EAST LANSING (AP) — Kennedy Blair scored 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting and No. 22 Michigan State coasted to a 102-41 win over Oakland on Sunday.

Grace VanSlooten added 14 points and Theryn Hallock scored 10 for the Spartans (6-0), who forced 33 turnovers and turned those into 43 points. Rashunda Jones had nine points, eight assists and five steals.

Layla Gold had 13 points for the Golden Grizzlies (2-4), Oakland shot 28% (15 for 53).

Michigan State shot 54% (39 of 72) with 11 3-pointers.

Blair had 19 points in the first half on 8-of-9 shooting as the Spartans turned 22 turnovers into 27 points.

Emma Shumate hit a 3-pointer and Blair scored eight quick points to close the first quarter with an 11-0 run for a 22-8 lead.

Blair started and ended another 11-0 run starting midway in the second quarter that turned into a 27-4 burst to take a 53-22 halftime lead.

The Spartans continued to roll in the third quarter with 9-0 and 19-0 runs, pushing their lead to 49 at 83-35 when Blair drilled a 3 at the buzzer.

For good measure MSU had a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to close its season-opening homestand.

Up next

Oakland plays St. Thomas of Nebraska on Tuesday.

Michigan State heads to the Bahamas to play Temple in Baha Mar Hoops on Friday.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Te’Yala Delfosse came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points and No. 6 Michigan rolled past Syracuse 81-55 on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Olivia Olson finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists for Michigan (5-1), which had 20 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Orange 46-32.

Delfosse scored five consecutive points as Michigan had the final 11 points in the first quarter. Syracuse pulled within 12 after a basket by Shy Hawkins. Syla Swords answered with a 3-pointer and assisted on a Delfosse basket to give the Wolverines a 38-21 lead at halftime.

Olson scored to give Michigan its first 20-point lead with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter. Mila Holloway followed with a 3-pointer. Syracuse had 13 offensive rebounds in the second half but couldn’t keep Michigan from pulling away and improving to 6-0 against Syracuse.

Syracuse’s Laila Phelia, who led the Orange with 13 points, played her first three seasons at Michigan. She was the leading scorer for the Wolverines during the 2023-24 season and averaged 14.1 points in 88 career games at Michigan.

Uche Izoje had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Dominique Darius added 10 points for Syracuse (5-1).

Syracuse was ranked in the top 10 in offensive rebounds per game coming into the game, but Michigan held a 14-3 advantage in the first half.

Michigan, which on Friday played with the highest ranking in program history, threw a scare into top-ranked UConn before falling 72-69 despite 29 points and eight 3-pointers from Swords.

Up next

Syracuse hosts Howard on Sunday.

Michigan plays Detroit Mercy on Wednesday.

— By JIM FULLER, Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The special teams play that handed Michigan State its loss to Iowa wasn’t the field goal that senior Drew Stevens nailed from 44 yards out to walk the Spartans off at Kinnick Stadium. It was the 40-yard punt return from Kaden Wetjen that set up the game-tying touchdown to begin with.

Michigan State intended to kick the ball out of bounds so as not to let Iowa’s explosive return man from getting a crack at a big return. But punter Ryan Eckley didn’t get the ball out of bounds. Wetjen fielded the punt and returned it 40 yards to key up Jacob Gill’s game-tying touchdown on a 13-yard reception.

“Kaden Wetjen single-handedly kept us in this game today in a lot of ways just with his returns,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a player like that, that electric, that much juice.”

Wetjen proved every bit the nation’s leading return man — one who holds two Iowa and Big Ten return records — in Michigan State’s 20-17 loss at Iowa on Saturday. The graduate senior who started his career at Iowa Western Community College returned three punts for a combined 147 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

“We went into it knowing their returner is a good player,” MSU coach Jonathan Smith said. “We decided to challenge him to start the game. After that we made some adjustments to get away from that.”

Wetjen’s 147 return yards matched quarterback Mark Gronowski’s passing yards for Iowa, and only seven short of the rushing total of 154. It was those hidden yards that put Michigan State’s defense in short-field situations late in the game, and also influenced the decision-making behind a handful of game-changing decisions.

Early on, Wetjen showed Michigan State (3-8, 0-8 Big Ten) any sort of “challenge” it could throw at him wouldn’t be much of a hurdle. A 45-yard punt return in the first quarter could’ve been a touchdown if only Eckley hadn’t tackled him through a blocker. The very next punt, after a stalled drive deep in Michigan State’s territory, Wetjen returned that for his 62-yard touchdown.

“We got chances to get him on the ground,” Smith said. “It wasn’t like we didn’t.”

That’s part of the reason quarterback Alessio Milivojevic punted three times in the game. Smith had repped his quarterbacks through punts every Thursday since fall camp. All those reps proved useful to Milivojevic. Keeping a quarterback on the field kept Wetjen off the field, and the redshirt freshman from Illinois showed a competent leg, for a non-punter, in his reps. None of those looks were meant to test the Iowa (7-4, 5-3) defense, Milivojevic and Smith both said after the game.

“It kind of angered me when they started doing the QB quick kick,” Wetjen said.

