Michigan's surprising attempt to beat No. 1 South Carolina falls short, 68-62

Despite the loss, it was quite a debut for Michigan's freshman phenom Syla Swords, as her efforts nearly clinched a spectacular opening win over No. 1 South Carolina.

The Gamecocks have not lost a live regular season game since December 2021, although the Swords scored 27 points in a 68-62 loss in Game 1 of the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.

A young and retooled Wolverine program wasn't intimidated by the bright lights or the fanfare of the game against reigning national champion USC, as the program took a 38-37 lead over the Gamecocks in 2018 thanks to a one-two punch from Swords and senior guard Jordan Halftime brought Hobbs.

However, a strong third quarter from USC led by Chloe Kitts turned the game on its head as the Wolverines trailed the rest of the game.

Kitts led USC with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

They traded blows in the fourth period, and a three-pointer from Swords that brought the game to two points with two seconds left had the Wolverines within striking distance. Kitts, who was perfect from the free throw line, added a pair from the charity line to tie the game.

Swords' debut was impressive as she also added 12 rebounds to her 27-point performance. Hobbs added 19 points in the game itself.

At that point, however, the Wolverines stopped scoring as the program had seven different scorers and only two players scored more than five points.

The Wolverines return to action against Lehigh on Friday at the Crisler Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m

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