Michigan runs away with Sweet 16 win over Louisville

The No. 2 seed Michigan Wolverines advanced with a 71-52 win over No. 3 seed Louisville Cardinals in a Sweet 16 matchup. Despite a slow start, Michigan got back on track. 

"It took us a minute to settle, but then once we did, I think our confidence exploded," Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "We just were really disruptive on the defensive end, which we pride ourselves on being, and that allowed the floodgates to open on offense."

The Cardinals started the game scoring the game's first eight points. They took a 15-9 lead over Michigan into the second quarter. Elif Istanbulluoglu and Iamri Berry both have five points for the Cardinals.

In the second quarter, Michigan got it going with Te'Yala Delfosse leading the way with eight points in the quarter. In the final 6:36 of the quarter, Michigan outscored Louisville 18-2 to take a 32-27 lead into halftime; its press defense played a big role in the run.

"I think our press has been our strength the whole year, so we didn't want to shy away from that," Michigan's Olivia Olson said. "I feel like we didn't really press in the first quarter that much. They were kind of sending people out, and we didn't really gamble on it at all. Te did a great job coming in and using her length to get steals and turnovers. I thought our second line did a really good job of moving and getting the next person."

Louisville started the second half outscoring Michigan 11-5, then Michigan closed the quarter on a 20-2 run to blow the game open and took a 57-40 lead in the final quarter. 

"You could see that at the beginning of the third, we were just having so much fun," Olson said. "All the work that we've put in in practices, all the hard preseasons, Coach getting on us. She's thrown everything, every single possible situation, at us this year in practice. So, just that third quarter, we were really playing loose and having fun, and I think that's what ignited our run."

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Olson and Syla Swords lead the way with eight points apiece. In the 4th quarter, Michigan outscored Louisville 14-12 to advance to the Elite Eight.

Michigan shot 46.9 percent from the field, and Louisville shot 35.4 percent from the field and 3-14 from the three-point line. Olson led the Wolverines in scoring with 19 points on 8-19 shooting. Swords added 16, and Delfosse added ten points.

For the Cardinlas, Istanbulluoglu led the way with 18 points. Reyna Scott added nine points.

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