In the fourth quarter, though, Eckley took the field. And despite having a leg that has attracted NFL attention since last year, the redshirt junior who’s likely destined for the NFL Draft instead made a series of gaffes.

Eckley started off strong, kicking a 42-yard punt with 10 minutes to play that had plenty of hang time, his punt coverage forcing Wetjen to wave for a fair catch. The next time Eckley took the field, he shanked it wide right for just 11 yards before it went out of bounds.

On his final punt, Eckley was supposed to punt the ball out of bounds, but it stayed well inside the white lines and fell to Wetjen’s hands well before the coverage team got to him. With a juke, Wetjen beat long snapper Jack Wills. Then he jaunted up the right side for his big return before edge rusher David Santiago and a pursuing Wills wrestled him down.

“The last two punts (by Eckley) did not get executed how we wanted,” Smith said. “And that gets turned into a three-point loss.”

Eckley punted six times for 257 yards and a long of 58, including a 44-yard punt downed at the Iowa 1-yard line by gunner Keshawn Williams.

Meanwhile, earlier decisions to keep Eckley — and Wetjen — off the field proved costly late. At the end of the first half facing fourth-and-3 from the 49-yard line, Michigan State kept the offense on the field. On a rub-route to running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver, Milivojevic threw a pick into double coverage that nearly spotted Iowa a field goal — Stevens hit a 53-yard try on an iced attempt, then missed the next one that counted for real.

So, after advancing to his own 45 in a tied game with 41 seconds to play, Milivojevic took the field on fourth-and-2. But instead of calling an aggressive shot to try and win the game, he booted it 34 yards, down to Iowa’s 21-yard line, to avoid a return and hope to force overtime.

“I was just trying to get it off fast,” Milivojevic said. “I didn’t want any opportunity for them to come and block it and make things worse.”

Gronowski found two big passes for 19 yards to DJ Vonnahme and 29 yards to Reece Vander Zee to set up Stevens’ walk-off field goal. Wetjen took the field one more time for a sweep to line up the kick. And Stevens handed Michigan State its eighth straight loss.

“Thank God he’s on our team today,” Ferentz said, “because we would have been in trouble, for sure.”

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Michigan likes to talk about the waves of defensive linemen the Wolverines can throw at teams, but not to be overlooked on offense are the waves of running backs the team has been able to rely on this season.

First, Justice Haynes took over as lead back and was among the nation’s best until he was sidelined with a foot injury. Then Jordan Marshall took on the workload with great success and became the team’s leading rusher. He suffered a shoulder injury against Northwestern last week and was on the sideline in uniform for Saturday’s game at Maryland, but he was able to rest while former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal, who entered the Northwestern game after Marshall was hurt and had 53 yards on 15 carries, took over.

“Jordan could have (played against Maryland) if we needed him,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said.

But the Wolverines didn’t need him and allowed him to rest before next week’s important game against Ohio State. In Michigan’s 45-20 victory over the Terps, Kuzdzal rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns. In the six games he had played before Maryland, Kuzdzal had 106 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown.

Haynes, Marshall and Kuzdzal each have three-touchdown games this season. Kuzdzal’s 100-yard performance was Michigan’s 12th this season – Haynes had six, Marshall, four, and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, one. The last time U-M had four different players each with at least one 100-plus-yard rushing game was in 1998.

Kuzdzal said he had an idea this week he would get the bulk of carries.

“Because with next week’s game (against Ohio State) and everything else going on, you don’t know if you want to put them in the game,” Kuzdzal said, referring to Marshall. “But either way, I just want to prepare the same way as I can and do the best I can.”

Moore said he was pleased with the way Kuzdzal stepped up in the start.

“Doesn’t matter who’s in the game, there’s a standard of being a running back at Michigan,” Moore said. “There’s a standard being a Michigan football player that you’ve got to play with, and (Kuzdzal) played to that standard today. Ran hard, ran physical, ran tough. And that a true credit to him, to his family, being a walk on. The trust level, the trust factor we have with him is so big, and he just played a really high level for us.”

Kuzdzal said Haynes and Marshall have been in his “corner” and advised him simply to trust himself. He said he learned more about taking practice and applying it to a game.

“It’s just a lot of experience learning to settle myself down and do what I’ve been coached to do,” Kuzdzal said. “I was able to do that today.”

Injury updates

Marshall is nursing a right shoulder injury but could have played if needed against Maryland, Moore said.

“I said, I guess you’re not gonna play next week (against Ohio State),” Moore said to Marshall, who played for Cincinnati Moeller. “And he just laughed at me. He said, is that really a question?”

Two-time captain Max Bredeson, a fullback/tight end, was injured in the game but returned in the second half to the sideline with his right foot in a boot and on crutches.

“We will get further evaluation when we get home and see what happens,” Moore said.

Linebacker Ernest Hausmann, the team’s leading tackler, and receiver Semaj Morgan did not make the trip to Maryland.

“They’re just working to some things, not long-term things. Yeah, we’ll see as we go through the week.”

