It was a showdown between the No.5 Baylor Bears and the No.13 Michigan Wolverines; Michigan beat Baylor 74-68 in overtime. It was the first time in Wolverine history that they defeated a top-five team.
It was a close game down the stretch, Michigan star player Naz Hillmon fouled out late in the fourth quarter, but it did not stop Michigan from winning. In overtime, with about 3:24 left in the game, Michigan’s Leigha Brown scored a basket to put the Wolverines up for good.
Hillmon vs Smith
It was a matchup between two top-five WNBA Draft prospects Wolverines Hillmon and Bears NaLyssa Smith. Before fouling out, Hillmon scored 15 points but struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-19. Also, she grabbed ten rebounds, and six of them were offensive.
Smith played outstanding; she scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. Also, Smith grabbed 14 rebounds, giving her a double-double. But with 15 seconds left, Smith had an open layup roll off the rim that could have given Baylor the lead. Either way, Smith still played an outstanding game.
Leigha Brown
Brown stepped up big time on Sunday afternoon; she finished with a game-high 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. In addition, Brown made 11 out of 13 free throws and had some clutch basket downs the stretch. The Senior came into the game averaging 13.3 points per game, and if she keeps up the good play, Brown could climb up WNBA Draft boards.
Jordan Lewis scored 15 points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed five rebounds. Lewis had an open shot attempt at the basket towards the end of regulation but decided to pass the ball back out to run the play. The point guard struggled from the field but made all of her 11 free throws.
Both teams struggled from the field; Michigan shot 36.8% and Baylor 38.1%. It was some good defense being played from both teams. What helped the Wolverines out was that they won the rebounding battle 50-35 and had 18 offensive rebounds.
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