The No. 9 Michigan women’s basketball team’s offensive depth was put to the test against Minnesota’s size, which forced lead shooters to take a step back. With the Wolverines doubling up to guard the Golden Gophers in the paint, Minnesota exposed Michigan’s patchy offense and forced it to restructure.
“(The Gophers) are so long at every spot,” Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “… they really attack you one-on-one, and we had to adjust to that. They were scoring one-on-one against us early.”
Michigan’s (12-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) short-lived lead was brought down when Minnesota’s (10-4, 1-2) height overpowered the Wolverines’ defense. Reliable defenders fought at the rim, but early fouls ultimately kicked Michigan’s bigs to the bench. The stunted Wolverines’ offense set their sights on the win coming into the second quarter. With increased momentum, recharging rebounds and pacing, Michigan recovered from its offensive drought in the second quarter, taking the win, 70-60.
For the first few minutes, the Wolverines’ lead wasn’t challenged, but their shooting patterns carried over from tough pressure against Oregon and Washington. Michigan’s recent offensive weakness was revealed when sophomore guard Olivia Olson was needed on defense. The Wolverines’ bigs are scarce, and those who were initially able to match up against the Gophers were not putting up the numbers to compete with Minnesota’s frontcourt efficiency.
Olson is a reliable figure in building Michigan’s box score with her end-to-end reliability. But when circumstances against the Gophers called for it, Olson stood her ground on the press rather than focusing her energy on shooting. She put up just five points by the end of the first quarter, while the remainder of the floor couldn’t shoot consistently enough to fill her gap. The quarter closed 19-10, and the Wolverines rushed to restructure.
Presence at the rim was largely forgotten in the first quarter, and Michigan paid for it. The Wolverines slowed down their possessions, which put Minnesota’s defense to work, but also proved to be more costly than beneficial. Clean open shots, both inside and outside of the paint, more often than not bounced off the board or missed the rim entirely. Michigan was already booking it to half court, leaving its ball stranded in the paint for the Gophers to pick up.
In the second quarter, Olson’s presence at the rim increased greatly alongside senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels, who led the period with five rebounds. Quarles Daniels and Olson coordinated their positioning and knocked Minnesota off its rhythm, leading the Wolverines’ offense to disperse across the floor.
“I try to just do whatever the team needs,” Olson said. “And sometimes it’s guarding a (forward). Sometimes it’s guarding more of a guard.”
The second quarter was nothing short of a battle, and with Olson being stretched thin in the press, Michigan still struggled to get its lead scorers back in the running. The Wolverines narrowly grabbed the lead, 44-43 at the buzzer.
Shooting accuracy repaired itself and the weaknesses that cost Michigan against Washington were patched up by its rediscovered depth. Sophomore forward Te’Yala Delfosse brought size into the paint, further balancing Quarles Daniels and Olson’s connection. Delfosse went from shooting one point in the entirety of the first three quarters to providing a five-point spark off the bench in the fourth.
Quarles Daniels and Olson returned to their typical spots on the floor with Olson being largely responsible for the growing deficit, putting up 16 points after being relieved of her defensive responsibilities from the first quarter.
Coming off a tough performance on the road, the Wolverines targeted weaknesses across the floor and reestablished depth on offense to cement a developmental victory over the Gophers.
