No. 5 Michigan women beat No. 2 UConn 77-66 at Crisler, the program’s highest-ranked win

ANN ARBOR — No. 5 Michigan opened the women’s basketball season Thursday by beating No. 2 UConn 77-66 at Crisler Center, the highest-ranked win in program history, the team said.

The official line score was UConn 21, 8, 24, 13 and Michigan 17, 18, 20, 22. Michigan trailed after the first quarter, led 35-29 at halftime, and took a two-point lead into the fourth. UConn scored the first four points of that quarter to go up 57-55. Michigan then outscored the Huskies 22-13 over the last 10 minutes. Attendance was 9,575, on the team’s box score. Tip was 6:30 p.m.

The team called it the first top-five women’s game played in Crisler, its third win over a top-five opponent, and the first of those since 2022. Head coach Kim Barnes Arico recorded her second win over UConn, and the release says it was her second school.

Who scored

Te’Yala Delfosse led Michigan with a career-best 22 points, including four three-pointers, and nine rebounds. The box score has her at 8 of 13 from the field and 4 of 6 from three in 32 minutes. Olivia Olson had 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Courtney Ogden scored 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench. Syla Swords had 10 points and five rebounds and, the team said, left the court for 47 seconds. Dallas Loughridge handed out nine assists in her Michigan debut.

From the team totals on the box score, Michigan made 27 of 61 field goals, 9 of 20 threes, and 14 of 24 free throws. UConn made 27 of 65 field goals, 8 of 31 threes, and 4 of 7 free throws. Those are the shooting lines. They are not a claim about who defended whom.

How the fourth quarter turned

After UConn’s 57-55 lead, Kendall Dudley scored a layup off an Olson steal, and Delfosse hit back-to-back threes in a 40-second span. Michigan led 63-57 and UConn called timeout with 6:43 left. The Huskies got the margin to four and no closer, the team said. Ashley Sofilkanich’s layup with 2:11 left made it an eight-point game after UConn had pulled within six. Michigan made its free throws from there.

The second quarter had already done similar work. Michigan outscored UConn 18-8 in that period, with seven of Delfosse’s points and six of Olson’s, to take the halftime lead. UConn won the third quarter 24-20 and got within two, which set up the finish.

Sunday at the same building

Michigan hosts Wright State at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at Crisler. The team said it will raise its 2026 Elite Eight banner before that game. Thursday’s broadcast was listed as FS1 on the team schedule. The arena photo with this story is the building, not Thursday’s crowd.

Sources:
University of Michigan Athletics, “Michigan Makes History, Knocks Off No. 2 UConn in Season Opener,” Nov. 5, 2026 (77-66, quarter scores, Delfosse, Olson, Ogden, Swords, Loughridge, fourth-quarter sequence, program history, Wright State and the banner), https://mgoblue.com/news/2026/11/5/womens-basketball-michigan-makes-history-knocks-off-no-2-uconn-in-season-opener
University of Michigan Athletics box score, UConn at Michigan, Nov. 5, 2026 (attendance 9,575, shooting lines), https://mgoblue.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2026-27/uconn/boxscore/30933
Photo: Ken Lund, “Crisler Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (21123497993).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized; derivative shared under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crisler_Center,_University_of_Michigan,_Ann_Arbor,_Michigan_(21123497993).jpg

Ann Arbor

Tags: Ann Arbor · Michigan Wolverines · Women's basketball · UConn · Crisler Center