Ten opener at home with Penn State?

"We still have to always make sure that we're taking care of the ball," said Barnes Arico. "Sometimes, we get loose with the ball. We had 10 turnovers at the half tonight, but finished with 13. So, we are capable of limiting our turnovers. But we've still got to become a better passing team and that was the challenge I gave them coming into the game, and we finished with 27 assists.

"Rebounding is something we're really emphasizing. Jillie has really stepped up and done a tremendous job on the glass (ranking third in the Big Ten with 10.2 rebounds), but now we've got to step up and get Hallie Thome and Hailey Brown and some of our guards. Deja Church can be a phenomenal rebounder, and Nicole Munger, (too). We've got to get everybody to buy into rebounding."

What do the players believe the challenges are?

"Just being ready, being prepared and being sharp," said Flaherty. "Making sure we're in shape and being focused."

Michigan power forward Jillian Dunston celebrated her 22nd birthday on Thursday by grabbing 11 rebounds, helping her team roll to a win over Delaware State and with a pregame rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the pep band.

"Eliminating turnovers and taking care of the ball," Brown said. "The Big Ten opponents are going to be a lot quicker and stronger, and so taking care of the ball is the main thing we have to work on. And then, rebounding. We have a lot of length and height, and if we out-rebound teams we're going to be successful."

Where do they believe they have made the most progress?

"Executing and shooting the ball," said Flaherty, "and running in offensive transition we're doing pretty well with. Defensively, we're locking into our scout (report), and now we just have to come out right at the tipoff so we don't get jumped on right away."

Brown agreed.

"Our transition game, getting out and running," she said. "That's the easiest way for us to get points and carries into our defensive stops."

The development of two new starters (guard Munger and small forward Brown) and the reserves also are priorities. Munger is averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds, and Brown is at 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds.

"I knew we would have a great scorer in Katelynn Flaherty," said Barnes Arico, "and we had a great big in Hallie Thome. They were two all-conference players. But I didn't know about the other pieces, and I wasn't sure how we were going to handle losing a point guard (Siera Thompson) that started for four years.

"Then, Nicole Munger went from playing 15 minutes a game to now 30 minutes. Was Deja Church going to be able to come in and provide the impact she has (with 8.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists off the bench), and how deep was our bench going to be able to go? And in the last three games we've seen that Akienreh Johnson has given some real positive minutes. And I didn't know that Jillian Dunston was going to have the senior season that she's kicked off to. And Hallie Brown coming in (to start) as a freshman, you never really know.

"There were a lot of unknowns. So, 13 games in, you know a little more. Things are going to turn up a little with conference play starting, but I know what I can expect from them and how hard they can go in contributing to our program being successful."

Brown, a freshman who was a member of Canada's bronze medal-winning team in the FIBA U19 World Cup last summer, had a career-high 12 points with six rebounds against Delaware State.

"Hailey Brown is a tremendous player," said Barnes Arico. "She's just going to continue to improve as this season and her career progresses. She can shoot the ball from the outside. She can post up. She can rebound. She can pass. She can handle a little bit."

Brown said, "The main thing for me has been just letting the game come to me. It's easy when I have Kate, Nic(ole) and Hallie in the paint. When they get their looks, my looks come, too. So, when we share the ball, it's easier for me to get my shots and that's where my confidence comes from. And when my confidence is up, the game comes easier.

"Sharing the ball is really something we've been working on because we have a lot of different weapons, both on the perimeter and inside. So when we share the ball, if the team wants to take something or somebody away, we have the opportunity to use another strength."

Sophomore forward Kayla Robbins came off the bench, equaling her career high with 12 points. Two sophomores, Johnson and KeAsja Peace, both scored nine points against Delaware State as the reserves combined for 35 points.

It was a feel-good game, but now the conference season -- with three Top 25 opponents -- awaits. It's time to take a quick break and get back down to business.