8 — Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Women’s Basketball

4

Michigan players with double-digit 

scoring: Cyesha Goree, Nicole Elmblad, 
Katelynn Flaherty and Shannon Smith

12

Double-doubles this season for Cyesha 

Goree
6

Consecutive home wins for the Wol-

verines
19

Largest lead for Michigan, with 2:05 left 

in the first half
25

Michigan turnovers in the game, a 

season high

For exclusive women’s 
basketball coverage
Check MichiganDaily.com

Michigan extends 
home win streak

By JACOB GASE

Daily Sports Writer

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team entered Crisler 
Center on Monday night having 
won five straight home games, 
including its first three against 
Big 
Ten 

opponents.

For 
a 

struggling 
Illinois squad to have any chance 
of securing a streak-snapping 
upset, it needed to both outshoot 
the Wolverines and contain 
senior forward Cyesha Goree.

The Fighting Illini (2-6 Big 

Ten, 11-9 overall) weren’t able to 
do either.

Michigan (5-3, 13-6) jumped 

out to a quick lead by making 
nine of its first 12 field goals. 
Goree also picked up her now-
customary double-double (19 
points, 14 rebounds), allowing 
the Wolverines drop Illinois 
handedly, 70-57.

The Illinois post players gave 

it their best effort, but they 
simply had no answer for Goree 
on either side of the ball.

On 
offense, 
senior 
guard 

Shannon Smith and Michigan’s 
other passers frequently pushed 
the tempo in transition, looking 
for Goree in the paint early and 
often. Even on transition plays 
when she was triple-covered, 
the Wolverines had little trouble 
forcing passes into the paint 
for Goree, who scored eight of 
Michigan’s first ten points.

“We really did a great job of 

sharing the basketball, having 
a ton of assists and finding 
Cyesha,” said Michigan coach 
Kim Barnes Arico. “We found 
her a ton early, and then we kind 
of got greedy.”

On the other end, Goree’s 

tough post defense left very 
few offensive opportunities for 
the Fighting Illini. Matched up 
against two different 6-foot-3 
forwards, Goree still managed to 
pick up three blocks and help her 
team win the rebounding battle, 
41-28.

While Goree’s presence down 

low was invaluable, Michigan 
truly separated itself with its 
long-range 
game. 
Facing 
a 

significant height disadvantage 
and a tough zone defense, the 
Wolverines 
were 
forced 
to 

look for open shots around the 
perimeter, and they delivered.

Sophomore 
guard 
Siera 

Thompson, 
whose 
shooting 

percentage 
has 
fluctuated 

throughout 
the 
season, 

made four of 
her eight shots, 
including two 
3-pointers and 
a 
long-range 

2-pointer. 
Freshman 
guard 
Katelynn 
Flaherty, 
whose 3-point 
shooting prowess is a key in 
most opposing scouting reports, 
found 
numerous 
wide-open 

shots from beyond the arc and 
knocked down five of them.

“My 
team 
creates 
(those 

shots) for me,” Flaherty said. 
“They find me in great positions. 
As you can see, a lot of my shots 
I really don’t have to put the ball 
on the floor for. They look over 
the top of the zone, or the guards 
attack into the middle of the 
zone and see me spotting up, so 
it creates shots that are easy for 
me to hit.”

Conversely, 
the 
Fighting 

Illini struggled mightily when 

Michigan’s defense forced them 
to the outside. Illinois shot 
just 21 percent (4-for-19) from 
beyond the arc, with three shots 
missing the rim by several feet. 
Even on one memorable first-
half play where both Thompson 
and 
senior 
forward 
Nicole 

Elmblad tripped and fell to the 
ground in a heap, the Fighting 
Illini failed to convert an 
uncontested triple.

But Illinois still managed to 

stay within 10-15 points of the 
Wolverines for much of the game 
because of a several mistakes 
in transition. Michigan lost 25 
turnovers, 
including 
several 

errant passes in the first half that 
sailed out of bounds.

“(Illinois) 

played kind of 
crazy, 
which 

forced 
us 

to 
turn 
the 

ball 
over,” 

Flaherty said. 
“We 
need 

to 
be 
more 

patient, more 
confident 
at 

times.”

But thanks 

largely to a sharp improvement 
from Smith, who scored all 13 of 
her points in the second half, the 
Wolverines finished strong to 
seal a 13-point win.

