Myisha Hines-Allen scored 19 points, Asia Durr had 13 and No. 5 Louisville used a big third quarter to rally past No. 24 Michigan and coast to a 74-49 rout Thursday night in the semifinal of the preseason women's NIT.
Trailing 37-32 at halftime, the Cardinals began the third quarter with a 12-2 run for a 44-39 lead that became a rout early in the fourth thanks to intensity on both ends.
Louisville (4-0) held the Wolverines (2-1) to 19 percent shooting in the second half to earn its second win over a ranked Big Ten opponent in three games and a spot in Sunday's championship.
Sam Fuehring and Jazmine Jones each had eight points for Louisville. Sydney Zambrotta added six points with a pair of 3-pointers.
Katelynn Flaherty had 23 points with five 3s for Michigan, which shot 65 percent before cooling off after halftime. The Wolverines committed 23 turnovers and were beaten 35-27 on the boards and 40-16 in the paint.
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: The Wolverines seemingly couldn't miss in the first half, hitting 67 percent from long range alone. Flaherty had the initial hot hand with 5-of-5 shooting from behind the arc and 17 points, but was shut down afterward. Things quickly turned in the third quarter as Louisville increased the defensive pressure, and the Wolverines couldn't keep up.
Louisville: Durr started 1 of 9 from the field but Hines-Allen's 14 first-half points kept the Cardinals close. Their defense kicked in in the third quarter, forcing 10 turnovers and holding Michigan to 2-of-10 shooting. Scoring 24 points off turnovers quickly helped turn a close game into a blowout.
UP NEXT
Michigan will host Oakland on Wednesday.
Louisville will face Oregon-Texas A&M winner Sunday.
