[ad_1]
Led by its star sophomore guards, No. 7 Michigan (22-4 overall, 12-2 Big Ten) took down No. 13 Michigan State (20-6, 9-5) by a final score of 86-65, marking just the fifth season sweep over the Spartans in program history.
Sophomore guard Syla Swords led the way, finishing with 24 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Fellow sophomore guard Olivia Olson scored 23 points alongside her eight rebounds and four assists.
The pace was frenetic from the start, but that was expected. With two of the top three scoring offenses in the Big Ten squaring off, it only makes sense that both teams come out firing. The only difference between the two squads was that Michigan State was hitting its shots early while Michigan wasn’t.
Off of both makes and misses, the Spartans were immediately pushing the ball down the court. They were largely unconcerned with setting up an offense, and they didn’t need to, as they collected easy layups in transition. Michigan State began the game 7-for-10 from the field, opening up a 19-11 lead.
The Wolverines were also pushing the pace, but they weren’t converting at the same clip. They finished the quarter shooting just 6-for-20, and amassed a 21-15 deficit.
Michigan found an offensive spark to open the second quarter, though, outscoring Michigan State 19-4 in the first six minutes. The Wolverines didn’t get particularly hot in that span, they simply prevented the Spartans from getting any opportunity to score. In those first six minutes, Michigan forced six turnovers and collected five offensive rebounds. As a result, the Wolverines attempted 14 shots to the Spartans’ three, which led to Michigan opening a 34-25 lead.
Things didn’t get much better for Michigan State, finishing with 12 turnovers in the second quarter alone. The Wolverines won the second quarter 26-9, and took a 41-30 lead into halftime. Swords finished the half with a game-leading 14 points, while Olson and fellow sophomore guard Mila Holloway followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Michigan started the second half feeling good, making all four of its first four shots, but just as Michigan State did in the first half, the Wolverines started to turn the ball over.
In the opening five minutes of the half, they turned the ball over three times, but were still able to open the lead up to 53-38. Swords scored six early points to push her game total up to 20 points, while Olson scored four to put her total at 15 points.
With just under three minutes to play in the third quarter, however, Swords picked up her fourth foul, forcing head coach Kim Barnes Arico to sit her star guard for an extended period.
That didn’t slow the Wolverines down, however, as they continued to maintain control of the game. As the fourth quarter began, they were nursing a 15-point, 65-50 lead.
And after four minutes of play in the fourth quarter, Michigan State’s chance of a comeback had completely withered, as Michigan owned a commanding 73-54 lead. In every way, the Wolverines were better than the Spartans. Michigan got to every loose ball, forced Michigan State into rushed possessions, and executed on offense when it needed to.
The Wolverines were able to coast to the final buzzer, collecting both an impressive 86-65 win and a series sweep over the Spartans.
[ad_2]
Eli Trese
Source link