Marsh has solid game

Freshman receiver Andrew Marsh finished with 147 all-purpose yards — 76 receiving, including a 12-yard touchdown, 48 kickoff and 23 punt return yards.

“Andrew Marsh just kind of doing what Andrew Marsh does, making plays as a punt returner, as a kick returner,” Moore said. “He just continues to make plays so just keep putting him in different places to do it.”

Williams gets his first sack

Defensive tackle Tre Williams had one of Michigan’s three sacks of Malik Washington.

“Getting this was real special,” Williams said. “I talked to my dad this morning, and he was telling me, ‘Don’t do too much. Just be you and do your job, and the play’s gonna come to you,’ so that’s kind of what happened. Shout out my dad.”

Washington had taken three sacks all season.

“We knew that he only had got sacked three times, but I don’t think they had saw a complete defensive line that has waves like us,” Williams said. “We send waves at people. It’s not just a couple guys. We send waves and waves and waves and waves at people, and that gets really overwhelming at times for teams. I’m not surprised that we sacked him three times today. Wish we could have had more.”

With just one week left in the regular season, the Mid-American Conference championship chase is absolutely bananas.

Five of the conference’s 13 teams remain in the hunt to play for the MAC title at Ford Field on Dec. 6, with Western Michigan in the driver’s seat and four others, Central Michigan included, still with a chance.

The Broncos are 6-1 in the MAC and can get into the MAC championship game for the first time since 2016 with a win over state rival Eastern Michigan on Tuesday. Central Michigan, Toledo, Miami and Ohio all are 5-2 in the MAC, which pending next week’s outcomes might just have to reach deep into its bag of tiebreaker scenarios. By the end of the regular season, there could be as many as four teams that have to go to the tiebreakers.

The only team that doesn’t have to worry about tiebreakers for now is WMU; win at EMU, and the Broncos are in.

“We have built a foundation and mentality of going 1-0. I’ve been saying this since training camp … our players are probably tired of me saying it,” said Lance Taylor, WMU’s third-year head coach, who has the Broncos bowl-eligible for the second straight year. “You’ve gotta fight human nature, whether it’s complacency, whether it’s blocking the noise and distractions, looking at all the what-ifs. None of that stuff matters.

“The only scenario that matters is how we prepare this week, and goi

ng 1-0.”

Western Michigan, of course, still could get into the MAC championship game, even with a loss to EMU, depending how other games shake themselves out, thanks to the one-game lead entering the final week of the regular season.

Western Michigan has won three straight games, including thrilling comebacks over rival Central Michigan and Ohio, and this past week’s 35-19 win over Northern Illinois. In that game, the Broncos trailed, 13-0.

There remains the possibility that WMU could play CMU in the MAC championship game for the first time ever. It wasn’t possible from 1997-2023, when the winners of each division played for the title. The MAC did away with divisions in 2024.

Central Michigan has won two straight games since the loss at Western Michigan to stay in the mix, including this week’s 28-16 victory at Kent State.

The Chippewas host Toledo next Saturday, meaning one of those teams will fall out of title contention with a loss. It’s the only MAC game in the final week of the regular season between two teams still in the championship mix. CMU needs a win, and some help to get to Ford Field. If WMU wins, CMU needs a win and Ball State to beat Miami. If WMU loses, CMU needs a win and Buffalo to beat Ohio, or Ohio to beat Buffalo and Ball State to beat Miami. Got all that?

Either way, it’s been quite a resurgent season for CMU under first-year head coach Matt Drinkall. It’s the Chippewas’ first winning season and first time being bowl-eligible since 2021. They last played for a MAC championship in 2019.

“To be in the position we’re in I think is just a testament to the kids’ buy-in,” Drinkall said. “We have a very good plan and these guys attack it every single day, every week. They have bought all the way in. … We might not have the flashiest, most talented roster, but it’s talented enough, and we’ve got elite leadership and elite heart.”

Here’s the MAC schedule for contenders in the final week of the regular season:

• Western Michigan (7-4, 6-1) at Eastern Michigan (4-7, 3-4), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN2)

• Ohio (7-4, 5-2) at Buffalo (5-6, 4-3), noon Friday (ESPNU)

• Toledo (7-4, 5-2) at Central Michigan (7-4, 5-2), noon Saturday (ESPN+)

• Ball State (4-7, 3-4) at Miami (6-5, 5-2), noon Saturday (CBSSN)

There are up to seven MAC tiebreakers to determine the two participants in the championship game, starting with head-to-head if there are two teams tied, and starting with head-to-head winning percentage among the tied teams, if there are more than two. But that tiebreaker might not work with a multi-team tie because the MAC now plays an unbalanced schedule. The second tiebreaker for multi-teams is if one tied team defeated the other tied team(s). The third tiebreaker is winning percentage among all common opponents. Things should finally be settled by then, well before the seventh tiebreaker ― which is actually a random draw by commissioner Jon Steinbrecher.

In other words, it’s good to be Western Michigan right now, even though it is a rivalry game, and Eastern Michigan, despite being out of bowl eligibility, has won its last two games.

“When you take care of the opportunity that you’re given,” said Taylor, “you’re given more.”

