Gilmour grad Hillmon sets Michigan record

Gilmour grad sets U-M scoring mark

Naz Hillmon set a record for Michigan basketball, men’s or women’s teams, with 50 points in the Wolverines’ 8177loss to Ohio State on Jan. 21. The previous high of 45 was set in 1982.

The University of Michigan has a rich history of basketball.

It includes The Fab Five era that featured the likes of Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, Glenn Rice of the 1989 national championship team, and former Cavaliers players such as Phil Hubbard and Campy Russell, who starred in Ann Arboer, Mich., during the 1970s.

All will now take a back seat to Naz Hillmon in one

respect. The Gilmour graduate is the only player — man or woman — in the history of Wolverines basketball to score 50 points in a game.

Hillman did that with 50 exactly in an 81-77 loss to Ohio State on Jan. 21. It was Michigan’s first loss of the season after winning 10 straight.

The 50 points by Hillmon broke the women’s mark of 45, set by Diane Dietz on Feb. 27, 1982, against Illinois. The men’s single-game scoring mark also went by the wayside. Rudy Tomjanovich scored 48 points against Indiana on Jan. 7, 1969.

Hillmon — a junior forward — connected on 20 of U-M’s 30 made field goals in the game. She shot 20 of 30 from the floor and made 10 of 14 free throws. She also grabbed 16 rebounds, including 10 offensive.

Her 50 points against the Buckeyes are the most by a D-I college player this season.

In 11 games this season, Hillmon has been a dominant force in the Big Ten and against U-M’s five nonconference opponents. She’s averaging 26.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 74.4 percent from the freethrow line.

Against Nebraska on Jan. 7, Hillmon had 35 points and 22 rebounds. She has scored at least 26 points in seven of 11 games this season.

AL GOLDIS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Michigan’s Naz Hillmon — shown against Michigan State Feb. 23, 2020 — scored a school-record 50 points against Ohio State on Jan. 21.