The Wolverines rolled past Maryland, 98-71, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Jordan Hobbs scored a team-high 23 points, while Olivia Olson scored 20 points as Michigan advanced to its second straight conference semifinals:
The Michigan Wolverines rolled past the Maryland Terrapins , 98-71, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoon in large part thanks to Jordan Hobbs’ team-high 23 points. Olivia Olson and Syla Swords also combined for 42 points in the win.
Michigan improved to 22-9 overall and advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against the top-seeded USC Trojans. The Wolverines reached the Big Ten semifinals for a second straight year and are on a quest for the first tournament title in program history.
Since being named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year, Olson has continued to lead the Wolverines’ postseason charge. The star freshman is scoring 20.5 points per game on 17-of-28 shooting from the field in the Big Ten Tournament so far.
Jordan Hobbs – 23 PTS.
Syla Swords – 22 PTS.
Olivia Olson – 20 PTS.That’s our #B1G 3️⃣.#B1GWBBT x @umichwbball pic.twitter.com/nIFA5GARVr
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) March 7, 2025
FIRST HALF
Michigan used an unbelievable 21-0 run to take a 27-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The dominant run included back to back three-pointers from Olson, as well as three-pointers from Hobbs and Swords to cap off five straight made shots.
The Wolverines forced eight first-quarter turnovers and held Maryland scoreless for the final six minutes of the quarter. Olson connected on a fall away mid-range jumper in the final seconds of the first quarter to put Michigan up by 21 points.
It appeared the Wolverines might cruise to a win, but Maryland turned up the defensive intensity and got back into the game with a 16-0 run. Hobbs regained momentum with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put Michigan up, 41-37, at halftime.
SECOND HALF
In the early stages of the third quarter, the Wolverines continued to extend the lead as Olson found Swords for a layup. Midway through the period, Michigan pushed the lead back to double-digits as Olson, Hobbs and Swords all hit three-pointers.
The Wolverines outscored Maryland, 28-12, in the third quarter to turn a four-point halftime lead into a 69-49 advantage. Michigan kept its foot on the gas as Swords drilled a triple to force the Terrapins to call timeout early in the fourth quarter.
Kim Barnes Arico reacted to the Wolverines scoring the most points (98) in program history in the Big Ten Tournament: “I hope we can bottle that up. We just continued to grind. We pride ourselves on intensity and it was definitely there tonight.”
The 98 points scored by @umichwbball are the most in a #B1GWBBT game in program history #B1GStats pic.twitter.com/sBh3QXCzAq
— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 7, 2025
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will face USC in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Big Ten Network. USC defeated Michigan, 78-58, in the only matchup this season; Big Ten Player of the Year JuJu Watkins put up 31 points on the Wolverines.