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Canada’s Syla Swords helps Michigan to first-round win over Iowa State at March Madness
The bright lights of March were no problem for one of Canada’s upcoming hardwood superstars.
The bright lights of March were no problem for one of Canada’s upcoming hardwood superstars.
Sudbury, Ont. native Syla Swords turned in a strong all-around performance to help the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines over the No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones in the opening game of the first round at March Madness on Friday.
Though her normal appetite for scoring wasn’t as pronounced, Swords still managed to net 11 points while adding nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in the 80-74 win.
She made some noise on the offensive glass, in particular, as the 19-year-old picked up five offensive rebounds. She also nabbed a huge rebound with 14.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and after being fouled, iced the game from the charity stripe by building up a six-point lead.
It was a tough matchup for the Wolverines going up against Iowa State’s impressive sophomore star Audi Crooks, who dominated down low to the tune of 28 points. But the Wolverines, with the help of a career-high 28 points from senior guard Jordan Hobbs, held on late for the win.
Michigan fought back from a nine-point deficit with 3:50 left in the third quarter. The Wolverines were 14-of-45 shooting at one point (31 per cent), but heated up to connect on 12-of-16 shots for a 75-69 lead with 3:35 left in the game.
“We were taking quick, not great shots that we could have gotten at any point during the shot clock,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “We just needed to settle.”
Iowa State hit Michigan with a 16-3 run in the second quarter and surged to a 37-32 halftime lead. The Cyclones outscored Michigan 24-13 in the second quarter to erase a six-point Wolverines lead after the first quarter.
The Cyclones shook off 4-of-12 shooting woes in the first quarter to hit 10-of-15 in the second quarter.
Swords has had an impressive freshman season in Ann Arbor, averaging 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals to help her earn All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman honours.
Despite only standing six feet tall, the Canadian Olympian led the Wolverines in rebounding.
Her Michigan squad finished the regular season 22-10, good for sixth in the Big Ten, and was knocked out in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament by the University of Southern California. Swords scored an impressive 26 points in the defeat.
With the win over the Cyclones, the Wolverines now await the winner of the game between the three-seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the 14-seed Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks.
— With files from the Associated Press
