UConn survives Michigan in one of women’s basketball’s toughest early tests

UConn survives Michigan in one of women’s basketball’s toughest early tests originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

No. 1 UConn escaped with a 72–69 win over No. 6 Michigan on Friday night at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, surviving one of the toughest tests the Huskies may face all season and a late eruption from Wolverines sophomore Syla Swords that nearly handed the defending national champions their first loss.

UConn appeared ready to cruise early, overwhelming Michigan with a 22–5 first-quarter lead and entering halftime ahead 45–27 behind a blistering offensive stretch from Azzi Fudd. Fudd, who finished with a game-high 31 points, hit four 3-pointers in the second quarter including a buzzer-beater that pushed the Huskies’ lead to 18. The performance led to Fudd being named both the Associated Press National Player of the Week and the Big East Player of the Week.

But Michigan, coming in having a dominant win over ranked Notre Dame  and emerging as one of the nation’s most complete teams, showed why so many around women’s basketball are talking about the Wolverines and why they may be a legitimate tournament contender.

The Wolverines shifted defensive looks in the second half, holding UConn to four points in the third quarter and storming back with an 18–4 run to cut the deficit to 49–45 entering the fourth. Much of that surge was fueled by Swords and sophomore forward Olivia Olson, who finished with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Swords, already an All-Big Ten talent as a freshman, delivered the kind of late-game performance that cements national stardom. She scored nine points in the final minute and drilled three 3-pointers in a 36-second span including a deep pull-up with 13 seconds remaining to bring Michigan within one at 70–69.

“If that’s her not playing great, imagine her ceiling,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said postgame, noting Swords’ history of rising against top-ranked opponents.

Fudd responded on the next possession, sinking two clutch free throws with eight seconds left to push the Huskies’ lead back to three. Michigan had one final opportunity, but after Swords was stripped in the backcourt, the Wolverines could not get a shot off in the closing seconds.

Swords finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while hitting a career-best eight 3-pointers on 14 attempts. Her late barrage turned what once looked like a predictable UConn win into a possession-by-possession thriller and underscored just how competitive the top of women’s college basketball has become.

Michigan forced 17 turnovers, held UConn to 37.7% shooting and showed the national audience it can go toe-to-toe with the sport’s gold standard. For a program ranked sixth and still gaining recognition, Friday’s performance sent a clear message: the Wolverines are far more than a trendy early-season pick they are for real.

For UConn, the narrow escape provided a reminder that even the nation’s top team can be pushed to the brink.

And for the rest of the women’s college basketball world, the matchup delivered a statement of its own: parity has arrived, and the road through the top 10 is no longer predictable.

It may prove to be the hardest game UConn faces all season and the one that officially put Michigan on notice as one of the nation’s toughest outs.