Huskers Slip Late at No. 8 Michigan

Ann Arbor, Mich. - No. 8 Michigan outscored Nebraska 9-2 in the final 3:30 to claim an 88-76 women's basketball win over the Huskers on Wednesday night at the Crisler Center.

With the loss, Nebraska slipped to 16-7 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten, while the Wolverines improved to 20-3 and 11-1 in the conference.

Britt Prince and Amiah Hargrove led a balanced Big Red effort with 16 points apiece, while fellow sophomore Petra Bozan put three Huskers in double figures with 12 points. Jessica Petrie and Eliza Maupin both pitched in seven points, while Logan Nissley and Emily Fisher each added six points.

Syla Swords led all scorers with 28 points for Michigan, while fellow sophomore Olivia Olson added 21 points. 

Nebraska took a 44-42 lead over the Wolverines at the half thanks to an 8-0 Husker run in the final minute of the second quarter.

Trailing 42-36 after a Swords three-pointer for Michigan with 1:20 left, Kennadi Williams buried a three from the corner before the Big Red got a stop and then a three-pointer from the left wing from Emily Fisher. The Huskers closed out the half with a pair of free throws from Bozan with 2.4 seconds left.

Nebraska got balanced scoring throughout the half, including six points from Fisher, all in the final 3:40 of the half. Bozan added six big points, as did Nissley on a pair of first-quarter three-pointers. Prince, Hargrove, Maupin and Petrie each scored five points. In all, 10 different Huskers scored in the half.

Swords led Michigan with 12 first-half points, while Olivia Olson added eight points and Ashley Sofilkanich contributed seven points. Mackenzie Mathurin pitched in six points on a pair of threes for the Wolverines in the half.

Nebraska sank 14-of-29 first-half shots (.483), including 7-of-15 threes (.467). The Huskers hit 9-of-11 free throws (.819) and won the first-half turnover battle, 12-8.

Michigan hit 51.9 percent (14-27) of its field goals, including 4-of-11 (.369) from three-point range. The Wolverines hit 10-of-13 free throws (.769) and outrebounded Nebraska, 19-11.

Nebraska extended its run to 12-0 with four points in the first 45 seconds to give the Huskers their biggest lead of the game at 48-42. 

Michigan responded with a 9-1 surge to regain a brief 51-49 lead before Hargrove answered with a three-pointer. 

The third quarter remained a possession game until the final minute with Hargrove tying the score at 64 with 40 seconds left, before Michigan closed the quarter on a 5-0 run including a three-pointer by Swords with two seconds left.

Michigan pushed the lead to 77-68 with eight minutes left, before a Nebraska timeout. The Huskers got back-to-back buckets from Prince to trim the margin to five points with five minutes left. After a basket for Olson, Bozan answered to keep the Big Red within striking distance at 79-74 with 3:41 left. 

However, Michigan came out of a timeout to score six straight points and take its first double-digit lead of the game on a pair of Olson free throws made it 85-74 with 1:25 left.

Nebraska hit 44.1 percent (26-59) of its shots in the game, including 9-of-21 threes (.429), while sinking 15-of-18 free throws (.833). The Huskers also won the turnover battle, 16-15.

Michigan answered with 53.1 percent (34-64) shooting, including 8-of-22 threes (.364). The Wolverines also connected on 12-of-15 free throws (.800). Michigan outrebounded the Huskers, 40-25. 

The Huskers return home to take on No. 22 Maryland Saturday in Nebraska's annual Play4Kay Game. Tip-off between the Big Red and the Terrapins is set for 1 p.m. (CT) and fans are encouraged to wear pink to support cancer survivors and promote cancer awareness. The game can be heard live on the Huskers Radio Network and live television coverage will be provided by the Big Ten Network.