WICHITA, Kan. — With the clock
ticking down in the Michigan women’s
basketball team’s first ever Elite Eight,
junior guard Maddie Nolan, standing
on the block, looked across the lane
to senior forward Naz Hillmon. The
two shared a look, Hillmon told Nolan
to take a deep breath and they both
steeled themselves for the next play.
Down by nine and struggling
to overcome a late onslaught from
Louisville, both players knew the
situation
was
grim.
Michigan’s
chances at a Final Four berth — the
first in program history — were
quickly slipping away.
In their first trip to the Elite Eight
in program history, the third-seeded
Wolverines (25-7 overall) fell to the
first-seeded Cardinals (29-4), 62-50.
In a crushing loss to end its historic
season on Monday night, Michigan
struggled to break through against
Louisville’s stifling defense in spite of
its own defensive strength.
“We knew it would be a game of
runs and we had our share of runs,”
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico
said. “They did what they do best.
They forced us into some turnovers
which resulted in some easy points for
them.”
A defensive battle from the
beginning, both teams were hard-
pressed to score. The Wolverines
zeroed in on stopping the Cardinals
from
running
their
fast-paced
transition
offense.
Lousiville
jumped out to an early lead, but were
continually tested by Michigan’s
pesky defense — a narrative that
repeated itself multiple times down
the stretch.
On
the
offensive
end,
the
Wolverines
struggled
to
score
throughout the first quarter. With
the Cardinals dropping into their full-
court press after nearly every made
basket, they forced Michigan into a
few crucial early turnovers.
The Wolverines tried to find their
offense both inside and out, looking
to Hillmon and senior forward Emily
Kiser in the paint early on. But the
Michigan’s historic season comes to a close
in Elite Eight loss to Louisville
SPORTSWEDNESDAY
Wolverines struggled to find the
bottom of the net, starting cold behind
the 3-point line — until junior guard
Maddie Nolan checked in.
Cutting Louisville’s growing lead
with two 3-pointers late in the first
quarter, Nolan was the offensive
difference-maker early on. With the
Cardinals having to leave their player
to help on Nolan, Kiser and Hillmon
found more space in the post. Ending
the quarter by taking a charge, Nolan
continued to keep Louisville at bay.
The defensive battle continued as
both teams fought to gain control of
the game. Forcing the Cardinals into
a shot clock violation with under 30
seconds left in the half, the Wolverines
ABBIE TELGENHOF
Daily Sports Writer
CURTAIN CALL
had a chance to take the lead for the
second time. Instead, a turnover and
a missed defensive rebound allowed
the Cardinals to extend their lead,
forcing Michigan to enter the locker
room down by three.
Opening the second half facing
a
renewed
Louisville
full-court
press, the Wolverines fell back into
their early pattern of turnovers. A
scoring drought plagued Michigan
throughout
the
third
quarter,
allowing the Cardinals to continue
their balanced scoring attack from all
five starters.
“I think their pressure, and that’s
something that was obviously a
concern of ours, really wore us down,”
Barnes Arico said. “… Once we settled
down (offensively), they wore us
down with their defensive pressure,
which forced turnovers.”
Drawing fouls in the paint, the
Wolverines’ main source of points in
the third quarter on the free-throw
line until Nolan drained another
3-pointer from the corner — once
again cutting into Louisville’s lead.
Michigan continued to pester the
Cardinals, refusing to be buried,
ending the quarter down by just two
points.
Starting the fourth quarter once
again with a turnover, the Wolverines
quickly erased the progress they’d
made at the end of the third — back-to-
back turnovers led to quick transition
buckets for Louisville.
Then, senior wing Leigha Brown
stepped off the floor for the final time
just under two minutes into the fourth
quarter. Brown, who’s struggled with
a lower-leg injury all season, had
seemingly re-aggravated her injury.
With Brown relegated to the bench,
Michigan struggled to find any
scoring outside the paint.
“Really, her tank was empty,”
Barnes Arico said. “She couldn’t go
anymore. … When you don’t have a
dynamic guard, like Leigha Brown,
arguably our best guard on the roster,
that really hurts.”
With just under three minutes left
in regulation, the Wolverines faced
a two point differential. But failing
to execute, missing multiple shots
and turning the ball over, Michigan
allowed the Cardinals to extend
their lead. As Louisville continued to
grow its advantage throughout the
remaining minutes, Michigan could
only watch as its hopes at a Final Four
were dashed.
“I don’t think the final score is
indicative of how that game went,”
senior guard Danielle Rauch said.
“How hard we fought and how much
we put them on the ropes and we
applied pressure as much as we could.
Some things didn’t go our way. But I
think that’s important to recognize.”
Ending
their
season
in
the
program’s first-ever Elite Eight, the
Wolverines made history.
Just not as much as they wanted.
Ending their season in the
program’s first-ever Elite Eight,
the Wolverines made history.
Just not as much as they wanted.
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