The Michigan women's basketball team improved to 9-0 on Sunday afternoon with a 77-66 win over Northwestern at Crisler Center in the Big Ten opener. Laila Phelia and Emily Kiser combined for 36 points as the Wolverines pulled away from the Wildcats late in the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines came out of the locker room very sluggish to open the game. Kim Barnes Arico's team scored only 13 points in the first quarter, and it was clear Northwestern wasn't going to go down without a fight.

At the end of the first half, Michigan had 28 points. Phelia had eight, and a trio of Wolverines added four, but Northwestern was still right in the game, trailing 28-26.

After a slow offensive start, Michigan nearly matched its first-half point total in the third quarter. Phelia poured in eight third quarter points and she didn't miss a shot as Michigan began to pull away from the Wildcats. Going into the fourth quarter, the Wolverines held onto a six-point lead.

Kiser went into takeover mode in the fourth quarter to help Michigan secure the victory. She made eight visits to the charity stripe and she made all eight shots, which turned out to play a pretty big role in the victory.

Kiser's 10 fourth-quarter points led the team, but senior guard Maddie Nolan also added seven of her own to stretch Michigan's lead as the game continued.

The Wolverines will have a chance at 10-0 on Thursday when they host Toledo. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.

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