Thome Leads Michigan Women’s Basketball to Big Win Over Northern Colorado in NCAA Tournament

What You Need to Know

» The inside-outside combination of Hallie Thome (24 points) and Katelynn Flaherty (20) combined for 44 points to lead Michigan.

» Flaherty made two three-pointers to gain sole ownership of Michigan’s single-season record for three-point field goals with 112.

» Michigan advanced to the NCAA second round for the fourth time in seven appearances.

Site: Waco, Texas (Ferrell Center)
Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score: Michigan 75, Northern Colorado 61
Records: U-M (23-9), UNC (26-7)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 18 — vs. Baylor/Grambling – NCAA Second Round (Waco, Texas), Time TBA

WACO, Texas — The inside-outside combination of junior Hallie Thome and senior Katelynn Flaherty combined for 44 points as the No. 7-seeded University of Michigan women’s basketball team dispatched No. 10 seed Northern Colorado, 75-61, in the NCAA Tournament first round Friday (March 16) at Baylor’s Ferrell Center.

Thome dominated down low with 24 points — the second-highest NCAA Tournament output in school history –and Flaherty added 20 points and made two three-pointers to take sole possession of the school’s single-season record for triples with 112.

Michigan, which advanced to the second round for the fourth time (1990, 2001, 2013) in seven NCAA appearances, will face either No. 2 seed Baylor or No. 15 seed Grambling State in the second round Sunday (March 18, time TBA).

After four lead changes in the first 5:20, Flaherty gave the Wolverines the lead for good, 9-7, at the 5:08 mark with her 111th three-pointer of the season, breaking a tie with Kate Thompson (110, 2012-13) for the U-M record. Flaherty added four more points as U-M closed the quarter on an 11-1 run, holding UNC without a field goal in last five minutes to lead 17-8 at the first break.

Thome took over in the second quarter with 10 straight Michigan points, starting and ended the outburst with conventional three-point plays as the Wolverines stretched their lead from eight to 15, 29-14, with 5:44 on the clock. Flaherty’s step-back triple at the 4:12 mark gave U-M its largest lead of the half, 32-14, and the Wolverines went into the locker room with a 36-19 advantage.

Flaherty (14) and Thome (12) combined for 26 points in the first half, while Michigan forced 15 Northern Colorado turnovers and scored 17 points off those miscues. The Wolverines shot 51.9 percent (14-17) from the field and held the Bears to 33.3 percent (7-21). Sophomore Akienreh Johnson had two of Michigan’s five steals.

Northern Colorado cut down on its turnovers in the third quarter with just one and closed to within 13 points twice, the last at 51-38, with 2:20 remaining. However, senior Jillian Dunston knocked down a free-throw line jumper at 1:34, and Johnson converted layups on Michigan’s last two possessions to provide a comfortable 57-40 edge after three quarters. Michigan made 8-of-11 from the field in the quarter to offset UNC’s 9-of-14 shooting.

Thome tallied four points early in the fourth quarter before junior Nicole Munger‘s layup at the 8:54 mark gave the Wolverines their largest lead of the game, 63-42. Sophomore Kayla Robbins came off the bench to add six points in the quarter as Michigan coasted to victory.  With 6-of-11 accuracy from the field in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines shot 63.6 percent (14-22) in the second half.

Munger finished with eight points and eight rebounds, while Dunston tallied six points and tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds and four assists.