Michigan
18-6 (7-4)
Northwestern
13-10 (4-6)
Michigan's Defense Sparks Comeback Win Over Northwestern
1/29/2018 10:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» After trailing for 17:24 of the first half, Michigan took a two-point lead by halftime (21-19) and led the rest of the way.
» Michigan, ranked sixth in the nation for turnovers per game (9.9), committed a season-low five turnovers while forcing 16.
» Charles Matthews led the Wolverines in scoring with 14 points, adding seven rebounds and a career-high three steals.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #24 Michigan 58, Northwestern 47
Records: U-M (18-6, 7-4 Big Ten), NU (13-10, 4-6 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 3 -- vs. Minnesota (Crisler Center), 2:30 p.m. (TV: Fox)
• Watch: Highlights | Beilein Press Conference
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: A Defensive Deluge
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 24 University of Michigan men's basketball team trailed for the majority of the first half before coming back to defeat Northwestern, 58-47, on Monday night (Jan. 29) inside Crisler Center. The Wolverines improved to 12-1 at home this season.
Junior Charles Matthews scored a team-high 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and a career-high three steals. Senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman added 11 points, followed by eight apiece from senior Duncan Robinson, junior Moritz Wagner and freshman Jordan Poole. Poole also dished out a career-high three assists.
The Maize and Blue committed a season-low five turnovers while forcing 16. The Wolverines were ranked sixth in the nation for turnovers per game (9.9) going into tonight's game.
Despite leading for 17:24 of the first half, Northwestern experienced a 7:06 scoring drought to finish out the half, allowing Michigan to gain a 21-19 edge after 20 minutes. The Wildcats took an early 4-0 lead before Matthews broke up the run with a triple at 18:12 to make it 4-3. Northwestern then used a 10-2 run to take its largest lead of the game, 14-5, at the 13:02 mark. Matthews was the only Wolverine with points on the board until Robinson added a layup with 9:12 remaining and kickstarted a 16-5 run to finish out the half.
After holding Northwestern without a field goal for the final 7:06 of the first half, Michigan grew that number to 10:18 as it held the Wildcats without a bucket until 16:48 of the second. U-M began the second half with a shower of threes -- one each from freshman Isaiah Livers, Poole, Wagner and Matthews -- to give the Wolverines a 35-30 edge with 13:38 remaining.
Michigan then used a 7-0 run, capped by a Wagner jumper, to earn its first double-digit lead, 48-38, at 5:24. Abdur-Rahkman and sophomore Zavier Simpson later combined to go 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to give the Wolverines their largest lead, 56-45, with 1:49 to go. Robinson sank a final pair of free throws with 37 seconds remaining to give U-M the 58-47 win.
Michigan shot 48 percent from the field in the second half (12-for-25).
Overall, Michigan scored 16 points off turnovers while holding the Wildcats to just two. The Wolverines bench continued to make a big impact on the court, adding 18 points in the win to account for 31 percent of U-M's points.
Tweet of the Game
U-M with the win!! ????
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) January 30, 2018
Matthews had a team-high 14 points.
The Wolverines scored 16 points off turnovers tonight while only allowing the Wildcats 2.
The Maize and Blue return to action on Saturday Feb. 3 @ 2:30 against Minnesota#GoBlue ?? pic.twitter.com/FJhLdKKaff
The Wolverines will have four days to prep before hosting the first and only regular-season meeting with Minnesota on Saturday (Feb. 3) at 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Fox.
