Junior center Jasmine Hines cuts between Michigan center/forward Val Driscoll, left, and guard Nicole Elmblad to go for a shot Jan. 12, 2014, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Spartans are tied with the Wolverines at the half, 28-28. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
It was a sloppy affair early on, but a late 8-0 run by the Wolverines made it a 28-all tie at halftime.
Michigan junior forward Cyesha Goree scored six of her nine points during the run. She also has eight points and a steal. Redshirt freshman guard Aerial Powers has seven points, five rebounds and 2 steals on 2-8 shooting.
Neither teams had much luck shooting the ball accurately. The Spartans hit 10-of-29, and Michigan went 13-34.
Tied at 7-7 early in the half, junior forward Becca Mills blocked Michigan guard Siera Thompson under the rim to start a fastbreak which led to senior guard Klarissa Bell being fouled at the rim. The two free throws were part of the run that helped MSU take a 16-9 lead midway through the half.
Michigan called timeout after redshirt freshman guard Branndais Agee nailed a jumper to push the lead to 20-11. With under five minutes left, Michigan senior forward Val Driscoll cut the lead to six with a jumper. Freshman guard Jankoska got on the scoreboard on the ensuring play, nailing a 3 to put the lead back at nine.
The Wolverines managed to trim it back to six after a couple freebies by Goree, but Powers took it to the rack and got fouled, hitting both to make it an eight-point game.
From there, Goree grabbed the reigns. Showcasing her post prowess, she scored three layups in the paint to cut the deficit to two. Powers airballed a 3 on the other end, and Thompson’s strong move to the rack tied the score at 28.
Michigan had an opportunity to take the lead with 28 seconds left in the half, but Goree missed a point-blank shot at the rim to keep the game tied.
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