ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Michigan’s 25th-ranked women’s basketball team kicked off the 2022-23 season Wednesday night by tearing down Delaware State University 83-30 at the Chrysler Center.
Laila Ferrier led all scorers with 20, Emily Kaiser with 15 and Cam Williams with 13.
Fans in attendance may have been rubbing their eyes after the Wolverines’ first few possessions of the night. got an up. Cameron Williams, not Nas Hillman, started at ‘5’ and in just 20 minutes he was off the floor on six boards and he was 6-9 and he scored 13 points.
Michigan led 19-4 by the end of the first quarter and picked up momentum from there. His 3-pointer from Jordan Hobbs made him 40-18 at halftime on his break, and the Wolverines continued his 21-0 run in the 3rd quarter before he scored the Hornets with 9:36 at the end. By then he made it a 40-point game.
Delaware State University was unmatched in Lyla Philia’s athletic prowess, and the former four-star recruit was nearly unstoppable. Sophomore, he scored 8 points in his 3-for-3 show, which was perfect in his first 10 minutes, and spent the night blowing past defenders or sinking catch-and-shoot 3s. The wing opened the scoring with a triple in the second half of UM before making a smooth Euro-to-layup transition and finishing with his performance of his 8-11 shooting, including his 4-of-6 from the deep. Did.
Initially, the UM offense seemed a little disjointed. Maddie Nolan, normally a three-point specialist, started at point guard with both Liga Brown and Michelle Sidor out. The Wolverines scored his four turnovers in his first ten minutes, and he missed six of his eight three-pointers in the first.
Former All-American rookie Greta Kampschroeder, who transferred to the program in the offseason, scored nine points in her first action at UM. She also scored points and provided four assists in part after the second quarter. Hobbes made her three of her seven 3-pointers as a contribution from the bench.
Emily Kaiser, who chose to return to the year of COVID, for the first time They put up 15 points, including a 5-for-6 night at the free-throw line.
If the Wolverines had one concern in their explosive win, it was shooting performance: UM went 23-17 on layups and 46-15 (33%) on all other shots from the floor. did. These are the numbers that have to improve given the composition of this roster.
But there were no questions about Wednesday’s results. The Wolverines never trailed, emptied the bench and won easily.
Michigan 83, Delaware 30: Meaning
As with the season opener against a heavily overmatched opponent, it’s hard to extrapolate much from one game. That said, Wednesday’s absentee numbers are worth watching.
A program spokesperson said Reiga Brown was unable to play due to “internal issues” but would not comment on when she would return. Isabelle Barrejon, Whitney Solom, Kyla Evans and Michelle Sidor are all out with injuries.
Michigan started Maddie Nolan, Laila Ferrier, Greta Kampschroeder, Emily Kaiser and Cameron Williams.
Otherwise you will get very little out of this game. The Hornets lost all 24 games last year, and few were close. They were once again selected to finish last in the Mideastern Athletic Conference, losing 49 to Michigan State in the season opener.
Michigan Basketball: What’s Next
The Wolverines will host St. Francis, Pennsylvania at the Chrysler Center on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm and the game will air on his BTN+. Prior to the competition, the Wolverines will host a banner hoisting ceremony to celebrate the program’s first ever journey to the Elite Eight. The first 750 fans will receive a replica banner.
