Tied at 81-81 and 05.1 showing on the game clock, Michigan women's basketball had an inbounds play at the Michigan State end to win the game. But it was defended well, the inbounds pass pin-balled around, and MSU’s sophomore Ines Sotelo picked up the loose ball, dribbled twice, and launched a half-court shot that caromed off the backboard, around the rim, then out! OVERTIME!
Forgive the consecutive exclamation points and all caps one word sentence in this article’s intro, but this rivalry game deserved it. The Breslin Center was sold out, and the crowd was feverish, frantic, and frenetic. (No, really. There was always–yes, always–high-pitch screaming in the Foxsports broadcast audio.) At the end of overtime, game analyst, Sydney Parrish, former Indiana University player, captured it perfectly: “This was a battle from the beginning. Blood on the court!”
Overtime settles it
Michigan women's basketball won the game in overtime, stiffening the defense and being incisive with the ball. MSU shot 2/8 from the floor and missed their only 3pt attempt, while Michigan was 4/4 and made their 3pt shot. MSU turned the ball over twice to Michigan’s one.
After an open layup by MSU senior Grace VanSlooten, Michigan ran sophomore Mila Holloway off a double screen for a layup. She led the game with a career high of 26 points and the game’s flowers. (See below.)
This was followed by a Michigan Jump Press Turnover (™) caused by senior Brooke Quarles Daniels and sophomore Te’Yala Delfosse’s double team. Sophomore Olivia Olson picked off the deflected pass for a Euro-step layup that drew a foul. Olson hit the free throw for the lead that Michigan would not relinquish.
MSU needed an answer on the next possession, but Michigan pressured full court, causing them to burn nine seconds off the shot clock. They probed Michigan’s perimeter defense for 19 seconds and found no cracks, settling for a Sotelo top-of-the-key heave that was rebounded by Dudley.
Michigan women's basketball then solidified its lead by running the perfect play (cue Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina”). With Olson in the left corner, sophomore Syla Swords signaled Quarles Daniels to the left wing and passed it to her. Dudley was on the opposite side of the lane, curled around Quarles Daniels for a fake handoff, and picked Sotelo, who was guarding Olson. Swords dove to the basket, taking the person guarding her so that when Olson took the handoff from Quarles Daniels, she was all alone above the three-point line for an in-rhythm 3pt swish.
Tsk, tsk to Sotelo, VanSlooten, and senior Emma Shumate, who were on their heels and failed to contest one of the conference’s best shooters. “Cold blooded!” said Parrish, who then took MSU to task. “You’re not letting her see the basket with an open look. They just lost her on that possession! You have to be so defensively focused down the stretch in an overtime game to not let a player like Olivia Olson get wide open shots like that!”
There was a bit of drama in the final minutes (both Olson and Holloway fouled out), but the waning of the high-pitched screams indicated that the game was no longer in doubt.
Mila Holloway Flowers
Holloway had her career high in points with 26, and the rest of her stats were equally good, shooting 50% from the floor, grabbing six rebounds, dishing 3 assists, and nabbing 3 steals in 37:51 of game time. When interviewed after the game, she said, “We completely understand the rivalry with Michigan State. They came in and punked us on our home court last season, so we had a sour taste in our mouth and knowing that we were coming here to return the favor.” (Try reading that in the Terminator voice. Chilling.)
When Holloway scored the first basket in the OT, the ever-quotable Parrish said, “No one can keep her in front of them. She’s so quick, so smooth.” And tough.