ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Te’Yala Delfosse scored a career-high 22 points and Olivia Olson had 19 points, lifting No. 5 Michigan to a 77-66 win over No. 2 Connecticut on Thursday night in the first-ever matchup of top-five women’s basketball teams in the AP Top 25 at Crisler Center.
The Huskies had won 39 regular-season games in a row since their last loss on Feb. 6, 2025.
The Wolverines went on a 13-2 run early in the fourth quarter, compelling Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma to call two timeouts in failed attempts to stunt their momentum, and they made plays at both ends of the court to seal a win against the highest-ranked opponent in program history.
Huskies superstar Sarah Strong, the reigning AP women’s basketball Player of the Year, fouled out with 13 points after drawing three fouls in a scoreless first half.
UConn’s only other player in double figures was freshman Jovana Popovic, who led the team with 25 points.
Michigan, meanwhile, had four players with at least 10 points who picked up the slack for starting point guard Mila Holloway, who is out indefinitely with an injured left leg.
Courtney Ogden, a transfer from Stanford, scored 12 points in her Michigan debut and Syla Swords had 10 points.
The Huskies have an extremely challenging schedule, including nine games against current top-20 teams. The list of tough tests includes top-ranked South Carolina on Nov. 24 in a Final Four rematch, coming off Auriemma’s meltdown in the handshake line when he yelled at South Carolina’s Dawn Staley.
Michigan is coming off the best season in school history, returning its top players with hopes to advance to the Final Four for the first time.
Next up
UConn: Hosts No. 10 Iowa on Sunday.
Michigan: Hosts Wright State on Sunday.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college basketball coverage here
Larry Lage, The Associated Press