The No. 2 seed Michigan women’s basketball team is returning to the Sweet 16. The Wolverines, last advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend in 2022, punched their ticket to Fort Worth, Texas with an identity-reflecting win against NC State on Sunday.
Up by just three points at halftime, Michigan outscored No. 7 seed North Carolina State 64-38 in the second half, forcing 12 turnovers and generating 23 points off of them. Sophomore guards Syla Swords and Olivia Olson shined, with Swords notching
her 1,000th career point with 26 on 9-of-18 shooting, and Olson powering the second-half surge with all of her 27 points.
With all-out effort on display, the Wolverines (28-6) downed the Wolfpack, 92-63, advancing to the program’s third ever Sweet 16.
“(I saw) a different level of grit and intensity, like they played Michigan basketball in every facet today,” assistant coach Danielle Rauch said. “They were diving on the floor for loose balls. They were communicating defensively. They were flying around. I mean, we took the lid off the basket and absolutely just cashed out in that second half. So I think they did all the things that they needed to to be successful. And it wasn’t just the points that they scored, it was everything that made it turn into that. And that’s what Michigan basketball is.”
Sophomore guard Mila Holloway called the game a return to the Wolverines’ identity, all originating from defensive effort. Forcing 22 turnovers and generating 35 points off them, Michigan sped NC State up and — in star point guard Zoe Brooks’ injury-induced absence — made the Wolfpack uncomfortable.
Entering the second half up 28-25, the Wolverines punched first in a game which had been defined by exchanged runs up to that point. They deployed their full-court press consistently from the second quarter onwards, and in the third quarter, it changed the game.
“I feel like we fed off of their weakness,” sophomore guard Mila Holloway said. “I guess you could say we saw that they kind of started to give up, and we preyed on that for sure. We picked up the intensity, we started pushing the pace more, and we were able to knock down shots. So that was big. And the Maize Rage, having the fans here, everyone is definitely a lot of momentum, for sure.”
In combination with the press — which forced 10 turnovers in the half and 20 points off them — Michigan began to make shots.
With 5:59 to go in the third quarter, Olson drew contact on a right-handed drive to the basket, opening her scoring with two swishes from the charity stripe. She’d been relegated to the bench for a long first-half stretch after picking up two early fouls guarding Wolfpack forward Khamil Pierre.
Olson generated some momentum with that, and drove for an and-one layup a minute later. She never looked back, adding a critical dimension to the Wolverines’ offense and expanding the floor. Olson added 11 points, along with nine from Swords, to take a commanding lead.
“We got beat, all the hustle plays,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said. “Points off turnovers, I already mentioned, points in the paint, second chance points, fast break points, you name it. Like I said, we got handed it to us today.”
Naming the stats Moore referenced, Michigan outscored the Wolfpack 35-5 off turnovers, 11-4 on second-chance points, and 11-5 on fast breaks. The Wolverines finished with 78 shots to NC State’s 51, an insurmountable margin at practically any field goal percentage. And the third quarter was before all the damage was even done.
The havoc-wreaking trapping press of senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels, Olson, Swords, sophomore forward Kendall Dudley and sophomore wing Te’Yala Delfosse electrified Michigan and the crowd, while stifling the Wolfpack. NC State’s substitute tandem of guards Zamareya Jones and Destiny “Ky’She” Lunan combined for 11 of the team’s 22 turnovers, just swarmed as soon as they touched the ball.
The offense settled in based on the foundation of transition and paint points, lighting up with seven fourth-quarter three-pointers. A left wing catch-and-shoot three from senior forward Alyssa Crockett may have produced the afternoon’s loudest moment, a tribute to the only four-year senior on the roster who’d stuck with the program through its ups and downs.
Fittingly, Crockett was the player to secure the game’s final rebound and dribble out the clock. When it hit zeroes, she was mobbed by her teammates streaming from the bench onto the floor, celebrating in pure jubilation.
Chants of “Let’s Go Blue,” “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine,” and “KBA” rang through the arena as Swords and Olson slapped Michigan’s banner into place on the NCAA Tournament bracket, marking the Wolverines’ berth in the Sweet 16.
Michigan will next play on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., taking on the winner of No. 3 Louisville and No. 6 Alabama, who play Monday at 12 p.m.
