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Thome, Flaherty help Michigan beat Northern Colorado 75-61

Northern Colorado center Bridget Hintz (44) defends against a shot by Michigan center Hallie Thome (30) in the first half of a first-round game at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

WACO, Texas (AP) — Hallie Thome scored 24 points, Katelynn Flaherty added 20 and seventh-seeded Michigan defeated No. 10 Northern Colorado 75-61 on Friday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Wolverines shot 57 percent from the floor and took advantage of their size at nearly every position to dominate on the boards, 33-18. They were also more aggressive going to the basket, and that manifested itself in a 23-15 edge from the free throw line. Northern Colorado had 10 of its free throw attempts in the fourth quarter.

Michigan (23-9) pulled away with a 20-4 run that turned a 7-6 deficit into a 26-11 lead that eventually stretched as far as 32-14. Thome scored 10 straight points for the Wolverines during that stretch and finished with six rebounds and tied Flaherty for the team lead with four assists.

Savannah Scott led Northern Colorado with 23 points and four steals. Big Sky Player of the Year Savannah Smith had 14 for the Bears, who won 13 straight games before Friday to earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan: The Wolverines played in the WNIT the past three seasons, and they made their first NCAA Tournament game since the 2012-13 season a memorable one. Pretty much everything they put up seemed to go in, and they kept the Bears to one shot at a time on the offensive end. The Bears had two offensive rebounds and no second-chance points.

UP NEXT

Michigan will meet the winner of No. 2 Baylor and No. 15 Grambling State in the second round Sunday.

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