Michigan runs past Runnin' Rebels, advances to NCAA Tournament Round of 32
Michigan handed the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels their third loss of the season in the NCAA Tournament on Friday by a score of 71-59. Maddie Nolan heated up from distance, and a stout Michigan defense lifted the Wolverines to a comfortable first-round win.
Emily Kiser and Leigha Brown were fantastic as usual with 18 and 17 points, respectively. U-M formed a new big three on Friday as Nolan, Kiser and Brown combined for 53 points in the win.
The first quarter opened with the teams trading buckets through the first media timeout. Emily Kiser started the game with a 3-pointer, but UNLV showed signs of tough defense that could've potentially posed a problem for the Michigan offense.
Coming out of the first-quarter media timeout, the teams were knotted at seven, but Michigan began to establish a comfortable lead. Leigha Brown scored six straight points, and Elise Stuck and Laila Phelia added buckets of their own late in the opening quarter.
Through 10 minutes, Michigan boasted an eight-point advantage over the Runnin' Rebels, which came into the NCAA Tournament matchup on a 22-game win streak.
The Wolverine lead grew to as many as 13 in the second quarter, but a small UNLV run brought the No. 11 seed Runnin' Rebels back to within eight points at halftime.
UNLV came out of the locker room on fire as the third quarter started. It scored eight points on its first four possessions, and the Michigan lead was cut to as few as three points.
Brown, Kiser and Nolan were all too much, though, as Michigan's talent rose above UNLV's momentum. The Runnin' Rebels made small runs, but Kim Barnes Arico's team kept the No. 11 seed at bay in the 71-59 victory.
Michigan advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, and on Sunday it will look to book a trip to its third consecutive Sweet 16. The Wolverines will face the winner of No. 3 seed LSU and No. 14 seed Hawai'i.
The hosting LSU Tigers have an electric offense, led by National Player of the Year candidate Angel Reese. If they win, the third-seeded Tigers will have the hometown advantage on Sunday against the Wolverines.
The tip time for Sunday's second-round matchup is still to be determined.
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