Thome dominates in paint, Michigan eliminates ’Nova
For the last two weeks the Villanova women’s basketball team has been invincible on the road, beating Princeton, Drexel, James Madison and Indiana to reach the semifinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
That streak finally came to an end in Ann Arbor, Mich. Wednesday night.
Hallie Thome scored 22 points and Michigan used a third-quarter outburst to pull away for a 65-61 victory over the Wildcats at the Crisler Center.
The win sends the Wolverines (27-9) into Saturday’s championship game against Georgia Tech at the University of Detriot. Tip-off is 3 p.m. The Yellow Jackets knocked off Washington State, 69-61.
Adrianna Hahn hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Wildcats opened the second half with a 6-3 run to tie the game, 3232. But then Michigan flexed its inside muscles. The Wolverines closed the period on a 16-4 run with all the points coming in the paint. Thome scored 10 of those points to give Michigan a commanding 48-36 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats (20-15) never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
Michigan’s inside game offset Villanova’s dominance from 3-point range. The Wildcats hit 12 3-pointers, their third straight game with double-digit triples. The Wolverines only made five 3-pointers, but enjoyed a 34-14 advantage in the paint.
Katelynn Flaherty backed Thome with 18 points. Siera Thompson added 12.
Alex Louin paced Villanova with 14 points and four assists. Hahn added 12 points and Samantha Wilkes chipped in with 10 points.