The Michigan women's basketball team had its first taste of adversity on Saturday night as South Florida took the Wolverines down to the wire in the Gulf Coast Showcase semifinal, but Michigan was able to sneak past the Bulls, 63-58, to advance to the championship game.
Leigha Brown carried with Wolverines to victory with a 23-point performance on the night. The senior guard only played 27 minutes, but she shot an efficient 9-15 from the floor to help the Wolverines to victory.
Laila Phelia and Emily Kiser weren't as dominant as they have been so far this season, but the two still combined for 21 points on the night. Kiser was a rebound shy of a double-double. She finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The game was close throughout, and Michigan led by only two points at halftime. USF battled for much of the third quarter, and the Bulls took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bulls stretched their lead to as many as seven points early in the fourth quarter, and it looked like Michigan would be on the verge of losing its first game of the season. However, Maddie Nolan, who had been scoreless until late in the fourth quarter, made three 3-pointers in a row to give the Wolverines a two-point lead with 2:10 remaining in the game.
A trio of Brown free throws and a pair of Cameron Williams free throws sealed the deal for Michigan, as the defense came up big down the stretch.
With the win, Michigan advances to 6-0 on the season and will take on Baylor in the Gulf Coast Showcase title game on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Bears are ranked 21st in the latest AP Poll. It will be the first ranked team Michigan has faced all season.
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