Tickets to this year’s game start at $18.80, and they are available at detroitlions.com.

In last year’s MAC championship game, Ohio beat Miami, 38-3.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd scored 31 points and Sarah Strong added 16 points and 20 rebounds to lead No. 1 UConn to a 72-69 victory over sixth-ranked Michigan on Friday night in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

Huskies coach Geno Auriemma had said earlier in the week that Michigan might be the best team that his team would play this early in the season. He wasn’t wrong.

UConn (5-0) looked like it would run away with it early, building a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter before the Wolverines (4-1) rallied. They used a 13-0 run to pull to 49-45 heading into the fourth.

Fudd ended a nearly 8-minute scoring drought for the Huskies hitting a 3-pointer to start her own personal 9-0 run and restore a double-digit advantage for UConn.

Michigan wasn’t done, rallying to 68-66 in the final minute on a 3-pointer by Syla Swords with 22.2 seconds left. The Wolverines fouled Fudd 5 seconds later and the guard calmly hit two free throws to restore the two-possession lead.

Swords once again answered hitting a deep 3-pointer with about 12 seconds left, making it 70-69.

Fudd then hit two more free throws with just under 8 seconds left and Michigan couldn’t get a final shot off to tie it.

Swords finished with 29 points and Olivia Olson added 18 for the Wolverines.

UConn jumped all over Michigan with Strong leading the way on both ends of the court. She had six points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the first 10 minutes as the Huskies led 22-5 after one quarter. Fudd took over in the second quarter, scoring 13 points as the Huskies led 45-27 at the half.

This was the third time in the past two seasons that Michigan has faced a No. 1 team in the poll. The Wolverines lost to South Carolina to open the season last year and then were beaten by Big Ten foe UCLA. Prior to those meetings, Michigan had only faced a No. 1 team once before — a loss to Iowa in 1988.

Up next

UConn will play Utah and Michigan will face Syracuse on Sunday in the second set of games in this tournament.

— By DOUG FEINBERG, Associated Press

Mohammad Habhab had 24 points in Eastern Michigan’s 97-91 win against Oakland on Friday.

Habhab had 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Eagles (3-2). Carlos Hart added 22 points while going 7 of 10 and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line, and added seven rebounds and five assists. Mehki Ellison finished 5 of 8 from the field to finish with 13 points.

“Sometimes the other team just plays better and we honestly did not play bad tonight,” Oakland head coach Greg Kampe said. “Offensively, we played pretty well. We took a few bad shot, panicked a bit…within the last few minutes we got it back to three [points], and we had chances and weren’t tough enough with the ball. We need to learn how to finish late in the game.”

The Golden Grizzlies (1-5) were led in scoring by Brody Robinson, who finished with 22 points and six assists. Michael Houge added 17 points for Oakland. Isaac Garrett had 15 points and six rebounds.

Habhab put up 12 points in the first half for Eastern Michigan, who led 46-41 at halftime. Eastern Michigan turned a one-point second-half lead into an eight-point advantage with a 7-0 run to make it a 75-67 lead with 8:09 left in the half.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Coen Carr scored 11 points in the opening seven minutes and finished with 13, and Jeremy Fears had 18 points and 11 assists to lead No. 17 Michigan State to an 84-56 win over Detroit Mercy on Friday night.

The Spartans (5-0) followed up their 83-66 victory over No. 12 Kentucky in New York City with a rout at home against an overmatched team led by former Michigan State point guard and assistant coach Mark Montgomery.

Michigan State, which beat then- No. 14 Arkansas two weeks ago, will likely play a third game against an AP Top 25 team when it faces No. 18 North Carolina on Thanksgiving in Florida.

Carson Cooper scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Jaxon Kohler had nine of his 13 points after halftime, helping the Spartans coast to the lopsided win after getting off to a strong start.

The Titans (1-5) started 0 of 10 from the field and missed 16 of their first 18 shots before improving their shooting.

It was too late.

The Spartans led 17-4 midway through the first half and 41-25 at halftime.

Michigan State maintained a comfortable cushion, keeping fresh players on the court as coach Tom Izzo used an 11-man rotation before going even deeper down the bench late in the game.

One of the loudest cheers of the night came when Nick Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, made a 3-pointer with 1:10 left.

Detroit Mercy’s Orlando Lovejoy had 14 points. Ayden Carter and TJ Nadeau each scored 10.

Up next

Detroit Mercy plays at DePaul on Sunday night.

Michigan State plays East Carolina on Tuesday.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Isaline Alexander scored 20 points off the bench and No. 24 Michigan State thrashed Western Michigan 98-44 on Sunday.

Alexander, a senior whose past two seasons were cut short by injury, was 9-for-9 shooting and made 2 of 5 free throws.

Grace VanSlooten had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Michigan State (4-0). Kennedy Blair delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Rashunda Jones scored 13 points.

The Spartans scored the first 18 points of the game and led 31-5 after one quarter. Michigan State dominated the third quarter in similar fashion, outscoring the Broncos 33-7 due in large part to a scoring streak of 21-2.

