With each passing game, Michigan’s freshmen look less and less like rookies. On Thursday night in Minneapolis, they carried the Wolverines to their first top-25 win of the season.
Michigan beat No. 23 Minnesota 70-65, handing the Golden Gophers their first loss at Williams Arena this season in 12 tries.
The Wolverines, ranked No. 24, trailed by a point entering the fourth quarter. They locked down defensively, while Syla Swords and Olivia Olson provided enough scoring for an impressive road win.
Swords finished with 23 points (12 in the first quarter), seven rebounds, and four assists. Olson had 19 points, eight boards, and three steals in a homecoming. Olson is from New Hope, a suburb just outside of Minneapolis, and was excited about this game as soon as the schedule was released. The two freshmen were on the floor for all but a combined three minutes as Michigan improved to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten.
Michigan went scoreless for the final 6.5 minutes of the second quarter and Minnesota closed the half with a 9-0 run to grab a 37-33 lead.
Michigan’s freshmen had an 11-0 run to give Michigan a 45-39 lead with 6:25 left in the third: Mila Holloway hit two 3s, Swords connected from the top of the arc, and Olson had a nifty fadeaway off a baseline spin. Holloway finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Swords made six 3s on the night; Michigan was 11 for 24 from deep.
Minnesota finally ended the run with its first field goal of the half, 5.5 minutes in.
The Wolverines trailed by one entering the fourth, wasted no time reclaiming the lead, and pushed their advantage to 67-60 on a Swords triple with 5:26 left. They didn’t score again for five minutes, when they turned a defensive rebound into a breakaway layup for Swords, but their defense kept them at least a couple of possessions ahead throughout.
Minnesota (17-3, 5-3) shot just 6 of 25 from 3-point range and 37 percent overall. Amaya Battle led Minnesota with 25 points.
Michigan will get a shot at another ranked win on Saturday when No. 21 Michigan State visits Crisler Center.
