By TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
Katelynn Flaherty took one
half to get rolling, but once
the sophomore guard did, the
Michigan
women’s
basketball
team
followed her lead.
The
Wolverines
(6-7
Big
Ten, 14-10 overall) rallied in
the
second
half,
outscoring
Wisconsin by 18 in the final 20
minutes, to win their second
consecutive game, 82-65.
The
Badgers
(3-10,
7-16)
led for most of the first half,
keeping
Michigan’s
star
weapon, Flaherty, silent for
20
minutes.
Flaherty
was
averaging 22.7 points entering
Thursday, but she scored just
three in the first half.
“I wasn’t hitting shots in the
first half, and other people were
playing better, so I wanted to get
the ball in their hands,” Flaherty
said. “I got a quick basket in the
second half. Once I get going, it
gives me a lot of confidence …
(Wisconsin) switched up who
guarded me a little bit, but they
pretty much face-guarded me
the whole game.”
In the game prior to Wisconsin,
against Illinois, Flaherty put up a
career-best 36 points to reach the
1,000-point mark.
Thursday, she scored her first
basket on a mid-range jumper
about seven minutes into the
game. And despite shooting
1-for-7 in the first half, Flaherty
picked herself up and scored
23, including an acrobatic and-1
finish in the third quarter.
On the fast break in the
second
half,
Flaherty,
in
transition, drove at the lone
Badger guard who had made it
back on defense. Flaherty drew
the foul and launched the ball
from her hip, somehow getting
the layup to fall.
“I was just trying to draw
the foul, really,” Flaherty said.
“And then once it went out of
my hands, it felt pretty good. I
turned around, and it went in.
It was one of the turning points
in the game, and I think there
were a few plays that followed
that that really put the game in
our favor.”
Added Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico: “I have confidence
when
Katelynn
takes
those
because, you know, she’s one of
the best scorers in the country. I
think (that play) was part of the
way she was able to get going in
the second half.”
In the first half, the Badgers’
extended defense took away
Flaherty’s shot, overplaying her
to prevent Michigan’s 3-point
game
from
getting
going.
In the second half, Flaherty
began to drive more, which
opened up other options for the
Wolverines’ offense.
Michigan’s
post
players
picked
up
the
slack
while
Flaherty struggled in the first
half. Senior forward Kelsey
Mitchell and freshman center
Hallie Thome combined for
25 points in the game, and
junior guard and captain Siera
Thompson had a routine night
as well, going for 15 points, two
assists and seven rebounds.
Michigan
freshman
guard
Boogie Brozoski earned her
second
consecutive
start,
scoring nine points and dishing
out four assists.
The matchup marked the
penultimate
regular-season
game at Crisler Center this
season. Michigan’s three seniors
—
Mitchell,
guard
Madison
Ristovski and fifth-year guard
Halle Wangler — could play their
final home game next Saturday
against Penn State.
The win puts the Wolverines
one step closer to the .500 mark
as the Big Ten Tournament
looms just around the corner.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
8 — Friday, February 12, 2016
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
‘M’ stymies Kelsey, Badgers
By CHRIS CROWDER
Daily Sports Writer
Wisconsin coach Bobbie Kelsey
has one of the funniest, say-what’s-
on-her-mind personalities in the
Big Ten. At the conference’s media
day in October, the Daily sat down
with her to discuss the challenges of
the preseason and how she wanted
to direct her program. From telling
7-year-olds to go play when they’re
talking on recruiting visits to
quipping that fans shouldn’t give
commentary on Twitter about
how to coach, conversations with
Kelsey are intriguing.
She
uses
her
knack
for
conversation in her coaching
style
as
well,
often
asking
her players what works best
for them so that they can be
understood and successful. The
Badgers played Michigan on
Thursday night, and during the
game, the Daily reflected on
how well Wisconsin played in
comparison to Kelsey’s hopes at
the beginning of the season.
“When we stay healthy, the
sky is the limit for this team,”
Kelsey said. “We can shock a lot
of people. I know other coaches
have personally told me that
our team is hard to play because
we play hard. … I’m excited to
see what our team will be like
when we have
everybody
on
our court.”
The Badgers
have not lived
up to Kelsey’s
hopes
this
season, coming
into
the
matchup against Michigan with
a 3-9 Big Ten record. Though
Wisconsin was within striking
distance until halfway through
the fourth quarter, it ran out
of gas. The Badgers fell, 82-65,
and were unable to shock the
Wolverines to pull off the upset.
“Sometimes,
we
can
beat
their mental confidence down,”
Kelsey said. “We say that we’re
just trying to get them to work
hard, but you have to have some
creativity with that sometimes.
That’s what Joe Madden does
with the Cubs. He’s going in
there, and they have hats with
hands on it, breakfast on the field.
He’s
doing
things
to
energize them
and to get them
to play relaxed.
There’s
nothing worse
than
playing
tense.”
Michigan began the contest
with a three-quarter court press
on defense, and Wisconsin had
moments of both success and
failure maneuvering through it
all game. But in nearly every trip
up the court, the Badgers looked
tense. In the first half alone,
the Badgers committed nine
turnovers. As the Wolverine press
continued on, Wisconsin finished
with 13 turnovers, less tense
in the second half. Though the
Badgers took better care of the
ball, they turned it over in crucial
moments when they needed a run
to climb back into the game.
“I don’t want them to be out
there goofing around,” Kelsey
said. “But certainly, I want a
relaxed urgency. Your hair is not
on fire.”
The Badgers came out of the
gate firing on all cylinders, starting
on a 12-4 run in the first five
minutes of the game. The scoring
slowed down after the Wolverines’
defensive pressure intensified, as
Wisconsin managed to tally 37
points going into halftime leading
by one. Down by double digits in
the fourth quarter, the Badgers
kept fighting to cut the deficit to
as little as five when the contest
was coming to a close and were
outscored 23-14 in the final stanza.
“If they know what they’re
doing, you don’t have to stress,”
Kelsey said. “You know what
you’re supposed to be doing,
everybody
knows
their
role,
getting the ball in the post, sharing
the ball, things of that nature.”
“I want a relaxed
urgency.”
WISCONSIN
MICHIGAN
65
82
Michigan tops Wisconsin
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Freshman center Hallie Thome finished with 18 points against Wisconsin.