No. 2 Michigan beats Louisville 71-52 to reach Elite Eight
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.
NO. 1 TEXAS 76, NO. 5 KENTUCKY 54
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Rori Harmon had 11 points, seven assists and six steals and Texas beat fellow SEC member Kentucky, sending the top-seeded Longhorns to another Elite Eight in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Jordan Lee had 18 points while All-America forward Madison Booker had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Longhorns (34-3), who have an 11-game winning streak. Harmon also had seven rebounds.
Amelia Hassett hit a 3-pointer on the first shot of the game for the Wildcats (25-11), but their only lead didn’t last long. Texas responded with 15-0 run, in the middle of which Harmon had three defensive rebounds and four assists in a span of 90 seconds.
The Longhorns will play second-seeded Michigan in the Fort Worth Regional 3 final on Monday night. The Wolverines beat Louisville 71-52 earlier Saturday, setting up the only regional final this year matching the top two seeds.
Texas is in the Elite Eight for the third year in a row under coach Vic Schaefer. Last year it went to the Final Four for the first time since 2003.
Clara Strack, the 6-foot-5 center who came from Virginia Tech with coach Kenny Brooks two years ago, led the Wildcats with 16 points. Asia Boone had 11 points while Teonni Key added 10 points and nine rebounds.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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