The Michigan women's basketball team snuck by the South Dakota Coyotes on Saturday night in a thrilling 52-49 victory.

Neither team led by more than six points the entire game, culminating in a nail-biting finish. The Wolverines held the Coyotes scoreless for nearly five minutes down the stretch, a huge factor in the win.

Michigan got off to a slow start. South Dakota clearly had a plan to double team Naz Hillmon and force Michigan to settle for 3-pointers. And the gameplan was executed perfectly in the first quarter. The Coyotes held the Wolverines to just nine points in the first quarter.

Michigan was unable to gather any momentum on either end of the floor in the second quarter and trailed by two at halftime.

The third quarter remained close, but the Wolverines managed to lead by one with just one quarter remaining. Michigan established a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but South Dakota would not go away easily.

Hannah Sjerven willed the Coyotes within striking distance in the fourth quarter, but the fifth-year senior fouled out of the game with 2:20 remaining. Clutch free throws from senior Leigha Brown put the game on ice as the Wolverines advanced to their first Elite Eight in program history.

Despite the slow start, Hillmon led the team in scoring with 17 points. She also added 10 rebounds, marking her 51st career double-double. Freshman Laila Phelia shot 5-7 from the floor and added 14 points in the victory. Brown also added 10 points off the bench.

Michigan is set to battle No. 1 seed Louisville on Monday for a spot in the Final Four. The two teams met earlier this season, with the Cardinals dominating the Wolverines, 70-48. Tip off is scheduled for 9 p.m. on Monday night.