The Spartans had a huge 39-1 advantage in points after turnovers. Western Michigan turned it over 29 times compared to only four miscues for Michigan State.

De’Ahna Richardson scored 11 points and Kailey Starks 10 for the Broncos (1-3). Ariana Wilkes had 10 rebounds and the Broncos outrebounded the Spartans 43-37.

Michigan State entered the game second in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in assists per game, averaging 27.3. The Spartans had 28 assists on Sunday.

The Spartans have won 12 in a row in the series after trailing 8-7 in the early days of the in-state matchup.

Up next

Michigan State: Eastern Illinois visits on Thursday.

Western Michigan: The Broncos host Roosevelt on Tuesday.

Saline quarterback Tommy Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, has switched his college commitment to the Wolverines.

He had been committed to Miami of Ohio.

Carr (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) is ranked a three-star prospect by 247Sports. He is ranked the No. 7 player overall in Michigan in 2026 and the No. 29 quarterback nationally in the 2026 recruiting class.

Saline’s run in the Michigan high school football playoffs ended Friday night with a 42-28 loss to Detroit Cass Tech in a Division 1 regional final. Carr led Saline to a 10-2 record this season, passing for 2,797 yards and 37 touchdowns

Carr is the younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and the son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr.

Michigan’s 2026 recruiting class has 25 commitments and is ranked No. 10 nationally by 247Sports.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Ethan Grunkemeyer threw two touchdown passes to Devonte Ross, Kaytron Allen ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns and Penn State defeated Michigan State 28-10 on Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak.

Grunkemeyer completed 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards for the Nittany Lions (4-6 overall, 1-6 Big Ten).

Grunkemeyer sealed the win with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ross with 4:32 left and Allen added his second touchdown on a 26-yard run with 2:07 remaining.

Alessio Milivojevic completed 17 of 27 passes for 128 yards for the Spartans (3-7, 0-7) who lost their seventh straight game.

Elijah Tau-Tolliver ran 57 yards for a touchdown on Michigan State’s first play of the game. Allen tied it on the ensuing Penn State possession with an 8-yard scoring run.

Following a Michigan State field goal, the Nittany Lions went in front 14-10 on Grunkemeyer’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ross.

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles did not play as he was on the pregame sidelines wearing a walking boot on his left foot. He started the first eight games of the season but saw his streak of 20 consecutive starts come to an end on Nov. 1 against Minnesota when he was replaced by Milivojevic.

The Spartans played their first game since the NCAA placed Michigan State’s football program on three years of probation for violations that occurred during Mel Tucker’s tenure as coach.

The takeaway

Penn State: The Nittany Lions avoided their first seven-game losing streak in the same season since 1931. With a home game against Nebraska and traveling to Rutgers to close the regular season, Penn State’s hopes to go to a bowl remain alive.

Michigan State: Porous pass protection and the inability of wide receivers hampered the Spartans’ passing game. Michigan State gave up five sacks to Penn State, raising their total sacks given up this season to 35.

Up next

Penn State hosts Nebraska on Saturday.

Michigan State visits Iowa on Saturday.

— By BOB TRIPI, Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Olivia Olson scored 30 points and No. 14 Michigan blasted Hannah Hidalgo and No. 18 Notre Dame 93-54 in the Shamrock Classic on Saturday, the worst loss for the Fighting Irish in more than two decades.

Three days after Hidalgo scored a school record 44 points with an NCAA record 16 steals, the Wolverines led wire-to-wire on the Wayne State campus and limited Hidalgo to 12 points on 4-of-21 shooting with seven turnovers. Hidalgo, who has scored in double figures in each game of her career that spans 71 games, converted a a three-point play with 2:21 to go.

Mila Holloway had 12 points, Syla Swords 11 and Ashley Sofilkanich 10 for Michigan (3-0). Swords had nine rebounds and Brooke Quarles Daniels grabbed 10 as the Wolverines had a 50-28 advantage on the boards, dominating second-chance points 19-5 and points in the paint 50-26.

Cassandre Prosper had 17 points and KK Bransford added 15 for the Fighting Irish (3-1).

Swords knocked down consecutive 3-pointers late in the first quarter to give Michigan a 17-10 lead.

Olson made two layups and Swords and Holloway had three-point plays a half-minute apart to give the Wolverines a 28-15 lead four minutes into the second quarter. They pushed the lead to 19 before going into the break on top 46-29.

Michigan finished it off with a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines shot 50% and Notre Dame 28%, going 2 of 22 behind the arc.

Up next

Michigan is home on Tuesday against Binghamton and plays No. 1 UConn at the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville on Friday.

Notre Dame returns to campus to play No. 8 Southern Cal on Friday.

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired, Jordan Marshall ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns before exiting with an injury and No. 18 Michigan stayed in the playoff chase by beating Northwestern 24-22 at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

The Wolverines (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) overcame three late turnovers, including two interceptions by Bryce Underwood, and remained in the running for the College Football Playoff with their fourth straight win. Northwestern (5-5, 3-4) lost its third in a row.

Zvada’s boot capped a 50-yard drive and set off a celebration on the field and in the stands, where a large part of the crowd wore maize and blue.

