It was nothing out of the ordinary that senior Amy Dilk did to collapse in sheer pain.

The consequence of attempting to grab a defensive rebound — an injury to the left knee.

Naz Hillmon was the first Michigan player to comfort the guard before training staff sprinted to the floor while clutching an oversized, grey, hardened leg cast.

With the freak accident coming just 42 seconds into the game Tuesday, it became sentiment for a melancholy evening in Michigan’s season-opener at the Crisler Center over IUPUI.

While the Wolverines held on in an overtime finish, 67-62, the real story became apparent with the possibility of losing Dilk long-term.

“It was definitely tough seeing that happen to [Dilk],” senior guard Danielle Rauch said. “But we got in the huddle (afterwards) and said we have to do this and play hard for Amy. It took us by surprise obviously. You don’t want that to see that happen to anyone.”

Emotions bubbled through the arena of different degrees. Shock, concern, disoriented, etc. No one could have guessed that such an injury could happen to a player like Dilk. Considering what was in store for her this season, it makes the estimated absence that much tougher to grieve.

Dilk entered the year on the Nancy Lieberman watch list to honor the country’s top point guard after closing out a celebrated run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. A selfless guard with the effective mechanics to distribute the basketball.

Dilk did not return to the game, forcing senior Leigha Brown to enter prematurely, who tallied 18 points and a team-high four assists on the Jaguars behind the 30-point and 15-rebound double-double effort of Hillmon.

“Really proud of our team,” head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “It was a really tough start with Amy going down early. We were playing against a really experienced team of fifth-year kids so just proud of how we were able to finish the game.”

The Wolverines had a seven-point lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter before three allowed field goals and two turnovers sent the game to extra time. Michigan would then capitalize on a 9-4 run to survive the scare.

Poor shooting from deep and inconsistent defensive stops told the story of the near-upset to the No. 10/11 ranked team in the country. An indirect result of playing through the loss of a teammate perhaps but certainly a reminder of areas needed for consistency moving forward.

Michigan converted just 3-of-20 from three-point territory with senior Emily Kiser leading the way with two made buckets on five endeavors.

Hillmon would strive for one of her own midway through the third quarter at the wing. The returning star All-American has accounted for over 2,600 minutes of playing time in three years in Ann Arbor but only had one attempt before Tuesday.

“We’re going to see a lot of teams collapsing on Naz a lot so just working on passing out of those doubles and having confidence in our shot,” Rauch said. “They sped us up a little bit and we weren’t always ready to shoot those ones so just making sure we keep our confidence up.”

The unfortunate hole in the rotation left by Dilk did provide greater opportunity for the freshmen class to grab valuable time on the court.

Making her NCAA debut was former four-star Laila Phelia, who did not play in last week’s exhibition win over Division II Grand Valley State, but did collect a field goal in the first half and four total rebounds.

Fellow first-years Jordan Hobbs and Ari Wiggins combined for five points. A well-rounded performance for the inexperienced against one of the better clubs on the Wolverines’ non-conference slate.

“The freshmen are awesome and they going to get some playing time,” Barnes Arico said. “When Amy went down, other people had to step in and give us good minutes.”

---

Not a subscriber to The Maize and Blue Review? Sign up today!

Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Discuss this article on our premium message boards

Follow our staff on Twitter @MaizeBlueReview, @JoshHenschke, @AESchnepp, @BrandonJustice_, @DanielDash_, @DennisFithian, @StephenToski, @TannerWutang, @Baird_CJ, @ZachLibby

Subscribe to The Maize and Blue Review on YouTube!

Like The Maize and Blue Review on Facebook!