Hoosiers' sweep bid denied at Michigan, 70-56

Jumping to quick, early leads and playing impressive in the first half is a good way to start a basketball game. Letting the opposition start the second half with a 17-4 scoring run, however, is a good way to lose a basketball game.  

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, who were looking for a season sweep of the Wolverines going into Sunday, this is how Sunday’s 70-56 loss went.

Michigan never held a lead or protected the ball in the first half, committing 15 turnovers, but the second half was a different game.

IU last led with 16:21 remaining in the game and shot 32 percent in the final frame.

“We played as hard as we could,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “We came up short.”  

It’s been common for the Hoosiers this year, as the team has relinquished leads multiple times in the second half.

In the first half, Indiana’s defense held Michigan to a 35 shooting percentage. The
Wolverines shot even worse from the arc, only hitting two of the team’s 10 shots from downtown. In the second half, though, Michigan shot 47 percent from the field and shot 56 percent from the arc.

Rather than critique the Hoosiers’ performance, Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said the second half’s difference was due to halftime changes.  

“Our configuration on what we were trying to do offensively wasn’t working, they had an answer for everything we were trying to do,” Borseth said. “We made some adjustments at halftime, and it really freed them up to be able to have better looks at the basket.”  

However, the Michigan players saw it differently.  

Guard Carmen Reynolds felt the Wolverines started the game poorly, particularly with turnovers. However, she accredited the improvement to an attitude change. 

“We needed to relax,” Reynolds said. “We needed to compose ourselves because we know we’re better than that.”  

Another Michigan player, guard Jenny Ryan, felt the same way.  

“Being confident out there was the biggest difference,” said Ryan. “And once the shots started falling, it’s kind of a ripple effect, and they’ll all go.”  

The Wolverines dominated the Hoosiers on the glass, out-rebounding them 46 to 29. Michigan had 27 defense rebounds to IU’s nine offensive boards.  

Senior guard Jamie Braun, with 11 points, and junior guard Jori Davis, with 23 points, were the only two Hoosiers with double-digit scoring outputs. Michigan’s Veronica Hicks led all scorers with 24 points, and two other Wolverines finished in double figures.  

Braun moved into ninth place on the school’s all-time scoring list.

But for Reynolds and Michigan, it was all positive Sunday.  

“It feels absolutely amazing. Words cannot even describe that we are back on a winning streak,” she said.