No. 2 Michigan surges past Columbia after a dominant third quarter to win 81-58

NEW YORK (AP) — Syla Swords scored 17 points and Olivia Olson added 15 to help No. 2 Michigan beat Columbia 81-58 on Thursday night.

Kendall Dudley had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines (3-0), who moved up to their best ranking ever in the AP Top 25 on Monday.

It was the highest ranked opponent the Lions had ever played against, let alone hosted. The Columbia men hosted No. 1 St. John's in 1985. The only ranked opponent to come to play Columbia at home was Ivy League rival Princeton. The Lions will also have No. 5 Duke come to play on Nov. 21.

Michigan led by 10 at the half and used a 16-5 run to start the third quarter to double its advantage. On one play, Olson stole the ball and then hit a nifty reverse layup and was fouled to extend the lead to 52-31 with 4:51 left in the period.

The Lions didn't threaten the rest of the way. Riley Weiss scored 23 points and Mary Ashley Stevenson added nine for the Lions.

Columbia (3-1) welcomed back coach Megan Griffith, who served a three-game suspension to start the season after an external review determined she had coaching interactions with the team that didn’t align with expectations for the program. The school also raised the banner for the 2026 WBIT championship before the game.

Michigan led 11-10 midway through the first quarter before scoring the next 10 points, including seven by Dallas Loughridge. The Wolverines were up 23-13 after the opening 10 minutes.

Columbia hung around and only trailed 36-26 at the half as the Wolverines were just 5 of 15 from the field in the second quarter, including missing all five of their 3-point attempts.

Michigan: At Central Michigan on Monday.

Columbia: At No. 19 Maryland on Sunday.

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