ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Leigha Brown scored 14 of her 23 points in the second half, nine in the fourth quarter, and No. 22 Michigan turned back South Florida 63-58 on Saturday in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Carla Brito opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and layup to give the Bulls a 50-43 lead, the largest by either team, but from there they made just 2 of 10 shots.
Brown had a three-point play and another jumper and Maddie Nolan knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Wolverines a 55-54 lead with 4:37 left.
USF made two free throws to regain the lead, but Nolan hit another 3, the three triples her only points of the game, all on assists by Brown. Elena Tsineke’s layup pulled the Bulls within one with 20 seconds to go, but Michigan closed it out with four free throws.
Michigan (6-0) will play No. 21 Baylor in the championship game while USF (7-1) faces No. 23 Villanova for third place.
Laila Phelia scored 11 points and Emily Kiser added 10 with nine rebounds for the Wolverines.
Sammie Puisis had 17 of her 22 points in the first half for the Bulls. Tsineke added 14 points and Brito 12.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
