Naz Hillmon did what a returning All-American is expected to do.
Take over.
When the Michigan women's basketball team needed her most in crunch time, she delivered with a physical and demeaning nature that has made her a lionizing star, putting up 12 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter Monday to stave off the budding upset from Oakland.
It was Hillmon's first game back after not traveling with the team over the weekend due to a non-COVID-19 related illness. She did not start in the 69-58 win against the Golden Grizzlies at the Crisler Center but would see 25 minutes on the floor en route to her double-double performance.
Hillmon finished with 11 rebounds for a team-high and made 11 of her 13 field goal attempts.
The Wolverines entered the fourth frame with a 13-point lead but were held scoreless in the opening 2:35. Consecutive buckets gave Oakland the first 11 points and would trail by one on two separate drives. But after a made triple from Maddie Nolan at the wing with 4:56 left, Hillmon's scoring prowess broke open.
All of Hillmon's fourth quarter points came in the paint to bring Michigan's lead back to double-digits. Emily Kiser tallied 11 points on 50 percent (4-of-8) shooting and Danielle Rauch added 10 points. 17 second-chance points came off the Wolverines' 43 total rebounds while holding OU to 24.
Hillmon made her return to the floor midway through the first quarter and jumped out to five points after 10 minutes. In her place in the starting lineup was Elise Stuck for the second-straight game and the group would hold Oakland to one made field goal and coming up with nine opposing turnovers.
The Wolverines led 29-11 when Rauch converted the and-1 free throw with 5:59 to go in the second frame but OU broke the deficit to 10 points with three consecutive jumpers and a pair of free throws. Hillmon and Kiser responded with floaters each to send the lead to 12 by halftime. The Grizzlies went a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe in the first half.
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