The No. 8 Michigan women’s basketball team always has a scoring threat primed to explode. Some nights, it’s sophomore guard Mila Holloway, who set a career-high Sunday against Michigan State. Other nights, it’s sophomore guard Olivia Olson, consistently averaging 18.7 points and setting the standard.
Wednesday evening against Nebraska, it was sophomore sharpshooting guard Syla Swords, recently named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale top-10 list for the nation’s top shooting guard. Her 28 points paved the way
for the Wolverines at all three levels, marking her second-highest offensive output of the season. Olson maintained top-level consistency, piecing together a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Their 49 combined points — including 29 in the second half —secured Wednesday’s late-surge victory for Michigan (20-3 overall, 11-1 Big Ten) against Nebraska (16-7, 5-7), 88-76, improving the Wolverines’ unblemished home record to a perfect 12-0. The win marks both the program’s longest conference win streak with nine and its best start to conference play (12-1).
“Nebraska is a really good team, and they came in here and gave us incredible tests tonight,” head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “I think we have two of the best — and on any given night, it could be three, four or five — players in the country on our team. … And I think if you watch their performance, you can see why Syla is such a dynamic scorer. And she just was able to score at all three levels today, and Liv (was) the same and was all over the place. … So they both just lead our team in so many categories, in so many ways.”
The Cornhuskers fought tough, forcing 21 lead changes and nine ties throughout the contest. From the get-go, Nebraska guard Britt Prince facilitated the offense and the Huskers moved the ball efficiently, while playing disruptive defense and sinking three-pointers.
So while Michigan scored 42 first-half points — including 10-for-13 shooting from the free-throw line — Nebraska handed the Wolverines’ game right back to them, snatching seven steals for 12 turnovers. Michigan’s offensive rebounding, led by junior forward Ashley Sofilkanich, counteracted the Cornhuskers’ disruptive defense with seven boards, resulting in a narrow 44-42 Nebraska halftime lead.
“Ball pressure and helping each other on our scrambles was important,” Olson said of the Wolverines’ second-half adjustments. “We also didn’t let them shoot as many threes, so that was big for us.”
Comparing the Huskers’ 7-for-15 first-half clip with their second-half 2-for-6 beyond the arc, Olson’s assessment holds up. Michigan forced seven second-half turnovers and ran Nebraska off the line, denying outside passes and exterior setups. With 3:30 to play in the fourth quarter up just 79-74, the Wolverines shut down the Nebraska offense and surrendered only one basket the remainder of the game.
Swords and Olson sealed the game in that stretch with seven combined points. Two resulting from an Olson offensive rebound — Michigan’s 13th as part of a 40-25 margin on the glass — which she dumped to Swords for a quick layup. Swords darted to the right wing and nailed a coldblooded fadeaway three to ice the game.
With the win, the Wolverines retain their top-two position in the Big Ten, setting up a showdown Sunday afternoon against No. 2 UCLA for first place in the conference. The game will potentially determine the regular season Big Ten champion, which could mark Michigan’s first in program history.
