Michigan regroups, rolls past Louisville to reach Elite Eight

Olivia Olson scored eight of her 19 points in the third quarter to help second-seeded Michigan pull away for a 72-51 victory over third-seeded Louisville on Saturday in a Fort Worth 3 regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament.

Syla Swords scored 16 points, Te'Yala Delfosse added 10 and Brooke Q. Daniels added nine rebounds for the Wolverines.

Michigan (28-6) overcame a slow start to reach the second Elite Eight in program history. The Wolverines found momentum after missing their first six shots and finally scoring with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter after an early 8-0 deficit.

Elif Istanbulluoglu scored 18 points with seven rebounds and Reyna Scot added nine points for the Cardinals (29-8), who were playing in their 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Louisville established a 25-14 lead on a jumper by Istanbulluoglu with 6:53 remaining in the first half. Michigan took over from there, ending the half by outscoring Louisville 18-2, with Delfosse scoring eight points during the run.

The Cardinals grabbed a pair of slim leads in the third quarter, only to be overwhelmed when the Wolverines dominated in a stretch when they scored 23 of 27 points. Swords started the outburst with a 3-pointer.

Swords also scored eight points in the third quarter as the Wolverines shot 46.7% from the floor overall. They shot a combined 61.3% (19 of 31) in the second and third quarters.

Istanbulluoglu was 8 of 12 from the floor but Louisville finished 35.4% overall, its third worst this season. The Cardinals were 21.4% (3 of 14) from 3-point range, their second-worst on the season.

Michigan will seek its first ever Final Four berth when it faces Texas or Kentucky on Monday at Fort Worth.