“You can make a couple bad 

plays in a game, or you can have 
a bad half, or you can have a bad 
39 minutes, and maybe make 
one play to help your team win 
the game,” Barnes Arico said. 
“But if you let all that stuff 
bother you, mentally, you’re 
not in a good place to make that 
play.

“(Smith) is good enough to 

make a play that’s going to be a 
difference maker for us.”

ROBERT DUNNE/Daily

Junior forward Cyesha Goree finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds as Michigan moved to 5-3 in the Big Ten.

“We need to be 
more patient, 
more confident 

at times.”

Inside-out game leads 
Michigan to victory

Post presence opens 

perimeter for hot 
3-point shooting 

night at home

By BRAD WHIPPLE

Daily Sports Writer

Cyesha 
Goree 
had 
three 

players 
hovering 
over 
her, 

and with barely any room to 
maneuver, she made a layup 
anyway.

Monday 
night 
at 
Crisler 

Center, 
the 
senior 
forward 

faced multiple triple teams, but 
she nonetheless managed to 
fight through most of them. In 
every other instance, she was 
double-teamed, and that was 
even easier.

When it wasn’t Goree, it was 

senior forward Nicole Elmblad, 
who in the opening minutes 
salvaged a missed triple by 
senior guard Shannon Smith to 
set up the offense for another 
basket.

And 
when 
the 
Fighting 

Illini 
prevented 
the 
duo 

from wreaking havoc down 
low, sophomore guard Siera 
Thompson, 
freshman 
guard 

Katelynn Flaherty and junior 
guard 
Madison 
Ristovski 

cleaned up nicely from the 
3-point line.

With a strong and physical 

game in the paint that opened 
up the floor for other shooters to 
step in, the Michigan women’s 
basketball team easily pulled 
away with a 70-57 victory over 

Illinois.

“It makes it hard for teams 

to defend you,” said Michigan 
coach Kim Barnes Arico. “When 
we go through preparing for 
opponents, we try to say, ‘What 
can we take away?’ … If you have 
people like Cyesha inside and 
people that can shoot it from the 
outside, then who’s gonna help? 
I think that really opens up the 
game for us.”

Though the Fighting Illini 

scored 10 more points in the 
paint than Michigan, it was 
the Wolverines who dominated 
on the glass, outrebounding 
Illinois, 41-28. The game came 
down to defensive rebounding, 
where Goree and Elmblad — 
who collected 
14 and 12 total 
rebounds, 
respectively 
— 
led 
the 

charge.

With 

7:52 
left 
in 

the 
second 

half, 
Illinois 

was 
looking 

to 
make 
a 

comeback when center Chatrice 
White drove inside the paint. 
Goree and Elmblad covered the 
Illini’s leading scorer almost 
instantly, forcing a lane violation.

Meanwhile, 
on 
offense, 

Michigan continued to find 
Goree under the basket in 
transition, allowing her to pick 
up quick baskets.

When Illinois began to pack 

the paint to stop the inside 
threat, Goree started to find 
herself trapped on the baseline. 

The outside game willed the 
Wolverines to victory.

Finding 
themselves 
open 

on the outside, Flaherty (five), 
Thompson (two) and Ristovski 
(one) 
played 
a 
threatening 

3-point shooting game, going a 
combined 8-for-18.

As for Flaherty, she was 

always open.

“We’re great when we go 

inside and back out,” Flaherty 
said. “It opens up the floor a 
lot, especially when (Cyesha) 
is down inside because she can 
make shots and is a good passer. 
… She knows how to get me in 
good positions to score.”

Added Goree: “If I’m doubling 

in the paint, then I know I have 

Katelynn 
outside 
for 

sure. 
I’m 

confident 
she’s going to 
make nine out 
of 10 of those 
shots. … (You 
gotta) 
know 

(defenders 
are) 
gonna 

collapse 
and 

you gotta get it out quick.”

Both Barnes Arico and Goree 

refer to their team as a selfless 
one, always willing to share 
the basketball. That’s why four 
Michigan players scored in 
double digits, and it’s why the 
Wolverines set a goal to average 
20-plus assists a game.

Against the Illini, it worked 

in Michigan’s favor, and if the 
Wolverines can keep things 
consistent, it will continue to 
work in the games to come.

“I’m confident 
she’s going to 

make nine out of 
10 of those shots.”

COME FOR THE EUCHRE GAMES, 
STAY TO MAKE A NEWSPAPER!

Check out one of our open houses at 420 Maynard Street at 

8:00 p.m.:

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ILLINOIS
MICHIGAN 

57
70

