Olivia Olson scores 27 to lead Michigan to win over NC State and Sweet 16 bid
Olivia Olson had all 27 of her points in the second half, and Syla Swords bounced back from a slow start to score 26 and help second-seeded Michigan rout short-handed N.C. State 92-63 on Sunday and earn a spot in the women's Sweet 16.
The Wolverines (27-6) will play the winner of third-seeded Louisville vs. sixth-seeded Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Fort Worth Regional semifinals.
The seventh-seeded Wolfpack (21-11) were without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks, who had a protective boot on her right foot after being injured in Friday night's win against 10th-seeded Tennessee.
That hurt against Michigan's swarming and trapping defense that forced 22 turnovers, including 10 in the third quarter, which helped the Wolverines take a 16-point lead into the fourth after a closely contested first half.
Zamareya Jones, who had a career-high 30 points against the Lady Vols, scored 16 and Khamil Pierre had 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Wolfpack led 13-12 after the first 10 minutes as Olson was held scoreless and Swords to two points.
Swords responded by scoring seven in the opening two minutes of the second quarter as part of a 14-0 run that included forcing six turnovers to put the Wolverines ahead 26-13. The Wolfpack clawed back to trail by just three at halftime.
Olson, a third-team Associated Press All-America player, started 0 of 6 and was held scoreless until making two free throws with 5:59 left in the third quarter. She scored on a three-point play about a minute later and followed up with a pair of mid-range jumpers to suddenly give Michigan a 49-35 lead.
Mila Holloway finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Wolverines.
Brooks was replaced in the starting lineup by freshman Destiny Lunan, who had two fouls in the opening five minutes and didn't play the rest of the half. Lunan fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with six points, limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble.
Michigan is in the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history. The round begins on Friday.