Michigan
20-4,11-3Big Ten
Northwestern
14-9,6-6Big Ten
Wolverines Rally Late, Fall in Double OT at Northwestern
2/13/2022 4:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Danielle Rauch scored five points in the final 30 seconds of regulation to erase a five-point Northwestern lead and force overtime. The Wildcats prevailed in double overtime behind a pair of free throws with less than four seconds remaining.
» Naz Hillmon became the fourth member of Michigan' 2,000-point club behind a 16-point, 15-rebound performance. She also notched her 45th career double-double, moving into solo first place at Michigan.
» U-M now has a week off before returning to Crisler Center to host Maryland as part of Dollar Day.
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Northwestern 71, #4 Michigan 69 (2OT)
Records: U-M (20-4, 11-3 B1G), NU (13-9, 6-6 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 20 -- vs. Maryland (Crisler Center), 3 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team got five points from Danielle Rauch in the final 30 seconds of regulation to erase a five-point deficit to send the game to overtime, but Northwestern hit a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining in double overtime to record a 71-69 win over U-M on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 13) at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Rauch hit a three with 26 seconds left in regulation, pulling Michigan to within two, 58-56. U-M got the turnover on the ensuing Northwestern possession and Rauch drew a foul with seven ticks on the clock. The senior calmly sank both and the Wildcats missed on its final possession to send the game to overtime.
Northwestern struck first in the first overtime session, hitting a three on its opening possession, but Maddie Nolan had an answer on the other end to draw Michigan even. The teams exchanged a pair of free throws to account for the scoring the rest of the way, as U-M could not get a shot off its final possession to send the game to a second overtime.
The Wildcats led by three points in the second overtime before Rauch countered with a stepback triple to pull the Wolverines even with 53 seconds remaining. U-M got a stop on the ensuing possession, giving the Wolverines the ball back with 30.3 seconds left. A bad pass found its way to Northwestern, which called timeout to advance. Veronica Burton drew the foul on the inbounds, hitting both free throws with 3.7 remaining. Michigan's final attempt following the timeout fell off the rim, giving Northwestern the victory.
Naz Hillmon became the fourth member of the 2,000-point club at Michigan, finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds. The double-double pushed her into solo first place all-time at U-M with 45 in her career. Emily Kiser finished with 13 points and five rebounds, with Danielle Rauch going for 13 points and three boards. U-M held a 48-40 advantage on the glass but turned it over 21 times to result in 27 Wildcat points.
Michigan hit the half in a 32-32 deadlock with the Wildcats after a foul-plagued opening 20 minutes. With Hillmon limited to just five minutes with two fouls, Izabel Varejão came through with nine first-half points off the bench.
NU scored the first five points of the third quarter for a 37-32 lead, but Michigan outscored the Wildcats 16-10 the rest of the way in the period for a 48-43 lead after 30 minutes. U-M ended the quarter on an 8-0 run, capped by a pair of Kiser free throws with 0.3 seconds left.
Northwestern countered by opening the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run to tie the contest at 48 at the 8:15 mark. Rauch came through with a corner triple the next time down and following a pair of Northwestern free throws, Hillmon knocked down two of her own for a 53-50 lead at the 6:31 mark.
Michigan was held off the board for a little over six minutes before Rauch's flurry in the final 30 seconds.
U-M gets a week off before hosting Maryland next Sunday (Feb. 20) at Crisler Center as part of Dollar Day, with general admission tickets just $1. The game is set for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
