The Michigan women’s basketball team's Jersey sojourn ended with an overwhelming B1G road win over Rutgers. The onslaught was keyed by suffocating defense, balanced scoring, and great shooting 53% FG and 47% from 3. It was a history-making win for coach Kim Barnes Arico, making her the first basketball coach in school history to reach 300 wins in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines got the lead at 8:11 in the first period and never trailed (biggest lead was the 34 at the end of the game). How they got the bucket to start the avalanche was indicative of the game. After a Rutgers made basket, Michigan, in their “jump press,” forced a sideline trap with sophomore Olivia Olson and senior Brooke Quarles Daniels. Sophomore Mila Holloway hustled to cover Olson’s player and stole the ball from the trapped player’s desperation pass. Holloway then passed it to Olson who laid it in with her left hand.
Sophomores lead the way
Michigan’s sophomores scored in the double-digits with Olson and Syla Swords at 16, Holloway and Te’Yala Delfosse at 15, and Kendall Dudley with 10. Combined, they had 10 of the team’s 14 steals. When you have the sophomores come to play, Michigan women's basketball will probably win. In their three losses, only Olson and Swords got into double digits, the exception being Dudley’s 16 against Vanderbilt. Barnes Arico doesn’t necessarily need the sophomores to score as they did against Rutgers, but when they do, opponents beware.
Capitalizing on opportunities to play
In blow outs of this magnitude, everyone got to play. Leading the playing time was Quarles Daniels with 29:11, who was all over the stat sheet with her team-leading four steals, three assists, and particularly surprising was three offensive rebounds–not bad for the shortest player on the court. The most memorable board came at 7:21 in the third quarter when she took it away from Rutgers senior Imani Lester who is 6’ 3”. Two passes later, Quarles Daniel’s board turned into a Holloway 3.
However, it was freshman McKenzie Mathurin and senior Macy Brown, who logged 10:54 and 9:46 respectively, who seized the chance. Although Mathurin had an uneven game with three turnovers and three personal fouls to her five points, two steals, and one assist, she showed her potential when she stole the ball, started a fast break, and dished a no-look pass for a Delfosse layup. Brown’s only points were from an open and in-rhythm 3. Michigan was patient against the Rutgers zone, and Brown showed great movement and awareness when she found a spot in the corner.
300 for Barnes Arico
It was fitting that the Long Island native hit the 300 Michigan wins mark in New Jersey where she started her head coaching career, at Fairleigh Dickinson, followed by stints at NJIT and Adelphi. Michigan hired her for the 2012-13 season from St. John’s, where she is still the program’s winningest coach with 176. It didn’t take long for her to be Michigan program’s winningest coach during the 2017-18 season.
There is a lot to admire about Barnes Arico, especially how her team is hard-working, intense, and confident. She gets the most out of her players through her relationship-driven approach, focusing on cultivating confidence, accountability, and a "family-like" culture. They know she is in their corner.