Michigan interior defense struggles to contain Wisconsin’s Williams in second half 

Wisconsin forward Serah Williams knew she’d have herself a night against the Michigan women’s basketball team. 

At 6-foot-4, Williams — an All-Big Ten First Team honoree a year ago — is one of the Big Ten’s best post players. And entering a matchup with a Wolverines squad that doesn’t start a true post player, she had to have been licking her chops. 

Even after a quiet first half, Williams certainly lived up to any expectation she may have had entering the night, finishing with a team-high 22 points on a hyper-efficient 7-for-10 shooting despite having double-teams thrown at her all night.

Not starting a true center, Michigan tried throwing a variety of looks at Williams, including sending double teams and attempting to deny entry passes. But after she adjusted to the various schemes thrown at her, Williams feasted, scoring 20 of her 22 points in the second half to propel the Badgers to their second conference win of the season.

In the first half, Michigan held Williams to two points on just three shot attempts, as the frequent double teams limited her ability to get clean looks. However, Williams took advantage of the extra attention to set up her teammates. Drawing the attention of three Wolverines defenders, Williams found a teammate wide open on the weak side for an open layup. Later that quarter, Williams again drew multiple Michigan defenders in the paint, and kicked it out to a teammate who swung it to another for an open three. 

Despite the assists, Williams was still slightly thrown off her game, turning the ball over three times in the first half. By sending multiple defenders, the Wolverines were able to strip the ball from Williams, and they also had some success fronting Williams, tipping and taking possession of attempted entry passes. 

“We tried to key on Williams in the first half,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “When we did, they were able to find their shooters, and they made shots.”

But after Wisconsin made nine threes in the first half — more than it had in any half all season — Michigan started sending fewer double teams. To match up with Williams, the Wolverines played junior center Yulia Grabovskaia more, oftentimes leaving her on an island against Williams in the post. 

“We tried to (key on her) a little bit less in the second half,” Barnes Arico said. “You have to be able to get some stops down the stretch, and we weren’t able to do that.”

And Williams went to work. Early in the third quarter, she was 1-on-1 in the post with Grabovskaia, no double team to be found. A teammate found her for an easy bucket. Later that quarter, Michigan doubled sharp-shooting guard Tess Myers on the perimeter — leaving Williams wide open down low. Reading the defense, Myers found Williams inside for an open layup.

Down the stretch of a tightly-contested fourth quarter, the Badgers put the ball in Williams’ hands, and Michigan had no answer. She banged down low and got to the foul line en route to a nine-point fourth quarter performance. Around the three-minute mark, Williams scored five straight points — hitting two free throws and then converting an and-1 on a sweet turnaround in the lane — to put Wisconsin up two points. The Badgers didn’t trail again the rest of the way.

Williams figured to be a challenge for the undersized Wolverines. And after keeping her quiet in the first half, Michigan had no answer for her in the second. 

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