Olivia Olson, a freshman from New Hope, Minnesota, added 19 points for the Wolverines (14-4, 5-3 Big Ten Conference), including a jumper to open the fourth quarter that gave them a 55-53 lead. Swords followed that with a 3-pointer and the defense held the Golden Gophers (17-3, 5-3) to 4-of-15 shooting.
But the Gophers (17-3 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) struggled to finish against Michigan’s physical defense, making only nine of 33 second-half shots and just four of 15 in the fourth q
Combining for 54 points against Minnesota, the Michigan women's basketball team's Olson, Swords and Holloway paved the way for victory.
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 University of Minnesota women’s basketball team hosted Michigan Wednesday night as a pair of ranked teams met at Williams Arena for the first time since 2019. A pair of Minnesota-born players put on a show.
The Gophers held the Wolverines to just seven points in the second quarter but were outscored in the other three in the loss. Still, they were well-positioned to take home their first win against a ranked opponent before the offense went cold in the waning minutes of the game.
The Big Ten gauntlet continues on Wednesday night for the Gophers, as they will host Michigan at the Barn. ESPN's matchup predictor favors the Wolverines in the game with a 52.1% chance to win according to their own analytical model.
No. 23 Minnesota hosts the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines after Grace Grocholski scored 27 points in Minnesota's 87-82 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.
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