Michigan was up 21-9 when the Wildcats’ Preston Stone plowed in from the 1 two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Michigan then had a third down at its 26 when Braden Turner picked off a pass intended for Deakon Tonielli and returned it to the 6. Caleb Komolafe ran it in on the next play, giving Northwestern at 22-21 lead with 12:05 remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

Michigan then drove to the 30 before Underwood got picked off again, this time by Robert Fitzgerald at the 20. The Wolverines had another opportunity after Northwestern punted, only to give it away again after opting not to go for the field goal. They had a fourth-and-1 at the Wildcats’ 24 when Bryson Kuzdzal fumbled the handoff and Northwestern recovered.

Marshall had another big outing with Justice Haynes missing his second consecutive game because of a right foot injury. After setting career highs with 185 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a narrow win against Purdue two weeks ago, he scored from the 1 early in the second quarter to give Michigan a 7-0 lead.

Underwood, coming off shaky performances in wins over Michigan State and Purdue, completed 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards against a defense that began the day ranked 22nd in the nation against the pass. He also ran for a touchdown.

Freshman Andrew Marsh set career highs with 12 receptions for 189 yards, and the Wolverines beat Northwestern for the 14th time in the past 15 meetings.

Stone was 13 of 27 for 184 yards.

Hunter Welcing had 81 yards receiving, and the Wildcats dropped their 14th straight against Top 25 teams.

Northwestern also fell to 0-7 all-time at Wrigley Field. Six of those losses have come since 2010, when college football returned to the famed ballpark after more than a seven-decade absence.

Takeaways

Michigan: The Wildcats remained on course to make the College Football Playoff, no easy task with No. 1 Ohio State visiting on Nov. 29.

Northwestern: The Wildcats have two more opportunities to become bowl-eligible for the second time in coach David Braun’s three seasons. They host Minnesota at Wrigley next week before visiting Illinois in the finale.

Up next

Michigan: Visits Maryland on Nov. 22.

Northwestern: Hosts Minnesota at Wrigley Field on Nov. 22.

— By ANDREW SELIGMAN, Associated Press

Heading into the season, much of the buzz and attention surrounding Michigan basketball had to do with all the new pieces.

Coach Dusty May’s portal haul was rated among the best in the nation, with three transfers — guard Elliot Cadeau, forward Yaxel Lendeborg and center Aday Mara — being named to preseason watch lists for the top players at their respective positions.

The fourth and final transfer, forward Morez Johnson Jr., and the top-ranked freshman, former Orchard Lake St. Mary’s star Trey McKenney, each shined in their regular-season debuts with 20-point performances.

Yet, May doesn’t want people to forget about returning players Nimari Burnett, L.J. Cason, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter and their importance to the team. He said as much when he brought up the foursome unprompted when speaking about this season’s roster at the midway point of summer workouts.

“We’ve sat here and Tschetter’s name has come up one time and Nimari Burnett’s name hasn’t come up yet,” May said in July. “The continuity they bring, the character that they bring, the work capacity, the unselfishness where they’re trying to help the younger guys 24/7. They’re spending their time and energy trying to help guys that could potentially chip into their minutes because they want to win and they want to be great teammates.

“Then you throw in Roddy Gayle and L.J., when the prognosticators are talking about we went to the portal and signed this guy and that guy and we brought in this five-star recruit and this four-star, those guys get lost in the shuffle. But if we win this year at the level we’re capable of, if we max out as a group, those returners are going to be a big reason why.”

May’s praise didn’t stop there. During Michigan’s media day on Sept. 30, he called the quartet the “biggest, most pleasant surprise” in the preseason.

“I will say our returners have improved drastically. All four of the guys that were in the rotation last year are much better basketball players,” he said. “Roddy Gayle (in practice) probably had as good of a two-week period as anyone in our program. You guys know how I feel about Nimari. His level of consistency, his routine, his mentorship to the young guys, he just brings so much to the table.

“Then you factor in Will Tschetter, who’s becoming a real shooter, someone who’s able to shoot on the move, get it off quick, not just be a spot-up guy, and he’s able to defend the ball. … Prior to (an ankle injury), L.J. was playing at a significantly higher level than he played at last season.”

May called Burnett a consummate pro and a culture builder with the way he approaches everything. On the floor, he doesn’t care if the ball is in his hands and he doesn’t try to do too much. He simply finds his shots in the flow of the game. Off the floor, May said Burnett attacks his player development plan at an “A-plus level” and acts as another assistant coach with recruits.

As for all the roster additions, Gayle described Burnett as the “perfect leader” for the newcomers.

“If you are confused on what to do, just follow Nimari,” Gayle said at Michigan’s media day. “He always has a steady incline where he’s always getting better just by the basics. I think that’s one thing Nimari does well. He does the basics well, probably the best I’ve ever seen, as far as like stretching, taking care of his body, lifting. You know what you’re getting out of Nimari every day; same with Will.”

Given Burnett’s, Gayle’s and Tschetter’s background of experiences and veteran status, they are the three May turns to any time he doesn’t have “a great pulse” on something with the team or needs help figuring things out that he hasn’t yet.

