No. 24 Michigan’s up-and-down offense does just enough against No. 23 Minnesota, secures first ranked win, 70-65

MINNEAPOLIS — On paper, the No. 24 Michigan women’s basketball team and No. 23 Minnesota are nearly identical. The Wolverines average 77 points a game, the Golden Gophers average 76. The two teams shoot 2% apart from deep, and less than a single percentage point separates their field goal efficiency. The rankings, of course, speak for themselves. 

But instead of a game that was neck-in-neck from tipoff to the final buzzer, Wednesday night’s game of runs was a little bit lopsided. 

Michigan (13-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) and Minnesota’s (17-2, 5-2) offenses both rode a rollercoaster of runs, with the Gophers stepping off the gas and allowing the Wolverines to run away victorious, 70-65. 

Offensively, the first quarter went about as well as Michigan could’ve asked for. The Wolverines moved the ball around the perimeter with ease and shots were falling, each subsequent bucket further shushing a once-rowdy Williams Arena. At the helm of that offensive production was Michigan star freshman guard Syla Swords, who sunk three 3-pointers, muscled her way to the rim for an early and-1 and missed only one shot en route to 12 points in 10 minutes. 

The Wolverines were blazing — on one side of the ball. On the other, the Gophers were figuring out Michigan’s defense, an examination that resulted in several good looks from deep and a few trips to the free-throw line. Minnesota never led in the first quarter, but some smooth midrange shots from guard Amaya Battle kept the Gophers within range. 

The Wolverines’ firepower cooled off significantly in the second quarter, however. After tallying 26 points in the first quarter, Michigan made just two field goals in the second. Minnesota, after shooting seven 3-pointers in the first quarter and only converting one, favored aggressive drives over shots from beyond the arc. Although the Gophers’ scoring wasn’t exactly consistent in the second quarter, the Wolverines’ virtually didn’t exist. Michigan wasn’t moving the ball nearly as well as it had in the opening ten minutes — and when the Wolverines did create shots, they simply didn’t fall. 

The up-and-down nature of offensive production exhibited from both teams in the first 20 minutes followed Michigan into the next twenty. 

And after five-and-a-half scoreless minutes from Michigan, the third-quarter was its turn. Splashing threes and getting to the rim for a 10-0 run, the Wolverines’ offense looked a lot more like it did in the first quarter. And just like those opening ten minutes, Minnesota couldn’t keep up. It was only until the third quarters’ final possessions when the Gophers got hot again, draining a 3-pointer with just over a minute left to secure a 54-53 lead heading into the fourth.

It was only with minutes left when both teams’ offense acted simultaneously. After a mini-run from the Wolverines — fueled by even more triples — both teams’ offense finally acted in parallel. But instead of trading blows, they did the opposite.

For roughly the last five minutes of the game, both teams combined for just seven points. Throughout that nearly scoreless drought, however, Michigan clung to a four-point lead it had built in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. And when the clock hit zeroes, Minnesota’s lack of production ensured a win for the Wolverines.

On paper, both teams seemed identical. And after trading runs from quarter to quarter on the court, Michigan’s final spurt of scoring gave the Wolverines just enough margin to eke out the win.

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