Hillmon, No. 7 Michigan cruise past No. 22 Ohio State, 77-58
Jan 27, 2022, 4:06 AM | Updated: 7:30 pm
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Naz Hillmon scored 20 points and became Michigan’s career leader in rebounds as the No. 7 Wolverines beat No. 22 Ohio State 77-58 on Thursday night.
Hillmon surpassed Trish Andrew’s record of 928 rebounds during the second half. She finished with 12 for her third straight double-double and now has 935 rebounds.
“It’s awesome,” Hillmon said. “It makes me go back to my freshman year and the role I played through that and seeing how much I’ve grown over the four years.”
The Wolverines (18-2, 9-1 Big Ten) shot 49% and scored 36 points in the paint.
The Buckeyes (15-4, 7-3 Big Ten) trailed by just seven points after the first quarter, but shot just 16.7% in the second to trail 38-23 at halftime. Michigan closed the second quarter on a 7-0 run.
Leigha Brown added 16 points, Maddie Nolan had 13 and Emily Kiser scored 10 for Michigan.
The Wolverines swept the season series against the Buckeyes, earning their first win in Columbus since Jan. 16, 2018.
“Coming here is never an easy task,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “I thought we really established ourself on the defensive end. It was awesome to see.”
Ohio State shot 22 of 59 and failed to make a field goal in the final 3:10 of the first half.
Jacy Sheldon had 15 points for Ohio State and Tanaya Beacham added 14.
“When we hit a little bit of adversity, we kind of get too many people trying to do their own thing instead of staying together and collectively punching back,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said.
HOMECOMING FOR HILLMON
Hillmon, a Cleveland native, played at Ohio State for the first time since scoring 50 points against the Buckeyes on Jan. 21, 2021.
She had been 0-2 in Columbus during her four-year career.
“Really wanted that win every single time we came here,” Hillmon said. “A lot of close ones, so it’s always disheartening when it’s a close one, but to get this win, it meant a ton.”
BROWN’S BIG GAME
Brown shot 60% for the third time this season, helping herself with a pair of 3-pointers. She also had a team-high two steals.
“I feel like I pride myself on my versatility,” Brown said. “It just gives me more opportunity to drive past, to get to the basket.”
LOCK-DOWN DEFENSE
Michigan held the Buckeyes and the Big Ten’s No. 2 offense to a season-low 58 points.
The Wolverines had the edge 43-28 on the glass and held Ohio State to 30.2% shooting through the first three quarters. They also held the Buckeyes to 10 second-chance points despite 17 turnovers.
“It speaks volumes to our defense,” Barnes Arico said. “That’s something we really pride ourselves on is being able to defend. Tonight we were able to lock down one of the top-scoring teams in our league.”
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: The Wolverines picked up their fifth win in six games against ranked teams this season. They’ve won their last six games, outscoring opponents by an average of 23 points.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes shot 37.3% from the field, their lowest in four games. They entered the game hitting 40.74% from 3-point range, which led the NCAA, but shot 6 of 22 Thursday.
UP NEXT
Michigan: Hosts No. 6 Indiana Sunday.
Ohio State: Travels to Iowa Sunday.
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