There’s also an added level of familiarity between the coaching staff — which remained intact — and the returners. Everyone knows what’s expected, even if some roles are different than a year ago, with Cason and Gayle taking on more playmaking responsibilities and Tschetter playing more at small forward.

Gayle, for example, was trying too hard to fit in and “please” his teammates and coaches at times after transferring in from rival Ohio State, May said. Now, Gayle looks much more comfortable.

While Gayle’s midseason struggles last season might lead some to underrate what he can bring to this team, assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. believes a “life-changing year” could be in store if Gayle commits himself to being one of the best Big Ten wing defenders in a league that has a bunch of talented perimeter players.

“If he can make a mark for himself (on defense), he can do well individually, but obviously that’s going to be a big part of us being successful,” Boynton said. “Then on the offensive side, I think there’s a little bit less pressure. All the noise about him coming from Ohio State has dissipated … and now he can just be him as a Michigan returner and be able to play with more freedom and less focus on trying to prove something about who he is. Just be a good player on a really good team.”

Out of the returning cast, Cason has the most natural room for growth and potential to make a greater impact than he did as a freshman, when he turned in several strong postseason performances.

The highs and lows Cason experienced shaped him and should help him become a more consistent contributor, even though he’s been banged up in the fall.

“I think he took all of it in and committed himself to just maturing, being more organized, taking the off-the-court preparation seriously,” Boynton said.

Just as vital as Cason’s ability to get into the lane, collapse the defense and make plays is Tschetter’s ability to connect the defense with his communication and connect the offense with his spacing.

May said it’s noticeable when Tschetter is and isn’t on the floor at practice due to his effort, energy and enthusiasm. In the exhibition against St. John’s, May felt the Wolverines looked like a different team down the stretch when Tschetter was in the game compared to when he wasn’t.

“I’m excited for all of them,” Boynton said of the core four. “Roddy had a good offseason and preseason. Nimari has been as solid as they come. Will is probably as consistent as they (come). He is who he is whether he plays eight minutes or 28 minutes. … They’re all going to play a big role if we do the things we would like to do.”

That’s not lost on May and the rest of the staff. None of them overlook or underestimate the value of Burnett, Cason, Gayle and Tschetter and how the returning pieces will factor into this season’s roster puzzle as it takes shape.

“If we’re ever going to be at a championship level — and time will tell if we’re going to be at a championship level this season — a big part of it is going to be because of the leadership and continuity of those guys,” May said.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Rashunda Jones, Grace VanSlooten and reserve Jalyn Brown scored 15 points apiece and No. 23 Michigan State coasted to a 92-60 win over Eastern Michigan on Sunday.

Theryn Hallock added 14 for the Spartans (2-0), who forced 30 turnovers.

Sis Eleko scored 18 points for the Eagles (1-2), Fernanda Ovalle added 15 and Peyton Hill 10.

The Spartans led 19-15 after one quarter but used a 15-0 burst in the second for a 37-20 lead and closed the half with 11 straight points to go up 48-26 at the break.

Jones had 11 points and VanSlooten 10 as Michigan State made 10 of 11 shots inside the arc and 9 of 11 free throws. Eastern Michigan shot 3 of 9 with 13 turnovers in the second quarter. The Eagles had four 10-second violations by halftime.

The Spartans, who had a school record 125 points in their season opener against Mercyhurst, stretched the lead to 74-45 after three quarters.

Michigan State continues its six-game season-opening homestand on Wednesday against Youngstown State.

ANN ARBOR (AP) — Olivia Olson scored 18 points, Mila Holloway added 17 and No. 13 Michigan used a strong first quarter to cruise to an 84-55 win over Harvard on Sunday.

Syla Swords had 14 points for the Wolverines (2-0), who shot 55%.

Abigail Wright scored 17 points to lead the Crimson (1-1). Karlee White scored 12 of her 15 in the second half, making 9 of 11 from the foul line, and Olivia Jones added 11.

Michigan broke away from a 7-7 tie with 17-straight points, the first four from Olson, who also hit a 3-pointer. Swords also contributed a pair of baskets and the lead was 24-8 after one quarter. The Wolverines hit 10 of 15 shots, the Crimson 3 of 12 with 10 turnovers.

Harvard missed its last nine shots in the first quarter and first two of the second, finishing the first half 9 of 27 to trail 40-24. Michigan had eight turnovers in the second quarter and but shot 58% for the half.

The Wolverines pushed the lead to 61-41 after three quarters. Reserves pushed the lead to 29 as Harvard was 2 of 10 with seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Crimson finished with 26 giveaways and Michigan had 20.

Michigan goes to Detroit on Saturday to play No. 15 Notre Dame in the Shamrock Classic.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Mila Holloway scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, added eight assists and seven steals and No. 13 Michigan opened the season with a 100-40 win over Canisius on Tuesday night.

Olivia Olson added 18 points and Ashley Sofilkanich, who transferred from Bucknell after being the Patriot League Player of the Year and surpassed 1,000 career points, and Te’Yala Delfosse both scored 14 for the Wolverines, who shot 52% and had 25 steals while forcing 45 turnovers.

