Michigan
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Michigan State
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Wolverines Knock Off No. 20 Michigan State in East Lansing
2/9/2025 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team split the season series against Michigan State, getting a 71-61 win over the No. 20-ranked Spartans on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 9) at the Breslin Center. It marked Michigan's second ranked win of the season.
Michigan had three players in double figures, led by an all-around performance of 19 points, five rebounds and four assists for Syla Swords in 37 minutes. Olivia Olson went for 14 points and seven rebounds, with Mila Holloway recording 10 points, four rebounds and five assists. Michigan scored 23 points in transition, allowing just five fast-break points to Michigan State.
After MSU took an 18-13 lead after the first 10 minutes of play, Michigan responded with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter for its first lead of the game. Brooke Quarles Daniels started the run with a lefty layup off a behind-the-back move, with Swords nailing a triple in transition to pull the Wolverines even. Michigan took its first lead of the game, 20-18, off a Swords put back at the 7:47 mark.
The Michigan run continued from there, eventually hitting 15-3 for a 28-21 lead before MSU called a timeout after a Te'Yala Delfosse bucket in transition at the 5:40 mark.
U-M took a 32-21 lead on a Jordan Hobbs layup with 4:09 left before the half, but MSU scored the final seven points of the first half as U-M hit the break with a 32-28 lead.
U-M extended its lead to six on the opening possession, but MSU answered with an 8-0 run for a 36-34 lead just over three minutes into the third. Swords hit a triple from the corner at the 6:32 mark to stop the MSU run, giving Michigan a one-point lead that the Wolverines never gave back.
Five straight points from Greta Kampschroeder pushed the Michigan lead to six, 42-36, near the midway point of the third quarter. The teams went back and forth over the final minutes of the third, as U-M headed to the fourth quarter with a 49-44 lead.
Holloway opened the fourth quarter with a layup, followed by a Hobbs triple for a 54-44 lead to force an MSU timeout with 8:19 remaining. Michigan refused to let Michigan State back in the game, with the lead never dipping below seven the rest of the way. A Swords triple at the top of the key with 7:20 remaining pushed the Michigan lead to 11, 59-48.
After MSU hit a three-pointer and the teams exchanged one free throw to keep the Michigan lead at eight, 60-52, with just over four minutes remaining, Swords found Quarles Daniels for a layup and a foul. She converted the three-point play for a 63-52 lead, essentially sealing the game for Michigan with 3:42 left.
Michigan went 12-for-13 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to help secure the win.
With the victory, head coach Kim Barnes Arico has tied John Beilein as the winningest coach in Michigan basketball history—men's or women's—with 278 wins in Ann Arbor.
Michigan returns home on Wednesday (Feb. 12) to host Indiana at 7 p.m.
