FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Olson scored 19 points, fellow sophomore Syla Swords added 16 and No. 2 Michigan overcame a sluggish start for a 71-52 victory over Louisville in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
The Wolverines had a 16-0 run in the second quarter to erase an 11-point deficit, their biggest, then broke a tie in the third quarter by scoring 17 consecutive points and cruising to their second Elite Eight, both in the past five seasons.
Michigan (28-6) tied a school record for victories and will play either top-seeded Texas or Kentucky on Monday night for a spot in the Final Four.
Elif Istanbulluoglu scored 18 points for the third-seeded Cardinals (29-8), who shot 35% and were outscored 49-16 over a two-quarter stretch from midway through the second to the middle of the fourth.
Olson, the top scorer among a bevy of sophomores leading both teams, missed four of her first five shots, and the Wolverines went more than six minutes without scoring to start the game.
Te’Yala Delfosse, who had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, had a 3-pointer during the second-quarter run that she capped with a three-point play for Michigan’s first lead at 28-25.
Swords and Olson connected on consecutive 3-pointers late in the 17-0 run that put Michigan in control for good. The sophomore standouts combined to go 9 of 16 from the field in the second half.
Louisville — in its 13th Sweet 16, all in 19 seasons under coach Jeff Walz — had won both of the previous meetings in the NCAA Tournament, including a victory four years ago that sent the Cardinals to the Final Four.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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