Charlotte, North Carolina — In their first 11 games, the 19th-ranked Michigan Women’s Basketball Team filled in their opponents in the second half to take 10 wins. Building a lead after a slow first quarter was the way to win every game.
But in Wolverine’s No. 6 North Carolina upset, senior wing Raiga Brown and sophomore guard Lyra Ferrier flipped the script. The duo’s first half blowout gave Michigan a lead that proved insurmountable for the Tar Heels, scoring 29 total points on a 67{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} shooting percentage from the field. Their blazing start – culminating in the highest-scoring quarter in team history – opened the game to teammates, disrupted UNC his game plan, and gave a glimpse of what the Wolverines could be.
Known for their slow starts, Michigan dropped a tough opening sequence shortly after losing a tip-off. Guard Alyssaby got the ball back and blew through the Wolverine defense to put the tar heels on the board.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Feria evened the score and blew a defender out into the teeth of the UNC defense for a layup.
“Lila is great,” said Michigan coach Kim Burns-Ariko. I knew I could do it, so I took that action for her early on.”
From that moment until a media timeout midway through the second quarter, Michigan was largely unstoppable in the offensive end. After shooting just 3-of-19 from the start of the game, Brown made 3-of-4 3-pointers. Her blast from the deep changed the course of the game.
“Brown hit three,” said UNC guard Deja Kelly. “It was unexpected. She was 15{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} out of her three who were in this game. After she hit her first or her second, it didn’t make sense to us.” It was an adjustment and quite timely.”
Barnes Ariko, on the other hand, was a little less surprised, but equally impressed with Brown’s performance from the Deep.
“I don’t know how I stopped[Brown],” Barnes-Ariko said. “She’s very good off the ounce and very good in the midrange and finishing at the rim. So when she started doing the threes, it was pretty incredible.
Brawn and Feria’s red-hot starts beat the Tar Heels, building a lead the Wolverines never relinquished. The duo had offensive attention throughout the second half, creating space for teammates to play offensive roles. Freshman forwards Alyssa Crockett and Kyra Evans each made threes in the first half. I hit a point shot and recorded a meaningful time.
Barnes Ariko said, “They have ice in their veins. “(Croquet) came out and played three minutes and had two threes. Like holy cows.”
As the game progressed and Michigan’s offense weakened, the duo continued to provide the team with an edge on defense. Possession after possession, she matched up with Kelly and held off a double-digit scorer with her 2-of-13 shooting.
“When she comes to practice, all she cares about is ‘who are you protecting and how are you going to stop them,'” Barnes Ariko said. “She has an incredible mentality, but I don’t think she has any idea of how good she is or the impact she’s had so far.”
Ferrier and Brown continue to prove vital to the Wolverines’ success, but there are still questions about how far the unit as a whole can be taken. I showed a glimpse of my abilities.
While doing so, they led Michigan to a winning statement over an elite opponent.
