#MGoEurope Travel Log: Thursday, Aug. 24
8/24/2017 5:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Features
The Michigan women's basketball program is on a week-and-a-half trip to Europe (Aug. 21-31) with stops in Italy and Greece. Follow the Wolverines on social media (#MGoEurope) and with a daily travel log on MGoBlue.com.
Thursday, Aug. 24
9:45 a.m. -- The day once again began with a light breakfast in the courtyard of the hotel. After a quick bite to eat, the group headed back to where we were the previous day with one thing on the mind: shopping! Or maybe two things ... GELATO!
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Employing the buddy system and after another quick geography review from our tour guide, Fortuna, everyone scattered to find their treasures. For some, that was a stop at a gelato shop or a slice of pizza. Others gathered souvenirs for family and friends back home. Or for the really die-hard shoppers, the Nike store, Louis Vuitton and Gucci awaited.
"Amazing," freshman Hailey Brown said of her time in Rome. "I am so thankful to the University of Michigan for this opportunity to travel internationally. Not many people can say that they have been able to travel the world and play basketball in these amazing cities. The Colosseum has been my favorite part so far. I have always wanted to see that and I am really into history.
"Oh my gosh, this trip has been unbelievable so far," head coach Kim Barnes Arico said about their time in Rome. "It has just been incredible. I think that this is one of the greatest cities in the world. The weather has been unbelievable and the food is incredible. It also gives us such a good chance for us to get to know everyone in our program on another level. This is just helping us create our team chemistry."
3 p.m. -- The players meet with the coaching staff one last time before the game to review the offensive sets that have been put in. The teams broke into their position groups before gathering again as a group for a small walkthrough on a makeshift court. Shoutout to student managers Louis Goldsmith and Emily Herard for their work!
3:30 p.m. -- Time to eat! Pregame meal was at the hotel and was an amazing collection of pasta, chicken, salmon, pork, grilled vegetables and bread.
5:30 p.m. -- The team left the hotel for the game. It took about 30 minutes to get there, but our tour guide, Fortuna, told us that it would have taken twice that long if the entire city was not on vacation.
7:30 p.m. -- Game time! The Wolverines came away with a 109-58 win over a group of Italian All-Stars.
Michigan had six players in double figures, led by Kayla Robbins' double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Hallie Thome turned in 19 points and eight rebounds, with freshman Deja Church going for 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Senior Maria Backman had 14 points and seven boards and Brown matched her with 14 points and six rebounds. Freshman Priscilla Smeenge rounded out the double-figure scorers, going for 11 points, seven boards and five assists.
"It was a great start for us," Barnes Arico said. "It was great for us to get our freshmen out there and our younger kids. I thought it was a great team effort. I loved the challenge and the effort our team had today."
U-M held just a nine-point lead, 25-16, after the first 10 minutes of action but started mixing up its defenses and extending pressure to all 94 feet. The move paid off as the Maize and Blue doubled up the Italian All-Stars in the second quarter, 30-15, to hit the break with a 55-31 advantage.
"I thought we played incredibly hard tonight," Barnes Arico continued. "I was really impressed with effort on both sides of the floor, especially with all our travel the last few days. For us to come out and be able to run like that after not practicing for a few days really speaks to our conditioning and work ethic through the summer. I was really impressed with how our freshmen played and the effort that they gave. They really played hard and were able to contribute, which was great to see.
The Wolverines continued their effort on the defensive end in the second half, allowing just 11 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth quarter. Michigan totaled 68 rebounds in the contest to just 22 for the Italian team. U-M turned 21 Italian turnovers into 36 points and outscored them on the break, 24-2.
"It felt so good," Brown said about putting on a Michigan uniform for the first time. "It has been something I have been waiting for for a long time. Even though it wasn't a real game, it was still an amazing opportunity. It felt so good to get out there with the team, run our stuff and represent the University of Michigan."
Next up for Michigan is a trip to Pompeii tomorrow on the way to Sorrento for the weekend.
