Michigan gave the defending national champs and No. 1 team in the country all it could handle. The Wolverines lost to top-ranked UConn 82-79 Friday night at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, despite 29 points from sophomore Syla Swords. Michigan, which trailed by 20 early in the third quarter, was denied a shot in the final seconds that would have tied the game. Michigan scored just two baskets in the opening quarter and trailed by 18 at half. A zone defense paired with Swords’ hot shooting changed the game. The Wolverines dominated the third quarter to give themselves a shot at the upset. Michigan’s final nine points came on Swords 3s, each one increasing in difficult. She made eight 3s and added nine rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. It wasn’t quite enough for the No. 6 Wolverines, who fell to 4-1 on the season. UConn (5-0), hadn’t lost since Feb. 6, and got 31 points from Azzi Fudd, who hit plenty of big shots of her own. It was Michigan’s first-ever game against UConn, and the Wolverines suffered the same fate of most of the Huskies’ opponents over the last few decades. But it wasn’t for a lack of effort. With Michigan down three with eight seconds left, Swords was stripped on the inbounds but Michigan freshman McKenzie Mathurin stole it back and passed ahead to Delfosse, who had a shot at a potential game-tying 3 from well beyond the arc. She had it knocked away before the final buzzer, with Michigan’s bench pleading for a foul. It was incredible the Wolverines had a shot late. They trailed 14-3 until Olsons basket with 2: 32 left in the opening quarter. Turnovers and missed layups resulted in a 22-5 deficit after the first quarter. Michigan shot just 2 for 20 to start the game. Fudd’s third 3 gave her 13 points and UConn a 34-15 lead. Michigan trimmed the deficit to 13 in the final 90 seconds but UConn sandwiched baskets around a stop, with Fudd beating the buzzer on a tough pull-up jumper that made it 45-27 at half. The Huskies opened the second-half scoring to push the lead to 20. That’s when Michigan’s comeback began. Swords’ 3 cut UConn’s lead to 14 with 5: 33 left in the third quarter. She hit another, and Michigan piled up the stops. Kendall Dudley’s offensive board in traffic and putback. Swords hit her fifth 3 to cap a 18-2 run that made it 49-45, which held entering the fourth. UConn, like Michigan in the first quarter, managed just four points in the period. Michigan’s surge continued early in the fourth as UConn missed 12 straight shots and went eight minutes without scoring against Michigan’s zone. Michigan cut the deficit to two before Fudd took over. Ashley Sofilkanich missed a layup and Fudd answered with a 3, a five-point swing that made it 55-47 UConn with six minutes left. Michigan trailed by 13 with 3: 37 to go but showed some fight. Swords grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. Te’Yala Delfosse scored in transition. A couple of Olson baskets trimmed the margin to six with 1: 57 left. Michigan got a stop and brought the ball into the frontcourt with a minute to go. Swords drifted on the right wing and buried another 3. UConn called timeout and ran high-low action for an open layup. Michigan countered with a set play for yet another Swords triple that made it a two-point game. Michigan had just one team foul and started taking them to extend the game. Fudd went to the line with 17 seconds left and made both. Swords’ most difficult shot yet, from just inside the halfcourt logo, rattled home to make it 70-69. Fudd was fouled again as Michigan didn’t work hard enough to deny her the inbounds. She again made both. That’s when the chaos ensued that eventually led to Michigan running out of time. Michigan shot just 36 percent but held the Huskies to 38 percent.
https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2025/11/michigans-massive-comeback-falls-just-short-against-no-1-uconn.html
