Two Delfosse threes in 40 seconds turn Michigan’s first top-five home game

Forty seconds separated the two shots that put No. 5 Michigan in front for good Thursday night in Ann Arbor. Te’Yala Delfosse hit both threes, Olivia Olson delivered both passes and the Wolverines beat No. 2 UConn 77-66 in their season opener. Michigan had never beaten a team ranked that high in women’s basketball.

UConn had made the game its own again by the start of the fourth quarter. Down six at halftime, the Huskies scored 24 in the third. Kayleigh Heckel’s layup with 8:30 to play put them ahead 57-55. They would not lead again.

The steal came first

Olson stole the ball from Sarah Strong. Six seconds later, Dallas Loughridge fed Kendall Dudley for the tying layup. UConn missed a three on each of its next two possessions. Michigan rebounded both misses, and both trips the other way ended with Olson finding Delfosse beyond the arc. After the second make, with 6:49 left, it was 63-57.

Strong got two back after the timeout. UConn never got closer. Delfosse finished with a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds. Olson’s line shows how much of the floor she covered: 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Two of those assists came on the shots that decided who would play from ahead.

What UConn takes home

Freshman Jovana Popovic gave the Huskies 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. Strong finished with 13 points and eight boards in 28 minutes before fouling out. UConn had enough scoring to erase Michigan’s halftime advantage. Its problem in the decisive stretch was getting a stop once a missed shot sent the ball the other way.

UConn, now 1-1, hosts No. 10 Iowa on Sunday, November 8, at 2 p.m. EST on FS1. Before tipoff at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, the school will induct Azzi Fudd into the Huskies of Honor.