Michigan’s strength and identity all season has been its rebounding. In the games it’s won, the boards have exclusively been theirs, with senior forwards Naz Hillmon and Emily Kiser building a wall around the glass.
But this week, with two losses (63-57 in East Lansing and a 71-69 loss to the Wildcats in double overtime), and in its previous losses, a pattern is emerging: opponents have found space on the boards. Louisville had an offensive rebounding percentage of 42%, Nebraska 36%, Michigan State 34% and Northwestern 39%.
“Rebounding was huge,” senior guard Amy Dilk said on Jan. 9. “Especially from the guard aspect. Nebraska had people flying in there on film, a lot of us were standing. So this week we’re really emphasizing guards crashing.”
Each of those totals far eclipse the opponent average of 26% that Michigan has conceded. Aside from that, and the offense struggling, the two losses this past week have very little in common.
In Thursday’s rivalry loss to the Spartans, the only players capable of scoring seemed to be Hillmon and senior guard Danielle Rauch. Hillmon’s 27 points and nine rebounds each led the team, while almost everyone else floundered. Rauch scored 12 points on 55.6 eFG%, scoring two of Michigan’s three 3-pointers.
No one else reached double figures. Freshman guard Laila Phelia, fresh off her career-high 24 points against Iowa, traveled five times and shot 3-for-8.
Save on UM Hoops!
Subscribe to Continue Reading
Join the UM Hoops community today and access our exclusive content.
- Advanced analysis and previews
- Member-only forum & monthly ‘Ask Me Anything’
- In-depth video breakdowns and features
- Ad-free viewing
Already a UM Hoops member? Sign in below
