It almost didn’t end this way, sophomore guard Olivia Olson capping off a career-high 31 points with a game-sealing midrange shot in overtime for the No. 8 Michigan women’s basketball team.
Following sophomore guard Syla Swords’ go-ahead three-pointer with 13 seconds left, senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels committed a late foul, sending Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge to the free throw line with 0.6 seconds left. Cambridge sank all three, forcing overtime and electrifying the Buckeyes.
Ohio State
surged ahead in the extra frame, racing out to a 12-4 start and a seemingly-insurmountable lead.
But senior guard Macy Brown’s single-handed 8-0 run tied the game at 86, and a stop set up a sideline out of bounds play with eight seconds remaining.
Olson caught the sideline out of bounds pass, and as senior forward Alyssa Crockett set a screen at the top of the key, Olson darted past Buckeyes forward Elsa Lemmilä for the game-sealing layup.
Ohio State guard Chance Gray released her game-winning shot a split-second too late, and following official review, the Wolverines celebrated their first win against the Buckeyes since Dec. 2023.
With Olson’s shot, No. 8 Michigan (23-5 overall, 14-3 Big Ten) survived the overtime scare against the 13th-ranked Buckeyes (23-6, 12-5), 88-86.
“Before this game, it felt like we’ve been in every possible situation, and now that we’ve been in this game, it feels like there’s so many other situations that we’ve been tested in,” Swords said. “So you can only be excited knowing that, we’ve been up, we’ve been down, we’ve been through the overtimes, the double-overtimes, all of that, and been able to come out with wins. So it’s exciting to know that we’ve been tested and we’re prepared for anything that March is going to throw at us.”
Between the game-tying free throws, an untouched out of bounds play pass yielding possession to the Buckeyes late, three starters fouling out and the overtime comeback, the Wolverines surmounted a plethora of obstacles. Yet their first – and perhaps largest – hurdle came at the game’s onset, down 28-14 after the first quarter.
On the road, down double digits and surrendering 4-for-8 shooting beyond the arc, Michigan could’ve been in trouble. Sophomore guards Mila Holloway and Te’Yala Delfosse, along with senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels, were all in foul trouble, forcing bench players and starters alike to step up.
And in the second quarter, the Wolverines did just that. Olson exploded for 15 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the floor, and combined with six points from Swords, the duo swung Michigan back into the game with complementary play from Brown and the bench.
Olson in particular took advantage inside, utilizing her height and posting up her defender to gain interior seals. She forced her way into the paint, muscling her way to tough baskets. Olson finished the night with four offensive rebounds, part of a near double-double nine overall rebounds, shooting an efficient 50 percent from the floor for a career-high 31 points.
“The credit kind of just goes to my teammates, like any given night, someone can be hot, and so we knew going into the game that I would have a mismatch, kind of at all points in the game,” Olson said. “So just a credit to my team for kind of finding those passes. But yeah, I mean, everyone made big plays, and so just tonight, the ball went in.”
The Wolverines ratcheted up their defensive pressure to a new level and ran in transition, enabling more efficient offensive looks. They secured offensive rebounds and laid in simple putbacks, for nine second-chance points and 14 in the paint in the second quarter, trailing 40-39 at halftime, solidly in the game and retaining momentum. Michigan expanded its lead in the third, up 61-53 following another strong stretch in transition.
Up big in the fourth quarter, all was going well until the fouls started to accumulate. The Buckeyes entered the bonus early, and just as Ohio State surged – led by guards Jaloni Cambridge and Chance Gray – key starters began fouling out for the Wolverines. The momentum squarely shifted as Holloway junior forward Ashley Sofilkanich fouled out, game tied at 69.
With the Buckeyes fighting tooth and nail for each marginal slice into the deficit, it was all Swords and Olson could do to keep Michigan afloat. Olson hit two late free throws, and Swords knocked down a deep three to seemingly ice the game, before Cambridge’s free throws and Olson’s ultimate game-winner.
“It says a lot about Liv too, just being able to make those shots, but also being able to take them,” Swords said. “Those are big time shots, whether it be the dribble up three, the game ones, the free throws that you made in the fourth quarter. Like those are big shots. It says a lot about her confidence as a player.”
Having both taken potential game-tying and game-winning shots late in games earlier this season, both Swords and Olson connected late when it counted. Swords to set up overtime, and Olson to seal the win on the road.
“I don’t think anything went wrong,” Cambridge said. “They just made very tough shots. That’s what they do. I mean, as far as games I’ve watched, they’re really good at that.”
Down the stretch, Michigan made them when it counted, securing the bounce-back rivalry win on the road with an emphatic 10-0 run over the final 1:33 of play.
