ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Olivia Olson had all 27 of her points in the second half and Syla Swords bounced back from a slow start to score 26 and help second-seeded Michigan rout short-handed N.C. State 92-63 on Sunday and earn a spot in the women’s Sweet 16.
The Wolverines (27-6) will play the winner of third-seeded Louisville and sixth-seeded Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Fort Worth Regional semifinals.
Michigan previously reached the Sweet 16 in 2021 and 2022.
“We committed to Michigan to do this,” said Olson, a sophomore, who was recruited by some of the top programs in the country.
The seventh-seeded Wolfpack (21-11) were without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks, who had a protective boot on her right foot after being injured in Friday night’s win against 10th-seeded Tennessee.
That hurt against Michigan’s swarming and trapping defense that forced 22 turnovers, including 10 in the third quarter that helped the Wolverines take a 16-point lead into the fourth after a closely contested first half.
“Zoe is definitely a big part of our team,” said Devyn Quigley, who scored 11 points. “She’s our team leader, starting point guard. That was a big adjustment we had to make and try to work around.
“As you guys saw, there was times it wasn’t too pretty.”
Zamareya Jones, who had a career-high 30 points against the Lady Vols, scored 16.
“I was nervous, of course, with Zoe being out,” Jones said. “She’s a big part of our team. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I wanted to uplift my teammates and let them know, like, ‘I’m not quitting, so you’re not quitting on me.’”
N.C. State’s Khamil Pierre added 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Wolfpack led 13-12 after the first 10 minutes as Olson was held scoreless and Swords to two points.
Swords responded by scoring seven in the opening two minutes of the second quarter as part of a 14-0 run that included forcing six turnovers to put the Wolverines ahead 26-13. The Wolfpack clawed back to trail by just three at halftime.
Olson, a third-team Associated Press All-America player, started 0 of 6 and was held scoreless until making two free throws with 5:59 left in the third quarter. She scored on a three-point play about a minute later and followed up with a pair of mid-range jumpers to suddenly give Michigan a 49-35 lead.
“For anyone watching, is she an All-American or what?” coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Is she arguably not one of the best players in the country? She is phenomenal.”
Mila Holloway finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Wolverines.
Coach takes the blame
The Wolfpack ended a disappointing season after not getting a vote in the last AP Top 25 before March Madness. They were a top-10 team in six of the previous seven seasons and reached the 2024 Final Four.
“I’ll take all the blame,” coach Wes Moore said following his 13th season at the school. “I put the team together, and I coached the team. I’ve got to look in the mirror, we’ve got to look in the mirror as a program, and we’ve got to try to get back to what we do.”
Up next
Michigan is in the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history. The round begins on Friday.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness