LANSING, Mich. — Canada's Syla Swords scored 19 points with six rebounds and six assists, Olivia Olson added 14 points and Michigan beat No. 20 Michigan State 71-61 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid in the in-state rivalry.
Mila Holloway scored 10 points with five assists for Michigan (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten). The Wolverines have won three games in a row.
Grace Vanslooten led Michigan State (18-5, 8-4) with 15 points and 12 rebounds before she fouled out with a minute to play. Nyla Hampton added 11 points and Julia Ayrault scored 10.
Swords, of Sudbury, Ont., hit a three-pointer to make it 37-36 about 3 1/2 minutes into the third quarter and the Wolverines led the rest of the way. Holloway made a layup to open the scoring nearly a minute into the fourth quarter and Hobbs followed with a 3-pointer about 30 seconds later that gave Michigan a 10-point lead and the Spartans trailed by at least seven points from there on.
The Spartans, who went into the game shooting better than 45 per cent from the field this season, shot a season-low 31.8 per cent (21 of 66).
Michigan State leads the all-time series 74-26, 36-10 at home. The Spartans rolled over Michigan 88-58 last month.
The Spartans are off to their best start since the 2015-16 teams also started 18-5.
Michigan returns home to play Indiana on Wednesday. Michigan State also plays at home Wednesday against Wisconsin.
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