The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/432566
T he Michigan women's basketball team was 6-2 through Dec. 11, matching the best start (2012-13) through eight games in head coach Kim Barnes Arico's three seasons at U-M. They had won five straight games by 12 points or more until get- ting derailed, 85-55, by a hot-shoot- ing Princeton squad Dec. 9. Senior forward Cyesha Goree is off to a great start, recording four double-doubles while nearly aver- aging one with 12.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The 6-3 post player has a knack for tipping loose balls to herself on the boards and routinely uses solid footwork to get into scoring position on the block. Sophomore point guard Siera Thompson is leading the team in minutes played and shows good con- trol and understanding of the offense in her second season. She's averaging 11.0 points per contest and is virtually automatic from the stripe, converting on 22 of 23 free throw attempts. Her calm and controlled demeanor on the court has allowed others to thrive in the offense that she dictates. The leading scorer from last year's squad, senior guard Shannon Smith, is now third on the team in scoring but is playing more within herself. She's taking less three-pointers and using her athleticism to get to open areas and to the rim allowing her to score more efficiently at 12.4 points per game. She's also averaging 5.9 rebounds per game, a very respect- able number for a guard. Senior forward and team captain Nicole Elmblad is doing a little bit of everything in her final season as a Wolverine. She's scoring on 51.0 per- cent of her shot attempts, grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game, dishing out assists (18), blocking shots (six), tak- ing charges, and making high-energy plays on both ends of the floor. Her leadership is apparent on the court, and she's embracing the captain role. Finally, contributing to Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty, a freshman who was ranked the No. 19 overall prospect in the country by All-Star Girls Report, led the Wolverines in scoring with an average of 14.4 points per contest through eight games. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Off To A Good Start