With a shot at history, Michigan women's basketball crumbles in 4Q
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS – No. 3-seed Michigan women's basketball entered the Big Ten Tournament semifinals leading the conference in scoring at 85 points per game.
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Against everybody but Iowa, that is; just two weeks ago, the Hawkeyes forced the Wolverines into a season-low scoring total. And on Saturday, March 7, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse?
No. 2-seed Iowa had U-M's number again, holding the Wolverines to just 42 points – two points fewer than two weeks ago. The result: A 59-42 loss for Michigan, which missed out on making its first Big Ten title game after reaching the semis for the third straight season.
The reason: The beginning and end of the game – Michigan scored a combined 10 points in the first and fourth quarters, a disappointing performance from one of the most talented offensive teams in the conference.
Michigan's offense struggled to find any sort of momentum, dragged down by shooting just 27.1% from the field and 19% on 3-pointers.
Michigan women's NCAA Tournament picture
The Wolverines (25-6, 15-3 Big Ten) await their NCAA Tournament seed next week; the field of 68 will be announced on ESPN at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 15. U-M entered as the No. 7 team in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and seem a solid bet for a 2-seed in March Madness. The top four seeds in each region host first- and second-round games at their home arena. It would be just the second time the Wolverines have hosted an opening weekend, after entering the 2022 NCAA Tournament as a 3-seed; U-M advanced to the Elite Eight that year.
Late-game push favored the Hawkeyes
After a slow start – just four points in the first quarter – Michigan regrouped at the half and erased a six-point deficit to take a one-point lead with nearly six minutes left in the third.
And then? Nothing. For either team. Both the Wolverines and Hawkeyes went scoreless for more than four minutes of game action, though U-M eventually took a one-point lead into the fourth.
Back and forth they went until the Hawkeyes ran with it in the fourth, outscoring the Wolverines by 18, 24-6 in the final frame. That fourth-quarter domination was led by Hannah Stuelke, who had 11 points over the final 10 minutes.
The Wolverines had no answer. A defense that had played well all day fell apart and the Hawkeyes ran with it.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan women's basketball fall to Iowa in 2026 Big Ten Tournament