Swords scores 19, Olson adds 14 and Michigan women beat No. 20 Michigan State 71-61

Syla Swords scored 19 points with six rebounds and six assists, Olivia Olson added 14 points and Michigan beat No. 20 Michigan State 71-61 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid in the in-state rivalry.

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press
February 9, 2025 at 9:39PM

LANSING, Mich. — Syla Swords scored 19 points with six rebounds and six assists, Olivia Olson added 14 points and Michigan beat No. 20 Michigan State 71-61 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid in the in-state rivalry.

Mila Holloway scored 10 points with five assists for Michigan (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten). The Wolverines have won three games in a row.

Grace Vanslooten led Michigan State (18-5, 8-4) with 15 points and 12 rebounds before she fouled out with a minute to play. Nyla Hampton added 11 points and Julia Ayrault scored 10.

Swords hit a 3-pointer to make it 37-36 about 3 1/2 minutes into the third quarter and the Wolverines led the rest of the way. Holloway made a layup to open the scoring nearly a minute into the fourth quarter and Hobbs followed with a 3-pointer about 30 seconds later that gave Michigan a 10-point lead and the Spartans trailed by at least seven points from there on.

The Spartans, who went into the game shooting better than 45% from the field this season, shot a season-low 31.8% (21 of 66).

Michigan State leads the all-time series 74-26, 36-10 at home. The Spartans rolled over Michigan 88-58 last month.

The Spartans are off to their best start since the 2015-16 teams also started 18-5.

Michigan returns home to play Indiana on Wednesday. Michigan State also plays at home Wednesday against Wisconsin.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

about the writer

about the writer

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

More from Sports

The Milwaukee Brewers have unveiled a patch they will wear on their uniform this season to honor longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker, who died last month.