Kornacki: Spark Plug Munger, 'Hungry Dogs' Grind Out Win Over Buckeyes
1/20/2019 8:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nicole Munger wasn't going to let this game get away. Her coach could see it on the court with the charges she was taking, fouls she was drawing and points she was scoring. Her teammates could see it in her eyes, the way they burned with desire.
University of Michigan women's basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico used Munger as an example during a fourth-quarter timeout with time running out on a potential comeback win.
"We couldn't have been playing any more tight and were really low-energy at that point with the exception of Nicole," said Barnes Arico. "We talked about it during a timeout: 'Everybody's got to contribute, not just Nicole. We just need a couple more of you to do that, a couple more of you to sacrifice, a couple more to make plays like that. So, play with that intensity! Play with that heart. Play with that desire.'"
The Wolverines answered that call as five different players scored in the 21-5 run over the final 8:06 of a 62-58 win over Ohio State Sunday afternoon (Jan. 20). A charged-up crowd of 5,422 at Crisler Center received all it could've asked for and more.
Especially from Munger and freshman post player Naz Hillmon, who scored nine and six points, respectively, in the game's final seven minutes.
Hillmon (20 points, eight rebounds) and Munger (18 points while playing 39 of 40 minutes and drawing seven fouls) combined for 61 percent of the scoring, but senior center Hallie Thome had a big bucket and a huge block in the final two minutes. Sophomore forward Hailey Brown got the basket that started the game-winning run along with some key rebounds, and freshman point guard Amy Dilk swished two important free throws while making alert passes and finishing with a career-high 10 assists.
Munger's fourth triple tied the score with just over a minute to play.
"They had an incredible, incredible fourth quarter," Barnes Arico said of her team's 25-12 advantage in the final 10 minutes.
She said they began scoring by passing and driving the ball inside for shots, "taking advantage of mismatches" and grabbing every rebound possible to keep possessions alive or start them.
The Wolverines (12-7, 3-4 Big Ten) trailed by 12 points, 53-41, with eight minutes to play but held the Buckeyes to five points the rest of the way. Hillmon said the turnaround was sparked by finding a way to "lock in on defense," and Munger said it was "grit," noting that "some wins are just going to be grinders."
And while Michigan chipped away, Munger missed a pair of open three-point shots that kept her team from taking the lead. However, with 1:06 to play and OSU having just broken a tie and regained the lead with a trey from Carly Santoro, Munger didn't hesitate to go up with another shot from behind the arc.
Swish!
Game tied, 58-all.
"My teammates having my back and the work that I know I've put in go hand-in-hand with having to have the confidence in crucial situations," said Munger. "They had a big three to go up three, and we answered right back."
Munger leads U-M with 39 three-point field goals.
Munger was coming off two awful offensive performances in road games, having gone 0-for-12 on three-pointers and totaling 11 points in losses at Maryland and Iowa. But she was 4-for-11 against OSU, and her confidence in shooting from deep wasn't affected.
"Goodness! It took a long time," said Barnes Arico, "but she is a tremendous shooter. I said, 'Nicole, you have the green light. You shoot the basketball. You are going to make your shots. So, have that confidence.'
"I think what I'm proudest of is that she hasn't been making all the shots. She hasn't been playing her best basketball in terms of shooting percentage, but her impact she's having on our team and our program has just been off the charts."
Munger said, "I know how much work I put in this summer and throughout my lifetime, how many hours I've been in the gym. So, it goes back to my coaches and teammates telling me I have to shoot the ball and be an outside threat. ... The ball just happened to be in my hands because I got loose."
Hillmon smiled and added, "What she means is, 'Shooters shoot.'"
Munger, from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, leads the Wolverines with 39 treys while averaging 10.7 points in her senior season. But she also leads the team as a captain by never taking even a second off. Barnes Arico said she had to sit Munger during one practice to save her for games, but Munger didn't want the break, lamenting that she had been "benched."
"Her effort has been on another level," said Barnes Arico. "And it's not only in the games. She's like that in practices. I think she knows that this is her last go-around, and she is going to leave every single thing that she has on the court. I don't even think she could dial it up another level, and she has dialed it up another level. She is selling out on every single play and setting the example for our younger kids on every play. ... She's just a special kid who gives everything for the team."
Hillmon said, "She's throwing her body everywhere. She sacrifices for the team. If there's one person that you say is for the team, it's definitely Nicole Munger. She goes out there every day, the shots not falling, and she's still playing defense. Anything she can (do) to really pump us up, she knows on plays where everyone's supposed to be. She's like a coach on the floor. ... She's definitely a leader."
Hillmon (00) and Munger (10) helped spark the Wolverines on both offense and defense with their effort.
Drawing fouls can get overlooked in boxscores, but Munger drew seven of them Sunday, and the Buckeyes finished with two starters each one foul away from their fifth and final.
"Incredible," said Barnes Arico. "I think she understands more and more as the season progresses that being a great shooter will allow you to draw those fouls. ... She's smart and experienced enough, where some of our younger kids don't understand that and aren't there yet to draw the foul, she has the ability to draw the foul."
Munger did everything she could to assure a comeback victory, and she has been that way ever since the 2017 WNIT championship run. She was crucial to the triple-overtime win in the title game against Georgia Tech, scoring seven of her 12 points in that decisive extra period.
"I hate losing," said Munger. "I think everyone on this team does, and it's just as simple as that."
When it was over, Michigan had beaten the Buckeyes in consecutive games for the first time since taking three straight, 2010 to 2012, and the Wolverines celebrated at center court with plenty of hugs, high-fives and smiles.
"It's a testament to our team fighting back," said Munger. "Being at home helped so much. It was nice. The crowd made it happen, and it was just a lot of fun. We did it together. Kudos to everyone down the line, one through 14.
"Hungry dogs run faster, and we're hungry. We need wins."
