Emily Kiser and Laila Phelia scored 18 points each and No. 17 Michigan shut down Northwestern in the final minutes of a 77-66 victory in the Big Ten opener on Sunday in Ann Arbor.
Leigha Brown added 10 points and 11 assists for Michigan (9-0, 1-0).
An 8-0 run gave Michigan a 61-53 lead in the fourth quarter before Northwestern’s Melannie Daley hit a jumper and Jillian Brown scored the next four points to get the Wildcats back within 61-59. At that point, U-M put the game out of reach with a 16-3 run in which Maddie Nolan hit a 3-pointer and the Wolverines made 9 of 10 from the line.