Michigan
13-2,3-1Big Ten
Penn State
10-5,1-3Big Ten
Fourth Quarter Spurt Sends Michigan Past Penn State
1/3/2023 4:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team used a 10-0 run in the middle stages of the fourth quarter to pull away in an 82-72 win over Penn State on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 3) at Crisler Center. U-M outscored the Lady Lions 25-15 over the final 10 minutes to record the win.
With the game tied at 57 after three quarters, Michigan (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) opened the fourth with a triple from Maddie Nolan. The teams exchanged scores over the next several possessions to again tie the game, this time at 62.
Leigha Brown made a pair of free throws with 7:27 on the clock to jumpstart the run, with Laila Phelia hitting on her second three-point attempt of the possession with 6:53 to go for a five-point lead. Phelia hit a hanging jump shot as Michigan broke the press the next time down, pushing Michigan's lead to 69-62 with 6:06 remaining and Penn State (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten) forced to call timeout.
Nolan banged her fifth triple of the game on Michigan's ensuing trip down the court for a 72-62 advantage at the 5:34 mark. Penn State got no closer than seven points the rest of the way as Michigan held the Lady Lions to just 29.4 percent shooting (5-for-17) in the final frame. Brown converted on a three-pointer with 3:11 left that pushed Michigan's lead back to double-digits and essentially put the game out of reach.
Phelia led all scorers with 24 points on 7-for-17 shooting, along with six boards, two assists and a steal. Brown was on triple-double watch yet again, settling for a double-double of 22 points and 10 boards with eight assists. Nolan hit a season-high five triples and recorded her third straight double-figure scoring game with 17 points. Emily Kiser rounded out Michigan's double-figure scorers with 10 points, eight boards, four assists and two steals.
After falling behind 4-0 early, Michigan used a 10-3 run on back-to-back Nolan triples, along with four Phelia free throws, for a 10-7 lead at the 6:45 mark of the first quarter. U-M's lead grew to 18-11 in the later stages of the first quarter, but Penn State answered with a 10-0 run that included a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 21-18 lead after 10 minutes.
The Wolverines trailed by as many as five points in the second quarter. Michigan ended the half on a 9-0 run over the final 2:26, getting the first seven points from Brown to turn a 34-29 deficit into a 38-34 halftime lead.
Penn State uncorked on an 11-4 run to start the third, grabbing a 45-42 lead with 5:32 remaining. Phelia made a layup and hit a pair of free throws, followed by Nolan hitting a three-pointer with 4:11 remaining as U-M regained a 49-45 lead.
Michigan grabbed a 55-50 lead off a Kiser triple at the top of the key to beat the shot clock at the 2:31 mark, but Penn State again answered by scoring seven of the final nine points of the period to send the game to the fourth tied at 57.
Michigan finishes a two-game homestand next time out, hosting No. 16 Iowa on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7) at 4:30 p.m. The game will be the first Big Ten women's basketball game to appear on Fox.