Mary Copple (Brighton HS) had eight points to lead Canisius, which went 12 of 31 from the field (39%). Michigan had 13 field goals in the third quarter alone.

The Golden Griffins shot 57% in the first quarter but only got up seven shots because of 14 turnovers and trailed 23-14. It was 51-26 at the half when 23 turnovers became 26 points.

The Wolverines’ third game is the first against a Power 4 team, facing Notre Dame in the Shamrock Classic in Detroit.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Theryn Hallock and Grace VanSlooten combined for 37 points on 16 of 21 shooting, Kennedy Blair had a double-double and No. 23 Michigan State opened the season with a record-breaking 125-39 win over Mercyhurst on Tuesday night.

The Spartans set records for points in a game and margin of victory.

Hallock scored 19 points, VanSlooten 18 and Blair had 14, on 6-of-8 shooting, and 12 assists. Four other Spartans reached double figures. Rashunda Jones and reserve Amy Terrian both had 15, and backups Emma Shumate and Jalyn Brown had 14 and 13, respectively, off the bench.

Michigan State shot 62% with 13 3-pointers and had just three turnovers while turning 36 Mercyhurst turnovers into 62 points.

Lena Walz and Cici Hernandez both had nine points for Mercyhurst, under first year Erin Mills-Reid.

The Spartans scored the first nine points of the game and after the Lakers hit a 3-pointer reeled off 16 straight points. Mercyhurst knocked down another three and Michigan State finished the quarter with 11 straight points for a 36-6 lead.

The Lakers were 2 of 11 with 10 turnovers in the first quarter and Michigan State, which was 15 of 22 (68%), proceeded to score the first 13 points of the second quarter for a 24-point run. Add another 10-0 run and the Spartans were up 66-18 at halftime, a Breslin Center record for points in a half.

The Spartans have six-straight home games and don’t play a scheduled Power 4 opponent until meeting Wisconsin in a Big Ten Conference game on Dec. 7, their ninth game.

DETROIT — Three former Eastern Michigan men’s basketball players declined to cooperate with an NCAA investigation into potential sports-betting violations, the NCAA announced Friday.

The NCAA identified the three players as forwards Jalin Billingsley and Da’Sean Nelson and guard Jalen Terry. The NCAA said not cooperating with an investigation is a violation of NCAA rules, which could result in permanent ineligibility, but none of the three has any college eligibility remaining.

Eastern Michigan said its athletic department cooperated fully in the investigation.

“EMU remains committed to compliance with NCAA rules and preserving the integrity of competition,” athletic director Scott Wetherbee said in a statement to The Detroit News on Friday.

“Eastern Michigan fully cooperated with the NCAA staff and its investigators. The three student-athletes who chose not to participate in the investigation have exhausted their eligibility.

“With the matter behind us, we are looking forward to the upcoming season.”

The NCAA said in its report Friday that in January 2025, its enforcement staff received alerts from integrity-monitoring services about potentially suspicious first-half betting activity on Eastern Michigan’s Jan. 14 game at Central Michigan, won by CMU, 82-63.

On Jan. 29, the three players had their phones imaged by an NCAA enforcement vendor. The NCAA said its enforcement staff made requests to interview the players after their phones were imaged.

On March 17, 10 days after the team’s season ended, the players’ lawyers notified the NCAA that they would not participate in the investigation, and they requested the phone images be destroyed.

The NCAA said Friday that it was unable to determine if sports-betting violations occurred.

Not participating in an NCAA investigation is considered a Level I violation, if players have eligibility remaining. Instead, the NCAA’s only remaining recourse was to publicly name the players in question.

“When individuals choose not to cooperate — particularly when cases involve potential integrity issues — those choices can and will be met with serious consequences including prohibitions on athletically related activities, the loss of eligibility and/or being publicly named in an infractions decision,” the NCAA’s Division I Committee on Infractions said in a statement released Friday.

EMU finished the 2024-25 season with an overall record of 16-16, 9-9 in the Mid-American Conference.

Terry played in 31 games and led the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game, and also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Nelson played in 31 games and averaged 16.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. Billingsley played in all 32 games and averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds.

The publicly IDing of the former Eastern Michigan players comes one day after federal investigators arrested Miami Heat player Terry Rozier for allegedly rigging sports betting with his on-court actions.

The NCAA, the only major sports league in United States without commercial partnerships with sportsbooks, said this week that it has investigated about 30 current and former men’s basketball players for sports betting improprieties. NCAA athletes aren’t allowed to bet on any sports, but starting Nov. 1, they can bet on professional sports.

“We are grateful for federal law-enforcement’s efforts to stamp out illegal sports betting, and I am proud that the NCAA continues to have the most aggressive competition-integrity polices in place,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement this week. “The Association has and will continue to pursue sports-betting violations using a layered integrity-monitoring program for over 22,000 states.

“But we still need more states, regulators and gaming companies to help in this effort by eliminating risky prop bets to reduce opportunities for manipulation.”