In a top-20 test at Wayne State Fieldhouse in downtown Detroit, the No. 14 Michigan women’s basketball beat the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 93-54. In the 23rd match-up between these two teams, Michigan shot
the ball well, dominated on the glass, and dictated the pace of play in transition, winning handily at the semi-neutral site.
This is a revenge game for the Wolverines against the Fighting Irish, the team that beat them in the Round of 32 last season. This was a great national TV opportunity for the Wolverines to earn some respect against Niele Ivey’s squad. It’s also a homecoming of sorts for Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey, who played a WNBA season with the Detroit Shock two decades prior and now has a son, Jaden, playing for the Detroit Pistons.
At Wayne State Fieldhouse, in front of what was essentially a sold-out crowd at a venue that seats 3,000, the Wolverines sent a clear message: this team has a roster talented enough to make a deep run in March.
First quarter
The Wolverines came out red-hot in the first quarter, taking a 7-0 lead off a run that was highlighted by a DEEP Syla Swords three.
Notre Dame battled back to go on a 6-0 run of their own and make it a one-point game within minutes, despite star guard Hannah Hidalgo picking up her second foul. Back-to-back threes from Swords, who was feeling it early, gave Michigan a seven-point lead back to end the quarter. It really was as good of a start as Michigan could ask for.
Second quarter
A few smooth buckets from Olivia Olson in transition helped Michigan extend it’s lead to 23-12 a few minutes into the quarter.
Michigan really thrived in transition, as evidenced by a key Mila Holloway and-one that put Michigan up 28-15 with just over six minutes to play until the half. She capped that off with a three off a gritty offensive board by Brooke Quarles Daniels to help Michigan hold a lead of a baker’s dozen.
The and-ones just kept coming for Michigan, who kept Notre Dame at an double-digit distance after and-ones from Kendall Dudley and Daniels.
The Wolverines ended the half with a commanding 46-29 lead; Michigan dominated on the boards (22-14) and poured in 12 second-chance points and eight fast break points while shooting nearly 50 percent (16/34) from the field. The sophomore trio of Syla Swords, Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway (30) outscored Notre Dame in that first half by themselves.
That was one of the best halves of basketball I’ve seen this team play since I started going to games in 2023.
Third quarter
Five quick points from Olivia Olson to open the half helped balloon Michigan’s lead to 22 points (51-29) less than 90 seconds into the third quarter. Notre Dame grabbed the momentum back with a 6-0 run right before the mid-quarter media timeout to cut Michigan’s lead to 18.
Michigan drew more than a few fouls in the last half of that quarter, with free throws from Olson, Holloway, Alyssa Crockett and Te’Yala Delfosse helping to get Michigan a 20-point lead back. Baskets from Crockett and McKenzie Mathurin helped Michigan outscore Notre Dame in the quarter, 19-13, and take a 65-42 lead into the final frame.
Fourth quarter
Lay-ups from Mathurin and Olson helped Michigan jump out to a 25-point lead. Olson had one of the plays of the game mid-way through the quarter, picking off a Notre Dame transition pass with one hand before finishing through contact to make it 74-46 in favor of the Wolverines. Threes from Macy Brown and Delfosse in garbage time increased Michigan’s lead to 40 points.
Michigan just kept the pedal to the medal, never letting Notre Dame even sniff at a chance of a comeback. Michigan ended up winning by a wide margin to earn a victory that’s going to look great on its resume come mid-March.
Key individual stat lines
-Olivia Olson: game-high 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals
-Syla Swords: 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, 3/8 from three
-Mila Holloway: 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals
-Ashley Sofilkanich: 10 points, three rebounds, one block, one steal
-Brooke Quarles Daniels: two points, team-high 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals
Up Next
The Wolverines return to Ann Arbor to host Binghamton (Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. on B1G+) before a date with the No. 1 team in the country, with the Wolverines taking on No. 1 UConn at the Mohegan Sun Arena three games later. That Friday primetime match-up tips off at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.
