Louisville, Van Lith pull away from Michigan to advance to the Final Four

Louisville continues to lead, but Michigan is well within striking distance of its first Final Four.

The No. 1 Cardinals are up 45-43 through three quarters, but they were up 9 with 2:47 to go in the period. Michigan star Naz Hillmon is up to 15 points and has been an efficient 9 for 11 from the foul line and one key block.

Chelsie Hall and Hailey Van Lith are a combined 13 for 20 for 30 points, but Michigan is plus-12 from the foul line.

Louisville led by as many as seven, but the Cardinals are clinging to a 30-27 halftime lead in the last Elite Eight game. The winner joins South Carolina, Stanford and UConn in the Final Four.

Michigan missed its first eight shots but have since gone 10 for 14 to climb back. As expected, Naz Hillmon leads the way with nine points.

The teams have combined for 19 turnovers, with Louisville taking advantage — a 14-2 edge in points off turnovers. Chelsie Hall's perfect 3 for 3 shooting beyond the arc helped her total 13 points by half.

Both No. 1 Louisville and No. 3 Michigan are starting to warm up a bit after a very slow start offensively. The Cardinals lead 17-13 after the first.

Though the Wolverines, playing the Elite Eight for the first time, missed their first eight shots, Michigan stayed close enough to make a run once shots began to fall. Maddie Nolan is 2 for 3 on 3-pointers off the bench for Michigan. Chelsie Hall is 2 for 2 from distance, helping Louisville convert on four 3-pointers in the first period.

The thrilling 2OT game between NC State and UConn in the Bridgeport Region pushed the start of this one to ESPNU.

CARDS GO BACK-TO-BACK FROM THREE 👌

📺 ESPNU x

— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB)

USA TODAY Sports

Only two spots remain to be filled in the Final Four after No.1 Stanford and South Carolina secured Final Four places on Sunday night. 

Tonight, No. 1 NC State battles No. 2 UConn as NC State looks to reach its first Final Four since 1998. That is followed by the final Elite Eight matchup , which features No. 1 Louisville and No. 3 Michigan. An upset by Michigan would mark the first-ever Final Four appearance in program history. 

Here's tonight's schedule (all times ET):

• No. 1 NC State vs. No. 2 UConn | 7 ET | ESPN
• No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 3 Michigan | 9 ET | ESPN

No. 3 Michigan has moved on to its first Elite Eight in program history with a 52-49 win over No. 10 South Dakota. 

It all came down to the final minute when the Coyotes tied it with 52 seconds. Michigan’s Lalia Phelia came up clutch when her number was called. Having not attempted a shot in the second half prior, she scored her 14th and most important point to give her team the lead with 23 seconds left. 

South Dakota’s Kyah Watson had a look at a possible game-tying 3 in the closing seconds but missed to give the Wolverines the win. 

The tough defense from both sides didn’t stop Michigan’s Naz Hillmon from getting 17 points and 10 rebounds. She got out to a slow start in the first quarter with zero points but bounced back and finished strong. 

The Wolverines will continue their memorable run with their next game against No. 1 Louisville on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

No. 1 Louisville will move on to its fourth consecutive Elite Eight and seventh in program history after a 76-64 win over No. 4 Tennessee. 

The Cardinals were able to keep the Lady Vols at bay for the majority of the game. UL’s lockdown defense was a huge factor in the win, forcing 18 turnovers with 21 points off of them. Tennessee did make a final push in the third quarter to bring the deficit to five going into the fourth, but Louisville held strong.

The three mainstays in the Cardinal’s offense, Emily Engstler, Hailey Van Lith and Kianna Smith, showed up. The three combined for 55 points. 

Louisville can now bring its attention to their Elite Eight and a shot at its fourth Final Four appearance. The Cards will face the winner of No. 3 Michigan and No. 10 South Dakota on Monday.