After a double-overtime victory over Oregon and its first conference loss of the season against Washington, the No. 9 Michigan basketball team’s momentum was stunted. Shots weren’t falling and the ever-dominant press wasn’t influencing the game quite as much. But after falling behind to Minnesota early, the Wolverines’ second quarter proved to be a get-right stretch of a get-right game.
“We have full trust in each other,” sophomore guard Mila Holloway said even after the team’s shooting woes. “(We are) continuing to get each other in the right spots and set each other up for the best possible shot.”
Michigan entered the second quarter trailing 19-10 after an 11-point Golden Gophers run ended the first. The Wolverines shot 4-for-16 from the field and went only 1-for-5 from deep. They also missed two of their three free throws and were outrebounded 13 to six at the conclusion of the first quarter. Michigan’s production weren’t there and Minnesota had a nine-point lead to show for it.
But after a Gophers 3-pointer extended their lead to 12, the second quarter was all Wolverines. Holloway opened the scoring with a pull-up jumper and from there, Michigan’s press picked up.
“We had been pressing teams all year,” Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “But now teams scout us who are in our league and they’re more talented than some of our nonconference opponents.”
Even though the scout was out, five of the Gophers’ 17 turnovers came in the second quarter and the press had a lot to do with turning defense into offense. Michigan’s run picked up after senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels grabbed a steal in the backcourt and found sophomore guard Olivia Olson for an and-1 layup.
Even outside of the press, the Wolverines’ defense tightened up in the second. With seven minutes to go, sophomore guard Syla Swords played up on her man, even close to half-court, and fought to go over a ball screen. Seeing Swords’ hustle, Minnesota center Finau Tonga stepped into a moving screen and Swords’ persistence paid off, causing an offensive foul. The defensive pressure was evident and Michigan held the Gophers to just 10 points — their fewest of the game.
“Minnesota is a team with this crazy stat in the last four games of 70 assists to 30 turnovers, and tonight we forced eight assists to 17 turnovers,” Barnes Arico said. “They’re not used to getting sped up and we were able to do that.”
Quarles Daniels also made an impact on the boards, grabbing five in the second quarter alone. Though her five-foot-seven stature is the smallest on the team, Quarles Daniels rebounds exceptionally well for her size and position, and two of her rebounds extended possessions on the offensive end.
And finally, as the final seconds ticked off the first half, Swords banked in a deep three to put the cherry on top of a dominant second quarter. The Wolverines outscored the Gophers 18-10 in the second, allowing them to go into the half down only one.
It’s not as if Michigan got hot and shot Minnesota out of the game. The Wolverines were still under 40% from the field on the quarter and just 5-for-9 from the free-throw line. The spark came from tenacity on the defensive end and the resumption of their transition offense that carried throughout the game. The result of the 18-10 second quarter was a 10-point victory and a key conference victory over a quality opponent.
