By james art 
LAS VEGAS — The University of Michigan women’s basketball team faced defending national champion and No. 1 seed South Carolina before falling 68-62 in the Hall of Fame season opener at T-Mobile Arena.
Power of swords had a sensational debut in the Maize and Blue, recording a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds in his first varsity game. Jordan Hobbs contributed 19 points while Olivia Olson added five points and five rebounds. Michigan held South Carolina to just 33.3 percent shooting and tied the Gamecocks with 52 rebounds.
Michigan started the game on a 7-0 run, getting a triple from Hobbs and buckets from Swords and Mila Holloway for the early advantage.
Michigan got a 3-pointer from Hobbs to end the first quarter, leading 21-18. Swords led by 10 points in the first quarter with Hobbs adding six as the Wolverines took an early lead.
Swords scored on the first possession of the second quarter, extending Michigan’s lead to five points. Olson’s layup with 8:18 left kept the lead at five points at 27-22. South Carolina responded with six straight points, forcing a Michigan timeout at the 4:50 mark, with the Gamecocks leading by one point.
The teams went back and forth until three of Greta Kampschroeder and two free throws by Swords made it 36-30 with 2:26 left in the break. South Carolina responded by hitting a 3-pointer to end the half, cutting Michigan’s lead to 38-37 after 20 minutes.
South Carolina scored the first four points of the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run to take a 41-38 lead. A pair of free throws by Swords with 7:14 on the clock stopped the run and brought Michigan back within a point. The Gamecocks kept the pressure on, building their largest lead of the game at that point, 49-43, with just over six minutes left in the third.
Michigan refused to go away, closing within three points after 30 minutes. Hobbs scored five straight points for the Wolverines to take a 54-51 South Carolina lead early in the fourth quarter.
Michigan closed to within four points, 60-56, on a free throw by Swords with just over three minutes remaining. South Carolina scored on its next possession to extend the lead to six, but Michigan continued to fight.
The Swords hit back-to-back 3-pointers sandwiched around two missed South Carolina free throws, pulling Mays and Blue within two points with 22 seconds left.
The Gamecocks made both penalties after Michigan was forced to foul on the ensuing possession. Michigan failed to convert on its next possession, and South Carolina made two more free throws with less than a second left to seal the six-point victory.
Michigan returns to Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday, Nov. 8 to host Lehigh at 7 p.m.