Michigan
Northwestern
Wolverines to Hit the Road for No. 23 Northwestern
1/28/2020 4:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Michigan will hit the road for the first of two contests against Northwestern this season. It is U-M's first game at Welsh Ryan Arena since the 2015-16 season.
» The Wolverines are looking for their first win over a ranked opponent this season as Northwestern comes into the game ranked No. 23 by the Associated Press.
» The game at Northwestern starts a busy week for the Wolverines, who will play the top two teams in the Big Ten this week in the Wildcats (tied for second) and Iowa (No. 1).
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Jan. 30 -- at No. 23 Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 7 p.m. CST
TV: BTN+ | Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team (13-6, 4-4 Big Ten) hits the road for a midweek game, heading to Northwestern to face the No. 23-ranked Wildcats (17-3, 7-2 Big Ten) on Thursday (Jan. 30) at 7 p.m. CST.
• Michigan is looking for its first win over a ranked opponent this season when the Wolverines take on No. 23 Northwestern at Welsh Ryan Arena for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Michigan also will have another chance on Sunday (Feb. 2) when No. 18-ranked Iowa comes to Crisler Center. U-M is facing the top two teams in the conference this week, with Northwestern tied for second at 7-2 and Iowa at No. 1 with an 8-1 mark.
• For the second time this season, a pair of teammates record a double-double in the same game when Naz Hillmon and Akienreh Johnson each produced a double dip against Rutgers (Jan. 26). Hillmon went for 20 points and 12 rebounds, with Johnson recording the first double-double of her career with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Hillmon now has six double-doubles on the season to rank third in the Big Ten, with Johnson, Kayla Robbins and Amy Dilk each recording one this year.
• U-M has topped the 50 percent mark from the floor in the three of its Big Ten games, helping the Wolverines to wins in each of those contests. In Michigan's 82-48 win over Penn State, the Maize and Blue shot 50.8 percent (31-for-61) from the floor to mark its first game over 50 percent since shooting 55.8 percent against Morgan State (Dec. 1). The Wolverines followed that up by hitting 56.7 percent (34-for-60) from the floor against Michigan State (Jan. 5). Michigan became the first team to shoot 50 percent from the floor against Rutgers, making 26-of-52 shots for an even 50 percent showing en route to a 71-57 win (Jan. 26). U-M is 6-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. In Big Ten action, Michigan is third in the conference in field-goal percentage at 45.1. Overall, Michigan is shooting 45.4 percent from the floor, good for third.
• Sophomore Danielle Rauch made the first start of her career in Michigan's game against Rutgers (Jan. 26), in place of senior Kayla Robbins. Rauch battled foul trouble in the contest but played 15 minutes while grabbing a pair of rebounds. The sophomore from Syracuse, New York, has averaged 23.0 minutes per game over the last two contests after playing just under nine minutes per game before Robbins was injured.
• No. 23 Northwestern (17-3, 7-2 Big Ten) is coming off a 70-61 loss at No. 20 Maryland on Sunday (Jan. 26). The Wildcats are averaging 69.3 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting while allowing only 54.9 points per game on 36.8 percent shooting. NU's defense is led by sophomore guard Veronica Burton, who was named to the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year 2020 Midseason Team. NU also has three players averaging in double digits in Lindsey Pulliam (18.6 ppg), Abi Scheid (11.7 ppg) and Abbie Wolf (11.5 ppg). Michigan has won five straight against the Wildcats.
